Llandry found Pensould's hand and gripped it hard as Andraly led them out of the chart room and through a muddling series of corridors, staircases and chambers until at last they arrived once again in Limbane's quarters. He was already seated in the most comfortable chair, sipping at a glass full of dark liquid. Andraly offered her some of the same; tasting it, she found that it was sweet and alcoholic. The effect it had was calming, much the same as the tonic she had used to take.
Andraly winked at her.
'Beginning at the beginning, then,' said Limbane after they were all settled. 'A long time ago, draykoni were relatively numerous. They arranged themselves largely into two tribes: one lived mostly in Iskyr, what you call the Upper Realm these days, though some of their kind took up residence in the connected world of Arvale. Now called Glinnery.'
'That is not the beginning, Limbane,' said Andraly.
He smiled at her. 'Don't interrupt, Andra, please.'
She sat back with a chuckle.
'The other,' continued Limbane, 'preferred the realm of Ayrien - the Lowers - and its Middle World counterpart, Everum or, these days, Glour. Humans never set foot in Iskyr or Ayrien in those days; indeed they were unable to. They had little notion that such worlds even existed. They lived mostly in those areas you now call Irbel, Orstwych, Ullarn, Nimdre and Orlind.'
'Orlind?' Eva repeated the word sharply. Limbane shot her a dark look.
'Interruptions are, as I said, unwelcome.'
'My apologies.'
He nodded. 'You are all aware of the properties of draykon bone. Humankind, ever ingenious, discovered its properties once before, a long time ago. They learned that by wearing or imbibing the bones, hide, claws or teeth of draykoni they were able to access some diluted form of the special abilities that came easily to draykoni but never to humankind. You may imagine the result of that discovery.'
Llandry shuddered. Covetousness over the draykon bone had led to thefts and murders in recent times, and Ana had even tried to turn a live draykon to her will. If that knowledge spread across the Seven, she could indeed imagine the scale of the conflict.
'You may think that draykoni had some insuperable advantages over humankind, particularly in those days. They were the superior in size and strength by many times, and they had their magics. But now humans were learning to harness some of those abilities, and the more draykoni they killed and dissected, the more they learned. Soon they were able to follow the draykoni even to Iskyr and Ayrien.
'Furthermore, draykoni have never been quick to breed. It is the major flaw in their design. Birthing is difficult for them and young draykoni often die before they reach adulthood. When I said they were "relatively numerous" I meant that their numbers were still far below those of their enemy. And humans had their own advantages: they had the ingenious brains to imagine better, cleverer ways to win and they had the bodies - in particular, the hands - to bring them about. In time, they won the conflict - in spite of the efforts of a draykon known as Eterna, after whom that war was eventually named.
'Eventually the draykoni were almost entirely destroyed. Barely twenty remained, and they seemed intent on throwing themselves at their foes until none were left. A certain stubborn pride and a fondness for revenge might be considered psychological flaws with that species.' He glanced at Pensould as he said it, whose face indeed displayed a fierce anger at Limbane's tale. Llandry stroked his arm, trying to soothe him, though her own heart was sorely oppressed by what she heard.
'We did not wish to see the draykoni driven to extinction,' Limbane continued. 'So we intervened. We persuaded most of the survivors to abandon their plans for revenge - and no, that was not easily done - in favour of the race's survival. For you see, draykoni can be hard to kill; their consciousness is almost impossible to entirely extinguish and they may, if they choose, restore their bodies to health when they wish to wake. But it requires the assistance of another draykon. If the species was not to die out, some had to survive, somewhere.'
'You taught them to shape shift,' Llandry said, awed.
Limbane nodded his approval. 'Very quick, Miss Sanfaer. Yes, that is what we did. Taking human shape, they were thoroughly camouflaged. They identified suitable communities of humans, generally choosing those who had not participated in the war against the draykoni. They blended in easily enough, and some of them even married in time. To our satisfaction, they also had young. We had never been able to determine how far the camouflage stretched; we learned then that the shape taken was not merely a shell but that the whole biology of the creature was changed.
'It wasn't long before the effects of those unions began to be seen. In Arvale - Glinnery - where the Iskyr draykoni had settled, some children were born with wings. Of course they were cast out as mutants at first, but as it became more common it became also more accepted. In time it was the wingless who were considered "different", and they began to leave the realm, leaving it to the winged. The people of Glinnery also began to show some talent at beast empathetics, a talent that had once belonged to draykonkind alone. They had found their way back to Iskyr by then, and they used these new abilities to befriend animals from the Off-Worlds and bring them home. Thus they termed the skill "summoning".
'As for the Ayrien tribes, they settled mostly in Glour, and one or two in Orstwych. There were some winged children born, though for various reasons it did not take in that realm as it had in Glinnery. These peoples inherited a different set of draykoni magic, specifically manipulation of light and shadow and the outward appearance of things. Sorcery, as it is now called.
