The Labyrinth of Destiny (33 page)

They were not defeated. They were
not scattered. It was only a matter of time—and location—before they took
another stand against Cha-sak’s followers.

Adesina sensed Ravi long before she
saw him. He had been meeting with the other Rashad leaders, and now he was
waiting to walk back to the tent with her.

“You are happy,” he observed as she
drew near.

Adesina smiled. “With Light as our
ally, we cannot lose.”

Kendan did not tell Adesina when he
was leaving.

They had discussed his mission in
detail the previous evening, as well as his thoughts on the upcoming battle
with Cha-sak, and there was nothing left to say.

There had been a time when Kendan
would have hoped for some sign from Adesina that she still cared for him, but
he knew such hopes were in vain. Anyone with half a brain could see that
Adesina was completely in love with L’iam. There was no room in her heart for
anyone besides him.

Kendan restrained a sigh and
mounted his horse. Maizah, ever by his side, did the same. Together they
quietly rode away from the sleeping camp.

Kendan had given instructions to
Per, another one of Adesina’s former Shar. The experienced former Shimat was to
lead the Matshi in Kendan’s absence. Per knew that he was to answer to Adesina
and to accept her orders without question. Even so, Kendan had some misgivings
about the situation. Since the formation of the Matshi, Per had never shown the
slightest interest in anything but following Kendan in his quest to do what was
right. However, leaving behind decades of Shimat training and manipulation was
not an easy thing to do.

Kendan shook his head and pulled
his thoughts back to the present.

Surely Adesina was as aware of the
risks as he was. She would keep an eye on Per and the Matshi while Kendan was
gone.

The cool night air rushed against
Kendan’s face as he galloped away from his allies and toward his enemies. He
had always loved riding fast, and even the foreboding of what his future held
did not take away the exhilaration that he felt.

Maizah rode alongside him, her face
as expressionless as always. Kendan smiled to himself when he glanced at her.

They had been together for more
than a year now, and Kendan felt that they had become good friends—the only
real friend Kendan had ever had, aside from Adesina. Maizah was not an easy
person to get to know, and not just because she did not have the ability to
speak. She was intensely private, and often chose not to communicate. In spite
of this, Kendan had learned how to discern her feelings and intentions even
when her face was inscrutable.

Kendan could sense Maizah’s grim
determination—as well as a touch of dread—as they rode toward the Shimat camp.
Kendan could not blame her for her feelings. She had been a slave to the
Shimat, and she had been badly mistreated by them her entire life. Maizah
always seemed more confident in Kendan’s presence, but even he could not
protect her if this mission went wrong.

Kendan felt a little apprehensive
himself, although he would never admit it to anyone else. He knew that he was
the best choice for this mission, but he also knew the cost of failure. If he
did not succeed, Adesina and her army would be destroyed by Cha-sak.

It was hard not to feel nervous
with such high stakes.

Kendan forced such thoughts from
his mind, and instead reviewed his plans for his mission. That was how he
always calmed himself when nerves got the better of him.

His thoughts preoccupied him enough
that he was able to enjoy the ride as he and Maizah galloped down the
grasslands.

After a while, Kendan and Maizah
slowed their horses to a quick trot, which was a more manageable pace. They had
to reach the Shimat camp before dawn, but it was unwise to exhaust their horses
in the process.

The two travelers gave a wide berth
to the smaller Shimat force that was driving the L’avan and Seharans. Kendan
briefly considered stopping and gathering information, but he decided against
it. If Adesina wanted to know exact numbers or the identity of the leaders, she
could send someone to find that out. His job was to reach the main Shimat army
and assimilate himself among them.

The hours wore on, and Kendan began
to frown to himself.

The Shimat army was farther behind
than he had anticipated. He had assumed that they would be hurrying after their
opponents as quickly as possible, but they were not where Kendan had planned to
find them.

Kendan slowed his horse to a stop
and turned to Maizah. “Are we far?” he asked briefly.

Maizah was a Tracker, and she had
the ability to sense magical beings. As such, she was able to know where
Cha-sak was located.

Maizah’s eyes narrowed in
concentration, and Kendan knew that she was using her gift. It only took her a
few moments, given that a demon of Cha-sak’s power would easily stand out among
humans.

