The Labyrinth of Destiny (14 page)

A buzz of excited whispers passed
over the listeners at this announcement.

Hestia gave her loveliest smile.
“As a united nation we will stand stronger than we ever could have apart, and
I, as your queen, vow to serve and protect our land and our people with my very
life. Together, with our L’avan allies, we will defeat the Scepter of Cha-sak
and rise to the glory we were meant to know.”

Another cheer filled the air, and
several hats were thrown toward the sky in celebration.

Hestia stepped down from the
platform and walked into the eager crowd of Seharans to shake hands with them
and to allow them to introduce themselves.

Adesina watched the reaction to
Hestia’s claim on the throne, and she smiled with satisfaction. There would be
those who would oppose the resurrection of the Seharan monarchy, of course, but
it seemed that Hestia was off to a good start.

Adesina walked over to the scribes
that had been writing down every word that had been spoken. “Make copies of
what has been said here and send them out with as many messengers as you can
find,” she instructed them. “I want the proclamation that Sehar has a new queen
made in every city and village from here to Tanar.”

The L’avan scribes bowed and
promised to do as she commanded.

Adesina smiled again. She had high
hopes that this would bring volunteers rallying to their cause.

Ruon walked over to her, his oval
head swaying over his long, thin neck. His dark eyes glittered as he studied
her thoughtfully.

“You appear to have the ability to
inspire those who follow you.”

Adesina’s brow furrowed in
confusion. “Hestia was the one doing the inspiring, not me.”

Ruon waved a hand dismissively.
“You were the one that encouraged her to step up to her hereditary role as
leader of this scattered land. You inspire all around you to stand higher and
work harder. Perhaps you do have the Touch of the Ancients on your side.”

Adesina almost laughed at his
reluctant concession. “Are you saying that you finally believe that I am the
Threshold Child?”

Ruon’s eyes narrowed. “I am saying
that there is much work to be done, and it is fortunate that those around you
are doing their best.”

Adesina’s grin couldn’t be
suppressed. “That is not what you said, Ruon. I think you are starting to
believe in me.”

The Laithur sniffed loftily. “I
have not made up my mind yet. I will only admit that there is potential in
you.”

She gave a carefree shrug.
“Potential is all that any of us need to begin.”

A ragged refugee sat at the edge of
the L’avan camp. He had a small, wiry build and a thatch of dirty blonde hair.
He would have been completely unremarkable, except for the shrewd and
calculating expression of his eyes.

He had come with an early group of
arrivals, before the L’avan had started their screening process, and since then
he had been gathering information and waiting for instructions from his
superiors.

The L’avan seemed to be a competent
military, but the spy saw nothing to cause alarm. No matter how well organized
or well trained, they would never be a match against Lord Cha-sak.

The spy had finally received his
orders an hour before, and the time for waiting was over. He could not delay
completing his task, especially with L’avan mind-readers walking around. It had
been a simple matter to infiltrate the camp, but his new assignment would take
all of his Shimat skills to accomplish.

It would not be done quietly or
anonymously, especially since he was so pressed for time, but it would be done.
His orders had emphasized that completion was more important than secrecy.

He got to his feet and walked
toward the mass of people standing around a wooden platform near the center of
camp.

Some sort of L’avan ceremony was
taking place. The king and queen were being presented with their war armor, which
seemed much too elaborate to take into real battle. The steel was etched and
filigreed with designs that nearly covered the entire surface. The spy would
have sneered at such excess had his face not been so thoroughly trained to
remain neutral.

Some sort of flowery speech was
being made by the presenter, and the king and queen smiled graciously at the
gathered crowd.

The spy’s eyes studied the face of
the young L’avan queen.

So that was the Shimat traitor.

He had not wished to go near her
before, just in case she detected signs of his extensive training. He had heard
a great deal about her, though, and he stared at her with interest.

