The Threshold Child

by Callie Kanno

  It seemed the better option, even if it rankled her pride.

  As Adesina opened her lips to accept Breyen’s terms, a number of things happened in quick succession.

  An explosion erupted in the midst of the Shimat, shrouding them in a thick blanket of smoke. Ravi’s deafening roar echoed down the stone corridors, leaving fear and confusion in its wake. The Shimat scattered initially, then hastily attempted to regroup. L’iam’s voice sounded through the haze, shouting instructions in the L’avan language. A hand reached through the smoke to grab Adesina’s wrist and pull her around the corner.

  She was prepared to fight, but Kendan’s familiar voice murmured in her ear, “Follow me!”

  She was too surprised to resist as he ran down the halls, leading her by the hand. By the time she had composed herself, another realization had come to her.

  “My father!”

  Kendan shook his head. “We cannot go back. He will be cared for by the others.”

  Adesina’s expression hardened. She stopped in her tracks and twisted her wrist out of his grasp. “I will not leave him,” she said flatly.

  Seeing that there was no way he could persuade her, he turned and led her back the way they had come.

  She could vaguely see Me’shan’s unmoving form on the stone floor. Her heart jumped when she saw a hazy black figure bending over him, but she soon recognized Ravi’s figure.

  “Ravi!”

  He looked up in surprise and relief. “You should not have come back.”

  In spite of his words, Adesina could tell that he was happy to be near her. “At least you will not be worrying about me now that we are together.”

  A weary smile crossed his lips. “Your unpredictable behavior allows no peace of mind, even when we are together.”

  Kendan knelt by Me’shan’s body and felt for a pulse. “He is still alive, but he is slipping fast. You need to get him to a healer.”

  Adesina set her lips in a grim line, not wanting to admit how ill prepared they were. “First we need to get out of here alive.”

  Kendan held out his hand. “Give me your scarf.”

  She unwound her scarf and gave it to him. Then, knowing disguise did no good anymore, she pulled off her hood and cast it aside. Kendan busied himself with tying the scarf around Me’shan’s wound, trying not to gaze at Adesina’s face, which he had come to know and love so well.

  As soon as the L’avan was bandaged, Ravi got to his feet. “Put him on my back. I will carry him to safety.”

  They did as he asked, and then Kendan once more took a hold of Adesina’s wrist to lead her down the hazy halls. Ravi followed as silently as a shadow.

  Every time the gray form of a Shimat could be discerned through the fog, Kendan would pull her into a doorway or alcove and wait for them to pass.

  The second time this happened, Adesina whispered, “Why are you doing this?”

  He continued to hurry her along, finding his way through the smoky maze of corridors without any hesitation. “L’iam is helping all those who are able to escape, and will meet up with us down this way. I cannot lead you out of the fortress myself, but I can show you the way.”

  She jerked her wrist out of his hand and planted her feet solidly. “Why?” she asked stubbornly.

  Kendan couldn’t quite look her in the eye. “You know why.”

  When his gaze finally met hers, she saw something there that she thought she would never see again—something that she had half thought she had imagined.

  His dark eyes often seemed unfathomable, but right now they were vulnerable and full of longing. There was a deep emotion there mingled with unbearable pain.

  They only looked at each other for a moment, but Adesina experienced a flash of intuition. There had been moments of truth in the lie of their relationship. How much had been true she was not entirely sure, but he had felt as strongly as she had. Perhaps even more.

  There was something else that she saw in that brief glance: he was just as hurt by the truth of the Shimat order as she was. He had been asked to sacrifice just as much. Unlike her, he did not have the L’avan to turn to for comfort and refuge. That was why he had stayed under Signe’s power for so long.

  “We must hurry if you are to get away,” he muttered and he turned to continue down the hallway.

  Adesina followed, but still had many questions. “How can we possibly get away? Surely by now the Shimat have cut off every exit.”

  His jaw clenched as he explained quietly. “My aunt intended for me to succeed her as Sharifal. Ever since my parents’ untimely demise, she has been training me for the day when she will help me to take power.”

  The young woman didn’t understand what this had to do with trying to escape the fortress. She frowned as he led the way into a small room at the end of an unobtrusive corridor.

  Her confusion was momentarily put out of her mind when she saw the group of people waiting for them in the room.

  “L’iam!”

  She impulsively rushed forward and threw her arms around him. He held her tightly and asked in her ear, “Are you hurt?”

  Adesina shook her head. “No, I am fine.”

  He sighed in relief and then shook his head in sorrow. “I am sorry, Adesina! I could not find your father!”

  She smiled and stepped back. “It is all right. We have him.”

  Kendan cleared his throat, fighting to keep the saddened expression from his face. “We are running out of time.”

  L’iam nodded and gave him a suspicious look. “Where is this escape you promised us?”

  The Shimat walked over to the far wall. “One of the advantages to being the intended successor of the Sharifal is that she passes on information only known by herself.”

