by Callie Kanno
“Of course you do,” hurried Kendan. “We would never question that.”
She grunted in satisfaction. “I do, indeed. The merchant vessel Fair Tides sailed out three days ago, and the next one should be the Zephyr. She arrives next week from Korander, and will sail to Zonne from here.”
“Thank you for your assistance,” Kendan said as he placed a hand on Adesina’s elbow and led her from the hut.
Ravi was waiting outside with Mar’sal and Than’os. They walked up the docks to a small alcove where they could discuss their situation in private.
“Well?” asked Mar’sal impatiently. “What did you find?”
Adesina was still too distressed to speak clearly, so Kendan answered the question.
“L’iam and Basha were here three days ago. They boarded a merchant ship headed for Zonne.”
The two soldiers were aghast.
“Zonne?” repeated Than’os. “That is more than a week’s travel by ship, if there are favorable winds the entire way.”
Kendan nodded. “And there will not be another ship heading for that destination for several days.”
“But we are already three days behind,” protested Mar’sal. “How will we catch up to them?”
“Perhaps,” said Ravi slowly, “I may be of assistance.”
The three L’avan looked at him in surprise. Kendan and Maizah could not understand what he was saying because he was speaking in the L’avan tongue.
“How?” asked Adesina in the same language.
The Rashad looked strangely reluctant as he explained his meaning. “Ma’eve, do you remember when we first left the High City and we were in the L’avan fort? I spent the night away from you, and I told you it was so I could see the stars.”
Adesina could only vaguely recall. She had dismissed it as one of the many quirks of her guardian.
“The truth was that I wanted to commune with them.”
She frowned in confusion. “The stars?”
“Yes.”
Than’os and Mar’sal looked as though they understood, but Adesina was still baffled.
“What do you mean?”
“All Rashad have the commonly known gifts—invisibility, Dreams, languages, and so forth—but each of us also have one or two gifts that are unique to the individual.”
The young queen finally understood. “And yours is that you can talk to the stars?”
“Not just the stars. I can communicate with anything that bears even the slightest trace of vyala.”
Although Adesina had lived among the L’avan for five years, there was still a lot she didn’t know about them. She had spent most of her time learning about the government and military, and how to command her vyala to do as she wished. There were some subjects, however, that she had not taken the time to learn yet.
She had a basic idea of the source of their magical abilities, but that was it. She knew that vyala was the life force of the earth, and that everything possessed some degree of it. The L’avan had higher levels of vyala than other humans, and their magic was based on each individual’s ability to amplify their inherent gifts.
“So, you can communicate with rocks and trees?” Adesina asked.
He inclined his head. “Yes, but more importantly, I can communicate with water and wind.”
The full import of his words washed over Adesina’s mind.
“Do you mean you can stop Basha’s ship?”
The Rashad smiled. “No, but I believe I can slow it. I can also try to speed the arrival of our own transportation.”
Relief lifted Adesina’s heart until she felt giddy.
Kendan watched this entire exchange with a frown on his face. “I doubt you need to be told that it is rude to purposefully exclude your companions from this conversation.”
Before she could say anything, Ravi spoke. “I told them that we can do nothing but wait. We should return to the inn and decide how to best spend our time in this city.”
Adesina was unprepared to hear her guardian tell a blatant lie, but she kept her face impassive. Judging from Kendan’s expression, he also knew that Ravi’s words were not true—or, at least, the entire truth—but he was not about to call an enormous feline a liar.
They began walking back towards The Black Cat, and Adesina lowered her voice to a level that only Ravi could hear.
“Why do you not wish for Kendan to know about your gift?”
Ravi’s ear twitched in displeasure at the thought of sharing such information with the former Shimat. “A Rashad’s unique gifts are very personal. We rarely speak of them in the company of others. That is why I have never told you before now.”
“How will you explain to him the sudden arrival of the Zephyr and the delay of the Fair Tides?”
“I do not need to explain anything to him,” replied Ravi. “Weather is an unpredictable thing.”
There was a brief pause before Adesina spoke again. “Are you certain you can do it?”
“No,” Ravi said frankly. “Wind is difficult to communicate with, due to its hurried nature. It has little patience to speak to anyone. I will do what I can, but it will only close the gap between us by a handful of days, at best.”
The young queen tried not to get her hopes up, but it was not easy to do.
“There is something else that you should know,” continued her guardian in an even quieter voice. “Kendan is keeping some important information from you.”
She looked at him in astonishment. “How do you know that?”
He fixed his gaze on the young man leading their group through the streets of Emerald Harbor. “His thoughts are unusually loud. It is difficult not to overhear such things.”
Adesina felt her fists clench in anger. It seemed that every time she began to build some sort of trust or reliance on Kendan, he found a way to prove that he didn’t deserve it. “What is he keeping from us?”
A soft growl escaped Ravi’s throat as he spoke. “He knows why Basha chose L’iam, and what she intends to do with him.”
