by Callie Kanno
The young queen shook her head. “I am not reading your mind. We have met before, seven or so years ago. I came to the High City and asked for admittance.”
Ston straightened slowly. “I was indeed in charge of such matters,” he said with a trace of pride.
“Are you all from the High City?” Adesina asked eagerly.
Ston’s expression became wary. “Some.”
“There are other former citizens of the High City in our camp,” said L’iam. “They are led by a man named Quinlan.”
“The blacksmith?” asked Ston in stunned delight.
The other refugees began talking all at once, asking if specific people were among the other group of survivors and encouraging Ston to lead them to the camp.
A young woman pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a simple bun and her clothing was worn and patched. Even so, her blue eyes sparkled with joy.
“Adrie? Is that you?”
Adesina felt a lump form in her throat. “Gainor!”
The L’avan queen’s former High City companion turned and called to the back of the group. “See, Rina? I told you it was her.”
Adesina laughed and embraced her old friend. “There is someone in the camp who will be especially glad to see you.”
Chapter Fourteen: Recounting Tales
There were many tears as the two groups of High City survivors reunited. Deasa, Gainor, and Rina were all overjoyed to find their girlhood friends alive. They embraced, laughing and crying.
They pulled Adesina into their arms as well, and she felt tears running down her face. A weight was lifted from her heart now that she knew that all of her friends had survived the terrible massacre in the High City.
Breathless introductions were made on all sides, beginning the lengthy process of catching up with one another.
Rina’s husband, Degan, was still as slender and quiet as Adesina remembered him, but his eyes were infinitely older and more wary. Three small children with their father’s red hair huddled around Rina’s skirts. The two little boys were called Cavell and Ardley, and the little girl was named Faryl.
Adesina had forgotten that Degan’s family had befriended the outcast apothecary, and Adesina made a mental note to tell Degan that Faryl was alive and in the L’avan camp.
Deasa’s smile faltered when she said she had no children, but she was happy to tell them of her marriage to Nordin. Adesina’s eyes flitted to Gainor, curious of her reaction. In their youth, Gainor had been quite infatuated with Nordin. However, Gainor was genuinely delighted for her friend, and no jealously marred the reunion.
Gainor was married to a young farmer she had met after escaping the High City. He was humble and plain, not at all like what Gainor had proclaimed to have wanted when she was sixteen. It was clear that they adored one another, and Adesina was happy for them. They had a baby boy who was less than a year old, and stared up at his admirers with clear blue eyes and a shy smile.
Adesina’s High City friends were both eager and awed when she introduced them to L’iam. They had never met a king before, let alone the king of the magic-users. Ravi’s introduction brought even more shock to their faces, especially when Ravi spoke in response to their greetings.
L’iam stayed long enough to get the newest refugees settled and to greet his wife’s friends, but then he was off to see to his daily duties. Adesina stayed to continue talking with the others.
“Where did you go after the attack on the High City?” asked Adesina.
Gainor frowned. “My mother awoke me and told me to run. There was so much screaming, and the whole city seemed to be on fire. I thought that my family was right behind me, but when I looked back I was alone.”
Rina reached over and gave Gainor’s hand a squeeze.
Gainor smiled at her friend and went on. “I wanted to find them, but there was too much chaos. I ran into Rina and Degan, and we escaped the city together.”
“We headed north,” supplied Rina, stroking the hair of little Faryl, who was resting on her lap. “We found a large group of refugees, and we assumed we were the only survivors.”
“There were more than a thousand of us,” asserted Gainor. “Governor Wadell took charge and said we would build another city for ourselves.”
Adesina and Deasa both stared in shock. “A thousand?”
Gainor nodded. “At first our group was much smaller, but more and more survivors kept coming to our camp over the course of a month.”
The High City refugees that had lived in Emerald Harbor had not quite numbered at two hundred, and Adesina had thought that a miraculously large group of survivors. The rest of those who had escaped the massacre in the High City must have gathered to the north.
“Why are there so few of you now?” asked Adesina.
Gainor and Rina exchanged a sorrowful glance. “Well,” started Rina, “none of us had ever lived anywhere except for our homes in the High City. We did not know how to properly set up a camp or how to care for ourselves in those circumstances.”
“People started getting sick,” continued Gainor, “more and more every day.”
“It was terrible,” whispered Rina.
“The sanitation was horrible and illness spread like wildfire,” Gainor said with a shudder. “People were dying by the hundreds, and none of the local villages were willing to send help.”
“They said we had brought the plague upon ourselves with our devil-worshipping and intolerant lifestyles,” Rina added.
Deasa nodded sadly. She had told Adesina that her group of refugees had met with similar distrust and isolation from other Seharans.
“Governor Wadell was among the sick. When he died Ston took over as our leader. He said we had to leave the camp and burn it to eliminate the sickness there. He said there were too many dead to bury.”
Rina’s voice faded as she struggled with tears, and Gainor put her arm around her friend.