He supposed that she was pretty
enough, but he did not care for her unusual coloring. Her silver hair and
purple eyes seemed too unnatural for him to consider beautiful. Her face and
frame exuded strength and confidence, which the spy did find appealing.

Something was missing, though.

The spy had been chosen for this
mission because he had a rare gift. He could spot a fellow Shimat just by
looking at them. Very few could do this, but he had discovered in his youth
that all of the students and teachers had a common element. There was something
in their eyes that was only found by those who had received the training that
Shimat were given—a haunted hardness, left by the trauma of children who were
forced to become assassins. No Shimat, no matter how seasoned, ever lost the
traces of that in their eyes.

However, the spy could not see that
hardness in the L’avan queen’s eyes.

He knew he was close enough. He
should have been able to detect the miniscule signs.

Yet, he could not.

He could detect strength and
resolve in her eyes, but nothing that would indicate that she had spent her
entire childhood surrounded by violence and struggle.

How odd.

Was this why Lord Cha-sak seemed so
preoccupied with the L’avan queen? Was this an indicator of something more than
the spy could understand?

Before the spy had left the Shimat
fortress, he had seen Basha—on behalf of Lord Cha-sak—go to great lengths to
gather as much information as possible on Adesina. She had spoken to each of
Adesina’s former Shar and to those who had been Shi with her. Basha had
gathered all of the reports that mentioned Adesina, and demanded the capture of
those who knew her best.

The spy had thought this behavior
strange.

When the spy had been dispatched on
this mission, Lord Cha-sak swore that he would be used as a weapon to weaken
the L’avan queen. Now, his newest orders—sent by Breyen rather than Basha—told
him he was about to fulfill that purpose.

The L’avan ceremony was over, and
the crowd began to disperse.

The spy watched as the king and
queen stepped down from the platform and began conversing with the group of
creatures that awaited them.

There!

The spy had found his target.

An enormous feline sat back on its
haunches, speaking to the L’avan queen in quiet tones. It had glossy black fur
and golden eyes, which were the traits specifically mentioned in the spy’s
instructions from Lord Cha-sak.

The spy was almost certain that he
could assassinate the young queen—she was so blissfully unaware of his
presence—but he had been ordered to leave her alive. Apparently, Lord Cha-sak
had greater plans for her than death.

Instead, the spy was to kill the
large feline with black fur. This would supposedly weaken the L’avan queen
enough for Lord Cha-sak to implement his greater plans.

The queen and the feline walked a
few steps away from the rest of the group, still speaking in low voices. Then
the young woman went back to the group and the animal walked away.

The spy moved parallel to his prey,
watching it closely.

After a minute or two, the creature
stopped and raised its nose slightly, as if smelling the air.

Did it sense the spy’s presence?

He could not risk being discovered.
He silently sped forward, whipping out the dagger hidden under his ragged
clothing.

The feline met him with a snarl and
with a swipe of razor-sharp claws.

The spy danced out of the way, but
not before nicking the outstretched paw with his dagger.

He launched himself at the beast,
wrapping his strong arms around its neck, and tried to keep out of the way of
both teeth and claws. The animal let out a feral cry and changed directions
abruptly in an attempt to throw the spy from its back.

By now they had drawn the attention
of every person within hearing range, and the spy knew he had to act quickly.

He let go of the feline with one of
his hands, risking being thrown from the writhing animal. Then, with lightning
quick movements, he made several short stabs with his dagger into the beast’s
neck and shoulder.

The feline roared in pain and fury.

The spy could not maintain his
hold, and he was thrown to the ground. Some unseen force lifted him into the
air and rendered him completely immobile.

The magic-users had come to the
rescue.

The L’avan queen rushed to the side
of the panting and bloodied feline, her young face twisted with emotion.

“What have you done?” she blurted
in an anguished voice.

The spy almost smiled. He always
enjoyed watching the aftermath of his work. This time, however, his enjoyment
would be cut short.

