If you haven't read the previous chapters, click here to begin with the prologue or here to read Chapter One.
Chapter Two: Alliances
Adesina felt distinctly
uncomfortable.
Thirty-seven sets of eyes were
fixed on her, as if expecting some sort of speech or ceremonial gesture.
Instead, the young woman stood
still, doing her best to appear calm.
The memory of the prophecy of the
Threshold Child rose up in her mind. When she had first heard it, she had only
been told a portion—the only part known to the L’avan people. Then, through her
visions of the past, she had finally heard the prophecy in its entirety.
Every word was clear to her, as if
seared on her mind.
Thus speaks the Creator—listen well:
Tragic days lie ahead, born
from the pride of my children.
The conflict between Light
and Darkness is far from resolution,
in spite of what may seem to be a reprieve.
The Blood of my heirs shall
be wantonly spilt.
The earth shall cry out in
pain and sorrow.
The benighted years of
silence shall only be broken
when the Child of the
Threshold stands on the brink of eternity—
when a life is freely given
in the purity of love.
Only then will the path leading to the Light
appear.
The Sacrifice will stand as
a bridge between Light and Darkness,
spanning the worlds and
cleansing each of ancient hatreds.
The Sacrifice will bring
both destruction and salvation,
like the purifying flames
of a forest fire.
In the moment of truth, the
Sacrifice shall become the Child of the Threshold,
ushering in the Era of The
Return.
Look, therefore, to the advent of the Threshold Child.
One who is of this people yet not of this people.
One who bears all gifts, Dreams as friends,
sees as the enemy and shall be called the bird of prey.
This is the one who stands on the Threshold of a New World.
This is the one who will save my children from the slow destruction
of their atrophy
and lead them back to the light of their purpose.
Adesina didn’t know what all of the
prophecy meant, but she felt the weight of it on her shoulders. The sense of
responsibility pressed down on her and her mind whirled with feelings of
inadequacy. She was the Threshold Child, and she was meant to do all that was
stated in those divine words.
Sitara broke the uncomfortable
silence. “Adesina, do you know the prophecy of the Threshold Child?”
Adesina nodded.
“Do you understand what it means?”
She shook her head.
Sitara’s tone was solemn. “It means
that we Immortals have lost our way, and the Creator has provided a beacon to
guide us back to our path.”
Adesina frowned. “You mean that I
am the beacon?”
A derisive snort could be heard from
behind Adesina. “Perhaps,” rasped a sibilant voice.
All attention turned to the
speaker, and Adesina turned to see who the dissenter was among the Council.
The owner of the voice was very
tall—Adesina estimated that the top of her head would only reach his lower
chest—and his form was narrow and lithe. His hairless head was slightly oblong
and it was set on the end of a long, snake-like neck. His grey skin shimmered
slightly, like granite, and he wore a flowing robe of dark blue.
The crowd of creatures parted as he
walked forward to stand before Adesina. Some of the members of the Council
seemed to stand up straighter as he passed, as if he lent them greater
strength. Others unconsciously turned their bodies away from him, as if he
carried some loathsome disease.
Adesina noted that the speaker’s
eyes were very small and that his nostrils and ears were no more than slits on
his head.
He spoke again in a voice that bore
the undertones of a hiss, but was quite unlike the sound of any serpent. “You
may give your trust blindly, Serraf, but we Laithur do not. Your desire for the
Threshold Child is so strong that you would grant that name to any newcomer to
this realm.”
Sitara’s expression became frosty.
“And your reluctance for the coming of the Threshold Child would blind you to
any evidence of the truth. Look at her, Brother Ruon. She is a child of
humanity, and yet she has transformed into a Serraf. What more proof do you
need?”
Ruon sneered at Adesina, as though
she were unworthy of standing in his presence. “Much proof is needed before the
Laithur pledge to follow this…being.”
Toraun shifted his weight uneasily
and plucked at his golden beard with two of his four hands. “Brother Ruon, the
days of our trials doth come to an ending. Our numbers dwindle, and it needs be
that all Immortals join hands in friendship. We hath not the luxury of standing
divided at this crucial time.”
Ruon made a sweeping gesture with
one of his long, thin arms. “Well, you will certainly get no cooperation from
the Shimat or those that follow them,” he snapped in irritation. “You are
fortunate that any of the Dark Brethren have attended this meeting today.”
There were several mutters of
approval at his words. Adesina began to notice a division among the Council.
Not one that was purposeful or organized, but the separation between races that
had become natural over countless years. Uneasy or even hostile glances were
exchanged between groups, and they almost stood with their backs to one
another.
Adesina’s eyes darted back to
Sitara, looking for her reaction to this turn of events. The leader of the
Serraf wore an expression on her face that spoke volumes of her reluctance to
have anything to do with the so-called Dark Brethren.
“The followers of Darkness are not
the only ones who have given in to their doubts,” piped up a tree-like
creature. “I do not see the Kiorssan or the Melyd here today. I am certain
there are others missing as well.”
Ruon, who was looking defiant and
confrontational, appeared mollified by that statement. “There are Immortals of
both Light and Dark that have not given heed to the instructions of the
Ancients. I suppose we that remain will have to suffice for what is to come.”
“What isssss to come?” asked an
enormous serpent with feathered wings. Adesina recognized it as a member of the
Qetza race.
Sitara’s voice took on a timbre
that was heavy with meaning. “The arrival of the Threshold Child signals the
end of one era and the beginning of another. She will show us the path that
will lead us back to our true purpose—the one given to us by our creators.”
“And those who have chosen not to
join us here today?” asked a creature that looked like a horse made of flames.
