by Callie Kanno
The whispering spirits were also now visible to her. They were white, glowing beings of all shapes and sizes, wandering among the trees like lost children. Adesina recognized the forms of the “mythical” creatures that Ravi had told her inhabited the old world.
They crowded around her, speaking in voices that were no longer whispers.
“Sister!”
“Have the Serraf come at last?”
“Nay, nay, this child is not a Serraf. Canst thou not see that she is among the human children yonder?”
“Why, then, does she bear the Life that has fled from the outside world?”
“Yea, thou art in the right to question her origins.”
Hush.
Adesina looked around, trying to find the source of this last voice. It was deep and ringing, yet gentle; powerful, yet silent.
Regard her mind, and see the confusion there.
It finally struck her that this was the voice of the forest. She stared at the trees in wonder, sensing that it was almost like a parent figure to all of these wandering spirits.
From whom did you inherit your Life, child?
It took Adesina a moment to find her voice. “The L’avan are the children of the Serraf.”
L’iam looked at her in concern, unaware to whom she was speaking. “Adesina?”
She held out her hand to him, inviting him to join her in this other world. After a moment’s hesitation, he took it.
One of the small spirits, no taller than Adesina’s hip, pointed to L’iam. “Look! Another!”
Tell us of these L’avan.
She looked to her companion for help. It took him a moment to grasp the situation, but once he did, he hurried to offer an explanation. “Our forefathers wed the Serraf, and we are their descendants. That is how we bear the same gifts.”
Remember all you know, and we shall hear your thoughts as well.
Adesina didn’t know as much about L’avan history as L’iam did, so she left the remembering up to him. She stood quietly while he held his silent communication with the spirit of the forest.
We see. We see all that has passed since we fled from the outside world.
“Everything?” asked L’iam.
Yes. Through your memories and the memories of your people.
Adesina frowned. “How is that possible?”
All beings are connected—past, present, and future. We see where you have come from, and where you are headed. We see what will happen when you arrive at your destination.
The two L’avan exchanged glances. “You can see what is going to happen?”
Yes.
She gave a grim smile. “I do not suppose you can tell us.”
No.
In spite of anticipating the answer, she still felt disappointed.
Nevertheless, as the children of our sisters, we will grant you a boon.
“A boon?”
Yes. You will come this way again. When you do, we will aid you in your return home.
L’iam frowned. “How can you do that?”
It is not needful for you to know all things at this time. Trust us, and know that we will care for the children of our sisters.
L’iam’s voice was sincere with gratitude. “Thank you.”
Go now. Dawn approaches.
The two L’avan let go of their vyala, sharply fading back into the regular world. The voices of the spirits returned to disembodied whispers, and the woods were once again silent.
They turned to see Ravi standing behind them, his expression stunned.
Adesina looked at him in concern. “Ravi?”
His golden eyes were filled with disbelief. “The forest spoke to you.”
“Is that unusual?” ask L’iam. “I mean, even for those with vyala?”
“It has been unheard of since the days of the old world.”
A surprised silence followed this assertion.
Finally, Adesina asked, “What does it mean?”
He shook his head. “I do not know. The world is changing, and I believe this age is coming to a close.”
They slowly made their way back towards the camp. “The boon we have been offered…?” began L’iam.
“Yes,” said Ravi, “I am wondering about that as well.”
“It must be important.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
There was some sort of a commotion in the camp as they approached. E’nes was rousing everyone frantically. Adesina and L’iam hurried forward.
“What is it? What is wrong?”
E’nes saw them and let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you had gone!”
She gave her brother an incredulous look. “Why would we be gone?”
He threw up his hands. “For some harebrained idea of saving us from this mission!”
Adesina looked at the expression on her brother’s face, and her eyes scanned the others in their company. She could see how important it was to each of them to continue onward, and how committed they were to rescuing the imprisoned L’avan.
Feeling an unexpected rush of warmth, she put her arms around E’nes and hugged him tightly. “I could not go on without you.”
When she let go, he was smiling. “Perhaps you are right.”
They continued on their way as quickly as possible. The forest persisted in whispering at them, but the words that Adesina heard had changed.
“When you return…”
“…dear sister…”
“Child of the Serraf…”
“…hurry, hurry…”
“Time flows onward…”
“…and soon will run out…”
“…at home, here…”
“Rest, dear one…”
“Our eyes shall stand guard…”
***
Kendan no longer went to visit the L’avan prisoner down in the dungeon, but instead had the prisoner brought to him.
The Shimat fortress had three underground levels. The first one was where Kendan’s study was located, as well as the smithy and the stable and so forth.
The level below that was where all of the clandestine experiments were conducted—which were many—and the lowest level was the dungeon. The third level was a damp and fetid place, and Kendan hated going near it.
