For those of you who haven't read the previous chapters, start here.
Chapter Four: Lake Breezes
They rode directly east from the L’avan settlement, which caused
Adesina to frown in suspicion. Ri’sel’s report had indicated that they would
pick up L’iam’s trail if they went south. She studied Maizah’s aura, and could
see no indication that she was using her special skills to track the captured
king.
With each passing league, Adesina grew more impatient with the
apparent waste of time and energy. Than’os and Mar’sal glanced at her with
questions in their eyes at the direction they were riding, and Adesina had no
reassurance to give.
When they stopped for a break at midday, she confronted Kendan.
“You are not searching for my husband. We are nowhere near where L’iam was
taken, and Maizah is not tracking anyone.”
“You are correct,” was Kendan’s simple reply.
The young queen felt her temper flaring up. “Then where are we
going?” she demanded.
A hint of a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, and Adesina
could tell that he was toying with the idea of goading her further. Her temper
had always been a weakness, and his attempts to teach her control had been in
vain. He decided against it after a moment, however, and gave a direct answer.
“There is one more person that we need in our party before we have any chance
of success in rescuing L’iam.”
“Whom might that be?” asked Ravi as he settled on his haunches
next to Adesina.
Kendan’s expression became carefully neutral. “There is a small
post in a village where we can find someone with unique expertise.”
Adesina rolled her eyes. “Very specific.”
Ravi studied him narrowly. “A small post? Do you mean a Shimat
post?”
There was a slight pause. “Yes.”
The Rashad’s eyes flashed dangerously. “And you are only telling
us now?”
He shrugged casually, but his expression was uncomfortable. “You
asked for my aid, and I am giving it. I did not deem it necessary to share
every single detail.”
Adesina folded her arms across her chest and glared. “No, you offered your help and we agreed to let
you come along!”
Ravi was more concerned with other things. “Our intention was to
rescue King L’iam without engaging the Shimat directly. How do you expect us to
walk into a Shimat post without any confrontation?”
“There is no need for worry. I have a plan,” insisted Kendan.
“I disagree,” returned the large feline. “A reckless plan is worse
than no plan at all.”
Kendan’s dark eyes became hard, and his handsome features looked
as if they had been chiseled from a block of ice. “If you do not wish to come
with me, I am quite willing to part ways here.”
The man got to his feet and walked away, leaving the young queen
and her guardian to stare after him. Adesina had rarely seen him with his
emotions so close to the surface, and she was surprised to see it now. It was
clear that there was something bothering him, but she was tempted to call his
behavior petulant.
She turned to her guardian and spoke quietly. “Should we go pick
up L’iam’s trail on our own or trust in Kendan’s plan?”
Ravi frowned thoughtfully. “I would feel better about making such
a decision if I knew what that plan entailed.”
“Well, he seems to be intent on keeping it a mystery for now.”
“Which makes his plan seem suspicious,” pointed out Ravi. “I am
not feeling very trusting of him in general, and this does not help the
situation.”
Adesina gave a frustrated sigh. “I suppose I can understand the
decision, even if I do not agree with it. He has been a Shimat for a long time,
and it is difficult to let such practices go.”
Ravi was silent for several moments as he considered their
options. “I feel that Maizah will be very important in our search, and I doubt
that she would leave Kendan without a direct order from him.”
The young queen nodded thoughtfully. “I believe that you are
right. However, we will need a plan of our own, in the event that things do not
go as we would hope.”
Her guardian gave a small grunt, and the two of them walked over
to where Kendan was preparing his horse to leave again.
“We will go with you for now,” announced Adesina, “but know that
we will not hesitate to leave your company if your plan proves to be too
dangerous.”
Her former teacher’s expression remained cold. “You may do as you
please.”
The group continued to ride east, with very little deviation.
Kendan was silent and withdrawn, and the others made no effort to draw him out.
The L’avan didn’t trust his intentions, and he did nothing to assuage their
concerns.
They saw a number of farming communities and small villages, but
they kept a wide berth from civilization in general. After a while they began
angling south, toward two large lakes that could be seen far in the distance.
On their fifth day of steady riding, the L’avan noticed they were
headed for a group of buildings that might have been large enough to be called
a town. It was situated on the banks of the smaller of the two lakes, not far
from the river that fed both bodies of water. Kendan made no effort to alter
their course, so it was assumed by the other travelers that this was their
destination.
Adesina spoke quietly to her guardian. “Ravi, perhaps it would be
wise for you to become invisible while we are in town.”
He nodded. “I agree.”
Kendan glanced over at them and asked in a casual voice, “So…you
can become invisible whenever you wish?”
The Rashad’s tone became slightly stiff, but he answered. “It is a
gift of my race. We can choose who sees us and who does not.”
“How is that possible?”
“Magic,” stated the large feline.
It was clear that Ravi did not wish to discuss it further, so
Kendan stopped asking questions. Still, his eyes kept darting back to the
Rashad, as if hoping to see for himself how it worked.
They reached the town just as the sun was beginning to set, and
Kendan led the group to a modest inn. The proprietor was a robust woman with
coppery hair and a wide grin. Distrust flashed through her blue eyes as she
spotted the L’avan and her smile faded, but she greeted them politely.
“Welcome to Lake Breezes, the best inn in the whole of Sister
Lakes. How may I assist you?”
“We would like a warm meal and some rooms, if there are any
available,” said Kendan calmly. He gave a small smile, and the innkeeper found
herself staring at his handsome face.
“Of course!” she blurted. “Please be seated, and I will bring it
to you myself.”
