Legacy of the Blood (The Threshold Trilogy) (26 page)

Adesina opened her eyes and was bewildered by what she saw. She
stood on a low hill, overlooking a picturesque village. There were windmills in
the distance, and she could see herds of sheep grazing in the fields.

“Where are we, Ravi?”

The Rashad studied the Dream around them. “My knowledge of
geography is limited, but I would guess that we are somewhere in Itho, the
island nation off the coast of Joura.”

Adesina spotted a group ascending the hill and recognized one of
the figures from her previous Dream. It was the confrontational female with
powerful legs and no arms.

“There it is,” she said grimly.

“Are you certain, Tuwa?” asked a male member of her race. “It does
not look like a demon stronghold.”

“Of course it does not,” she snapped. “The demons are not so
foolish as to choose a spot that is obvious.”

The male’s expression was filled with doubt. “If you are wrong, it
means the death of hundreds of innocent humans.”

“No human is innocent,” Tuwa muttered.

The male drew himself up to his full height. “We Gaiana are not
the executors of mortal bystanders. We are here only to battle demonkind.”

Tuwa gave a fierce growl, exposing two rows of jagged teeth. “You
are my General, not my Seeker. Obey my orders and destroy that village.”

The General was clearly conflicted. He stood still for several
minutes before slowly giving the order.

Ten Gaiana lined up in front of Tuwa. They began chanting in
monotonous voices, growing louder and louder. Then, with a mighty leap, they
brought their brawny legs crashing to the earth.

Adesina was not affected by what was happening in the Dream, but
even so, she could almost feel the ground shaking. The soil spewed up in a
traveling wave that rushed towards the village and swallowed it without mercy.

She could hear the sheep bleat in terror, and the screams of the
villagers echoed through the hills. The cacophony lasted only moments before it
was enveloped by a deathly silence.

“I pray the Creator can forgive you,” said the Gaiana general.

“I do not need forgiveness,” retorted Tuwa. “I only need to win.”

***

Adesina was so shaken by what she had seen, she did not realize
that she was being pulled into another Dream.

She was standing in a darkened room. The only source of light came
from a handful of flickering candles. A dozen robed figures stood in a circle
around the form of a Qetza that had been staked to the floor.

“O immortal ones of darkness,” intoned one of the robed figures.
“We beseech thee to grant unto us power and life for our sacrifice on thy
behalf. Take the soul of this monster and use it to expand thy reign through
all of eternity!”

The Qetza gave a moaning hiss, and Adesina realized in horror that
it was still alive.

Shouts sounded from outside the walls, and the doors shattered
into thousands of splinters. Two Qetza flew into the room, their feathered
wings stirring up tempestuous winds. They opened their fanged mouths and shot
out bolts of lightning at the robed figures.

Within moments, all of the humans were dead.

“Demon-worssssshipping filth,” hissed one of the Qetza.

“Issss Ssssalasss sssstill alive?” asked the other.

The first Qetza examined the one staked to the floor. “Only
jusssst.”

It lowered its snake-like head and bit into its dying comrade.
Adesina almost shuddered in revulsion, but she stopped when she realized what
was happening.

The injured Qetza began to glow and its wounds began to heal. It
slowly raised itself up and shook its wings to free itself from the remaining
stakes.

“Sssssalassss, my brother, how were you captured?”

“They had kidnapped a child and goaded a venomoussss sssssnake
into biting it. I ssssenssed itssss disssstressss, and I wissssshed to offer
healing to the child.”

The second Qetza shook its head. “Foolissssh brother of mine! How
could you fall for sssssuch a trick?”

“The child would have died,” Salas protested. “I wanted to
sssssave it.”

“The child died anyway,” hissed his brother, “and you were
almosssst sssssacrificed to a demon.”

A milky tear rolled out of one of Salas’s large eyes. “Yessssss,
the child died.”

“We are fortunate that the patron demon did not come to the
resssscue of thessssse humansss.”

The first Qetza snorted. “No demon would risssssk itsss own
sssskin for mortal sssservantsss. When will the humanssss learn thissss? They
are choossssing masssters that care nothing for them.”

“Poor humanssss,” wept Salas. “They do not undersssstand the
gravity of the choicessss they make.”

“Oh, they undersssstand,” muttered his brother darkly. “That is
what makessss them ssssso dangeroussss.”

“Come,” said the first Qetza. “Let ussss leave thisss place of
darknesssss.”

***

“How long will this conflict continue?” demanded a stubby little
man with the wings of a bat. “We have been at war with the demons for almost
twenty years.”

“I entreat thee to have patience, brother,” said Toraun sedately.
“We knew when we began that this war would not be swift.”

“That is easy for you to say,” bellowed the tiny man. “You Aurym
have done nothing but sit safely in your strongholds and plan battles from afar.
We Vattir are dying by the thousands.”

“Recall that thou didst insist to be sent to the forefront of
battle, dear brother. Didst thou think that there would be no risk?”

The Vattiri leader sputtered indignantly. “I just did not want my
people to be kept away from the action because of our size. You know how
prejudiced some are about those things.”

Toraun looked weary. “All must play a part in this war, no matter
the size.”

“Well, if that is the case, then why are we not recruiting the
help of mortals? I hear humans are keen on going to war for other people’s
causes.”

“It is for the mortals that we fight,” clarified the council
leader.