“We stayed on the move after that,” Gainor resumed. “We wandered for a long time. Sometimes we met with Northern Tribes that were willing to help us or teach us how to take better care of ourselves. Every winter was very difficult, and many more of us died from cold or hunger. We moved eastward, and eventually we came to a farming community that was willing to let us settle near them. We would not have survived much longer if it had not been for their kindness.”
Gainor turned her loving eyes on her husband, and Adesina assumed that it was in that farming community that she had met the young farmer she would wed.
Adesina’s heart ached for her friends. They had suffered so many hardships, and all because of the mindless violence and selfish schemes of the Shimat.
Deasa took her turn in telling of her escape from the High City and the slow journey that ended in Emerald Harbor. Gainor and Rina nodded as she spoke, all sharing empathy for the great suffering that they had experienced. Adesina could see that these three women were infinitely closer now than they had ever been as girls.
“What about you, Adrie?” asked Gainor when Deasa had finished her tale. “Tell us what happened to you. You disappeared from the city one day, and now we find you have married a king!”
Adesina had explained her past once before, when she had found Deasa and the others in Emerald Harbor. She now did it again, telling the absolute truth about who she was and why she had come to the High City.
It was clear that Gainor and Rina were stunned, but there was no judgment on their faces. Instead, their expressions showed pity when she spoke of the decisions she had been forced to make and the hardships she had experienced.
Adesina wanted to hug each of her friends fiercely. They had been through so much more than her, but their sorrow for her suffering was clear on their faces.
When Adesina’s tale moved past Emerald Harbor, Deasa joined the others in leaning forward with interest. The story of L’iam’s rescue was not one she had heard first-hand.
Adesina left out many details, such as her Dreams and the
struggle with her vyala. Magic was a strange and incomprehensible thing to her High City friends, and Adesina didn’t have time at the moment to try and help them to understand something so complex. Even without the magical aspects of the journey, Adesina’s tale was a fantastic one. Her friends’ eyes were filled with a mixture of wonder and disbelief.
Ravi helped out with her narrative occasionally, but for the most part he simply sat and listened. Adesina could tell through their Joining that his mind was more focused on something apart from where they were sitting. Almost as if he was monitoring the actions of someone far away.
When Adesina reached the part of her story that dealt with the Threshold her friends shared horrified glances.
“A demon?” gasped Rina.
“Do such things really exist?” asked Deasa with an expression that said she wished to doubt it, but didn’t.
“I am sorry to say that they do,” affirmed Adesina. “Cha-sak escaped his prison before I could stop him, and now—”
“Wait,” interrupted Gainor. “Cha-sak…as in, the Scepter of Cha-sak?”
Adesina nodded. “That is what the Shimat have begun to call themselves. The demon is using them to take over Sehar. Once he has control of this nation, he will continue until he has conquered the world.”
Adesina’s High City friends looked around the L’avan camp with new understanding in their eyes. They could see all of the preparations taking place, and they knew that battle was coming.
“You are going to oppose him,” stated Rina quietly. “The magic-users are going to fight, while the rest of Sehar merely flees.”
“Some of the refugees here have volunteered to fight as well,” Adesina said. “We also have the support of many of the Northern Tribes.”
“The Northern Tribes?” asked Gainor in surprise. “They never get involved in other people’s affairs.”
“Rarely,” agreed Adesina. “But this time they are.”
“You certainly inspire others to take action,” said Rina with admiration.
The L’avan queen laughed. “It comes with the title.”
“Queen Adrie,” mused Gainor with a hint of envy. “Who would have guessed?”
“Queen Adesina,” corrected Deasa with a smile.
“It is more than the title, though,” insisted Rina. “Even before you became queen, back when we knew you in the High City, you made us want to be better. You were born to be a leader, Adesina.”
Adesina’s tone was grave. “I hope that is true. This is going to be a terrible battle, and Cha-sak will not be defeated without much sacrifice. It will take many good leaders to see us through this.”
“I am going to talk to Ston about the High City men joining the fight,” Gainor said resolutely. “Deasa said that there are volunteers from her camp of survivors and they are being trained by your soldiers.”
Deasa nodded in support of her friend’s words.
“And we can help, too,” added Gainor enthusiastically. “We can make clothing for the soldiers and help keep the camp in order. We know how to do that now,” she laughed.
Rina also agreed. “We cannot stand by any longer. We should have fought for our homes before; we should have prepared ourselves to do so. Now we can take the action that should have been taken when the High City was standing.”
Adesina’s eyes filled with tears and she struggled to control her emotions. “Thank you,” she whispered softly. “Thank you for everything.”
Chapter Fifteen: Emissaries
Adesina’s afternoon with her High City friends came to an end, and she knew she had to resume her duties as queen. She and Ravi walked back to the tent where all of the war planning took place and found L’iam with all of his advisors.
The king gave his wife a smile that lit up his entire face. “Welcome back to the present,” he joked. “How was your visit with your past?”
“It was lovely,” she answered earnestly.
There were several familiar faces gathered around the table in the center of the tent. Her father, uncle, and brother were there, as well as Than’os and Mar’sal. Rajan was seated next to L’iam and K’eb stood on his other side. Sitara and Ruon were also there, but they stood separate from the group gathered around the table. Adesina greeted her friends and family briefly and then got down to business. “What have I missed?”
