Legacy of the Blood (The Threshold Trilogy) (8 page)

After a full night’s rest, the group was ready to begin traveling
again. They were at least a day behind Basha and L’iam, and so they were eager
to leave in the morning.

Maizah sat upon her horse with her eyes closed, gathering L’iam’s
magical “scent” in her mind and memorizing it. After several minutes, she
pointed southeast and began riding.

The others followed her without hesitation. Kendan and
Adesina—with Faryl sharing Torith’s saddle—rode immediately behind the Tracker,
with Than’os and Mar’sal bringing up the rear. Ravi scouted around them,
appearing occasionally to indicate that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

They made their way down and around the lakes, following the river
that drained out of it. Kendan told them that there was a bridge across the river
to the south, so they agreed to head in that direction.

Faryl was recovering rapidly from her ordeal. She was still very
thin, but the color was returning to her cheeks. Her eyes had lost their
deadened appearance, and she was regaining her fiery personality. She and
Than’os had several lively discussions about the merits of different plants and
which would serve better in certain situations.

“Wolfwort roots are the more obvious choice for treating skin
irritation,” said Faryl in a dismissive tone, “but they are not the best one.”

“What could be better?” argued Than’os. “It serves as a soothing
element as well as a healing one.”

“Fairyfeather leaves are much better for any skin malady.”

The L’avan snorted. “That is all well and good, if you happen to live
near an ancient forest with temperate weather all year. Fairyfeather plants are
too delicate to grow anywhere else. Wolfwort is a hearty plant that will grow
under any condition. That is more valuable for common use.”

“We are not discussing common use,” Faryl replied loftily. “We are
discussing the superior remedy, which would be fairyfeather leaves.”

Mar’sal chuckled as Than’os glowered. “I am afraid you are out of
your ability in arguing with this one, old friend.”

Than’os refused to give up so easily. “A remedy that is
practically impossible to find can hardly be called a remedy at all.”

“What would you call it, then?” she asked in exasperation.

“A waste of time,” he snapped back.

The others laughed at the two debaters, and the subject was
discreetly changed. Adesina hadn’t known Than’os to be such an avid botanist.

In spite of these active moments, Faryl was still prone to heavy
silence when left to her own thoughts. She would cast bleak glances at Adesina
and Kendan, as if there was something terribly wrong.

On their fourth day of travel, Adesina finally approached the
woman after their evening meal. They camped near a copse of trees, and the
darkening sky was clear and already brilliant with appearing stars. It would
have been natural for anyone to sit alone and gaze at the heavens, but Faryl’s
solitude appeared much less pleasant.

“What is it, Faryl? There is clearly something on your mind.”

She shook her head at first, declining to explain, but the young
queen settled down next to her with a determined look on her face.

“I am concerned that Kendan may be placing too much faith in my
abilities.”

Adesina felt a cold fist close around her heart. Her hopes of
rescuing L’iam were tied to Faryl’s abilities as an alchemist, and even a hint
of doubt filled Adesina with dread. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly.

The alchemist fiddled with a stray piece of grass between her
fingers, as if struggling to find the right words. “I have never been required
to
reverse
anything I have made. In the High City I made medicine, and
the Shimat were never interested in undoing what they had done.” She paused
briefly. “I am not certain I can make an antidote to the potion.”

Adesina’s fear of the situation surrounding L’iam’s capture had
been replaced by a firm resolution to move forward with their plan to cure him
of the effects of the potion Basha had given him. Now that fear came creeping
back into her mind. “Why not?”

“I do not even know where to begin. I do not know the ingredients
I would need or the process of combining them…”

Adesina cast her thoughts around, searching for something that
could return Faryl’s confidence in their plan. “But…surely you have created
anti-venoms for snake bites or the like.”

Faryl sighed softly. “Yes, I have.”

“Would it not be the same principle?”

She raised a hand in a helpless gesture. “Even with an anti-venom
you must know exactly what you are working with in order for it to be
effective.”

The young woman frowned. “You created the potion. How can you be
uncertain of its ingredients?”

“Artificial magic is unpredictable,” the alchemist explained. “We
are still learning the essential nature of magic, so I do not always know how
it will affect other components. It could react in a manner that is completely
unique to the person who ingested the potion. For all I know, it could be
altered by the person who
administered
the potion.”

Adesina was dumbstruck. She felt as though her stomach dropped
away, and she was suddenly ill. All of her hopes for successfully rescuing her
husband abruptly seemed remote.

