Legacy of the Blood (The Threshold Trilogy) (34 page)

Adesina
found herself holding her breath with the rest of the audience.

“One
of the Companions lost his footing while crossing the bridge. He tried
desperately to cling to safety, but he fell to a fiery grave.”

The
children gasped in dismay, and the adults looked equally grim.

“Nayati
the Scholar and his Four Companions soon found that there even more dangers
beyond the wall of fire. The first mountain cave held many traps and obstacles,
and it was a struggle for them to cross. There were floors made of spears and
walls that crushed unsuspecting visitors. There were cleverly covered holes in
the floor through which one could fall and break a leg, and there were hidden
blades that swung out to cut off limbs.”

Adesina’s
brow creased thoughtfully. She wondered how accurate this tale was. Would they
be faced with the same challenges, or was it an exaggeration?

“Most
deadly of all was a magical shadow of sleep that ensnared the unwary. Two of
the Companions died when the shadow caught them as they tried to navigate the
dangerous traps of the great cave.”

Pallavi
cast her eyes across her audience.

“Do
you suppose that they were safe at last?”

Several
listeners shook their heads.

“No,”
Pallavi answered her own question. “There was one more trial to face. Nayati
the Scholar and his Two Companions entered a room where they were faced with a
terrible object of magic—a mirror that revealed the truth, no matter how
carefully hidden. Nayati the Scholar saw terrible truths about himself, and it
caused his heart to recoil. Yet, he was a strong man. He faced the truth, and
he was able to pass beyond.”

The
rapt audience cheered.

“Viveka
the Gentle followed her leader, facing the truth of her nature and accepting
it. She was evermore changed by what she saw, but she did not flinch.”

They
cheered again.

“The
final Companion was Layfan, the oldest friend to Nayati the Scholar. He faced
the mirror, and was given a unique vision of the future. Layfan told Nayati the
Scholar that he must face his truth by leaving his old friend alone. Nayati the
Scholar was saddened, but he knew that Layfan must follow the path that was
shown him.”

Pallavi
took a deep breath and continued her tale in a lowered voice.

“Nayati
the Scholar and Viveka the Gentle were the only ones to reach the gateway to
the stars. The portal was closed, but there were words inscribed on the door in
magical light. The words bade Nayati and Viveka to act as guardians of the
sacred Threshold, and to keep it from the hands of evil until the return of the
Great Ones.”

The
words were profound, and their impact could be seen clearly on the faces of the
Henka.

“Nayati
the Scholar and Viveka the Gentle returned from Daemon Mount, and made their
home in the deserts of Zonne. They and their children were the first Desert
Dwellers, and we have always honored the pledge to guard the Threshold until
the day of the Great Return.”

Applause
sounded the end of the tale.

Pallavi
gave a humble bow, and once again took her seat. The buzz of hundreds of
different conversations sprang up as the Henka returned to their feasting
activities.

Adesina
sat silent, pondering all that had been spoken.

Gauri
leaned forward and said to the L’avan queen in a low voice, “Come to the elders
later, child, and we will tell you the rest of the tale.”

Adesina
was summoned from her sleeping quarters after everyone else had gone to bed.
Ravi was allowed to go with her, due to his role as her guardian. They were led
down the tunnels to the sub-cave where the elders sat together.

“Welcome,
Adesina le E’rian. Welcome, Ravi an Riordan. Please, sit with us.”

The
young queen and the Rashad did as they were bid, and then looked around
expectantly.

“Are
you going to tell us the rest of the tale now?” asked the young woman.

Gauri
nodded. “Yes, child, in good time. First, I wish to ask you some questions.”

“Very
well,” agreed Adesina with a trace of hesitation.

“You
call yourself the Queen of the L’avan, correct?”

“Yes.”

“How
did you come by this title?”

“Through
my husband, who is king,” replied Adesina evasively.

She
wasn’t certain the reason, but she felt the need to be careful in her answers.

“How
did your husband come by this title?”

“Through
his father, who was king before him.”

Gauri
smiled in appreciation of the fencing manner of their conversation. “And how
did your first king come by the title?”

Adesina
glanced at Ravi, but his face gave away nothing.

“Through
his father,” she admitted finally, “whose name was L’avan.”

“The
children of this L’avan took his name to identify their race?”

“Yes.”

The
intent stares of the elders increased in interest, and Adesina could feel the
pressure of their collective intensity.

“Do
you know much of this L’avan’s personal history?”

“Some,”
allowed Adesina.

“Was
he ever in this part of the world?”

There
was a heavy pause.

“Yes,
he was,” answered Ravi unexpectedly.