His study was a bare room; holding only a fireplace, a couple of chairs, and a desk. Still, it offered light and warmth, something that the prisoner hadn’t experienced in many weeks. Kendan wanted to offer those small things to the L’avan man he had met in the fortress’s darkest prison. Also, he preferred being able to look someone in the eyes when he spoke to them.
Now, as he looked into those strangely metallic spheres, he thought he caught a glimpse of the pride that was found in Adesina’s eyes. There were very few other resemblances between the two—the shape of the eyes, certain angles of the facial features—but Kendan was still certain that this was the father of the woman he loved.
He gestured to the dinner tray that he had ordered before the arrival of the prisoner. “Please eat.”
The L’avan remained still, staring at him with a stony expression.
“I swear to you that I have done nothing to alter it.”
“Why do you offer it to me?” the prisoner asked hoarsely. A wracking cough interrupted his words, doubling him over in pain.
Kendan was very concerned about this sickness that had taken hold of the man before him. His body didn’t have the strength to fight it off.
He walked over to the frail L’avan and led him to a chair by the fireplace. “Because I do not wish to have your death on my hands in addition to everything else I have done.”
The coughing subsided, and he looked up at the Shimat warily. “Do you have a square of cloth? A napkin?”
Kendan handed it to him and watched as he divided the meal into two even parts and wrapped one half in the cloth. The cloth was then tucked away in the ragged remains of his shirt.
“For later?” the young man asked.
He shook his head. �
�For Faryl.”
“Ah, the woman in your cell.”
He didn’t respond, but avidly tore at the bread on the tray. Kendan watched him in pity. He hated seeing anyone reduced to such circumstances.
He pulled his own chair around from behind the desk and set it across from the prisoner.
“The first time I met Adesina, I was struck by her beauty. She has a glow that wells up from deep within and spills over every aspect of her. When you look into her eyes, you see a strength that bears her up in every situation.”
The prisoner’s eating slowed to a stop as he listened to the words being spoken. Faintly, he asked, “What color are her eyes?”
Kendan’s features softened as he pictured her face before him. “Purple with flecks of gold.” He closed his eyes and continued, “I used every trick in the book to try and intimidate her, but she just looked at me—defiant, unmoved. The world could have ended, and she would have remained standing in that spot.”
A strained chuckle caught his attention.
“Perhaps she is my child after all.”
Kendan stared at the L’avan in amazement, but said nothing as the ragged man went on. “When I first saw her, I thought she was her mother. They look so much alike. It did not occur to me until later that the girl I saw was much too young to be my E’rian.”
A pained pause followed this statement. After a few moments, the prisoner looked up at Kendan and quietly asked, “Will you tell me more about her?”
He smiled in relief. “Of course.”
He hesitated before asking, “May I know your name?”
After a brief pause, the prisoner replied, “Me’shan. My name is Me’shan.”
Chapter Forty-four: Decisions
King L’unn’s expression became more and more grim with each report he received from the Rashad. They were running themselves ragged, trying to keep the L’avan and Rashad leaders informed.
There was no doubt that the army approaching Pevothem consisted of mercenaries from all over the continent. It didn’t take much imagination to figure out who must have hired them, even if there would be no proof ever found tying them to the Shimat.
The mercenaries had been gathering over the past several weeks in a forest just south of the mountain range that protected Pevothem from the outside world. The gathering had been done quietly and they had remained undetected until they began marching north as a force.
“Do the Rashad have a head count?” L’unn asked his counterpart.
Rajan shook his head, where the black fur was touched with gray. His golden eyes bore the weight of his many years. “Their numbers seem to be growing daily. More mercenaries join up with them as they march.”
“What was the last count?”
“Just over five thousand,” the Rashad leader replied.
King L’unn felt his heart sink. Their own army would be hard pressed to number over two thousand. Their seclusion had always been their protection, so their military was small. The L’avan race had never been numerous, and most of the men were farmers, artisans, or scholars. The Protectors, as the warriors were called, had always come from the family descending from Ed’mon, and he was only one of the eleven founders.
L’unn’s voice was heavy with disbelief. “How can we possibly face such a force?”
“The Rashad will stand with you,” replied Rajan, “and you bear the gifts of the Serraf.”
“Will it be enough?” wondered L’unn.
“I do not know,” his friend replied sadly.
The L’avan king let out a heavy sigh before straightening his back and striding out of his study. Rajan followed close behind, and together they walked down the many hallways and stairs out of the palace.
The city was alive with activity. Women and children were preparing provisions for their journey to a place more easily defendable, the smiths were working day and night to produce weapons and armor, walls were being reinforced and trenches were being dug. Inexperienced men who had volunteered to join the army were being trained by Protectors, every Healer in the land was being gathered to the city, scholars who had dedicated their lives to the study of vyala were teaching the soldiers everything they knew.
