Legacy of the Blood (The Threshold Trilogy) (25 page)

“The second concern is the ability of the Serraf to force open a
Threshold. Again, it is true that this has never been accomplished before. That
does not mean that it is impossible. It simply means that we would need to
teach ourselves how to do so.”

There was a grating sound as the rock-like creature shook his head
dubiously. “It seems that there are a lot of uncertain elements in this plan,
sister. How can we move forward with confidence if there is just as much chance
to fail as to succeed?”

“It would take time,” admitted Sitara, “but I believe that we can
overcome both of these obstacles.”

“What of the third concern?” prompted Toraun.

The angelic woman placed a hand over her heart and lowered her
head. “We Serraf humbly offer ourselves as guardians of the prison. We are
Keepers of the Thresholds, and we believe it would be our duty to maintain this
new barrier between light and dark.”

There were several murmurs of approval.

A gigantic serpent with feathered wings gave a low hiss. “The
Ssssserraf sssssseem to take too much on themssssssselvesssss. Are we not all
equalssssss? Issss it not our joint duty to sssssssolve thissssss
crisssssisssss?”

“You are correct, dear brother,” agreed Sitara, “but do not assume
that we wish to act alone. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“What issssss your propossssssal?”

“We do not know how long it will take to find an appropriate realm
or to learn how to open a Threshold, and the demons will not slow their works
of darkness. We would rely on all of you to keep them at bay until we can
succeed with our part of the plan.”

The room filled with the buzz of conversation. Some of the council
members seemed eager to go to war, and others were quite reluctant.

An aquatic creature raised its head from the pool of water in
which it was laying and spoke in a shrill voice. “Conflict between the
vyala
-born
is a serious matter—not to be decided lightly.”

“That is why we are here, is it not?” cried the female with
powerful legs. “Why have we been brought to council if not to declare war on
all demonkind?” She whipped around to face the council leader. “Toraun, you
said that the time to act is now. So, let us ACT!”

He raised all four arms. “Please, sister, please! It doth not seem
wise to act in such reckless haste.”

Her face twisted in scorn. “I knew it. I knew that this council
was a waste of time. All we ever do here is
talk
. While we sit here
debating the merits of negotiation, the demons are enslaving mortal creatures
and overthrowing the light.”

A handful of murmurs gave approval to her words.

“Patience,” pled Toraun. “We are indeed here to act, but thy
desire to strike without forethought is foolish. It will lead to disaster.”

“He is right,” asserted Sitara. “We must plan carefully or we will
not triumph.”

The dissenters settled down, albeit without enthusiasm. All eyes
turned back to the Serraf, and she addressed the assembly once more.

“We still have not spoken of a resolution to the fourth concern.
How do we compel the demons to enter the Threshold? This is a problem that the
Serraf do not have the power to overcome.”

The winged serpent spoke again. “That issss a tasssssk that we
Qetza can accomplissssssssh. Assss long asssss you can get the demonsss to a
sssssingle location at the sssssame time, we can drive them through the
Thressssshold.”

Toraun swept his eyes around the room, gazing at each individual
face. “It doth seem that we are of like minds in this matter. The plan of our
sisters will be put into action.” He took a deep breath. “And now…we must
prepare for war.”

Adesina awoke feeling hopeful and excited. She immediately turned
to Ravi and placed a hand on his sleek back. “Did you see that? That vision was
from before the Great Wars.”

Ravi nodded somberly. “Yes, I saw it.”

“How can you be so calm? The Great Desert is trying to give us
information to help us on our quest.”

“Perhaps,” he allowed, “but perhaps not. It is difficult to know
why Dreams are given, Ma’eve. It would be best not to jump to conclusions.”

Adesina wasn’t listening. “If we can find out how the Serraf
opened the Threshold, then we will know what Basha intends to do. We can devise
a plan to stop her. Perhaps we can even stop her before she even tries to
begin…”

Ravi tried to reason with her. “Ma’eve, please listen to me. The
only way we can hope to stop Basha before she begins is to discover the origins
of the texts she has obtained. If they were not written by the Serrafites—the
mortals dedicated to serve the Serraf—then these visions will not help us.”

