Adesina felt her heart warm with
joy when she opened her eyes in the morning and saw L’iam lying next to her.
His breathing was slow and even, and she knew that he was still sleeping.
The young queen gently removed
herself from the bedding and dressed in her former Shimat uniform. The black
leather vest served as light armor, and the rest of the black ensemble was
simple and functional. She made a mental note to have a new outfit made. The
Shimat uniform would serve well when fighting, but Adesina didn’t like the idea
of wearing the same uniform as her enemies.
Dawn was only just breaking as
Adesina exited the tent. Cooking fires were being stoked and sleepy movements
could be seen throughout the refugee camp. Ravi was waiting patiently for her a
short distance away from the tent’s opening.
Silent greetings passed between
them through their Joining. Adesina could feel through their connection that,
although Ravi had spent the previous evening with his family and friends, he
was back to focusing on the upcoming conflict.
Adesina and Ravi walked down the
low hill to the camp below, greeting the L’avan they passed along the way. They
soon arrived at the tent of Adesina’s brother, where her sister-in-law was
preparing some hot porridge.
Wren’na was in the last stage of
her pregnancy, and her face bore signs of weariness. Even so, she gave Adesina
and her companion a glowing smile when they approached.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning, Wren’na,” replied
Adesina. “How are you feeling?”
Wren’na gave a light laugh and
rubbed a hand over her swollen abdomen. “As well as one can expect with this
child feeling the need to dance all night.”
Adesina took a seat on a log by
the fire. “Have you been to a Reader? Do you know the child’s gender and if he
or she has a
dava
?”
When Adesina had first heard of the
idea behind a
dava
, she had been extremely skeptical. A Reader was a
L’avan with an unusually strong gift for sensing a person’s spirit. They could
reveal the gender of an unborn child, as well as things such as potential skill
in certain subjects or personality traits. A Reader could also pair two L’avan
together in a sort of unofficial betrothal. A
dava
was not exactly a
soul-mate, but it was someone that was especially compatible with the child
being Read.
Only about one in ten L’avan
children had a
dava
, and they always were given the choice whether to
marry the one matched to them or not. However, it was rare for a L’avan to
choose to not marry their
dava
—even if they had never met, as in the
case of E’nes and Wren’na.
Adesina had not believed in such a
match working, but that was before she really gotten to know L’iam. He was her
dava
,
and no one could be more perfect for her.
Wren’na picked up a long wooden
spoon and stirred the contents of the pot over the fire. “We were planning to
go to a Reader, but there just has not been much spare time. We will probably
just take the child to a Reader after it is born. In a way, it is fun not
knowing. The gender will be a surprise.”
“Do either of your other children
have a
dava
?” Adesina realized she had never asked.
Wren’na shook her head. “No,
neither En’ver nor R’egina have
davas
, but it is not uncommon for only a
single child in a family to have one. In fact, it is more unusual to see more
than one child in a family have a
dava
.”
“Like myself and E’nes,” said
Adesina.
Wren’na straightened from bending
over the fire and rubbed her lower back. “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I
knew a family with five children, and each of them had a
dava
. And, of
course, I have known several families where none of the children had a
dava
.”
E’nes emerged from the tent,
carrying his two-year-old daughter and followed closely by his four-year-old
son.
“Good morning, Ravi. Good morning,
Adesina,” he said happily. “Should you not be with your husband on your first
day back?”
The young queen waved a hand casually.
“He is sleeping. He needs the rest.”
“That is not to say that I am not
pleased to see you,” reassured her brother. “I just assumed that you would be
busy.”
“Where is the snake man?” asked
En’ver loudly.
Ravi snorted and Adesina did her
best to suppress a grin. “Ruon is not a snake man, En’ver. He is a Laithur.”
The young boy shrugged. “He looks
like a snake man.”
Wren’na’s expression was distinctly
uncomfortable. “Please do not call him that, En’ver. It is not polite.”