After a moment of collecting herself, she asked in a shaking
voice, “Are you saying that our efforts are futile?”

The middle-aged woman placed a thin hand on her companion’s. Her
eyes were filled with sorrow and sympathy. “I am saying that we must be
prepared for the worst.”

There was something in her gaze that anchored Adesina’s reeling
mind, and her thoughts began to clear.

What if it was impossible to reverse the effects of the potion?
Would that change her determination to rescue her husband from Basha?

Of course not!

Adesina loved L’iam very dearly, and she would never abandon him.
It didn’t matter if he knew who she was or not. She would never, ever stop
looking for him.

And what if killing him was the only way to release him from the
prison of his own mind?

She was not prepared to consider that. She had to believe that
there was a way to save him. Had she not been taught that anything was
possible, as long as she worked hard enough for it?

Adesina gave Faryl’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for telling
me this.”

The former apothecary looked astonished at her calm reply. “Are
you all right?”

She nodded slowly. “I will keep searching for him and I will help
him to escape Basha’s control. I will do whatever it takes to free him.”

She got to her feet and walked over to her bedroll. The fear in
Adesina’s heart had not disappeared, but her resolve had returned. She did not
know what the future held—she was incredibly anxious when she considered
L’iam’s possible fate—but she did know that she could not afford to give up.

Ravi settled down next to her as she prepared to go to sleep.

“Faryl told you of her doubts?”

Adesina gave a small smile. “How did you know?”

“Simple observation, dear one. She has been dejected ever since
Kendan asserted that she could make an antidote to the potion.”

“Oh, so you did not read her mind?” she asked in a teasing voice.

“No, I did not,” he replied serenely.

There was a pause.

“So, what are you going to do?” inquired her guardian.

Adesina stared up at the sky, watching the bats dart in the
twilight. She could hear the distant call of crickets, and feel the shift in
life as the daytime creatures prepared to sleep and the nighttime creatures
began to wake.

She was always amazed at how powerful the rhythm of life was. No matter
what happened, life always continued onward. The L’avan were a deeply religious
people, and they attributed all of this to the Creator. Adesina was still
overcoming her tendency towards skepticism, but she believed in the power of
life.

Life always moved forward, and so must she.

“We will rescue L’iam, and we will find a way to cure him. There
has to be a way to free him from the potion. There has to be!”

Ravi made a satisfied noise that rumbled deep in his chest. “I
believe that you are right.”

She propped herself up on one elbow. “What makes you say that?”

The enormous feline’s expression became thoughtful. “All creatures
have very few things that are truly their own, but one of those things is free
will. Without our ability to make choices, we are nothing.”

Adesina nodded in agreement.

He continued, “It seems to me that to take someone’s free will—to
erase who they are—is to create an unnatural state of being. In order for there
to be harmony, he needs to be returned to his natural frame of mind.”

“Yes, but how do we do that?” she asked in a faint whisper.

“I do not know, dear one,” Ravi answered. “I only know that true
power is found in harmony. If this potion has forced L’iam out of harmony with
his very being, then there is greater magic that can overcome it.”

Faryl was obviously very gifted at what she could do as an
alchemist, and Ravi was confident that a solution could be found. It wasn’t a
concrete plan, but it dispelled the doubts that had been lurking in Adesina’s
heart.

They would find a way to release L’iam from the effects of the
potion. But first they needed to find him and separate him from Basha.

She was able to get a solid night’s sleep, and she awoke with
renewed determination. The others seemed to notice her resolve, and they took
strength from it. They sat a little straighter, and their heads were a little
higher. The entire group of travelers moved with more alacrity and energy.

They finally arrived at the bridge across the river and the small
village that sat on the banks. The party paused only to buy supplies before
continuing on their journey.

Maizah led them east, angling slightly to the south. Adesina had
never been to this part of the country, and she found the topography very
interesting. There were very few trees and no forests at all. The grass grew
tall in this area, and there were a number of rivers and streams. It was hilly
terrain, which required them to take a winding path to reach their destination.

Each day bolstered Adesina’s resolve as she was able to cope with
her personal fears. She had been faced with numerous challenges throughout her
life, yet she had always come through. Remembering this helped her to feel more
positive about the task that was ahead.

When they had been traveling for almost two weeks, Adesina caught
a familiar scent on the wind. It was the salty, invigorating smell of the
ocean.

