Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (40 page)

‘Clearly you take
little exercise these days. You should not neglect your bodies any
more than you would neglect your minds.’

Fayet tried to catch
his breath but only managed to wheeze, but Harak was now able to
speak.

‘We told you Ryla, Lady
Emla is gone, vanished. But this letter was found in the Hall. It
is addressed to you and sealed with her signet.’

‘So I can see,’ Ryla
agreed, turning the letter over in her long fingered
hands.

‘Then open it,’ Fayet
gasped.

Ryla stared icily down
her nose at the overweight Senior, but did not reply. She broke the
seal, unfolded the paper and quickly read its contents.

‘Emla is quite safe I
am sure,’ she announced. ‘She found it necessary to make a brief
journey away from Gaharn and simply left this letter where it would
be swiftly found.’

‘A trip where?’ Fayet
retorted. ‘Let me see that!’

He reached to snatch
the letter and a pale green Dragon reared her head above Ryla’s
chair. Fayet pulled his hand back, his eyes widening in horror.
Ryla drew herself up stiffly.

‘Don’t ever speak like
that to me again Fayet. This letter is addressed to me, I have
given you the gist of its information. There is no need to concern
yourselves with the Lady Emla’s whereabouts. I thank you for
bringing it to me, but now you are dismissed.’

Soran, with six Guards,
came to attention, waiting to escort the Seniors back to Gaharn, so
Fayet and Harak had little choice but to turn and go.

Malesh remained. He had
long worked for Ryla and now he grinned at her.

‘What does she really
say?’

Ryla grinned back at
him but turned to Hani before answering him.

‘Thank you dear one.
Your sudden appearance was most impressive!’

Hani’s laugh rang in
their minds but Nolli was thumping her stick on the
floor.

‘Ryla! Will you tell us
for the stars’ sake!’

‘It is as you feared.’
Ryla’s expression grew serious. She paused as Khalim came down the
stairs. She waved the letter at him. ‘Emla has walked the circle in
the Asataria. She says she hopes to reach the Stronghold. How long
before a message could get here, using the Merigs, to tell us if
she is safely there?’

Nolli shook her head,
scowling. ‘She could be anywhere Ryla. Stars forfend she hasn’t
landed on Rhaki’s threshold.’

Ryla handed the letter
to Khalim to study.

‘She says Shan must not
be reprimanded,’ he commented. ‘Shan has not been seen either
though, has she? We should assume they are together.’

‘Of course they are,’
Ryla snapped. ‘Shan adores Emla and is proud of being her personal
Guard. Where Emla goes, Shan goes, you may count on
that.’

Several days had passed
when a Guard came hurrying to the main door and saluted
Ryla.

‘Lady Ryla, there are
people in the Chamber of Balance.’

Ryla stared at him.
‘What do you mean – people?’

‘Oh stars,’ Malesh
muttered. ‘There is a circle in the Chamber.’ He ran for the
door.

Ryla cursed her
inability to rise from her chair while Hani softly ordered one of
her daughters to go and find Nya and Ikram quickly and bring them
here. Then the Dragon moved from her preferred, discreetly hidden
position, around in front of the two ancient ladies. She commanded
her other daughter, Lilla, to take a place to the left and Shar to
stand to the right.

Marching feet could be
heard approaching the door and Nolli reached a swollen hand to
grasp Ryla’s. The door swung open and the three Dragons reared
erect. Guards entered surrounding three people, one of whom was
protesting volubly to Malesh.

‘Shan!’ Ryla
gasped.

The Dragons lowered
themselves but remained where they were.

‘Where is Emla? And who
have you with you? Oh it’s all right,’ Ryla added to the leading
Guard. ‘You know it is Shan, for stars sake. You may return to your
posts.’

The Guards retreated,
leaving Shan standing with another woman and a man, both of whom
were gaping at the Dragons.

‘Introduce us quickly
and tell us your news. Oh Shan,’ Ryla ended helplessly.