  He pushed on a small stone near the bottom of the wall with his foot and an audible click sounded. He then moved to the wall to the left of the door and pushed another small stone that was at eye level. Another click sounded. Next he went to the wall on the right of the doorway and pushed near the corner.

  A small section of the wall opened to reveal a secret passageway.

  Adesina nodded to L’iam and he led the way in. She counted fifteen L’avan prisoners, including her father. Most of them were staggering as they hurried along, holding each other up. E’nes was carrying Sa’jan over his shoulder, and Ravi still had Me’shan on his back.

  Finally it was just the former Shimat and her Shar standing in the small room. She furrowed her brow as she looked at him.

  “What if they discover that you helped us?”

  He smiled briefly. “They will not.”

  She shifted uncomfortably. “Perhaps you would be safer if you came with us.”

  His expression softened. “That is very kind of you. I wish I could, but it is not possible.”

  “Why?”

  His dark eyes drank in her unusual features. “I do not belong with your people. I belong here.”

  Adesina stared at him in disbelief. “You are not one of them!”

  Kendan’s smile widened at the adamant tone in her voice. “I am. I was born a Shimat, and I will die a Shimat. That is the path given to me.”

  The sound of footsteps could be heard approaching. Kendan grabbed her by the arm and pushed her into the passageway. “I can give you a few hours before they come after you, but that is all. Run!”

  The wall was shut in her face before she had a chance to say anything in return. She stood in the darkness for a moment before turning to catch up with her companions. Ravi’s golden eyes glowed in the black only a few steps away.

  He walked beside her as they made their way down the dark tunnel. Adesina absently lifted one hand and summoned the small ball of energy to rest in it.

  The tunnel was clearly little used. The stones were cracked and crumbling, and the floor was pitted. She marveled that she hadn’t fallen in the darkness. Her eyes drifted over to the form of her father, who was still laid across Ravi’s back. His face was deathly pale, especially in the f
lickering light.

  “Will he live?”

  Ravi was slow in answering. “I do not know. We need to get him away from here and then see if there is a healer among the rescued L’avan.”

  Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Is it a vyala skill?”

  He inclined his head. “Yes.”

  “Would I be able to heal him, then?”

  His feline face became wary. “Do you know how?”

  Adesina slowly shook her head. “No, but I could learn.”

  Ravi was disagreeing before she even finished her sentence. “No, Ma’eve. Healing is a particularly dangerous art among the L’avan. It can be fatal if you do not know what you are doing.”

  She reluctantly nodded. There was enough danger in the situation without her adding to it.

  Farther along the tunnel, a glimmer of light could be seen. Adesina and Ravi quickened their pace in order to catch up with the other L’avan.

  E’nes was bringing up the rear, and looked back fearfully at her approach. As soon as he saw her face, he heaved a sigh of relief.

  “Adesina!”

  “Are you hurt?” she asked.

  “No,” he assured her.

  His overly offhand manner immediately made her suspicious. She gave him a look of stern reprimand. “E’nes.”

  “It is nothing,” he promised. “I will be fine, as long as I am careful.”

  She was sorely tempted to question him further, but refrained. Her eyes, instead, turned to the form of Sa’jan.

  “Is he injured badly?”

  The relief on E’nes’s face fell away, replaced by heart wrenching pain. He shook his head. “I could not bear to leave him behind…”

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized what her brother meant, and her eyes turned to Sa’jan’s craggy face. It seemed strangely peaceful, an expression she had never seen on his features while he was living. She tried not to look at the wound on his chest that had stolen the life of this extraordinary man.

  “We may not be able to get him back to Pevothem,” she said softly, pained by the words she knew to be true.

  “Why not?” her brother asked.

  She turned her gaze to his. “Because we will be pursued every step of the way.”

  For a moment he seemed at a loss for words. “I cannot leave him. He has been like a second father to me.”

  Adesina knew it would do no good to argue. E’nes was an inexperienced warrior and not capable of being rational at the moment. There was still a small chance that they could return his body to his family without too much trouble. If a problem arose on the way home, they would deal with it then.

  She began to wonder how many other lives had been lost. She wondered how many L’avan had been left behind. The group of prisoners seemed awfully small when she considered the likely number of those they had not been able to rescue.

  Chapter Fifty: Escape

  The L’avan traveled silently through the narrow tunnel, listening for any sign of being followed. They moved as quickly as they could with the wounded and the weak. Adesina tried to measure the distance, but eventually lost track. It was clearly longer than the tunnel that led to the seashore, and she was fairly certain that they were heading in a different direction. She chided herself for not questioning Kendan about where this passage would lead.

  After what seemed to be many hours, the group came to a stop. Adesina moved to the front to see what was going on.

  L’iam had come to the stone wall that was apparently the end of the passageway. He ran his hand over the surface, trying to find some way through.

  “Did Kendan mention how to open this wall?”

  She shook her head, not taking her eyes off the stones. Her vyala tinted her vision dark green, and she searched for the mechanisms that would lead their way to freedom.

  Nothing.

  It seemed to be a solid wall, with no means of escape.

