The Threshold Child (74 page)

Adesina kept her eyes fixed on their destination, not looking down
at those who lay dead at their feet. She knew that adding her own tears to the
lament would not help anything. It grew easier as the sun went down and
darkness shrouded the valley.

They reached the city around midnight, and it was much like
Adesina expected. All that was left of the beautiful buildings were smoldering
ruins. The parks had been burned, and bodies lay everywhere. Adesina’s heart
ached as she looked at what had been done to their beautiful home.

It wasn’t just that the city had been destroyed. The invisible
halo that had surrounded the peaceful lives of the L’avan, the belief that they
were safe from the outside world, was also shattered.

Adesina slowed her horse and turned to speak over her shoulder to
L’iam. “Should we look for survivors?”

He nodded absently. “Yes, but we will need help. We will first
locate the refugees.”

The prince pointed to the mountain, and she began riding in that
direction. They passed through the broken remains of the L’avan homes. Several
members of their party dismounted at some point, running to the body of a dead
loved one and sobbing over them inconsolably. L’iam did not try to stop them,
but let them mourn in peace. He, too, was mourning, and knew not to disturb
their sorrow.

By the time they reached the base of the peak, their group was
much smaller. The L’avan prince made no comment on the fact, but continued
forward. They rode up a weathered trail for a fair distance before coming to a
stop.

L’iam cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted a phrase in
the ancient L’avan tongue. A short silence followed before he received an
answer from behind a large boulder.

A boy, probably only fourteen years old, appeared on top of the
rock and stared down at them in amazement.

“Prince L’iam! You are alive!”

He then disappeared, and the groaning of a heavy weight could be
heard. A door in the side of the mountain, completely invisible until that
moment, opened slowly.

L’iam climbed down off of the horse, and indicated that the others
should dismount as well. He led the way into the tunnels of the mountain. The
boy handed him a torch, but stayed behind to guard the entrance.

They wound through the darkness for several minutes before the
tunnel opened to an enormous cavern. There was a large, open area in the front,
but there were also dozens of alcoves and ledges leading to different levels.
It was a warren of tunnels and smaller caves, organized into a sort of
underground city.

The L’avan population in this haven had many women and children,
but there were a number of men as well—though, not nearly as many as before.
Some of the surviving men were those who had not volunteered for the army, knowing
that their lack of training would only be a hindrance. Some of the men were
chosen to stay behind and guard this stronghold and others were the wounded
survivors of the battle.

There was a flurry of activity in an effort to care for the
injured men, even though it was the middle of the night. The entrance of the
travelers initially went unnoticed.

L’iam walked down the path that led to the common area, and the
others followed close behind. Adesina watched him carefully, trying to get a
sense of his emotional well-being. She stayed close to his side, wanting to be
a support in whatever he needed, as he had so often been a support for her.

A woman carrying bandages spotted them first. “Prince L’iam!”

Her cry echoed throughout the entire cavern, catching the
attention of every L’avan.

“The travelers are back!”

“Prince L’iam!”

“He is alive!”

“They have Chief Protector General Me’shan with them!”

“We are safe!”

“Prince L’iam!”

“Prince L’iam!”

A wounded soldier made his way to the front of the crowd that had
surrounded them. He moved slowly and painfully due to his numerous injuries,
but he reached the L’avan prince and saluted him humbly. Adesina barely
recognized him as K’eb.

His left arm was missing, and his head was bandaged. The careful
way he moved indicated broken ribs, and his face looked as if he had been
trampled. He gave her a warm smile before turning his attention back to L’iam.

“Your Highness, the queen would like to see you right away.”

The prince followed him without hesitation, taking hold of
Adesina’s hand to lead her along. He talked to people in the crowd as he passed
through, promising to explain everything once he had finished speaking with his
mother.

K’eb led the way through a narrow tunnel to a small private cave.
Ta’mala lay on a mat on the stone floor, attended by two maids. She had always
looked delicate, but tonight she was so frail that Adesina marveled that she
was still alive.

Her eyes fluttered weakly and she glanced up at her younger son. A
smile touched her lips and she beckoned him to come closer.

“L’iam,” she whispered lovingly.

He knelt by her side and took her hand. “Mother, what happened
here?”

Ta’mala struggled to speak. “An army of mercenaries… Your father…”
She could say no more, but sobbed silently.

L’iam was almost beside himself. “What about Father?”

The queen shook her head, and one of her ladies in waiting leaned
forward to soothe her. He turned his question to the young woman.

“Bri’dey, where is the king?”

She took a deep breath, fighting tears of her own. “He never came
back from battle, nor did Prince L’on.”

L’iam’s shoulders slumped in despair.

The lady in waiting went on. “Her Majesty fell ill when she heard
the news, and she has grown weaker each day.”

Queen Ta’mala grasped her son’s hand. “But you are here, you and
your sister! Where is L’era? Where is my darling?”

L’iam gently chafed his mother’s withered hand between his own.
“She is resting, mother. We have had a long journey.”

Fresh tears came to her eyes. “Could she not come see her dying
mother?”

“Do not say such things,” he admonished. “You will not die.”

Adesina leaned forward and touched the woman’s thin shoulder. “If
it were possible for her to be at your side, she would be here. We were pursued
by the Shimat for most of our way home. We often rode all night.”

