The Threshold Child (38 page)

“The L’avan oppose us,” she said softly.

L’iam shook his head sadly. “We are too few to pose a serious
threat to the Shimat. However, that is not the material point.”

Her eyes were glued to the ground in front of her. “What, then?”

“The Shimat are what they are because they choose to be. Yes, they
are fed many lies, but even when they are given the truth, they choose to
remain the same.” He reached out and lifted her chin to look her squarely in
the eyes. “You have been given the truth, Adesina. You can choose to be like
them, or you can choose to be something else.”

She was embarrassed to find her eyes swimming with angry tears.
“It is too late! I have become the monster they wanted me to be.”

His voice was firm. “That is not true, Adesina.”

“It is!” she insisted. “I murdered those thieves and I enjoyed
it.”

“Do you still enjoy it?” he asked quietly.

“No,” Adesina said miserably. “I feel sick just thinking about
it.”

L’iam leaned forward. “
That
is why you are not like the
Shimat. That remorse is what sets you apart from them. It is never too late to
change, Adesina. You still have the power to be who you want to be.”

The night was still around them as they each turned to their own
thoughts. Adesina couldn’t force the memory of the evening from her mind.

“Those men…” she whispered.

L’iam nodded in understanding. “We have all done things of which
we are ashamed, but the beauty of this life is that we are given the chance to
make up for our mistakes—if we choose to do so.”

Although Adesina couldn’t see it at the time, deep in her soul a
spark of hope began to burn.

***

L’iam watched Adesina walk back to the camp. As soon as she was
out of sight, he got to his feet and wandered through the trees. He found a
strange comfort in walking through a forest at night.

He felt sorry for this confused and angry girl who had been thrown
into their path. She tried so hard to be an adult, but she was still a child in
many ways.

He remembered being her age and feeling the same way, asking the
same questions: who was he? Was he nothing more than the years of training and
expectation? He also remembered feeling trapped in a role in life that he did
not choose.

Luckily, he’d had his family and close friends to help him through
that challenging time of life—something that Adesina didn’t really have. E’nes
was doing his best to develop a relationship with his sister, but he often felt
discouraged on that point.

Yes, L’iam felt very sorry for her.

More than that, he was pained when he thought about what was
coming. Perhaps it would have been kinder to let Adesina part ways with the
L’avan. He briefly wondered if she would have returned to the Shimat or gone
off on her own.

L’iam shook away such fruitless lines of thought and brought his
mind back to the present. His men were relying on him to lead them home, and
they were not safe yet. He could not afford to be distracted by his pity of the
Shimat girl.

Still, the days ahead were bound to be dark and there was no
escaping them now.

The next day’s travels took them out of the thieves’ forest and
into the open. It seemed that they did not need the cover of the trees with the
mountains shielding them from the rest of the world. They began angling east;
gradually at first, but soon they were traveling more east than north.

As the days wore on, Adesina was surprised to see that she was not
shunned by those around her. Instead, they did all that they could to show her
their desire to help her through this difficult time.

E’nes rode close to her, sharing with her memories of his
childhood. He spoke of their parents, describing them in great detail. He and
Ravi would remind each other of happier times and laugh at old jokes. Adesina
was grateful for the pictures he painted for her. It made her feel like she
knew her family. It made her feel like she almost belonged to them.

Sa’jan was also spending a good deal of his time with Adesina. He
was an excellent storyteller, whether he was recounting is experiences as a
soldier, as a father, or simply as a man. They never pressed her to share any
information of her own, but after a while she found herself doing it of her own
accord.

Adesina talked about her dearest friend, Lanil, and her greatest
enemy, Basha. She described to them what it was like growing up in a strict and
constantly military environment. She spoke of what the students did to amuse
themselves when the Shar were not around, what was expected when they were
being supervised, and what it took to be the best among one’s peers.

Bit by bit, the other L’avan joined in these conversations. They
would listen to Adesina’s stories and share tales of their own. Their journey
seemed more relaxed now that they were beyond the mountain range.

Adesina kept a close eye out for any other group of travelers, but
they were completely alone. When she commented on this to E’nes, he smiled.

“These lands are roamed by
ferocious beasts
. Travelers keep
as far away as possible.”

There were a few chuckles at this remark, and Ravi rolled his
eyes. She looked at the others in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Ravi spoke up. “These are Rashad lands. We protect them from intruders.”

At first Adesina didn’t see any signs of the Rashad. The lands
were filled with wildlife of all different kinds, but there was no hint of any
sleek black forms other than Ravi. As the fourth week of their journey from the
High City came to a close, Adesina was beginning to think that they would never
see anything other than the local wildlife.

They were riding their horses through the tall green grass,
basking in the morning sun. Adesina was marveling at the colors of these
northern lands. Everything seemed so much richer—so much more alive—than the
south. She was about to comment to Ravi, when she saw him stiffen and a low
growl sounded in his throat.

She looked around in alarm, for she had never seen him act in such
a way. “What is it, Ravi?”

He didn’t answer, but crouched low in the grass. The other L’avan
continued to ride as if nothing was wrong, but Adesina slowed her horse, still
searching for the danger.

Without warning, a golden figure launched itself at Ravi from an
impressive distance. Adesina had never seen Ravi fight before, and she was
struck by his deadly beauty. He moved with a speed and precision that would be
breathtaking to any warrior. His movements were so smooth and effortless that
Adesina was amazed.

