The Labyrinth of Destiny (29 page)

Leander brought his axe down again,
and his eyes strayed to the young men who followed him.

He knew that they were all from
different villages in Sehar—he had learned much about them over the past couple
of days. They had whispered in the dark of the night while waiting for sleep,
talking about their homes and their loved ones.

Leander knew that these young men
were among those he had sworn to shun.

And yet…

They were so frightened. They were
so young. He had stepped in as their leader, and they had all drawn near to him
with a sense of desperation. They knew that Leander was a member of the
Northern Tribes, but they had been eager to accept him and to follow him.

He had spent the last few days
doing everything in his power to guide them and protect them, and he had won
their unwavering loyalty. They looked up to him as though he were some sort of
mighty hero, even though he insisted that he was nothing more than an Ojuri.

In return for their loyalty and
admiration, Leander had begun to feel a deep sense of responsibility for the
young men. His hardness toward them had disappeared, and he knew that he would
do anything on their behalf.

Leander rushed forward and swung
his axe, protecting one of his soldiers from an attack from behind.

“Thank you, Captain,” said the
young man, breathing heavily.

Leander nodded and went on with the
battle. The young man’s name was Jon. He came from a village just south of
Alahn, and his father was a fisherman. He had six younger sisters and a brother
that was only seven years old. Jon’s father had wanted to volunteer to fight
for the newly proclaimed Queen of Sehar, but his leg had been injured in an
accident. Jon had promised his father that he would fight in his stead.

Leander knew such things about each
of his soldiers, and their names were etched in his mind.

He could not let them down.

Leander and his soldiers were along
the western flank, where the battle was not so fierce. Even so, they were
seeing their fair share of fighting. Leander raised his axe to fend off a blow
from one of the enemy mercenaries, and another one of his soldiers stepped in
to attack the mercenary from behind.

That soldier’s name was Cort. He
had come from Tanar with his father and older brother. His father was a city
guard and his brother had been training to be the same, so they were both with
the main army at the center of the battle. Cort had been training with the
scholars, so his experience with a sword had been limited. Even so, he had
wanted to join the fight against the Scepter of Cha-sak.

The names and stories of each
soldier passed through Leander’s mind as he moved through the battlefield. Each
young man had so much to live for, and yet they had all chosen to come and join
the fight.

It filled Leander with hope for
what Sehar could become.

A cry of alarm sounded from the
west, and Leander began to run toward the soldiers that were fighting there. He
wasn’t certain what was happening, but he knew that they would rely on him to
lead them through any crisis.

Leander skidded to a halt as he
topped a slight rise.

The entire western flank of the
Seharan and L’avan army was being overrun by Shimat mercenaries.

Leander didn’t know how they had
suddenly become surrounded, but he and his soldiers were in a very dangerous
position. He lifted his axe in the air and shouted for his men to rally to him.

He saw the golden form of the
Rashad messenger rush away, taking a report of their situation to the L’avan
King and his mother.

Leander set his jaw in
determination. It would only be a matter of time before help would be sent
their way. They only had to stay strong until it arrived.

“To me,” he shouted once more,
standing like a beacon for his inexperienced soldiers.

They were hopelessly outnumbered,
but Leander did his best to look confident. They only had to last until
reinforcements arrived.

L’iam was ready to shout in
frustration. Cha-sak’s unrelenting attacks kept Ruon, Sitara, and Riel
completely occupied, preventing them from helping elsewhere in the battle, and
made it impossible for Savir to safely fly above the battlefield and get an
accurate view of what was happening.

How could he plan the battle and
protect his soldiers if he couldn’t see what was happening? Adesina could be in
danger at that very moment, and he would simply have to wait for the Rashad
messengers to report back.

L’iam knew that none of this was
the fault of his subordinates, but he felt like taking his anger out on them
anyway.

One of the lessons that his father
had taught him flashed through his mind. L’iam could picture King L’unn leaning
over his two sons as they studied the history of warfare together.

A good leader is not ruled by
emotion, and a good man is not without emotion. You must always seek for
balance, and remember that your people are relying on you to be the best you
can be.

L’iam had always been guided by his
father, and he let the memory of those words direct him now. He took a deep
breath in an effort to calm himself.

“Are there any new reports from the
battlefield?” he asked Savir, who was now in charge of consolidating
information.

Savir was about to shake his head
when Rissa burst into the tent, panting heavily. Savir hurried over to the
slender Rashad and spoke to her in a quiet voice. Before they were finished
conversing, another Rashad appeared with an equally urgent expression on his
face.

