The Labyrinth of Destiny

by Callie Kanno

  “How old were you when she told you about the Shimat?” asked Adesina.

  Kendan’s brow creased as he thought back. “It seems like I have always known, but I suppose I was eleven or twelve years old. It was not long after I began my training as a Shi. I was sworn to secrecy, of course, but I was told that the Shimat were the power behind governments and world events. I was told that we were spies and assassins—really, anything that was needed to keep control in our grasp. To a young boy, such things sound exciting. I was enthusiastic to be a part of it because I did not understand what it truly meant.”

  Adesina had never seen her former Shar so open. He had always been guarded in what he said, even in moments of honesty. She was taken aback by this sudden change, but eager to learn more.

  “When did that enthusiasm start to fade?”

  Kendan’s smile was bitter. “It is easy to idealize the Shimat organization as a student. The Shi rarely leave the fortress, and never go far from the immediate vicinity. The fortress is isolated, and therefore it is easy to control the world view of those who reside there. I felt superior to my fellow Shi because I felt I knew the truth, but I was still fed the stories of noble intention by my instructors. It was not until I was sent out on my first mission that I truly understood what the Shimat are. Signe did not shield me from unsavory assignments because I already knew the truth and she wanted me to become as stained and hardened as she was. I remained loyal and dutiful to her, but it is impossible to be enthusiastic when you spend your days lying to friends and your nights committing murder and treason.”

  “Did you never consider leaving?” inquired Adesina softly.

  Kendan gave a harsh laugh. “No. That life was all I knew, and I did not have a loving family to show me a different way.”

  Adesina knew that his words were directed at her, and she realized that he envied her.

  “Besides,” he continued, “I told myself that I had been warned about what I was taking part in. Although the reality of my role was more difficult than I imagined, I had taken it on willingly.”

  They came to a stop as they arrived at the edge of the Matshi camp. Kendan looked at the people crouched around cooking fires or going about other duties. Adesina saw a slightly wistful expression in his eyes.

  “Even then, I could not help but wish that the Shimat were what we pretended to be. I wished that we were peacekeepers and humanitarians.”

  Adesina followed his gaze and studied the men and women in the camp before her. After a moment, her eyes widened in surprise.

  She recognized some of the faces there. She spotted the aged face of Shar Per, one of her former instructors. She saw a Shimat who had graduated the year before she had. She saw Zadok, the fortress’s blacksmith.

  “These are all Shimat,” Adesina stated in shock.

  Kendan nodded slowly. “Yes. They fled the fortress with Signe when Basha and her demon took over. They were hiding at the safe haven when I went to confront Signe, and I took charge after I killed her.”

  “But…why are they here?” stammered Adesina.

  “Some of them left because they were absolutely loyal to Signe, but most of them left because they wanted nothing to do with the evil plans of Basha and Cha-sak,” explained Kendan. “You see, the difficult thing about an organization such as the Shimat is that there are those who remain loyal only because of the lies they have been told. There are people like your friend Lanil who would never become a cold-hearted killer but could still be useful to the Shimat order. The solution is to put them in positions where they can benefit the organization without coming in contact with situations that might strain their loyalty.”

  Adesina’s head whipped around at the mention of her childhood friend. “Is Lanil here?”

  Kendan smiled. “No, but she is safe. She is with the other Shimat who are in charge of caring for the children who escaped the fortress.”

  A sense of relief swept through Adesina. She had often wondered what had become of her friend, and she was glad to hear that Lanil was alive and well.

  The L’avan queen turned her mind back to the matter at hand. “So, these are the Shimat who still believed the lies that they had been told as students?”

  “They never had reason to believe otherwise,” said Kendan. “They were kept at the fortress where they could be isolated and controlled, or they were sent to the Shimat farms where they did nothing but grow food or manufacture materials that were needed.”

  Adesina pursed her lips thoughtfully. “It seems like an unusually large number of people for what should be a small group of Shimat outsiders.”

  Kendan chuckled. “Well, not all of the people in the camp are former Shimat. We did quite a bit of recruiting during our journey north. We brought about two thousand Seharans with us to join the fight.”

  Adesina was impressed with all that Kendan had accomplished. She reached over and squeezed his hand in a gesture of friendship and thanks. “You have saved more lives than you have ever taken, Kendan. We would have lost that battle without you.”

  He pressed her hand in return. “The Shimat were never what we wanted to be. We are the same, and yet we are different. We are the Matshi.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven: Planning

  Retreating from the Shimat and their followers was not an easy task. The L’avan and Seharan armies could not slow their pace, lest they be attacked by the mercenaries that had been sent after them.

  Adesina and the cavalry rode at the rear, making sure that all of the soldiers traveling on foot remained safe from enemy attack from behind. Ri’sel and Me’da rode roughly in the middle, keeping the ranks in line. L’iam and Hestia rode at the front of the army, leading the way back north.

  Ravi kept pace with the harrying force, allowing Adesina to watch the enemy through his eyes. When the mercenaries stopped to rest at night, she sent word to L’iam that it was safe for the L’avan and Seharans to do the same. Most of the soldiers simply rolled up in their blankets and fell asleep on the ground where they had been marching. Some of them, like the Matshi, took the time to set up tents.

