The Labyrinth of Destiny (15 page)

Satosh sat on the deck of the
merchant vessel
Zephyr
, staring moodily at the abandoned docks of
Emerald Harbor. A year ago the city docks had been bustling with trade, and now
there was no one in sight other than the dock keeper.
Zephyr
was the
only ship in the entire harbor.

“Pa?”

The little man turned toward his
adopted daughter. Her face was losing its girlishness, and he felt a pang as he
realized she was becoming a woman. Worry filled her blue eyes, and she took his
hand as if seeking reassurance.

“Is there any trade here, Pa?”

Satosh shook his head. “No, Suvi.
There is no one here to trade with us. The merchants have left this city.
Perhaps they have even left the country, trying to escape the Scepter of
Cha-sak.”

Suvi’s normally cheerful face was
forlorn. “What are we going to do?”

Satosh shrugged. “Move on, I
suppose. The captain is talking to the dock keeper to see if there is anyone in
the actual city who might be interested in trading with us, but we may have to
change our trade route until the war here is over.”

Zephyr
had been on the same
trade route ever since Satosh had joined the crew. They started in Joura, where
they purchased a special type of stones that purified water for drinking. Then
they sailed to Sehar, where they could buy dyes, dried produce, and small
livestock. From there they sailed to Zonne, where they sold all of their stock
and bought rare spices. Then they sailed back to Joura to sell the spices and
wait out the stormy season.

It was a good life, and Satosh had
enjoyed it thoroughly. He was saddened that it was all changing now.

There were other ports where they
could buy dried produce and small livestock, but Emerald Harbor was the only
place one could find the vivid green dye derived from the aquatic plants that
grew in the harbor. It was one of the few reasons merchants ventured to Sehar
at all. Losing access to that dye would cut into the profits of
Zephyr
considerably.

Satosh muttered a curse under his
breath.

Some wars brought great
opportunities for merchant ships, while others brought only misfortune. This
war in Sehar appeared to be the latter. What did the Scepter even hope to
accomplish? Sehar was a nation that was barely holding on to life. It was
insignificant when compared to other nations. Why would a radical group want
control of it so badly?

Satosh was an amateur historian of
sorts, and his knowledge of past events told him that there could really only
be one reason for a group like the Scepter of Cha-sak to seize control of a
country like Sehar. The action only made sense if they planned to use Sehar as
a staging ground for further conquest.

Satosh shivered with apprehension.

Suvi looked at him with her brow
furrowed. “What is it, Pa?”

He tried to look more carefree than
he felt. “Nothing, little one. Just a chill.”

She seemed satisfied by his answer,
but Satosh was more concerned than before. Suvi was so trusting and so
innocent. What was he going to do if the war in Sehar spread? Could he protect
her from the violence and despair that would spread with it? He honestly didn’t
believe he could.

Suvi’s parents had been best
friends with Satosh, and it had seemed natural for him to take care of the
child when they died. It was easy for Satosh to forget that Suvi had been
adopted, because she often felt like his own flesh and blood. He certainly
couldn’t have loved her more if she had been. He had promised to keep her safe
and happy, and he would gladly give his life if he could guarantee that for
her.

But in war there were never any
guarantees.

The dark musings in Satosh’s mind
were interrupted by an alarm bell tolling in the city. The citizens of Emerald
Harbor—those who had not fled from the rumors of impending violence—began to
shout in panic and point toward the sea.

Satosh and Suvi both turned to see
the cause of such fear.

A giant, arrow-shaped head was
rising out of the water, followed by a snake-like body with a sharp ridge down
its back. Its metallic blue scales glinted in the sunlight, and its yellow eyes
surveyed the land before it.

Satosh swore in shock. “What is an
aekuor doing this close to land?” he gasped.

They were all doomed.

Satosh knew this with every fiber
of his being. There was no chance to defeat an aekuor, even with the help of an
entire city. He had only seen an aekuor defeated once, and that had been done
with an incredible amount of magic.

The enormous sea monster came to
the edge of the inlet and paused, as if waiting for something. It made no
sound, nor any aggressive movement.

“What is it doing?” Satosh wondered
aloud.

The terror on Suvi’s face slowly
changed. “Pa, is that…Kai?”

Hope surged through Satosh as he
recalled the events of the journey to Sehar. He had almost convinced himself
that it hadn’t happened. After all, who had ever heard of a tame aekuor?

Captain Zulimar had rushed aboard
his ship at the first sign of trouble, and he heard Suvi’s tentative question.

“If it was a normal aekuor, it
would have attacked by now. Perhaps you are correct,” he mused.

