The Threshold Child (58 page)

“He will live.”

They all looked at her uncertainly.

“Are you sure?” asked L’era tremulously.

She nodded, weary from her battle with Basha as well as the stress
of the present situation.

“Yes.” She gazed at Aleron. “Do all that you can for him.”

Aleron nodded eagerly and continued mixing herbs. Adesina got to
her feet and staggered a few feet away. E’nes wrapped her in a blanket and
urged her to rest, which she gladly would have done if she could have.

Instead, she stared vacantly at the portion of the sky that was
visible through the trees. Ravi joined her, laying next to her in his familiar
fashion.

“What happened, Ma’eve?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head in disbelief. “I do not know. Basha has never
beaten me before. She has never even come close!”

He frowned. “Is that what is bothering you?”

Adesina knew what was meant in his tone and hurried to defend
herself. “No, it is everything that has taken place. What happened here is
unacceptable.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She searched for the right words to describe what it was she was
feeling. “They tracked us easily, came upon us unawares, almost killed us all…”

He shook his head. “You cannot blame yourself every time something
goes wrong, dear one.”

“I was supposed to protect my companions from the Shimat. My
insight was supposed to be enough to avoid these kinds of situations. Maybe…”
she trailed off hopelessly.

“Maybe what?”

A heavy sigh escaped, accompanied by a few unexpected tears.
“Maybe I am not enough to protect us. I was a Shimat for so very little time, I
do not know what I need to in order to shield us against them.”

Ravi looked her squarely in the eyes and said, “Ma’eve, you need
to stop expecting to be invincible.”

She was surprised by his direct tone of voice. “What?”

“You are human, and therefore fallible. Mistakes are made,
judgment is clouded, weaknesses hinder, and outside forces occasionally
overcome us. Do you know why?”

“Why?” she couldn’t help asking, even though she had a good idea
what he would say.

“To make us stronger. To make us better. Through our adversity, we
are enabled to overcome all things in our future.”

She knew he was right, but it was hard to let herself off when
other people were getting hurt. “How does this help us right now?”

His eyes narrowed at her resigned attitude. “Go forward, Ma’eve.
It is too late for doubt. Trust yourself, trust your friends, and trust that
you will not be left alone in the darkness.”

The last statement gave her pause.

She had never considered herself a spiritual person. The Shimat
taught that religion was an indicator of a primitive civilization—a lack of
reason and pure thought. Adesina had always agreed with that opinion without
giving it much thought. Yet, over the past year, she had been faced with so
much that simply could not be explained as anything short of miraculous.

She had not yet overcome her deeply ingrained skepticism, but she
was starting to feel a deeper meaning in everything around her. She could
understand why people felt the way that they did about a higher power. Every
time she connected with her
vyala
she
could feel that there was something greater beyond herself. Something that, as
Ravi put it, would not leave her alone in the darkness.

This train of thought was interrupted by Aleron. He approached the
two of them with a small bowl in one hand and a rag in the other.

“I have something for your skin. It should help you to heal.”

Adesina smiled at his consideration and nodded. “Thank you.”

He knelt beside her and dipped the rag into the bowl. “I also
mixed in some herbs to help you relax and get some sleep.”

The herbal concoction felt good against her raw skin. Aleron
applied it with great care, and then wrapped her back up in her blanket. Then
he and Ravi began humming some of their favorite songs together.

Adesina closed her eyes, marveling how effortlessly the two voices
wove the music into stunning harmonies. The medicine worked quickly in relaxing
her body, and she found herself drifting off into sleep.

***

Adesina jerked awake when she heard L’iam stirring. She silently
moved over to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

With some effort, he opened his eyes and looked at her,
bewildered. “What happened?”

She smiled and touched her still aching face. “Is it really that
bad?”

He didn’t smile in return. “It certainly looks painful.”

Adesina shrugged. “Well, it probably looks worse than it really
is.”

L’iam tried to sit up, but she immediately pushed him down again.
“Do not get up. You need to rest.”

He looked down at his chest and saw the blood-soaked cloth. “So,
it was not a dream.”

“No, it was not.”

He laid back with a heavy sigh. “Tell me everything.”

She did as he asked and told him everything she remembered. The
Shimat attack, her ensuing fights, the red powder, her discovery of his injury,
the healing salve. When she finished with her tale, she looked at him in
hesitation.

“I am sorry, L’iam.”

He looked perplexed. “For what?”

Adesina struggled to find the right words. “For causing you so
much pain. For the battle and for the salve.”

He rolled his eyes playfully. “Do not tell me you are blaming
yourself!”

She didn’t answer, but stared at her clasped hands. L’iam reached
over and placed his hand over hers. “It was not your fault. Those Shimat were
set on attacking us, and would have found a way eventually. As for the
medicine, there is no way you could have known how it would affect me. You were
trying to save my life, and for that I am grateful.”

Adesina felt a warmth deep in the core of her being. She wasn’t
sure exactly what it was, but L’iam had a way of reassuring her in a way no one
else could. When he said it wasn’t her fault, she wanted to believe him.

L’era, who was laying beside her brother, began to wake up. She
sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. When she saw that he was no longer
unconscious, she gave a little gasp.

“L’iam! Are you all right?”

