The Threshold Child (21 page)

It was the man she had kidnapped.

He turned to her with a look of desperation in his eyes. His lips
moved, but no sound escaped them. He reached out his hand, the expression on
his face begging her to take it. But before she could make a decision, an
invisible force started pulling them apart.

Adesina felt herself falling backwards into an eternity of night.

***

Adesina jerked awake.

Her heart was racing and her face was covered with a fine sheen of
sweat. She struggled to sit up and free herself from the tangle of her
blankets.

Ravi was still looking out the window, but it was clear that hours
had passed. The purple dust of twilight had stolen across the sky. He turned
around at the sound of her gasping breaths and hurried to her side.

“What is it, Ma’eve?”

It took her several moments to calm herself down enough to find
coherent words to speak. “A Dream. My first Dream since the forest.”

“What did this Dream show you?”

She described it to Ravi, and a glint of understanding flashed in
his eye. Adesina caught the expression and stared at him intently.

“You know what it means.”

Ravi cocked an eyebrow. “Why would you believe that?”

Adesina’s eyes narrowed. “I know you, Ravi. That look in your eye
says that you heard something significant. Something only you understand.”

Ravi walked back over to the window and sat down again. “It would
not be significant if I were the only one to understand. True knowledge is
never for one being alone.”

Adesina shook her head impatiently. She wasn’t in the right frame
of mind to sit and listen to his little gems of wisdom. “What does it mean,
Ravi?”

He looked at her sharply. “I am not a companion of convenience,
Ma’eve. You cannot choose the times you listen to me and then discard me at
will. You have chosen your path in the labyrinth of destiny. Now follow it.”

It took Adesina a moment to recall their conversation before he
left. She took a deep, steadying breath. “What are you saying? Are you leaving
for good?”

Ravi frowned. “Of course not. I will not abandon my duty to you.”

“Then what?”

He fixed his gaze on some point on the distant horizon. “Follow
your chosen path, Ma’eve. And I will follow mine.”

Ravi’s silence now seemed determined. Adesina didn’t talk to him
for the rest of the night. She tried to get some more sleep, but she was
restless. She tossed and turned in bed for a while, then got up and paced
around the room, then went through her Shimat belongings to organize and
review, and then went back to bed to start the cycle all over again.

By dawn she was completely exhausted. She was more affected in
mind and spirit, but her body also suffered from the draining night. It wasn’t
long after the sun appeared that Jelana came to check on her. Adesina had been
in the middle of pacing again, and was scolded sternly by the older woman.

“Adrie! You should not be up!”

Adesina gave a reassuring smile. “I am fine, Jelana.”

Her hostess would not hear it. “Get back in bed this instant.”

“But, Jelana-”

“Not another word! You are staying in bed until I am convinced
that you have fully recovered.”

She reluctantly climbed back into her bed. “The illness has left
me, Jelana. I am still weak, but I can attend school.”

The kindly woman was adamant. “Not today. You are going to eat and
rest, and if I am satisfied, you may go to school after the weekend.”

Adesina saved her groan until Jelana had left the room. “The
weekend! How will I pass three days in bed?”

Ravi did not look at her or answer. He appeared to be deep in
thought, completely unaware of his surroundings. Adesina had never seen him so
distracted.

She sat up. “Ravi?”

Even this did not break through to his conscious mind. He
continued to stare out the window.

Adesina wondered if he ever received visions other than in Dreams.
She laid back down, considering this possibility. Perhaps that is what happened
right before he had left her to seek one of his own kind. Perhaps he had
received some kind of warning. It had to have been something important to take
him away from her.

Her thoughts turned to their conversation the night before. He had
told her that she had chosen her path. She had finally been faced with what she
had greatly desired: a choice. And, like Ravi had warned her, it had passed
before she was aware of its importance.

It had seemed like a simple matter of doing what she was told.
After all, hadn’t she sworn loyalty to the Shimat Order? She wondered what
would have happened if she had honored her promise to Ravi and stayed in the
High City while he was gone. Her opportunity for her first mission would have
been missed, but was that all?

She was not the only Shimat in the High City. There were others
who could have accomplished the mission if she had not. Her Order would not
have been harmed by the decision to honor her promise to Ravi, only her
ambition. That is what it all came down to: her ambition. And now she was set
on a path without knowing where she was headed.

Such thoughts made Adesina feel powerless, and she hated that
feeling more than anything. She was glad when Jelana reappeared with a tray. It
distracted her from the trap of her own mind.

 
“Are you feeling up to
having a visitor?”

Adesina frowned in confusion. “A visitor?”

Jelana smiled and gestured Aleron into the room. He tried to give
her his usual sunny smile, but the worry lines on his forehead spoiled the
effect. “How are you feeling today?”

Adesina gave a brief smile in return. “Much better.”

Jelana discreetly slipped out of the room and Aleron moved to sit
on the foot of Adesina’s bed. “Gainor, Deasa and Rina said they would come
visit you after school today.”

She wasn’t sure what sort of response this statement merited. She
settled on a nod as she turned her attention to the food on the tray in front
of her.

Aleron studied her thoughtfully. “How does your tribe in the north
handle illness? Did your friends not visit you?”

Adesina shook her head. “No. Those who fell ill were left to heal,
and then they rejoined society when they were healthy again.”

This was actually a description of student illness in the Shimat
fortress. Illness meant time lost from training, and no student would lose time
of their own to visit a sick classmate. Most students learned to work through
their illnesses. Only the more severe cases went to the medical wing.

