The Labyrinth of Destiny (25 page)

Faryl lovingly brushed some stray
hairs from his forehead and said, “Wait here, my love. I will get help and
return.”

Her heart wrenched at the thought
of leaving Than’os wounded and alone, but she knew it was the only way to save
him. She stumbled to her feet and ran as quickly as she could toward the
battle. Faryl had to find someone to help her carry Than’os to safety.

His life depended on it.

L’iam was staring at one of the
maps on the table in the command tent when a Rashad messenger rushed in. It was
Rissa, Ravi’s younger sister. She had been running back and forth between the
camp and the battlefield almost nonstop since dawn, and she was clearly out of
breath.

“King L’iam,” she gasped, “I have a
message from the western flank.”

He gave her his full attention. “What
is it?”

“Than’os has fallen and is being
taken to the Healers. His men are without a leader, and they are beginning to
fall back. Queen Adesina has said she will rally them, but she cannot stay. She
is needed with the cavalry.”

Than’os was one of L’iam’s oldest
friends, and the L’avan king’s first question was instinctual. “How badly is he
wounded?”

“Initial reports are mixed, but one
of the Healers on the battlefield says he is receiving help quickly enough that
he should make a full recovery.”

With that information to comfort
his mind, L’iam turned and frowned as he studied the map.

“Those Shimat are targeting all of
our leaders,” said Me’da. “They are trying to destroy the chain of command.”

Z’eki shook his head. “I do not
know that we have anybody to spare that we can send over there. Queen Adesina
is correct; she is needed with the cavalry.”

“I could go,” offered Ri’sel.

Z’eki shook his head again. “No,
young man, you are needed to relieve Me’shan when the time comes.”

Hestia was standing at the far end
of the tent, not far from where Ruon and Sitara were recovering from their long
struggle with Cha-sak. The Ojuri leader leaned forward and rested her hands on
the table.

Her voice was soft, but determined.
“Send Leander.”

L’iam looked at her in surprise.
“Your son is not a soldier, Hestia. I do not think he would feel comfortable in
a leadership position.”

She raised her chin in proud
defiance. “He knows as much about leadership as I do. He only lacks experience,
which he would certainly gain.”

“That he would,” agreed Z’eki. “We
have already agreed that it is important for the Seharans to see their new
leaders in action. This would be a good opportunity for the crown prince to
gain the trust and respect of his people.”

L’iam studied Hestia’s carefully
composed face. “The western flank is a dangerous place right now. He would not
be safe.”

“He is not safe where he is now,”
she responded.

As one of the few Seharans that
owned a riding horse—one that could be trusted in the chaos of battle—Leander
had been placed in the cavalry. No battle was ever safe for any soldier, but he
was safer than most with Adesina at the lead.

Finally, L’iam nodded. Although he
hated to add to Hestia’s worries, she was right. Leander did seem like the best
option to lead that group of young recruits.

“Rissa, return to the cavalry and
tell Leander that he is to relieve Queen Adesina and replace Than’os as leader.
Then tell Adesina that she is to lead the cavalry down to this area where K’eb
is fighting.” He pointed at the map. “She is to strike at the Shimat and allow
the infantry to pull back.”

Rissa nodded her golden head and
disappeared from the tent. The Rashad had the ability to teleport to any
location that was clearly in their sight, which made travel faster and easier
for them. It was also what made them ideal messengers. They could jump from
point to point—while running, if necessary—and deliver vital information in a
fraction of the time it would take a traditional messenger.

L’iam felt the weight of his heart
pulling on his chest. He turned back to the maps on the table and did his best
to focus, but his thoughts were with his wife.

He had been furious when he had
awoken and found her already gone. He had almost ridden down to the battlefield
and forcibly brought her back with him. She had no right to make such a
decision without him, not only because he was the king but also because he was
her husband. They were supposed to make those choices together, as a team.

L’iam wasn’t angry anymore. He was
hurt, though, and he was very worried. The entire tone of the battle had
changed since the arrival of the main Shimat forces. They were no longer simply
trying to wear down the L’avan and Seharans. They were fighting with the intent
to kill.

