by Callie Kanno
J’ula twisted her hair around her fingers. J’em tried to appear unconcerned, but his fists were clenched at his sides. Suvi moved over to stand by them and gave them encouraging smiles.
“I never get used to her,” she said to the young L’avan in a low voice.
The brother and sister seemed to appreciate the comment.
“Nor I,” they each admitted.
The her they spoke of soon appeared.
The water began to swirl a short distance from where the ship was anchored. Slowly, an enormous arrow-shaped head emerged from the depths of the ocean, followed by a serpent-like body.
The Aekuor was a frightening sight, even though each person on Zephyr knew that Kai was an ally.
“Good day, friends,” the sea creature said in a gentle voice.
Zulimar was the one to answer. “Good day, Kai.”
“Once again, you bring supplies much sooner than expected,” the Aekuor observed.
The captain inclined his head. “The ocean has been kind to us.”
“It is a good sign,” acknowledged Kai. “Our work must be in favor with greater powers.”
“I hope so,” was Zulimar’s polite response.
“Well,” said the sea creature, “let us begin.”
Crew members were already hauling cargo from the hold and setting it on wide wooden rafts that had been placed on the deck. Everything was stacked carefully and then securely lashed down with thick rope.
Zulimar waved J’em forward, and the boy assumed a look of serious concentration.
Satosh had asked the young L’avan to explain to him how their magic worked, and the explanation had not been very enlightening. From what Satosh could understand, there were natural forms of magic in the world around them and the L’avan used…something…to wield it. They had called it vyala, and had said that every life form had it. However, if that was the case, why couldn’t normal humans use magic as well?
The young L’avan had become rather confused themselves, and had said something about the importance of blood lines. Satosh had taken pity on them and stopped asking questions. He decided to ask a L’avan whose education was a bit more specialized in that area.
J’em’s eyes began to glow and swirl with a light blue color. He extended his hands toward the rafts of cargo and his arms began to tremble with effort. The rafts lifted into the air and floated slowly down to the water surface.
The boy expelled a breath of air and then looked embarrassed by his evident effort. J’ula placed a hand on his shoulder and beamed at him with pride, and J’em began to smile as well.
Kai gently took the lead ropes in her mouth and submerged in the water, hauling the food and medical supplies toward the cliffs. She was able to see where the dangers of the ocean were located, and she steered the rafts to safety.
Satosh watched through a spyglass as the rafts reached the foot of the cliffs. He could see the distant forms of their L’avan counterparts standing high above the water. One of them lifted their arms and the rafts were magically lifted into the air.
From there, Satosh knew that the supplies would be transferred to wagons, even though he could not see them through his spyglass.
Suvi sidled up to him and spoke in a quiet voice. “Do you think they will send another report on the war?”
The little man shrugged. “I do not know.”
“We did not get a report the last time we dropped off supplies. Do you think it is going poorly?”
Satosh knew that her questions were not meant to pester him. She was genuinely concerned for the people she considered to be her friends. Also, she knew that Satosh had more knowledge of warfare than he let on.
“They may have simply forgotten to include the report, child,” he reassured her. “Even if they had no news themselves, that does not necessarily mean something is wrong. It may just be that there are more pressing matters and a report will be sent at a later date.”
Suvi rubbed her arms and stared at the cliffs of Pevothem. “I hope they send us news. Even if it is bad news, I would like to know.”
Satosh gave a small smile. “I should not worry about Adesina, if I were you. That young woman is quite capable of taking care of herself.”
Suvi didn’t answer, but she seemed to take comfort from his words.
Several minutes passed as they waited for Kai to return with the raft filled with L’avan goods. Satosh was surprised when the Aekuor emerged from the water without the rafts behind her.
Zulimar approached the railing so he could face Kai directly. “What is wrong? Are there no more materials that can be spared?”
“There is a letter for you. I’ve carried it in my mouth,” Kai responded.
The Aekuor tried to look as benign as possible, but that was difficult for such a creature to do. She brought her teeth together to keep them out of the way and curled her lips—or, at least, what might count as lips. There was a bottle tucked beneath her lower lip.
Zulimar retrieved it with admirable confidence, as if he were often asked to pull something out of the mouth of an Aekuor, and it no longer concerned him.
The captain of Zephyr pulled the letter out of the bottle and read it quickly. Satosh and the rest of the crew waited in silent anticipation.
After reading the letter through twice, Zulimar looked up with a somber expression on his face.
“It seems we have made our last supply run for this war effort.”
Murmurs ran through the gathered crew.
Zulimar held up the letter. “This informs me that the L’avan and Seharan armies have retreated to the borders of Pevothem, and there they intend to make their last stand.”
Satosh felt a chill settle in his chest. He had seen enough battle to know what such a statement really meant.
“The refugee camp will be moving north, and they will remain on alert in the event that the enemy breaks through,” continued Zulimar. “If the army fails to keep the Scepter of Cha-sak at bay, we are requested to be at the ready to take on as many passengers as we can hold and carry them to safety.”
