Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (48 page)

‘I do not know how you
can sleep on the floor so well,’ he complained. Then he sat forward
suddenly, staring at her.

She pushed herself into
a sitting position as he dropped to his knees and peered into her
face.

‘What is it Kemti?
What’s the matter?’

His long fingers caught
her chin, tilting her face from side to side to catch the early
light.

‘Your eyes,’ he
murmured. ‘Your eyes are silver.’

Ren found it difficult
to believe – the extent of the warren of rooms beneath Chakar’s
tiny cottage. It was clear that most rooms were naturally formed,
dug out by the sea countless years ago, before the cliffs were
pushed high above the water. Or the sea level became lower, as
Voron pointed out.

After the two had been
given a perfunctory tour and allotted two cubby holes for
themselves, they settled in the main room with their host. Chakar
explained that over many years, certain Observers had used this
cottage and its hidden rooms. Each was selected by their
predecessor and were not told of the cottage’s secrets until they
had proved worthy.

‘How did you prove
worthy Chakar, and, if it is such a secret, why have you allowed
Voron and myself to learn of it?’ Ren asked.

Chakar and Babach
glanced at each other.

‘This is really
Babach’s place, but he decided he was needed at the Menedula some
years ago. At that time, he and I had worked together in the Oblaka
and he chose me to succeed him here.’ She gave Ren a suddenly cold
stare. ‘If we find we have doubts about either of you keeping your
knowledge of this place secret, we could easily silence you. One
way or another.’

Ren felt a finger of
ice stroke down his spine and he swallowed nervously.

‘I do not understand
why you, an Observer, should need a place hidden from everyone?’
His tone was apologetic but firm: he really had to know what was
going on.

Chakar rose from where
she sat curled in an armchair and silently left the room. Babach
crossed his legs and folded his hands over his stomach.

‘Ren, I have given you
hints that something is dreadfully awry with the Order – and its
leader.’

Ren nodded: he had
realised that much at least, but this was news to Voron and concern
showed on his face.

‘This illness that is
virtually out of control throughout lower Drogoya has shown itself
only in a handful of cases during the past thousand years. Now
there is this rapid increase. Think Ren. Once those of the order
have fulfilled three quarters of Aspirant status, their lifespans
are extended. Cho Petak became Sacrifice that long ago, and he is
very close to his body’s limit.’

‘You truly think the
Sacrifice, the Sacred One, is not true to the Order?’ Ren whispered
the question, already knowing the answer but fearing to hear it
spoken aloud.

‘My mother opposed Cho
Petak’s elevation, as did four other Offerings. Nine Offerings
supported his cause.’ Babach shrugged. ‘One of those who opposed
him died a few days later – an inexplicable fever. Two others were
caught in an avalanche during the following winter. My mother very
publicly announced, during a visit by the Emperor, that she felt
called to Oblaka, to follow Myata’s teachings. She left the
Menedula openly before the Emperor’s visit ended and once here, she
never left.’

‘The fifth Offering who
opposed Cho Petak?’ Voron asked in a low voice.

Babach grunted. ‘Died
during the Emperor’s final banquet at the Menedula. He only choked
on a date stone yet even with all the healers present, the
Offerings, the Sacrifice himself, still he died very
swiftly.’

‘Finn Rah told me that
she believes we should have tried to reach the Night Lands. She
said that Cho Petak also held that view then suddenly changed his
mind and was then elevated to Sacrifice.’

Babach nodded. ‘Finn
Rah is a little older than Cho Petak. She appears younger because
she conserves her strength. That is another indication you see –
Cho Petak has aged far more quickly of late, a clear sign that he
is using a great deal of power. Finn was one of the Offerings to
support his elevation, believing as she did that he would then
change his mind again about contacting the lands on the other side
of this world.’ He tugged his braided beard.

‘I believe it amuses
Cho Petak to have a “rebel” among his Offerings, which is why she
is the only one who survives.’

