The Threshold Child (57 page)

He glared at her as he pulled the blade out again, and an idea
came to Adesina. It went against every notion of honor that she had ever held
to, but she knew that she could not win otherwise. Her opponent would kill her
unless she did something to turn the tides.

She returned to swordplay, flinching against the pain in her arm
and leg. The Shimat seemed little bothered by his own wound. He still moved as
quickly as before, pushing Adesina to the limits of her skill.

Finally, she pretended to stumble, dropping to one knee. He lashed
out like a snake, lunging forward to strike the killing blow.

Adesina rolled towards him and jabbed one of the darts from her
belt into his thigh.

He had to do a somersault over her to avoid being brought to the
ground, and he came to his feet uncertainly. He pulled out the dart and stared
at it for a moment in confusion. When the drug on the tip of the dart began to
take effect and he realized what was happening to him, he drew the dagger worn
at his side.

Refusing to allow himself to be taken prisoner, he thrust the
blade into his own heart, killing himself immediately.

Adesina slowly got to her feet and sheathed her sword. She was
shocked at the abrupt ending of the battle between the two of them, and stood
motionless for several moments. She was only spurred back into reality when a
dagger came flying through the air.

She diverted it with her
vyala
in surprise, and it only just missed her. Among the branches of the trees above
her, she spotted Basha’s face and went cold with hatred. She forgot the Shimat
lying at her feet and launched herself in pursuit of her fleeing enemy.

Basha was trying to leap from branch to branch, but having a hard
time of it. Keeping her eyes on the shadowy figure and ignoring the pain of her
wounds, Adesina nimbly scaled the nearest tree and threw herself into the air.

She used her
vyala
to
propel herself farther, but she was physically and emotionally exhausted, and
had a hard time staying in control.

Basha, who did not realize how diminished Adesina was feeling,
glanced over her shoulder in fear. Her features tightened in concentration as
she pushed herself even harder. She wove in and out of branches, threw things
in an attempt to break Adesina’s concentration, and hurried to get onto solid
ground where she could fight with greater ability.

After much struggle with the environment, Basha landed on the
forest floor. Adesina did the same, but with much more grace than her opponent.

They circled each other warily, glaring at each other with
absolute loathing. Adesina used her
vyala
to scan their surroundings, taking note of things that could be of use as well
as possible hazards.

They were dangerously close to the ravine, and she could see Basha
eyeing it with interest. Adesina took note of her own weakening limbs with
concern. She wasn’t sure she could fight Basha in her present state, but she
couldn’t avoid it now.

A rash idea suddenly came into her mind.

“Are you going to throw me into the ravine, Basha?” she asked
mockingly, hiding the uncertainty she felt because of her depleted Shimat skill
as well as her waning physical stamina.

The fury in Basha’s eyes jumped up several degrees. “It would be
all too easy,” she retorted, “but it does not seem like a proper death for you.
Not enough pain and suffering.”

She barked a laugh at her lifelong enemy. “I am trembling with
fear!” she said sarcastically, hoping that the slight tremor in her step was
not apparent.

Basha rushed at Adesina while drawing her sword. Adesina was
instantly on the defense, drawing her own sword from the scabbard on her back.

“You
will
be trembling when I am through with you! Your
body will shake with pain you cannot yet imagine!”

Adesina flicked her sword, diverting Basha’s attack and putting
her on defense. “I have my doubts on that point,” she said drily.

“You have no idea of what I am capable,” hissed the Shimat.

Adesina spun quickly and brought her Blood Sword down in a blow
aided by her
vyala
. It was so
powerful that Basha had trouble blocking it.

She calculated words that would arouse her enemy’s fury. “Perhaps,
but I know what you are
in
capable of, and I know you cannot beat me.”

A scream of rage was all she got in return. Basha rushed at her
again, unable to control her temper, and acting rashly in response.

All of their moves were dealt more quickly, and Basha had less and
less precision. Adesina kept her expression indifferent, but her mind was
keenly fixed on maintaining a tight defense. She continued to goad Basha,
waiting for her opportunity to strike.

It finally came when she left her sword arm unprotected. Adesina
dealt a sharp blow to the wrist holding her weapon and used her
vyala
to knock Basha off her feet.

She landed on her back, staring up in shock and hatred. She held
her injured wrist against her chest, using the other arm to inch herself away
from the L’avan. Adesina was about to make another snide remark, when Basha
reached out and grabbed a stone to hurl in her direction.

Her
vyala
shielded her
against it easily, but it was just enough time for Basha to reach a gloved hand
into a pouch on her belt and grab a handful of a gritty red powder.

The powder was thrown at Adesina, catching her full in the face
and settling on her skin, even through her clothing. Her eyes went dark and a
burning pain rose up from her chest, spreading throughout her entire body. The
pain escalated until it was excruciating, especially in the areas where she had
been wounded previously. She writhed and screamed, tearing at herself in an
attempt to get the powder off.

She fell to her knees, pressing her fists against her temples and
shaking uncontrollably. She was completely incapacitated, and somewhere in the
back of her mind she knew that Basha would finish her.

Death was coming, and Adesina welcomed it as a reprieve from the
pain.

Somewhere through the agony and darkness, she heard a shrill
whistle and then Ravi’s urgent voice. She could barely control her limbs enough
to reach out in the direction of the voice.

Her hands closed on his thick fur and she wrapped her arms around
his neck, draping herself across his back.

Then he ran.