L’iam was startled when Ruon
suddenly got to his feet.

The head of the Laithur brushed the
top of the tent, and he kept his long neck slightly bent to avoid the lanterns
hanging above them. Ruon gestured urgently to Sitara and walked out of the
tent, and the Serraf followed without question.

Their sudden departure caused L’iam
to worry even more. They had spent the morning protecting their forces from the
attacks of Cha-sak, which would have been devastating without Immortal aid. The
magical bombardment from the demon had eventually slowed and stopped, giving
Ruon and Sitara a chance to rest themselves.

For them to leave so suddenly meant
that something was about to happen. Something dire enough for Ruon to make
haste.

L’iam said a silent prayer for all
those who fought for the Light. They needed divine help now more than ever.

“Your Majesty?” prodded Me’da in a
gentle voice.

He gave a brisk nod and returned to
the task at hand. “Right,” he answered. “Savir, I need updated information on
where the armies stand.”

***

Adesina received her orders, and she
followed them reluctantly.

Leander was a good soldier,
especially considering his limited training, but he had never been placed in a
position like that before. Their front lines were weakening, and they needed
strong leaders in order to recover. The Ojuri heir—now Crown Prince of
Sehar—did not have the experience that Adesina would have hoped for in
Than’os’s replacement.

The new recruits could hardly be
called soldiers at all. They had been taught how to fight, but they were timid.
Before she had arrived, they had all but fallen apart in the chaos of battle.
They were little more than boys, and the stark violence of war was something
they had never encountered before. She had brought them back together and had
urged them forward, riding at their head.

The recruits needed a strong
presence to rally behind. They needed to be shown how to be the soldiers they
needed to become.

Leander, his dark face scarred from
the cruelty of some unkind villager in his childhood, had silently and
expressionlessly taken control of the young recruits and allowed Adesina to
return to the cavalry.

She had seen him speak a few words
to them, but she had not heard what he said. Adesina trusted L’iam’s judgment,
but she was still concerned for those young men. She would have worried even if
Than’os was still leading them. The recruits were heading toward some dark and
trying days.

Adesina urged Torith into a gallop,
meeting up with the rest of the cavalry. They were currently being led by
Hestia’s son-in-law, Finlay, who was surprisingly talented as both a horseman
and a swordsman. He had been an easy choice as her second-in-command, and she
had not doubted his capability when she had decided to leave in order to rescue
Than’os’s soldiers. Ravi and his Rashad were also fighting close by, which gave
the cavalry added support.

The soldiers gave a cheer at her
approach. Most of them were L’avan themselves, but even the Seharans joined in
the salute. Through her Joining, she could sense Ravi’s relief that she was
returning.

Adesina raised her Blood Sword and
let it flare with power. It might have been a careless use of her energy, but
it boosted the morale of those who followed her.

Adesina and the cavalry thundered
down the field, churning up ground that was soaked with blood. The air was
thick with the scent of death, and it turned her stomach to witness such gross
disregard for life.

L’iam was sending her to cover the
retreat of K’eb and his soldiers, and she wasted no time in leading the cavalry
in the direction they needed to go. K’eb, like many other soldiers who were
wounded or disabled, had insisted that he was still able to fight. L’iam was
not in a position to turn away any experienced soldier that offered to join the
army, and so K’eb had been given heavy armor and a weapon he could wield with
one arm.

K’eb’s force was much farther south
than the rest of the army, and they were being cut off by the enemy. If that
were to happen, they would be surrounded and slaughtered. As she drew closer,
Adesina saw that K’eb and his soldiers were struggling to hold their position.
She quickly pinpointed the spot that she needed to attack in order to enable
the weary fighters to withdraw safely. Torith charged forward, and Adesina
brought down her sword with a yell. She did not need to look to know that the
rest of the cavalry was right behind her, fighting with all their might.

The Rashad used their unique
ability to transport themselves behind the enemy forces in the blink of an eye,
acting as a flanking force to the cavalry. The two-sided attack made it
possible for K’eb’s men to regroup and retreat to a stronger position.