Aleron nodded slowly. “Well, I just wanted to see how you were
feeling. Is there anything I can do for you?”

She shrugged. “I really feel much better.”

He got to his feet. “Then I will leave you to rest. I need to get
to school, so I will talk to you later.”

Aleron was out the door before Adesina could respond. She frowned
after him, not understanding why he came to visit at all if he was going to
leave in such a hurry.

“He cares for you very much.”

Adesina jumped at the sound of Ravi’s voice. She had not noticed
that he was watching the exchange.

“We are friends. I suppose his concern is natural.”

The soft smile that appeared on Ravi’s face brought an unexpected
feeling of relief to Adesina. Ravi must have forgiven her for her broken
promise.

“He sees you as more than a friend, I think.”

Adesina stiffened, her thoughts immediately flying to Kendan.
“What makes you say that?”

Ravi’s smile widened. “I have eyes, Ma’eve. I can see how he looks
at you.”

She felt her stomach drop. She had never considered Aleron
anything more than a friend, and the thought of him harboring hopes for
something more marred that friendship beyond repair.

Ravi could see that the idea disturbed her and changed the
subject, but Adesina could not put it out of her head.

Between that, questioning her decision to break her promise to
Ravi, and her Dream, Adesina could find no peace of mind. The day was almost
unendurably long. Jelana kept her in bed, where there was nothing for her to do
but think, which inevitably turned back to all the things Adesina was trying to
keep out of her thoughts. By evening Adesina was pleading with Jelana to let
her go downstairs. It was only when she promised to sit quietly by the fire
that Jelana allowed it.

Adesina settled into the rocking chair, bundled up far more than
what was needed for the time of year. Ravi laid down between the chair and the
fire, resting his head on his giant paws. Jelana had been teaching Adesina the
finer points of needlework, and she was learning quickly. She now took up the
square of cloth she had been working on and let the sounds of the evening
household bustle wash over her: the crackling fire, the sound of Jelana’s brisk
footsteps over the wooden floorboards, the clink of cookware, the soft
pattering of rain on the windowpanes, Ravi’s deep and steady breath. Adesina
closed her eyes and took in not just the sounds, but the feeling of the house.
It was a content sort of feeling—the feeling of a home.

Jelana was preparing supper and Fia followed her around, humming a
happy little song. Hass was not home yet, which was unusual, but no one seemed
concerned. A hurried knock at the door broke the quiet atmosphere. Jelana
pursed her lips as she went to answer it.

It was Gainor, Deasa and Rina. They were drenched from the rain,
and shivering from both cold and excitement.

“May we see Adrie, Mistress Jelana?”

Jelana ushered them inside. “Girls, you will catch your deaths
being out in such weather!”

They spotted Adesina and rushed to her side, each talking over the
other.

“How are you feeling, Adrie?”

“We are sorry we took so long to come visit you!”

“We meant to come much earlier.”

“We have such exciting news!”

Adesina turned her attention to Gainor, who didn’t seem too lost
on formalities. “What news?”

Gainor was interrupted by the entrance of Hass. He was also
dripping from the rain, with a grim expression on his face. He looked around
the room and seemed to guess what was going on. In his sternest voice he said,
“Fia, go to your room. I will come and get you when supper is ready.”

His tone brooked no refusal. Fia scurried up the stairs, looking
fearfully over her shoulder as she went. Jelana stared at her husband in shock.

“What is it, Hass?”

He had turned his gaze to the group of girls huddled by the fire.
“I think it is time for you girls to be getting home.”

They all shot Adesina apologetic glances before hurrying out the
door. Hass waited until they were alone before turning to his wife.

“A man is missing. An Outsider.”

Jelana, who had been going on with her supper preparations,
stopped in her tracks. “Missing?”

Hass nodded. “He was admitted through the gate in the morning, but
he never left again. The whole city has been searched, and there is no sign of
him.”

She frowned. “Who saw him last?”

“Some of the merchants think they may have seen him, but the last
one to speak to him was Master Lorcan.”

“The blacksmith?”

Hass nodded again, clearly holding something back. Jelana searched
her husband’s face. “What else?”

“The man is a magic user.”

Jelana paled visibly. She had to hold on to the edge of the table
to steady herself. “There is a magic user loose in the city?” she asked
faintly.

Hass moved to her side and put his arms around her. “He may not
even be in the city. It is possible that he left without informing the guards.
The Governors have ordered that the city be searched again, and in the meantime
they have doubled the guards on duty.”

Jelana still didn’t look very reassured. “I do not want the girls
walking to school alone!”

Hass continued to soothe his wife, and Adesina hid her expression
by bending over her needlework. She knew that the man was nowhere near the High
City by now.

The entire city was buzzing with rumors of the missing Outsider.
Gainor, Deasa, and Rina came to visit Adesina early the next morning, filled to
the brim with gossip. They sat in Adesina’s room, looking out the window and
letting their imaginations run wild.

“Do you think he is handsome?”

Deasa and Rina looked shocked at Gainor’s question. “Gainor!”

“A
magic
user?”

Gainor tossed her hair. “It is not impossible for magic users to
be handsome.”

Adesina could practically see the visions of romantic abductions
dancing in Gainor’s eyes.

Deasa looked supremely scornful as she rolled her eyes. “I think
there are bigger concerns than what the Outsider looks like.”