Survivors: Book 4 Circles of Light series (35 page)

‘Are you not coming
in?’ Tika was surprised.

Sefri smiled. ‘Flower
wishes to speak with you alone.’

‘But are you not
connected to her mind?’

‘If we choose – then
yes. But she wants to meet you privately – she’ll tell me if she
needs me.’

Tika considered: she
knew exactly where Farn was – hunting with Storm. But his mind was
not listening to hers at this moment. Very well, she’d take Sefri’s
word that Flower was waiting for her alone.

‘I am glad you’ve
come.’ Flower’s husky voice was soft but much stronger than the
last time Tika’d heard it. The brain was no longer in view, panels
back in place across the front of its container.

‘Sit down Tika, and put
your hand on my wall.’

Tika did as she was
asked, wary when her hand touched the Ship. The instant the
physical connection was made she heard Flower directly in her mind
and she relaxed: there was no pain now, no dark extinction dragging
at her.

‘How much did I manage
to mend?’ she asked bluntly. ‘There was a lot I didn’t understand –
I had to do only what I dared.’

‘You have repaired a
great deal more than I could have hoped for,’ Flower told her.
‘Communication circuits are stronger than they’ve been since we
reached Kel-Harat. I have yet to try but I suspect, and hope, that
I will reach my brothers and sisters in orbit once more. The last
thing you did was to link the regenerative and diagnostic
synapses.’ She laughed, aware of Tika’s incomprehension.

‘I had lost the
connection with the system years ago, which is what led to my more
rapid decline. With the connection restored I can repair damage
myself to a considerable extent again.’

Tika tried to
understand but Flower continued: ‘I can never thank you enough or
repay you for what you’ve done for me and for my Captain. But I can
perhaps help in some way with your strange journey.’

‘I have no idea myself
why I’m here in Wendla. I had never heard of Wendla, or Malesh, or
of Survivors until recently.’ Tika realised she sounded
peevish.

‘Your Dragon Kindred
have told me much while you have been resting.’ Flower’s tone
became deeply apologetic. ‘You brought yourself to the very gateway
of death for me – that is something I will long ponder
on.’

After a brief pause
which Tika was unsure how to fill, the Ship spoke again.

‘Seela and the gijan
Leaf spoke of Bound Ones and of Ancient Elders. I’m afraid I know
nothing of them – they must have gone from Kel-Harat before we
landed. Leaf said there were four Bound Ones, yet someone in Malesh
believes they have discovered one of them where they were not in
fact imprisoned.’

Tika tried to think:
Leaf had told her that Taseen said one Bound One was beneath the
desert, another further north, the third perhaps in Drogoya and the
fourth under the sea between Malesh and Wendla. She suddenly
remembered Taseen’s colleague Vorna. He’d said she had discovered a
Bound One located on or near her estates in Malesh. How could that
be?

‘Do you know of
volcanoes?’ Flower interrupted Tika’s train of thought.

‘Maressa’s people live
in volcanoes,’ she replied.

‘In extinct volcanoes,’
Flower corrected. ‘Before we landed here we ran many checks on this
world. We found evidence of volcanic activity in the far distant
past but only five active volcanoes remained. Touch the third green
button in front of you.’

Tika leaned forward and
tentatively touched the button. A dark square the size of her hand
began to lighten in the desk top.

‘These are images of
volcanoes on another world. Watch.’

The screen cleared to
show a range of mountains – it was as if Tika was on Farn’s back,
high in the air. The view closed to focus on one mountain. Tika
bent closer. The mountain seemed to swell and tremble. The top
exploded, boulders, dust and smoke roaring up into the sky. Then
she saw red rocks, a river of redness pouring down from the topless
mountain. She swallowed.

‘That was only a small
one,’ Flower apologised. ‘But you get the idea?’

‘Yes I think
so.’

