Survivors: Book 4 Circles of Light series (55 page)

During the next days
Hadjay returned, reporting a setback in the invasion of Malesh. He
told Orla of the very ground shivering just beyond the desert, in
places strong enough to cause buildings to fall. He’d heard the
earthquakes had been far worse further south. But he also told of
strange fighters coming from the direction of the coast, who had
inflicted considerable losses on his men. Their skins were golden,
not as dark as that of the desert men, and they fought together in
a way such as Hadjay had no experience of. They were led by giants,
he reported, who wore black shiny armour and tall purple plumes in
their helmets. Orla suggested they were armsmen from Harbour City
but Hadjay doubted this: they did not resemble Maleshan people any
more than they were like the Qwah.

‘Can you defeat these
new armsmen?’ Orla asked bluntly when Hadjay fell
silent.

His eyes were fierce.
‘We will die to the last man Lady, but I think they will beat us.
More and more of them come from the east. As well as the leaders in
black armour there are men among them in plain dress, without
weapons or armour. They are always protected by the ones with
plumed helmets. I think they are wise men who give commands to the
warriors.’

Orla, who had never
given any importance to mental powers, was inclined to agree with
Hadjay’s reasoning, although she felt a tiny pang of unease at the
back of her mind.

‘The desert men can
continue south or withdraw,’ she decided. ‘I have a mind to travel
north.’

Hadjay’s eyes widened
in surprise.

‘You will pick your
best men – at least twenty five of them, and in two days I will go
with you. Northwards.’

She hadn’t really known
what she would say until the words were spoken. Having made her
announcement she would follow it through. While Hadjay arranged
horses, supplies and men, Orla chose the weapons she would take,
putting them into an old survey pack while keeping her personal
disruptor at her belt. She recorded her intentions in one of the
units in her bedchamber, then summoned the empty headed menial
staff. Clearly and simply she ordered them to continue maintaining
the Survivors’ quarters, feeding the specimens in her laboratory
and collecting food as usual from the main entrance near the
junction with the Dome of Knowledge.

She emerged above
ground in the great expanse of the Sanctuary as the moon rose,
carrying two packs. Hadjay would have taken them but she insisted
they remain with her. Accordingly, he strapped them behind the
saddle of the horse a tribesman held ready for her. In a double
column with Orla and Hadjay at its head, the riders moved out of
the Sanctuary, through the Ring Complex and past each circle gate
of the City.

Orla glanced back once,
a sudden nervousness making her hands tighten in her horse’s mane.
She had never been this far outside the Domes since her arrival
here and she looked up at the rounded shapes still visible in the
light of the half moon. Resolutely she faced forward again and
imagined the man in her dreams applauded her courage.

Chapter
Thirty-One

Tika was irritated that
she was still unsteady on her feet but Navan moved up beside her,
his arm and shoulder unobtrusively supporting her as she moved
towards the gijan Elder. Sket was at her left side, nearly as
wobbly as she was but refusing to abandon his post as her personal
Guard. Tika didn’t dare risk bowing, she suspected she’d end up
flat on her face, so she merely inclined her head and hoped she
wasn’t offending the Elder.

‘I am Tika, soul bond
of Farn.’ Her voice at least sounded strong enough and Farn’s chin
rested comfortingly on the top of her head.

Gan approached from
beyond Navan and they saw the Elder stood eye to eye with him, if
she wasn’t fractionally taller. But Flute had eyes only for Tika at
the moment. She stared down at the small human. But was she
entirely human? What did those silvered eyes mean? Clearly she was
weak, physically and more so mentally, and Flute was unsurprised.
To take on one of the monstrous Children and destroy her was more
than the Elder Races had been able to achieve.

‘I would know of your
trial with Valesh.’ Flute paused. ‘Shall we sit more comfortably? I
see you are not recovered.’

