Survivors: Book 4 Circles of Light series (47 page)

Through the years
Taseen’s fears had grown and he tested students and young mages to
no avail until at last Sheoma and Tavri presented themselves at his
tutorials. Aware that time was running out, he forced them to
learn, to read, to be on constant guard against Vorna. Tavri now
stood in the centre of the Chamber of Conclave. He had been
speaking steadily for the better part of the morning to a packed
and silent audience – every mage at present within the College,
from ninth to first rank. He finally bowed and stood waiting for
questions.

Sheoma sat across the
Chamber from Tavri and had been scanning face after face as he
spoke. Now, as she’d anticipated, most of the highest ranking mages
bent close to each other, speaking softly before Zerran got to his
feet. In the silence before he spoke, the sound of young laughter
drifted up from four floors below: students with unexpected free
time in which to chatter and remember how young they
were.

‘We are grateful that
you see fit to inform us now Mage Tavri,’ Zerran began. ‘Many of us
have had our suspicions if not fears of Vorna’s duplicity. We have
discussed the matter among ourselves.’ He indicated the row where
sat the first and second rank mages. ‘It might have been wiser if
Taseen had confided his own fears much sooner.’

Having delivered his
reprimand his expression relaxed. ‘I personally can confirm many of
Tavri’s words. I tried to locate Vorna during the night, thinking
it might be possible whilst she slept.’ He grimaced. ‘She is beyond
the need for sleep now I believe. There is increasing distortion
around the whole of her estate. I could find no chink through which
I might enter.’

Glances were exchanged
among many mages: Zerran was first rank, one of the most powerful
mind manipulators in the history of the College. If he couldn’t
penetrate whatever surrounded Vorna, it was certain no one else
could.

‘You omitted part of
your story Tavri. You told us that Taseen is now in Wendla and that
message birds will shortly arrive offering the help of both Wendlan
Mages and armsmen. But there have been visitors to this city of
whom you have not told us I think.’

Tavri stood up again.
‘You know of visitors?’ he asked.

Zerran nodded. ‘They
were so heavily shielded that I could not identify them, which is
why I ask you to do so now in this Conclave.’

Tavri gave a weary
smile. ‘Eight humans, two of whom had silver eyes, one man from
another world, three great Dragons, one sea Dragon, three newly
fledged gijan and a cat.’

Nothing disturbed the
silence this time until Zerran managed to find his voice
again.

‘Gijan?’ he whispered.
‘Surely we may have hope now.’

Tavri shook his head.
‘Newly fledged I told you, and without Elders to teach them. One of
the humans, the girl with silver eyes, used healing powers to
extract their wings. The gijan have been kept as slaves in the
desert city for years.’

Zerran sank back onto
his chair, his face as white as his hair. ‘The Dragons then; surely
they must have an idea of what to do? Their kind have race memories
if I recall the text books correctly.’

Again Tavri shook his
head. ‘One of them grew angry just because she has no memories of
this land or of the gijan, or the battles in which her kind fought
and suffered. The gijan have said that they remember gatherings
north of the desert where their people met with the Dragon
kind.’

Sheoma interrupted
suddenly. ‘Mages,’ she called. ‘Those of whom Tavri speaks are
nearly here. The air mage from the north, Maressa, tells me they
will land in the rear court garden of the temple of the Elder Races
near the north gate.’

She met Tavri’s eyes,
nodded and hurried from the Chamber: the Grand Harbour Master
should be present at this meeting. Two hundred or so mages in the
Chamber were also on their feet. Zerran raised his hands and his
voice.

‘We shall make our way
to the temple.’ He glared at a few of the younger mages. ‘And with
dignity please.’

The companions were
approaching the coast of Malesh, the endless buildings of Harbour
City cluttering the entire shoreline of the long curving bay. They
flew high enough to see the waters beyond the western promontory of
Harbour City. They were all aware of a shimmering patch of unmoving
fog further to the north west which indicated the whereabouts of
both Vorna and the Bound One.

Maressa far spoke
Sheoma then passed the message among the friends.