“Ruon and the others will join us
when they awaken,” promised Adesina to her nephew.
A disturbance at the edge of the
camp brought Adesina around. A young teenage boy was running in the direction
of the king’s tent. She moved to intercept him, and he saw her with relief on
his face.
“Your Majesty, I was told to stand
guard at the border of the Thieves’ Forest and to report anything unusual.”
Adesina nodded. “What did you see?”
“There was a group of refugees
traveling past. Not coming here, mind you, just going by…”
“What happened?” urged Adesina more
insistently.
The teenage boy pointed back the way
he had come. “Marauders are approaching the refugees, and it looks like there
will be trouble.”
K’eb appeared at Adesina’s side,
ready to receive her instructions.
“Have my horse saddled and round up
any Protectors who are available to come fight.”
K’eb hurried off, and Adesina ran
lightly up the hill to the tent with Ravi at her heels.
L’iam was getting dressed when his
wife entered. “What is happening?”
Adesina explained as she strapped
her Blood Sword to her back. L’iam asked no more questions, but gathered up his
own sword. They exited the tent together and surveyed the gathering L’avan
warriors.
By the time both of the royal
horses were brought, more than a dozen Protectors had responded to the queen’s
call. More were coming, but Adesina sent word that their current numbers should
suffice.
Adesina’s horse, Torith, was
waiting for her. She greeted the black stallion warmly, pleased that he had
been brought back from the desert of Zonne. Adesina quickly mounted and heeled
the horse forward.
The well-trained steed recognized
the atmosphere and was ready to carry his mistress into the fray. Ravi took his
customary place at Adesina’s side, keeping up with the pace easily.
Adesina and L’iam rode side by
side, leading the L’avan Protectors to the rescue of the refugees. She always
remembered that her husband was the king, but he never treated her as anything
other than an equal.
The soldiers galloped through the
thin strip of the woods that were not haunted by the spirits of Immortals,
which had been marked as path lined with white stones by the L’avan. When they
arrived on the other side, they could see the struggle in the distance.
The refugees numbered close to a
hundred, but there were only three wagons and five horses. The men held various
farming tools, brandishing them like weapons, while the women and children
huddled behind them.
A gang of about thirty ruffians
bore down on them on horseback, their rusty and mismatched blades raised with
the intent to kill.
Adesina’s
vyala
lashed out
before she had the conscious thought to use it. It did not act of its own
accord, as it had when she had been fighting it, but it anticipated her desires
and leapt into action.
A flash of light exploded in the
path of the marauders, causing them to slow to a stop as they shielded their
eyes. Adesina’s magically enhanced voice rang out for all to hear.
“Cease your attack and depart in
peace,” she commanded. “All who come here as refugees are under the protection
of the L’avan. Your unlawful actions will not be tolerated.”
This gave the L’avan enough time to
close in on the other two groups. They formed a protective line between the
refugees and the would-be attackers.
An incredibly dirty man at the
front of the ruffians studied the newcomers with apprehension, his eyes
especially lingering on Ravi. But when he saw that he and his fellows
outnumbered the L’avan, his expression changed to disdain.
“This ain’t your business. Move
along or we will kill ye’all, every one.”
“No, you will not,” replied L’iam
pleasantly. “This land has been claimed by the L’avan, and all who travel here
must abide by our laws.”
“Who are the Leven?” drawled a
filthy woman riding an emaciated nag.
“We are the L’avan,” answered
Adesina, “and you shall not harm these people. Leave now.”
“Or what?” sneered the ragged
leader.
“Or you shall regret your decision
for the small remainder of your life,” Adesina’s voice lowered to a tone that
was deadly in its calm.
L’iam’s eyes flickered to his wife
and Adesina felt a twinge of hesitation. It was not easy to overcome the
training she had received as a Shimat, and she still found herself reverting to
their violent tactics from time to time. Normally, the L’avan didn’t like using
intimidation or force to get what they wanted. Adesina, on the other hand, knew
instinctively when talking would be no use and skipped that step altogether.
