The Labyrinth of Destiny (16 page)

Adesina touched down on the ground
about twenty feet in front of the soldiers holding the white flags.

“I am the representative sent by
the leaders of the Seharan and L’avan armies,” she announced in a magically
magnified voice. “We are preparing for war with the Scepter of Cha-sak, and
your forces are approaching our camp. Why have you come?”

After a moment of hesitation, a man
nudged his horse forward. He had a long, thick beard that was streaked with
grey, and his dark eyes glittered beneath a steel helmet.

“I am Arnau, former Chief City
Guard of Alahn and elected temporary leader of this army. Is Queen Hestia among
your leaders?”

Adesina was startled by his
question. Hestia had never referred to herself by that title, and she requested
that the other leaders do the same. It was surprising to hear a complete
stranger call the Ojuri leader a queen.

“Yes, she is,” acknowledged
Adesina.

The old soldier thumped his fist
against his breastplate in a proud salute. “Then we request that you take us to
her. She sent out the proclamation declaring her right to the throne of Sehar
and calling us to war. The claim was verified by our own scholars, and we
recognize the threat of the Scepter of Cha-sak. We will follow our queen
wherever she leads.”

Adesina was momentarily speechless.

“Are you all from Alahn?” she
finally managed to ask.

Arnau shook his head. “We are from
all over Sehar—cities and villages alike. We have joined forces and come to
offer ourselves to our queen.”

Adesina only needed the briefest
touch of
vyala
to know that the intentions of the soldier were
honorable. Her heart swelled with gratitude for these men and women who had
come to join their cause.

“I am certain that Queen Hestia
will gladly welcome you all.”

Arnau gave a gruff nod. “I hope so,
but I would like to speed on our way without further discussion.”

A warning rang in Adesina’s mind,
and she immediately frowned. “Why? What has happened?”

Arnau jabbed his thumb in the
direction behind them. “For the last day we have been closely followed by
another force—and my gut tells me that they are not here to be our allies.”

“How far behind are they?” asked
Adesina urgently.

“About a league now.”

Adesina pointed toward the camp.
“March on. I will go take a closer look at the following force and then I will
go ahead of you to prepare for your arrival.”

Arnau nodded and shouted orders,
bringing the army of volunteers back into motion.

The L’avan queen used her
vyala
to lift herself into the air and sped toward the second mass of bodies that
were journeying toward the L’avan and Seharan camp. She amplified her vision
and searched the organized chaos for the leaders.

It didn’t take long to spot the
figures clothed completely in black, faces hidden by hoods and scarves.

Adesina’s heart dropped sharply and
her breath quickened.

The first wave of the Shimat army
would arrive before nightfall.

Adesina, Hestia, and L’iam stood
together at the head of the L’avan and Seharan armies. Adesina was astride her
faithful horse, Torith, with Hestia to her right. The proud and beautiful bay
mare that Hestia rode had been a gift to her just after she had made her claim
to the Seharan throne. L’iam was seated to Adesina’s left on his steed, Avab.
Together, they were a symbol of strength and unity that the army could look to
in the moments before battle. Ravi was poised in front of Adesina’s horse. All
of the fighting Rashad formed a long row in front of the human army, ready to
run first into battle.

As soon as the fighting began,
L’iam would take Hestia to a safer location from which they could issue orders
to the rest of the army leaders. There had been a heated argument between
Adesina and L’iam over who would be in the tent and who would be on the
battlefield. All of the royal advisors—military and civic alike—had insisted
that the L’avan king and queen never be on the battlefield at the same time.
One would fight while the other stayed in relative safety. Adesina and L’iam
had both readily agreed to this, each thinking that it would keep the other out
of harm’s way.

A compromise had been reached after
much debate, leaving neither feeling very satisfied. Adesina would lead the
initial charge, and L’iam would take her place on the second day. They agreed
to alternate days, no matter what was happening, no matter how weary they
became. Only serious injury would change the arrangement.

Adesina’s eyes were fixed on the
gathering force on the opposite end of the open field where the L’avan would
make their stand. According to her scouts, there were exactly three thousand
mercenaries, with one Shimat leading every hundred men. They were strictly
organized and well provided with weapons and armor.

Counting the volunteers that had
just arrived, the L’avan and Seharan army outnumbered of the opposing force.
However, Adesina knew this was only the first wave. The larger problem would
begin when the main Shimat force arrived. Not only would the L’avan and Seharan
armies be outnumbered two to one, but they would be battling enemies who would
be fresh and fairly well-rested. Adesina’s forces would have been fighting for
two weeks or more at that point.

Adesina bit back a quiet curse. It
was a classic Shimat strategy—one she had been taught in her training. And it
was a smart strategy, though being on the receiving end made it a lot more
difficult to view its merits calmly.

