“Healing is about returning harmony
to the body. In this case, you must return harmony to the mind.”
Adesina closed her eyes and focused
on seeing through her
vyala
. There was a looming darkness before her,
streaked with rage and bitterness. The aekuor’s mind appeared tangible, and
Adesina felt that she could reach out and touch it.
She raised her arms slowly, drawing
the darkness closer. It resisted her violently, thrashing and wailing in a
manner that only her mind could hear.
You are in pain
, she called
to it.
Come to me.
The aekuor froze in surprise. It
ceased its attack at stared at her in distrust and confusion.
Zulimar’s voice could be heard
roaring orders to his subordinates, and the crew scrambled about the deck of
the ship to contain the damage that had been inflicted on the
Zephyr
.
The aekuor’s sudden pause in movement spurred the humans to rush forward while
they had the advantage.
“Warn the crew not to do anything
until I give the order,” Adesina told Ravi quickly, and he sped away to carry
out her instructions.
Words?
Adesina was shocked to receive any
sort of communication from the enormous sea serpent. Even though she had been
told that the aekuor was an Immortal, she almost hadn’t believed it.
Yes, I can hear you. You are not
alone anymore.
The aekuor moved its arrow-like
head from side to side.
No. NO! The silence forever.
Forever silent. Death by the humans. Death and alone. Never again the words.
The darkness of the aekuor’s mind
contracted, as if refusing to understand that Adesina existed.
Adesina reached out with her
vyala
and stroked the darkness, as if comforting a child.
You are not alone anymore. We
are here.
A glimmer of light appeared where
Adesina had touched the aekuor’s mind with her
vyala.
Her heart leapt in
her chest as she realized the darkness could be dispelled.
Adesina’s
vyala
wrapped
around the aekuor’s tortured mind, embracing it and whispering to it softly.
We are with you. We love you,
and will not leave again.
Something began to happen to
Adesina’s
vyala
. She did not fully understand it, but she knew that she
had felt it before. The power of her magic burned it her veins, just as it had
when she had transformed into a Serraf. The mind of the aekuor was caught up in
the warmth of the power, and it began to change as well.
The
vyala
surged around them
like a whirlwind of fire, and Adesina heard the crew of the
Zephyr
begin
to murmur in apprehension. The magic of the transformation was strong enough
that mortal eyes could see the glow that surrounded Adesina and the aekuor.
Slowly, the darkness of the
aekuor’s mind faded and was replaced with a brilliant entity that sparkled like
a million sapphires. The aekuor’s mind was clear and lovely, like the ocean on
a perfect day. Adesina felt as though she had never seen anything so beautiful,
and she began to weep with the joy.
“You have returned,” said a voice
that was large but incredibly soft.
Adesina looked into the Aekuor’s
yellow eyes and smiled. “Yes, we have returned.”
Sitara reached over to give
Adesina’s hand a squeeze, and the younger woman saw that Sitara was weeping,
too. The joy on her face was mingled with awe.
“You did it, Adesina. You healed
her. She is truly an Aekuor once more.”
Ruon said nothing to Adesina, but
walked to the edge of the ship’s deck and held a hand out to the sea creature.
“Dear sister,” he said quietly.
The Laithur and the Aekuor began to
speak with one another using a series of whistles and clicks. Adesina did not
know what they were saying, but she sensed that the reunion was meant to be
private. She turned to Captain Zulimar with a weary smile.
“It seems we found a miracle after
all, my friend.”
Zulimar placed his hands on
Adesina’s shoulders and reverently kissed her on the forehead. “You are our
miracle, Mistress Adesina. You have saved us twice over, and I can never repay
such a debt.”
Satosh approached them with an
expression of incredulity on his face. “How is any of this possible? You appear
in the middle of the ocean with…” he gestured to Ruon’s obviously nonhuman
form, “creatures of myth, and you tame a sea monster and teach it to speak. You
defy everything that I think I know!”
Adesina laughed at his words, and
quickly made introductions. She smiled at Zulimar and Satosh’s faces when she
informed them that they were in the presence of a Serraf and a Laithur.
“You must forgive us, my lady,”
Satosh stammered to Sitara. “We have always believed that the Serraf were
nothing more than stories.”
Sitara gave them her loveliest smile.
“I understand.”
Ruon finished his conversation with
the Aekuor and walked over to them. “Her name is Kai,” he said to Adesina. “She
has agreed to escort us to our destination, wherever that may be.”
The young woman turned to her
seafaring friends. “Where are we? Are we close to Sehar?”
Captain Zulimar gave a slight
shrug. “With fair winds we are about a week away from Sehar’s northern cliffs.
