The Labyrinth of Destiny

by Callie Kanno

  “Humans, perhaps,” spat Ruon in disgust, “but she would not attack us. She is one of the Children of the Night.”

  “You mean that aekuor is an Immortal?” Adesina asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” answered Sitara with a distressed tone of voice. “Like your Serraf ancestors, there were certain Immortals left in this world. The Aekuor were among them.”

  Adesina was dumbfounded. “But…the aekuor attack every ship they come across!”

  Ruon’s eyes were cold and bitter. “Perhaps they have a reason for doing so.”

  “Perhaps you can reason with the Aekuor,” suggested Ravi. “Ma’eve did not injure her greatly. It was only meant to scare her away.”

  Ruon made a sweeping gesture at the members of the ship’s crew with his long, thin hand. “What about them?”

  “I will ask them to stop,” said Adesina.

  The Laithur still looked furious at the entire situation, but he gave a sharp nod. “Very well. I will try to explain to her why she was treated with such unmerited violence.”

  Adesina ran across the deck to where Captain Zulimar was standing, shouting orders to the crew. She placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. “Captain, you need to stop your attacks on the aekuor.”

  He barely spared her a glance. “We are not attacking it. We are distracting it in the hope that we can escape.”

  She tightened her grip on his arm. “Please, Captain! I have someone with me who thinks he can send the aekuor away, but we need all to be still.”

  Zulimar turned his dark eyes on her face as he weighed her words. “You have saved our lives before. Can you swear to me that you will do so again?”

  Adesina did not allow herself to feel any doubt. “I swear to you that no one will die today.”

  Her promise was enough for the captain. He began shouting orders, and the men launching the barrels of explosives slowed to a stop.

  Ruon’s sinuous form made its way to the railing on the side of the ship that faced the sea monster. He raised both arms in the air and emitted a piercing whistle.

  The aekuor rose from the water, rearing like a snake about to strike. Its mouth opened, baring rows of jagged teeth, and it shrieked so loudly the air seemed to tremble. Ruon whistled again, and the aekuor hesitated.

  Ruon proceeded to make a series of high-pitched sounds, using his arms to gesture in flowing motions. At first it seemed like the aekuor was listening to what the Laithur said, but it began to swing its head back and forth, as if trying to shake off what it was hearing.

  Ruon’s motions became more pleading, but to no avail. The aekuor shrieked again and dove back into the water, slapping its tail against the side of the boat as it went. The entire crew was thrown to the deck, and Adesina struggled to regain her footing. She ran over to Ruon to find out what had happened.

  “She will not listen,” Ruon said, his flat face creased with confusion and concern. “It is like she cannot understand me, not just that she will not. What has happened to this world?”

  “All hands prepare for impact,” roared Zulimar.

  The aekuor was swimming towards them, gaining speed to ram the side. Adesina clung to the railing, and called forth her vyala to imitate what she had seen her L’avan friend, Than’os, do during their last encounter with a sea monster. She manipulated the properties of the wood of the ship, allowing it to absorb the impact without splintering.

  The force of the blow almost capsized the ship. Adesina felt some invisible power pressing her to the deck of the vessel as it rose in the air, and she noticed that those around her were likewise restrained. She cast her eyes about to find its source, and saw Sitara glowing with vyala. The Serraf’s quick thinking saved the entire crew from being thrown into the ocean.

  The Zephyr righted itself, and giant waves of water splashed into the air. The crew was released from the hold that had kept them safely onboard, and they all ran to resume their posts at the catapults.

  “I do not understand,” insisted Ruon. “Why will she not listen?”

  Adesina could feel Ravi sorting through his memory as he recalled all that he had ever learned about the Immortals. Their Joining allowed her to see his memories, but the images were no more than flashes to her mind.

  He finally settled on a single memory, and he spoke as soon as he realized its significance.

  “The Plague Years.”

  The aekuor broke the surface of the water and let out another wrathful shriek.

  Ruon spoke quickly. “What do you mean?”

