the sky, striking
down a tall man and a woman with wild red hair. The silver blue
Dragon leaped forward – and stumbled. His riders vanished and he
lay and began to scream. Cyrek paled and opened his eyes. He looked
at Emla.
‘What, in the name of
the Dark, were they seeking?’ he whispered.
Everyone in the room
had seen the memories from Brin’s mind but Emla’s people had seen
them before. Seola answered Cyrek’s question.
‘Evil that was bound
millennia ago,’ she said flatly. ‘How did that creature get
loose?’
Emla drew a deep breath
and let it out slowly. ‘A foolish woman, a mage of Malesh, far
south of here, believed she could release one of them. That she
could then control it and take its power for her own. The other,’
Emla shrugged and frowned. ‘People came from beyond the stars. I
don’t know what they did, but somehow they loosened the bonds on
the second creature.’
Seola put her half
eaten food on the small table beside her. ‘And that child thought
she and a single guard could defeat such a being?’ She spoke
softly, her tone incredulous. Shaking her head she asked ‘Do you
know of one called Namolos?’
‘Yes.’ Navan and Ren
spoke together. ‘We were told we had to reach him but then he
seemed to disappear.’ Ren spread his hands helplessly.
‘How did he speak with
you?’
Ren looked thoughtful.
‘Through Khosa or Grek?’
‘And they
are?’
‘Grek is an unbodied
spirit. He hasn’t contacted any of us since. .’
‘And Khosa?’
A small orange cat
emerged from behind Nenat’s chair and leaped lightly to Lady Emla’s
knee. Turquoise eyes met Seola’s. ‘I am Khosa.’
Cyrek squinted
slightly. ‘You are not merely a cat,’ he observed.
To those who knew her,
Khosa reaction was subdued. ‘I am only a cat now.’
‘You are a child of
Namolos,’ Cyrek said in some disbelief. ‘In the name of the Dark,
what have you allowed to be done to you?’
Khosa shivered.
‘Namolos foresaw some of these events and my sister and I agreed to
his plans. We have endured a long, long time, and I at least have
failed.’
The old herb woman,
Nenat, broke the stunned silence that followed Khosa’s words. ‘We
are here to try to heal the young one. Let us apply our minds and
our strength to that task before we rush off in other
directions.’
Slowly Seola nodded,
her eyes never leaving the small cat sitting on Lady Emla’s
knee.
‘I was to protect
them.’ Khosa’s mind voice was a whisper and Emla’s hand lightly
stroked the furry back.
A raucous shrieking
erupted outside making everyone jump.
‘Hag,’ muttered
Seola.
‘The gijan,’ muttered
Emla.
They both hurried to
the main doors, followed by all. Hag, Raven of Dark, was on the
ground at the bottom of the steps, screaming with rage. Close
around her fluttered three other feathered creatures. Seola and
Cyrek could only stare. The three had human bodies but also bore
great wings. The upper feathers of all three were the deepest blue
black, but the under feathers were different. One’s were palest
pink, another’s brilliant yellow, and the third’s were a soft
green. They were quite clearly teasing the Raven of Dark and
enjoying themselves enormously.
Navan pushed between
Emla and Seola without ceremony. He clapped his hands sharply and
started down the steps. ‘How dare you?’ he roared. The three
faltered and moved back from the Raven, their expressions now
guilty rather than amused.
Raven stretched her
wings and shot skywards, imprecations trailing almost visibly
behind her.
‘That Raven was a guest
in lady Emla’s House,’ Navan continued in a roar. He’d found it
extremely effective when dealing with these three. Feathers rustled
and wings folded close to backs.
‘Sorry
Navan.’
For the first time they
seemed to notice the crowd staring from the top of the steps and
all three looked distinctly uncomfortable.
Emla cleared her
throat. ‘Well now,’ she said brightly. ‘Allow me to
down a tall man and a woman with wild red hair. The silver blue
Dragon leaped forward – and stumbled. His riders vanished and he
lay and began to scream. Cyrek paled and opened his eyes. He looked
at Emla.
‘What, in the name of
the Dark, were they seeking?’ he whispered.
Everyone in the room
had seen the memories from Brin’s mind but Emla’s people had seen
them before. Seola answered Cyrek’s question.
‘Evil that was bound
millennia ago,’ she said flatly. ‘How did that creature get
loose?’
Emla drew a deep breath
and let it out slowly. ‘A foolish woman, a mage of Malesh, far
south of here, believed she could release one of them. That she
could then control it and take its power for her own. The other,’
Emla shrugged and frowned. ‘People came from beyond the stars. I
don’t know what they did, but somehow they loosened the bonds on
the second creature.’
Seola put her half
eaten food on the small table beside her. ‘And that child thought
she and a single guard could defeat such a being?’ She spoke
softly, her tone incredulous. Shaking her head she asked ‘Do you
know of one called Namolos?’
‘Yes.’ Navan and Ren
spoke together. ‘We were told we had to reach him but then he
seemed to disappear.’ Ren spread his hands helplessly.
‘How did he speak with
you?’
Ren looked thoughtful.
‘Through Khosa or Grek?’
‘And they
are?’
‘Grek is an unbodied
spirit. He hasn’t contacted any of us since. .’
‘And Khosa?’
A small orange cat
emerged from behind Nenat’s chair and leaped lightly to Lady Emla’s
knee. Turquoise eyes met Seola’s. ‘I am Khosa.’
Cyrek squinted
slightly. ‘You are not merely a cat,’ he observed.
To those who knew her,
Khosa reaction was subdued. ‘I am only a cat now.’
‘You are a child of
Namolos,’ Cyrek said in some disbelief. ‘In the name of the Dark,
what have you allowed to be done to you?’
Khosa shivered.
‘Namolos foresaw some of these events and my sister and I agreed to
his plans. We have endured a long, long time, and I at least have
failed.’
The old herb woman,
Nenat, broke the stunned silence that followed Khosa’s words. ‘We
are here to try to heal the young one. Let us apply our minds and
our strength to that task before we rush off in other
directions.’
Slowly Seola nodded,
her eyes never leaving the small cat sitting on Lady Emla’s
knee.
‘I was to protect
them.’ Khosa’s mind voice was a whisper and Emla’s hand lightly
stroked the furry back.
A raucous shrieking
erupted outside making everyone jump.
‘Hag,’ muttered
Seola.
‘The gijan,’ muttered
Emla.
They both hurried to
the main doors, followed by all. Hag, Raven of Dark, was on the
ground at the bottom of the steps, screaming with rage. Close
around her fluttered three other feathered creatures. Seola and
Cyrek could only stare. The three had human bodies but also bore
great wings. The upper feathers of all three were the deepest blue
black, but the under feathers were different. One’s were palest
pink, another’s brilliant yellow, and the third’s were a soft
green. They were quite clearly teasing the Raven of Dark and
enjoying themselves enormously.
Navan pushed between
Emla and Seola without ceremony. He clapped his hands sharply and
started down the steps. ‘How dare you?’ he roared. The three
faltered and moved back from the Raven, their expressions now
guilty rather than amused.
Raven stretched her
wings and shot skywards, imprecations trailing almost visibly
behind her.
‘That Raven was a guest
in lady Emla’s House,’ Navan continued in a roar. He’d found it
extremely effective when dealing with these three. Feathers rustled
and wings folded close to backs.
‘Sorry
Navan.’
For the first time they
seemed to notice the crowd staring from the top of the steps and
all three looked distinctly uncomfortable.
Emla cleared her
throat. ‘Well now,’ she said brightly. ‘Allow me to
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