However, Emerald Harbor is the only port that remains unopposed, and that is
much farther away.”
Ravi’s eyes narrowed. “Unopposed?”
“Because of the Scepter of
Cha-sak,” Zulimar replied.
Adesina didn’t understand the
meaning of those words, but they still sent a chill through her blood. “What is
the Scepter of Cha-sak?”
Satosh’s expression was
incredulous. “Have you been hiding in a cave for the last half year?”
Adesina waved an impatient hand.
“Something like that.”
“About two months after we parted
ways in Jame there were rumors of a secret organization that was suddenly
coming out into the open. Some called them the Shimat, others called them the
Scepter of Cha-sak. Members appeared all over the world in the most unlikely
places. Over the course of a few months they congregated in the southern lands
of Sehar and took over the whole nation. There are only two points of entry
allowed by the Scepter—Emerald Harbor and Charan, the Gateway City. Every other
possible entrance to Sehar is blockaded.”
Adesina felt as though an icy stone
had dropped into her stomach. “Satosh…how long has it been since you left us in
Jame?”
Satosh pursed his lips. “Must be
close to nine months now.”
The young woman was speechless. Her
heart plummeted as she realized that her time in the other realm—no more than a
few hours to her—had consumed roughly eight months in her own world.
She couldn’t force herself to
speak, and so Ravi asked the next logical question.
“What about the northern lands of
Sehar?”
“The magic-users’ lands?” clarified
Zulimar. “I hear they are forming some sort of rebellion with the refugees of
the south.”
“Much good it will do them,”
snorted Satosh. “The stories of those who resist the Scepter are the things of
nightmares.”
Adesina and Ravi exchanged worried
glances. “We need to get to Pevothem as soon as possible,” said the Rashad.
“What about Alahn?” asked Adesina,
referring to a city in the northeast of Sehar. “I know it is not built on the
coast, but are there no ports near it?”
Zulimar frowned thoughtfully.
“There are a few fishing villages where we could send you with a rowboat, but
if we were caught by any patrol ships we would be attacked.”
Satosh grinned wickedly. “With an
aekuor to escort us, we could hardly lose such a battle.”
Ruon’s black eyes narrowed. “I
would advise against using Kai for further destruction.”
The first mate of
Zephyr
looked up in surprise. “Why?”
The Laithur’s oval head swayed back
and forth in agitation. “Just because a creature
can
destroy, does not
mean it
should
. Kai’s psyche is still fragile, and using her as a weapon
might be more than she can bear right now.”
Sitara nodded in agreement. “The
Aekuor have always been surprisingly tender creatures.”
Adesina considered their options
before speaking. “We must reach Pevothem without delay. There is a chance we
may not even see a patrol ship. Let us travel toward the villages surrounding
Alahn and hope for the best.”
Ruon’s expression was rebellious,
and Adesina raised a reassuring hand. “I promise you that I will not ask for
Kai’s interference except as a last resort.”
The Laithur gave a curt nod and
turned back to the railing.
Captain Zulimar placed his hand
over his heart in an expression of humility. “We are at your service, Mistress
Adesina. I will make the change in our course immediately.”
Satosh watched his captain walk
away before turning back with a smile. “I will show all of you where you can
rest. I imagine you are weary, and there is someone I am certain would like to
see you.”
He was not mistaken. A blonde
teenage girl ran toward them before they even reached the stairs that led below
deck. She ignored everyone except for Adesina.
“It is true,” she sang with joy. “I
heard that you appeared from the heavens to save us once more.”
Adesina laughed and embraced Suvi
fondly. “Not at all. We might have drowned were it not for
Zephyr
.”
Suvi’s blue eyes sparkled. “How did
you come to be so far out to sea? Did your ship sink? Were you marooned by
pirates?”
“Nothing like that,” chuckled
Adesina. Then she paused as she realized that the truth was even more
spectacular.
“Well,” said Satosh brusquely to
his adopted daughter, “if you are going to insist on swapping tales, I will let
you take our visitors below. Set up some hammocks in the empty storeroom. I
have work to do.”
The little man flashed Adesina a
teasing grin and walked away.
Suvi led the way, but she was
uncharacteristically quiet as she did so. She cast self-conscious glances
toward Adesina’s companions. Though Ruon had remained on deck, Sitara alone was
enough to inspire awe.
“Is the
Zephyr
just coming
from Joura?” prompted Adesina. She remembered what Suvi had told her about the
trade route that
Zephyr
travelled. They usually sailed to Sehar from the
distant land of Joura.