Satosh turned to the captain. “What
should we do?”

Zulimar rubbed his chin. Satosh
knew there was a great amount of risk involved in this decision. If the aekuor
was not Kai, it would kill them all without hesitation.

“Call the crew to their posts.”

Satosh obeyed immediately. He ran
up and down the deck, calling the crew and shouting orders.

Zephyr
was underway in
little time. They sailed cautiously away from the harbor and through the inlet.
The crew followed their orders, but they alternated between staring at their
captain and the fierce creature ahead.

Captain Zulimar appeared completely
calm and confident. Only Satosh could see his large, dark hand gripped tightly
in a fist.

The aekuor watched the ship
approach and remained as still as possible. This made Satosh feel more
confident that it was, in fact, the aekuor that had been tamed.

As they drew closer, the aekuor
spoke in a gentle voice. “Captain Zulimar, I am Kai, the Aekuor who was healed
by the Lady Adesina.”

Zulimar walked to the railing and
called back to the giant creature. “I remember you. Why have you come so close
to the land?”

“I have brought a message for you from
Lady Adesina.”

Kai opened her mouth, revealing
rows of razor-sharp teeth. The crew of
Zephyr
gasped in habitual fear,
but the Aekuor only lowered her head and let something fall softly onto the
deck.

Captain Zulimar went to retrieve it
himself, and he held it up for closer examination. Satosh recognized it as the
pendant that Zulimar used to wear at all times. He had given it as a gift to
Adesina after she had saved their lives the year before.

“The L’avan are preparing to go to
war with the Scepter of Cha-sak, and their position is a precarious one. They
are at great risk of running out of supplies once the army of the Scepter cuts
them off. Lady Adesina asks that the
Zephyr
act as their supply line and
bring in goods through the northern coast.”

Zulimar held the pendant in a
closed fist and placed it over his heart. “I would be glad to repay a portion
of the debt that I owe, but this task is not possible. The northern coast of
Sehar consists of impassable cliffs and treacherous waters. How can we deliver
the goods?”

“I will help you,” assured Kai. “If
you bring the supplies as close as safety allowed, I will meet you there with a
large raft that I can tow to the base of the cliffs. I will lift the raft as
far as I can, and the L’avan can use their powers to lift the goods the rest of
the way.”

Satosh felt Suvi’s slender hand
take his. Excitement was shining in her eyes.

“We will get to help Adesina, Pa.”

The little man couldn’t help but
grin as well. “Yes, we will.”

Captain Zulimar gave a decisive
nod. “Time to get to work, lads,” he called to the crew. “We have a long
journey ahead.”

***

E’nes sighed deeply as he packed up
his saddle bags. It had been just over two weeks since he had left on this
mission, and he hadn’t been sleeping well the entire time. He was weary and
feeling rather despondent.

Had his wife given birth yet? How
were the war preparations going? How much time was left until the Shimat army
arrived?

Dozens of questions plagued his
mind.

E’nes glanced over at Mar’sal, who
was packing his own bags with a determined expression on his face.

E’nes knew that he was not the only
one to be away from loved ones. Mar’sal was a newlywed now, and his bride was
just as far away as E’nes’s family. Yet Mar’sal had not uttered a word of
complaint as they traveled.

E’nes gave himself a mental shake
and tried to renew his resolve.

There was much to do. Their loved
ones were counting on them.

They had been fortunate in that
they had not encountered any enemies so far. There had been a few groups of
marauders, but the two L’avan had evaded detection easily. There had been no
sign of any Shimat, but E’nes assumed that there wouldn’t be until an attack
came. He hoped fervently that they would not have to face any such trial.

Mar’sal did his best to erase anything
that would suggest they had set up a camp and then he turned to face E’nes.

“Ready?”

E’nes nodded. They were still about
a week away from the Gateway City, even riding at a hurried pace. They did
their best not to waste any time. They only stopped to sleep at night and then
at midday for a brief meal. The pace was exhausting, even for seasoned soldiers
such as E’nes and Mar’sal.

E’nes connected to his
vyala
,
and the dark metallic green in his irises began to glow and swirl, making the
contrasting metallic orange almost disappear.

His vision took on a greenish tint,
and he was able to detect even the most minute details in the surrounding area.

E’nes searched for any potential
dangers, not expecting to find any. He had searched the night before as well and
had assured Mar’sal that they were completely alone.

A flicker of movement caught
E’nes’s attention, and he shifted to give it a closer look.

Over a small hill—obscured from
regular vision—was a small camp with half a dozen soldiers. They must have
arrived after E’nes had checked the area the night before.

