Vagrants: Book 2 Circles of Light series (49 page)

Maressa glanced round
guiltily and found everyone else gathered at one of several long
tables. She hurried to squeeze onto a bench beside Imshish. Emla
was explaining, at length, just why she felt that Rhaki was
involved in the strange disorder which caused some, indeed most,
sufferers to have their eyes become red scaled and their minds to
be disordered. Kera and Mim both tried to speak but Emla was in
full flow until finally halted by a screech from outside the
gateway and the impressive entrance of Baryet. The great bird
stalked further into the hall, folded his legs beneath him and
settled comfortably. His head cocked to one side.

‘New creatures,’ he
remarked.

Emla was taken aback.
To be told of a giant bird was one thing: to see it in front of you
was quite another. She rose, approached the bird and inclined her
head.

‘I am Emla, Golden Lady
of Gaharn. I have been told of your great journey here from your
land of Drogoya.’

One yellow rimmed eye
stared down at her. ‘It would seem a great journey to you no doubt,
but it was a trifling jaunt to me of course.’

Lula spat and Emla bit
the inside of her cheek to repress a laugh. She was trying to
summon an adequate reply when Baryet’s head snaked around her. His
lethally hooked black bill chittered.

‘An Observer,’ he
exclaimed happily. Then his head swivelled and he glared around the
hall. ‘But no one told me that you have Observers of your own in
these lands. Why have you concealed this from me?’

Mim strolled across to
Emla’s side, Ashta at his shoulder. He glanced back at the group at
the table and held out his hand towards Elyssa. She came slowly to
him, taking his taloned fingers in hers.

‘Do you mean, Baryet,
that you think Elyssa is an Observer?’ he asked lightly.

The hooked bill swung a
little too close to Mim and Ashta hissed, her eyes sparking gold
glints of annoyance. Mim’s free hand rested between Ashta’s wings
to soothe her.

‘Well of course she
is.’ Baryet sounded testy. ‘She has the eyes of an Observer, the
first I have seen here, so she is an Observer.’

Mim nodded. ‘All
Observers in Drogoya have silvered eyes then?’

‘Yes, yes. Their eyes
begin to change after they have trained for some time.’

Feathers lifted at the
back of his neck.

‘I do not bother myself
with trying to learn more of their ways you understand.’

‘Quite so,’ Mim agreed.
‘I fear I am slow to understand many things myself, mighty Baryet,
but I think you may have just told me something fairly
important.’

Baryet made an odd
clucking noise and pushed his head firmly beneath a wing, clearly
not wishing to have any further conversation at this moment. Mim,
Emla and Elyssa returned to the table: Ashta delayed to glare at
the great pile of feathers before her.

‘That was interesting,’
Mim said softly. ‘And before you start again Emla, I agree with you
in part. Rhaki has set something in motion in these lands, but it
is not him alone.’

Elyssa stared at him.
‘Another such as this Rhaki must live in Drogoya – that is what you
mean, isn’t it?’

Mim nodded.

‘But will the Observers
be able to find him – whoever he is?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Mim. ‘I
am sure they already have a good idea who he is. Whether they have
the knowledge, or the power, to deal with him, is another matter.
Just as we have to deal with Rhaki and the Silver One, yet have no
clear idea of how to do so.’

Maressa and Elyssa were
invited to see the newly made growing areas and to meet some of the
Delvers during what remained of the afternoon. Imshish stayed in
the hall speaking with Nesh and Mim. Eventually, Imshish raised the
subject of the pendant Mim wore that had been taken from the
collection of sparkling treasures hoarded by the Broken Mountain
Treasury. Mim reached his scaled hand between the laces of his
jerkin. Imshish and Nesh studied the pendant.

‘How long has it been
shining like this?’ Imshish asked.

Mim looked slightly
surprised. ‘I did not know it was shining. The scales I have now,
protect me from any heat it might give off.’

‘Heat?’

‘There was one time,
soon after my scales came, that both pendants – this one and Tika’s
– became very hot. I scarcely noticed, but it actually burnt Tika’s
skin.’

