Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (14 page)

The two women sat in
silence as they considered the enormity of the problem facing them.
In two thousand cycles or more they had believed their isolation
was total. The rest of the world had cast them out of villages,
towns, cities and realms. Until they reached the five craters
forming Vagrantia, they had wandered the world, unwelcome
everywhere. Was that world going to burst in upon them, or would
they be the ones who would have to go forth to that
world?

Thryssa said finally:
‘The Speakers are on their way here from Segra, Kedara and Fira.
Will this be the time we must approach Talvo as well?’

In Talvo Circle no
humans lived. A few animals roamed wild, which had escaped from
herds in other circles and found Talvo pleasant enough. Clear water
sprang from rock in several places across the great crater. Boiling
waters also leapt high in the air at unpredictable moments. Parts
of the crater were barren, other parts lush with flourishing plant
life.

On one of the many high
ledges, Gremara lay. Her eyes were closed but she was not asleep.
She was listening. Something had disturbed her over the last days,
something she needed to remember. But she was tired. Tired and
lonely.

Many times, a
Vagrantian had come to her, begging to learn from her. She had been
pleased with the company and begun to instruct them. Then she had
discovered a flaw inside each of these students. Always. So of
course, she destroyed them. They had learnt too much from her to
live elsewhere with that knowledge, tainted by the faults within
them. Regretfully, she obliterated them and she would rage then at
her stupidity, at her misreading of their souls.

Then she was lonely
again. Something had disturbed her though. She knew the air was
being altered again, but that was insignificant. She knew the
circles of power had been used, and that was more worthy of notice.
A voice had called her, called her name, called ‘Gremara’. No one
had called her by name since the second Gather after her hatching.
Her eyes snapped open, her silver scales incandescent in the
afternoon sun.

She stared around at
her home, seeing a few lumen grazing unconcerned, half a league
away. She wasn’t hungry. Her tail whipped angrily through the air
with a hiss that matched the hiss from her gaping mouth. Prismed
eyes flashed like ice crystals and she suddenly roared furiously at
the sky. The lumen looked up, then continued to graze. Someone had
called her. She searched with a wild surge of power and her
whirring eyes stilled.

He had called her. Now,
at last, she must answer and do the bidding of a Dragon Lord. The
name of the one who called her was Mimnan.

Chapter
Ten

Ryla had spent four
days talking with Kadi. Emla managed to persuade Ryla to take some
rest, properly, in a tiny cupboard of a room leading off from the
hall. She also had to make her understand that Kadi needed time to
hunt and to spend with her fosterlings. Of the three young Dragons,
Emla found Shar the most serious. Watching Ikram and Nya, Emla was
saddened. That was how Farn should be – inquisitive, mischievous,
carefree. Emla realised just how difficult it had been for Farn to
have to grow up so fast, to see such things as he had already seen,
and to suffer the hurt he had.

While Ryla slept one
morning, Emla wrapped a cloak over her jacket and went out to watch
for Kadi’s return from hunting. The three young ones tumbled from
the sky, churning snow. Ikram ‘accidentally’ knocked Nya into a
snow covered clump of bushes and she emerged roaring in mock rage,
chasing him down the pathways.

Kadi
groaned.

‘I do begin to
understand your difficulties,’ Emla smiled. ‘I think having charge
of one would be hard work enough – but three! You have done well
Kadi.’

Emla stroked Shar’s
green blue wing as she spoke. ‘And why are you such a sensible one,
compared to those two rascals?’ she asked her.

Shar glanced at Kadi
for her approval, then told Emla of the time at the Gather. ‘I
shared some lessons with Tika and Farn. Somehow I knew they were
not just fun, like most of our lessons are. And since Mother took
Jeela to the north, I am afraid of what may be happening to them
all.’ Her eyes whirred, a pale gold, as she added: ‘I try to help
Kadi with those two, but whatever Ikram gets up to, Nya
follows.’

Kadi rumbled. ‘If I had
only this little Shar to foster, life would indeed be
simple!’

