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.”
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?”
Sitara’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.
“How would we get a message to you
when the time came to act?” she asked him.
Maizah, who had been keeping to the
side of the tent, stepped forward and pointed to herself.
Kendan looked at her and nodded in
approval. “Yes, Maizah will be able to sense when your battle with Cha-sak
begins.”
Adesina looked at L’iam, who
inclined his head.
“It does seem like the best option
we have.”
Adesina agreed. “Very well, we will
retreat to the Thieves’ Forest to make our stand against the Shimat army.
Kendan and Maizah will join the Shimat and position themselves as close to
Basha as possible.”
She went on in her mind.
And I
must find a way to move the spirits that inhabit the forest without harming
them, as well as figure out a way to defeat a demon of incredible power.
Ravi’s wry voice came to her
thoughts through their Joining.