‘Most of the Maleshan
mages will be waiting for us as well as the Grand Harbour Master,’
she warned them.

‘Poor Taza, inundated
with yet more uninvited guests,’ Ren said with sympathy.

Grek was still absent,
a fact which bothered Tika now that she’d seen the miasmic air
which concealed a Bound One. She had no idea what this creature
might actually look like: was it unbodied and therefore invisible
like Grek, or was that foggy cloud hiding some strangely disfigured
monstrous shape? Somehow she never thought of the Bound Ones as
resembling humans although they were supposedly of human blood.
There had been no discussion among them on their rapid journey from
Wendla regarding what they must face.

Farn was still calm
although he was quieter, less likely to tease. Storm was contented
with Navan on his back and the sea beneath them. But Tika noted his
eyes whirred restlessly, white and grey lights sparking in them
more than usual. Brin was his usual self, but Seela was withdrawn,
almost silent although she appeared to mind speak the gijan who
continued to sleep on her broad back whenever they landed to
rest.

Tika also worried about
the wisdom in bringing Akomi: he was weary from the travelling and
the strangeness of everything after his restricted life in the
imperial palace seemed to be overwhelming him. Tika pushed all such
thoughts from her mind as Brin, still shielding them, began to lose
height, seeking Sheoma’s mind signature in the chaotic jumble of
streets and houses that made up Harbour City.

The lower they flew,
the larger the city seemed, until they could see only buildings in
any direction. But at last green fields appeared ahead of them.
They knew they were approaching the temple of the Elder Races which
was not far from the northern gate through which they’d entered the
city before. Peering down past Farn’s shoulder, Tika saw the
streets were empty of the usual pushing crowds, were instead lined
with brown uniformed armsmen. She saw that the section where the
temple stood was ringed with men who blocked the passage of furious
citizens.

They glided over the
temple’s domed roof to the garden behind and Brin released the
shielding. The companions stared down into a sea of upturned faces.
Tika glanced across at Jakri sitting between Ren and Maressa on
Seela, and he offered her a nervous smile. Then they were landing –
carefully, because the space was more restricted than they’d hoped.
Mages pressed back, out of the way, but still found themselves
alarmingly close to the four Dragons. The gijan fluttered down to
stand hand in hand beside Farn, their heads tilting from side to
side as they searched the faces around them. Leaf trilled and
dashed between the Grand Harbour Master and Zerran to enfold the
priest Taza.

The Maleshans didn’t
know whom to stare at first: the amazing Dragons, the feathered
gijan, or the young woman who stared at them with emerald eyes
surrounded by silver. Farn huffed into the sudden quiet.

‘Well, we’re here, and
you’re here. What happens next?’

Tika smothered a laugh
and moved towards the Grand Harbour Master, hand on her sword hilt
and Sket at her shoulder. Chevra and Harrip were the only two she
could see wearing trousers and shirts rather than long robes so she
had assumed they weren’t mages. Harrip bowed and introduced Chevra
and Zerran. The mages were quickly losing their nervousness,
pressing closer to hear what the visitors might say. Zerran, more
aware than the others of considerable tension among the new
arrivals, smiled at Tika.

‘Tavri told us your
company consisted of four Dragons – whose magnificence we now see.’
He bowed to Seela and Brin. ‘Three gijan – who are more beautiful
than I had imagined they might be.’ Piper giggled and half extended
her wings, revealing the pale green under feathers.

‘Tavri also said there
were eight humans and a man from another world.’ Zerran looked up
at Gan’s tall thin figure, still smiling.

Gan saluted, returning
the smile. ‘I have come to believe that is true sir, although I was
born in Gaharn, far to the north.’

Zerran nodded, turning
next to Ren who cradled Akomi in his arms. ‘Tavri mentioned a cat,’
he said.

Khosa wriggled free of
Maressa’s hold and stalked forward. ‘Two cats,’ she corrected
coldly.

Zerran hid his surprise
at being mind spoken by a cat and apologised for his
mistake.