She turned to Kendan. “Are you certain that Maizah is on the right
trail? She is still leading us east, but we will soon run out of land in that
direction.”

Her former teacher spoke a few words to the Tracker in her native
tongue, and he received a few communicative gestures in reply. He had a grim
expression on his face as he answered Adesina’s question. “She is on the right
trail,” he confirmed. “Basha is taking L’iam across the sea.”

L’iam opened his eyes and found himself in the woods that surround
Yavar, the city where he was born. The sun was shining warmly and the air was
filled with the sounds of summer. He smiled as he watched the life around him
thriving.

A soft step sounded behind him, and he turned to see his father
approaching. Something in the back of his mind told him that this couldn’t be
real, but he quickly dismissed it. He moved to greet his father, and was
surprised to receive an embrace. King L’unn was rarely affectionate.

“I had the strangest dream, Father.”

A gentle smile touched L’unn’s normally strong face. “Oh?”

“I dreamed that I was standing in front of Adesina, but I could
not control my own body. I did the most extraordinary and terrible things with
my
vyala
, and yet it was not me doing them. Adesina was shouting at me
and I wanted to answer her, but I could not respond. I could only watch as my
body moved of its own accord.” L’iam shuddered at the thought of being so
completely out of control.

L’unn placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Are you certain it was
a dream?”

The young man stopped short and stared at his father in rising
apprehension. “What else could it be?” he asked cautiously, not wanting to
believe that it could possibly be true.

“Do you recall how you met Adesina?” asked his father quietly.

L’iam frowned in concentration. He remembered his wife very
clearly, but the details of their life together were vague. They had always
been together, hadn’t they? No, that couldn’t be right.

“I…I am not sure, Father. My mind feels rather fuzzy.”

L’unn made a gesture with his hand, and the two of them began
walking at a leisurely pace. “What is your earliest memory of Adesina?”

L’iam thought hard for a moment. “Our wedding. She looked so
beautiful wearing her mother’s dress. No…wait…I knew her before then.”

Memories of the past few years began leeching into L’iam’s mind.
They came in flashes of color and emotion.

He saw Adesina, wrinkling her forehead as she concentrated on
connecting to her
vyala
. She was so stubborn, and teaching her had been
a challenge. Her eyes would gleam in defiance when L’avan teachings came into
conflict with her Shimat training. He loved her then, even though she only saw
him as a comrade and instructor.

He saw Adesina wielding powers that she should not have been able
to use. He vividly recalled the shock that had stopped him in his tracks when
he saw her eyes change color. L’iam was amazed all over again at the pure
potential in his fiery wife.

He gazed on the bodies of friends and family, sprawled in
unnatural positions and empty of life. The beautiful lands of Pevothem had been
stained with the blood of the L’avan, and he wondered if the taint could ever
be cleansed. He could feel his heart breaking anew.

He witnessed his mother draw her last breath, and felt guilty
relief that she was free from any more suffering.

All of these things and millions of other moments came crashing
back to him, and he turned to his father with tears in his eyes. His heart felt
as though it might burst from reliving the emotions of the past six years.

L’iam looked at his father’s face—still so strong and lined with
the years of leadership. The keen expression in L’unn’s eyes and the
understated smile were just as L’iam remembered. The young man had not thought
that he would ever see his father again in this life, and he felt a surge of
joy at being given the opportunity.

“I have missed you so much.”

The two men embraced, painfully aware that the last time they had
seen each other they had not said farewell in a manner befitting family. It had
been the cold words of public ceremony, and L’iam regretted not having the
courage to say more in the presence of others.

“How is this possible?” asked L’iam. “I am not a Dreamer.”

“No, but Adesina is,” replied his father.

The young man looked around eagerly. “Is she here?”

“No, L’iam, this is not her Dream. Your waking mind is in a
trance—a prison created by a potion that you were forced to take.”

The young king suddenly recalled what happened in the forest. He
remembered the shadowy figures that had attacked and taken him captive. L’iam
had been taken to a hideout, where he had been forced to drink a sickening
liquid.

“The Shimat.”

His father nodded. “Yes. The potion they used was made from
Adesina’s blood. Because she is a Dreamer, your mind was able to escape to this
world. I believe that under any other circumstances your mind would have been
lost completely.”

L’iam grew cold at the thought. He had come close to dying before,
but this seemed infinitely worse. “How do you know all of this?”

L’unn’s smile was warm. “I have been keeping a close eye on you
ever since my passing. I am limited in how I can touch the world of the living,
but I have done my best to help you when you needed it.”