That got her attention.

“What do you mean?”

“We know very little about the gateways into other realms. Perhaps
there is only one way to open them, but there may be several ways. If Basha’s
ritual comes from a source other than the Serraf, then we have no way of
stopping her unless we catch up to her and take the tome away.”

Adesina felt her heart drop. “I see.”

She could feel his remorse through their bond.

“I am sorry, dear one.”

“I wonder why I was given that Dream,” she pondered.

“It could be any number of reasons,” he replied.

The young queen shook her head. “No, there must be a reason. I
have never been given a Dream without a purpose.”

“Ma’eve…”

“No, Ravi. I have to believe that good is on my side.” She found
herself fighting back tears. “I cannot believe that this task was given to me
with so little chance of success. You once said that the Creator does not give
us tasks so we can fail.”

His eyes grew sad as he looked at his young ward. “No, but this is
not a test of the Creator. This is the work of evil men and women.”

“Do you believe that light will prevail over darkness?” she
challenged.

“In the end, yes. But the battle is long, and none of us go
through this life unscathed.”

Despite her efforts, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down
her cheeks. “I want to believe, truly I do. I just do not see how someone as
good as L’iam can be used for such evil. How can this journey be so void of any
advantage to us?”

Ravi gave a deep sigh and lowered his head. “I believe that I am
in the wrong, dear one. You are right to hope for the best. Yes, our quest is
difficult and fraught with peril, but we would not be left to face it alone.”

She stared at him in amazement, which caused him to smile.

“I am not perfect, Ma’eve. I am grateful that you have reminded me
of the need in believing that we have the light on our side.”

Adesina wasn’t sure how to respond.

“We will continue exploring your Dreams,” her guardian said in a
decisive tone. “They may hold the key to our mission.”

The rest of the camp was stirring, and so their conversation ended
for the present. Their morning meal was made up of their previous rations, and
they packed up as quickly as possible.

Maizah continued to lead them southeast with little variation.
Occasionally, they found themselves backtracking because their path led them to
obstacles that the horses could not surmount.

“Perhaps we should have hired a guide as well,” mused Than’os, as
they retraced their steps for the third time.

“The Tracker has not lost the trail,” Kendan said tersely. “She is
simply not familiar with the terrain.”

The L’avan raised his hand in a soothing gesture. “That is my
point. I do not doubt that she is able to follow L’iam, but she does not know
this land as well as the locals. A guide could save us some time and trouble by
guiding us through the easiest paths.”

With great concentration, Maizah could visualize her quarry and
the surrounding area. For the most part, though, her mind was simply locked on
the direction of those she pursued—as if they were a beacon. It would take too
much mental strength for her to visualize the path they were to take to reach
their goal.

The desert was becoming rockier and less level. They had to take a
slower pace or risk injuring the horses. Talk became limited among the
travelers, but that did not deter Faryl from bringing her horse alongside
Adesina’s.

“I have been thinking about our experiment.”

Adesina’s focus was on Torith’s footwork. Her answer was a
distracted, “Oh?”

“If you do not think it will be an imposition, I would like to try
using the
vyala
of another L’avan.”

She looked up in surprise. “You would?”

Faryl was immediately apologetic. “I know how that must sound, but
please understand that I mean no offense. I am very appreciative of what you
have done for me so far. I have nothing against working with you further. It is
just that I am curious if I can use the magic of someone other than you.”

Adesina felt the corners of her mouth twitch. “I did not suppose
you were trying to offend me.”

The former apothecary looked relieved. “You are known to do
extraordinary things with your powers. I want to know if the results of our
experiment were due to my ability or yours.”

“That is reasonable,” Ravi assented.

Adesina looked at the other L’avan thoughtfully. “Let me see…”

After some careful consideration, she called out to the thin
figure riding near the rear.