He nodded, doing his best to hide the pain and fatigue he felt. “I
am fine.”

She snorted incredulously. “You were stabbed!”

L’iam laughed. “Well, I
will
be fine. I think I am strong
enough to travel.”

His sister shook her head. “No! There is no way you are traveling
until you heal.”

“The medicine seems to have worked miracles so far. There is no
reason to believe that it will not continue to do so. Besides, we need to get
to the Shimat fortress as soon as possible.”

Adesina reached over to check the wound beneath the bandage. It
was still oozing blood, but not very much. The wound was also much more shallow
than it had been the day before.

She looked at him apologetically. “We may need to use more of the
salve.”

He nodded, trying to appear indifferent. “Whatever it takes to get
me back on my feet.”

L’era turned to her pleadingly. “Adesina, surely you do not agree
with this madness! There is no way he is ready to travel.”

She hesitated before answering. “A few days rest would be best,
but he is right. We have a long way to go, and very little time.”

The young princess’s expression became hard. “So you would
sacrifice my brother for your father?”

Adesina stared at her in disbelief. “Of course not. I would not
allow him to travel if I thought it would endanger his life.”

“L’era,” said her brother in a reprimanding tone.

She hung her head, ashamed of her hasty words. “I am sorry,
Adesina. I know that you have all of our best interests at heart. I just do not
want L’iam to get any worse. He will push himself beyond his limit if he is
allowed to do so.”

“Nonsense,” snorted L’iam, but Adesina agreed with his sister.

The others were now stirring, and it was time to begin the day.
Sa’jan prepared their morning meal, while Aleron mixed herbs to help L’iam with
the pain of his injury.

L’era hovered nervously as Adesina changed her brother’s bandage.
He cringed when the salve came in contact with his wound, but clenched his jaw
to avoid making any noise indicating he was in pain.

Everyone else seemed to have recovered from their battle wounds.
Bandages were changed on gashes, and medicine applied to Adesina’s skin; but
other than that, they were all ready to head out once the camp had been broken.

The travelers had to move at a slower pace, due to L’iam’s
condition. Adesina rode her horse next to his, keeping a close eye on him and
making sure he did not overexert himself.

They began conversing in low voices. She told him more about her
childhood in the Shimat fortress. She asked questions about L’avan history and
culture, and they discussed their
vyala
.

He spoke to her quietly of the strange dreams that had come to him
since the Shimat attack. They were filled with shadows and snatches of sound,
making him jerk awake in a cold sweat.

Adesina was fairly certain that the source of the nightmares was
the strange medicine she continued to apply to his chest, but the dreams continued
even after he healed.

It took only a couple of days for the wound in his chest to close
up, but the scar that formed was red and tender. His hand occasionally strayed
to that part of himself, as if expecting to find the dagger still there. His
movements were labored, and he was strangely subdued. L’era treated him gently,
but Adesina’s focus was more on getting him back to his former self.

As time went on, L’iam responded to both tactics. The easy pace
set by his sister allowed his body to recover, and the expectations of Adesina
made him push himself.

Adesina was so absorbed in helping L’iam that the rest of the
group fell from her notice. Ravi remained a silent shadow at her side, and
E’nes also did all in his power to offer aid wherever it was needed. Even then,
she paid little attention to either of them.

Sa’jan spent much of his time with Aleron, and seemed to be the
only one who took note of the sad glances he cast at Adesina. He gripped his
shoulder in sympathy, but could offer no other comfort to the young healer.

Aleron soon discovered that the best way to get Adesina’s
attention was to sing a song. He often enlisted Ravi, finding a song that they
both knew.

To walk in a world without definition,

To see nothing as it truly is.

All edges are soft when they are
blurred,

But the beauty in detail is gone.

Stand in the haze of what is and is not.

Breathe in the imagined world.

Here there is safety, but nothing is
real.

Here there is peace, but no life.

To walk in a world that is sharply
defined,

To see things all too clearly.

Sharp, cutting edges that will not
relent.

Simple beauty does not exist.

All is decided and to deviate is death.

Move forward without hesitation.

Here it is real, but all dreams
disappear.

Here there is earth, but no air.

Adesina smiled at her High City friend. “So many sad songs,
Aleron. Is that the mood you favor?” she asked with a teasing smile.

He fiddled with the reigns in his hand. “Would you like a happy
song? I could sing one for you.”

The smile faded from her lips. “No, your song is fitting.”

L’iam murmured to her, “Yes, very fitting. ‘Breathe in the
imagined world
.
’”

To Aleron’s frustration, she turned her attention back to the
L’avan prince. “Are you still having those dreams?”

He nodded, repressing a shudder. “Yes, every night. I cannot seem
to shake myself free.”

“Well, soon all of us will be having strange dreams,” said Sa’jan.

L’era frowned in confusion. “Why?”

He gestured to the forest no more than a hundred yards in front of
them. “That is the last of the great forests on the journey south. It is said
to be touched with the old
vyala
.”

This time it was Adesina who didn’t understand. “The old
vyala
?”

“The
vyala
of the
earth,” explained E’nes. “The Rashad tell tales of the old world, before humans
ruled. A world filled with all kinds of
vyala
,
many of which we could not even imagine.”