Legacy of the Blood (The Threshold Trilogy) (19 page)

Adesina awoke to Faryl’s gentle hand on her forehead. The
apothecary gave her a stern glance when she saw that the young woman’s eyes
were open.

“You are a foolish child.”

Adesina was bewildered by this sudden attack. “What?”

“You could have killed yourself. What were you thinking, using
your magic so recklessly?”

She tried to defend her actions, but the older woman would not let
her speak.

“What about your husband? Who will rescue him if you die? Do you
think that we will succeed without you?”

“I—”

“Or, perhaps you think you are invincible. Let me tell you
something, child. I have seen many powerful and skillful people die just
because they thought themselves impervious to mortality. No one can stop death,
no matter how much magic they possess.”

Adesina knew that Ravi was awake, but he declined to get involved.
She could sense his amusement at the situation that she found herself in.

“Now, I
am
going to see you fully recovered, and if I hear
even the slightest hint of complaint I will give you a tongue-lashing that you
will never forget.”

The young queen had never seen Faryl so forceful before. She felt
the wisest course would be to quietly submit to the apothecary’s treatments.

She was given a special herbal tea that would help her body to
regain its strength, and then she was fed some mild broth.

“We do not want to give you too much too soon,” cautioned Faryl,
“or you will sick up.”

Mar’sal appeared at the doorway after a few minutes, but his
cheerful smile wilted under the challenging stare of the apothecary.

“Adesina is not to be disturbed.”

“But…she asked us to keep her informed on our progress.”

Faryl waved an impatient hand, which Mar’sal took as permission to
continue.

“All of the serious injuries of the crew have been healed, but the
more minor injuries will have to heal on their own. I barely have the strength
to stay on my feet.”

He laughed, making light of his comment, but Faryl frowned.
Adesina supposed Mar’sal’s behavior fell under Faryl’s category of “reckless”
use of magic.

“Than’os is still repairing the ship where he can. The crew hauled
the broken mast out of the water and held it in place while he mended the wood.
The crew’s ability to work together so naturally is impressive.”

Mar’sal shot a nervous glance at Faryl as he concluded. “He will
probably be laid up for the remainder of the voyage, but at least the ship will
be able to make it to Zonne.”

Faryl gave a fierce snort and muttered about the irresponsible
disregard for personal health.

Adesina and Mar’sal shared a sympathetic look with each other.

“Thank you, Mar’sal. Please tell the captain that I would like to
speak to him as soon as it is convenient. Then go get some rest.”

The soldier left the room hastily and seemed glad to escape
Faryl’s wrathful gaze.

Ravi ventured a teasing comment. “I am surprised you did not
choose the path of a healer, Mistress Faryl. You have such a way with people.”

Adesina braced herself for an angry outburst, but she was
astonished to hear a rueful laugh.

“Oh, I know I can be abrasive. I do not like it when I lose my
temper, and that makes me even more unpleasant. I have seen too much of pain
and suffering, and I do not bear it well. It angers me when people do not take
the effort to minimize personal harm.”

“You need to take into account necessity,” he admonished gently.
“Is it not worth it to give all of your strength to save the lives of many?”

There was a trace of bitterness in her response. “You forget that
I was raised among the Shimat. Self-preservation is the first consideration.”

Adesina knew exactly what she meant. The Shi, or students, were
taught the same principle. The only thing that came before self-preservation
was the Shimat order. For some reason, though, that idea had never sat well
with Adesina. Perhaps it was the residual influence of her mother’s standard of
morality.

There was a firm knock on the doorframe, and they looked up to see
Satosh standing at the entrance.

“Captain Zulimar is busy right now, but he did not wish to keep
you waiting. Is there something I can do to assist you? Or do you need the
captain?”

Adesina smiled at the thoughtful gesture. “I am sure that you can
help me. I wanted to ask about ship repairs. Is there anything that needs to be
done that Than’os or Mar’sal have not been able to do?”

Satosh shook his head. “Your man Than’os has taken care of all of
the major repairs. Everything else can wait until we dock. As long as we do not
come across any unseasonable storms, we should reach port just fine.”

“And how long will it be until we reach Zonne?” she asked eagerly.

The little man shrugged. “That all depends on the winds. If we
have favorable winds, I would estimate our arrival in three days. If we have
unfavorable winds…well, let us just say it could take considerably more time.”

The young queen leaned back thoughtfully. Ravi seemed to have been
successful in persuading the wind to aid them thus far, but he had warned about
the unreliable nature of that element. Just because the wind had helped them up
until now did not mean that it would be inclined to do so any more.

Your concerns are valid.

Her eyes turned to her guardian, who was studying her face with an
impassive expression on his own.

“The captain greatly appreciates your efforts on our behalf,”
stated Satosh sincerely. “Do not worry yourselves about getting to Zonne.
Concentrate on regaining your strength, and we will see that
Zephyr
makes it to port.”

“Thank you,” she said in a warm tone. “Your willingness to take on
passengers means more to me that I can possibly say.”

“We would have been lost to the aekuor if you had not been with
us, so it seems that the gods have favored us by sending you our way.”

With this simple statement, Satosh turned and walked out of the
room. Adesina and Ravi were not alone for long, though as Satosh was almost
immediately replaced by Kendan and Maizah. The former Shar was leaning heavily
on the Tracker, his face pale and drawn from seasickness.

“I hear you saved the ship.”