She pointed south and then held up
four fingers.

Kendan’s frown deepened. “Four more
leagues? There is no way we will reach it before dawn.”

Maizah nodded in assent.

The former Shimat considered his
options carefully and then made a decision. Perhaps it would all be for the
best in the long run.

Kendan and Maizah led their horses
a bit to the east and tethered them to a lone tree in the grassland. Then they
wrapped themselves in blankets and laid down to go to sleep. It took a while
for Kendan to relax his mind enough to drift off, but eventually he was
successful.

He was awoken by a sharp kick to
his ribs. Kendan’s instincts took over and he was instantly in a defensive
crouch. He looked up and saw a Shimat in full uniform standing over him with a
spear at the ready.

“Well, well, well,” said an
unpleasant voice. “Who would have imagined that I would find such a prize while
scouting for the enemies of Cha-sak.”

Kendan’s face showed no emotion,
but he felt a surge of satisfaction. If all went according to his plan, he would
be in the center of the Shimat army before the sun peaked.

“Please, sir,” he stammered
fearfully, “I am just a humble farmer…”

A harsh laugh cut him off. The
Shimat spoke with scorn. “Do not attempt such a foolish lie, Kendan. I may not
know you well, but every Shimat knew the face of the former Sharifal’s nephew.”

“I do not know what you mean,”
insisted Kendan, his voice quavering with pretended fear.

“Your traveler’s cloak does not
hide the fact that you still wear your Shimat uniform,” sneered the Shimat,
“and I also recognize the face of the slave you stole when you abandoned the
order.”

Maizah had been watching the
proceedings calmly, but Kendan could see the tension in her body. He knew she
must be struggling with the fear that naturally came when faced with her former
captors.

Kendan dropped his expression of
humble terror and instead looked at the man before him haughtily. “What now? Do
you think you have the ability to force me to come with you?”

“You are unarmed,” pointed out the
Shimat. “Even though I was never the pet of the Sharifal, I think I am well
capable of killing an unarmed man.”

Kendan pressed his lips together in
feigned anger. “What do you plan to do?”

“I will take you back to Lord
Cha-sak as a gift,” said the Shimat arrogantly. “Surely Lord Cha-sak will
reward me for such a prize.”

Kendan felt genuine misgivings at
the idea of being brought before the demon. Would Cha-sak be able to sense his
real intentions?

He licked his lips nervously.
“Listen, perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement. I have some coin…”

The Shimat gave another harsh
laugh. “There is nothing that you can give me that would be greater than the
gifts Lord Cha-sak can bestow.”

Kendan allowed his arms to be bound
behind his back, and Maizah meekly followed his example. With some trouble they
were settled into the saddles on their horses, and the Shimat tied their reins
to his own saddle. From there they were led back to the Shimat army.

Kendan felt triumphant at first. He
was being taken to where he wanted to go, and he didn’t even have to convince
anyone that he belonged there. Unfortunately, his sense of satisfaction
dissipated as he realized he would be forced to endure the smug boasting of the
Shimat who had “captured” them.

“My true potential was never recognized
as a Shi,” the Shimat said to his captives. “I was always grouped in with the
others, but deep down I knew I was better than them. I have been biding my
time, and now I will take the place that I deserve. Lord Cha-sak will see to
that.”

Kendan exchanged glances with
Maizah. Her expression was the same, but he could see his own emotions dimly
reflected in her eyes.

He had no idea who this Shimat was,
but he knew his type. This Shimat was among those who perpetually insisted they
were being overlooked or treated unfairly, all the while doing nothing to
change the situation. He was the type that spoke a great deal but did very
little.

Kendan was almost embarrassed to be
taken to the Shimat as a prisoner of this man. He reminded himself that it was
all a means to an end and swallowed his pride, but it was not easy to do.

As they drew nearer to the army,
another scout rode up to speak to them. He treated the Shimat captor with
unhidden contempt.

“What are you doing here, Shimat
Rat?”

Shimat Rat gestured grandly at
Kendan and Maizah. “I have brought prisoners, Shimat Badger.”