Suvi nodded as she unrolled the
canvas for the hammocks. “We only stayed there long enough to trade and make
repairs, though. Captain Zulimar said it was too dangerous to wait out the
storms in the city, so we found an empty cove and stayed there until the storms
passed.”
“Why would it be too dangerous to
stay in the city?” asked Ravi.
Suvi shrugged. “The captain says it
is dangerous everywhere now. Pa says that a dark cloud has fallen over
humanity.”
The influence of demons is
strong,
thought Ravi through their Joining.
Especially when there is no
force to oppose it.
Adesina’s expression became
determined.
Well, we can oppose it now.
“I have grown quite famous because
of you.”
Suvi’s cheerful voice cut through
Adesina’s grim contemplation.
“How so?” asked the young queen in
surprise.
“That flower you grew for me with
your magic,” explained Suvi, “the seeds are in high demand among sailors. It
uses salt water to grow, so it is convenient for those who do not have fresh
water at their disposal. Also, the flower itself can be used as a pain-soother,
so it has a useful function. They call it Suvi’s Poppy.” The teenage girl’s
face glowed with pleasure.
“That is wonderful,” smiled
Adesina.
With a few deft movements, Suvi
secured the hammocks to the pegs on the walls. “So, where have you been for the
last nine months? Did you find what you were looking for in Zonne?”
Adesina’s thoughts turned to L’iam,
her beloved husband. The purpose of her journey to Zonne had been to rescue him
from Basha, her mortal enemy. Adesina had freed L’iam from the power of the
brainwashing potion that Basha had forced on him, but now she had no idea where
L’iam was or what had happened to him. She had been swept through the Threshold
before she could even really speak to him. Her heart ached with longing for the
man she loved more than anything in the world.
“Yes,” Adesina answered softly. “I
found what I was looking for.”
Suvi seemed to take note of the
sadness in Adesina’s voice. She didn’t press the point any further.
“I suppose you want to rest, and Pa
will get after me if I do not get back to my duties. I will see you at supper?”
The girl’s expression was excited and hopeful.
Adesina nodded. “Yes, of course.”
Suvi grinned. “Good! There are
blankets in that chest in the corner. Let me know if you need anything else.”
The teenage girl left them alone,
and Sitara let out a soft sigh.
“Perhaps it would be a good time to
regenerate our
vyala
. As an Immortal you no longer need sleep, although
you may do so if you wish. It is more efficient to regenerate through
meditation, though. Would you like me to show you how?”
Adesina turned her saddened
thoughts from her husband and back to the present. Sitara’s suggestion brought
a flood of possibilities to Adesina’s mind and she felt a thrill of excitement.
She wondered what other advantages came with her new state of being.
“I would like that very much.”
Basha sat behind the desk in the
office of the Sharifal. The heavy gold chain and pendant worn traditionally
worn by the Sharifal hung around her neck. She knew she should feel
satisfaction from the title she now bore, but these days it was difficult for
her to feel anything at all.
It had been more than six months
since Basha had returned to the Shimat fortress, newly endowed with the powers
of her demon patron. She remembered the exhilaration she had felt when she had
overthrown Signe. She remembered the bloodlust as she had hunted down all those
who had supported the former Sharifal.
But now Basha felt nothing.
Nothing.
It was as if the emotions had been
drained from her very being.
Basha gave a small internal shrug.
It didn’t matter anyway. As a student she had been taught of the dangers of
emotion. It could only be to her advantage to be rid of them.
A shadowy figure moved in the
corner of her eye, and she could see that Cha-sak was gesturing to bring her
attention back to the matter at hand. Her mind had been wandering more and more
over the past few weeks, and she reprimanded herself for losing focus.
Breyen sat in the chair across her
desk. He could not see the demon standing in the room with them—no one could
without Cha-sak wishing them to do so—but Cha-sak’s presence was a powerful
force, and it weighed heavily on those nearby.
Breyen’s face was stony and calm,
but his eyes were fixed on his own clasped hands instead of meeting Basha’s.
Basha’s lips twisted into a sneer
as she recalled their first meeting after she had made her blood contract with
the demon Cha-sak. Breyen had declared that he was taking control of the
splinter group of Shimat, and laughed as he called her a pawn to his own
schemes.
He had not been laughing by the
time Basha was through with him.
Now he never met her eye, never
spoke out of turn. He had witnessed the awful power of her magic, and his
loyalty would never waver again.
Basha reprimanded herself again,
more fiercely this time.
Her mind was wandering again.