L’iam wanted to question the
messengers himself, but he stayed where he was. He knew he had to delegate
responsibilities, and he had asked Savir to help with gathering information. He
would not insult the Henka warrior by taking over.

Z’eki started giving him a report
from the Healers, discussing the number of wounded and the supplies that were
needed. L’iam did his best to focus on what the man was saying.

Savir suddenly leapt to his feet
and rushed to the table where the map of the battlefield was spread. He moved
the tokens that represented different groups, speaking hurriedly as he did so.

“Please forgive my interruption,
Elder Z’eki, but I am afraid this cannot wait.”

Z’eki nodded in understanding and
waited to hear what the young desert warrior had to say.

“The demon Cha-sak has sent a force
up along these trees and they have attacked our western flank.”

“How large is the force?”
questioned L’iam urgently.

Savir shook his head. “We are still
waiting for that information. All Rissa said was that they were greatly
outnumbered.”

Hestia, who was standing across the
table from L’iam, grew noticeably pale at this news. Her son was leading one of
the groups of soldiers along the western flank.

“That is not all,” continued Savir.
“Another force composed completely of Shimat assassins swam up the river and
slaughtered our archers. They are now moving into position to attack our
eastern flank from behind.”

A feeling of dread shot through
L’iam’s chest and settled in his heart. His army was slowly being surrounded.

He stared at the map, searching his
mind for the best solution.

The tent flap parted once more,
admitting Riel into the command room. She was clearly exhausted, but she held
herself with grave dignity.

“I have come to tell you that my
mistress is growing weak from Cha-sak’s continual attacks, and she fears that
she will not be able to hold out much longer. The demon is using his full power
against us, and it takes much
vyala
to defend against it.”

L’iam thanked her and watched the
Rashad disappear from sight. He was certain she had returned to Sitara’s side.

Without the Serraf to defend them
against Cha-sak, the army would be destroyed. L’iam gripped the edge of the
table, his knuckles turning white. He could see no alternative, and he gave the
order.

“Send word to the battlefield. We
need to retreat.”

***

Adesina’s orders came from a young
Rashad named Runa. She was ordered to lead the cavalry to the western front and
cover the retreat of the infantry. Ravi was to take the entire Rashad force to
the eastern front and cover the retreat of the soldiers there.

Adesina could feel through their
Joining that Ravi was not pleased with the idea of being that far from her. He
knew that he could not always be at her side in the midst of battle, but he
didn’t want to be across the valley from her.

Remember, you can always use
what I am seeing and teleport next to me,
she reminded him.

Ravi took comfort from her words
and raced away, leading the Rashad to the aid of the L’avan and Seharan
soldiers to the east.

Adesina raised Falcon in the air
and shouted for the cavalry to follow her. She heeled Torith into a gallop, and
turned toward the west.

The wind whipped across her face,
trying to break her hair loose from the tightly pinned knot at the back of her
head. The purple fabric of the half cape that was attached to her ornate
breastplate fanned out behind her as she rode across the battlefield.

Adesina tried to appear confident,
but her heart felt leaden. She was surrounded by death—she could even smell it
in the air—and the weight of her role in all of it was a heavy burden to bear.

Ravi could sense her emotions, and
she felt his growing concern for her wellbeing. She tried not to let the
depression overcome her and instead focused completely on the battle before
her. Even so, she could feel darkness lurking in the back of her mind.

The cavalry approached the western
front, and the sounds of battle brought Adesina out of her reverie.

The Seharans were grossly
outnumbered by the Shimat force, and it was clear that the inexperienced
soldiers were struggling for their lives. Adesina directed Torith into the
middle of the fight, breaking through the relentless attacks of the
mercenaries.

The soldiers gave a cheer at the
appearance of the cavalry, but they were not able to retreat. The Shimat force
was pressing too hard, and it was all that Adesina and her soldiers could do to
stop the Seharans from being overrun.

Adesina spotted Leander in the
middle of the battle, swinging his axe and shouting encouragement to his young
men. They were fighting bravely, but the L’avan queen did not believe that they
would last much longer.

Adesina mustered her
vyala
and channeled it all through her Blood Sword. She raised Falcon to point at the
Shimat mercenaries before her and shouted, “Fly!”

Power burst from the blade of her
sword in the form of a fiery falcon, incinerating all those that stood in its
path.

She had only used that attack once
before, to defeat the demon she had fought on the Threshold of Zonne. At that
time, there had been a reservoir of
vyala
stored in her Blood Sword, and
the majority of the power for the attack had been drawn from there.