Satisfaction
washed over each aged Henka face.

Gauri
leaned back and folded her arms. “Is your first father the same Layfan from our
legends?”

Adesina
nodded slowly. “I believe so.”

Pallavi
spoke up in excitement. “It must be true. We have heard tales of magic-users
from distant lands that are called L’avan, and such powers can only have been
born from the same source as our own.”

The
young queen felt strangely reluctant to correct the assumption.

“What
was the source of your people’s power?” inquired Ravi.

Gauri
rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Nayati the Scholar bore no signs of magic. Nor
did any of his children. However, it is said that he spoke of residual magic
from the great battle on this land that tainted the life that remained. It has
never been confirmed, but we believe that our ancestors absorbed some of that
residual magic.”

“Are
the Henka the only tribe with such powers?”

“No,”
the elder shook her head. “All Desert Dwellers have one ability or another. In
the beginning we were all one family, but time and circumstances have separated
us into our individual tribes.”

Adesina
studied the faces of the Henka elders. “Why is it important for you to know the
origins of my people?”

Gauri’s
back straightened with pride. “Because we are the guardians of the Threshold
until the return of the Great Ones. We cannot allow just anyone to approach
Daemon Mount and disturb the holy gateway.”

“Do
you intend to stop us?” Adesina asked quietly.

There
was a pregnant pause.

“No,”
Gauri finally declared. “You are the children of Layfan, and you share in the
task that has been given. We will aid you in your quest to stop your enemy from
defiling the Threshold.”

The
young woman exhaled softly. “Thank you.”

“You
said there was more to your history than what was told at the feast,”
encouraged Ravi.

Pallavi
jumped at the opportunity with enthusiasm. “Yes. In my grandmother’s
grandmother’s time the Henka possessed a book that was written by Nayati the
Scholar. It gave his personal account of the journey to Daemon Mount, and all
of the trials he faced to reach the Threshold. The book was lost during a
sandstorm, but the knowledge it contained has been passed down through the
generations.”

Adesina’s
heart quickened. She had been worried about the barriers created by the Serraf
ever since she had seen her
vyuhava
. Perhaps the Henka held the answers
that she needed to get past them.

“There
are three barriers that guard the gateway,” explained Pallavi, “and you will
need to conquer each in order to reach your destination. Fortunately, your
enemy will have to do the same.”

The
L’avan frowned. Her Dream had told of six barriers, not three.

“The
first is the wall of fire. Nayati the Scholar and his Companions built a hidden
bridge to overcome this obstacle. If you face the mouth of the mountain in the
high hours of the sun, there will be a single shadow that does not appear to
have a source. Go to that shadow, and you will find the bridge.”

Adesina
and Ravi nodded in acknowledgement.

“The
second is a room of traps and obstacles, just as it is told in the legends.
Those can be overcome with care, but the real danger lies in the shadow of
sleep. Unlike in the legend, the shadow does not come and go. It is constant,
and it drains away the life of any living creature in the room. Nayati the
Scholar’s two Companions who died in that room fell into no trap. They were
under the shadow for too long, and their lives were leeched from them.”

“So,
we need to overcome the physical obstacles as quickly as possible,” clarified
Adesina.

“Yes.”

The
shadow must be a separate barrier from the obstacles. The two would have been
created separately out of necessity.

That
answered part of Adesina’s silent question. But what of the other two barriers
that hadn’t been mentioned?

“The
last barrier is called the mirror in the legend. In truth, it is an empty cave
that is filled with strong magic. Nayati the Scholar referred to it as the Cave
of Terrible Truth.” Pallavi’s expression was solemn. “It may seem a simple
thing to face truth, but Nayati wrote that it almost destroyed him. The only
way to overcome this barrier is to accept the truth and to move forward. If you
try to deny it, you will fail.”

Adesina
could feel a bubble of apprehension expanding in her chest, and she did her
best to keep the fear from her face. What kind of truth would she be forced to
face?

“If
you are able to pass all three of the barriers, you will enter the sacred
chamber where the Threshold is located.” Pallavi raised a finger in warning.
“This does not mean that you are free from danger. Our history tells us that
the gateway was closed for a reason. Great evil lies on the other side, and our
legends tell of its consuming hatred for humankind. Even if you are able to
open the portal between worlds, you will be confronted with the purest form of
darkness imaginable.”

“There
are also creatures of Light on the other side,” pointed out Ravi.

“Yes,”
concurred Pallavi, “but there will be no telling which will be standing at the
Threshold to greet you.”

“I
am afraid we have little else to offer, child of Layfan,” admitted Gauri. “We
are glad to give you shelter during the storms, and we will give you a guide to
Daemon Mount when the time comes for you to leave. Other than that, this
journey must be your own.”