Because Shan was busy
hugging Shar and then Hani and finally Lilla. She turned, tears on
her cheeks although a smile curved her lips, and hugged Nolli and
Ryla before stepping back to stand by the two strangers. She wiped
her face on her sleeve and drew a deep breath.

‘Lady Emla did not get
us to the Stronghold,’ she began. ‘We found ourselves in a place
called Vagrantia, right across the Wilderness. This is Councillor
Jilla.’ Jilla bowed formally. ‘And this is Councillor Bagri.’ Shan
turned to the old ladies. ‘This is Nolli, Wise One of the Delvers
of Asat, and Ryla, Discipline Senior of the Asataria.’ She paused
to draw breath again, heard the door open, and looking over her
shoulder, gave a squeak of delight. As Hani’s other daughter Deeba,
together with Nya and Ikram, advanced into the hall, Shan flew
across to embrace each one.

Ryla fidgeted. ‘Plainly
Shan will tell us a confused and interrupted tale. Please Jilla and
Bagri, come and be seated.’

Lanni appeared as if by
magic, with two maids, all bearing trays of food and
drink.

‘Do not think me rude,
but please just tell us quickly – is Emla safe and
well?’

‘She is safe and well,’
Jilla confirmed, dragging her eyes away from the
Dragons.

‘Come,’ said Nolli.
‘Sit here. I fear we may not be so formal as you might wish, but
Ryla and I are chairbound. One of the aggravations of old age.’ Her
gums gleamed pinkly and her dark eyes sparkled as she waved Jilla
towards a heap of cushions beside her.

Nolli studied the young
woman: red gold hair cut close to her head, thin attractively
shaped face, and dark blue eyes, which had turned to stare yet
again at Hani and the younger Dragons. Nolli chuckled.

‘It is plain that you
have not encountered Great Dragons before.’

Jilla accepted a mug of
spice tea from Lanni. ‘I have only seen Gremara, and only at a
distance.’

Nolli stared at the
visitor. ‘Gremara?’ she whispered.

Bagri sat down beside
Jilla and gave Nolli a warm smile.

‘Gremara lives in Talvo
Circle. There are five circles that make up Vagrantia and Gremara
has Talvo to herself.’

Shan extricated herself
from the younger Dragons and stood uncertainly before
Ryla.

‘Sit down child, you do
not need to play either maid or Guard now. Sit, I tell
you!’

Soran arrived at that
moment and cast a quick assessing eye over the
newcomers.

‘Join us Soran. These
are guests from far to the west, where apparently Lady Emla has
managed to get herself.’

Bagri opened a satchel
he carried and withdrew a sheet of paper. He handed it to
Ryla.

‘Lady Emla asked us to
give you this and she hopes you will believe she really is
safe.’

‘Begin at the beginning
Shan,’ Nolli demanded.

‘Well. Lady Emla told
me to follow her onto the circle in the Asataria and step exactly
where she did.’ She pulled a face. ‘It was a horrid feeling, like
spinning round very fast and upside down as well. I don’t know how
long it took, but there was a sort of popping sound and we were
lying on another circle in a strange room, feeling dreadfully
ill.’

The Dragons were
gathered behind the group and were listening as intently as were
Ryla and Nolli. Shan reached out to touch Hani’s cheek.

‘Walking in a pattern
on the circle was right, but we should have said some words as well
– that is what made us feel so ill.’

Bagri nodded. ‘When the
circles were made, only the walking pattern was needed. Our
ancestors found that some unwelcome visitors could too easily use
the circles for causing unpleasant surprises. So the chanting spell
was added. Now, without the chant, any who walk the circles arrives
in no state to make any trouble for a day or two.’

Bagri and Jilla looked
stunned when Hani’s voice spoke in their minds. ‘I am sorry that I
did not know the words for you Shan. I am distressed that the lack
made you ill.’ Her eyes whirred unhappily.

A small brown Kephi
with black smudges on his back, climbed onto Nolli’s lap and
regarded his audience. He chirruped softly to himself and Nolli’s
twisted hand rested on his back.