Her expression turned cold. “I thought it was an act of revenge.”
“Partially,” admitted Ravi, “but that is not all. There is a darker purpose behind her actions.”
“Can you tell me what Kendan knows?”
The Rashad shook his head. “I only know that the information is there.”
Adesina had the overwhelming urge to go and beat the information out of him, but she held herself in check. She knew Kendan well enough to know that he would react to her hostility by becoming even more determined to keep things from her.
She took a calming breath, and another, and another.
“I will speak to him tonight.”
Chapter Twelve: Fair Tides
Basha stared at the dark water with a mixture of uneasiness and fascination. She had seen the ocean before, of course, but she had never ventured out onto its boundless depths. In the moonlight it looked like an endless abyss, waiting to swallow them up.
“Did you hear what I said?” asked the man standing next to her.
She turned her eyes to his craggy face and noted the arrogance there. She should have chosen someone else to be her second in command.
“I heard you, Breyen,” she said sharply. “However, I do not feel that it is necessary to keep the magic-user hidden. He is wearing a mask.”
It was true that Breyen was the natural choice for her second. He was second to the Sharifal, so he held a great deal of power and influence. He also was a brilliant strategist and a master manipulator—important traits for what they were doing. All the same, Basha hated the man.
“Besides,” she added in a petulant tone, “we would be completely hidden from the magic-users if you gave back that pendant.”
During her mission to kidnap the L’avan king she had been given a talisman made from the blood of magic-users. It hid her presence from magical detection, making it possible to sneak up on the unsuspecting L’avan.
As soon as the mission was completed, Bre
yen had taken the pendant back.
“I already told you,” he said with great patience, “that talisman belonged to the Sharifal. She would have noticed if it was gone for too long, and that would have exposed our entire operation.”
There was a brief pause before Breyen continued.
“We chose you to lead us because you are a visionary,” he said softly, watching her face closely. “You are a natural warrior and you are fearless. But no organization is simply its leader. You have many able Shimat to offer different strengths, and you must not ignore them. You have trusted my counsel before, and I have not let you down. Please, trust me again.”
Basha nodded reluctantly and turned her eyes back to the water. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw a flash of malicious satisfaction cross Breyen’s face when he saw the effect of his words, but the expression was gone in an instant.
Perhaps she was imagining things.
“I did not realize that you would be meeting me on this ship,” she said sulkily. “You said that this was my mission alone.”
The older Shimat shrugged casually. “Someone needed to arrange passage, and I have some business in Zonne.”
“You did not feel the need to keep an eye on me?” Suspicion was clear in Basha’s voice.
“Certainly not,” Breyen replied smoothly. “We would not have asked you to lead us if we did not trust you.”
Her chest puffed out in pride, and her chin lifted confidently. “Then you will leave the next part of the journey to me.”
“I had not considered any other option,” he said in a tone that rang of truth. “I will conduct my business and then return to Sehar.”
“Very well,” she concluded, her expression haughty. “The winds have been favorable thus far, and I have no doubt of such conditions continuing. We should reach Zonne’s port in less than four days. Until then, I suggest we see little of each other.”
Breyen gave a half bow and walked away.
Basha waited for him to disappear below deck before returning to her own quarters. It wasn’t that he didn’t know where to find her, but she didn’t want him following her.
Her sleeping space was nothing more than a storage room with two hammocks hung from the ceiling. The captain had promised that they would have privacy during the journey, but an inventory would be taken before they could disembark—to make sure they hadn’t stolen anything.
The magic-user was sitting on one of the crates, completely still. One might think he was sleeping, but it appeared that someone under the influence of the potion she had given him did not need to sleep at all. He didn’t react to her entrance. He simply sat and stared until given an order.
Over the years, Basha had considered many different ways to exact revenge on her oldest enemy. Her loathing for Adesina ran deep, so when Breyan had approached her with his plan she had been pleased to take the lead. She relished the agony that Adesina must be feeling, knowing that her precious husband was in the hands of her nemesis.
What made Basha even more gleeful was the knowledge that Adesina had no idea what was in store for her mate. She would not know until it was too late.
The magic-users probably saw the abduction as a simple kidnapping, like so many that had taken place before, but it was so much more than that. By the time Basha accomplished her task, the L’avan would wish they had taken their own king’s life rather than allowing him to fall into the hands of the Shimat.
She reached into her bag and pulled out an ancient book, stroking its spine lovingly. Its leather binding was cracked and worn with age, and the parchment was faded and brittle. This was the key to endless power and her ultimate dominion.
“Entertain me,” she commanded her slave, wanting to feel the rush that came from the mindless obedience of her magic-user.
He created several balls of light and began to juggle them. The shadows that fell across his wolf-like mask gave it an eerie appearance. It had been split in two from the confrontation with Kendan and Adesina, but she had commanded her slave to mend it using his powers. There was still a scar that ran down the length of the mask, but there was no other mark to show it had been damaged.