‘Well, of the five
active volcanoes on Kel-Harat, three are in the seas. Leaf told me
it is believed the Bound One in the sea between Malesh and Wendla
is stirring. I can tell you that if indeed a Bound One was
imprisoned there, somehow he has travelled the fault line, back
into the land of Malesh. The instability of the area of which the
mages speak is simply the volcano waking once more.’

Chapter
Twenty

Tika’s strength
returned more quickly over the next days and she heard about the
immediate country around Green Shade. Although she’d have said
they’d flown a considerable distance inland from the coast, she
discovered the sea in fact poked long fingers through the forests.
Ammi informed her of small communities along these inlets, the
nearest some four leagues from Green Shade. The people of this area
regarded themselves as true Wendlans and deliberately kept apart
from the more heavily populated regions to the south and east.
Khosa spent her days inside the Ship and her evenings as close to
the kitchen stove as she could manage. Tika asked Maressa where the
ships carrying their companions were now and was told vaguely that
they approached the Wendlan coast.

Seela, Brin and Storm
disappeared one morning leaving Farn swooping after the gijan in an
odd game they’d devised which seemed to amuse them all greatly.
Maressa finally remembered the parcel Salma had given her in
Harbour City and took Tika up to the room they shared. Tika
unwrapped the parcel with an odd feeling. She glanced at
Maressa.

‘I don’t think I’ve
ever had a parcel to unwrap before,’ she said.

She could only stare at
its contents. A dark green jacket was folded on the top. It had
silver blue Dragon faces exquisitely embroidered on both ends of
the collar. As she held it up she saw the Dragon face was worked in
miniature along the bottom edge of the jacket.

‘It’s beautiful,’
Maressa murmured, moving closer to examine the workmanship. ‘Salma
asked me how big you were and the colour of your eyes and hair, but
she didn’t show me her work.’

Next was a pair of
trousers of the same dark green with the Dragon face motif stitched
down the side seams. Tika put the jacket aside, standing with the
trousers held against her in stunned delight.

‘There’s more.’ Maressa
was poking in the parcel.

‘More?’ Tika sounded
quite faint.

She found three shirts
of a thin fabric unknown to her, one a deep pink, the second palest
green and the third a vivid yellow. Tika touched each garment,
speechless at the surprise. Maressa moved to the window and drew
the curtains across, shutting out the noon sunlight.

‘Put them on – you can
surprise everyone at the meal. Oh those gijan would be peeking in
the window otherwise,’ she explained when Tika raised a brow at the
closed curtains. ‘Here,’ she rummaged in her pack and pulled out a
small leather pouch with two straps attached. ‘Put the pendant in
there and tie it round your waist until the burn’s
healed.’

Tika pulled on the new
trousers: they fitted perfectly.

‘Which shirt?’ she
asked helplessly.

A flurry of heavy wings
in the garden meant the Dragons were back as Maressa pointed to the
pink shirt.

‘It was Leaf who asked
Salma to make something for you. You should wear Leaf’s colour
first.’

Maressa helped Tika on
with the jacket, overriding her protests that it was far too warm.
‘Leaf will appreciate it and you can always take it off once she’s
admired you.’

Tika laughed, twirling
in front of the air mage. Maressa stared at her for a moment: when
had the child turned into such a lovely young woman – surely new
clothes couldn’t make such a difference?

Sefri called from the
garden. ‘Tika, Maressa! There is food ready! Come down and
eat!’

Maressa led the way,
turning where the stairs ended beside the kitchen door, a huge
smile on her face. Tika smiled back walking past her and then she
froze. Gan’s hands met easily round her waist and he lifted her off
her feet. Over his shoulder she saw Sket holding Khosa, beaming
across the room at her. Then she was submerged in a tide of
greetings and laughter from Navan, Ren, Olam and Riff. Even Pallin
managed a grin, which made him scarcely recognisable. An old man
with wild white eyebrows sat in Ammi’s rocking chair, watching the
reunion with a smile. Leaf hovered over him but she looked up as
Tika came closer.