The small man took a small jump forward. “All the more reason for
them to fight with us.”

Another Aurym, a female, spoke up. “Some of the humans hath sided
with our dark brethren.”

“And many others stand firmly in the light,” asserted Toraun.

“If this is a war on behalf of the mortals, then they should join
us and fight.” The man shook his bat-like wings for emphasis.

The Aurym all look at each other and gave a slow nod.

“We shall keep that in mind.”

The Vattir sniffed disdainfully. “That means nothing. What about
now
?”

“For now, we must send defenses to the north.”

***

“What does all of this mean, Ravi?” asked Adesina as they rode
through the desert the following day. “Why am I being shown pieces of the Great
Wars?”

“That was a pivotal time in history,” reasoned the Rashad. “The
world as we know it was shaped by those events.”

“Yes, but why does it matter right now?”

He gazed over the monotonous landscape, ignoring the heat much
better than any of the others in the party. “The Threshold of Zonne is the
gateway through which the demons were forced, and now it is Basha’s
destination. Its history must be relevant for our mission.”

“Some of the history, maybe,” qualified Adesina, “but not all of it.
Why am I not being shown the Threshold itself? I need to know how to stop Basha
from opening it.”

“Do not be hasty in your conclusions,” advised her guardian. “The
design of a tapestry cannot be seen from a handful of threads. You must wait
until you see the larger picture to understand the importance of each piece.”

She sighed quietly and also stared at the desert before them. The
rocks were steadily turning into stretches of sand. Soon they would enter the
part of Zonne where the desert matched Adesina’s initial imaginings—sand dunes
as far as the eye could see.

“I hope these Dreams do not last much longer. We are making good
time, and Maizah senses that we are gaining on Basha. I want to have a plan in
place before our confrontation.”

Ravi made a thoughtful sound in the back of his throat. “If we are
to believe that the forces of good are sending you these Dreams, then it stands
to reason that they will be timed in an appropriate manner.”

Adesina grinned and shook her head ruefully. “You always have an
answer.”

He returned her smile. “Of course.”

***

Adesina and Ravi found themselves standing once more in the
council chamber of the magical creatures. Toraun stood in the center, as
before, but this time a group of humans stood with him.

“We have come to you, Great Immortal Ones, to humbly beg to serve
you. We have been aware of the war between light and darkness for many years
now. We have asked before for the honor of fighting alongside you, and we have
been denied. Now the forces of evil are amassing, and we cannot stand by any
longer. Please, Great Immortal Ones! Allow us to fight!”

All of the humans fell to their knees, their heads bowed
fervently.

The members of the council waited for Toraun to speak, even though
it was evident that several of them wished to speak as well.

“As before, mortal children, we are touched by thy desire to stand
with us. Nevertheless, the danger is far too great for thee. We have the
protection of magic, and there is still much death and injury. What chance
wouldst thou have, with no magic at all?”

“We do not need magic to fight,” burst out a young man from the
back of the group.

His peers shushed him, and his face reddened in embarrassment.

“Nay,” said Toraun. “Let the lad speak.”

The young man slowly got to his feet, and continued in a more
moderate tone. “The casualties of this war are not limited to you, Great
Immortal Ones. All of us here have lost much in the midst of the conflict. We
may not have magic, but we are fighting for our homes and our families. That
gives us strength as great as any magic.”

The leader of the humans smiled warmly at the young man. “Well
spoken, L’avan.” He got to his feet as well and faced Toraun. “The lad is
right. We know well the dangers of war, but our hearts are not faint. We ask
you again, Great Immortal Ones, please allow us to serve you.”

The air was heavy with the importance of the decision. Toraun
turned to the other members of the council.

“What say my brothers and sisters? Shall we call upon mortals to
join in the battle against darkness?”

“Let them fight,” shouted the Vattiri leader almost at once.

“Aye,” rumbled the rock-like creatures. “They have earned the
right.”

“Let them fight.”

“Let them fight!”

All votes were affirmative, and the humans stood tall with pride
at the confidence that had been given to them.

Had Adesina been standing in a different part of the chamber, she
would not have heard the low conversation that took place at the edge of the
room. As it was, her position in the Dream placed her in the only location
where she could overhear.

“He is the one,” said the Dream Rashad.

“The leader?” asked Sitara.

“No, the boy. He is the one who will set the prophecy on its
course.”

The Serraf’s face was solemn. “The time is near, then.”

“Yes,” agreed her companion. “The time is very near.”

***

Adesina and Ravi were overwhelmed with a barrage of noise and
lights. They both automatically crouched and shielded themselves before
remembering that they were in a Dream.

“HOLD YOUR POSITIONS!” bellowed a powerful voice.

The young queen searched for its source and spotted the young man
from the council chamber—L’avan.

His face had aged considerably since she had last seen him. He
must have been at least twenty years older, and his eyes looked ancient and
weary.

His family has died since the last Dream.

Adesina remembered the history that L’iam had taught her. L’avan
had a wife and a son, but both were killed while he fought in the Great Wars.
He received word on the battlefield, but was unable to take the time to mourn.

His sorrow was still deeply etched on his weathered face.

The ground erupted a few yards in front of the human soldiers, and
L’avan swore fiercely.

“Kirin! Send a message back to those light-cursed Gaianas and tell
them to stop attacking so near our ranks. We have injured enough as it is.”