  The command tent was always erected, and Adesina met there with her fellow leaders.

  She only half-listened to the reports being given. Z’eki and Me’da spoke about supplies and the wellbeing of the soldiers. The head Healer spoke of the difficulties of transporting the wounded. She knew that it would be her turn to speak soon, and she needed to have a plan to give them.

  All day, Adesina had been bending her mind to the problem that lay before them. She had thought about it as they rode north, she had thought about it as they stopped for the night.

  The battle with Cha-sak was far from over, and it was clear that they could not win by traditional means. The demon did not seem to care about casualties as a human military leader would, and so surrender on either side was not a possibility. Cha-sak would keep pressing them and fighting for as long as he had soldiers to obey his commands.

  It was up to Adesina to find a way to preserve as many lives as possible.

  The biggest problem weighing on Adesina’s mind was the question of how to defeat Cha-sak. Since he was not willing to surrender, he would have to be killed. Yet, Adesina did not know how to do that. She had only fought a demon once before, and she had only barely been victorious in that fight. Cha-sak was much stronger and had infinitely more experience than Adesina.

  “We cannot keep retreating,” pointed out Hestia. “We need another advantageous position where we can take our next stand.”

  The words of the Seharan queen brought Adesina’s thoughts back to the present. L’iam was nodding with a troubled expression on his face.

  “The land between here and Pevothem is mostly grassland,” he stated. “As far as terrain is concerned, we would be on equal standing.”

  “What about that forest?” asked Kendan, pointing to the Thieves’ Forest on the map. “We would be arriving first, and we can take advantage of that fact. We could set up defenses and traps
.”

  L’iam shook his head. “There are…special considerations with that forest.”

  Kendan raised an eyebrow. “Such as…?”

  L’iam looked to Adesina to help him explain the matter to the former Shimat.

  “Do you remember when we traveled through that dark forest on our way to the High City?” Adesina asked Kendan, knowing full well that he did.

  Kendan shuddered slightly and nodded.

  “The voices we heard were from the spirits of immortal beings whose bodies have been destroyed,” she explained. “Those same spirits have moved to inhabit that forest.”

  Kendan paled. “I see.”

  L’iam went on. “There is only a small section through which we can travel safely, so there is no way we can take the army through without the Shimat learning how to do the same. It acts as a protection to the refugees on the other side, but it bars us in the same way that it bars our enemies.”

  Kendan frowned at the map on the table. “Is there no way to send them back to the other forest?”

  All eyes turned to Adesina, including those of Sitara and Ruon, as if she alone had the answer to that question.

  “I do not know,” she stammered. “I have never considered it.”

  “Well, turn your mind to it,” suggested Ruon, “because I agree that the forest is the best place to take our stand.”

  Whenever Ruon made definite statements like that, Adesina wondered if he had Seen something that he was keeping to himself. She looked at him with a questioning expression, but he pointedly ignored her.

  “There is something of greater importance to discuss,” Sitara began.

  Adesina knew what she was going to say, and she braced herself.

  “We need to have a plan regarding Cha-sak,” the Serraf said, turning her eyes to Adesina’s face. “Even with the help of the Matshi, we are greatly outnumbered. We cannot win this war simply by defeating the Shimat army. Cha-sak will never stop until he has accomplished his goal. Even if by some miracle we are victorious in the battle to come, Cha-sak will simply build up his army again and continue where he left off.”

  Several heads nodded solemnly. They were all aware of the gravity of their situation.

  Adesina took a deep breath before speaking. “Cha-sak needs to be defeated in such a way that he will never be able to cause harm again. I will face him in the battle to come, and I will kill him.”

  The silence in the tent was profound.

  Ruon’s black eyes glittered with emotion. “Killing an Immortal is a heavy matter. You should not make that decision lightly. After all, Cha-sak himself became a Creature of Darkness by making that very decision.”

  Adesina’s eyes darted between Sitara and Ruon, but neither seemed inclined to expound at the moment. The young queen made a mental note to ask for a more detailed explanation later.

  “I did not make this decision lightly,” Adesina assured the Laithur. “However, I do not see another way. Sitara is right that Cha-sak will not stop until he has reached his goal. He is too dangerous to be left alive.”

  Sitara studied Adesina, looking sorrowful yet determined. “If that is your decision, then there is some information you must know.”

  Adesina nodded, encouraging her to continue.

  “I have been gathering the accounts of those who have witnessed the various stages of Cha-sak’s ascent to power.” Sitara paused briefly as she considered her words. “It seems to me that Cha-sak has made a very specific blood contract with his chosen vessel, Basha.”

  Adesina knew very little about blood contracts, and so she did not know the difference between them. “Is that so?”

  Sitara inclined her head. “L’iam said that Basha was instructed to leave before the Threshold was fully opened and to pass over the barriers that protected the mountain. Then you said that Cha-sak simply disappeared after your conversation with him. Those two things indicate that Basha was given the power to summon Cha-sak to her side, regardless of the barriers between them. That power allowed Cha-sak to escape the Threshold, even though it was not opened enough for him to do so on his own.”