Ta’mala’s face relaxed from the anxiety that had become habitual.
“Yes, of course. My sweet daughter must sleep.”

Her eyes closed and she dropped off to sleep herself, as she
murmured the names of her husband and children. L’iam continued to rub her
hand, staring at nothing as his mind tried to accept the news he had received.

Adesina put her arms around him and rested her head on his
shoulder. “I am so sorry,” she whispered.

“It is the Shimat,” came his stiff reply. “They must be the ones
behind the army of mercenaries that came here. They have destroyed everything.”

She didn’t know how to respond. Clearly he was right, for only the
Shimat would be so bold as to send an army to the L’avan haven, and only the
Shimat could have done so without revealing themselves to the eyes of the
world.

She still felt partially responsible for their crimes, and this
act of mindless violence made her feel even more tainted. She began to move
away from the L’avan prince, but he put his mother’s hand down and turned to
embrace her.

“We cannot let it stand. We cannot allow them to continue in their
reign of fear. People think that they are shadow demons, that they are
untouchable in their power. I want to prove the world wrong. I want to show
that we can fight the Shimat and every other evil in this land.”

Adesina studied his eyes intently. “I can help you do that. I do
not know how, but I want to help the L’avan bring an end to the Shimat order.”

Tears spilled over onto his cheeks. “My mother is the only family
I have left.”

She held him close again. “You are not alone, L’iam. Just as I was
not alone once I found my people. We are your family.”

He nodded, but continued to weep silently. Neither of them noticed
the quiet entrance of an elderly Royal Advisor.

“Prince L’iam? We must speak with you.”

He glanced at his mother before getting to his feet. He took hold
of Adesina’s hand to lead her along as he followed the old man. They walked
down the tunnels until they reached the cave that was serving as a temporary
council room. A good many of the Royal Advisors were gathered there, waiting
for their arrival. They all stood when the prince entered the room.

The woman who seemed to be in charge of this meeting stayed on her
feet even after L’iam told the others to be seated. “We all mourn the loss of
King L’unn and Prince L’on most deeply. They were good and valiant men, and
they cannot be replaced.”

L’iam inclined his head, but said nothing.

The woman cleared her throat and composed herself. “I know that
this may not seem like the best time to discuss this, but the sooner it is
resolved, the better.”

Several Advisors shifted in their seats uncomfortably, but kept
their peace. L’iam fixed his gaze on the table in front of him, and Adesina
looked around with a puzzled expression on her face. It seemed everybody knew
what was going on except for her.

“I am speaking, of course, of the succession.”

L’iam shook his head. “Please…”

“I am sorry,” she said insistently, “but the L’avan are frightened
and without a leader. The king and his eldest son are dead, and the next in
line must be crowned immediately.”

“Why must we do this so soon?” asked a white haired Advisor at the
far end of the table.

The man seated next to him answered. “Our people need someone to
show them that we can move on from this horrible tragedy. They need to know
that we can all move forward. They need a king.”

“Also, what if the enemy army returns?” added another woman. “We
would need a king to lead us then.”

L’iam spoke up suddenly. “A king may not be enough.”

This brought several alarmed expressions to their faces. Some of
the Advisors even half rose out of their seats in dismay.

“Your Highness?”

A humorless smile touched his lips as he guessed what they were
thinking. “I am not refusing the throne. My father prepared both of his sons
for the duties of a king. Even so, the L’avan need something more to look to
than just a king.”

His eyes turned to Adesina expectantly, hoping that she would
choose to become the person they so desperately needed her to be.

She thought carefully about what he was asking of her. Doubts and
concerns and reservations swirled around in her head, but somehow she knew that
she could not afford to listen to them. She had chosen her path, and now she
must follow it to the end.

“The Threshold Child,” she said softly.

L’iam nodded, his face a mixture of pride and relief. “The
Threshold Child.”

Murmurs broke out around the table. One woman leaned forward in
disbelief. “Do you mean to say that you have found the

Threshold Child?”

His eyes never left Adesina’s face. “Yes, that is exactly what I
mean.”

The full meaning of his words slowly sank in, and all eyes turned
to the young woman’s pale face. A shocked awe filled the makeshift council
room.

“But, why now? Now that those mercenaries have left us to die?”
asked a frail old man.

“Why did she not save us from this terrible massacre?”

L’iam immediately defended her. “She has only recently discovered
her place among our people. More importantly, she was risking her life to save
the lives of the L’avan who had been taken prisoner by the Shimat. We did not
know that our homeland was under attack.”

The council seemed mollified, but they were at a loss as to what
action to take next. “What now, your Highness? Shall we send out a proclamation?”

“No,” Adesina said instantly.

L’iam agreed with her. “No, we will make no announcements. We will
do all the things we should have been doing all along, and everything else will
fall into place.”

Adesina frowned. “What do you mean?”

He got to his feet to add emphasis to his words. “We have been
hiding away for far too long. The world fears us because they do not understand
us. We do not give them the opportunity to know who we truly are as a people.
We must rejoin the world if we are to survive.”

“Where are we to go, your Highness?” asked one of the Advisors.
“This is our home.”

He shook his head. “Pevothem was a place of refuge during the
wars, and it became our hiding place from all the persecution that we faced. It
was never meant to be our permanent resting place.”

He took a deep breath before going on. “Once we have relocated and
rebuilt, I intend to declare war on the Shimat.”