The other scout looked extremely
unimpressed. “Your job is not to harass farmers, Shimat Rat. Your job is to
keep watch for enemy spies.”

“He is not a farmer,” said Shimat
Rat in a voice that was almost a whine. “This is the man formerly known as
Shimat Shrike, and the woman is a Tracker slave that he stole from the order.”

Shimat Badger didn’t appear to be
convinced. “
You
captured the nephew of the former Sharifal?”

“Yes,” Shimat Rat puffed his chest
out in pride. “I spent much time in the fortress, so
I
was able to
recognize him.”

Kendan hid a smile, and he could
see that Shimat Badger was doing the same.

Among the Shimat, it was not a
compliment to one’s skills to be always at the fortress. The only exceptions
were the Shar, and this man was clearly not a member of that group.

“Yes,” murmured Shimat Badger, “I
can imagine that you did spend a lot of time at the fortress.”

Shimat Rat seemed to realize the
implied insult, and he snarled in fury. “I am taking these prisoners to Lord
Cha-sak, and I will be rewarded for my dedication!”

“No,” replied Shimat Badger lazily.
“You will turn them over to me and go back to your post. You are supposed to be
scouting, and Lord Cha-sak will not thank you for leaving that unattended.”

“I am not letting you take credit
for my victory,” sputtered Shimat Rat.

Shimat Badger gave a bland smile.
“I give you my oath as a Shimat that I will not claim these prisoners as my
own.”

Shimat Rat fumed for several more
moments, clearly trying to come up with an alternative to handing his prize
over to his fellow Shimat.

“Return to your post,” barked
Shimat Badger, closing any further discussion.

Shimat Rat untied the reins of
Kendan and Maizah’s horses and threw them on the ground like a petulant child.
Then he wheeled his horse around and galloped off.

Shimat Badger watched
dispassionately and then turned to the two prisoners. “What are your names?” he
demanded.

“I am Dan,” said Kendan, with his
head lowered humbly, “and this is my sister, Maya. We are the children of a
local farmer.”

Shimat Badger’s eyes narrowed. “You
do not look like siblings.”

“Mother and Father could not have
any children of their own. Both of us were orphans, and they took us in,”
explained Kendan.

“What an interesting story,” the
Shimat commented. “Unfortunately, none of it is true. I always know when
someone is lying to me.”

Kendan stiffened slightly, but said
nothing else.

“Clearly, there is more to this
than meets the eye, but I do not have time to unravel the mystery,” Shimat
Badger stated calmly. “I would hate to pass up any potential advantage by
killing you prematurely, though.”

There was another small pause
before the Shimat made his decision.

“You two shall serve as my personal
slaves until this matter is sorted out. You will not speak to anyone other than
me, and you will obey me without question. If you fail to do either of these
things, or if you attempt to escape, I will kill you without hesitation. Is
that clear?”

The Shimat’s eyes glinted coldly,
and there was no doubt that he meant what he said. If Kendan had not been
accustomed to the ways of the Shimat assassins, he would have been quite
fearful.

“I understand, master,” Kendan
whispered in a terrified tone.

Shimat Badger appeared to be rather
pleased with himself as he led his two new slaves back to the main body of the
army. Kendan and Maizah’s horses were given to two of Shimat Badger’s
underlings, and the supplies in the saddlebags were given to the rations officer.

Kendan and Maizah hadn’t brought
anything other than the most basic supplies with them, knowing that it was
likely that their belongings would be taken.

Kendan and Maizah were given coarse
brown robes to indicate that they were slaves. Kendan put his on without a
second thought, but Maizah held hers with trembling hands.

It had been a year since she had
been forced to wear such a robe, and she had found her freedom since then.
Kendan knew what it meant to her to don that robe again, and he put his hand over
hers.

He spoke in a low voice. “Your
freedom cannot be taken from you, Maizah. Never again. That robe is nothing
more than a disguise to help you destroy your former captors.”

Her dark, almond-shaped eyes turned
to his, and Kendan could see a lifetime of unspeakable suffering rising to the
surface.

“You are still your own woman,” he
reassured her again.

Resolve began to replace the pain
in her eyes and she gave a short nod. She put on the robe with practiced ease
and then lifted her chin in defiance to her apparel.