  Ravi explained as simply as he could. “After the Great Wars the entire world’s vyala was off balance. For years there were plagues born of magic that ravaged the land. Humans were affected to a certain degree, but the sicknesses mostly targeted the remaining few who could use magic.”

  “You mean Immortals?” asked Adesina.

  “Immortals or those who had descended from them,” clarified Ravi. “The majority of them died, but some…”

  Understanding shone like a light in Ruon’s eyes. He turned to face the direction of the sea monster and spoke softly. “Some went mad.”

  A volley of explosive barrels flew through the air and crashed in the water, distracting the aekuor in a futile attempt to escape. Zulimar surveyed the situation with a grim expression on his face.

  “I fear we will not survive this time, unless Master Ravi can pull down another star.”

  Ruon’s face twisted in anger. “Heal her, Serraf! That is the least you can do after your part in the Great Wars.”

  The aekuor smashed its head against the stern of the ship, causing the passengers to lurch and fall to the deck.

  “I cannot heal her,” Sitara explained. “Her madness was born of a magic that is stronger than any I possess.”

  Adesina rose to her feet with a heavy heart. She did not want to hurt an Immortal, no matter the circumstances. However, it did not appear that they had any other choice if they wanted to survive.

  Ruon’s dark eyes glittered with light blue specks, and his thin hand shot out to grip her wrist. “Do not dare to harm her,” he warned with a hiss.

  “What else can we do?” Adesina asked quietly.

  The aekuor lunged forward and snapped its teeth on the railing, tearing it away and crushing it into splinters. The crewmembers of Zephyr cried out in terror and fled from the destruction that followed them.

  “You claim to be the Threshold Child,” snarled Ruon. “Does the prophecy not say that you bear all gifts? You heal the Aekuor, since Sitara cannot.”

  Adesina’s eyes widened in alarm. Her heart, already racing from the fear that she could not protect her friends, began to thunder in her chest from the responsibility being thrust upon her. “I do not know how,” she said helplessly.

  “I can guide you,” interceded Sitara.

  The Serraf got to her feet and took Adesina by the hand. Together they faced the raging aekuor, flinching at the flying debris that peppered their faces. They could barely stand as the ship was tossed about by the force of the attacks and the tumultuous water below, and the frenzied shrieks of the aekuor made it difficult for Adesina to concentrate.

  “Bring your vyala to the front of your mind,” instructed Sitara.

  Adesina had remained connected to her vyala, but it felt like it was waiting inside of her, dormant until she summoned it forth. She did as she was told, allowing it to flow freely.

  “Healing is about returning harmony to the body. In this case, you must return harmony to the mind.”

  Adesina closed her eyes and focused on seeing through her vyala. There was a looming darkness before her, streaked with rage and bitterness. The aekuor’s mind appeared tangible, and Adesina felt that she could reach out and touch it.

  She raised her arms slowly, drawing the darkness closer. It resisted her violently, thrashing and wailing in a manner that only her mind could hear.

  You are in pain, she called to it. Come to me.

  The aekuor froze in surprise. It cea
sed its attack at stared at her in distrust and confusion.

  Zulimar’s voice could be heard roaring orders to his subordinates, and the crew scrambled about the deck of the ship to contain the damage that had been inflicted on the Zephyr. The aekuor’s sudden pause in movement spurred the humans to rush forward while they had the advantage.

  “Warn the crew not to do anything until I give the order,” Adesina told Ravi quickly, and he sped away to carry out her instructions.

  Words?

  Adesina was shocked to receive any sort of communication from the enormous sea serpent. Even though she had been told that the aekuor was an Immortal, she almost hadn’t believed it.

  Yes, I can hear you. You are not alone anymore.

  The aekuor moved its arrow-like head from side to side.

  No. NO! The silence forever. Forever silent. Death by the humans. Death and alone. Never again the words.

  The darkness of the aekuor’s mind contracted, as if refusing to understand that Adesina existed.

  Adesina reached out with her vyala and stroked the darkness, as if comforting a child.

  You are not alone anymore. We are here.

