Lokant

Chapter One

Chapter One

The moon was barely up when the post carrier arrived, bearing a parcel so large that the driver struggled to lift it. In the graceful, distinctive script of the address, Lady Evastany Glostrum recognised the elegant handwriting of her friend Ynara Sanfaer. She waved the postman inside and signed the paperwork with a smile, though she felt considerably puzzled.

She had recently dispatched a letter to Elder Sanfaer, requesting an urgent meeting. Ynara lived in Glinnery, a Daylands province where darkness never came. Herself a resident of the Darklands, Eva could not comfortably travel to Glinnery; her largely nocturnal eyes could not bear the glare of the sun. As such, she had expected Ynara to come to her.

Instead her friend had sent a parcel. It took Eva some minutes of work with a pair of scissors to open the well–packed box, and then subsequently to work her way through the packaging that shrouded the contents. At length she lifted out a completely unidentifiable contraption made from metal and glass, finding no accompanying letter of explanation along with it.

She turned the thing over in her hands, puzzling. It was bulky, though not particularly large. Two rounded pieces of glass adorned what could be the front; behind them lay several other similarly sized pieces, though their shapes varied. They vaguely resembled spectacles, though of no variant Eva had ever seen before.

That thought sparked off an idea. Hadn’t there been reports of new developments in spectacle technology? She had heard of glasses – goggles, really – that could fully protect a Darklander’s eyes against the sun. Ynara’s husband was a prominent engineer; small wonder if he had been involved in this project.

She tried them on. It took a little adjusting to fit the headgear correctly, but at length the pieces slid into place and the goggles clamped firmly over her eyes, instantly smothering all light.

Eva blinked in the sudden complete darkness. Well, so far so good. They were certainly good at blocking out light. On the other hand, the headset was heavy: already her neck was beginning to hurt. Eva took the thing off with a grimace. Presumably Aysun Sanfaer intended to refine the idea somewhat before it went into production for general distribution.

In other circumstances, the prospect of freely wandering the Daylands would have delighted her. She had seen very little of Glinnery and nothing at all of Irbel. Nothing either of Orlind, though nobody could claim to have visited that distant, untouchable realm. She couldn’t even visit Nimdre; it was the only one of the six accessible realms that retained an ordinary day–night cycle, enjoying too many hours of full daylight for the comfort of Darklander vision. As a worldly woman fond of travel, the prospect of seeing the Daylands was attractive.

But the timing was, to say the least, unfavourable. She had returned to her home in Glour City less than a moon ago, and duties and obligations crowded upon her. She had neglected her role as High Summoner for many days while she hunted a criminal with one of the Chief Investigator’s men. Her possession of two skilled tracking companions – a shortig hound and a web–winged gwaystrel – had made her instrumental to the task, but she had been hard–pressed to catch up on her duties on her return. And she had had very little time to address some important questions that had been raised on the journey.

But Ynara was worried about her daughter. Only a couple of moons ago, Llandry Sanfaer had accidentally discovered an unusual gemstone which she had named istore after the stars. That stone had captured the attention of thousands of people all the way across the Seven Realms, and eventually it had led to thefts and even murders. Llandry herself had been inevitably caught up in the affair; she had journeyed secretly into Nimdre with a friend of her mother’s and there she had disappeared. Eva was one of only two people who knew what had happened to Llandry. If Ynara would not, or could not, come to her, then she must go to Ynara. She owed it to her friend.

Eva’s carriage conveyed her only as far as the border between Glinnery and Glour, a journey of some ten hours. Few carriage–ready roads wound through the dense forests of Glinnery: since the residents held the benefit of wings, they had little use for carriages. Eva disembarked with a sigh: she had never been one to relish the prospect of a long walk.

Luckily for her, the Sanfaers lived in the capital city, Waeverleyne, a mere few hours’ walk from the border – though it felt like a much longer trek to Eva’s pampered physique, not used to strenuous walking or to the heat of the sun. The beauty of her surroundings occupied her mind for a time as she walked through Glinnery’s famed glissenwol woods. Could these shades of blue and green and lavender, so vivid and bright, truly be real? Or were they enhanced by the lenses of the headgear that she wore? She was entranced by the soft blue moss and the fronded purple–leaved ferns, the glitter of dayflies in the air and the fragrances of sun–warmed blossoms.