“Soldiers over there,” E’nes
pointed.

Mar’sal frowned. “Not marauders?”

E’nes shook his head. “No, they
appear to be some sort of military. I cannot guess which, though.”

Mar’sal tied his horse’s reins to a
nearby tree. “Well, let us go see.”

The two of them moved as quietly as
possible, lying on their stomachs as they reached to top of the rise. They
could barely discern the low murmur of voices, and they listened closely.

“…only a few days away now.”

“That is more than enough time.”

“What will we tell the Scepter of
Cha-sak when they ask us our business?”

“We tell them we are leaving Sehar.
Simple as that.”

“No, it is
not
simple. That
barricade blocks the path to Charan, and the Scepter is not the most
understanding.”

“They built that barricade to keep
people out of Sehar, not to keep people from leaving.”

“So you say.”

“Trust me. They will not care that
we are deserters. They will not care where we came from. We tell them that we
are leaving and we do not plan on coming back, and they will let us through the
barricade with no other questions.”

“I hope you are right. I have heard
stories about the Scepter. I heard that Tanar tried to resist them at first, so
the Scepter took all of the leaders…”

E’nes and Mar’sal eased backward to
a safe distance and then got to their feet. They walked back to the horses with
troubled expressions.

“A barricade?” wondered Mar’sal.

“I suppose it makes sense,”
admitted E’nes. “They are blocking off the port cities, so they would probably
do the same with the Gateway City.”

“We may be able to slip through,
but any help we get from Charan will have to break down that barricade before
moving forward. And depending on how well fortified it is…” Mar’sal trailed off
meaningfully.

E’nes rubbed his brow. “Yes, I
know.”

Any reinforcements would have to
fight a battle before they even reached the
real
battle. The barricade
would make convincing Charan to join them even harder.

“Well, I think we should get
going,” sighed Mar’sal. “We still have a long way to go.”

E’nes agreed, but his mind was
turning this newest problem over and over again. They had to convince Charan to
join in the fight.

They
had
to.

If they didn’t, E’nes would be
failing his family, his people, and his nation.

Adesina suppressed a sigh as she
looked at her armor. It reminded her of the ceremonial armor that had belonged
the sons of L’avan, which were on display in the museum of Yavar. Perhaps that
had been the inspiration for the design.

The breastplate had elaborate
etchings, and there were numerous gold accents. Attached to the shoulders was a
mid-length cape made from a rich fabric that was the exact shade of purple as
her eyes. The gauntlets and leg coverings matched the breastplate, but they
were cumbersome, and Adesina wore them as little as possible.

She had asked K’eb to arrange for
some new leather armor to be made for her to replace her Shimat outfit. She’d
been given the leather armor in a timely manner, but the task had spurred the
idea of creating plate armor for the king and queen. Adesina would have
preferred to simply wear the rich brown leather armor that had been made for
her, but it seemed to be expected that she at least wear the breastplate and
cape.

L’iam’s armor was very similar to
Adesina’s. The etchings and golden accents were a slightly different design,
and his cloak was blue with the royal insignia embroidered in gold thread—much
like the tunic he had been wearing when she had first seen him.

“You cannot avoid it forever,”
L’iam reminded her teasingly from across the tent.

He was still lying in bed, watching
her as she dressed. Adesina made a face at him, but moved to put on the
breastplate.

The L’avan blacksmiths had made the
armor lighter than normal, but still strong. Even so, it was cumbersome to
wear.

“I doubt you will find this armor
so amusing when you have training exercises with the infantry today,” she shot
back at him.

It was his turn to make a face.
“You are right.”

They laughed together.

Adesina finished by checking to
make sure that her hair was still tightly pinned back in a braided knot. She
gave a girlish twirl and batted her eyes. “How do I look?”

L’iam’s eyes were soft. “You are
beautiful.”

Adesina laughed again and leaned
down to kiss him. “Get out of bed. You have work to do.”

She ignored his theatrical groan
and walked out of the tent.

The early morning air was fresh and
invigorating, especially after the slightly stuffy atmosphere of the tent.
Adesina breathed deeply, admiring the rosy colors of the dawn. It was difficult
for her to focus on the beauties of nature, though. Signs of war were
everywhere, and her mind snapped into her military training.

A month ago, just after Hestia had
made a claim to the Seharan throne, the Ojuri leader had suggested taking the
army and traveling south to set up base. There had been some concerns about
leaving the refugees on their own, but it had all worked out in the end. Some
of the former High City citizens had been left in charge of the camp itself,
and Than’os had been instructed to stay and continue training new recruits
until they were ready to join the main army. The refugees were not without
defense, thanks to the forest of protective spirits, and it gave the main army
the opportunity to move into a better strategic position.