  A glimmer of light appeared where Adesina had touched the aekuor’s mind with her vyala. Her heart leapt in her chest as she realized the darkness could be dispelled.

  Adesina’s vyala wrapped around the aekuor’s tortured mind, embracing it and whispering to it softly.

  We are with you. We love you, and will not leave again.

  Something began to happen to Adesina’s vyala. She did not fully understand it, but she knew that she had felt it before. The power of her magic burned it her veins, just as it had when she had transformed into a Serraf. The mind of the aekuor was caught up in the warmth of the power, and it began to change as well.

  The vyala surged around them like a whirlwind of fire, and Adesina heard the crew of the Zephyr begin to murmur in apprehension. The magic of the transformation was strong enough that mortal eyes could see the glow that surrounded Adesina and the aekuor.

  Slowly, the darkness of the aekuor’s mind faded and was replaced with a brilliant entity that sparkled like a million sapphires. The aekuor’s mind was clear and lovely, like the ocean on a perfect day. Adesina felt as though she had never seen anything so beautiful, and she began to weep with the joy.

  “You have returned,” said a voice that was large but incredibly soft.

  Adesina looked into the Aekuor’s yellow eyes and smiled. “Yes, we have returned.”

  Chapter Five: Dear Friends

  Sitara reached over to give Adesina’s hand a squeeze, and the younger woman saw that Sitara was weeping, too. The joy on her face was mingled with awe.

  “You did it, Adesina. You healed her. She is truly an Aekuor once more.”

  Ruon said nothing to Adesina, but walked to the edge of the ship’s deck and held a hand out to the sea creature. “Dear sister,” he said quietly.

  The Laithur and the Aekuor began to speak with one another using a series of whistles and clicks. Adesina did not know what they were saying, but she sensed that the reunion was meant to be private. She turned to Captain Zulimar with a weary smile.

  “It seems we found a miracle after all, my friend.”

  Zulimar placed his hands on Adesina’s shoulders and reverently kissed her on the forehead. “You are our miracle, Mistress Adesina. You have saved us twice over, and I can never repay such a debt.”

  Satosh approached them with an expression of incredulity on his face. “How is any of this possible? You appear in the middle of the ocean with…” he gestured to Ruon’s obviously nonhuman form, “creatures of myth, and you tame a sea monster and teach it to speak. You defy everything that I think I know!”

  Adesina laughed at his words, and quickly made introductions. She smiled at Zulimar and Satosh’s faces when she informed them that they were in the presence of a Serraf and a Laithur.

  “You must forgive us, my lady,” Satosh stammered to Sitara. “We have always believed that the Serraf were nothing more than stories.”

  Sitara gave them her loveliest smile. “I understand.”

  Ruon finished his conversation with the Aekuor and walked over to them. “Her name is Kai,” he said to Adesina. “She has agreed to escort us to our destination, wherever that may be.”

  The young woman turned to her seafaring friends. “Where are we? Are we close to Sehar?”

  Captain Zulimar gave a slight shrug. “With fair winds we are about a week away from Sehar’s northern cliffs. However, Emerald Harbor is the only port that remains unopposed, and that is much farther away.”

  Ravi’s eyes narrowed. “Unopposed?”

  “Because of the Scepter of Cha-sak,” Zulimar replied.

  Adesina didn’t understand the meaning of those words, but they still sent a chill through her blood. “What is the Scepter of Cha-sak?”

  Satosh’s expression was incredulous. “Have you been hiding in a cave for the last half year?”

  Adesina waved an impatient hand. “Something like that.”

  “About two months after we parted ways in Jame there were rumors of a secret organization that was suddenly coming out into the open. Some called them the Shimat, others called them the Scepter of Cha-sak. Members appeared all over the world in the most unlikely places. Over the course of a few months they congregated in the southern lands of Sehar and took over the whole nation. There are only two points of entry allowed by the Scepter—Emerald Harbor and Charan, the Gateway City. Every other possible entrance to Sehar is blockaded.”

