The Threshold Child (48 page)

“Have you done much business with them?”

Sa’jan inclined his head. “Certain tribes, yes. Others, no.”

“Which ones?” she asked in genuine interest.

He lifted his gaze to the sky, thinking over all the tribes he had
met during his years of service. “The So, the Quehe, the Mihe, the Oyutai, the
Chyaique, the Ojuri, the Lok, the Tse, and many others. Most of the tribes are
friendly to the L’avan, a few are not.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

He made a vague gesture with his hand. “Well, like us, they are
often shunned from society. Many of the tribes view us as companions in
misfortune. They go out of their way to aid us, just as we go out of our way to
aid them. Other tribes view us in the same way as the villagers around here.
They think of us as dangerous and manipulative.”

L’era piped up angrily. “You would think that hundreds of years of
peaceful coexistence would show them otherwise.”

L’iam reached over and took his sister’s hand. “Let go of your
anger, little one. Do not give them that power over you.”

“We will probably find someone to sell us supplies in the next
village,” E’nes said optimistically.

He was wrong.

The next village they came across was very much like the previous
one. It was filthy and run-down, and filled with distrustful people. The woman
running the trading post would not even let them walk up the steps. She stood
at the doorway with a pitchfork in hand, warning them to leave immediately.

So the L’avan continued onward, their meals getting more and more
scarce. Ravi tried hunting for them, but was only able to procure a couple of
thin rabbits. The settlers of the area had already stripped the land of its
natural food resources, so there was not much on which the travelers could
survive.

Adesina didn’t mind going hungry nearly as much as she minded the
treatment they were receiving from the villagers. After all, a large part of
her Shimat training had been survival in varied and extreme circumstances. Even
after her time away from the fortress, she still felt she was holding up better
than the others—especially considering that she was expending little energy.
Riding a horse all day only taxed her patience, not her body. She took less
food every meal, leaving more for her companions, and ignored the others when
they protested against such actions.

The group would have probably sunk into despair had it not been
for L’era. Once she had dropped her indignation, she took it upon herself to
cheer everyone else.

She placed a hand on Adesina’s forearm. “Look at that sunset! How
beautiful!”

Adesina hadn’t noticed, but she had to admit that it was
breathtaking. The rich reds and oranges blended peacefully with the deep blue
of the coming night.

“Yes,” she agreed. “It is very beautiful.”

“I love sunsets,” L’era went on. “They seem to be the perfect
ending to the day, like the finale of a symphony of people and things and
places and events.”

L’iam gave his sister a rueful glance. “I am finding your
enthusiasm hard to swallow right now. It is easier to ingest such insistent
happiness on a full stomach.”

She paid him no mind. “Honestly, L’iam, stop dragging your feet!
There is so much beauty all around us! If we cannot find joy in those things,
then we will be depressed all the time.”

They found a suitable place to stop for the night and set up camp.
L’era hummed happily as she worked and was accompanied in her impromptu music
by Ravi.

Adesina couldn’t help but smile at the stubbornly positive
attitude that the young princess had adopted. It made their journey much more
bearable, in spite of all the hardships they were facing.

As Sa’jan was stirring the last of their supplies in with a
disproportionate amount of water, the jingling of many harnesses could be heard
in the distance. The L’avan looked at each other in alarm.

“Should we dowse the fire?” L’era asked in a hushed voice.

Adesina shook her head. “It would do no good. They have most
likely seen it already.”

She got to her feet, slowly drawing her Blood Sword. It glinted in
the firelight, almost as if it were eager for a fight. The others stood to join
her, but did not draw any weapons.

L’iam connected with his
vyala
and reached out to the strangers. “They have seen our fire and are coming
towards us. They are not hostile at the moment, only cautious.”

This was reason enough for Adesina to stay on her guard. They
waited in suspenseful silence for the strangers to draw near. Adesina connected
to her own
vyala
, changing her vision
to a dark green. She sensed fifty wagons, all pulled by pairs of oxen, twenty
riders on horseback, and a dozen people on foot. They were close enough now
that the L’avan could hear their voices joined in song. Adesina couldn’t understand
the words, but the tune was as bright and wandering as the people who sang it.

Chaiqui mihe joxyu’e fosain,

Chaiqui mihe’e fosain.

Peloch tse quehe’e

Joxyu’e de fosain.

Mihe, mihe, tse quehe,

Tse kilzo jox.

Mihe, mihe, tse quehe,

Tse kilzo jox.

Tse hizo’e therok yesh,

Lo therok yesh.

Peloch tse quehe’e

I’yeshe zoju ovel.

Mihe, mihe, tse quehe,

Tse kilzo jox.

Mihe, mihe, tse quehe,

Tse kilzo jox.

The expression on Sa’jan’s face lightened considerably. “It is the
Ojuri. They mean us no harm.”

His assurances were enough for the others, but Adesina still felt
wary. It was with great reluctance that she sheathed her Blood Sword.

The Ojuri slowly came within the radius of the campfire’s light. An
oddly elegant looking woman on a dapple-gray mare was leading the large group.

She wore a bright purple dress and many mismatched scarves. Her
wrists were filled with assorted wooden bracelets and she wore a multitude of
similar necklaces. Her long wavy hair was as black as a raven, and touched with
gray at the temples.

More striking than her appearance, though, was the expression in
her eyes. There was a power and self-assurance there, coupled with deep wisdom
and years of experience. This was a woman who had seen much sorrow, but knew
equal amounts of joy. She was a free spirit, only seeming to be captured in a
physical body.

