Legacy of the Blood (The Threshold Trilogy) (36 page)

Maizah
shook her head mentally. Joura was not a small nation, and she didn’t even know
the name of the town where her parents had lived. She had few resources and
little ability to communicate with others. It would take her a lifetime to
locate the family she had never known.

Maybe
she could train in a profession. Faryl was a healer, and the Master did not
disapprove. Maizah could also train to be a healer, if that was an appropriate
occupation for a freed slave. Her only real skill was as a Tracker, but she was
reasonably certain that she would be able to learn to do other things.

A
small smile stole across her face and she allowed it to stay.

Maizah
knew the danger of hope, but she could not help but feel its warming rays. The
future held many possibilities, but most of them seemed full of promise for the
slave girl.

Adesina
and Ravi found themselves sitting in the lower levels of the underground Henka
settlement. The area was only used as a last stronghold in the event of an
attack, and so they were completely alone. The Henka elders had given
permission for the area to be used by Adesina as she trained for the trials
ahead.

The
young queen was not certain that she needed space, but she was glad to have the
privacy.

Ravi
had assured her that they would find a way to bring her
vyala
into
submission, but Adesina was filled with doubt. She had felt its strength, and
she was not confident that she could overcome it.

“Take
a deep breath, Ma’eve. You will work best if you have a clear mind.”

She
followed Ravi’s instructions.

“Are
you ready to begin?”

Adesina
wasn’t sure that she’d ever be ready, so she lied. “Yes.”

The
Rashad smiled, sensing the truth.

“Today
we will not be working with your
vyala
.”

She
gave him a startled look. “What?”

“Our
ultimate goal is for you to become master of your powers, but we must first lay
a foundation upon which you may stand.”

Some
of her fear drained away. “I see.”

Ravi’s
long tail flicked back and forth in a somewhat idle manner. “I would like to
explore the extent of our Joining.”

The
young woman’s brow creased. “Why is that?”

“The
Rashad legends tell of the time before we became mortal—when we were the
servants of the Serraf. In those legends, the Rashad were capable of doing
extraordinary things.”

“Such
as calling down a meteor from the sky?” Adesina asked archly.

“That
is where I got the idea,” admitted Ravi seriously, “but the effort would have
killed me if you had not intervened. In the legends, a Rashad would have been
able to accomplish the same task with only a portion of the cost.”

“You
believe this was due to the Joining,” inferred Adesina.

“No,”
corrected Ravi. “I
know
it is because of the Joining. It is stated
clearly in the legends that the Rashad who were bound to a Serraf received a
joint share of their power and glory.”

“So,
the purpose of this exercise is to give you more power?” teased the young
queen.

Ravi
smiled. “You are forgetting the first law of this world: balance. A bond such
as Joining is strong because it is perfectly balanced. If I benefit from it,
you do so equally.”

The
chill of dread crept back into Adesina’s mind. “Are you saying that my
vyala
will become even stronger?”

“Things
do not have to be the same in order to be equal,” reminded her guardian. “The
Rashad were never as powerful as the Serraf. An exchange of
vyala
would
only be a benefit to one party, and the bond would be weakened by unbalance.
There is something else that the Rashad have to offer that is of immeasurable
value to the Serraf.”

Adesina
leaned forward with interest. “What is that?”

Ravi
gave a feline grin that was both amused and mischievous. “I do not know.”

She
snorted in exasperation. “You do not know?”

He
laughed. “Ma’eve, our legends are old and incomplete—as are most tales of that
nature. There are certain pieces that have been omitted or lost over time. We
shall simply have to discover the truth for ourselves.”

“Very
well,” Adesina grumbled. “Where do we begin?”

“With
our minds,” replied Ravi. “Our thoughts have become more closely connected, but
I have more practice in discerning specifics. Therefore, I am able to see more
of your mind than you of mine.”

“Is
that a Rashad trait or your personal ability?”

“Both,”
he answered. “The Rashad have highly developed skills of discernment, and
personal aptitude can raise it to a level of near-clairvoyance. There are
certain Rashad who have become so adroit that they can read the minds of others
with ease.”

Adesina
seated herself on the ground, since it was clear that they would not be doing
much physical activity today.

“Are
you one of those individuals?”

Ravi
shook his head. “No, but my skills are more sharp than usual. I find that a lot
depends on the person with whom I am dealing. I can sense more with you,
because we have always been close. Now that we have been Joined, I can almost
see your mind as you think. If I am concentrating, that is.”

“So,
you are going to teach me how to read your mind?”

“I
am going to teach you how to open your mind to mine,” he clarified. “If we can
make a mental connection, our bond should do the rest.”

Adesina
moved into a comfortable position and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath
and cleared away all external concerns.

When
I think something and I mentally direct it to you, you are more likely to hear
it through our bond.

Adesina
nodded.
Yes, that makes sense.

To
do this is much like sending a message by a carrier. In order to create a
connection between our minds you must imagine yourself casting a line between
us and drawing me into your thoughts.

The
young woman frowned in concentration. She tried to follow his instructions, but
something within her resisted.

“You
have to be willing to show me every corner of your mind,” explained Ravi. “If
you hold back in any way, the connection will not form.”

Adesina
naturally recoiled from the idea of such unrestrained intimacy, but she
overcame that reaction and paused to examine it.

Why
should it bother her so much?

Ravi
was one of her closest friends. In fact, the only person closer was her
husband, L’iam. She shared her dreams and her fears with her constant guardian,
so why not open her mind to him?

“Let
me try again.”

