by Callie Kanno
“How are you feeling, Ma’eve?”
She rubbed her forehead. “I am not certain. I do not remember coming here last night.”
Ravi nodded thoughtfully. “You did seem quite distraught. I thought it would be best to leave you to sleep.”
Adesina got to her feet and brushed off her rumpled clothing. “I should go and thank Hestia for her hospitality.”
“Ma’eve,” began Ravi, “what is wrong?”
“Can you not read my mind?” asked Adesina in a slightly waspish tone.
“I would rather you tell me.”
She shook her head. “Nothing can be done about it, so why waste time?”
Adesina climbed out of the wagon and looked around. The cooking fires were being stirred and people were rolling up their sleeping pads. The young queen walked over to Hestia, who was brushing out her wavy hair beside a small stream.
“Good morning,” she called cheerfully.
“Good morning,” replied Adesina. “Thank you for letting me sleep in your wagon.”
Hestia smiled. “It was no trouble. This spring has been warmer than usual, so it is pleasant to sleep under the stars.”
She led them back to the fire, where Adesina’s companions were all sitting and eating breakfast.
“We did not get to speak last evening.” The leader of the Ojuri tactfully refrained from mentioning Adesina’s indisposition the night before. “What has brought you to our humble camp?”
“Actually, we came upon it by accident,” admitted the young queen. “Why are so many of the Northern Tribes gathered here together?”
“Protection,” was the simple response. “The Scepter of Cha-sak drives many to flee to the north. Most of the refugees are harmless, but there are bands of marauders who will take what they need by force. A lone tribe can easily be attacked, but even the largest groups of ruffians will think twice before confronting all of us together.”
Sitara leaned forward with a frown. “What of the law keepers? Can they do nothing to keep the peace?”
Hestia and Adesina both stared at her blankly.
“Law keepers?” repeated Hestia. “There has not been anything like that since the end of the monarchy.”
Ruon picked up a handful of pebbles and passed them over his long fingers. “Surely there is some sort of resistance to the oppression.”
Hestia shrugged. “If there is, the Northern tribes have had no part of it. One hears rumors of the brutality of the Scepter, and we are inclined to stay out of their way until everything settles down.”
“What if things do not settle down?” asked Adesina sharply. “What if this is only the beginning of their tyranny?”
“It is not our fight,” said Hestia quietly. “The Northern Tribes are outcasts and we have been for many generations.”
“This is still your land,” argued Adesina, “and it is your responsibility to defend it. If this threat continues unchecked, it will spread to cover the entire world.”
The leader of the Ojuri spread her hands. “What would you have us do? We are not warriors.”
Adesina’s expression was grim. “Anyone can be taught to fight. Come with us to rejoin the L’avan. Together we can all stand against Cha-sak and his minions.”
Hestia let out a slow sigh. “Well, I cannot speak for the other tribe leaders, but I believe the Ojuri will choose to join you.”
“How many able-bodied adults are in this camp?” inquired Ruon.
“There are seven tribes here, and together there would perhaps be two thousand men who would be able to fight. Some of the women may choose to fight, but most of them would stay behind to care for the children.”
The Laithur turned to Adesina. “How many half-breeds would be willing to fight?”
She fixed him with a cold glare. “Stop calling us half-breeds, Ruon.”
He shrugged. “Well, I suppose you are not anymore, but the facts of your people’s origins remain.”
Adesina gritted her teeth. “My people have been steadfast and loyal to the Creator and to humanity’s well-being from the beginning. They deserve respect for all that they have done.”
She expected some sort of sarcastic retort from the demon, but instead he looked thoughtful.
“Perhaps you are correct.”
Adesina was dumfounded.
Ruon didn’t dwell on his admission. “How many…L’avan would be able to fight?”
The young queen gave herself a quick mental shake to return to the matter at hand. “Our numbers were greatly diminished when we were attacked by the Shimat organization six years ago. I would estimate no more than fifteen hundred soldiers, but many of them are young and inexperienced.”
“What other allies are there?” probed Ruon with an expression of growing doubt.
Adesina and Hestia exchanged glances. “We may be able to recruit some of the refugees,” said Adesina slowly.
Ruon’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you telling me that you plan to face Cha-sak and his followers with less than four thousand soldiers?”
“We could easily double our numbers if the Seharans will join us,” said the young queen in a defensive tone.
“Even if you tripled your force, you would still be outnumbered by the enemy,” snapped Ruon. “There is no way that you can win this war against Cha-sak.”
“If that is the case, then why did you join us?” asked Ravi.
“Perhaps I would not have if I had known how futile it would be,” sneered the Laithur.
Adesina struggled to keep her temper under control. “Numbers are not everything in a fight such as this. The L’avan are able to use their vyala, and that is a considerable advantage. The Shimat may be more highly trained, but I have been teaching the L’avan everything I learned as a Shimat. The L’avan are much more prepared for battle now than they used to be.”
