Keep in mind, this is still a rough draft (none of the book has gone through my editor yet). But you can assume that it's not too far from the finished product. Please post comments and let me know what you think!
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Chapter One: Other Realms
The air was heavy. It almost felt
thick as Adesina breathed it in, and it had a strongly herbal scent.
It had been mere minutes earlier
that she had been in Zonne—the great desert continent—high atop Daemon Mount
where there stood a magical gateway between realms. Now she found herself on
the opposite side of the Threshold, standing in a world far from her own.
Adesina barely noticed the
strangely heavy air, and she paid no attention to her alien surroundings.
Instead, her eyes were fixed on the angelic woman standing before her.
The woman’s name was Sitara, and
she was the leader of the Serraf—an immortal race of women with magical
abilities.
Sitara greeted Adesina with a warm
and musical voice. “Welcome, She Who Was Born on the
Threshold. We have been waiting for you.”
“You have?” was Adesina’s baffled
reply.
Sitara inclined her head and a lock
of dark wavy hair brushed her round cheek. “Yes, we have been waiting for
centuries for your arrival. Your birth was foretold by the Ancients, and now
you are here.”
Adesina’s mind was a muddle of
confusion. “My birth…?”
“I suppose I should say your rebirth,” corrected Sitara.
The haze in Adesina’s thoughts
cleared, and the memories of her journey flashed through her mind.
She had traveled to Daemon Mount in
pursuit of her kidnapped husband, and she had fought obstacle and demon alike
to reach the Threshold. Adesina had released L’iam from the spell that
imprisoned his mind and had taken his place as the sacrifice to open the
gateway between realms.
“I died,” stammered Adesina.
Sitara nodded calmly. “Yes, but
surely you did not think that death was the end.”
“No,” Adesina answered slowly. “I
know that our spirits live on. But I am not a spirit. My body still lives.”
Sitara smiled. “Mortal life is like
a line from birth to death, but eternity is as a circle—always returning to its
source. You have stood on the brink of eternity, and have returned to your
beginning.”
“Are you saying that she has become
immortal?” asked Ravi sharply.
Adesina glanced at the enormous
feline that served as her guardian. She and Ravi had been Joined during their
recent journey, which meant they could feel each other’s emotions—among other
things. Adesina sensed a deep concern attached to his question, but she did not
fully understand why.
Sitara tilted her head slightly to
the side. “No Serraf is ever born mortal.”
A jolt of shock and disbelief came
from both Ravi and Adesina, leaving them feeling shaken from the strength of
the joint emotions.
“A Serraf?” asked Adesina faintly.
Sitara’s purple and gold eyes
searched the face of the young woman before her. “You willingly gave your life
to save your husband and your world. Your actions awakened the gift of your
heritage—your vyala in its purest
form. The part of you that is human died to bring to pass the desire of your
heart, and the part of you that is Serraf was transformed by the connection to
true vyala.”
Adesina had spent the last six
years studying vyala—the magic of her
people—but there was still so much that she didn’t understand. She grasped at
the parts of Sitara’s statement that she did comprehend.
“My vyala saved my life?”
The leader of the Serraf shook her
angelic head. “Adesina the human died on the Threshold.”
“And Adesina the Serraf was born,”
Ravi’s deep voice finished gravely.
Adesina took careful stock of her
personal well being. She did not feel any different. She did not feel weak or
ill, as one might expect after…dying. In fact, she felt wonderful. She felt
well rested and strong—incredibly strong.
Too
strong for any mortal, came Ravi’s grim assessment through their Joining.
Adesina’s pulse quickened with fear.
“What does this mean for me?”
Sitara reached out a gentle hand.
“Do not be afraid, young one. You have simply passed from one state of being to
another. You are still you.”
“Is she?” questioned Ravi. “Would I
not be different if I suddenly became human?”
“You were not born to be human,”
reasoned Sitara calmly. “Whereas Adesina was born to be a Serraf.”
“How can that be possible?” asked
Adesina. “I do not see other L’avan being transformed into Serraf.”
