by Callie Kanno
The writer of the book was long dead, and his life’s work was now in the hands of the Shimat—more importantly, in the hands of Basha.
Breyen had asked her to be the leader of their clandestine group with a promise of greater power and a speech about the great possibilities of the future. Basha had no interest in Breyen’s aspirations, nor the ones of the splinter organization—she had plenty of her own.
First, she would complete her current task. If Breyen’s theories were correct, this journey would be the key to immortal life and endless power for Basha. Not only that, but she would also have the ultimate revenge on her lifelong foe. Adesina would know that Basha was the source of the destruction of everything she held dear.
A gruesome smile spread across Basha’s thin lips.
After that was complete, the real work would begin.
***
L’iam was disoriented.
Where was he?
There was something that he had been trying to do, but now he couldn’t remember.
Was he looking for something? Or someone?
No, that was not it. Someone was looking for him.
He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. He was becoming more easily confused these days, and he could not afford to let that happen. He had an important task that he had to accomplish.
But what was it?
The image of his wife’s face floated through his thoughts, and L’iam jolted back to himself.
Adesina.
Yes, he remembered now. He had been captured by the Shimat, and he was being taken into the desert.
He did not know why he was in a desert, or what evil designs the Shimat had for him. He only knew that he had to keep fighting his captors with every shred of willpower he possessed.
More fragments of memories came back to L’iam and he recalled what he had been attempting to do.
He needed to regain control of his body.
Ever since he had learned of his capture, he had striven to force his mind back into his body. Repeated efforts had strengthened the connection he was able to establish. However, it seemed that the more his mind and body linked, the more disoriented he became.
Why was that? Did it have something to do with that foul potion he had been forced to drink?
L’iam shook his head.
It didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was taking back control of his body and finding a way to escape his Shimat captors.
He had to do that at any cost.
He had to…
L’iam slowly opened his eyes and looked around in bewilderment.
Where was he?
***
The Master was unhappy.
Maizah watched Kendan as he busied himself with mending a strap on his boots. His brow was contracted and his eyes were locked on the piece of leather before him. Yet, she could tell that his mind was far away.
He was thinking of her.
Maizah knew little of the thing others called “love,” but she was well acquainted with expressions of longing—every slave arrived with that look on their face, before the weight of reality carried it away. It was the longing for something that had been very dear, and was gone forever.
The Master had that look now.
He hid it well whenever he thought someone might observe it, but it became clear when he believed he was alone.
Yet, Maizah saw it.
She saw everything, because no one seemed to consider her an observer. Before she had come to this desert land, she had always kept her eyes to the ground. It was not wise to see too much.
Now, that had changed. Ever since she had saved Than’os’s life, something within her had begun to transform. She felt different, and she saw herself differently.
Now, her eyes were lifted, and she watched the world around her with fascination.
Mar’sal was lonely for someone in his homeland. He kept a length of pink ribbon in his pocket, and he held it in his hand whenever he was not doing something active.
Faryl would make a discovery about magic, and Than’os would marvel at what she had learned. Then, when she looked away, he would smile fondly—as if he were letting her believe that he didn’t already know what she was telling him. Why would he do something like that?
Ravi never strayed far from Adesina, but lately he had been closer than before. It was as if he was afraid she would suddenly disappear somewhere he could not follow. And Adesina…
Adesina.
A shadow of fear followed her, like a cloud over the sunshine of her incredible abilities.
What was making her so afraid?
No one else seemed to be consciously aware of the change in their leader, but they could all sense in the back of their minds that something wasn’t right.
Ravi appeared to be aware, but he seemed uncertain how to guard her from this unseen threat.
A glowing magical bond had been growing between Adesina and Ravi for several days now, and it grew brighter and stronger with each moment. Maizah did not know when it began—not while they were in Sehar, that was certain—but she had first noticed it when they landed in Zonne.
The Tracker had never seen anything like it, and she did not know what it meant for the future of their mission. Perhaps she should find a way to communicate what she was seeing to the Master.
No.
Adesina was quite capable of informing others of the bond, if she wished for it to be known.
Maizah was surprised with herself that she had considered taking matters into her own hands. If the Masters knew of her thoughts, she would have been whipped for her insubordination.
Well, the other Masters would have. Not her current Master.
He was strangely kind to her, and he rarely treated her like a slave at all. In fact, she often felt that he viewed her more like a favored servant. Maizah had never known such friendliness before.
Adesina had mentioned that the group would be given a Henka guide when they left the encampment after the storms ceased.
What would that mean for Maizah?
They already knew their destination, and they had no need for a Tracker anymore. Would she be sent back to the other Masters?
No, the Master had said that he was considered a traitor and could never return. The only other way was to send a message with Maizah’s location and wait for another Master to retrieve her—which was unlikely, due to the nature of the mission.