She shrieked with glee
bringing Willow and Piper crowding in and they examined every piece
of Salma’s gift of new clothes. It was a long afternoon and
evening. Tika heard of the slow course of the remaining two ships,
Spiral Star and Star Flame, as they fought against contrary winds
and unexpected currents to make their way to the north west coast
of Wendla.

Maressa had
communicated with both Ren and Taseen as Culinth continued to block
against the air mage’s mind. Taseen argued fiercely with Kasmi over
their course, finally insisting that Culinth’s opinion be ignored
as he, Mage Councillor Taseen, had hired Kasmi’s ships and thus
ordered their course. Kasmi was doubly distressed by the death of
his brother on Eternal Star and by Culinth’s attitude. He had no
idea why Culinth suddenly and adamantly demanded they return to the
pirate islands, abandoning all idea of reaching Wendla. She
withdrew her cooperation as Sister of the Wind and stayed solitary
and silent.

When the two ships
approached the mouth of the inlet, men came in boats to board both
ships. Olam had been fascinated as the Wendlans guided them
inland.

‘They ordered us to
steer directly towards the more northern cliffs and when it seemed
we must surely strike into them, they swung the ship sharply
round.’

‘They told us there is
a very narrow deep channel up the inlet, allowing ships as large as
ours to travel so many leagues inland,’ Navan added.

‘Kasmi was most
interested,’ Olam grinned. ‘He’s anchored now to attend to some
serious repairs but I think he’s got ideas for a new pirate haven
here.’

Tika was up at dawn
next morning, glad to know the companions were united again. She
thought to make herself some tea and sit with Farn for a while but
found Taseen still ensconced in the rocking chair.

‘I spoke with the Ship
while you slept,’ he said. ‘Like me, she has little need of
sleep.’

‘Taseen, why are we
here? Did Flower explain about the volcano under the sea which you
thought was a Bound One waking?’

‘She did, and it makes
too much sense for me to dispute it unfortunately. We are here
because I think we must find out what the Wendlan government is up
to. I dare not contemplate a war with Wendla when everyone’s
attention must be concentrated on tightening the fraying restraints
on the Bound Ones.’

Tika handed him a bowl
of tea and sat on the floor beside a snoring Khosa. ‘Ammi and her
people showed little surprise at my eyes, or at the gijan, or the
Dragons. What does she mean by the term Halfling?’

Taseen held his beard
out of the way of his tea and sipped. ‘I haven’t heard of Halflings
in all my long life. Ren tells me the silvering of the eyes is a
normal development of those with mage powers in Drogoya. But it is
not normal among my people or Maressa’s. She told me there are only
now cases of such silvering since the advent of a strange
illness?’

Tika’s thoughts flew to
Elyssa: where was she now, and was she safe?

‘The Dragons say there
is no change that they can perceive in my mind since my eyes
changed Taseen, so why have they done so?’

Taseen shook his head
helplessly, his beard dabbling through the tea bowl. Tika picked at
a thread on her old trousers; Salma’s gift would be kept for
special occasions only.

‘Grek has been gone’
she counted on her fingers. ‘Why, he’s been gone eleven days
now.’

‘Leaf told me. She is
convinced he is trustworthy Tika. I thought yesterday that all
three gijan seem calmer here, steadier – had you
noticed?’

‘Not really,’ she
smiled at the old man. ‘What is your advice Taseen? Will you meet
the leaders of Wendla and convince them to join your people against
the Bound Ones rather than wage war on you?’

‘Tika I am too old to
travel far overland: you and your friends will have to go to the
Wendlan capital and argue for us. And child, the Bound Ones are not
just a problem for my people alone, but for all this world Star
Flower calls Kel-Harat.’

Tika groaned and Khosa
unwound from the tight ball she’d been curled in. The Kephi yawned,
doing a tail end up, front end down stretch. She blinked at
Tika.

‘You should speak with
Sefri and find out all you can about the way the Wendlans rule
their land. I would advise waiting for Grek’s report but there is
much Sefri, Ammi and Star Flower will be able to tell you.’ She
whisked her tail aloft and stalked out of the kitchen. Taseen
chuckled.