Ruon bared his teeth. “You clearly know nothing of the Shimat demons. They are the original Children of Darkness. They made a pact with Evil for no other reason than the lust for power. Cha-sak is the leader of the Shimat because all others fear him. He will stop at nothing to enslave this world.”
“No amount of darkness can destroy the light. As long as there is a single ray of light, darkness can never win,” said Sitara softly.
Ruon shook his head and looked away, refusing to answer the Serraf.
“In any case,” Riel asserted, “we still need to convince the rest of the Northern Tribes to join our cause.”
Hestia nodded. “I think I should be the one to talk to them. They are untrusting of outsiders.”
The others assented readily.
“We need to leave as soon as possible,” urged Adesina. “Pevothem is still days away, and we have much to do before we are ready for battle.”
***
Basha felt as though she was waking up, and yet she found herself standing in the center of a large camp. It was just past noon and she was clearly in the midst of some sort of task, yet she had no memory of how she got there.
Breyen was standing next to her and the ever-present shadow of Cha-sak stood behind her. She did not need to look over her shoulder to know that he was invisible to the eye, and yet she knew he was there.
A group of rag-tag ruffians shuffled uncertainly before her, waiting for her to say something.
After several seconds, Breyen cleared his throat. “Sharifal? Do we have your approval to process these new recruits?”
“Of course,” Basha responded quickly. “Take care of it, Breyen.”
He nodded and gestured to a Shimat standing off to one side. The recruits were herded away, leaving Basha alone with her assistant and her master.
“Are you quite well, Sharifal?” asked Breyen quietly.
The all-too-familiar haze was beginning to steal over her mind once more. She struggled to keep control. “I am fine. Remind me: were those some of the mercenaries we have been shipping in from overseas?”
Breyen’s controlled expression was tinged with confusion.
“No, Sharifal. All of the mercenaries finished arriving last month. These were more volunteers of those who wish to follow the Scepter of Cha-sak.”
Basha had no memory of there being any such volunteers. It did make sense, though. There were always those weaklings who wished to align themselves with the truly great. In general, such people were useless as soldiers, but someone had to run at the front of an assault.
Her thoughts were becoming increasingly sluggish, in spite of her efforts to maintain control.
What was happening to her?
“How many…do we have…now?”
Breyen’s eyes flashed with recognition and fear at her slurred speech, as if he knew something she did not. “Mercenaries and volunteers now number just over nine thousand. All Shimat have been recalled, and the disloyal have been executed. There are two hundred forty-eight Shimat warriors in your service, Sharifal.”
Basha could sense Cha-sak moving closer. His hand of pure shadow hovered over her shoulder, but she felt an enormous weight pressing down.
Basha heard her voice speaking, but the words were not her own.
“Continue with your orders, Breyen. We march tomorrow to crush the puny rebellion in the north before moving on with our world-wide conquest. Any other volunteers must be sent to catch up with us later.”
“Of course, Sharifal,” Breyen said with a bow. “Our supply lines are secure and…”
To Basha it sounded as if her head had been submerged in water. The sound of Breyen’s voice blurred and faded away.
Terror gripped her chest and her heart began racing. What was happening?
In her mind’s eye she saw Cha-sak standing before her. His glowing red eyes mesmerized her and drained her of all emotion.
“You have served your purpose,” the demon rasped in a silky voice. “All that is left is for you to submit your will to mine, and our contract will be complete.”
Chapter Eleven: Building Defenses
L’iam passed his hand over his eyes wearily. “How goes the planting on the new farms?”
“Better than expected, your Majesty,” was K’eb’s prompt reply. “Cultivating all of that extra land was not a simple task, but it looks as though the planting will be done in time.”
The king of the L’avan nodded, breathing a prayer of gratitude to the Creator. They were going to need every bit of extra food once the enemy army arrived and cut off the L’avan supply lines from the rest of Sehar.
Of course, whether the new crops had time to mature depended on when their enemies arrived. Even with some of the L’avan using their vyala to help the crops along, it would take time for the plants to be ready for harvest. L’iam had estimated that it would take around three months to move a sizeable army from the far south of Sehar to the Thieves’ Forest. There had been no word from the L’avan spy network of the Shimat army moving, so L’iam hoped that they had time to build up supplies before the siege began.
“Have we completed the camp for the refugees?”
K’eb again gave an affirmative. “All of the refugees have shelter and supplies, but we are still preparing for any new arrivals we may have in the coming weeks.”
L’iam made a soft sound of approval. He anticipated the number of refugees to grow by a large amount by the time the enemy army arrived. Seharans had spent generations avoiding conflict, so their first response was to flee at any sign of trouble.
The young king looked up at the painted portrait of his wife that was always in his tent. His heart ached as he traced the lines of her face with his eyes.
What do you think, Adesina? He asked her silently. Am I forgetting anything?
The sound of a distant commotion reached L’iam’s ears. He frowned and walked out of his tent with K’eb following close behind.
His tent was pitched atop a small hill where he could overlook the entire L’avan camp and the Thieves’ Forest to the south beyond. If he faced the north he could also see the refugee camp on the Rashad grasslands.