'It remains something of a mystery as to why the draykoni magics divided in this way. We wondered whether, in time, some individuals might combine the two again, though that has not usually happened. We have taken great pains since then to engineer virtually pure draykoni bloodlines, to ensure that someday there would be the chance of revival. Should we wish to encourage that.'
Silence followed Limbane's long speech when he finally stopped talking. He sipped at his drink, oblivious, apparently reminiscing. Andraly, on the other hand, watched the group closely. Llandry felt the woman's eyes on her, though she refused to meet her gaze.
So the other gold names on the chart - the ones without family names - were those first draykoni shape shifters. And she herself was the eventual product. The word engineered stayed with her, chafing at her. She disliked the implication that the relationships chosen by her ancestors had been, in some way, chosen for them.
For a moment she thought of asking Limbane what exactly he meant by engineered, but she decided against it. At the moment, she just didn't want to know.
'But,' she said. 'You said that Krays didn't intend to bring back the draykoni. And you certainly didn't plan it. Why not? And why did it happen anyway?'
'We've discussed the possibility many times,' Limbane replied. 'I suppose for one, we weren't sure that we could. Additionally, we feared that we would merely begin another human-draykoni war. And that fear seems to have been well-founded. So we bided our time.'
'That's why you took our books,' Tren said suddenly. 'That was you, wasn't it? And you've probably been at it for a while. No wonder I couldn't find anything in the libraries.'
'Mhm,' Limbane said. 'A boring and repetitive task. It's amazing how some bright-eyed idiot is always stumbling over sensitive information. It was safer for humankind in general to forget about all of this.' He shifted in his chair. 'As for Krays, he has no scientific interest in these questions and no reason to love draykonkind, nor to wish for their return. But at one time he did take a great deal of scientific interest in the draykon bones. If he has involved himself, and it is clear that he has, then it is the bones and the hide and the teeth he is after. But I do not know why.
'We learned recently that his organisation has been making use of the inhabitants of this Cluster to further their aims. A sensible enough plan, as his organisation has always been small. And it was inspired to seek out the Lokant descendants, though training them may have been less intelligent. It appears one or two of them have taken his training and turned it to entirely different purposes. How the one known as Ana learned about the draykoni, I don't know, nor how she conceived of the idea - and the means - to restore one of them. But the damage is done there.'
Pensould bristled at that. 'Damage? I must thank you, I suppose, for your interference or there would have been no Minchu to assist my own return and that of my kind. But do not speak of it in that negative way.'
Limbane regarded him without expression. 'For you, Pensould, it is a good thing. That I understand. For Miss Sanfaer also, I believe. But you must see that other draykoni are not as tolerant as you. You have already returned one who was killed, I believe, in the conflict and who was neither resurrected nor her body discovered and plundered. To her, humankind will always be the enemy and she has already begun her ill-considered but nonetheless fervent revenge mission. For this Cluster, that is indeed a negative occurrence.'
'Cluster?' Tren's query was diffidently spoken; most of his attention was on Eva, who as yet had only stared stonily at Limbane and said nothing.
'Cluster of worlds,' Limbane explained. 'Very few worlds exist in isolation. This cluster consists of Iskyr, Ayrien and Irtand; what you fancifully and erroneously think of as the Upper, the Lower and the Middle. In fact there is no physical hierarchy of that kind. Clustered worlds inhabit essentially the same space, existing more as one central world - in this case Irtand - and one or more echoes of it. This Cluster is particularly nicely balanced, I must say. Two mirror images of Irtand, one reflecting the lights and the other the darks. Beautiful stuff.' A note of enthusiasm crept into his tone and his eyes lit up at the concept.
'Er, right,' said Tren, staring at him with bemused amazement written across his features.
'Never mind,' Limbane sighed.
'You've glossed over the Lokants in all of this,' Eva said, breaking her silence at last. 'I could ask you where you come from, but your last comments suggest that the answer would mean nothing to me. So, instead: what am I, and what is our part in this?'
'You, my dear, may be thought of as something of a throwback to your ancestors. Some of the Lokant children have the white hair and little else; others inherit a great deal of the unusual make-up of their forebears. Ana is one such, I suspect, if she does indeed "vanish" as you say. I suspect you will also prove a strong partial. Tell me, are you that type of person who enjoys unshakeable popularity? Never have any trouble persuading people to your cause? Very, very good at summoning?'
'All of those things,' Tren put in, when Eva merely glared at him.
'Naturally. Draykoni magics spring from their very close bond with this Cluster of worlds; they manipulate it and its native inhabitants with ease because they are essentially woven of the same fabric. Lokants, on the other hand, are entirely other, and cerebral beings at that. Our talents lie in areas such as relocation of ourselves, other beings, or objects, and - er - shall we call it charisma? If you are a strong Lokant then you possess a strong will, and it is the easiest thing in the world to impose it on others. You have tapped into that without realising, I do believe, and profited considerably by it.'