  Adesina indicated that she understood, and Sitara went on.

  “Some of the Matshi witnessed Basha take over the Shimat fortress. They say she threw fire from her hands and crushed stones with a snap of her fingers. This indicated that Basha was granted access to Cha-sak’s vyala and was allowed to use it as her own.”

  The Serraf took a deep breath. “Finally, our spies have reported that Basha is nowhere to be seen. It is rumored that she is in Cha-sak’s tent, but no one has seen her for many weeks. Basha does not strike me as someone who would decline the opportunity to bask in the glory of her new position, so that indicates that she is unable to do so.”

  Adesina nodded. “All of your points make sense, but I am afraid that I am not able to make the connections between them.”

  Sitara gave a small smile. “I do not expect you to. There is much that you are still learning about the abilities of Immortals.”

  Ruon, on the other hand, seemed to immediately understand the importance of Sitara’s information. His eyes widened slightly. “Ah, I see. I should have paid closer attention to the signs.”

  L’iam’s eyes narrowed. “What is it?”

  The rest of the council seemed equally eager to understand what was being said.

  Ruon was the one to explain. “Unless it is specified otherwise, a blood contract always goes two ways. So, for example, if I were to grant you access to my powers I would also gain access to yours. Do you see?”

  “Yes,” L’iam answered.

  “When the terms of a blood contract are being discussed, Immortals are bound to speak only truth. It is impossible for an Immortal to lie about what is being promised,” Ruon continued. “That being said, if the other party does not ask any questions, then no explanation is required. It is assumed that both parties understand terms, down to the smallest details.”

  Adesina had already known that rule about blood contracts. Ravi had explained it to her when Cha-sak had tried to bind her to him as a servant while they were standing on the Threshold of Zonne.

  “So, it is most likely that Cha-sak told Basha of all the benefits she would receive without telling her about the price she would have to pay in return,” surmised Kendan.

  “He would have had to outline what she was expected to do for him,” amended Sitara, “but the implied cost would not have occurred to her unless she had already known that such a contract went two ways.”

  “How does this affect us?” asked Hestia.

  “Basha has the ability to summon Cha-sak, which means that their souls have been linked. It is quite similar to the Joining between the Serraf and the Rashad. Basha was also granted access to Cha-sak’s vyala, which means that Cha-sak also has access to Basha’s vyala.”

  A feeling of dread was beginning to grow in Adesina’s chest. She had a suspicion of what Sitara was getting at, and she did not like what it meant for them.

  Kendan frowned. “Basha is not a magic-user, so why should it matter if the demon can use her vyala?”

  “Vyala is not just for magic-users,” Adesina said in a subdued tone. “It is the life force that can be found in everything around us. Magic-users have simply learned to harness that power and make it tangible.”

  The former Shimat continued to look confused. “I still do not see the significance.”

  “You must take into account the third piece of information I mentioned,” said Sitara. “Basha has not been seen for many weeks, and it is likely that this is because she is not able to go out on her own anymore.”

  Ruon cut Kendan off before he could ask another question.

  “Cha-sak has drained her of her vyala in order to supplement his own, leaving her nothing more than a shell of a human being.”

  Several faces grew pale with this information.

  “Why not simply kill her?” asked Hestia in horror. “Why keep her alive?”

  S
itara’s voice was heavy. “Because their souls are linked. Basha has become Cha-sak’s anchor to this world, and he cannot be forcibly removed from the world as long as she lives.”

  Her words settled over them like a shroud.

  “He cannot be defeated?” Hestia asked bleakly.

  “No,” Kendan’s voice broke through the gloom like a beam of light in the darkness. “He cannot be defeated while Basha lives. It seems to me that all we have to do is to end what remains of Basha’s life before Adesina faces Cha-sak in battle.”

  Adesina smiled at her former Shar. “You are right.”

  “It will have to be done carefully,” cautioned Ravi. “If Cha-sak senses Basha’s death then he will simply make a blood contract with another follower, and then make sure we never find his new servant.”

  “So it must be done when Adesina has already engaged Cha-sak in combat,” said L’iam with a worried frown. “How will we coordinate that, and how will we decide whom to send?”

  Kendan shrugged. “Well, clearly I am the best choice to kill Basha.”

  All eyes turned to him.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Me’da coolly.

  “I am known among the Shimat, and they will not question my presence in their camp. I can get close enough to Basha to be at the ready when the time comes to end what remains of her life,” reasoned Kendan in a calm voice.

  “You are known among the Shimat as a traitor,” pointed out Adesina. “It will not help our cause if you are imprisoned.”

  Kendan gave a grim smile. “All I have to do is act as though I have been reprimanded and demoted. The Shimat that recognize me may treat me harshly, but they will not question my presence in the camp.”

  Adesina considered Kendan’s suggestion for several moments. He certainly had the skill set to accomplish the mission, and he was the most likely to be able to get close to Basha.