Adesina had been reluctant to leave
Wren’na when she was so close to delivering her baby, but nothing could be done
about that. No non-military people had been allowed to travel with the army,
and the army couldn’t have left without one of their most senior leaders.

Adesina had done some careful
scouting to find a piece of land that would give them an advantage over their
enemies. When she had found the ideal spot, the army moved out. After marching
for a week, they arrived at the place where they were to meet the Scepter of
Cha-sak and had set up camp.

Now the camp was a bustle of
activity from the earliest signs of dawn until well after night had fallen.
Defenses around the camp were being built and fortified. There were walls and
trenches and spikes. Adesina was taking no chances with the safety of her
soldiers. It was a spacious camp, and the fortification was taking up a large
portion of their time.

The blacksmiths were working as
hard and as fast as possible, trying to make enough weapons and armor for those
who were going to fight. After a long debate about the ethics of war, it had
been decided that several of the L’avan would use their
vyala
to aid the
blacksmiths. The armor was being tempered by magic to be stronger and lighter,
and the weapons were being treated so that they would be easier to wield.
Adesina firmly believed that such details could make the difference between
victory and defeat.

The section of the camp closest to
the battlefield was being turned into a healing ward. Preparations were being
made for a large intake. The healers were carefully setting up triage,
organizing medical supplies, and building as many beds as possible.

Training was also continuing for
all of the volunteers whenever there was a moment to spare. Adesina wanted the
soldiers to be so well trained that they could fight with muscle memory.

Everywhere Adesina looked there was
movement and preparation. Her chest swelled with pride at the hard work of
those who followed her to battle. The Shimat would be relying heavily on
mercenaries, and Adesina doubted that they would be as disciplined or dedicated
as her army.

Adesina had not gotten far from her
tent before she was joined by Ravi. He was very busy now that he was the leader
of the Rashad, and he often left her side when she returned to her tent each
night. Adesina could follow his movements through their Joining, and she knew
of his tireless efforts.

The Rashad were just as busy as the
L’avan were. They had set up a perimeter and were constantly scouting for any
signs of approaching enemies. They were also hunting to bring in fresh
supplies—not just food, but also things like medicinal herbs. And beyond that,
they, too, were lending their
vyala
to all of the battle preparations.

Adesina placed her hand on Ravi’s
back as they walked. “Good morning, my friend.”

His voice belied the weariness she
could feel in him. “Good morning, dear one.”

They walked past the pitched tents
and the cold remains of the previous night’s fires until they came to the open
common area of the camp. There they found Sitara, Riel, and Ruon waiting.

Adesina had been expecting to see
Sitara and Riel, but Ruon’s presence was a surprise. Adesina and Ravi had been
receiving training from them, because Adesina needed to know how to use her new
abilities if she was going to be as effective as possible in the upcoming
battle. The four companions met every morning, and Adesina and Ravi were given
a series of exercises to improve their teamwork and to expand their individual
uses of
vyala
. Adesina thought this new education was just as exhausting
as when she was training to be a Shimat, but she was grateful to Sitara for
taking the time to teach her.

Ruon, however, had never joined
them before. He hated the stares that he received from the humans, and he
avoided them as much as possible. The Laithur tended to stay in his tent during
the day and then walk on the intended battlefield by himself each night. His
presence that morning was something of a shock.

Adesina was about to make a comment
about how she did not usually see him during the day, but she was cut off.

“Nor would you,” Ruon said with a
trace of bitterness, “had I not grown tired of Sitara’s pestering.”

Adesina gave him a frustrated
glare. “I did not say anything.”

Ruon’s expression became rather
smug. “You would have.”

“I wish you would stop responding
before I have a chance to actually speak,” Adesina said in exasperation.

The Laithur shrugged indifferently.
“I can See what you are going to say, so why not save you the time of saying
it?”

“By responding, you prevent her
from ever saying the words,” commented Ravi. “Are there not rules about
altering the future for those who are able to See?”

Ruon looked supremely unconcerned.
“For minor matters such as conversation it does not make a difference.”

“Meaning you just do it to show
off,” stated Sitara archly.

Ruon pointedly ignored her. “My
presence here does not matter, though. None of you will have the opportunity to
annoy me much today.”

Adesina felt something in the air.
It was almost like a pulse of energy that emanated from the bump on Ruon’s
forehead. A flash of intuition told her that he was in the process of looking
into the future.

