Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (47 page)

Sorrow and worry had
etched deeper lines in Kwanzi’s face in such a very few days, Emla
noted with sadness.

‘I know. I swear I will
care for the child as I care for Tika and my Shan.’

Kwanzi smiled. ‘So you
would have three daughters Lady Emla?’

Emla blinked in
surprise then returned his smile warmly. ‘Indeed Kwanzi, I could
not care for them more were they truly my children.’ She leaned
closer. ‘Care for Thryssa my dear, I hate to see the change in
her.’

Lashek joined them and
Kwanzi went in search of his wife.

‘I have given Imshish
copies of the map I found in our archive,’ he said. ‘And I have
asked him to study the strange ornament your Dragon Lord wears. I
would dearly love to be of your party but my place is here for
now.’

Emla leaned down to
kiss his cheek. ‘Thryssa will need your strength Lashek, but we can
hope the day will come when you will visit places outside of
Vagrantia.’

Imshish and Maressa
left the council room to gather a few belongings to take with them
to the Stronghold. Kallema also left to send a brief message to
warn of the imminent arrival in the north, of the party from
Vagrantia. Kallema’s councillor Prilla, drifted across the room to
bid Emla farewell, then drifted away again as Thryssa, Kwanzi and
Elyssa arrived.

The girl’s fair hair
was braided now. She wore a thick blue shirt over dark grey woollen
trousers which were tucked into half boots. A cloak hung from her
arm and a pack was settled on her back. She was pale but composed
as her silvered eyes met Emla’s.

‘I am honoured to be of
any service to Vagrantia and to you, Lady Emla.’

Emla embraced the girl
briefly then followed Lashek when he led the way to the Chamber of
Harmony. Kwanzi handed Emla her own pack and cloak as they passed
the men now permanently guarding access to the Chamber.

Maressa and Imshish
awaited them there, both dressed similarly to Elyssa and Emla.
Farewells were spoken, Thryssa clinging first to Emla, then to
Elyssa, in a last desperate hug. Then the four stepped onto the
outer rim of the circle.

Maressa led them,
murmuring a low chant as she placed each foot deliberately on the
mosaic pattern. They slowly wound their way round and inwards.
There was a soft gulping sound and the circle was empty.

Chapter
Thirty-One

Gan lifted Tika back
onto her chair, Sket hovering at his elbow. Navan held a goblet to
Kemti’s lips, urging him to sip the liquid he offered. Hargon
strode to the door, pulling it open and barking orders to the
armsmen outside to put all his men on alert. Shutting the door
again, he realised that an orange Kephi had streaked between his
boots and leapt upon Tika. He remembered seeing it on his female
child’s knees at the lodge and stifled an urge to groan
aloud.

Khosa spread-eagled
herself across Tika’s chest, her whiskers bristling anxiously while
she peered into Tika’s face. Automatically the girl’s hand moved to
Khosa’s back and after a moment, her eyes opened. She looked at
Khosa, then at Gan, and finally at Sket with a puzzled expression.
Then memory rushed back and she twisted to see where Kemti
was.

Standing between the
two, Hargon nodded in relief.

‘Do you know what
happened? You both just fainted.’

‘It was Rhaki,’ Tika’s
tone was flat. ‘He killed someone in or near his tower.’ She
hesitated, her eyes seeking Kemti’s.

The Discipline Senior
straightened himself, his face still snow white. ‘It has been
expounded as a theory but I have never heard of a single instance
of it being put into practise,’ he said. ‘Rhaki killed someone and
then transferred himself - his spirit, his soul, whatever you
choose to call it – into his victim’s body. What Tika and I felt
just now, was the utterly final destruction of not just someone’s
physical body, but the annihilation of their spirit.’

The faces of the
Sapphrean Lords and their Armschiefs expressed
bafflement.

Tika struggled upright,
clutching Khosa close to her.

‘Kemti means that Rhaki
has left his own body and taken another’s.’

Hargon and Raben of
Tagria both shuddered. Navan leaned back against the
table.

‘In other words, if we
go to the tower, we would find Rhaki’s body?’