Adesina raised her hands, as if to ward off any praise. “No, it
was not I. Ravi was the one who saved us.”

The Rashad was pretending to sleep again, so he neither confirmed
nor denied Adesina’s assertion.

He does not trust Kendan’s intentions.

“Is it true he called down fire from heaven?”

She was disturbed by this new insight to Ravi’s behavior towards
her former teacher. The Rashad was much more discerning of human character than
she was. Perhaps she should be more wary of Kendan’s intentions as well.

Adesina answered distractedly as her mind turned over these new
thoughts. “A meteor.”

“A meteor!” He studied the large feline with interest. “Is that a
common ability among his kind?”

“No,” she replied flatly. “It almost killed him.”

“Oh.” There was a trace of disappointment in the word.

Adesina cleared her throat and turned to Maizah. “Have we closed
any distance between
Zephyr
and Basha’s ship?”

Instead of Adesina being able to sense the Tracker’s emotions as
she had before, something else began to happen. The colors coalesced into
thoughts and images.

Adesina felt Maizah’s mind reach out, instinctually following the
trail of the L’avan king. Maizah could visualize the entire world, and zoom in
on any particular location. Her mind’s eye passed over the endless waves of the
ocean and to the coastal city of Jame, Zonne’s main port. She could see the
forms of thousands of people going about their business, but she focused on two
figures disembarking from a merchant ship.

“They are only just arriving,” Adesina answered her own question.
“That means we are only three days behind.”

Kendan stared at her in amazement. “How did you know that?”

She replied honestly. “I do not know. I could see what she sees,
but that has never happened before.”

It is because our minds have Joined.

Again, Adesina was startled by this external source of insight,
but she decided to set her questions aside for when she and Ravi could speak
privately.

“What will Basha do now that she is in Zonne?”

Kendan rubbed his chin and frowned. “Well, that is difficult to
say. It depends on how much independent power she has been given by her
superiors. She may journey directly to the Threshold, or she may wish to find
ways to delay us from following her.”

“I see no reason why she cannot do both,” Adesina pointed out.

“I believe she will need to find a guide before venturing out into
the desert, though.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Oh?”

“The ancient texts refer to signs and landmarks, but one would
need a thorough understanding of the land and its history to find the way.
Basha grew up in Sehar, just like us. She does not know the deserts of Zonne
well enough to find the Threshold on her own.”

Adesina found this new information pleasing. “How long will that
delay her departure?”

Kendan blew out his breath. “I would say at least a day, if not
more. There are those who make their living as guides through the desert and to
the various villages, but few of them would be willing to venture into the deep
desert. No one lives there.”

The young queen felt her heart lift. That would narrow the
distance between them even more. They might even catch up to them before they
left Jame, the port city.

“We should be arriving in about three days, assuming we have
favorable winds. Mar’sal, Than’os, Ravi and I will need that time to get as
much rest as possible. I do not want to face Basha with depleted strength,”
said Adesina.

Her former teacher gave her an uncertain glance. “Now, you must
not be too optimistic that we will catch up to her in Jame, Adesina. She could
possibly find a guide and leave today.”

She knew he was right, but she hated letting go of that thin ray
of hope that she would rescue L’iam before he got into any serious danger. The
thought of the ritual still hung over her head, and she felt sick inside at
what would happen if she couldn’t find a way to save him.

“I know how to be realistic,” she retorted defensively, trying to
cover her momentary naïveté.

The ship gave a sudden lurch, and Kendan’s face took on a greener
hue.

“I think it would be best if I go lay down again. Mistress Faryl,
if it would not be too much trouble, I would appreciate some of your herbs when
you are finished here.”

The apothecary gave a sympathetic smile. “I will come with you
right now. I have done what I can for these two. Now they just need to rest.”

She emphasized the last statement, and Adesina nodded in ready
obedience.

“We will rest. I promise.”

They were finally left alone, and the young woman turned on her
side to face her guardian.

“How are you feeling, Ravi?”

He gave a wry smile. “Can you not tell?”

“I can sense that you are tired, and that your spirit is
recovering bit by bit. That does not give me the information I want, though.”

The Rashad looked up at her, and once again she was startled by
the change in his eye color. “It will take me longer than three days to fully
recover my strength. I know that you hope to catch up to Basha sooner rather
than later, but I will not be much help if we have a confrontation before I
have finished healing.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

His expression became gentle. “You have done more than enough
already, dear one.”

Looking at his feline face, Adesina felt affectionate warmth wash
over her. She had grown to love Ravi very much over the years, and she didn’t
know what she would do without him.

“I only did what you would have done in my place.”

He chuckled. “It is my duty to preserve your life, Ma’eve, even at
the cost of my own. You do not bear the same responsibility for me.”

A flash of exasperation caused Adesina to scowl. “Of course I do,”
she argued. “I could no more leave you to die than L’iam or E’nes or my
father.”

Ravi studied her for a moment before saying, “I love you, too,
Ma’eve.”

She grinned. “I did not say that.”

He returned the smile. “Yes, you did.”

Adesina shrugged and leaned back in her hammock. “Besides, Rissa
would never forgive me if I allowed her beloved brother to come to harm.”

“There are legends,” Ravi began on a more serious note, “that tell
of miraculous healing when a Rashad has Joined with a Serraf. It is said that
their combined strength can accomplish what is impossible to do alone.”