Ravi evaded the attack with ease, pinning the golden figure to the
ground. The attacker didn’t even try to fight back. Instead, a throaty giggle
escaped from it.

Ravi’s voice was still a growl. “I had expected a more mature
welcome, Rissa.”

The name rang a bell in Adesina’s memory. This was the younger
sister that E’nes had told her about.

The two siblings were soon surrounded by several other Rashad. All
of them had varying shades of golden yellow fur and large blue eyes. Adesina
had expected them to have Ravi’s black fur, but it seemed that he was an
aberration in his own way.

“Adesina,” E’nes called gently.

She took the hint and left Ravi with his family. After all, they
hadn’t seen him in a very long time.

They were now approaching another large forest that seemed to go
on for several miles. In the distance there was a lone mountain, which seemed
to be their destination. E’nes confirmed what Adesina surmised.

He pointed to the peak. “Our capital city is at the base of that
mountain. Once we enter the forest we will be in L’avan lands. All the area
east and north of here belongs to the L’avan. We call them Pevothem. It means
dwelling
of the heart
.”

This forest was even older than the thieves’ forest. However,
rather than being tainted with decay, this forest was still thriving. Light
danced along the forest floor, casting merry shadows as it went. The sounds and
smells of a thousand forms of life seemed to join the light in its caper.
Something deep inside of Adesina awoke as she entered this forest, although she
could not identify what it was.

Adesina couldn’t believe how different the north was from the
south. She had never imagined that there could be so much light and color
condensed into one place. The climate was cooler, but Adesina found that she
preferred it. There was a much bigger variety of plant and animal life, some of
which even evaded her thorough education.

It didn’t take long for Ravi to catch up, accompanied by those who
had greeted him. They appeared on a ridge just ahead of the path on which the
L’avan were traveling.

L’iam brought his companions to a halt, greeting each of the
Rashad by name, but Ravi was the one to introduce them to Adesina. He indicated
to his father, mother and younger sister, speaking in affectionate tones. Then
he introduced Remah, his betrothed, and her family.

Adesina was surprised at how easy it was for her to tell them
apart. She had worried that they would all look too much alike for her to be
able to learn their names, but each face was unique to her eyes. She took a
particular interest in the one Ravi had introduced as his “betrothed.”

Remah had golden tan fur and dark blue eyes. Her build was more
petite than Ravi’s, and her face exuded sweetness. She was standing close to
Ravi, almost as if she was afraid he would leave without warning. Ravi didn’t
seem to mind her nearness. In fact, there was a sense of being complete in his
expression.

Rissa walked beside Adesina as the growing group went onward. Her
laughing eyes of sky
blue danced with joy in everything around her. Adesina found her
to be an interesting contrast from her older brother. While Ravi was sage and
reserved, Rissa was playful and outgoing.

“So, you are the reason my brother has been gone for so long!”

Adesina didn’t know how to reply to such a statement. Rissa
laughed at her expression. “Oh, do not worry about it. He was a great bore even
before he left. We did not miss him much.”

Everyone laughed, but it was clear that Ravi had been missed very
much. The Rashad all gravitated around him, as if he had some sort of invisible
power that gave them energy. Ravi appeared to be used to the proximity of the
others of his race, as he didn’t seem to notice it himself.

They traveled all of the next day, stopping near a warm spring the
following evening. Each of the L’avan took turns taking baths, shaving and
cleaning their clothes. E’nes gave Adesina a teasing smile.

“My wife would throw me out if I tried going home smelling like
this.”

Most of their conversations had been focused on his childhood or
teenage years, so he had never mentioned that he was married. Adesina suddenly
felt uneasy.

“You are married?”

Her brother looked surprised. “I was certain that I had told you.”

She merely shook her head. She would have remembered something
like that.

He turned back to his razor and small mirror. “Wren’na and I have
been married for one year. Most L’avan couples marry when the younger of the
two reaches their twentieth birthday.”

Adesina pulled a leaf off of an overhead branch and began turning
it over in her hands. “Why twenty years old?”

“Because that is when a L’avan is considered an adult.”

He continued with his shaving while Adesina watched. Even though
her eyes were on the motions of her brother’s hand, her mind was far away. She
had never considered the possibility of meeting a sister-in-law, and the idea
of it worried her. What if this Wren’na didn’t like her?

E’nes saw the expression on his sister’s face and smiled. “Wren’na
will love you, Adesina. I know she will.”

She nodded doubtfully and walked away to begin her own preparations.
E’nes had been thoughtful enough to set up a blanket and build a small fire by
the spring. Adesina washed her clothes first and hung them up to dry by the
fire. Then she stepped into the pool that had formed around the spring, sinking
up to her neck. She let out a quiet sigh as the warm water relaxed her muscles.

She let the water wash away the troubles that plagued her mind. The
young woman filled her thoughts with the sounds of the forest around her, the
feeling of the water, the colors of the sunset filtering through the trees.

Adesina was the last to bathe, and had been encouraged to take as
much time as she wanted. Still, it was only a matter of time until she felt she
needed to finish. She washed herself thoroughly, and then began working on her
long hair. Adesina had brought with her a root which could be worked into a
lather, and left her quite clean.

She stepped out of the pool and went to sit by the fire to dry. By
the time her skin was free of the water that clung to it, her clothing was dry
as well. Adesina dressed carefully and rejoined the group.