Tika and Kemti both
nodded.

‘And we do not know
whose body Rhaki’s “spirit” now exists in?’

They nodded again, more
slowly.

‘Do you know all of the
workmen at the tower?’ Kemti asked.

Hargon scrubbed a hand
through his short grey blond hair in exasperation. ‘No. The
labourers work when they are free from other duties – in the
fields, the market and so on. Some work two or three days there, in
between their more usual tasks.’

‘Serim.’ Khosa’s voice
in their minds made the Sapphreans stare hard at the Kephi. She
yawned, then curled firmly on Tika’s lap.

Tika pursed her lips,
glanced up at Gan.

‘Is that the little man
who came here asking for Rhaki some time ago?’ Hargon
queried.

‘Yes, did you speak
with him?’ Kemti asked.

‘No, no. I was told by
my seneschal that a man was asking for Rhaki. He stayed here a few
nights I believe, then he moved into the tower the day Rhaki
completed it. Traff said he was a very small man, seemed quite
harmless, carried no weapon other than a belt knife.’

‘You said Rhaki
appeared ill, the more he used the power for his
building?’

Hargon nodded. ‘He ate
practically nothing. Amazing he could still stand really, he became
so thin. He trembled too, as though he might just fall into
pieces.’

‘Then I think he would
have concluded he had no choice but to do what he has done,’ Kemti
said.

Seeing the confusion on
Hargon’s face, he explained further.

‘We have long known
that prolonged or heavy drawing of power is most debilitating. That
is why we have strict regulations governing its use, especially
enforced among students. I suspect Rhaki’s body was actually dying,
that it was far too damaged for him to attempt healing himself. He
would have thus considered that he had no alternative but to place
himself within another body.’

Tika let her hand slide
over Khosa’s head. ‘I think we will find Khosa is correct, that
Rhaki is using the Delver Serim’s body now.’

‘He may need time to
adjust,’ Kemti said thoughtfully. ‘He is used to the height and
long limbs of our People. It may not be so easy to immediately be
able to function in another body. And Serim is surely the furthest
extreme.’

‘Will he do this
again?’ asked Zalom of Andla.

They all waited while
Kemti considered. ‘I fear he will. Rhaki will find Serim’s body
unsuitable I suspect. He was always proud of the fact that he could
look down on most of the world.’

Gan gave a humourless
laugh. ‘He always detested me because I grew taller than
him.’

‘A meal should have
been served by now,’ Hargon frowned, but the door opened at that
moment to admit the seneschal Traff.

He saluted Hargon and
awaited his Lord’s permission to speak.

‘I regret Sir Lord,
that your son is not in the compound. I took him to his tutor as
you instructed. His tutor came to my office a short time ago. He is
heavily cut and bruised about the head and face. I have had the
compound thoroughly searched Sir Lord, but there is no sign of the
Lord Bartos.’

Hargon sat down,
staring blankly at his seneschal while the visiting Lords murmured
to each other.

‘He is gone to Rhaki.’
Again, Khosa’s imperious tone rang in their minds. ‘And that baby
is in the courtyard.’

Khosa spat as she was
dropped between Tika’s knees, but Sket, Tika and Gan were already
out of the door. Hargon looked pitifully confused as it was left to
Kemti to explain some of Khosa’s statement.

‘Lord Hargon, sadly, we
suspected that Rhaki had touched the mind of your son Bartos
already. Mena told us that his bullying had become more frequent
and more vicious over the last few ten days – since Rhaki’s
appearance here in other words. Now I fear Rhaki has summoned the
boy.’

‘But we can find them,
get him back.’ Hargon’s face revealed that he knew in his heart
that he voiced a false hope.

Kemti shook his head.
‘You will not get Bartos back. He is already altered. He is Rhaki’s
creature now I fear.’

A distant uproar was
gradually getting nearer and heads turned to the door as hands
moved to sword hilts. The door flew open to reveal Hargon’s
sentries pressed to the walls, disbelieving horror on their faces.
Tika entered first, followed by a silvery blue Dragon, then Sket
and Gan.