L’iam had always supported Adesina
in the past, even when he felt she had been too hasty in a decision. She knew
that she had his support in this conflict as well, but she wanted to make sure
that she was not being reckless.
A few mutters arose from the gang
of marauders, and they looked uneasy. The leader turned on them in ire. “What?
Ye think we cannut take them? We have more’n two to their one.”
The reminder of their superior
numbers heartened the ruffians and they readied their weapons once more.
“We will’no leave here, woman,”
said the leader in an arrogant voice. “My fellow tradesmen might’ve left that
there forest, but this area still belongs to us. And as price for yer lip, we
gon’ take yer pretty horses and weapons.”
“D’elan,” L’iam said to the
Protector who was just behind him, “shield the refugees.”
The L’avan soldier acknowledged his
orders and moved into place. The refugees had watched the exchange with fearful
expressions, huddling close together. They did not seem any more trusting of
the L’avan than they were of the marauders.
The gang’s leader narrowed his eyes
and raised his rusty sword. “Let’s get ’em, lads.”
With a raucous cry, the group
surged toward the waiting L’avan.
Adesina drew her Blood Sword,
Falcon. Her
vyala
rose up within her without needing to be summoned, and
the slender blade of her sword burst into magical flames.
During her fight with a demon near
the Threshold, Adesina had discovered that her sword could act as a conduit for
her power. The first time it had happened by accident, and she hadn’t tried to
replicate the result since then.
This time, it happened as soon as
her sword was drawn. Almost as if that fight on the Threshold had changed
Falcon permanently.
L’iam stared at her sword in
amazement, and Adesina guessed that the other L’avan were doing the same. She
gave her husband small smile and urged Torith onward.
Most of the marauders drew their
horses up sharply when they saw Adesina’s flaming sword. Fear was clear in
their eyes, and some of them turned and fled. Even the leader stared in
momentary terror, but then he clenched his jaw and raised his rusty sword a
little higher. “C’mon, ye cowards! Everyone knows that magic-users talk big but
run away in a fight.”
The other ruffians were made bold
by his words, and they rushed forward recklessly.
Adesina vaguely heard L’iam issuing
orders to the L’avan soldiers behind her, but her mind was filled with the
rushing flow of her
vyala
. It would have been easy to lose herself in
the hypnotizing power, but Ravi’s mind kept her safely anchored.
Even so, everything around her
seemed to slow, and she felt strangely detached from the situation.
Adesina raised Falcon to meet the
oncoming sword of the leader. The flames surrounding her blade formed into
wings as she brought the sword down in a powerful blow. The air whistled with
the speed of the sword’s movement, and it almost sounded like a falcon’s cry.
There was a flash of light as her
sword made contact, and her enemy’s rusty blade exploded into dust.
His face turned deathly white
beneath the filth, his eyes wild with fear. In an act of desperation, he drew
the dagger sheathed at his waist and tried to plunge it into her raised arm.
Adesina’s
vyala
acted
without her needing to give it conscious instruction. It hardened her skin
against the blow and filled her arm with the same energy that resided in Falcon,
causing the marauder’s dagger to turn to dust as well.
This was too much for the ruffian,
and he wheeled his horse around and fled in the opposite direction.
The clang of swords reached
Adesina’s ears, and she saw the Protectors engaged in fighting the other
troublemakers. Even without Adesina’s show of power, the other L’avan were
meeting their opponents with ease.
Adesina turned Torith to meet
another enemy, much with the same result. Her
vyala
swept before her,
acting in anticipation of her desires. She hardly had to use her sword at all.
Her very presence caused her enemies to flee.
In another moment, the would-be
robbers were all riding away as fast as their horses could take them.
Adesina reined Torith to a stop,
breathing hard and struggling to bring her
vyala
back to a normal level.
Once again, she used Ravi’s mind to anchor herself. Her
vyala
became
more manageable, and Adesina was able to ease control.