Sitara’s purple and gold eyes were
serene. “They are not you. Everything that has happened in your life has led
you to this path. This transformation is the culmination of every choice you
have ever made.”
Adesina’s brow furrowed in thought.
“What if I had made different choices? Would I have not been transformed?”
Sitara lifted a shoulder in a
slight shrug. “There is no way to know such a thing. All I know is that you did make the choices that have brought
you here.”
Adesina gave a heavy sigh. “Well,
what now? What does it mean that I am a Serraf? Do I just stay here with you?
What about my people and my home?”
Sitara shook her head. “Your birth
is only the first in a series of vital events that are required to save your
world. The time for waiting is over.”
Ravi cocked his head to the side.
“Do you know of another way back to our world? Adesina sealed the Threshold of
Zonne, and it cannot be reopened.”
A lock of Sitara’s dark hair fell
across her face as she lowered her head. “That Threshold is my greatest
failure. I did not properly protect the Immortals from being drawn in when it
was opened, and I did not have the chance to close it fully before we became
trapped. Cha-sak and his followers have fought to control that Threshold for
centuries. I knew I could not attempt to open that gateway as long as they were
there, so I began to work on opening a different Threshold.”
“Did you succeed?” asked Ravi.
The leader of the Serraf slowly
shook her head. “The Creator told me that it was not time to open that
Threshold.”
Adesina felt a jolt of surprise.
“You talked to the Creator?”
A hint of a smile touched Sitara’s
lips. “Of course. Why does this surprise you?”
The young woman struggled to find
her words. “I guess…it is because I have never heard of the Creator speaking to
anybody. I did not know that there was any real…proof…of the Creator.”
“Do you require proof?”
Adesina’s face flushed in
embarrassment. “Well, no…”
There was a time when Adesina would
have demanded proof before believing anything, but that had changed during her
time with the L’avan. She knew now that there were some things that were beyond
mortal logic.
Sitara’s expression softly changed
from amused to kindly. “The Serraf are the handmaidens of the Creator. It is
our privilege to receive direct communication.”
Ravi, on the other hand, continued
to look vastly amused. “Perhaps you should have paid more attention to the mythology of the L’avan.”
Adesina shot him a sharp glare
before turning back to Sitara. “Did the Creator tell you when it would be time
to open that Threshold?”
“Yes—when She Who Was Born on the
Threshold stands before it.”
Adesina made an impatient gesture.
“Well then, let us not waste any more time! Show us the way to the Threshold so
we can return to our world.”
Sitara nodded calmly. “I will do as
you request, but first we must meet with the Council.”
Ravi frowned. “Why?”
“Because it is required,” was her
enigmatic reply.
The Serraf leader turned and walked
out of the cavern where Adesina and Ravi stood. She did not turn to see if she
was being followed.
Adesina stood for a moment,
irresolute.
We
cannot find the Threshold on our own, Ravi reminded her gently through
their shared thoughts.
I
know, but I hate to delay any longer than necessary.
Her feline guardian smiled. Then consider this a necessary delay.
Adesina frowned in annoyance, but
hurried after their guide.
Her sight was dazzled by the bright
sunlight of the outside world. She shielded her eyes as they adjusted. She took
note of the heavy herbal scent of the air, but didn’t find it unpleasant.
Adesina couldn’t help but stare at
the alien appearance of the world she had entered. There was no grass on the
ground, but a thick moss that was a brilliant violet color. The sky was not
blue, but pink like a sunrise. There were a handful of shrubberies nearby that
were yellow, and the stream that trickled by was a vivid green.
Other than the outcropping of rock
where the Threshold cave was located, there were no hills or mountains in
sight. There weren’t any trees or buildings either. Everything appeared to be
either flat or low-standing.
Adesina noticed that there were no
other people in sight and she frowned thoughtfully. Sitara was walking down a
worn path on dirt that was a glittering black. Adesina rushed to catch up to
the Serraf.
“I thought you said that this
Threshold was controlled by demons.”