Daylight was beginning to fade, but
the Shimat army made no indication of intending to set up camp. Adesina
suspected they would choose to fight through the night in an attempt to exhaust
their opponents early in the battle.

“We should split our forces and
keep half in reserve. The Shimat will likely do the same,” suggested Adesina to
L’iam.

Her husband nodded. “I think so, as
well.”

The Shimat army had moved into
place, and an unsettling hush fell over the grassy field.

“What are they waiting for?” asked
Hestia nervously.

“They are hoping that the
anticipation will lower our morale,” answered Ravi.

“It just might lower mine,”
muttered Hestia. “I am not accustomed to fighting.”

Adesina reached over and gave her
arm a gentle squeeze. “It will not be long now.”

Hestia smiled sadly. “That is not
comforting, either. My son and my daughter’s husband are in the army. The
sooner the battle begins, the sooner they will be in danger.”

As Adesina predicted, they did not
have to wait long. In a moment, a phalanx of mercenary archers took position at
the front of the Shimat army. They raised their longbows and let loose a swarm
of black-tipped arrows.

“Orange,” called Adesina in a
magically magnified voice.

Several L’avan with metallic orange
colored eyes called forth their
vyala
and used the force of its power to
redirect the wave of arrows. The shafts curved upwards and back toward their
source.

Panicked shouts escaped the throats
of thousands of mercenaries when they saw what was happening. The arrows fell
back to earth with deadly disregard, and the air was filled with the cries of
the wounded and dying.

The first blood had been shed.

The Shimat leaders immediately
recalled their archers. New orders were issued and the foot soldiers began to
advance with their swords and spears.

Adesina drew her Blood Sword and
allowed her
vyala
to flow through it, causing it to glow brightly. She
raised it high above her head and shouted, “Forward, first division.”

Adesina nudged Torith forward, and
the black stallion marched proudly. Ravi kept by her side, with half of the
Rashad force also moving toward the enemy. Over two thousand L’avan and Seharan
soldiers drew their weapons and followed in organized lines.

The other half of the L’avan and
Seharan army moved to take its place on the hill that overlooked the
battlefield.

Adesina spared a backwards glance.
She saw Me’shan maneuver his horse next to L’iam’s, and the two men exchanged a
few brief words before L’iam and Hestia quietly left the battlefield. Adesina
watched her husband’s back retreat from her.

Then she fixed her eyes forward and
thought only of battle.

As the two opposing forces drew
nearer, they each began to pick up speed. Adesina urged Torith into a full
gallop, lifting her sword and giving a fierce yell. Ravi and the Rashad roared
at their enemies, and Adesina’s
vyala
-enhanced eyes could see the fear
on the faces of the mercenaries.

The Rashad were the first to meet
their foes, and the sleek feline forms leapt forward by the hundreds. The first
two lines of mercenaries were knocked to the ground, claws and teeth biting
into their flesh.

Adesina ignored the hired soldiers
that rushed toward her. Her eyes sought the black uniforms of the Shimat
leaders. But although she was willing to spare the mercenaries in front of her,
they were not willing to let her pass unhindered. The foremost soldier raised
his spear and aimed for the gap in Adesina’s armor just under her arm.

Adesina brought Falcon down in a
mighty sweep, the blade knocking the spear far off course.

Adesina had expected to see the
spear turn to dust, like the weapons of the marauders they had faced during the
rescue of the refugees. Instead, the blade of Falcon made a ringing sound as it
met the shaft of the spear. It didn’t even mark the wood.

Cha-sak has enhanced these
weapons
.

Adesina didn’t have time to
register her surprise at this development. She simply let her training take
over, and raised Falcon to fend off the next attack.

The mercenaries noticed her ornate
armor and correctly assumed that she was an important member of the opposing
army. They seemed to go out of their ways to confront her—likely hoping to gain
some sort of reward for their troubles. The L’avan were also drawn to Adesina’s
side, doing what they could to defend their queen. As a result, Adesina was
constantly in the center of a flurry of fighting.

Torith, who was a well-trained
horse, did his part in the fighting as well. He moved with Adesina, keeping her
balanced in the saddle so she could wield her sword more easily. He also used
his hooves and teeth on the enemy horses, or any foot soldier that thought to
try and attack Adesina from below.

Adesina soon spotted the black form
of a Shimat, and she moved through the chaos of battle to confront him.

The Shimat warrior saw her coming,
and his dark eyes narrowed in anticipation. His identity was hidden beneath his
hood and scarf, but Adesina doubted that she would have known him. She had only
known her teachers and fellow students within the Shimat organization.

Adesina lifted Falcon higher, and
the blade flared with an extra burst of
vyala
. The Shimat also wielded a
Blood Sword, and he raised it to fend off her blow.

He was clearly very talented with
his weapon, and he flicked aside her attacks with the gleam of contempt in his
eyes. Adesina pressed harder, using her
vyala
to enhance her dexterity.
The Shimat’s expression became less disdainful as he concentrated on his
defense.