  Adesina felt as though an icy stone had dropped into her stomach. “Satosh…how long has it been since you left us in Jame?”

  Satosh pursed his lips. “Must be close to nine months now.”

  The young woman was speechless. Her heart plummeted as she realized that her time in the other realm—no more than a few hours to her—had consumed roughly eight months in her own world.

  She couldn’t force herself to speak, and so Ravi asked the next logical question.

  “What about the northern lands of Sehar?”

  “The magic-users’ lands?” clarified Zulimar. “I hear they are forming some sort of rebellion with the refugees of the south.”

  “Much good it will do them,” snorted Satosh. “The stories of those who resist the Scepter are the things of nightmares.”

  Adesina and Ravi exchanged worried glances. “We need to get to Pevothem as soon as possible,” said the Rashad.

  “What about Alahn?” asked Adesina, referring to a city in the northeast of Sehar. “I know it is not built on the coast, but are there no ports near it?”

  Zulimar frowned thoughtfully. “There are a few fishing villages where we could send you with a rowboat, but if we were caught by any patrol ships we would be attacked.”

  Satosh grinned wickedly. “With an aekuor to escort us, we could hardly lose such a battle.”

  Ruon’s black eyes narrowed. “I would advise against using Kai for further destruction.”

  The first mate of Zephyr looked up in surprise. “Why?”

  The Laithur’s oval head swayed back and forth in agitation. “Just because a creature can destroy, does not mean it should. Kai’s psyche is still fragile, and using her as a weapon might be more than she can bear right now.”

  Sitara nodded in agreement. “The Aekuor have always been surprisingly tender creatures.”

  Adesina considered their options before speaking. “We must reach Pevothem without delay. There is a chance we may not even see a patrol ship. Let us travel toward the villages surrounding Alahn and hope for the best.”

  Ruon’s expression was rebellious, and Adesina raised a reassuring hand. “I promise you that I will not ask for Kai’s interference except as a last resort.”

  The Laithur gave a curt nod and turned back to the railing.

  Captain Zulimar placed his hand over his heart in an expression of humility. “We are at your service, Mistress Adesina. I will m
ake the change in our course immediately.”

  Satosh watched his captain walk away before turning back with a smile. “I will show all of you where you can rest. I imagine you are weary, and there is someone I am certain would like to see you.”

  He was not mistaken. A blonde teenage girl ran toward them before they even reached the stairs that led below deck. She ignored everyone except for Adesina.

  “It is true,” she sang with joy. “I heard that you appeared from the heavens to save us once more.”

  Adesina laughed and embraced Suvi fondly. “Not at all. We might have drowned were it not for Zephyr.”

  Suvi’s blue eyes sparkled. “How did you come to be so far out to sea? Did your ship sink? Were you marooned by pirates?”

  “Nothing like that,” chuckled Adesina. Then she paused as she realized that the truth was even more spectacular.

  “Well,” said Satosh brusquely to his adopted daughter, “if you are going to insist on swapping tales, I will let you take our visitors below. Set up some hammocks in the empty storeroom. I have work to do.”

  The little man flashed Adesina a teasing grin and walked away.

  Suvi led the way, but she was uncharacteristically quiet as she did so. She cast self-conscious glances toward Adesina’s companions. Though Ruon had remained on deck, Sitara alone was enough to inspire awe.

  “Is the Zephyr just coming from Joura?” prompted Adesina. She remembered what Suvi had told her about the trade route that Zephyr travelled. They usually sailed to Sehar from the distant land of Joura.

  Suvi nodded as she unrolled the canvas for the hammocks. “We only stayed there long enough to trade and make repairs, though. Captain Zulimar said it was too dangerous to wait out the storms in the city, so we found an empty cove and stayed there until the storms passed.”

  “Why would it be too dangerous to stay in the city?” asked Ravi.

  Suvi shrugged. “The captain says it is dangerous everywhere now. Pa says that a dark cloud has fallen over humanity.”

  The influence of demons is strong, thought Ravi through their Joining. Especially when there is no force to oppose it.