He bit down on a false tooth,
causing it to break and release a deadly poison into his mouth. He would be
dead in less than two minutes.

The L’avan king was calling for
healers to attend to the wounded feline, but the spy knew it was too late. The
same poison that was now killing the spy had also been coated on his dagger.

“Who are you?” demanded the L’avan
queen. “Who sent you here?”

The spy gave her a patronizing
look. If she didn’t already know the answer to both of those questions, she was
not worthy of the attention she was being given by Lord Cha-sak.

The poison caused his body to seize
up. Speech would no longer be possible for the dying spy.

Panicked shouts filled the air as
the L’avan tried unsuccessfully to heal the feline.

“He has been poisoned!”

“It is working too quickly!”

The L’avan queen appeared to
realize that the spy had been poisoned as well. She yelled for a healer to
intervene, but the spy was fading fast. He could no longer see or hear clearly,
and a black haze covered his mind.

If he had been given more time, he
could have killed the feline without sacrificing his own life.

If only Breyen hadn’t ordered
immediate action.

If only there weren’t mind-readers
in the L’avan camp.

Still, the spy was content. He had
accomplished his mission, and he had not betrayed his master.

For the glory of Lord Cha-sak…

***

“He is dead.”

Adesina stared at the still form of
the Rashad in shock.

How could this have happened? Were
they not screening every refugee that came to the camp asking for protection?
How did a Shimat assassin get past the Readers?

“The spy is dead, too,” said Ruon
in a cold voice. “He poisoned himself as soon as he was captured.”

Adesina looked into L’iam’s eyes
and saw them brimming with tears.

How did this happen?

She turned to the dead Rashad again
and slowly fell to her knees. She reached out and gently touched his glossy
black fur.

“My friend…”

The crowd parted and two other
black-furred Rashad came loping through. The smaller of the two hung slightly
back, but the other hurried to Adesina’s side.

“Ma’eve,” said Ravi in a voice that
was heavy with pain, “what happened?”

Adesina felt a tear streaming down
her face. “Rajan…he…he was attacked by a Shimat.”

“But
why
?” demanded L’iam.
“Why would they want him dead?”

Adesina had her suspicions, and
Ravi seemed to share them.

It was meant to be me.

Cha-sak had seen Ravi with Adesina
when they met on the Threshold. The demon must have guessed the importance of
her Rashad companion, even though she had not been a Serraf at the time.

To lose Ravi would be a huge
emotional blow, but it would also weaken Adesina’s ability to use her
vyala
.
Ravi was necessary to anchor Adesina’s power, otherwise she would not be able
to control it.

Cha-sak must have assumed that
there would only be one Rashad with black fur—as was usually the case—and only
sent instructions to the assassin to look for that one trait. If Ravi had not
been training with Riel, he would have been the one attacked.

Adesina put one hand on Ravi’s back
and the other on L’iam’s shoulder. Rajan had been a good friend to her and a
reliable advisor, but her husband and her guardian had known Rajan all of their
lives. His loss would affect them even more deeply.

“What will we tell his family?”
asked Ravi softly.

Riel was the one who answered. “We
will tell them that he died bravely, and that his successor will honor his
memory.”

Adesina could feel a jumble of
emotions flowing from Ravi through their Joining.

I am not ready to lead the Rashad.

Adesina understood his feelings.
She had felt just as overwhelmed when she became queen of the L’avan. She
recalled the words that Ravi had spoken to her at that time.

All you can do is your best,
dear one. No one expects you to do more than that.

A wry smile flashed across Ravi’s
face.

Using my own words, Ma’eve? That
hardly seems fair.

I think it is perfectly fair.

Ravi’s fear was tempered by
Adesina’s love and friendship for him. She could sense that he was still
uneasy, but there was certainty in knowing that he wasn’t alone.

“We need to address the Rashad and
the L’avan,” said L’iam sadly. “They need to know that Rajan has fallen. And
that there is a new leader of the Rashad.”