Shan came from the
house. ‘Lady Ryla is awake and ready for the day she says.’ Shan
grinned as Kadi exchanged a sympathetic look with Emla.

‘I think we both have
our trials,’ Kadi murmured with a chuckle.

Mid afternoon of the
fifth day since Kadi’s arrival, Kadi was first to hear Brin’s call.
She ordered the three young Dragons, in a tone not to be disobeyed,
to join her at the foot of the steps leading to the main door of
Emla’s House. Emla had the doors flung wide so that Ryla could see
outside and then the six shapes in the sky were growing rapidly
bigger as Brin led them to the Golden Lady.

Brin landed first, very
carefully. He had an odd bundle tied to his back but his eyes
flashed rose red in delight. Three small white Dragons landed
together and Kadi stared hard at these fabled Snow Dragons. Farn
landed, stumbled, but then stood firm, his eyes whirring sapphires.
Kija settled beside him, her gaze sweeping over her other three
children briefly.

Tika slid from Ulla’s
back as Gan did from Meppi’s. Sket seemed to be still involved in
conversation with Uma as he dismounted more slowly. Gan and Tika
hurried to Brin as Emla watched. Unwrapping layers of weatherproof
cloaks, then quilts, they revealed a still beaming Nolli and
Lanni.

‘Oh my stars,’ Shan
whispered beside Emla. ‘Two stubborn old ladies now. And if that
one hasn’t caught her death of cold, I’ll be most surprised!’ And
Shan was off down the steps to join the fuss around
Nolli.

When the Dragons had
formally greeted Ryla and Emla, Brin departed to hunt with Meppi
and Uma while Kija and Kadi retired to the guest pavilion to
discuss just why Kija’s three children were here. The three in
question sat, very subdued and well- mannered, outside on the
veranda while their behaviour was judged.

Ulla and Farn entered
Emla’s House, Ulla as Nolli’s escort, and Farn because he was
exhausted. He reclined near Ryla and to everyone’s surprise and
Ryla’s delight, dropped his head on her lap and fell fast
asleep.

When Emla finally
staggered to her bed that night she left Bara and Lanni curled on
pillows near the two old ones. Shan grumbled as Emla dropped her
clothes where she took them off and warned of dark days ahead with
two such stubborn old ladies ruling the house. Shan’s prediction
proved correct: the Golden Lady’s household revolved around Ryla
and Nolli from where they sat, firmly ensconced, in the entrance
chamber. Farn became very fond of Ryla in spite of the fact that a
son of Khosa’s, distressingly similar to his parent in looks and
temperament, occupied Ryla’s lap all too frequently.

Gan had long meetings
with Soran and several Guard Officers. Soran’s scouts, gone over a
ten-day, had been sending reports back from the Middle Plains.
Cansharsi still roamed in small groups and the townspeople and
farmers in the area went armed at all times. One item fixed their
attention. A peddler told a trader, who told a merchant, that a
stranger had arrived in the town of Return. Return was one of the
border towns of Sapphrea, in the southern foothills of the Ancient
Mountains. No one knew how this stranger travelled there. He’d
previously visited the Lord of Return on brief occasions, but now
it looked as though he was planning to live there permanently.
Eventually, Soran’s scout had tracked the peddler, by name Kasito,
who said the stranger in Return was called Rhaki, a Lord of the
People.

The only other piece of
information of interest was of a solitary man heading south. This
man was of short stature, seemed uncertain in the ways of ordinary
life in the towns or farms he stopped at and said his name was
Serim. He asked direction for roads to Return and some had shunned
him, some gave him rides on their wagons. For the most part, he
walked. Looking at maps Gan had made on his sorties against Gangers
in that region, Gan estimated that Serim was perhaps a ten-day foot
journey from Return. On his own he would be an easy prey for the
few Gangers left there.

Gan spoke quietly with
Nolli, as Emla argued with Ryla over yet another obscure comment
they’d found in a decaying scroll. Nolli frowned at Gan’s news. She
nodded slowly.