Adesina
felt a sudden surge of warmth for the women sitting before her. “You have given
us more than you know, and I am forever grateful for your kindness and
friendship.”

“It
is nothing,” murmured the elders with sincerity.

“Go
now and rest,” encouraged Gauri. “It is essential for you to keep up your
strength.”

Adesina
bowed out of the room, but she did not return to her own sleeping quarters.
Instead, she went across the hall to where the men of her company were staying.

“It
is Adesina,” she called through the curtain. “May I come in?”

Kendan
pulled back the canvas and gestured her in with a wave of his hand. Faryl and
Than’os were experimenting on herbs in the corner, and Maizah sat quietly near
the foot of Kendan’s bed.

“It
seems we are all here,” the young queen observed.

“Yes,
we are,” confirmed Kendan. “What did the elders have to say to you?”

Adesina
told them about the warnings and advice she had received.

“Well,”
said Mar’sal slowly, “at least Basha will have to go through all those things
as well. That should slow her down, since she does not have any
vyala
to
aid her.”

Kendan
was pacing in front of the entrance with a frown on his face. “I am not so
certain of that.”

“What
do you mean?” asked Than’os.

“That
book you mentioned—the one written by Nayati—may be the one that came into
Shimat possession,” the former teacher mused.

Adesina
recalled the conversation they had while traveling across the ocean. “You mean
Basha may have Nayati’s book about the Threshold?”

“It
seems the most likely option. I cannot imagine who else might have written a
book about the Threshold of Zonne.”

“What
does it matter if she has the book?” asked Mar’sal. “It would only mean that we
have the same pieces of information.”

Kendan
shook his head. “Her information would be more complete. Also…”

He
paused and stared at the ground intently.

“Also?”
urged Adesina.

“There
was a rumor,” he squinted, trying to remember the details, “that the book told
of traps that protected the magical artifacts, and it also revealed a way to
avoid them.”

A
stunned silence filled the room.

“Do
you mean to tell me that Basha may have a way to bypass the barriers that
protect the Threshold?” Adesina asked in a subdued tone.

“It
is possible,” affirmed Kendan. “I cannot be sure, because it was only a rumor.
I cannot even be sure that the rumor dealt with the same ancient text. I might
be confusing it with another translation of the time.”

“How
many ancient Zonnese texts can the Shimat possibly hold?” Faryl said in an
exasperated tone.

Kendan
didn’t blink. “The Shimat have gone to great lengths to procure any information
that has to do with magic.”

Mar’sal’s
face was filled with doubt. “So, what can we do?”

The
former Shimat waved a hand. “There is nothing we can do about Basha, unless we
manage to catch up to her.”

“Which
does not seem likely,” inserted Than’os.

Adesina
did her best to appear confident and unconcerned, but she wasn’t sure she
succeeded. “Then we shall focus on getting through the barriers ourselves.”

They
all knew that it was their only real option at present.

“First
of all, the wall of fire,” began the L’avan queen.

“We
know where to look for the bridge,” continued Than’os, “but that does not mean
it is necessarily the best option.”

“Oh?”

He
looked over at the group’s leader. “Why not use your
vyala
to carry each
of us over the flames in safety?”

Adesina
felt the cold claw of fear clutch her heart, and she could sense that Ravi was
keenly aware of her emotions. “I…cannot…”

“I
do not think that would be wise,” interrupted her guardian.

“Why
not?”

All
eyes were on Adesina and Ravi, and the young woman could hardly bring herself
to meet their stares. She, too, looked to the Rashad for a plausible answer.

“We
do not know what trials we will face once we pass the first barrier of Daemon
Mount. It may stretch each of us to the limit of our abilities. This land has
been drained of its natural
vyala
, and so there is no way to quickly
replenish what we use. We must be careful not to waste energy when there are
other options available to us.”

The
L’avan indicated their understanding and Adesina suppressed a sigh of relief.
She would not be forced to admit her growing terror to those that followed her
on this mission.

“Yes,
you are right,” agreed Kendan. “We need to plan the use of our resources
wisely. Is there any way we can find more details about the obstacles of the
second barrier?”

“Why
not ask the Henka to tell us all of the variations of their legends? Surely
there would be a basis of truth to each tale,” suggested Faryl.

“Yes,
you may be right,” mused Than’os. “It certainly would not hurt.”

“We
have several days to prepare for our journey,” said Kendan brusquely. “We shall
gather what information we can while we are here. We should also make sure that
we are keeping in good physical health. We will each need strength for the last
part of this mission.”