“…reports that there are still no
signs of the rebel Shimat. It seems they are doing nothing more than hiding and
waiting. I doubt there are many of them left, and they have proven to be of
little threat. Do you wish to continue searching for them?”
There was a split second of
hesitation as Basha’s eyes flitted to Cha-sak and saw his slight nod.
“Of course I do,” she snapped at
Breyen. “We will not stop hunting them until every last one of them is dead. My
followers must know what happens to those who are disloyal.”
Cha-sak became visible and took one
step nearer to Breyen. The aging man flinched involuntarily as the shadows in
the room took form. The demon had the appearance of a large human made
completely of darkness. Wisps of shadow swirled and roiled off of his being.
His glowing red eyes fixed on Breyen’s cowering form.
Cha-sak’s face bore no features
other than those glowing eyes, yet he still able to express disdain for the
humans in his presence. “Have the remaining members of your order arrived from
abroad?”
Breyen broke out in a cold sweat as
he answered. “Yes, Master. The last group awaits your presence.”
Cha-sak made a small gesture with
his hand, and Basha lurched to her feet as if compelled. The demon’s voice was
filled with primal satisfaction as he spoke. “Let us go, then, to the final
culling.”
***
Cha-sak did not listen as his
servant gave her speech to the humans gathered in the courtyard. He had heard
it before. He had
put
the words into his servant’s mind.
She told the humans of the changes
that had been made and of the absolute power that stood in their future. She
made promises of glory, using her limited magic to dazzle their eyes. And she
warned of what would happen to those who chose to oppose the Scepter of
Cha-sak.
Cha-sak shielded himself from the
sight of the mortals, but let the feeling of his presence flow. They would
sense his power, and their fear would burn his face into their minds. That very
fear would make them more loyal followers than any amount of devotion could.
These Shimat were useful
humans—cold of heart and filled with greed. At first Cha-sak had scorned their
use of his people’s name, but now it seemed somewhat fitting. The humans may
not be true Shimat demons, but they had the same desires and the same
ruthlessness.
His servant’s speech was drawing to
a close. Now came his part.
Cha-sak’s ruby eyes glowed with
power as he looked over the faces of those assembled. He could see their
emotions and intentions as clearly as if they were holding signs.
Most of the humans only showed a
willingness to obey orders. Cha-sak again allowed himself to be pleased at the
lifelong training that had built an army of unquestioning followers for him. He
had expected to be faced with the task of creating a devoted following from
scratch, but here he had found one that was just waiting for the rightful
leader.
Cha-sak continued to study the
crowd.
There were a handful of humans that
showed the flame of enthusiasm and ambition. Cha-sak waved his hand toward
those individuals and a red light hovered over their heads, invisible to all
except for himself and his servant. Those would be the humans that would be put
into a special division and given the more
unusual
tasks.
There were also a handful of humans
whose minds were overshadowed with doubt. Their sense of morality was too rigid
for Cha-sak to find any real use for them. He waved his hand toward those
individuals and a black flame hovered over their heads, once again invisible to
ordinary eyes. They would be separated from the group and executed.
Once Cha-sak had finished, his
servant went to work. She separated the three groups, directing them to
different areas in the fortress. A massive camp had been constructed just
outside the fortress, and tent assignments would be given to the main group.
The humans chosen for the elite division would be given quarters within the
fortress, and the ones to be executed would be led to a room that would be
sealed before filling with poisonous gas.
Cha-sak turned his red eyes to the
weak mortal form of his servant. His expectations of her abilities had never
been more than moderate, but she had proven to be competent in her own way. She
never questioned her orders, which was a valuable trait in itself.
She also seemed to lack a keen
self-awareness, which was valuable to Cha-sak in a very different way.
She hadn’t noticed that her soul
was slowly being leached from her body.
Already her movements were becoming
clumsy and her thoughts were becoming sluggish. It wouldn’t be long until he
had complete control over her.
The conditions of their blood
contract had been rather one-sided, and Cha-sak had made it that way
deliberately. He was required to speak the truth while creating such a
contract, but he had used archaic language and declined to inform her that she
was allowed to question any of the terms. As far as she knew, she was to act as
his anchor to this world, preventing him from being recalled to his former
prison. In return, she was allowed to wield his power as her own.
That was but a fraction of what
their arrangement entailed.
Cha-sak would have smiled if he had
a mouth. This world of mortals was puny and without unity. He would crush
humanity within a year’s time, and all would worship him.
His servant had finished her task
and stood uncertainly, waiting for instructions on what she was to do next.
Cha-sak made a negligent gesture
that sent her striding back to the Sharifal’s tower. She could stay there until
he had use for her again.