As with the rest of the
mercenaries, this squadron was led by a Shimat warrior on horseback. The Shimat
rode toward Adesina with the drive of a killer.

It was difficult to determine the
gender of the Shimat, but Adesina guessed that it was a woman. The Shimat’s
Blood Weapon was in the form of two short swords, which were both drawn. The
Shimat appeared to be using her knees to guide the movements of her horse,
leaving her hands free to do the fighting.

The clash of steel rang through the
air as the two warriors met. The Shimat was incredibly fast, sweeping her short
swords in perfect—and deadly—harmony. At first, it was all Adesina could do to
defend herself against the whirlwind of attacks. Then, as she adjusted to the
pace of the fight, Adesina grew more confident.

The Shimat woman was fast, but she
was also predictable. She used the same series of attacks over and over again,
trying to drive Adesina back and break through her defense.

Adesina’s lips curled into a grim
smile, and she urged Torith forward so she could exploit the move she knew was
coming next.

The Shimat’s eyes narrowed in what
might have been a grin—it was difficult to tell with most of her face covered
by the scarf and hood of her uniform—and she suddenly changed movements and
broke her pattern. Instead of bringing her second sword swinging sideways, she
lunged forward and stabbed Adesina through the gap in her armor under the arm.

Adesina’s
vyala
prevented it
from being a fatal wound, but it still split the skin and bled a great deal.
The young queen swore as she knocked the enemy blade away and moved Torith back
a few steps.

The Shimat’s eyes were smug, and
that made Adesina even angrier than before. She knew better than to fall for
such a trick. She had used it herself on her opponents. What was wrong with
her?

Adesina didn’t have time for
introspection. The Shimat was moving forward to attack again.

The wound in Adesina’s side made
movement painful, but she gritted her teeth and tried to ignore it. She
switched Falcon to the other hand and continued fighting with equal skill,
since—as all Shi—she had learned to be ambidextrous.

The Shimat looked rather surprised
by Adesina’s resilience, and it was the L’avan queen’s turn to smile. It seemed
that this Shimat didn’t recognize Adesina for who she was and hadn’t expected a
difficult kill.

Adesina took a deep breath and let
herself become immersed in the flow of the fight. It was a trick she had
learned as a Shi—one rarely used anymore. It was a technique that turned off
all of her emotions and inhibitions. It made her into a more efficient warrior,
but it also turned her into a ruthless killer. She did not like losing the
softer part of herself that she had worked so hard to cultivate, but she knew
she needed to win this fight.

Hold on to me, Ma’eve.

Ravi’s voice broke through her mind
in a wave of warmth and encouragement.

Hold on to me, and I will keep
that part of you safe.

She visualized handing him the
tender parts of her heart for safekeeping. Knowing that Ravi would guard them
and that she could take them back at any time gave her great comfort.

With her mind refocused, Adesina
raised her sword once more.

She channeled all of her
vyala
into the blade, causing it to seethe and swirl with light. Torith stepped
forward instinctively, and Adesina’s sword whipped toward her enemy with
unbelievable speed and precision.

The young queen’s thoughts became
distant, as they always did when she immersed herself completely into a fight.
Her movements became more fluid and her inhibitions disappeared. This was
another reason why this technique was dangerous. It made her take risks that
she would not normally consider.

She was gaining the upper hand.

Adesina continued to fight,
completely absorbed in the moment. The rest of the battle only existed if it
affected her conflict with the Shimat warrior; otherwise it faded to the faint
background.

A strange sensation penetrated her
awareness.

Ravi was confused…and concerned.

Why? What was happening?

It didn’t matter at the moment.

Adesina drew her brows together in
a fierce scowl, giving all of her attention to her opponent. Their swords
clashed together in a quick series of attacks and counterattacks, each movement
barely discernible from the others.

The Shimat warrior was incredibly
skilled, but she did not have the same focus as Adesina. She did not have the
same level of pinpoint determination.

Adesina also had the advantage of a
flaming sword, which was—at the very least—distracting. She was not above using
that distraction to her benefit.