At least until the discomfort in her feet and legs reminded her of the wearisome toil of the adventure. Recently she’d been obliged to do a lot of walking, pursuing Edwae Geslin overland with her tracker hound. If anything, that only made this episode harder, for she was already tired. She trudged along in a state of intolerable dishevelment, her hair blown out of its pins by the wind and her cotton gown sticking unpleasantly to her skin. When at last she reached Ynara’s home she took the opportunity to pause and admire the property… and perhaps to catch her breath and smooth her hair while she was at it.

The Sanfaer home was situated close to the edge of the city. In Glour this position might have indicated a lower status, but what mattered more in Glinnery was the height of the glissenwol tree in which the dwelling was situated, and the extent of the expansion around the trunk. Ynara’s home was magnificent: her family had three storeys spanning from the middle of a vast glissenwol trunk up to the top. Seeking a way in, Eva observed a staircase winding its way up the tree. That made sense, for Ynara’s husband Aysun did not have wings like his wife and daughter.

The staircase was blocked, which was not particularly surprising. For some weeks now both the Daylands and the Darklands had been plagued with beasts in unusual numbers, all crossing over from the Upper Realms or the Lowers. Rogue gates leading to these two Off–Worlds had been appearing too regularly, letting all manner of creatures through. The staircase served as easy passage up to the Sanfaer home, but that was no longer desirable when it invited aggressive visitors. For her, though, its deactivation was mightily inconvenient. She sat down in the dark blue moss, tired after her journey, her head bowed under the weight of the curious headset. How should she signal her arrival to Ynara? And how was she to reach the house?

She had not been waiting long before Ynara appeared on the balcony of her home. She was a long way up, but Eva had no difficulty recognising her slender frame and mass of dark hair. She waved and took flight, her dark blue wings rapidly carrying her down to Eva’s level.

Her greeting was friendly, though her anxiety showed in her face. ‘I’m so grateful to you for coming,’ she said warmly. ‘I can’t leave the house, you see, not for days at a time. In case Llandry comes home. Here.’ She walked around the base of her tree, motioning Eva to follow. At the rear, a switch of grey metal was set into the trunk, camouflaged against the glissenwol’s smooth bark. Ynara pulled it sharply and a clanking sound began somewhere above. As Eva watched, impressed, a large box descended slowly from the skies. When it reached ground level it stopped, and doors opened smoothly in the front.

‘Aysun’s latest creation,’ Ynara explained, stepping inside. ‘They use them all the time in Irbel, but here we only have a few for hauling freight up to the heights. He fitted this when the beasts began surging through.’

‘Ingenious,’ Eva remarked, watching with interest as Ynara operated another lever. The box lurched slightly as it began to rise, and Eva was obliged to grab hold of a railing that ran around the inside. After that though the ride was remarkably smooth. It stopped adjacent to Ynara’s balcony and the doors opened again. Ynara ushered Eva into the house and immediately turned to the windows. She closed shutters and drew curtains from one room to another until the whole building was dark.

‘I thought you may wish to take those off once you got here,’ said Ynara, indicating the cumbersome spectacles Eva wore. ‘They’re functional, but not yet conveniently portable.’

‘Thank you,’ Eva said with real gratitude. She took them off with alacrity, pleased to find that the light levels were comfortable for her eyes. To Ynara, though, it must be pitch darkness.

‘Won’t this be an inconvenience to you?’

Ynara smiled briefly. ‘Not too much. I can still hear you.’

Eva nodded absent–mindedly, then caught herself. ‘Of course,’ she said, following her friend to the kitchen. Ynara had a light–globe in this room, a silvery ball of soft light which she had set to hover near the stove. Eva shut her eyes until Ynara had finished preparing food, then the light dimmed. Ynara sat opposite, pushing plates of food and drink at her.

Eva sat down, accepting Ynara’s offerings gratefully. As she ate, her attention was caught by shadowy movement in the corner of the room. A padded basket rested there and a small grey–furred creature was curled inside. It stretched out its long, thin body, its stubby tail twitching. Then it resumed its slumber.

‘That is Llandry’s pet,’ Ynara said. ‘Sigwide was left behind, somehow, when Llandry disappeared. That alone frightens me inordinately: those two have been inseparable since Llan was nine years old. She would never leave him behind deliberately. And he is depressed – he does nothing but sleep. I can’t decide whether he merely misses Llan, or whether he knows that she isn’t coming back…’

Eva’s heart twisted at the look of anguish on her friend’s face. She pushed away the food – she could eat later – and searched for a way to begin. On her way to Glinnery she had spent hours rehearsing what she would say to her friend. How could she break such news lightly? Normally comfortably eloquent, Eva found herself at a loss for words.