What, then?
Would she wait here at the Henka village until they returned for her? Would she be allowed to follow them, even if she had no other skills to offer? Or maybe…
Maybe the Master would set her free.
Maizah’s heart began to race at such an idea. She wasn’t sure if she was feeling fear or excitement—probably both.
The Master did not appear to be opposed to the idea of freeing slaves. After all, he had set Faryl free. Would he be willing to grant her such a marvelous gift?
What would she do if she had her freedom?
Her mind spun with all of the possibilities.
Her parents had been taken from Joura, and they had told her that they still had family living there. Perhaps she would return to Joura and seek out her living relatives. After all, it seemed important for others to be connected to family. Shouldn’t she place the same value on those relations?
Maizah shook her head mentally. Joura was not a small nation, and she didn’t even know the name of the town where her parents had lived. She had few resources and little ability to communicate with others. It would take her a lifetime to locate the family she had never known.
Maybe she could train in a profession. Faryl was a healer, and the Master did not disapprove. Maizah could also train to be a healer, if that was an appropriate occupation for a freed slave. Her only real skill was as a Tracker, but she was reasonably certain that she would be able to learn to do other things.
A small smile stole across her face and she allowed it to stay.
Maizah knew the danger
of hope, but she could not help but feel its warming rays. The future held many possibilities, but most of them seemed full of promise for the slave girl.
Chapter Forty: Bonding of the Mind
Adesina and Ravi found themselves sitting in the lower levels of the underground Henka settlement. The area was only used as a last stronghold in the event of an attack, and so they were completely alone. The Henka elders had given permission for the area to be used by Adesina as she trained for the trials ahead.
The young queen was not certain that she needed space, but she was glad to have the privacy.
Ravi had assured her that they would find a way to bring her vyala into submission, but Adesina was filled with doubt. She had felt its strength, and she was not confident that she could overcome it.
“Take a deep breath, Ma’eve. You will work best if you have a clear mind.”
She followed Ravi’s instructions.
“Are you ready to begin?”
Adesina wasn’t sure that she’d ever be ready, so she lied. “Yes.”
The Rashad smiled, sensing the truth.
“Today we will not be working with your vyala.”
She gave him a startled look. “What?”
“Our ultimate goal is for you to become master of your powers, but we must first lay a foundation upon which you may stand.”
Some of her fear drained away. “I see.”
Ravi’s long tail flicked back and forth in a somewhat idle manner. “I would like to explore the extent of our Joining.”
The young woman’s brow creased. “Why is that?”
“The Rashad legends tell of the time before we became mortal—when we were the servants of the Serraf. In those legends, the Rashad were capable of doing extraordinary things.”
“Such as calling down a meteor from the sky?” Adesina asked archly.
“That is where I got the idea,” admitted Ravi seriously, “but the effort would have killed me if you had not intervened. In the legends, a Rashad would have been able to accomplish the same task with only a portion of the cost.”
“You believe this was due to the Joining,” inferred Adesina.
“No,” corrected Ravi. “I know it is because of the Joining. It is stated clearly in the legends that the Rashad who were bound to a Serraf received a joint share of their power and glory.”
“So, the purpose of this exercise is to give you more power?” teased the young queen.
Ravi smiled. “You are forgetting the first law of this world: balance. A bond such as Joining is strong because it is perfectly balanced. If I benefit from it, you do so equally.”
The chill of dread crept back into Adesina’s mind. “Are you saying that my vyala will become even stronger?”
“Things do not have to be the same in order to be equal,” reminded her guardian. “The Rashad were never as powerful as the Serraf. An exchange of vyala would only be a benefit to one party, and the bond would be weakened by unbalance. There is something else that the Rashad have to offer that is of immeasurable value to the Serraf.”
Adesina leaned forward with interest. “What is that?”
Ravi gave a feline grin that was both amused and mischievous. “I do not know.”
She snorted in exasperation. “You do not know?”
He laughed. “Ma’eve, our legends are old and incomplete—as are most tales of that nature. There are certain pieces that have been omitted or lost over time. We shall simply have to discover the truth for ourselves.”
“Very well,” Adesina grumbled. “Where do we begin?”
“With our minds,” replied Ravi. “Our thoughts have become more closely connected, but I have more practice in discerning specifics. Therefore, I am able to see more of your mind than you of mine.”
“Is that a Rashad trait or your personal ability?”
“Both,” he answered. “The Rashad have highly developed skills of discernment, and personal aptitude can raise it to a level of near-clairvoyance. There are certain Rashad who have become so adroit that they can read the minds of others with ease.”
Adesina seated herself on the ground, since it was clear that they would not be doing much physical activity today.