“What do you See?” asked Ravi.

The Laithur didn’t answer, but
turned toward the main encampment. Adesina did the same. She saw two L’avan
hurrying in their direction.

“Your Majesty,” gasped the first
messenger, “The king has asked us to bring you to him.”

The second messenger was less
winded, and offered an explanation. “The Rashad have spotted a large body of
soldiers headed this way. The king needs you to join him at the southern wall
of the camp.”

Adesina wasted no time. She
sprinted toward the southern wall with Ravi at her side.

The Shimat have arrived sooner
than anticipated.

Ravi’s thoughts came back with a
soothing tone, but Adesina could still sense an edge of anxiety.
You do not
know that it is the Shimat. It could be more refugees.

Adesina shook her head.
L’iam
can tell the difference. If they were refugees he would not have sent for me so
urgently.

They arrived quickly, and Adesina
climbed the ladder that led up to the top of the wall where her husband and a
few others stood. The wall was only deep enough for two people to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder, so Adesina had to walk carefully around those who were
looking over the wall.

L’iam saw her arrive and gestured
for her to stand next to him. He offered her his spyglass, but she shook her
head. Instead, she used her
vyala
to magnify what she could see with her
eyes.

It certainly couldn’t be the full
army of the Shimat. Reports had told them that Cha-sak’s forces were more than
ten thousand bodies, while this group was less than two thousand. There were
many different uniforms and weapons, as one would expect of an army of
mercenaries, but they marched with surprising order.

Hestia borrowed L’iam’s spyglass
and peered at the approaching force. “How long until they arrive?”

Adesina’s eyes narrowed
thoughtfully. “I would guess in about two hours.”

“How did they get so close without
our advance scouts warning us?” asked Ravi.

“They did not approach from the
direction we anticipated,” answered L’iam. “As soon as the eastern guard
spotted them, they sent a runner to warn us.”

“They came from the east?” mused
Adesina.

She studied the advancing army more
carefully and took note of something strange. They were marching faster than
she would have expected. Armies that travelled over large distances tended to
keep a pace that was easy to maintain over a period of several weeks. The
approaching army was moving at a brisk trot that could barely be maintained for
a day.

“Adesina, look at the center
formation,” urged Hestia.

Adesina did so, and she saw three
of the soldiers unfurl white flags and raise them on poles.

“White flags,” she told L’iam.
“They mean to indicate that they mean us no harm.”

“Could it be a trick?” asked the
L’avan king.

Adesina pursed her lips
thoughtfully. “It seems unlikely. We already know that the Shimat are coming,
so I doubt they would waste time with such a ruse. Even so, I would rather be
cautious.”

“I agree,” said L’iam.

“I could go disguised as a
messenger,” suggested Ri’sel.

L’iam glanced at Ri’sel’s dark
orange and purple eyes and shook his head. “We need someone who can read their
intentions.”

“I can do that,” Adesina
volunteered, “and I can fly to them in a matter of minutes. We can know their
intentions long before they arrive.”

The king shook his head.
“Absolutely not. I am not sending you into that kind of danger.”

“They might be friendly,” Adesina
reminded her husband.

“And they might be our enemies,”
retorted L’iam. “You are too important to this war for me to let you walk up to
an enemy army by yourself.”

“I am quite able to protect myself,”
reasoned Adesina. “I can get the information the fastest, as well. I know you
want me to be safe, but I am the most logical choice—unless you want to send
Sitara instead.”

L’iam was clearly frustrated with
his wife’s insistence, and he frowned fiercely as he considered their options.
After a moment he sighed. “Very well, but I want you to do everything in your
power to protect yourself, even before you leave this camp.”

Adesina smiled at him fondly. “Of
course.”

I will be at your side at the
first sign of trouble,
promised Ravi.

Thank you, dear friend.

Adesina brought her
vyala
to
bear, using it to harden her skin and to increase her agility. She also wove an
illusion around herself, making her body appear to be slightly to the left of
where she was actually standing. Before she had begun training with Sitara,
doing all of those things at once would have been almost impossible for her to
achieve. Sitara had taught Adesina how to split her
vyala
to accomplish
several things at once, and the training was incredibly valuable.

When Adesina had finished placing
her protections, she flashed L’iam a smile and used her
vyala
to lift
herself into the air. She sped toward the advancing force, covering the
distance in the promised amount of time.

She slowed as she drew nearer, and
the soldiers in the army stared up at her with wonder. The leaders called for a
halt, and as Adesina approached she could feel their trepidation.