‘In my letter I assured you that Llandry was not injured,’ she began. ‘That is perfectly true. The last time I saw her she was in good health. But she has been… she has been changed.’

‘She’s been changed?’ Ynara echoed. ‘By what? Or who?’ She was gripping the table.

Eva sighed. ‘I’m just going to tell you everything that happened. From the beginning.’ She began, talking slowly and clearly through her experiences of the last few weeks. She spoke of the hunt for the reluctant criminal Edwae Geslin, whose sorcerer friend Tren had been obliged to aid in his capture. When she talked of their journey into the perilous Lower Realms, Ynara said nothing. But when Eva spoke the name “draykon”, Ynara blanched.

‘Draykon,’ she whispered. Eva had expected her to be surprised, but she did not seem to be. Instead she was aghast, electrified.

Eva cast her a quizzical look. ‘Have you heard something of it already?’ The common belief was that the mythical draykons, beasts with scaled hide and vast wings, were nothing more than legend. But Ynara did not look doubtful. As a member of Glinnery’s ruling Council, perhaps she had received reports from Glour.

‘I’ve seen one,’ Ynara said with studied calm. ‘Or in fact, I have heard one. So I believe. Finish your tale, if you please, and I will tell you mine.’

Eva blinked. ‘I… yes. Very well.’ She went on, describing the two uncanny sorcerer–summoners she and Tren had encountered. Eva had been brought up to believe that those blessed with magical ability were skilled either as summoners, those with a connection to beast kind, or sorcerers, whose talents included skilled manipulation of light and air. She had never heard of anybody possessing strong talents in both areas; not until now. She and Tren had discovered two apparent dual practitioners – the same two who had stolen and killed for the mysterious istore stone. Ynara listened raptly as Eva related how Ana and Griel – both from the Darklands realm of Ullarn, or so Eva suspected – had sought to wake a draykon.

‘For the stone that Llandry called istore is not a gem at all, clearly not. She actually discovered the grave of a long–dead draykon. Those stones are draykon bones. You’ll have heard the legends.’

Ynara nodded. Many of the stories about draykons were not commonly known anymore; they had disappeared from the realms far too long ago. They were the stuff of long–buried books and obscure theses. Ynara, however, was a sorcerer herself and a highly educated woman. She would know that the draykon was said to be the most powerful creature in the realms, that they were vast, unstoppable beasts. She would also have heard that they were extinct, if they had ever truly existed. Eva herself had been sceptical on that score until recently, but Ynara was speedily convinced. Had she truly heard the draykon?

‘I am aware of the end to your tale, though without the details,’ said Ynara. ‘I can guess that the bones must have been reassembled and the draykon successfully restored to life, though I cannot imagine how. What I do not grasp is how Llandry is involved.’

Eva winced inwardly. Now came the most difficult part of this conversation.

‘It’s hard to know how to explain this to you when I barely understand it myself,’ Eva began. ‘But I think you may have seen Llandry more recently than I have.’ She recounted the finale to her tale. She and Tren had been in the night–shrouded Lower Realm, but when Eva had been in physical contact with the waking draykon, she’d seen straight through the fabric of the worlds: into the Middle realms where most of humankind lived, and further, all the way into the sun–drenched Uppers. She’d realised that the separations between those realms were far flimsier than was readily supposed. She’d seen Llandry Sanfaer kneeling in the moss of the Upper Realm, sunlight glinting off her deep black hair.

Moments later, Llandry had been pulled bodily through the layers into the Lower Realms. The experience had obviously been painful for her: watching Ynara’s quiet daughter screaming in pain had been deeply distressing.

Then she had changed. Her small, winged human body had stretched, expanded and ultimately transformed; when the process was complete, a second, smaller draykon had joined the first. Eva had only been able to watch as they flew into the skies and then, abruptly, vanished.

Silence fell as Eva finished her story. Ynara appeared to be unable to speak at all. At last she managed, ‘How is that possible?’

‘I don’t know,’ Eva said honestly.

‘Was she – was she changed by those two…?’

‘No. It was certainly no part of their plan. If Ana had been able to effect such a transformation, she would have turned herself into a draykon. Her plan was actually to dominate it, to make it her companion. She, and her husband Griel, were obviously as astonished as we were. Personally I do not believe it was effected from outside at all. It had more to do with Llandry herself.’

‘You think she did that to herself?’

‘Not exactly. Not consciously anyway. I think it was inherent within her and brought forward because of her proximity to the other draykon. Otherwise why was she alone metamorphosed? Why not me? Why not Ana?’