She
directed her thoughts at him, imagining them to be thick and sturdy ropes. She
could sense when Ravi had locked on her thoughts, and she pulled the figurative
ropes back into her mind.

It
was rather disorienting to experience another complete consciousness entering
into her head, and she pressed on her temples with the palms of her hands.

Ravi!

Do
not be frightened, Ma’eve. It is only I.

She
felt his calming presence, and her heart rate began to slow. She could feel the
warmth of his affection for her, and the strength of the emotion almost brought
her to tears.

Oh,
my dear one, I am so proud that you have let me in. I feared that you would be
unwilling to even try.

Adesina
smiled, and she knew that he could see each of her emotions clearly.
I can
still change for the better.

She
sensed his laughter long before it rumbled from his chest.

“Yes,
you can.”

His
words were unnecessary, since he was connected to her mind, but it helped to
create the illusion of distance while Adesina adjusted.

“What
do we do now?” she asked.

“Now,
I invite you to explore my mind. It will strengthen the bond between us, and…”

“And?”

Ravi
shrugged. “And it will distract you enough that I will be able to explore your
mind without interference. We need to become mutually familiar with each other’s
inner self if we are to maximize the potential of our Joining.”

Adesina
chuckled at his candor and closed her eyes again. In her mind she imagined a
doorway that connected her mind to Ravi’s. With only the slightest hesitation,
she walked through.

***

Ravi
was no more than an infant.

Adesina
could see his large eyes peering out of his round, fuzzy face as he examined
the world around him. She couldn’t help but think about how adorable and tiny
he was.

Ravi’s
mother reclined in the shade with her newborn, and his father sat talking with
Rajan, the current ruler of the Rashad.

“You
can imagine our surprise,” said Riordan to Rajan. “After all, our clan has
never produced a leader before.”

“Bloodlines
do not matter,” answered the Rashad ruler. “Only the soul.”

“Of
course,” Riordan bowed his head in deference. “It is simply that our people
have been waiting for so long. There was talk that the lack of a new leader was
a sign of change.”

“What
talk?” Rajan asked with a frown.

Riordan
suddenly looked uncertain. “Well…that perhaps your own son was meant to be the
next in line to lead us.”

The
aged Rashad shook his head. “If Rance was meant to be leader, he would have
been born looking like me.”

The
cub Ravi approached his father and batted playfully at his paw. Riordan smiled
at his second son.

“No,”
continued Rajan, “our people were never meant to be a monarchy. I know that it
seems appealing from time to time—especially when a new leader is not born when
expected—but this is the way things are meant to be.”

He
lowered himself to the ground, so he could look the cub in the eye. Ravi
returned his gaze with innocent curiosity.

“This
child is special, Riordan. I can sense it. He brings with him the future of our
people.”

Ravi’s
mother looked at Rajan with concern. “What do you mean, revered leader?”

“I
am not certain, Rabia. It is simply a feeling I have in my heart.”

Young
Ravi continued to watch the adults around him, and Adesina knew that he
understood what was being said.

***

Ravi
was now the Rashad equivalent of a teenager.

He
laughed and romped with his friends in the green grasslands west of Pevothem.
The other Rashad treated him with deference, even though they tried to hide it,
and Ravi did his best not to notice.

A
group of five adult males approached the youngsters, and the play slowed to a
halt.

Ravi
did his best to appear pleased to see them. “Hello, Rance. Are you only just
returned from your mission?”

The
foremost male was Rajan’s son. He had dark tan fur and an unpleasant sneer on
his face. “Is this how the future leader of the Rashad spends his time? I would
have thought he would be too busy with his training for such frivolity.”

The
four Rashad behind Rance muttered their agreement.

“We
were all training this morning,” answered Ravi. “Rajan said we could take a
break.”

Rance’s
icy blue eyes narrowed. “Do you feel you have the luxury of taking breaks?” he
asked in a dangerous tone.

Ravi
steeled himself for what he knew was coming. “Your father knows best. If he
suggests time away from studies, then I will follow his counsel.”

“My
father is weak,” spat Rance. “He is only leader because of the color of his
fur.”

Ravi
flared in anger. “Rajan is a great leader. He is wise and kind and strong.”

A
nasty smile spread across the other’s face. “Well, then as his heir, you need
to cultivate those traits as well. Let us begin with strength.”

All
of the other Rashad backed away, leaving Rance and Ravi in the center of a
rough circle.

“I
do not wish to fight,” said Ravi quietly.

“Ha!”
exploded Rance’s wrathful voice. “You are not able to fight me. You do not have
the strength or skill to even try.”

Without
warning, the adult Rashad lunged at the youth and sunk his teeth into the
scruff of Ravi’s neck. Rance forced him to the ground with his paws, growling
ferally.

Ravi
struggled to get back to his feet, but he was smaller and weaker than his foe.
All he could do was snarl in return.

“Rance,”
stammered one of the young onlookers, “please do not hurt him. We are sorry for
wasting time when we should be training.”

Rance
released Ravi’s neck, but he continued to bear the youth to the ground. “Look
at your future leader,” he crowed. “He is a disgrace to all Rashad, is he not?
Is he not?!”

“Yes,
Rance,” murmured all of Ravi’s friends.

The
adults laughed raucously and turned to walk away.

Those
that remained stared at the ground in disgrace while Ravi got to his feet and
shook himself free of dirt and grass.

“Ravi,
I…” began one of the young Rashad, but he fell silent with shame.

Ravi
scowled after Rance, and Adesina could feel his anger and his embarrassment.
There was something else that she could sense in his heart, although less
strongly—pity. After a moment he shook his head. “I do not blame you for
agreeing. Let us go home and resume our training.”