Mim held the egg shaped
pendant nearer to Imshish. Half of it was shelled in white gold,
the egg itself filled and completed with a hard transparent
substance. Not amber, Imshish thought. He glimpsed a tiny speck
inside and bent closer, probing with his earth powers. He sat back
in astonishment, looking up at Mim.

The Dragon Lord
grinned. ‘The Wise One of the Delvers showed us a cave
where

hundreds of these are
kept. The Delvers have looked after them safely for many cycles.
They did not tell me who entrusted them to the Delvers or why.
After all the cycles that have passed, I think they do not
remember.’

‘We should send Baryet
back to Drogoya,’ Nesh said thoughtfully. ‘I wonder if there is any
chance that he could carry one of us on his back?’

Mim looked doubtful.
‘Who would you suggest?’

Nesh shrugged. ‘The
Vagrantians have the right of this though Mim: face to face
discussions get us further, faster, than any amount of message
sending.’

Mim drummed his talons
on the table top. ‘I suggest we send Baryet back with as much
information as we have so far managed to gather. We could propose
that Babach sends one of his people back to us first – that bird
might behave better with a Drogoyan on his back. I would not like
to ask anyone from here to risk a ride with him to an unknown
destination.’

‘Tomorrow then?’ Nesh
suggested. ‘We can compose the message tonight and Baryet can leave
at dawn.’

‘Will he be willing to
leave at dawn?’ Imshish sounded dubious. ‘He seems a rather
unpredictable bird to me.’

Mim grinned. ‘Fenj and
I know how to deal with Baryet.’

‘Then if that is
decided, I know that the Lady Emla wishes to go on to Gaharn at
once.’ Imshish glanced from Mim to Nesh. ‘Elyssa will go with her.
She has grown fond of the Lady and the Lady has sworn to keep her
close. Maressa will go with them. However, I would like to remain
here for at least a few more days. I work with the earth powers –
maybe I could help or advise with the gardens you are creating
here?’

Mim nodded as servants
began setting the tables for the evening meal. ‘Lorak and Bikram
are the two you need to talk with. I will introduce you – after the
message to Drogoya is written.’

Although the hour was
early, most of the people of the Stronghold appeared in the hall to
wish Baryet safe journey. The great bird seemed suddenly struck
with a fit of shyness and appeared quite overcome by the good
wishes called to him. He bade farewell to Fenj, ignoring Lula
spitting rudely at him from the safety of Fenj’s head. Then he
stilted towards the gateway.

‘It will be only a few
days before I am back here once more,’ he said. ‘I am such a
powerful flier it takes little effort.’

And with that last
conceit, Baryet was gone.

Emla, Maressa and
Elyssa stepped off the circle within the Pavilion of Balance in
Gaharn. Soran had just inspected the Guards on duty outside the
Pavilion when Emla appeared. His face lit with a smile as he
snapped a salute.

‘Is all well, Captain
Soran?’ Emla smiled back at him.

‘The young Dragons
cause chaos at least once a day, as do the two old Ladies, but
otherwise all is well my Lady.’

‘No, no,’ Emla stopped
him when he ordered four Guards to fall in as escort for her. ‘We
will go quietly, with just you, and surprise those old
Ladies!’

They made their way
along the gravelled paths to the front steps of Emla’s great House.
Emla peeped around the door then marched in with Soran and her two
guests.

Ryla and Nolli appeared
to be arguing, each waving pieces of paper at the other. Emla stood
directly before them before they were aware of her presence.
Nolli’s face split into a pink beam of delight while Ryla dropped
the papers she’d been waving and held out her nearly transparent
hands to the Golden Lady. Emla laughed aloud, reaching to hug each
old lady in turn.

‘This is Maressa, an
air mage from Kedara Circle, and this is Elyssa from Parima
Circle.’

Nolli and Ryla extended
their hands to both women, exclaiming in delight and giving no
indication of having noticed Elyssa’s silvered eyes. Nolli held
onto Elyssa’s hand with her own twisted one, drawing her down to
sit on the pillows heaped around her chair.

‘Do you know Jilla and
Bagri?’ she asked the girl. ‘Oh but of course you must. Shan has
dragged them off again today – she says we ask them too many
questions.’