Knowing how the three
young gijan never sat on the ground, Tika wondered if Flute
intended to remain standing, towering over them all even more.
Flute read her thoughts and, with a smile, sat gracefully on the
ground, both her enormous wings swept to one side. Everyone
followed Flute’s example and it was as Ren and Maressa sat close to
Sket that Flute saw the three gijan still flat on their faces. She
stared at them, then at Tika.

‘Who are these gijan
children?’ she asked, her voice taking on a low melodic tone. ‘Rise
and answer me.’

Leaf was on her feet
first, followed by Piper and lastly Willow. Their expressions
reminded Tika of the cowed little faces of the slaves she’d first
met in the City of the Domes.

‘I brought them from
the Domes,’ Tika said before Flute could say more. ‘They said they
were litter mates, so instead of bringing one as I’d planned, I
brought all three.’

Flute stared at Tika
again, then back at the gijan. ‘They have their wings,’ she
said.

Tika shrugged, wincing
at the pull of her healing burn. ‘I was shown what I should do to
release their wings but I’m afraid I didn’t know the songs that
should be sung at such a time.’

‘Your names
children?’

One by one the three
stepped one pace forward, bowed and gave Flute their names. Her
eyes narrowed then she nodded, looking back at Tika.

‘They gave you their
lives?’ she asked.

Tika remembered how
each gijan when they’d recovered from the agony of having their
wings released, had given her their names followed by the words “my
life is yours”.

‘They did,’ she agreed.
‘And they have redeemed that vow – they found Sket and me trapped
inside the rock. And you,’ she continued more boldly than she felt.
‘I was told there were no Elders in this world.’

Flute leaned forward,
resting her elbows on her knees. ‘Two hundred and twenty one of us
were suspended in time.’ Her head, covered with dark curls which
tangled down her spine, tilted one side then the other, a glint of
amusement lighting her eyes.

Tika frowned: Flute was
teasing her – what did she mean? ‘The Dome,’ she exclaimed. ‘The
statues in the Dome!’

She was filled with
both horror and sorrow at the idea of this magnificently beautiful
creature being somehow frozen in motionless silence since the final
battle a thousand years past. Flute studied her clasped
hands.

‘We searched for the
young gijan when you released us from Valesh’s spell.’

Tika put two and two
together and guessed that the Elders must have been freed when
Valesh was unmade. Flute glanced up briefly, her eyes
blazing.

‘We killed those humans
who tried to stop us.’ She dropped her gaze again. ‘The children
have been taken to safety. Also, the Ship, Star Singer. He too is
free.’

Ren stiffened. In what
context was the Elder using the word “free”?

‘Singer was not
destroyed?’ he asked urgently.

Flute looked at him for
the first time and was startled to see his eyes were silvered like
Tika’s.

‘Destroyed? Of course
not. He flew as we did. He said he was going south east to the
island of Wendla.’

Tika and Maressa both
found they were in tears, to Flute’s consternation.

‘Was that wrong of him?
Why do you weep?’

‘No, no.’ Tika wiped
inelegantly at her face with her sleeve. ‘He said he couldn’t fly
anymore. He must be trying to reach Star Flower.’

‘There is another
Ship?’

‘There are several I
think.’

Khosa stalked towards
the Elder Flute carrying a mouse in her teeth. She offered it to
the Elder and sat primly while Akomi hurried to join her. To the
companions’ surprise, Flute reached a talon to stroke between
Khosa’s ears, then did the same to Akomi.

‘It is long indeed
since I have even seen one of your kind, little sister.’ Flute
spoke simultaneously aloud and in their minds. ‘I have missed the
company of your folk.’

Khosa arched her back
beneath Flute’s hand and rubbed against her knees. Akomi was shyer
until Flute encouraged him to press closer. Now it was Flute’s turn
to weep. She held both cats in her arms for a moment, her face
buried in orange and mottled brown furry backs.

‘A bowl of tea would be
welcome,’ Sket said loudly.