‘Do not upset yourself
Hani dear. Once Emla heard of any way to travel the circles, no one
could have stopped her from trying.’

Jilla put down her mug.
‘We have come here partly to enquire if you have had any cases of a
strange – malady.’ She glanced at Bagri and he
continued.

‘We have had eight
cases so far, all within the last ten days. It has affected only
young people. It does not appear to be a contagion – no one has
“caught” it by associating with a victim.’

‘You say victim Bagri,’
Ryla said with a frown. ‘Is death the inevitable outcome of this
illness?’

Bagri exchanged looks
with Jilla and spread his hands helplessly. ‘It presents in two
forms: in one form the person survives, in the other, madness and
death occur.’

‘And how do you know
which will be the outcome?’

‘Their eyes change.’
Bagri looked squarely at Ryla. ‘If they awaken with their eyes
scaled in silver, they live and appear unchanged mentally. If their
eyes are red scaled, they are insane, and will die within days if
not hours.’

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Ren woke at dawn to the
smell of cooking and struggled to sit up. He groaned and Voron, who
was heating something in a pot over a small fire,
laughed.

‘I didn’t know you had
grown so soft Ren.’

Ren bit back another
groan and climbed to his feet. He ached everywhere, his thighs were
sore, and a stone had dug a deep hole in his hip he was sure. He
tottered to the poolside and splashed icy water over his face then
went back to see what Voron had invented for breakfast.

‘How long will our
journey take?’ Voron asked as Ren packed away their bowls and
plates into a saddlebag.

‘Three days in the
direction we are heading now, then we have to detour south for a
while to avoid the Garah Mountain. There is a pass but it is still
too early in the year to risk crossing it.’

Voron was silent for a
while, riding beside Ren on a wider trail.

‘There is a small town
somewhere in that region is there not? I seem to vaguely recall one
from map making lectures years ago.’

‘Yes. Supplies are
brought up the Garah River to the town of Valoon for the hunters
and the few settlers.’ He smiled. ‘We could get a bed for the night
there.’

‘You have been too long
shut in the Menedula Ren,’ Voron scoffed good naturedly. ‘How long
is it since you went out on Inspection?’

‘Nearly two years,’ Ren
replied. ‘You should know Offerings spend five years within the
Menedula alternating with five in the field.’

They rode for a while
in silence, moving into single file as their route took them onto a
more heavily wooded slope.

‘Did anyone try to seek
us last night?’ Voron asked casually.

Ren frowned, checking
that the web of light he had placed around the two of them was
still secure. ‘No. I would have woken anyway if they had. I had
rather expected it though. Perhaps your company is not as greatly
desired as you had imagined.’

Voron laughed and let
the matter drop. Just after midday, grey clouds began racing down
from the north. The travellers unstrapped their weather-proofed
cloaks from their saddles and wrapped themselves securely as the
wind began to gust and buffet them. The first squall caught them in
the open, crossing a stretch of flat, bare land. Voron urged his
horse on, angling down again to where a small stand of trees might
offer them some protection.

It certainly broke some
of the wind’s force but did not keep them much drier than they had
been in the open. Branches rattled and creaked above them, Voron
leading them in and out of the tree trunks. Finally he halted and
Ren saw they had reached another wall of grey rock. It jutted out
from the base and would offer them at least some shelter from the
weather.

Ren unsaddled the
horses, pushing the saddles and bags as far back under the rock
face as he could while Voron rooted through the old leaf litter in
hopes of finding kindling. In spite of the uncomfortably small
space beneath the rock, they were dry; the horses stood tied to a
tree, heads lowered and tails clamped tight.

Voron soon slept but
Ren lay awake, checking and rechecking his protecting web. Two
nights ago, the night he had impulsively decided to take Voron to
Babach, he had told the Observer his plans. Babach had stood in
Ren’s dreaming mind, pulling at his braided beard. Eventually he
agreed it would be best if Ren and Voron left the Menedula. He
reminded Ren that he would not be able to contact him once Ren’s
shield was in place. He said that nonetheless, he would keep watch
for him along the road as well as he could.