Me’shan was the one to answer his daughter’s question. “We are discussing our need for allies.”
“The Shimat have recalled their entire force from abroad and they have been hiring mercenaries to swell their numbers,” reported K’eb. “We are terribly outmatched.”
“We just received word that the Shimat army began moving two days ago. They will be here in no more than three months, which is not much time to send for help,” said Adesina’s uncle, Ri’sel.
E’nes gestured to the maps on the table. “Knowing the pattern of the Scepter of Cha-sak, the army will most likely destroy everything in its path. That will send thousands of refugees in our direction. It will take time to prepare for their arrival.”
“That also creates the problem of our supplies,” added Mar’sal. “The Shimat will cut off our lines, and the crops we have planted will not be enough.”
Adesina raised her hands. “One problem at a time, please.”
They all looked at her expectantly, and she frowned at the maps as she considered their position.
She had never been a senior member of the Shimat organization, so she had no idea what kind of numbers the Sharifal commanded. It could be merely hundreds, or it could be thousands. Based off of the size of Adesina’s own graduating Shimat class, it seemed likely that there would be no more than a few hundred full Shimat warriors. As for mercenaries, those had never been hard to find.
“Do we have an estimate for the size of their army?” Adesina asked.
K’eb nodded. “Savir’s most recent report says that they number close to ten thousand.”
Adesina’s chest tightened. They were outnumbered three to one. “We need allies,” she murmured to herself.
Her eyes roved the maps of Sehar and came to rest on Charan.
Charan was a city on the far west of Sehar and was called the Gateway City. Sehar was connected to another nation called Etan, but only through a narrow pass of land. Mountains obstructed the majority of the small stretch, and Charan occupied an area between the mountains and the ocean. Charan was part of the nation of Etan, and one could not travel from Sehar into Etan without going through that city.
“The Scepter has blockaded Sehar’s harbors, but what of the Gateway City? Is it still open?”
Mar’sal’s expression was uncertain. “We have not sent scouts in that direction, but we have heard rumors. They say that there is a Shimat fort guarding the pass from Etan, barring any from entering Sehar from Charan.”
Adesina looked at her husband. “Do you think Etan would send help if we asked for it?”
L’iam let out his breath slowly. “Perhaps, if they understood the danger that Cha-sak posed to them.”
“Who is this Etan?” demanded Ruon from the side of the tent.
Adesina explained as she continued to stare at the maps. “It is not a person. Etan is a portion of the former nation of Lam. After the Plague Years, Lam had a violent civil war that split the kingdom in two—Etan and Ghaith.”
“They would send soldiers to our aid?” asked Sitara.
“It is possible, but not certain,” answered L’iam.
“We need to try,” said Adesina decisively. “Etan is the only nation that could send help without using ships. The Shimat have too many ships of their own, and we would run the risk of losing our reinforcements before they even arrive.”
“Charan is also close enough that help would arrive at the same time as our enemies, or soon thereafter,” pointed out Me’shan.
“Could one city muster enough force to send us significant aid?” asked Ruon in a doubtful tone.
“Etan is not Sehar,” explained L’iam
. “Sehar is underpopulated and has no unified government. No one comes to Sehar unless it is necessary—which it rarely is. That is what makes Sehar such a convenient base for an organization like the Shimat. Etan, on the other hand, is a thriving nation with a strong government and military. A city like Charan would have its own dedicated force of thousands.”
“It would take so little for them to help us, and they would be stopping an incredible evil from spreading to the rest of the world,” E’nes exclaimed passionately.
Adesina’s mouth twitched with the hint of a smile as she looked at her older brother. “If only we had a volunteer to act as an emissary to the Gateway City—someone who was both eloquent and enthusiastic.”
E’nes shot his sister a sarcastic glance. “You want me to go and leave all of you to fight here? No, thank you. I will not save my own life while others risk theirs.”
Adesina’s expression grew somber. “It is a dangerous mission, E’nes. I do not suggest it lightly. The Shimat are certainly watching us, and they will try and stop us from obtaining outside help. You would be running from Shimat assassins for weeks, and even your arrival in Charan would offer no guarantee of safety. I need someone I can trust to go, but I do not harbor any belief that this mission will be easy.”
E’nes’s eyes became thoughtful. “I do not like the idea of leaving all of you.”
L’iam gestured with his hand. “If you leave today there is an excellent chance that you can return with reinforcements before our enemies even arrive.”
E’nes turned to his brother-in-law. “Is this what you wish of me, my king?”
L’iam nodded. “Yes.”
“Then I shall obey,” promised E’nes, but his face was filled with dissatisfaction.
Adesina wanted to shake her fist at her brother. He was more likely to argue with her decisions than agree with her, yet L’iam always received unquestioning obedience. It did not seem to matter to him that she was the queen. He still treated her like a child that needed guidance and protection. It drove her mad.
Instead of giving in to the urge to box her brother’s ears, Adesina turned her thoughts back to the problems at hand.