Than’os and Mar’sal sat on either side of Adesina, their eyes
searching the room for any signs of danger. Ravi—now invisible to anyone
outside of their party—sat in a corner, where he would not be inadvertently
stepped on, and kept an eye on Kendan to make sure he did nothing to jeopardize
the mission. Maizah stared at the floor with no expression on her face, and
Kendan continued to ignore his companions.
The innkeeper brought heaping plates of venison and fried
potatoes, for which they thanked her sincerely. None of them were especially
talented cooks, and living off of traveler’s bread and dried provisions quickly
lost appeal.
Than’os fixed his piercing eyes on their guide as soon as they
were left alone. “So? Is our mysterious ally in this town?”
Kendan placed a piece of potato in his mouth and chewed it slowly
before answering. “I have reliable information that indicates so.”
Than’os had rather sharp features, but his look of incredulity
made them look even more pinched. “You mean you do not know for certain?”
Mar’sal pulled at his large nose in agitation. “We will have
wasted the better part of two weeks for nothing if you are wrong about this,
Shimat.”
Kendan continued to eat his meal methodically. “I am aware of
that, magic-user. But I doubt that I am wrong.”
“What if you are?” asked Adesina.
His frigid black eyes wavered for the first time as he looked at
her youthful face. “Then I will turn Maizah over to your care and cease to
interfere.”
Mar’sal muttered to himself, “In that case, I hope you are wrong.”
Than’os gave a fierce grin and chuckled softly in agreement.
Adesina, on the other hand, wore a worried frown. She wasn’t sure she trusted
Kendan, but it would be incredibly valuable to have his help for this mission.
It had been more than six years since she had been given proper
Shimat training, and three years since she had taken part in any regular
military training at all. She had been an integral part of reforming the L’avan
military training program, but after she had finished teaching all of the
instructors she had become preoccupied by other matters—namely her wedding and
all of the duties that came with being queen.
She had done her best to stay physically fit, but if it came to
any sort of confrontation with the Shimat, she would need every bit of help she
could get. Especially if that help had Shimat training as well.
Adesina took a deep breath. “What is the next step in the plan?”
“I will go out tomorrow and contact the Shimat who are posted
here. Any additional information we need can be found through them.”
“Will they be hostile towards us?”
“No,” Kendan replied coolly, “because you are not going with me.”
Three sets of L’avan eyes locked on him.
“That is out of the question!” hissed Mar’sal. “The last thing we
need is for you to use your fellow assassins to set a trap for us!”
Kendan gave him a withering look. “If I was going to set a trap, I
would have done it before coming to your camp.”
The young woman shook her head decisively. “I am not letting you
out of my sight while we are here.”
“You would risk the entire mission by parading your L’avan
features all over town? It is dangerous enough that we have been seen at this
inn.”
“I have no intention of parading
anything,” she answered shortly. “There are ways to disguise the way I look.”
“Using magic?” he inquired.
Adesina gave a single nod. “I can create an illusion around myself
to change how I appear to others.”
His expression became skeptical. “If your people have this
ability, then why do they not use it every time they deal with those that
distrust magic-users?”
Than’os answered, his eyes fixed on his queen in apprehension.
“Because it is difficult to do for more than a few minutes. Those that wish to
sustain it must focus all of their attention on doing so. They cannot use their
vyala for any other purpose while
they maintain the illusion.”
She waved a hand impatiently. “I am sure I can maintain the
illusion without any problem.”
“But you can only do so for yourself,” pointed out Than’os. He
gestured to his own metallic, dark red eyes with a ring of dark green near the
iris, and then to Mar’sal’s dark blue eyes with a wedge of pale yellow.
“Neither of us have that ability, and it would be too great a strain for you to
give all of us different appearances.”
“Then I will go with Kendan and the rest of you will stay here.”
Mar’sal’s boyish face twisted in anxiety. “Adesina,” he said
quietly, knowing better than to use her royal title while on a mission, “your
brother made us swear an oath to stay with you and protect you.”
She chuckled fondly. “I do not doubt that he did. That does not
change our situation, though. Kendan cannot go alone, and I can only disguise
myself.”
“I will go with Ma’eve and Kendan,” said Ravi, “and the two of you
will stay here with Maizah. You will wait two hours for us. If we do not return
in that time, you will take the Tracker and continue the search for L’iam.”
“What if she refuses to follow our instructions?” asked Than’os.
“Kendan will order her to do so,” was the simple reply.
Adesina studied her former teacher. “Will you?”
She could see his mind working out the advantages and
disadvantages of this plan by the flash in his dark eyes. He hesitated for only
a moment before nodding once.
“Very well.”
No one seemed completely satisfied with the arrangement, but it
was a compromise that they could all agree to. They finished their meal in
silence, and then followed the innkeeper to their rooms.
Adesina and Maizah shared a room, and the men shared another. The
young queen was grateful for a silent companion. She was not feeling very
sociable, and it was a relief to simply go to bed and try to organize the chaos
in her troubled mind.
Adesina removed her boots and let down her hair, thinking over the
past few days. It had not been too long ago that her primary concerns were
about building materials and sugar rations. Now those domestic affairs were far
from her thoughts.
Perhaps it was too much to hope for a normal life—even for a short
period of time.
She knew that her future would be filled with conflict and
sacrifice—after all, she had accepted the role of Threshold Child, and that
would not be an easy path. Still, her heart longed for a reprieve.
L’iam had promised her that someday they would live in peace and
prosperity. He had spoken of an end to the Shimat and the thriving of the
L’avan. Most of all, he had painted a picture in her mind of the happy days
they would share together, basking in the love that continued to grow between
them.
Adesina sighed deeply and closed her eyes.
She prayed that such dreams were still possible.
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