Perhaps it had been a mistake to force such a confrontation, Basha mused as she watched the dancing lights before her. But how could she have known that Kendan was with them? Kendan. The Sharifal’s own nephew.
Breyen had been quite pleased with the information. He said that her nephew’s betrayal would blind the Sharifal to the activities of Basha and those who followed her. They were at a critical stage of their plans, and they could not afford to have interference now.
Basha closed her eyes and imagined the expression of absolute despair on Adesina’s face as Basha and her puppet magic-user had left her to die on that hillside by the twin lakes.
The Shimat smiled with pleasure.
Perhaps it was more satisfying now that Adesina knew the fate of her husband, and would be haunted by what might happen next.
When Breyen had learned about the fight that had taken place near the Shimat post where the alchemist had been held prisoner, he warned Basha not to count on Adesina’s death. Basha had been unable to defeat Kendan, and so she must assume that he found a way to revive his companions.
Curse the traitor!
Kendan had seemed so eager to return to the good graces of his aunt after the disaster in the fortress five years ago, during which several L’avan test subjects escaped and years of research was destroyed.
Now he was helping Adesina, and there was no knowing how much he knew about Basha’s objectives.
The magic-user was now creating moving pictures from light. Basha tried to find pleasure in her power over him, but instead she felt irritated.
“Stop,” she demanded, and he immediately obeyed.
It didn’t matter now, she reassured herself. The would-be rescuers of the L’avan king were days behind, and there was no way to follow her. She would reach the portal long before they could ever catch up, and then it would be too late. Nothing would be able to stop her.
***
Breyen wrapped himself in his woolen blankets and allowed the motion of the ship to rock him gently in his hammock. He was not sleepy, but he knew that his aging body could use some rest. The most frustrating thing about his advancing years was the slow and unstoppable degeneration of his strength. He was glad to have years of experience and wisdom at his aid, but the waning of his physical abilities was a bur in his side.
In a way, that is what led him to his current path. He had reasoned that not all myths were complete fiction. That is to say, there had to be at least a sliver of truth in those fantastical tales that served as the foundation. After all, there were still magic-users in the world, so why would there not be a way to access the benefits enjoyed by certain mythological mortals?
He could not help but smile to himself as he considered the state of his plans. Everything was going perfectly.
For a while he had wondered if it had been wise for him to oversee this journey himself, but his presence was the spur that Basha needed to rush forward without too much thought.
That foolish girl was starting to think far too much.
It was essential that she continue under the impression that she was the leader of their group. After all, someone had to be the target of any unfortunate repercussions that may occur. Still, she was a great annoyance, and her arrogance was difficult to swallow.
It was only a matter of time before the charade would no longer be necessary.
Basha was willing to do anything to have revenge on Adesina, and she was not intelligent enough to know when to question an action. To her, the details didn’t matter. Only the result.
Well, the result would be the death of the L’avan king. That was enough for her.
Breyen, on the other hand, had much higher goals.
He was not satisfied with revenge or even control over the Shimat order. There had been a time when those had been his sole aspirations, and that is ho
w he had been ensnared by the current Sharifal’s schemes.
She had promised him power and respect and worldly pleasures—all of which he had received. It had taken him years to realize how empty it all truly was.
He wanted more.
True, his current actions would eventually give him the title of Sharifal, but that was only a side note to what he would really gain.
The world itself would be his, as long as they stayed on the path he had carefully crafted for them. As long as there were no deviations, no unexpected problems that he had not already accounted for.
The world would be his.
Chapter Thirteen: Reunion
Adesina walked among the stalls in the open market, viewing the wares idly as she considered her options.
They had been in Emerald Harbor for three days now. Ravi assured her that he had done everything he could to persuade the weather to aid them, but they would not know for certain until they saw the results. They all tried to use their time wisely, but it was difficult not to feel restless and irritable.
Kendan was avoiding the group all together. He excused himself, saying that there were many people he wanted to see now that he had returned to the city, but Adesina suspected that there were other motives. He was angry that they were purposefully keeping information from him, and he could sense that Adesina was upset that he was keeping secrets from her.
Adesina had tried to speak to him privately, but he slipped away each time. She was tempted to tie him to a chair in order to get answers. The only thing that stopped her was an instinct that told her that it was important to avoid too much notice.
Jahan Lirit, the bard at the inn, spent most of his free time talking to the L’avan. He wanted to know about their history, their customs, their goals, their lore. He was fascinated by them, and he never tired of hearing them talk.
In fact, that was where Than’os and Mar’sal were at this moment. They had been telling him about the adventures of Ed’mon, one of the sons of the founder of their race. Faryl and Maizah were with them, equally interested in the L’avan legends. Adesina had left them to it, deciding that she needed some fresh air. Ravi had followed her, of course, but had decided to shield himself from the eyes of others.