A small creature with
brown fur marked with black smudges sat up on Nolli’s lap. His
brilliant green eyes regarded Elyssa over a moustache he had yet to
grow into. He chirruped softly and jumped from Nolli to Elyssa.
Kneading his front feet against her arm, he began a throaty
crooning.

‘There. I knew we would
all be friends at once,’ Nolli crowed. ‘See how Resh approves of
you so quickly.’

Nolli stretched her
other hand towards Maressa. ‘My dear, you are the unfortunate air
mage with whom Fenj touched minds? I am amazed you look so well
after such a shock.’

Maressa sank onto some
pillows beside Elyssa, aware that this tiny old woman had
tremendous power within her. She glanced at Elyssa and saw the girl
relaxed and at ease under the old one’s easy chatter. As Nolli
continued to fuss over Elyssa, Maressa studied Ryla.

She must once have been
taller even than Emla or Kera, but Emla had told them that neither
Ryla nor Nolli could stand now, let alone walk. Ryla still held
herself straight in her chair but she was so thin, so fragile, so
faded, except for the dark eyes still bright and full of
intelligence and curiosity. Maressa looked back to Nolli: a tiny
creature, toothless and with hands twisted and gnarled with the
joint disease. But in her eyes too Maressa saw a vast intelligence,
wisdom and humour.

As always, Nolli’s maid
and friend Lanni had hurried away to fetch food and drink for the
visitors. Now she returned with two of Emla’s maids as Emla opened
her satchel and handed documents to Ryla, talking all the while.
Emla stopped in mid sentence as feet pounded up the outer steps.
She was smiling as she turned to the door.

A breathless Shan flew
into the hall, skidding to a stop before her Lady. She attempted to
offer a correct salute but Emla merely hugged her tight. Shan’s
arms whipped round Emla’s waist and she squeezed until Emla
laughingly made her loosen her hold. Ryla sniffed
loudly.

‘Perhaps Shan will be a
little kinder to her elders now you are home Emla.’

Elyssa looked quickly
at the old Senior in dismay. Then she saw the twinkle in her eyes,
the twitch at her lips, and realised she was teasing
Shan.

‘And did you just
abandon our other guests when you heard that Lady Emla had
returned?’ Ryla continued.

Shan looked guilty but
a voice called from the door in her defence.

‘Of course she didn’t!
We told her to run ahead of us.’ Bagri and Jilla entered, laughing
with delight as they saw Elyssa and Maressa at Nolli’s
side.

Emla unfolded the maps
Thryssa had given her and Ryla searched a pile of books beside her
for a map to compare with Thryssa’s. Shan was sent in search of
Khalim, Ryla’s assistant, one of the few People who had travelled
as far as Sapphrea. Soran was dispatched to find a board and easel
such as was used for instructing classes for the Guards. Eventually
the two maps were pinned, one above the other, and everyone studied
them carefully.

‘That circle there,’
Bagri pointed to a mark south of Return. ‘That is the one that
Rhaki must have used I would guess.’

‘There is another
here,’ Elyssa rose and pointed to a spot west of the place Bagri
had indicated.

Soran stared from map
to map. ‘I would estimate that circle is closer to
Tagria.’

Thryssa’s maps were of
lands that her people had not seen in fifteen hundred cycles or
more, and Tagria was not marked on her map, although a circle
unmistakably was. Ryla and Emla noted the cities shown: four on the
coast of Sapphrea and two inland, one away to the south and one
above the present Tagria, near the Ancient Mountains. There were
other cities too, not just in Sapphrea. Gaharn was shown on
Thryssa’s map although oddly, no names had been put to any
features, including the cities. Nolli’s misshapen hand rested on
Maressa’s shoulder.

‘Were all your cities
destroyed in one catastrophe child?’

Maressa frowned. ‘No,
only the ones on the coast itself.’ She pointed to the ones she
meant. ‘Our name for these lands was Valsheba. The other cities
were abandoned when the people living around them attacked them.
Few of our people escaped: they were hunted down and killed, the
cities pulled down block by block and then pounded to dust.’ She
glanced up at Nolli.