Sitara inclined her head. “It was.
Once Cha-sak crossed over into your world, the others abandoned it. The Threshold
had served its purpose, and they saw no value in maintaining control over it. I
have been watching this Threshold for a long time, and when I saw the demons
leave I knew that your arrival was near.”
“So you came to greet us,” finished
Ravi.
Sitara nodded. “Yes. I sent my
Rashad companion to gather the Council, and I came to act as your guide.”
“How far away is the Council from
the other Threshold?” asked Adesina impatiently.
Sitara did not slow her step. “Not
far. The Council meets in a valley along the way. This realm is not large, and
the two points that connect this world to yours are both on this narrow section
of the continent. The Immortals created settlements farther west.”
“I do not see any buildings,”
observed Ravi.
The Serraf leader inclined her
head. “It has never been our intention to stay in this realm. We have made no
permanent changes to a world where we are merely visitors.”
“You have been here for hundreds of
years,” pointed out Adesina.
“Our lives are endless,” reminded
Sitara. “A few centuries mean little. Also, time appears to be different in
this realm.”
Adesina felt her chest constrict
with apprehension. “What do you mean?”
“Time appears to be slower here
than in the other world.”
The cold feeling of dread rolled
out from Adesina’s heart in chilling waves. She had been in this realm for less
than an hour, but how much time had passed in her own world?
“How much slower?” she asked fearfully.
Sitara walked on with a calm and
stately step. “I do not know. I have never had the means to measure it with any
accuracy.”
Ravi’s brow furrowed. “But you are
saying that a minute here could mean hours in our world. Or days, or weeks.”
“Yes, that is what I am saying.”
Adesina felt a desire to run back
to the Threshold and pound her fists on the walls until an opening appeared.
“We do not have time to lose,” she pointed out, keeping tight control on the
emotions in her voice. “That demon could be wreaking havoc as we speak.”
“I am aware of that,” responded
Sitara.
The three travelers topped a low hill
and looked down into a small hollow. A crowd of strange and diverse creatures
were gathered there, milling restlessly. Sitara and her companions were
spotted, and word spread among those waiting. A Rashad with an unusually
delicate build and jet black fur separated from the crowd and hurried to
Sitara’s side.
“You were longer than anticipated,”
said the Rashad in a melodious voice. “I was growing concerned.”
Sitara smiled at her feline
guardian. “You knew I was safe, Riel.”
The Rashad shook her head. “None of
us are safe anymore.”
Sitara’s expression became grim,
but she did not respond to Riel’s statement. “Adesina, this is my guardian and
companion, Riel. She is the leader of the Rashad, just as I am leader of the
Serraf. Riel, this is Adesina, the Threshold Child.”
“And this is Ravi, my guardian,”
Adesina added.
Ravi had lowered himself into the
feline equivalent of a bow. “Lady Riel, I am deeply honored.”
Riel looked at him with interest.
“I see that you are the leader of our mortal brothers and sisters.”
“I am next in line to lead my
people,” corrected Ravi humbly.
Riel nodded thoughtfully. “We shall
talk later. For now, the Council awaits.”
The four of them walked down the
gentle slope to the hollow below. Adesina counted three dozen Council members, not
including Sitara. All eyes were fixed on Adesina as she approached.
Sitara led them to the center of
the crowd, and the Council members seated themselves formally.
“Sitara, Handmaiden of the Creator,
name the one whom thou hast brought before the Council,” commanded a clear and
ringing voice.
Adesina turned and recognized the
willowy figure she had seen in her Dreams in the desert of Zonne. It was
Toraun, the leader of the Immortal Council. His golden hair and pointed face
were untouched by age, and his four arms were folded across his chest in a
stance of strength. However, his eyes were weary with many years and many
trials.
Sitara placed a soft hand on
Adesina’s shoulder. “I present to the Council Adesina, the Threshold Child.”
A collective sigh of relief seemed
to pass through those who had gathered.
“At last,” said a large rock-like
creature. “The fulfillment of the prophecy is at hand.”
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