‘I had thought no
danger from him. Perhaps I should have handed over to Berri before
my wits softened so much. Should he reach Rhaki he will attempt to
convince him of his usefulness and no doubt he would serve him
well. He knows what Rhaki is, and yet he has chosen to follow him.
A Delver.’

She stared at her
twisted hands, curled around the small brown Kephi on her lap.
Green eyes blinked at her and Resh patted the back of her hand
gently. The ancient one smiled sadly.

‘How many more mistakes
have I made? When we first knew Serim was gone, I should have let
you go after him and taken him prisoner, should I not?’

Gan shrugged. ‘Maybe.
Perhaps another would have felt as Serim did.’

Nolli squinted at him.
‘You say you think it was meant – that Serim should abandon us for
such a one as Rhaki?’

Gan shrugged again. ‘I
became a Guard because I prefer to deal in reality and
practicalities. The power, destiny, fate, whatever you wish to call
such things, those I felt uncomfortable with. Now, I admit to you
that I feel, despite that opinion, that something is happening that
is out of our hands. Whether it is fate – I will not admit that
much.’ He smiled.

Tika was in the weapons
court with Sket and Shan. After the way Tika had fought in the
tunnels of the north, Sket believed there was nothing to teach her.
To his astonishment, when he handed her a wooden practise blade and
set her against Shan, they were nearly equally balanced. He watched
Shan closely. She was better than most after coming late to such
training, but still far from skilled. Shan’s yell as Tika’s blade
crashed across her knuckles made Sket halt the practise.

‘Lady Tika, would you
fetch your blade?’

‘Why? We’re only
practising Sket.’

‘I have a thought
Lady.’ Sket sounded faintly alarmed.

Moments later, Tika was
offering him her sword.

‘No, you use
it.’

Puzzled, she drew the
sword, leaving the worn leather scabbard on a bench. A slim blonde
Guardsman came into the court.

‘Riff, would you try a
short bout with the Lady Tika? I need to watch her with a proper
blade.’

Riff positioned himself
and waited. As Tika seemed disinclined to make the first move, Riff
moved swiftly to his right, dropping slightly to turn his blade
towards her exposed left side.

Tika’s reaction was so
fast that Sket couldn’t follow the moves fully. He was aware
though, of her set expression as she attacked Riff, forcing him
back step by step.

‘Hold!’ Sket
ordered.

A few too many seconds
passed before Tika lowered her sword, Riff eyeing her warily the
while. Shan’s round blue gaze flicked from Tika to Riff, settling
on Sket.

‘Stars!’ she
breathed.

‘Stars indeed!’ Sket
muttered back.

After six days absence
from Return, Hargon was taken aback by the change in Rhaki’s
appearance. He was gaunt where he had been slender, his steps short
and hesitant. The tremor in his hands was incessant but his eyes,
sunken as they were, glittered fever-bright.

‘Yes,’ Hargon replied
to Rhaki’s question as they sat down for the evening meal. ‘It was
a pleasant enough trip. Raben is a good host – I believe you may
have met him when you were here once before. And your work, Sir
Lord?’

‘Progressing well.’
Rhaki nodded. ‘I will need masons to complete the upper storeys
soon of course. I understand your children are travelling, Hargon.
I asked if they might like to visit my tower again and was told
they were not in residence.’

‘They usually have a
small excursion as a treat after a winter cooped up in the city.’
Hargon answered smoothly.

‘I thought they would
be interested to see the setting of the base stones, but I will be
doing that within days, and I do not wait for children.’

‘Quite so, Sir Lord. I
do not expect them back for several more days. Alas therefore, they
will miss such a wonder.’

Rhaki glanced at
Hargon. No, he was incapable of sarcasm.

‘Your daughter, Hargon
– in my humble view, I would suggest she would be wasted just
breeding grandsons for Seboth.’

Hargon shrugged.
‘Females breed Sir Lord, what else? Return’s links with Far will be
strengthened by such an arrangement.’

‘Our females are not
used only for breeding Hargon. They make docile scribes and record
keepers. I have always found them adequate at such work. Can your
daughter read and write?’