Gan laughed and began
to unpack one of their bags while Navan bent to rekindle their
fire. Tika and Sket, followed by Farn, made their way across to the
Elder. She looked up as they approached. It was a touch
disconcerting to discover they were barely taller than Flute even
sitting on the ground as she was. Flute looked over Tika’s shoulder
and saw the young gijan perched on Brin’s back.

‘They must begin their
training quickly,’ she said. ‘I have summoned one of my litter
mates. He was one of our best tutors of the young. I think those
three may have difficulties.’

Tika nodded. ‘We have
let them do more or less as they please I’m afraid, but when we
have scolded them they have just flown away. Seela,’ Tika faltered.
‘Seela was the only one of us who had any real influence over
them.’

‘Seela?’

Sket’s arm was round
Tika’s waist and it was Farn who sent the Elder a mental picture of
the huge purple Dragon Seela who had died to give Tika the time to
unmake Valesh. The Elder hooked both Tika and Sket closer, aware
through Farn of the grief that still filled all this
company.

‘We had planned to
travel on, when you came.’ Tika managed to control her tears yet
again.

‘Perhaps you would
consider staying here until Rainbow can reach us? I think there is
much we must talk of before I can advise you – if my advice would
be of any help.’

‘Oh it would.’ Tika
felt the reassurance from this ancient Elder that she was used to
feeling in Fenj’s company, and she was so very tired of carrying
all the responsibility of this strange journey.

Sket nodded his
approval and Flute suddenly grinned at him.

‘I have yet to taste
tea again – I have drunk water only since I left the Domes, and it
is a thousand years since my last bowl.’

Sket was appalled: he
couldn’t survive without frequent doses of the stuff. Flute’s
laughter rang out across the ruined farmyard and heads turned to
see what caused the Elder’s amusement. She got to her feet, Khosa
and Akomi marching in front of her. She leaned forward to touch her
brow to Farn’s and his eyes whirred: clearly she said something to
his mind. Flute took Sket’s left arm near the elbow and Tika’s
right hand and walked them slowly back to the barn. She paused to
speak to both Brin and Storm but paid no attention to the young
gijan pretending, Tika was fairly sure, to be asleep on Brin’s
back.

They talked all day; at
least, the companions did while Flute listened with close
attention. Akomi seemed to find comfort in the presence of the
Elder and tried his best to keep her lap to himself. Jakri spoke of
how his Emperor and Wendlan Mages had been aware of the
machinations of the Maleshan witch Vorna long before anyone other
than Taseen had suspicions of her here. Ren described Drogoya, and
how Cho Petak was bringing ruin to his land. Maressa told of life
in Vagrantia and the strange illness that had struck her people as
well as those of Ren’s Drogoya. Gan explained what he had pieced
together of his people’s arrival in the lands near Spine
Mountains.

Tika had the most to
tell, from the time of her running away from Hargon’s slavery to
the present time. It was mid afternoon before the Elder had heard
of all their trials and tribulations and she suggested a rest: Tika
and Sket were almost asleep where they sat. Navan was worrying
about finding food. They had intended to move on today precisely
because their supplies were so low. Storm rattled his
wings.

‘I can fetch fish again
for you,’ he suggested eagerly.

‘I’ll come too, but
I’ll wait on the shore!’ Navan got to his feet and went to climb on
Storm’s back.

‘We must find somewhere
we can reprovision Lady Flute,’ Gan said when Navan and Storm had
departed.

She nodded. ‘I
understand. It will be best to go north, towards the desert again.
There was less damage from the earthquakes that way.’

Gan stooped to pull a
blanket over Tika’s shoulders. He moved closer to the
Elder.

‘If you want Lady Tika
to fight the Bound One in the desert, there is no way I will permit
her to do any such thing while she is so very weak.’

Farn’s eyes suddenly
flashed. ‘I will not allow it either,’ he said firmly.

Elder Flute didn’t
answer; instead she rose swiftly and stood at the open side of the
barn. Gan could see a dark shape flying fast from the north,
directly for them.