All eyes turned to Toraun, the
apparent Council leader. “They who choose to stay on the lower plane shalt have
no place in the New World. All must ascend to a higher state of being in order
to move forward.”
His statement brought even more
tension to the gathering until it was palpable in the air. Adesina was
impressed that the Council members could come together to form this alliance,
in spite of what was clearly a long-time animosity.
Adesina silently pondered what had been said.
She could safely surmise that Ruon was a demon, and it surprised her to see a
demon at this council. Her eyes turned to the other strange faces that
surrounded her, and she wondered how many of them were also demons.
She couldn’t guess based on
appearances. Cha-sak and the demon Adesina had fought in Zonne had looked evil
in every aspect. She had formed the assumption that demons must look like
monsters. Ruon, however, did not look evil at all—strange, but not evil. There
was a graceful sorrow that surrounded Ruon’s lithe figure, and his small black
eyes glittered with the bitterness of being deeply wronged.
Several of the unusual faces in the
crowd around Adesina appeared to be less interested in the accomplishment of
the tentative alliance and more concerned with what Toraun had just said.
“Are you saying that some of our
brothers and sisters will be left behind?” rasped the rock-like creature.
Toraun spread all four of his hands
in a beseeching gesture. “All hath been extended the invitation to join us on
this day—even our Shimat brethren. The division that wilt take place as the
dawn of the New World ascends will not be of our doing, but of theirs.”
Adesina frowned thoughtfully. How many will be left behind?
Ravi’s mind answered hers. There are thirty-seven races represented
here, and legends tell of one hundred Immortal races being born. There are some
races that are no more, such as the Gaiana. Others, such as the Shimat, have
given themselves completely to Darkness.
The young woman’s frown deepened. And others will simply be left in this
realm, abandoned?
Ravi didn’t appear to have an
answer for her.
Adesina’s attention was caught once
more by the lively discussion of the Council.
“We cannot force anyone to join us, Brother Syss. Individual choice is a gift
of the Light, and to take it away is an act of Darkness.”
Syss, the Qetza representative,
twitched his feathered wings in agitation. “That issss not what I wasssss
sssaying, Ssssissster Chaholand.”
Toraun raised his arms high above
his head and called for silence.
“Please, my brethren and sisters,
let us not quarrel. Our efforts in convincing those absent here shalt double
during what time we have left. For now, there is something of greater import.”
An expectant hush fell over the
Council, and Adesina looked around in confusion. All eyes were once again on
her, riveted on her young face.
Toraun approached her, his willowy
form swaying with a slow grace. Sunlight reflected off of his golden hair and
beard, and the robe he wore was stirred by the breeze. Adesina was surprised as
he drew closer. She expected him to be taller, but his head was even with hers.
Perhaps it was simply magnitude of his presence that made him seem larger.
“All Immortals wert created on the
same day,” said Toraun in a soft voice that was meant only for Adesina’s ears.
“The Blessed Ancients lent their powers to the Creator, and there was a great
celebration of Life when all was completed. On that day, the Creator told of
one final child of the Ancients that wouldst be born—one last Immortal created.
The Creator decreed that this last born Immortal shalt be our leader in our
time of greatest need.”
Toraun’s piercing gaze bore down
heavily on Adesina.
“Thou art that child, Sister Adesina.
Thou shalt be our leader.”
He placed two of his hands on her
head and the other two on her shoulders. He raised his voice as he continued,
so all could hear his words.
“I pledge to thee my life and my
loyalty, so that my strength shall be thine. Thy fate shalt be my own—thy
triumphs my triumphs, and thy failures my failures.”
Adesina felt a rush of warmth surge
from Toraun’s hands and through her body. She felt strangely lighter, as if a
burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
One by one, each of the other
Immortals came forward and recited the same oath while either touching her head
or her shoulders, or both. Each time, Adesina felt the flash of warmth and
lightening of her entire being.
The early ones to follow Toraun
were eager to pledge themselves to Adesina. However, as the faces passed before
the young L’avan woman, they seemed less and less certain in what they were
doing.
When Ruon stood before her, his
small eyes were narrowed with skepticism and he waited long moments before
placing his cold hands on her shoulders.
“I pledge to you my life and my
loyalty, so that my strength will be yours. Your fate will be my own—your
triumphs my triumphs, and your failures my failures.” He removed his hands and
added, “I suppose there are worse things than failing on the side of Light. I
just pray you show more promise in the future than what I see now.”
Adesina’s temper flared and her
fists clenched into balls at her side.
Ravi sent soothing emotions through
their connection. Do not let him bait
you, Ma’eve. He wishes to start a fight.
I
would be happy to grant him his wish, she thought back angrily.
Sitara was the last to stand before
Adesina. Not a trace of doubt darkened her lovely face as she gently laid her
hands on Adesina’s head. All of the negative emotions that swirled inside of
the L’avan woman’s head dissipated with the light of Sitara’s smile.
The Serraf leader spoke the oath
slowly and with purpose. The words somehow took on a new and deeper meaning,
and Adesina felt her vyala swell from
the core of her being.
What
just happened?
Ravi’s mind was just as uncertain
as Adesina’s.
I…think
you have become the leader of the Serraf.
Sitara smiled as if she understood
their thoughts and gave the briefest of nods. Adesina stared at her in
bewilderment.
“And now, little sister, we must
make haste,” said Sitara calmly.
The heads of the Council members
standing around them nodded in agreement.
Adesina frowned slightly. “Where
are we going?”
Sitara’s smile was both sad and
determined. “We are going to win your world back from the Darkness.”
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