The demon used his
vyala
to
float up and stand on the outer wall of the fortress. He looked over the camp
of his followers and gloated silently to himself.
The last of his army had finally
gathered. Now he could begin destroying all who opposed his absolute
rule—starting with that troublesome settlement of L’avan half-breeds.
***
Along the southwestern coast of
Sehar rose a range of mountains with a lake to its east and a forest to its
south. The mountains were rumored to be filled with creatures of nightmare, so
few travelers elected to go in that direction. There were no villages, no
cities. The area had been abandoned by humans for centuries.
Until now.
A humble camp had been built at the
foot of the mountains, amidst the great trees of the forest. The majority of
the occupants appeared to be children and teenagers. There was a handful of
grown men and women supervising the workings of the camp, but the only other
adult was a middle-aged woman with short, raven hair and piercing blue eyes.
She stared at the camp with an
expression of disgust, silently cursing the events that had reduced her to such
lowly circumstances. Once she had been a revered leader of the world’s greatest
warriors and assassins. Now she was little more than a nanny—watching over
children while hiding in the woods.
“Signe?”
The former Sharifal turned to see a
petite young woman approaching her. Signe had to search her memory to recall
the young woman’s name.
“Yes, Lanil, what is it?”
“The sentinel network reports that
a man is approaching the forest. He is wearing the uniform of a Shimat. Shall
we send someone to intercept?”
A sliver of hope appeared in
Signe’s mind. She had been waiting a long time for her loyal followers to
contact her.
“I will take care of it myself,”
she told the young woman. “From which direction is the man coming?”
Lanil pointed east, and Signe gave
a decisive nod.
She left the camp behind, moving
quickly and silently. It had been many years since she had become Sharifal, but
she had lost none of her skill as a Shimat.
After more than half an hour of
travelling through the woods, Signe heard a soft rustle through the trees
ahead. The sound was barely detectible, but her ears were sharp and alert.
Signe dropped to the ground behind a small ridge and waited for the man to pass
by.
Shadows obscured his face, making
it difficult for Signe to identify him. He seemed to sense that something was
amiss, and he slowed to a stop.
Signe studied the strong figure in
the fading light and felt a jolt of shock as she recognized the man.
It was Kendan.
Her mind whirred in a frenzy of
thought as she considered everything she had heard over the past several
months. Her adopted nephew had disappeared a year ago with a valuable Shimat
asset—a Tracker slave. There had been reports of his disloyalty, and Signe had
assumed that he had turned his back on his former life.
But if that were true, why was he
here now?
He had been seen in the company of
the L’avan sorcerers, and yet here he was on his own.
Had he betrayed Signe or had he
been acting as a spy on her behalf?
Signe felt resolution settle into
her mind. She knew her nephew, and he placed a great deal of importance on
their family connection. She could trust in his loyalty based off of that
alone.
She got to her feet and slowly
stepped into his path.
His dark eyes fixed on her and
turned strangely cold. His hands remained loose at his side, but his jaw
clenched with some unexplained emotion.
Signe could see the signs of
independence in his stance. His posture almost spoke of open defiance. She
would have to rein him in immediately and remind him that he owed her his
absolute obedience.
“Kendan,” she said stiffly, filling
her voice with disapproval. “I am surprised you dare face me after all this
time.”
“Are you?” was his soft reply.
Signe kept her face impassive, but
she was astonished by his tone. The two short words sounded like a challenge.
“There have been reports that you
have betrayed the Shimat order. That you have betrayed
me
.” She flung
the accusations at him, trying to knock him off balance enough to put him back
under her control. “I should have you executed.”
There had been a time when such
words would have immediately cowed Kendan. Signe expected him to drop his gaze
in shame and spill forth an explanation of what had happened over the past
year.
Instead, his eyes narrowed.
“You do not seem to be in a
position to do so.”
Doubt began to chill Signe’s mind.
“Have you allied yourself with Basha?” she demanded.
A sneer twisted Kendan’s young
face. “Never,” he spat. “I am finished holding the hand of darkness.”
His words were somewhat enigmatic,
but Signe ignored them for the moment. “Good,” she said shortly. “I would hate
to know that my nephew had turned against me.”
Kendan’s voice rasped as he spoke.
“I am not your nephew.”
Signe had begun to turn away, and
she stopped dead at his words.
“What?”
“You are no family of mine,” he
stated in a steely tone.
The feeling of dread in Signe’s
core was growing. “I do not know what you mean.”
Kendan’s gaze bore into her soul.
“You killed my parents.”
Signe gasped involuntarily, and she
felt the icy fingers of fear close around her heart.