“But Captain,” Satosh said slowly, “there are thousands of refugees. We can only hold a fraction aboard this ship.”
Zulimar nodded. “We are to take as many children as possible while the adults hold back the enemy.”
There was a small gasp from J’ula, and J’em looked as though he was fighting back tears. “Will they all die?” he asked in a small voice.
The captain looked at the boy kindly. “Do not give up hope. There is every possibility that the army will be victorious. We are only to act as a safeguard for the worst scenario.”
J’em scrubbed the tears from his eyes and straightened his back. He seemed to be determined to be a good example for his sister.
“Kai,” said Zulimar, turning back to the Aekuor, “would you be able to bring the ship closer to the cliffs?”
The sea creature looked doubtful. “Not more than halfway. After that, it is difficult for even me to pass through.”
The burly man nodded. “Halfway will be enough. We will get as close as we can, and then we will start building rafts. I will send some men ashore to gather wood, and we will prepare to take as many refugees as possible.”
Kai inclined her head. “I will inform the L’avan of your intentions.”
“Please do,” replied Zulimar.
He did not wait for the Aekuor to swim away before he turned to his crew. “Alright, men. Let us get to work.”
Chapter Forty-Three: Ambush
Adesina stood at the edge of the Thieves’ Forest, partially hidden behind an ancient tree. As she waited she thought of the Shimat tests she had been given as a child, and she smiled sadly.
She doubted that the Shimat ever imagined that one of their students would use their own teachings against them.
Then again, perhaps they had imagined it. After all, the Shimat were taught to expect betrayal and to prepare against it.
Adesina sighed and brought her thoughts
back to the present. Ravi was standing next to her, and she rested a hand on his back. Together they watched the grasslands just beyond the woods.
The L’avan and Seharan knew the mercenaries were following close behind, so they had worked through the night to make preparations for the battle to come.
Adesina and L’iam, along with every other L’avan with gold in their eyes, had gone through the ranks of their soldiers and given each of them a small boost of energy. They could not do much, but they hoped that it was enough to counterbalance the hard night’s work.
Torith had finally been sent away, much to his displeasure. He was to stay with the refugees in their new camp. A cavalry wasn’t a practical option in the forest, and every horse would be needed to help the refugees evacuate quickly if the Shimat broke through.
Adesina finally spotted the mercenaries riding over the small rise that lead up to the forest. It was the harrying force that had ridden before the main army, and there were no more than two thousand of them.
Adesina turned to the Rashad messenger who was standing deeper in the woods. “Tell the king that the mercenaries are half an hour away.”
The Rashad bowed her golden head and dashed away to deliver the message.
Let us assume our positions.
Adesina nodded at Ravi’s unspoken words and made her way back through the trees.
The long mound of dirt that had been formed only hours earlier was now covered with young plants, as if it had been there for years. No one would look at it and know that it had been made for the purpose of defense.
Adesina hopped over the mound lightly, and settled down next to the soldiers who were waiting on the other side. She spotted her brother and moved next to him.
“You returned,” she whispered with a smile.
E’nes grinned. He had taken a very short leave of absence to visit his family and meet his newborn child. “I only just got back.”
“I thought Wren’na would tie you up and keep you from fighting,” joked Adesina.
“She wanted to, believe me,” said E’nes.
“How is the newest member of the family?” inquired Ravi.
The proud father’s face glowed with happiness. “The baby is a boy. En’ver is so excited to have a brother. We named him Med’gar, after Wren’na’s grandfather.”
“I am sorry that you were not able to be with her during the birth,” Adesina said sincerely.
E’nes became a bit more serious. “I am, too. However, Wren’na said she would forgive me if I promised to be there for the baby’s first birthday.”
Adesina found that she couldn’t smile, even though her brother clearly said it to be humorous.
“I will do all that I can to make that happen,” she promised.
E’nes reached out and squeezed her hand. “I know you will.”
The Rashad messenger from earlier reappeared through the trees and made her way over to where Adesina was sitting.
“King L’iam says that you are free to proceed, and he wishes you good luck.”
“Thank you,” responded Adesina, and the Rashad moved to where she could observe the fighting and report back to the military leaders.
Now all they had to do was wait.
Adesina’s estimated time for the arrival of the enemy mercenaries was almost exactly correct. She could hear the sound of hooves and jingling bridles as they approached, and she peeked over the mound to watch.
The first lines of mercenaries, which consisted of the cavalry, rode into the woods with minimal caution. Their swords were drawn and they looked around, expecting an attack.
A snap rang through the air and several dozen horses, along with their riders, fell into a deep trench that had been covered with a lattice of sticks and leaves. The cries of surprise became howls of pain as the men landed among the sharpened poles at the bottom.
There was confusion in the ranks as the mercenaries on foot came to a sudden stop, and that confusion nearly turned to chaos as the Seharan archers loosed their arrows from their platforms in the trees. The shafts fell like a deadly rain among the soldiers who were hesitating on the south side of the trench.