Sa’jan gave her a courtly bow as soon as she brought her horse to
a stop. “M’lady Hestia, I am honored to once again be in your presence.”

Hestia flashed him a stunning smile. “Lord Sa’jan, it has been far
too long.”

He cleared his throat and inclined his head. “May I introduce you
to my companions?”

She nodded graciously. “Of course.”

Sa’jan gestured to each of them as he called them by name. “His
Royal Highness, Prince L’iam, son of King L’unn and Queen Ta’mala; Her Royal
Highness, Princess L’era, daughter of King L’unn and Queen Ta’mala; Captain
Protector E’nes, son of Me’shan and E’rian; Adesina, daughter of Me’shan and
E’rian; and Ravi, son of Riordan and Rabia, and heir leader of the Rashad.”

Hestia raised her eyebrows. “Such august company! We would be
honored if you would join us for an evening meal.”

L’iam stepped forward, looking every part the royal prince.
“M’lady Hestia, it would be
our
honor to join you.”

She gave him an amused look, but accepted the comment gracefully.
She murmured a few orders to the man riding next to her, who then hurried away
to spread the word to set up camp.

The wagons pulled into a tight circle around the camp of L’avan.
When the circle was complete, the other wagons pulled into a circle around
them, and then a third ring made up the last of them. A multitude of people
began bustling about, unhitching the oxen, rubbing down horses, gathering
firewood, setting up a guard around the wagons, building fires, preparing food.

Hestia noticed the watered down contents of their pot on the fire
and gestured questioningly. “May I?”

Sa’jan smiled ruefully and nodded. “Of course.”

She went to work, assisted by a girl no older than fourteen. The
girl was clearly Hestia’s daughter, for she was a smaller copy of her mother.
Her hair was pulled back in a loose braid and she didn’t wear the ornaments
that Hestia did, but other than that they looked the same.

Together they began dicing vegetables, shredding dried meat, and
adding spices to the mixture. It wasn’t long before it became a respectable
stew. The smell was tantalizing, making the stomachs of the L’avan growl with
hunger. It had been quite a while since they had eaten a full meal.

The girl fetched a loaf of traveler’s bread and cut it into thick
slices. She then began dishing the stew into bowls and handing it to each of
the L’avan.

L’iam smiled warmly at the girl, causing her to blush and smile
shyly in return. Adesina frowned at the exchange and purposefully turned her
attention to Hestia.

The woman was sitting cross-legged next to Sa’jan. They spoke to
each other in low voices, and she would occasionally reach over and touch him
briefly. It was clear that he responded to her touch, but he also kept himself
at a distance, both emotionally and physically. Adesina was fascinated by the
strange dynamic between them.

The man that had carried out Hestia’s orders earlier also watched
them closely, but with a darker expression on his face. He had the dark hair
and dusky complexion of all the Ojuri, but his handsome features were marred by
a large burn scar on the left side of his face. He stood apart from the others,
speaking to no one unless absolutely necessary. He scowled at every smile that
passed between Hestia and Sa’jan, and clenched his fist every time they
touched. The two objects of his malice seemed completely unaware of his
observation.

The meal commenced with the usual amount of noise connected with a
group of that size. The fare was simple, but it was given freely, in spite of
the fact that the tribe didn’t have much. All of the L’avan felt deeply
grateful for such generosity.

When the meal was over, there was singing and dancing and a few
dramatic recitals, for the Ojuri were all performers. Hestia laughed and
clapped along with the music, pulling Sa’jan up to dance with her. Adesina was
surprised to see with what grace and certainty he performed each step. She
suspected that the two had danced many times before.

L’era was quickly pulled into the crowd by one of the Ojuri’s
young men. Hestia’s daughter shyly asked L’iam to dance, to which he sportingly
agreed, and E’nes pulled Adesina to her feet before she had time to protest.
All of the coordination she possessed while fighting seemed to abandon her when
she tried to dance. She tried to explain this to E’nes, but he ignored her and
continued to spin her around.

Somewhere in the chaos of the movements, they switched partners,
and Adesina found herself facing another Ojuri. He laughed lightly as he showed
her the different steps and led her around the circle. Adesina was just getting
the movements down correctly when they switched partners again. She found
herself face to face with L’iam.

His eyes were full of the musical laughter that sounded from his
lips. He didn’t hesitate to put his arm around her waist, take her hand, and
continue to lead her around the circle.

Adesina was accustomed to the careful distance he kept between
them. It seemed like they only touched when training. She felt strange having
him press her against his side, moving with her as perfectly as if they had
rehearsed the dance. Her stomach was filled with butterflies and clenched
uncomfortably in turn. His face was very close to hers, and his eyes were so
filled with emotion that Adesina felt completely at a loss when looking into
them. To her dismay, she felt her cheeks beginning to flush.

She removed herself from his grasp and walked away from the dance,
keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. She sat next to Ravi, leaning against him
and listening to him hum along with the music. He didn’t say anything to her,
but his presence alone was like a blanket of strength and calm.

When she finally summoned the courage to look at the group of
revelers again she saw that L’iam was still dancing and laughing, although not
quite as freely as before. He glanced over at her once, and she quickly avoided
eye contact. After that, he did not look at her again for the remainder of the
evening.

It was well after midnight when the festivities came to a close
and the Ojuri returned to their wagons to go to sleep. The L’avan curled up in
their blankets and spoke to each other in quiet voices about the kindness of
their new friends.

Adesina closed her eyes and pretended to sleep long before the others
began to settle down for the night, but her mind kept her wide awake. She began
re-planning their mission again, going over possibilities and variables. She
thought of Kendan and how much she wished he were there to help with the
planning.