The noise was coming from the south and he turned his spyglass to the edge of the forest.
Hundreds of wagons were approaching, accompanied by people on horseback and on foot. The wagons were brightly colored, and L’iam recognized them instantly.
“The Northern Tribes,” he said in surprise.
“They must be more refugees from the violence of the Scepter of Cha-sak,” offered K’eb.
“Yes, you are probably right,” agreed L’iam. “I just did not think they would come here. They tend to keep to themselves.”
Rajan, the leader of the Rashad, came loping up the hill. His glossy black fur was touched with grey, but his golden eyes were still sharp and lively. A feline smile spread across his face and his voice was filled with suppressed excitement. “I wonder what convinced them to join us,” Rajan said in exaggerated calm.
L’iam took the hint and looked through his spyglass again.
A smaller group of travelers seemed to be leading. He pointed his spyglass in that direction and immediately spotted Hestia. L’iam chuckled at the sight of her familiar face. Of course she was the one…
The smile slipped from his face and his heart skipped several beats.
Without speaking a word, L’iam dropped his spyglass on the ground and sprinted down the hill toward the arriving wagons.
***
Adesina was overwhelmed by the reception she received as she rode into the grasslands of Pevothem. From the moment she was spotted by the L’avan patrol guards, a mighty cheer sprang up. She saw tears flowing freely down the faces of her devoted subjects, and the crowd pressed in to try and touch her as she rode toward the center of the camp.
The young queen’s heart felt as though it might burst.
She had grown to love her people very dearly, and it was touching to see how much they loved her in return.
Hundreds of voices called her name, but Adesina’s keen ears picked out one voice in particular. Her purple and gold eyes darted to the source of the sound, and she saw that the mass of bodies was parting to make way for a single individual.
Her throat constricted as she stifled a sob. She leapt from her horse’s saddle and hit the ground running.
L’iam was also moving as quickly as he could. He held out his arms to her and Adesina ran into his embrace.
His strong arms held her close, but Adesina felt that it was not nearly close enough. L’iam kissed her again and again, crying and laughing at the same time.
Sitara may have said that Adesina’s life returned to her body after the ordeal at the Threshold, but Adesina knew that her soul had been waiting for this. She was certain that she had not been truly alive before this moment.
L’iam cupped her face in his hands, his light green eyes drinking in her features eagerly. His entire being glowed with joy.
“I love you so much, my darling,” he whispered, barely loud enough to be heard above the crowd.
Adesina could hold back her tears no longer.
“I love you, too! Oh, how I have missed you.”
They embraced once more, longing to be as near to one another as possible.
When the crowd’s celebrating grew too riotous to ignore, L’iam put one arm around his wife’s waist and raised his other hand for silence.
“Today is a day of great rejoicing,” he called out to the surrounding L’avan. “Our beloved queen has returned from a long journey.”
Another cheer erupted.
L’iam waited for the multitude to settle down again before continuing. “Tonight there shall be a great feast to welcome her home. All who have found refuge in the camp of the L’avan are invited to join us.”
The king of the L’avan barely took note of the crowd’s response to his words. He turned his loving eyes back to Adesina and led her to the tent on the hill.
Adesina would have loved nothing more than having some time alone with her husband, but such luxuries would have to wait. There was work to be done.
She greeted K’eb warmly and
was once again touched by the genuine happiness her return brought to the L’avan. The former soldier didn’t say much, but it was clear that he felt very deeply.
Ravi approached Rajan and lowered himself in the Rashad version of a bow. The leader of the Rashad surveyed his heir with approval and affection.
“You have changed much since you left, Ravi.”
Ravi acknowledged the truth of the statement. “Much has happened.”
The Immortals, who had been following at a discreet distance, topped the rise of the hill and came into view of those waiting.
Rajan’s eyes widened and he lowered himself humbly to the ground. “Queen Adesina, you bring with you very honored guests.”
Adesina suddenly felt rather foolish. In her excitement to see L’iam, she had completely forgotten about her companions.
She gave her husband’s hand a squeeze. “L’iam, I would like to introduce you to some very important allies. This is Ruon, leader of the Laithur.”
The Immortal inclined his oval head somewhat haughtily. Adesina could only imagine what he thought of “half-breeds” that didn’t even benefit from the status that came with a prophetic title.
“This is Sitara, leader of the Serraf.”
The angelic woman smiled graciously. “Former leader of the Serraf,” she corrected.
Adesina was rather flustered by the confirmation of what she had only suspected about her new role among the Immortals. She struggled for a moment to regain her flow of thought. “And this is Riel…” she trailed off in confusion, realizing that she wasn’t certain if Riel was the leader of all Rashad or just the Immortal ones.
Riel’s expression became amused. “I am companion to Sitara,” she said simply.
Rajan shook his head. “You are our leader, Lady Riel. The Rashad have waited long for the return of their rightful ruler.”
The Immortal Rashad gave him a kindly look. “You would not bear the mark of a leader if you were not worthy. I am, in essence, a newcomer to this world. I would prefer the hierarchy to remain as it is.”