“Than’os, can you come closer, please?”

The L’avan soldier obligingly brought his mount closer to theirs.

“Yes?”

“I would like you to begin training with Faryl. We have discovered
that she can manipulate the
vyala
of others, and we would both like to
know what she is capable of doing with that ability.”

He looked at the former apothecary with appraising eyes. “A
strange gift.”

Faryl flushed under his scrutiny.

“I am quite happy to train with you, Mistress Faryl. May I ask why
I was chosen?”

Adesina intervened. “I was the one who chose you, Than’os. Your
gifts are more suited to Faryl’s talents. Mar’sal may be a healer, but you have
a deeper knowledge of plants and minerals.”

He inclined his head in acknowledgement. “We shall begin as soon
as we are at leisure.”

The two of them rode together for the remainder of the day,
talking in low voices about different theories on how to approach the training.
Adesina was pleased with the arrangement, since it left her to focus on her
Dreams.

Ravi’s words of doubt still lingered in her mind, but she felt a thread
of hope wrapped around her heart. Her Dreams had never led her astray, and they
had never been without purpose. Why would she have Dreams about the Thresholds
if it was not meant to help her on her journey?

The magic of the desert was on her side. All that was good
supported her. She breathed a silent prayer to have the strength to succeed and
the faith to endure.

***

The travelers stopped again at midday to rest during the hottest
hours. Than’os approached Faryl after taking care of his horse.

“Are you tired?”

She looked up in surprise and shook her head. “I cannot sleep in
this infernal heat.”

He gestured to a slightly shady spot near a group of tall rocks.
“Would you like to begin training?”

A smile lit up her face. “Yes.”

They seated themselves on the parched ground, facing one another.

“Did Adesina explain to you what she did before?”

Faryl shook her head in a negative.

He waved a hand. “No matter. It is probably better to start from
the beginning and find what works best for us.”

She rubbed her palms against her thighs and said in a nervous
tone, “I suppose that is true.”

Than’os laughed. “Please do not look so distressed. I feel as
though you expect to be punished.”

Faryl laughed as well. “I am sorry. I am quite anxious right now.”

“Perhaps it would help for us to talk about the basics of
vyala
first. Tell me what you already know.”

Her brow furrowed in concentration. “Well, I know that it is a
hereditary trait that is passed through bloodlines. That is to say, the
mother’s bloodlines. A father’s contribution is rather small.”

Than’os shook his head. “That is simply the science of it. What do
you know about
vyala
itself?”

The former apothecary seemed at a loss. “I only know what the
Shimat have told me.”

“Do not worry,” he reassured her. “I was only determining where to
begin my instruction.”

He leaned back against the nearest rock and stretched out
comfortably. His wiry figure still seemed taut, even though relaxed.

“The word
vyala
means ‘soul light’ in the ancient language.
All living things have
vyala
to some degree. Even the earth itself is
filled with it.”

“Including plants?” inquired Faryl.

Than’os nodded. “And rocks, and water…everything.”

“But rocks are not living,” she protested.

He grinned in his sharp manner. “That is a the common opinion.
Nevertheless, even things such as rocks and water and wind have
vyala
.”

Faryl considered this information for a moment before posing her
next question. “If all living things have
vyala
, why do you not see
animals wielding magic?”

Than’os raised a finger. “It is not enough to simply possess
vyala
.
One must have a sufficient amount, and the ability to use
vyala
for more
than the ordinary functions needed to survive. I can breathe and I can use my
arms and legs, but I must know how to use these abilities properly if I wish to
swim. Do you understand?”

“I believe so.”

His expression was pleased. “Good. Now, the use of
vyala
requires mind, body, and spirit. All three must be in harmony or your efforts
will be for nothing. I am going to teach you some simple exercises that will
help you to synchronize these three aspects of yourself. Are you ready?”

Faryl only hesitated briefly. “Yes.”

Than’os took her hands. “Then, let us begin.”