The thought that his father had stayed with him in spirit filled
L’iam with happiness, but that feeling faded away as he remembered the fight
that had taken place when he thought he was dreaming.

“It really happened. I attacked Adesina.”

The former king nodded. “The potion has placed you under the
control of the woman who gave it to you. In the waking world, your body has no
memory of who you are or of anyone around you. You are compelled to obey, and
that is all you know.”

L’iam was filled with deepening horror at what had happened to
him. To lose his free will was worse than to lose his life.  “How is that
possible? Surely such a monstrous concoction contradicts the laws of nature.
What must I do to break free of this potion?”

His father took a deep breath and sighed. “I am not certain there
is much that you can do. It is important for you to try to regain control of
your body, but the magic of that mixture is strong.”

L’iam had never heard of a situation similar to the one that he
now found himself in. There were no tales of triumph to lend him hope for his
future. L’unn’s expression was grim, and that did nothing to bolster L’iam’s
confidence. “Do you mean that I am lost?” he asked bleakly.

“No,” L’unn said in a firm voice. “There is always hope, my son. A
way to heal your mind exists, and Adesina will search until she finds it.”

L’iam took great comfort in his wife’s determination. There were
times when she could be stubborn to a fault, but he thanked the Creator now for
that trait.

“Please, Father,” he said softly, “tell me everything you know.”

***

Time and distance were strange things in the Dream world. One
could say that the two L’avan kings were far away from the others who Dreamed,
and one could also say that they were touching.

In another Dream, three Rashad sat facing each other in an open
field, speaking in a language that was older than the world itself.

It had only been in the last few years that the Rashad had learned
to communicate in such a manner. They had always had the ability to Dream, but
it had long been a solitary gift. Through Adesina’s ability to pull others into
her Dreams, the Rashad had discovered a way to Dream jointly and communicate
over any distance, which was invaluable.

Two of the Rashad meeting in the field had golden-tan fur, with
striking blue eyes. The third had a coat of raven black, and eyes that were a
warm gold color.

“I did not know that you would be the one sent to the L’avan
settlement, Remah,” said Ravi.

The female Rashad lowered her eyes humbly. “I hope it is not
displeasing to you.”

He smiled at his betrothed. “Only in the fact that I was unable to
see you before I left.”

Ravi could feel the love radiating from her, and he wanted to
touch his muzzle to hers. If they had been alone, he would have.

Ruvim, Ravi’s older brother, watched the exchange impassively. He
was there as a representative of Pevothem. “You have been traveling for sixteen
days now. What have you to report?”

Ravi glanced at his brother, feeling amused. It didn’t seem to
matter to Ruvim that Ravi was next in line to lead their race. He still made
Ravi feel like a cub, newly weaned.

“We have reached the eastern coast. There is a port city nearby,
and it appears that the captured king has been taken on a ship.”

“You have not traveled very quickly,” Ruvim remarked.

“We had to retrieve an important party member,” he explained. Ravi
went on to tell them about what had happened at the Shimat post, and the attack
that took place afterwards. He told them about the potion, and Adesina’s decision
to go forward with the rescue mission.

Remah’s large eyes were filled with sorrow. “What a terrible thing
to experience. The Shimat are well named.”

Ruvim indicated his agreement. In the old world, there had been a
race of shadow demons that had gone by the same name. They had not been the
most powerful of demonkind, but they were certainly the most ruthless and
manipulative.

“When will you reach the port city?”

“Tomorrow,” replied Ravi.

“And from there you will follow the L’avan king across the sea?”

“I do not see a better alternative,” he said carefully.

Ruvim frowned. “I am as fond of L’iam as you, but perhaps it would
be best to end this mission. L’iam’s mind is lost. Even if you recover him, he
will be unable to return to his former life.”

Ravi stiffened slightly. “I do not believe that.”

His older brother’s expression became skeptical. “Oh?”

“The loss of L’iam’s mind has brought discord to the flow of Life.
Even you must sense that, brother. There must be a way to restore harmony, if
the flow is to continue as it should.”

Remah voiced her agreement. “A way is provided when a task must be
done.”

The older Rashad sighed. “It seems I am of the lesser opinion. I
will defer to your decision.”

“You do not know Adesina,” Ravi added, hoping to set his brother’s
mind at ease. “I have never seen such an ability to focus on a single
objective. If there is a way to save L’iam—and there is—she will find it.”