“Are you one of those individuals?”
Ravi shook his head. “No, but my skills are more sharp than usual. I find that a lot depends on the person with whom I am dealing. I can sense more with you, because we have always been close. Now that we have been Joined, I can almost see your mind as you think. If I am concentrating, that is.”
“So, you are going to teach me how to read your mind?”
“I am going to teach you how to open your mind to mine,” he clarified. “If we can make a mental connection, our bond should do the rest.”
Adesina moved into a comfortable position and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and cleared away all external concerns.
When I think something and I mentally direct it to you, you are more likely to hear it through our bond.
Adesina nodded. Yes, that makes sense.
To do this is much like sending a message by a carrier. In order to create a connection between our minds you must imagine yourself casting a line between us and drawing me into your thoughts.
The young woman frowned in concentration. She tried to follow his instructions, but something within her resisted.
“You have to be willing to show me every corner of your mind,” explained Ravi. “If you hold back in any way, the connection will not form.”
Adesina naturally recoiled from the idea of such unrestrained intimacy, but she overcame that reaction and paused to examine it.
Why should it bother her so much?
Ravi was one of her closest friends. In fact, the only person closer was her husband, L’iam. She shared her dreams and her fears with her constant guardian, so why not open her mind to him?
“Let me try again.”
She directed her thoughts at him, imagining them to be thick and sturdy ropes. She could sense when Ravi had locked on her thoughts, and she pulled the figurative ropes back into her mind.
It was rather disorienting to experience another complete consciousness entering into her head, and she pressed on her temples with the palms of her hands.
Ravi!
Do not be frightened, Ma’eve. It is only I.
She felt his calming presence, and her heart rate began to slow. She could feel the warmth of his affection for her, and the strength of the emotion almost brought her to tears.
Oh, my dear one, I am so proud that you have let me in. I feared that you would be unwilling to even try.
Adesina smiled, and she knew that he could see each of her emotions clearly. I can still change for the better.
She sensed his laughter long before it rumbled from his chest.
“Yes, you can.”
His words were unnecessary, since he was connected to her mind, but it helped to create the illusion of distance while Adesina adjusted.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“Now, I invite you to explore my mind. It will strengthen the bond between us, and…”
“And?”
Ravi shrugged. “And it will distract you enough that I will be able to explore your mind without interference. We need to become mutually familiar with each other’s inner self if we are to maximize the potential of our Joining.”
Adesina chuckled at his candor and closed her eyes again. In her mind she imagined a doorway that connected her mind to Ravi’s. With only the slightest hesitation, she walked through.
***
Ravi was no more than an infant.
Adesina could see his large eyes peering out of his round, fuzzy face as he examined the world around him. She couldn’t help but think about how adorable and tiny he was.
Ravi’s mother reclined in the shade with her newborn, and his father sat talking with Rajan, the current ruler of the Rashad.
“You can imagine our surprise,” said Riordan to Rajan. “After
all, our clan has never produced a leader before.”
“Bloodlines do not matter,” answered the Rashad ruler. “Only the soul.”
“Of course,” Riordan bowed his head in deference. “It is simply that our people have been waiting for so long. There was talk that the lack of a new leader was a sign of change.”
“What talk?” Rajan asked with a frown.
Riordan suddenly looked uncertain. “Well…that perhaps your own son was meant to be the next in line to lead us.”
The aged Rashad shook his head. “If Rance was meant to be leader, he would have been born looking like me.”
The cub Ravi approached his father and batted playfully at his paw. Riordan smiled at his second son.
“No,” continued Rajan, “our people were never meant to be a monarchy. I know that it seems appealing from time to time—especially when a new leader is not born when expected—but this is the way things are meant to be.”
He lowered himself to the ground, so he could look the cub in the eye. Ravi returned his gaze with innocent curiosity.
“This child is special, Riordan. I can sense it. He brings with him the future of our people.”
Ravi’s mother looked at Rajan with concern. “What do you mean, revered leader?”
“I am not certain, Rabia. It is simply a feeling I have in my heart.”
Young Ravi continued to watch the adults around him, and Adesina knew that he understood what was being said.
***
Ravi was now the Rashad equivalent of a teenager.
He laughed and romped with his friends in the green grasslands west of Pevothem. The other Rashad treated him with deference, even though they tried to hide it, and Ravi did his best not to notice.
A group of five adult males approached the youngsters, and the play slowed to a halt.
Ravi did his best to appear pleased to see them. “Hello, Rance. Are you only just returned from your mission?”
The foremost male was Rajan’s son. He had dark tan fur and an unpleasant sneer on his face. “Is this how the future leader of the Rashad spends his time? I would have thought he would be too busy with his training for such frivolity.”