The fire crackled, blue
flames suddenly spurting up, then overcome by the red and gold.
Voron was about to speak when Chakar returned. She held something
cupped in her hands and Sava, perched on the back of her armchair,
hooted softly. Chakar knelt in front of the fire, facing Ren and
Voron.

‘Successive Observers
who have occupied this cottage are sworn to another Order.’ She
raised her eyes first to Ren, then to Voron. ‘We follow the Order
of Myata and within these hidden rooms are most ancient writings
attributed to Myata herself. This object has never been fully
understood, but we believe it was given to Myata by the old gods of
Drogoya.’

Chakar opened her hands
and Ren and Voron leaned forward to see what she held. Between her
palms lay an oval object which seemed to glow. Ren moved to kneel
beside the woman but made no attempt to touch what lay within her
hands. It resembled nothing more than a large egg, but an egg such
as Ren had never seen.

The side touching
Chakar’s hands was of smooth stone, purist white laced with the
thinnest threads of gold. The upper side matched the lower in shape
but was filled with a hard transparent substance of a pale honey
shade. Perhaps amber, Ren thought. Within the egg, a tiny shape
hung. Stare as he might, Ren could not make out what the shape was,
but he sat back on his heels in shock when the shape moved. The
glow about the egg seemed to pulse with the movement inside
it.

Voron had joined Ren on
the floor and he too stared in fascination. At last Ren looked up
at Chakar. She raised an eyebrow.

‘You are an Offering
Ren, and you a high Aspirant Voron. Look properly!’

Both men focused their
minds, enhancing their vision as they looked into the
egg.

The Dragon was so very
tiny, but perfectly formed. Its scales were rose gold and its
faceted eyes were a soft green. Voron and Ren crouched spellbound
as the Dragon twisted and wings stretched briefly from its
back.

Chakar spoke above
their bent heads.

‘We have many artefacts
here, which we think Myata owned, but this we have been taught is
her greatest treasure. Stories tell that she wore it constantly on
a chain about her neck, and told anyone who asked her that it was a
gift from the old gods.’

Chakar sighed, closing
her hands over the glowing egg. ‘In the last year and a half, what
you saw within has begun to move and the whole egg to shine. We
have been unable to penetrate the egg with our minds so we have no
idea what this might portend.’ She held her hands close to her body
and got to her feet again, carrying the object from the room once
more.

Babach reached across
Voron to pull the kettle from above the fire. He busied himself
making tea, giving the other two men time to recover from the shock
of what they had seen. The silence held until Chakar reappeared to
curl into her armchair.

Voron spoke first, as
though waking from a dream. ‘You imply that the egg began to change
at the same time as the affliction became more
widespread?’

Chakar nodded, taking a
bowl of tea from Babach with a smile of thanks.

‘To follow further, you
must believe that the old gods are in some way still aware of what
happens here?’ Ren still knelt by the fire as he spoke. ‘All I ever
heard of them was that they were benign beings, who cared for the
land and the magic and taught Sedka to do the same when they left.’
He frowned. ‘No one ever mentioned why they left – do you
know?’

Chakar and Babach both
laughed.

‘We know no more than
you Ren on that subject,’ Chakar told him.

‘But that was a
Dragon,’ Ren said helplessly. ‘Children’s stories talk of mighty
Dragons, but the only Dragons we know of are the small Sea Dragons
along the coasts of some parts of Drogoya.’

‘There are the even
smaller Fire Dragons in the far south Ren. They were studied fairly
extensively by Observer Roshal before she returned to teach in the
Menedula,’ Voron reminded him.

An idea was forming in
Ren’s mind. He looked from Chakar to Babach. ‘Do you think there
may be other Dragons in the Night Lands?’ he asked. ‘The one in
that egg looked like neither a Sea nor a Fire Dragon. Could there
be other kinds?’

‘I do not know Ren and
I refuse to guess. There is one more thing I must tell you before
we leave you to get some rest. You know of the Plavats – the giant
sea birds?’