  Adesina broadened her search, feeling a desperate, sinking feeling in her stomach. There had to be some way out. Kendan would not have led them to a dead end.

  Her eyes turned to the floor, which was more pitted than any of the ground they had covered so far.

  A soft sigh rushed over her lips. “A tunnel.”

  L’iam looked at her anxiously. “Another one?”

  She nodded and got down on her knees. She tugged at a thick piece of slate that covered a hole in the ground. It was just large enough to fit one person through at a time.

  Further inspection revealed a rickety ladder descending into the darkness. Adesina moved without hesitation to be the first to climb down.

  L’iam glanced at her in concern. “Be careful.”

  She gave her old confident smile. “I always am.”

  The incredulous expression on his face turned her smile into a grin. Then, with a jaunty flick of her hand, she sent the ball of energy down the hole and grabbed hold of the ladder. The wood was damp and slightly slick. She tightened her grip and moved slowly, so as not to fall.

  The tunnel remained very narrow for the first several feet, then it unexpectedly opened to what appeared to be some sort of cave.

  A thin stream fed into the cavern, filling the floor with two or three inches of water. Adesina surveyed the area carefully before encouraging the others to follow.

  Getting the wounded down was the hardest. Eventually, Adesina just told them to jump, and she used her vyala to bring them down gently. She was wondering how to get Ravi down when he suddenly appeared at her side with Me’shan still on his back.

  She looked at him in surprise. “How did you climb down the ladder?”

  He smiled mysteriously. “There was no need for me to do so.”

  A frown creased her brow. “What do you mean?”

  “Do not trouble yourself,” he reassured her. “The Rashad are quite adept at overcoming physical barriers.”

  Adesina was going to question him further, but her attention was called away by her brother, who was among the last to descend.

  Her sight tinged orange and she called up, “I am ready.”

  E’nes carefully dropped Sa’jan’s body, and Adesina buffered it’s fall. She kept him hovering above the water until her brother was able to reach them. He took the body of their friend in his arms as one might carry a child.

  Tears fell freely down his face and his expression was weary from carrying the body for so long. Regardless of that, he trudged forward and refused any offers of help.

  L’iam was the last to climb down the ladder. He carefully covered the hole with the pieces of slate, making sure there was no sign of their passing. When he reached the ground, he looked to Adesina with a questioning expression.

  She pointed north. “There is a small stream that leads the way out.”

  He nodded and addressed the group. “We will follow the stream out. It must lead above ground.”

  They all began walking, once again in silence. They were still far from safety, and the fear of discovery kept them all subdued.

  The stream slowly became wider as they went along, and the ceiling of the tunnel got lower. Eventually they were all walking hunched over, and the water was up to their calves. Not long after that, they had no choice but to crawl on their hands and knees.

  The water proved to be a blessing in disguise. It was much easier for E’nes to drag Sa’jan’s body along with the stream to buoy it up.

  At length, a light could be seen ahead of them through a small opening that led above ground. Adesina crawled through it first, studying the surrounding area cautiously before beckoning the others forward.

  They were in the shelter of the trees, but it was difficult to immediately decide their exact location. Not far from the stream there was a small shack and a pen with horses. Adesina silently indicated for the others to stay where they were and to keep quiet.

  She crept up to the shanty and peered through the window.

  There was a man bend over the fireplace, cooking something in a pot. Although he was dre
ssed in the garb of a farmer, she was certain that he was a Shimat. Why else would he be positioned at the entrance to the Sharifal’s secret escape with horses at his disposal?

  She glanced around, looking for some way to draw him out of the house. She quietly moved back to the group to speak to L’iam.

  “I will need your help,” she whispered.

  He nodded without question. “What do you want me to do?”

  She pointed away from the shack. “I need you to circle around that way and come towards the entrance of the building from the woods. Make as much noise as you can, and claim that you are lost.”

  L’iam nodded and moved off to do as she instructed. Adesina turned to her brother, who was crouching with the others.

  “Take the L’avan back a ways and hide in the trees. We cannot afford being discovered now.”

  He looked at her in concern. “What are you planning to do?”

  She gave a quick smile. “Nothing too dangerous. Now, hurry!”

  Before he had a chance to protest, she was making her way back to the shanty. She sat with her back to the wall and waited to hear for L’iam’s approach.

  It wasn’t long before she heard him blundering through the underbrush and occasionally crying out in pain. He truly sounded like some sort of inept traveler who had never encountered such an environment. Adesina couldn’t help but smile at his performance.

  The Shimat heard him as well, and was standing in the doorway when L’iam came into view. The L’avan prince spotted the man and stumbled forward with an expression of relief on his face.

  “Oh! Thank goodness I found you! I have been completely lost for days! Please, can you tell me where to find the nearest village?”

  The Shimat walked slowly towards L’iam, appearing to be friendly and speaking in the accent of a poor southerner. “No village for miles, stranger. How you cummot to these parts?”

  Adesina didn’t give the man the chance to get within attacking range of L’iam. She bolted from around the corner of the house, drawing her dagger as she went.