In spite of Adesina’s pressing
attack, the Shimat was able to slip in an attack of his own. His sword swept
past Falcon and drew across Adesina’s neck. If she had not been using part of
her
vyala
to harden her skin, it would have been a fatal blow. As it
was, the blade only left a shallow wound—hardly worth Adesina’s notice.

The Shimat clearly had anticipated
his attack to end Adesina’s life, and his surprise at the contrary caused him
to falter. Adesina quickly took advantage and thrust her blade into his
unprotected chest. She did so with added strength to compensate for the
resistance of his leather armor, but that proved unnecessary.

Falcon burned with the
vyala
that flowed through it, and it bored through leather and flesh alike with ease.
The air took on a slightly charred scent, and the area surrounding the fatal
wound blackened with the residual energy. There was no blood, as Adesina’s sword
appeared to cauterize as it withdrew.

Adesina had no time to consider
what had happened or to even feel satisfied at eliminating an asset to the
Shimat organization. She was immediately engaged by another opponent hoping to
gain glory in the name of Cha-sak.

Ravi stood his ground not ten feet
from where Adesina fought. The initial shock and fear that had come over the
mercenaries at being attacked by large felines had faded, and Ravi found
himself surrounded by men with spears.

They tried to take him down as they
would some wild animal, but he was not hindered by their weapons. Ravi
transported himself outside of their deadly circle and attacked the nearest
enemy from behind.

His razor-like claws raked across
the back of the mercenary’s legs, effectively hamstringing him. Then Ravi used
his sharp teeth and powerful jaw to crush the man’s fighting arm. Ravi did not
kill him, but left him completely unable to continue aiding the enemy forces.

Then the Rashad leader quickly
turned and leapt at another mercenary, disabling him just as efficiently.

A hasty glance across the
battlefield showed Adesina that her soldiers were doing quite well—especially
since most of them had never seen action before. The mercenaries had the
advantage of experience, but the L’avan and Seharan army had both strength and
magic.

A battalion of L’avan that had the
gift of illusion was doing everything in its power to distract the enemy. The
mercenaries found themselves swinging their weapons at empty air, discovering
too late that the perceived threats didn’t exist. The other Seharan and L’avan
soldiers rushed forward with weapons raised, taking advantage of the
distraction—no matter how brief.

The L’avan soldiers had been
training hard to use their gifts of
vyala
in their fighting. It was not
just a matter of developing their abilities, but also overcoming generations of
ingrained belief that they should use their powers as little as possible.
Adesina had emphasized that they needed to stop thinking that their
vyala
gave them an unfair advantage over others.

Vyala
was truly a gift, and
it was meant to be used as a force for good.

It could be argued that fighting
was not a good thing, but what could be more noble and just than protecting
one’s family and home?

Adesina was proud to see that the
L’avan had taken her words to heart. They fully committed themselves to the
battle, using every resource available to them.

With her
vyala
-enriched
vision, she could see the glow of each L’avan’s power. Some glowed dark blue,
changing the density of their own skins to provide greater protection against
enemy attacks. Some gave off a faintly orange light as they used their powers
to force the mercenaries off balance, or even to throw them several feet in the
air. Some emitted dark red as they manipulated the landscape or objects such as
the saddles of the mounted mercenaries. Those with a light blue glow had
increased dexterity, those with a dark green glow knew if enemies were coming
up behind them, those with glowed golden lent energy to allies or drained
energy from enemies.

The L’avan had truly become a
formidable force.

Adesina found herself facing
another Shimat opponent—this one a woman, judging by her figure.

The Shimat raised her Blood Weapon,
which was a hefty axe with an elaborate head. Instead of aiming for Adesina,
though, the Shimat directed the blow at Torith.

Adesina was startled by the attack
on her mount and hurriedly brought her
vyala
forward to shield the
horse. The axe rang as it struck the magical barrier, and Torith shied away from
the unexpected sound.

Adesina’s balance had been
uncertain when she had leaned forward to protect Torith, and his sudden
movement caused her to slide out of her saddle. She landed gracefully, but she
was not able to remount immediately.

The Shimat vaulted out of her own
saddle and swung her axe at Adesina as she came to the ground.

 Adesina’s
vyala
reacted
automatically, sweeping upward to surround the axe. Cha-sak had used his powers
to enhance the weapons of his army to withstand the
vyala
of the L’avan,
but Adesina doubted he could have accounted for everything. She sent a surge of
energy into the axe, causing it to become hot to the touch.

The Shimat dropped the axe in
shock, but quickly recovered. She drew a short sword and rushed at Adesina to
continue her attack.

Adesina lifted Falcon in response
and took a defensive stance. She met her oncoming opponent with composure and
traded strikes with ease.