Ren and Voron nodded,
puzzled by the switch from Dragons to sea birds.

‘Chakar has made a long
study of them – all kinds of birds but particularly the Plavats.
One was brought to her, barely out of its egg. She found that as
with many other species, it was able to use mind
communication.’

Ren felt as if his
brain would not hold any more surprises without
bursting.

‘This particular bird,
she named him Baryet by the way, is even now on his way to the
Night Lands. He may be there – we cannot tell how long it may take
even such a powerful bird, accustomed to travelling endlessly over
the seas. He has been instructed to find intelligent beings if he
can, and he carries a message written by Chakar and myself as
simply as we were able. We wrote of Drogoya, the Order of Sedka,
and also of the affliction. We wrote to warn them and to ask if
they had any knowledge of its cause, or any hope of its cure. Now
we have to wait to see if Baryet returns and if he does, what news
he will bring with him.’

Chapter
Thirty-Two

In the circle room at
the Stronghold, a considerable crowd had gathered. When the scroll
tube appeared announcing the imminent arrival of Lady Emla and
three Vagrantians, many people found some reason to be in the
vicinity of the circle room. Mim, Kera, Nesh and Dessi were
actually within the room, along with Jal and eight armed
Guards.

It was not a long wait:
there was a soft explosion of air and four people stood in the
circle. A man and woman stood side by side while Emla was a little
apart from them with her arm firmly around the shoulders of a much
younger girl. Kera strode forward at once, her arms open to embrace
Emla and, because Emla held the girl, Kera perforce embraced her
too.

She smiled down into
the silver eyes with the bright blue pupils, letting no hint of
curiosity or concern appear in her gaze.

‘I am Discipline Senior
Kera. Emla and I are best friends since we began first lessons
together.’

Her warm smile included
the couple behind Emla. Emla quickly introduced her companions and
Mim moved forward. His slender form stepped towards Elyssa first
and in his light fluting voice, he offered his greeting, turning
then to Maressa and Imshish. Emla took the opportunity to study Mim
after an absence of several ten-days.

Gold scales covered all
she could see of his skin – his face, his flexible, slightly
pointed ears, his throat, his arms. He turned with a faint smile,
aware of her scrutiny, and she saw that at least his turquoise eyes
were the same. Or were they? Mim smiled more widely and then
suggested that the Vagrantians come down to the great hall and make
the acquaintance of the rest of the Stronghold’s
occupants.

Turning the last curve
of the long sloping ramp, the Vagrantians stopped in their tracks.
Across the hall, by a large gateway, stood the erect figures of two
Great Dragons and one Snow Dragon. Maressa found herself drawn
slowly towards the massive black Dragon who was now lowering
himself to recline against the wall.

‘You are Fenj?’ she
asked aloud.

His eyes flashed the
shadows on snow colour. ‘I am indeed,’ he replied in her mind. ‘And
you are Maressa. I apologise again for so startling you when I
first tried to reach you.’

‘And I am Lula,
Protector of Fenj.’

Maressa jumped and
looked from side to side. Something pressed against her ankles and
staring down, she saw a very small, black furred creature weaving
figures of eight between her boots. Lula looked at her then bounded
up Fenj’s side to her favourite post between his ears.

‘Your Protector,’
Maressa sounded bemused.

Fenj’s eyes whirred
faster. ‘She is my salvation,’ he murmured fondly.

A man emerged from a
cupboard close by and gave what Maressa assumed, and hoped, was a
smile, revealing a sad absence of teeth. He wore something upon his
head, not really recognisable as a hat, and various layers of
shapeless garments.

‘This is my dear friend
Lorak. He was the Chief Gardener in charge of the Lady Emla’s
estate, but now he is my companion. He is the most splendid
fellow.’ Fenj lowered his head, carefully, to be level with
Maressa. ‘I look forward to a long talk with you later my dear, but
I think Lady Emla wishes you to join them for now.’