King L’unn walked purposefully to the training grounds, which had expanded to the parks surrounding the original building. His son, L’on, was teaching some of the boys the finer points on how to mix vyala and archery.
It made the king sick to his stomach when he saw the youthful faces of the fifteen and sixteen year old soldiers. When the preparations for war began, the order had been that only adult L’avan could fight. As the numbers of their opponents grew, however, that age limit for L’avan soldiers had dropped from twenty to eighteen, from eighteen to seventeen, and finally to include these young men. Their orders were to shoot from afar and stay away from the main battle, but it was still dangerous—too dangerous for any peace of mind.
Off to the side, a large group was gathered to hear the words of a central figure. L’unn frowned, and walked over to see who it was that was addressing them.
He recognized the figure of the young Protector who had traveled extensively with L’iam. He searched his memory for the young man’s name, finally recalling that it was K’eb.
“…she said that we cannot expect our enemies to have the same morals as ourselves.”
One of the men closest to him shook his head stubbornly. “That does not mean that we should discard our morals as well!”
K’eb raised a hand, trying to explain. “I am not suggesting that we do so, nor was Adesina. She said that we can still fight with honor, but we need to be aware that our enemies will not always do the same. If we can anticipate their lack of integrity, we are better prepared to defend ourselves.”
“How can we trust what a Shimat says? Even if she was born a L’avan?” asked another man from the crowd.
K’eb turned with an indignant expression on his face. “She is no Shimat! She may have been trained as one, but she is as L’avan as any of us.”
“What do you say, Than’os?” asked another, gesturing to the thin man standing a few feet away from K’eb. “You trained with the Shimat girl, did you not?”
“I did,” replied Than’os decisively, “and she is the most gifted warrior I have ever seen. I do not know how she compares to other Shimat, but her skill is definitely superior to my own. I, who have been a Protector for seventeen years.”
At this point, King L’unn was spotted, and a murmur ran through the crowd. They parted, opening a path to the two L’avan in the center.
As L’unn approached, K’eb and Than’os bowed and placed their hands over their hearts in salute.
“Your Majesty.”
He beckoned for them to straighten and looked them directly in the eyes. “You have been teaching what Adesina taught?”
K’eb’s voice was hesitant. “In a way, your Majesty. That is, I was passing on some useful suggestions that I received. Than’os was merely observing. He would not presume to take the training of Protectors into his own hands.”
The king waved a hand. “You need not defend him. He can speak for himself.”
Than’os’ sharp features were pinched thoughtfully. “I was not teaching, your Majesty, but I wish that I had been. Adesina imparted highly useful knowledge before leaving the city, and I think it should be used.”
L’unn surveyed the expectant faces around him. Some were clearly against using any knowledge given from a former Shimat, others were eager to learn anything that could help them in the upcoming battles. His own inclination was with the latter.
“You are correct in feeling so, Than’os. I only regret that I did not think of it sooner. Pass on all that you have learned from Adesina to the members of the L’avan army. You as well, K’eb. It may be that her instruction is the key to our success.”
“But, your Majesty!” protested one of the Protectors.
When the king turned his powerful eyes on the young man, he bowed his head and continued
in a more humble tone of voice. “What if the Shimat girl was sent here to lead us astray?”
L’unn raised his chin and spoke with all of the authority in his being. “She has my confidence.”
No one dared object after such a mighty declaration. The king nodded to K’eb and Than’os, and they immediately began passing on the knowledge that they had received at the hand of the young girl who bridged the span between Shimat and L’avan training.
He turned and saw that his eldest son was standing behind him, watching with a wary expression on his face.
L’unn smiled and beckoned for his firstborn to join him as he continued his survey of the battle preparations. L’on did so without hesitation.
“Father, I do not mean to question your judgment, but are you sure that this is a good idea?”
The king’s smile widened at the diplomatic manner in which his son spoke, the upright stance of his walk, the self-assurance that only came with many years of hard work. He watched as his son acknowledged the soldiers they passed, encouraging and uplifting as he went. L’on was going to make a fine king.
“What idea, my son?”
L’on’s noble brow was lined with the habitual concern he felt these days. These lines of worry deepened as he turned his eyes to his father. “The idea of having our Protectors trained like Shimat. I know it is important to know one’s enemy, but it is equally important not to become like them.”
King L’unn’s expression became more serious. “I do not believe we are descending to the level of the Shimat by incorporating the techniques given to us by Adesina. We are taking what is valuable, and leaving what is dark.”
A brief pause followed, where both were deep in thought. The silence was broken by a hesitant question posed by the young man.
“And what you said about Adesina…?”
“I mean every word,” affirmed the king solidly. “She has my complete confidence—in both the matter of training our soldiers and in the mission she now undertakes.”
This brought a heavier silence as they both thought of the group of L’avan making their way to the far south. L’on wondered about the risk they were taking.
“How many can they save?” he asked quietly.