Lady Glostrum stared at him in growing horror. 'I met a little girl recently - white-haired - who was chillingly good at domination over beast kind. She wasn't using Summoning; it was something else. Are you saying that I also employ such skill? And - and over people as well?'
'Exactly,' Limbane enthused. 'Though in your case you are also a summoner derived from draykoni, so the methods you use in your profession are mixed. But as far as people are concerned, yes. If you want somebody to like you, then they are pretty sure to like you because you will it. Your mind is a great deal stronger than almost everyone you meet.'
Eva looked sick, and Llandry had no trouble understanding why. She knew what Limbane meant, too. Whenever she met Lady Glostrum, she received an impression of awe-inspiring grandeur that inclined her to worship the woman. Thinking about it now, she could think of no direct, rational reason for that reaction, the woman's beauty and stateliness notwithstanding. Her ladyship presumably wished to have that effect on people, and so she did.
She also didn't envy Limbane his current position. Everybody was angry with him except her. Pensould was still livid; Eva looked ready to kill him; even Tren's habitually cheerful demeanour had vanished and he looked like he wanted to hit something.
'That isn't fair,' Tren burst out. 'If you're suggesting that Eva's popularity isn't real, that is not true. She is loved because she's good-hearted and intelligent, dedicated and beautiful; not because - not because -'
'Peace, Mr Warvel. I'm sure that in some cases that is quite true. Nonetheless, I have spoken the truth also.'
He stopped talking, perhaps expecting more questions, complaints or objections. There was only shocked silence.
'Am I correct in thinking that you all require a little time alone to absorb my tales?'
Llandry glanced Eva again. Her ladyship had stopped looking angry and horrified; now she looked stricken, which was much worse.
And Pensould was still raging, though thankfully he was doing it silently.
'Yes, sir, thank you,' she said quickly. She needed some time to get Pensould's violent emotions back under control. And her own, come to think of it.
'Wait,' said Eva, straightening in her chair. Llandry watched, amazed, as she visibly composed herself, all signs of distress disappearing under her usual air of calm. 'You've spoken more than once about our assisting you. Tell us what you wish.'
'Excellent. You will make a terrific partial, Lady Glostrum. You mentioned that you had found a lead of some kind in the matter of the draykon bone, is that correct?'
Eva nodded. 'Some of it is being leaked to a business in Orstwych. It may be coming from another group entirely - I don't suppose Krays can guarantee control over all draykon bone in the realms - but it is worth investigating. I have a name in Ullarn.'
Limbane beamed. 'Excellent. Then you must follow that lead, your ladyship, and Mr Warvel will assist you. Miss Sanfaer and Pensould will do as they have wished all along: that is to return to Glinnery and see about preparing the realm for a draykon attack, should one occur. They will also endeavour to avert said attack, if they find the means.'
'Couldn't you just persuade the draykoni not to attack?' Eva's tone was sarcastic.
'Draykoni design includes a degree of imperviousness to those techniques,' Limbane said with a shrug. 'Or perhaps it is merely their cursed stubbornness. I said that it was terrifically hard to hold them back the last time; I did mean it. Llandry and Pensould will likely be much more successful in this, and much more quickly.'
'But Krays had no trouble with me,' Llandry admitted. 'He immobilised me, took over my will. If Pensould hadn't been there I wouldn't have been able to resist him.'
Limbane gave her a genuinely kind smile. 'Don't trouble yourself over that, Miss Sanfaer. You were human at the time, I imagine?'
She nodded.
'And you are yet new to your draykon heritage. You still think and operate largely as a human does, but you are learning. You will grow stronger in time.'
Llandry swallowed and nodded. 'I'm happy to do as you suggest, sir, to the best of my ability, but what of Krays? He'll come after me again, and I'm not strong enough yet.'
'Ah yes, that's another point. It's possible that Krays's intention is to use you to locate more draykon graves. He will soon discover that you are not the only person who can assist him with this, and his attention may turn away from you. In case I am wrong, I will be sending Andraly with you, and another Lokant.'
Llandry's heart hammered. 'You speak of more hereditary draykoni?'
'I can think of two potential ones,' he said. 'Before you ask, yes, sooner or later they too will be in danger from Krays. I don't believe he knows of their existence yet, as Sulayn Phay were not involved in our draykoni project. But I've no doubt he will discover them one way or another. While the rest of you are off averting disaster in Glinnery and tracking down Krays's operation, I will be locating our other two hereditaries.' He paused. 'Or rather, I will be delegating someone else to do it.'
Andraly laughed aloud at that. 'So I'm to visit Arvale? It's been some time since I set foot in the Daylands. Delightful prospect.'
Limbane rolled his eyes. 'I'm glad someone is happy.'