Ynara nodded, more out of habit than real understanding as her face revealed a profound confusion. ‘Her proximity? But she was in the Uppers, wasn’t she? That is a completely different world.’

‘I don’t think that it is. Our three “worlds” are much closer to each other than we ever realised. They’re virtually sharing the same space. I think she felt the draykon waking from the Uppers, and she was drawn to it. And she herself may have inadvertently aided the process by her presence.’ Eva shrugged. ‘Without speaking to Llandry herself, though, I can’t be sure about any of this.’

‘Several days ago Aysun and I heard a terrific cry from somewhere overhead,’ Ynara said slowly. ‘It was like nothing I’d heard before. We ran outside, but there was nothing to be seen. Except for Dev, lying injured outside my house.’

‘Dev?’

‘I mentioned him to you before, though not by name. He is an old friend of mine. Llandry went with him to Nimdre, though without his knowledge. He says they were attacked, and he was wounded trying to defend Llandry. Since he arrived – or I should say, appeared – he has been raving about beasts the size of houses and being carried here by one of them. I thought he was delirious. But I cannot disbelieve you.’ Ynara sighed, her head drooping with tiredness. ‘So Llan found Devary and brought him here. Then – what? She vanished again.’

‘I don’t believe anybody knows where Llandry is now. I’m sorry. I wish I had more information to give you on that point.’

Ynara gripped her hand. ‘Don’t apologise. You can’t know how much I appreciate your coming here to tell me these things. Though I don’t deny they are hard to hear. How can I even begin to believe that my daughter is not – not human?’

‘Oh, she is,’ said Eva. ‘She’s both.’

Devary Kant was abed in Ynara’s house. His wounds were evidently severe, though he suffered no delirium. He glanced only briefly at Eva, then fixed his dull gaze on Ynara as she relayed the news to him.

‘That was Llandry?’ His words emerged weakly, and when he tried to sit up he gasped and fell back.

‘Don’t try to move, Dev,’ said Ynara wearily. ‘Apparently it was, yes. She saved your life, I think.’

Devary said nothing. His gaze had returned to Eva’s face, and he frowned slightly.

‘Eva Glostrum,’ she said. ‘From Glour.’ It was probably too dark for him to see her clearly, but he continued to try.

She, on the other hand, could see him quite well. Her sharp night eyes filled in strongly defined, Nimdren features, a long, thin nose and Darklands–pale skin. Under normal circumstances his hair must be a fairly light shade of brown, though at present it was splayed out on his pillow, dark with the sweat of fever.

Ynara leaned forward. ‘Dev, it seems you were the last person to see the draykon. Llandry, if it was her. Do you remember where she went?’

‘There were two beasts. Two draykons, then. I thought they vanished, but I may have been hallucinating.’

‘Probably you were not,’ Eva put in. ‘I have seen them do the same thing. I think they can cross between worlds without needing to open gates.’

‘Then my Llandry – if it was my Llandry – could be anywhere. Anywhere in the worlds.’ Ynara fell silent, but Eva could hear her unsettled breathing as she struggled to master her emotion.

Devary bestirred himself enough to grip Ynara’s hand. ‘When I’m well,’ he said with difficulty, ‘I will find her. I promise it.’

Ynara gave him a stare of disdain. ‘My husband will bring her home.’

‘Aysun has gone after her?’ Eva was surprised at that. She had heard something before of the deep suspicion he held for the Upper Realm.

Ynara nodded. ‘Nearly two weeks ago. He said he won’t come home until he can bring Llan with him.’

This was poor news. She had counted on Ynara’s having her husband’s support as she waited for her daughter to come home. Instead, her friend had been alone all this time, and in a state of anxiety about both members of her family.

‘I’m sorry, Ynara,’ she said with real regret. ‘I wish I could stay until Llan returns to you, but I can’t.’

Ynara tried a smile. ‘I know. I understand. Thank you for coming to me now.’

Eva nodded, unsure of what else to say.

‘I’ll be here,’ said Devary.

‘You’re the one who lost her!’ The words burst from Ynara as if she couldn’t hold them back anymore. She swept a hand over her face, dashing away the dampness that glittered on her cheeks.

‘I’m sorry,’ Devary said, watching helplessly as Ynara fought to regain her composure. ‘I’m sorry.’

Eva stayed as long as she could with Ynara, but she knew it wasn’t enough. It took all of her will to leave her friend alone again after a mere day’s stay, but she knew she had no choice. She began the walk back to the border with grave reluctance.

Yna’s strong, she told herself. Strong enough for this.

As long as Llandry comes back.