The visiting Sapphrean
Lords and their Armschiefs could only gape when the Dragon stopped
before Hargon. He lowered his long face to be level with Hargon,
and his prismed eyes whirred sapphire and gold.

‘I am sorry your son is
gone, Lord Hargon. And I am sorry if my arrival has disturbed some
of your guards.’ His eyes whirred a little faster as he made such a
glaring understatement. ‘My Tika was distressed, I could not reach
her for a time. I had to come to her.’

Hargon stared into
Farn’s face as if bemused.

‘Farn, come here and
meet the other Lords of this land.’

Tika came to Hargon’s
rescue, ironic as she realised that was.

‘Yes,’ agreed Hargon.
‘If you would all excuse me, I would go to see if anything else may
be discovered of my son. And I will have a meal sent to
you.’

The remaining men
scarcely noticed Hargon leave the room with Navan. They were
riveted by the Dragon, who had moved to the side of the room where
there was considerably less furniture and reclined gracefully
against a wall. Kija’s voice spoke privately in Tika’s
head.

‘Farn became distraught
my daughter. I thought it best to let him come to you. We are close
by, should you need us, but Rhaki’s presence has moved away from
this area.’

‘We think he has put
his mind into Serim’s body, but I cannot speak longer Kija. I have
to introduce your son to these Lords.’

With a peal of
laughter, Kija vanished from Tika’s mind. She took a deep breath
and began those introductions.

The Lords and
Armschiefs quickly became accustomed to the fact of mind speech.
They also recognised the gentle hint Gan gave them regarding Farn’s
extreme youth and thus the accuracy of some of his statements.
Servants began to bring platters of food for the company, their
eyes popping at the sight of the Dragon. Eating did not seem to
lessen the Lords fascination with the Dragon in their
midst.

Tika let Farn hold
everyone’s attention – it gave her a chance to think about what
Rhaki had done. She gave little thought to Bartos: he had always
been an odious child in her view, and deserved all he was likely to
get from Rhaki. A glance at Kemti told her that he too was deeply
engrossed in similar thoughts.

By the time Hargon
rejoined them, the remains of the meal had been cleared away and
the sky was dark at the windows. The visiting Lords looked a little
guilty at enjoying their evening so well at sight of Hargon’s face.
With a slight jolt of pity, Tika saw that he looked greyer and
older than he had but a few hours earlier. She got to her
feet.

‘If you wouldn’t mind
Lord Hargon, I will stay here with Farn this night. He dislikes our
being separated and I do not think he could manage the stairs too
well.’

Hargon nodded
distractedly. ‘Whatever you wish. I beg your forgiveness, all of
you, but I feel I must search on, for a while at least. You must be
appalled at my poor manners towards guests,’ he lifted his hands
helplessly. ‘I have to search on.’

The Lords and
Armschiefs, and Gan also, immediately offered their assistance,
late as it was. Hargon seemed overcome by their offers and left
with them all, surrounded by sympathy.

Tika’s Guards slipped
back into the room and settled on the floor around the fireplace.
Kemti pulled a chair round for himself and purloined cushions to
wedge behind his back. Tika leaned against Farn and yawned. Khosa
sprawled across her knees, fast asleep already.

‘I was so frightened my
Tika,’ Farn whispered privately to Tika’s mind.

She reached a hand to
rub the side of his face. ‘I know. I am glad you came.’ She yawned
again.

‘Mena had the same sort
of fever that you had,’ Farn continued. ‘But she will be alright of
course – you were better after a day were you not?’

Tika smiled. ‘Of
course,’ she agreed, and burrowed lower against her soul
bond.

She woke to find the
windows outlined in the faint greenish light of a pre dawn sky. She
felt rested and calm, aware of Farn’s slow, steady breathing
against her back. Tika lay still until Sket and Riff moved quietly
to the door, presumably to find the kitchens and some hot tea. She
smiled. The Guards swore they could do nothing without a bucket of
tea first thing each morning. The others were stirring when Sket
and Riff returned triumphantly with their precious tea. Kemti
stretched, groaning, in his chair and looked towards
Tika.