Now, there was little
vyala
stored in Falcon, so the attack drew power from Adesina directly.

She gasped as her
vyala
drained sharply, and she slumped in her saddle. She felt incredibly weak, as if
she had been running all day without stopping for rest or sustenance.

Another cheer rose from the throats
of the Seharans as they witnessed the extent of her power. Hundreds of their
enemies were suddenly destroyed, and they took heart that they might survive
after all.

Ma’eve!

Ravi’s voice came to her mind, keen
with concern.

I am alright,
she reassured
him.
I was just caught off guard.

Adesina took a deep breath, using
the technique that Ruon had taught her, and her body filled with the energy of
the world around her. She repeated the action until she was completely
replenished, and then she turned back to the battle.

Even with her help, the Seharans
were in a bad position. They were being driven back, and the possibility of
retreat was still remote.

How was she going to save them?

She began to gather her
vyala
into Falcon once more, preparing for a second attack.

Ma’eve, please do not do that.

Adesina was surprised by the
intensity of the thought from her guardian.

Why? I can recover from the
attack. It just takes a bit more time than I would like.

Ravi became more insistent.

It is not that simple. You may
become energized again, but the wear to your body and soul remains. If you use
that attack over and over again, you will put yourself in danger.

Adesina’s grip tightened on the
handle of her sword.

I have to save them, Ravi. They
are losing this fight, and they will die without my help.

You cannot sacrifice your life
for them, dear one. You still have much to do.

I am Immortal,
Adesina
thought stubbornly.
I cannot die.

Ravi’s voice in her mind was
gentle, but firm.

You know very well that your
form of immortality would not prevent your body from being destroyed if you do
not take care.

Adesina’s heart was heavy with
desperation. “I have to save them,” she whispered.

A disturbance at the back of the
Shimat ranks caught Adesina’s attention. She could not see the source, but it
seemed to be originating from the west.

Whatever the disturbance was, it
was causing the attacking mercenaries to falter. That was just the opportunity
that the Seharans needed.

Adesina spurred Torith into action,
and she began shouting orders in a magically enhanced voice. She led the
cavalry forward in a concentrated attack, which allowed the Seharan infantry to
begin their slow retreat.

Adesina felt the chaos of the
battle as if it were a living thing. It pulsed and writhed, constantly shifting
the head of its focus. The young L’avan queen tried to maintain control by
drawing the fight to herself.

Her
vyala
glowed blue, like
a force field around her, fending off the weapons of enemy attacks. Her Blood
Sword shone with fiery power as it lashed out to strike her opponents. She was
literally and figuratively a beacon to those who fought around her.

The ranks of the Shimat mercenaries
were growing thin before Adesina. Not only because of her own prowess as a
warrior, but also because of the movements of the soldiers. The flanking Shimat
force seemed to be shifting to the east, seeking to gain strength from the main
body of the army.

Adesina glanced past the enemies
before her and saw that the mercenaries near the rear of the force were turning
to face an attacker from behind.

That was why the force of the
battle had suddenly halted. The Shimat had suddenly found themselves
surrounded.

It must be E’nes
, she
thought excitedly.
E’nes has brought help from Charan.

Ravi’s emotions surged through her.
Relief.

Good. We need every bit of help
that can be found.

Adesina turned her attention back
to the fighting in front of her. She found herself facing a Shimat leader, and
her face tightened with determination and she moved to meet him.

The Shimat also held a Blood Sword,
but his was much more broad than Adesina’s slender blade. He directed his horse
with his knees and used both hands to lift the sword into the air.

Adesina would not have had the
physical strength to ward off such a powerful blow, but she had her
vyala
to bolster her defenses. The enemy sword came down and Adesina raised Falcon to
meet it. The clash of the metal rang in Adesina’s ears.

Before Adesina had time to make an
attack of her own, her opponent lurched forward and crumpled to the ground.

The L’avan queen looked up in
confusion and saw a familiar figure pulling the steel braid of his meteor
hammer back to him.

A confident smile spread across Kendan’s
handsome face.

“Hello again, Adesina.”

She stared at him for a moment, too
shocked to know what to say.

Kendan did not remain stationary,
though. He gestured to Maizah, who was riding next to him, and the two of them
moved on to fight the next enemy that stood in their way. Kendan shouted to the
soldiers that followed him.

“Matshi, forward!”

Adesina shook away her surprise and
dove back into the battle. There would be time for questions later.

Ma’eve, what is it?

Ravi had clearly noticed her strong
and conflicting emotions.

“Oh, nothing,” she growled. “Just
an old friend.”