Adesina had no idea how long he ran or in which direction. She
continued to cry out in pain, jerking against the searing sensations that
rippled through her body.

When her limbs finally began to cool, she sobbed in relief. It
took several minutes for the burning to stop all together, and even longer for
any feeling to return. Wherever she was, Ravi had laid her in some sort of
stream. The water gently washed over her tortured skin, removing the gritty
substance that had been thrown at her.

“Ma’eve, hold your breath and let the water run over your face.”

She did as she was told, and felt the soothing cold of the river
running over her raw face, which had gotten the brunt of the attack. She opened
her eyes while under water, flushing out the substance trapped there.

Adesina’s sight slowly returned, and she saw Ravi standing over
her with a worried expression on his feline face. She slowly sat up, shuddering
involuntarily.

“Are you all right, Ma’eve?”

She nodded, but was having trouble controlling her voice.

“We need to hurry back to the others,” he urged, moving himself
into a position where she could pull herself onto his back again.

She obediently wrapped her arms around his neck and used what
strength she had left to hold on. As she did so, anxiety for her friends
returned to her mind full force.

Ravi ran smoothly, hardly jostling her at all, and so quickly that
it took only a couple of minutes to find their companions. The battle with the
Shimat had come to an end, and the black clothed figures were nowhere to be
seen. Even the bodies of the fallen were gone. Only the L’avan were left in the
ravaged area.

Her heart pounded at the scene that lay before her.

Aleron’s head was bandaged, but other than that he seemed to be
fine. He was struggling to build a fire as Sa’jan searched through the medical
supplies they had with them. L’era had a gash along her hairline, but she paid
it no heed. She knelt over her brother, pressing her hands against his
blood-soaked chest. L’iam’s eyes were closed and his face was pale. Adesina
could barely see him breathing.

E’nes saw his sister and rushed toward her. “Adesina! What
happened?”

“Where did the Shimat go?” she demanded.

Her brother raised his hands in disbelief. “A whistle sounded in
the distance and they all disappeared.”

None of it made sense to Adesina. She turned it over in her mind,
trying to work it out.

E’nes reached out a hand to her. “Are you all right?”

She waved his question aside impatiently. “What happened to
L’iam?”

He shook his head sadly. She had meant to ask how serious the
situation was, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the words.

Adesina stumbled over to the still form of the L’avan prince. His
ashen features made him look more like a statue than a human being. L’era was
sobbing as she applied pressure to the wound, her slender hands covered in her
brother’s blood.

“What can we do?” she asked frantically. “He needs a Healer!”

Adesina’s eyes whipped to her High City friend. “Aleron is a
healer.”

He shook his head despairingly. “I am only an apprentice! I have
never treated a wound like this. I know some herbs that will help slow the
bleeding and a tea that will dull the pain, but beyond that…”

The silence was suffocating.

She placed a shaking hand on L’iam’s golden hair, silently
searching for some idea of what to do. However, the only thoughts that came to
her were of his many examples of kindness. The times he had comforted her, his
patience in teaching her, the gentle ways in which he showed her what it truly
meant to be a L’avan.

He had been such a good friend to her, and now he was dying
because of her. Because she had not shielded him as well as herself from
Basha’s attack.

She vaguely wondered why it was that the ones closest to her
always got hurt. Her mother, her father, Hass, Jelana, Fia, Gainor, Deasa,
Rina…

Faryl.

She suddenly thought of the gift given to her by the strange woman
on the day of Rina’s wedding, and something deep inside of her told her that it
was the only thing that would save L’iam’s life. Adesina struggled to her feet
and hurried over to her saddlebags, praying that she had remembered to pack it.

She tore through her belongings, searching for the small wooden
container. Her heart leapt as her fingers closed around its textured surface.
She sprinted back to where L’iam was lying, breaking the wax seal around the
edge of the lid.

The salve was a dark red, appearing black while in the container.
Adesina dug her fingers into the thick substance, motioning for someone to hand
her a bandage. The feeling of the salve on her fingers was strangely
unsettling, and the color reminded her of congealed blood. She spread it on the
clean bandage, suppressing an inexplicable shudder as she did so. Then, she
removed L’era’s hands and pressed the bandage on L’iam’s wound.

For a breathless moment nothing happened. Then, with a
gut-wrenching cry of pain, L’iam’s whole body clenched and his back arched.
Adesina’s first reaction was to remove the bandage and throw it away, but she
fought against this inclination and continued to apply pressure to his chest.

“What are you doing?” demanded L’era.

Adesina ignored her, focusing all of her attention on L’iam. She
had never been taught how to use her powers for healing, but she was sure there
was something that her
vyala
could do
for her dear friend.

She called her
vyala
up
and wrapped it around L’iam like a blanket. His convulsions lessened and
finally ceased, allowing his body to rest. Even with this relief, she could
feel the battle raging within his being. The connection created by the
vyala
allowed her to witness what was
occurring beyond what was visible to the eye.

The medicine was aggressive, making the healing process more
forced than natural. Something in the salve worked to knit together the wound
violently, instead of simply allowing that reconnection to take place on its
own. L’iam’s
vyala
fought against
such an intrusion, but the main ingredient of the medicine drew its power from
his life force, making it weak.

Adesina fed energy into him and did her best to buffer the harsh
healing that she had inflicted upon him. The bleeding slowly stopped, and
L’iam’s breathing became more regular. Her breath came out in a rush when she
knew his life was out of danger.