The mercenaries were on the verge of panic, and Adesina could almost see their thoughts. The men in danger of the archers had only three choices—they could stay where they were and die, they could try and push back through the ranks behind them, or they could jump over the trench and try to reach safety.
Of the three options, the latter was the most likely to have any effect.
Several men made a running jump across the barrier. Some of the soldiers were struck by arrows mid-air, but several of them landed on the other side safely.
Seeing this, the rest of the mercenaries began to follow.
Adesina signaled to the L’avan who were waiting at the top of a ridge to the east. She did not need to look for an acknowledgement, because their attack began immediately.
The young queen could feel the swell of vyala rolling forth. A sharp wind whistled through the trees, strong enough to whip up the loose dirt that had been left by digging the trench.
Adesina ducked down behind the mound to avoid the stinging wind that incapacitated her enemies. She used her own vyala to continue monitoring the progress of the attack.
Mercenary soldiers stumbled blindly, trying to shield their eyes from the grit flying through the air. Half of the Seharan archers pivoted in their platforms, and turned their arrows on the soldiers who were now trapped on the north side of the trench.
The trench itself was filled with the bodies of those who had fallen, and the mercenaries on the other side needed only to stumble across the corpses. The rain of death slowed to a stop as the Seharan archers began to run out of arrows.
As the archers lowered their bows, the L’avan on the ridge let the blinding wind fade. The sudden stillness was a signal to Adesina and her soldiers behind the mound.
Adesina drew Falcon and shouted, “Forward!”
She led the charge over the mound and down to the scattered and confused enemies below.
There were no Shimat among this branch of the Scepter of Cha-sak. Adesina supposed that the demon had not thought it necessary to send any of his elite fighters to preoccupy the L’avan and Seharans while the main army caught up.
Whatever the reason, the absence of Shimat made the fight easier for Adesina.
Her ornate breastplate and purple half cape made her stand out from the other defending soldiers, which still made her a target. However, she was faced with ordinary soldiers rather than highly trained assassins, and that simplified things.
Her mind began to slip into a sort of mechanical trance. She moved gracefully through the trees, wielding her Blood Sword with surgical precision. Yet she was able to do it without really thinking about it. She was concentrating on what she was doing, but at the same time she was not truly aware of it.
It was rather disconcerting to her that she was still able to fight in such a manner. It had been years since she had counted herself among the Shimat, and yet the training came back to her as if it had only been a few weeks. She knew that she was not at the same level of skill that she would have been if she had kept up with her Shimat regimen, but the core of her training remained.
She would never be completely free from her past, and she had come to accept that about herself. That didn’t mean that it wasn’t uncomfortable—sometimes painful—to know that the Shimat organization had shaped her.
Someday you will simply see your past as the path that has led you to where you are. Your regret will fade to nothing.
Adesina almost found herself smiling. Even in the midst of battle, Ravi took the time to give her comfort and wisdom. She could see that he was fighting with a spear-wielding mercenary, but his compassionate heart was with her.
“Eternal life to Lord Cha-sak!”
The passionate scream jolted Adesina out of her introspection. She turned to face the man who was rushing toward her with his sword upraised.
> She lifted Falcon to fend off the blow, but she found herself being severely pressed. It wasn’t that the man was overly skillful, but he fought with such frantic energy that the L’avan queen found herself taking a step backwards.
Adesina frowned as she defended herself. She had never met a mercenary who was devoted to a master, only to the coin that was being paid. Most of them were soldiers who had been disowned by the countries of their birth and left to take whatever work they could find. There were occasional wars among the other nations of the world, and trained fighters were always welcomed by either side.
It did not make sense for a mercenary to use Cha-sak’s name as a battle cry.
After the initial surprise of being pressed so fiercely, Adesina found her stride in the fight and quickly gained the upper hand. She knocked the man’s blade aside and gripped his wrist.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“My name does not matter,” panted the man with a wild expression in his eyes. “My life does not matter. You are the great enemy of Lord Cha-sak, and I would gladly give my life to see yours end.”
The man wrenched himself away from Adesina’s grasp and renewed his attack.
“Why?” she asked as she stopped his sword with her own. “Why would such things matter to a mercenary?”
“I am no mercenary,” spat the man with rabid contempt. “Those who take money for the honor of serving Lord Cha-sak are more vile than those who willingly oppose him.”
Adesina’s mind whirled. She had assumed that Cha-sak’s only supporters were the Shimat and those whom they had hired to fight. According to this man’s words there was a third group of soldiers, potentially more dangerous than the others.
Mercenaries would fight as long as they were paid. Once the battle was over, though, they would leave to find another conflict where they might be hired. The Shimat organization, while dangerous, was limited in number. Adesina did not doubt that she would be able to eventually root out the entire organization with the help of her allies.
But there was much more danger in a group of followers dedicated solely to Cha-sak—people who were willing to do his bidding even at the cost of their lives. Such fanatic devotion was not easy to eliminate, and it would be difficult to predict the actions of such a group.