‘If I am correct, you
are from Wendla?’ he enquired of Jakri.

‘He is Jakri, a Mage
and the Master of House Jade,’ Ren explained. ‘And he bears the
authority of Emperor Kasheen.’

Jakri extended his arm,
revealing the gold jewelled band around his wrist, the imperial
insignia clear to see. He handed a wad of folded parchment to
Chevra.

‘The Emperor Kasheen
confirms in writing that ten ships with fifteen hundred warriors
are on their way to assist you in the north. Fifty Mages accompany
the ships, and while one Mage must remain with each ship, forty are
at your disposal.’

Chevra was plainly
taken aback by the numbers Jakri mentioned: Emperor Kasheen was
concerned indeed by the situation in Malesh. Chevra wondered
fleetingly if he could have responded so quickly and so generously
had Malesh and Wendla’s positions been reversed. Before he could
reply, the young woman with the strange green eyes
spoke.

‘If you have discovered
anything to help us get close to the Bound One please tell us.
There is little time left.’ All saw a shudder ripple through her
small frame. ‘I have to be much nearer to the actual essence of the
creature in order to have a chance of destroying it.’

None of those listening
missed her use of the word “I” rather than “we”. Many if not most
studied her with a new respect – so young she seemed, yet
apparently she would be the one to take on the imprisoned Child.
Zerran asked most of the mages to leave the confined temple garden,
the few who remained being those who had made the study of events
before the last battle and earlier their life’s work: to the
previous amusement of most of their colleagues. Zerran sat in one
of the seats cut into the wall nearby and without invitation, Tika
joined him.

‘You probably know as
much as we do,’ he said quietly.

‘The great Dragon Seela
has told me how a soul is unmade,’ Tika replied in just as quiet a
tone. ‘But I have to be close, close enough to see with my eyes,
not just through my mind.’

Zerran felt her mind
probe his and stayed calmly relaxed. She must have been reassured
by what she found for she gave a quick nod. She lowered her voice
even further.

‘I have decided that I
will try to go straight to Vorna’s estates: not that I think there
is still a woman called Vorna anymore. She will have changed, or
been changed – I can tell that just from the lightest touch of the
cloud there.’

Zerran waited
patiently, understanding that this young woman was choosing to tell
him what she could discuss with no other now. He could tell she was
working hard to maintain an attitude of casual calmness while she
kept a discreet eye on the young silver blue Dragon. He had begun
to follow her to where Zerran sat but had been intercepted by an
armsman and the young man with silvered eyes.

‘Farn is my soul bond
but I cannot – cannot – allow him to join me. The crimson Dragon
Brin will try to keep both Farn and Storm asleep for as long as he
dares. Seela will take me into the heart of that cloud which hides
Valesh.’

Zerran glanced at her.
‘You use her name so openly?’ he asked.

Tika shrugged. ‘It
matters not, now. She is awake, aware. When she was strongly Bound,
mentioning her name tugged at her consciousness, brought her
through some of the layers of spells. Zerran, I go tonight to be at
the location for sunrise. She is of darkness – her strength will be
slightly less in daylight.’

Zerran flinched
inwardly at the thought that mere daylight would have much effect
on a monstrous Child. The young woman stared into his face, the
green eyes magnified by tears.

‘I have discussed this
only with Seela and Brin as I said.’ She gave him a shaky smile. ‘I
doubt I’d get away without Sket’s company.’

Zerran recognised the
armsman in the picture in his mind as the one nearest the silver
blue Dragon.

‘Sket appointed himself
my personal guard – it seems a lifetime ago but it is less than a
year in fact. Please Zerran, keep the gijan safe here – lock them
inside the temple if you must. They must survive and go to
Namolos’s island far to the west.’

Zerran had to ask. ‘Why
do you tell me these things?’

Again the strangely
beautiful eyes framed in black lashes met his. ‘It is likely Seela
and I will not return, or if we do we may be changed as Vorna must
be. If we do return and you have any doubts as to how damaged or
altered we might be, you will destroy both of us.’