Legacy of the Blood (The Threshold Trilogy) (49 page)

Adesina
stood still for several moments.

She
was stunned by what had just happened, and she was also exhausted. Her Blood
Sword—newly named Falcon—had replenished her
vyala
, but her emotions and
mental powers had been strained to the limit.

A
flickering out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned to
face the Threshold.

The
brilliant light of the doorway was beginning to dim.

Adesina’s
chest constricted with panic. “The Threshold is beginning to close. Does that
mean…?”

Ravi
didn’t speak his answer, but she could hear it in his thoughts.

L’iam
is dying.

“What
must I do?” she demanded.

Her
guardian turned his bi-colored eyes on her. “Please, dear one—”

Adesina
interrupted his gentle plea. “There is no time, Ravi. I have to save L’iam.”

“Perhaps
there is another way.”

She
shook her head. “You know that there is not. This is my truth, and I have
accepted it.”

Ravi’s
gaze glistened with tears, but he nodded. “Very well. Step onto the dais, into
the light.”

Adesina
moved forward, and Ravi kept next to her.

She
held up a hand. “Stay here, my friend. You will be safe at this distance, I
think.”

The
Rashad spoke in a voice that trembled with emotion. “I have been by your side
every day, Ma’eve. Do not turn me away now.”

Tears
stung her own eyes, and she tried to blink them away.

“I
do not know what will happen,” she admitted.

“Nor
do I,” he replied, “but at least I will have done my duty. My place is with
you.”

Adesina
felt a surge of gratitude and love for her faithful guardian. She would have
gone on alone, but she was glad to have his support.

Together
they ascended the steps that led to the white marble platform. The runes and
designs glowed with
vyala
, and the Threshold stood in the very center.
Adesina walked towards the shining gateway and stepped into the light.

It
was not as though she were trying to pass through the Threshold into the other
realm. Rather, she entered into the mass of magic that formed the bridge
between the two worlds.

Adesina
shielded her eyes against the brilliance of the
vyala
in the center, and
after a moment her eyes adjusted and she was able to see more clearly.

It
was as if she stood in a room of white light. There were no visible features,
and the way she had entered disappeared.

She
and Ravi stood alone.

“L’iam
must be standing on a conduit somewhere,” reasoned Adesina, “just like the
Serraf in my Dream that sacrificed her life to create this opening.”

In
response to her words, a thick beam of light became distinguishable from the
luminescence of the rest of the room, and L’iam could be seen standing in the
middle of it.

Adesina
felt her heart begin to race and she wished desperately to sprint into his
arms. She started to run forward, but she found that she stayed in place
regardless of her movements.

She
called out to him in desperation. “L’iam! L’iam, it is me!”

There
was no reaction on his face. It remained void of any sort of emotion or recognition.
It appeared as if he was in some sort of trance.

Adesina
yearned to be near him, and her heart felt as though it would burst.

Then,
unexpectedly, she found herself standing in front of him. She reached out to
touch him, but her fingers passed through his form. He was only an image—his
body was far away.

“What
should I do?” she asked Ravi. “His life is fading.”

The
large feline shook his head slowly. “I am not certain, Ma’eve. My people have
no knowledge of this kind of magic.”

Trust
in yourself. You know the answer.

Adesina
looked at Ravi, but he was just as puzzled as she. The thought had not come
from either of them.

The
young queen took a deep breath and cleared her mind.

There
was one thing she did know, even if she was uncertain about everything else.
She must restore L’iam’s lifeforce or he would die before she could figure out
how to remove him from danger.

Her
eyes swirled with gold as she connected to the pure energy of her
vyala
.
She infused her husband with a surge of
vyala
, and the color returned to
his pale face. She gave him as much as she could spare—probably more than what
was safe for her.

As
she did this, she noticed an unseen field that surrounded his spirit. It
connected L’iam to the Threshold.

Using
her magic, Adesina felt the boundaries of the field, trying to get a better
understanding of it. She treated the problem like a Shimat puzzle, keeping her
thoughts logical and her actions methodical. That would be the fastest way of
achieving success.

There
appeared to be three layers to the field.

Adesina
addressed each one individually.

The
first was the conduit itself. Once the runes were activated, they created the
channel that directed the
vyala
to its ultimate destination. The runes
could not be disabled from afar, but Adesina was certain that she could
intercept the flow of energy.

She
closed her eyes and imagined herself taking the place of L’iam. She mentally
pulled him outside of the barrier and moved to stand where he had been.

Somehow,
the magic responded to her desires, and the field began to weaken.

The
second layer seemed to be originating from L’iam himself. A red haze surrounded
his being, binding him to the task that had been given to him—to feed his
vyala
into the conduit.

A
flash of insight told Adesina was the haze was.

It
was the potion that Basha had forced him to take.

It
is blood magic,
explained the voice that was neither Adesina’s nor Ravi’s.
It is a crude
spell that was made from the blood you gave to your mentor when you were a
student.

The
potion that Faryl was supposed to undo.

Yet,
the apothecary was not here. How could she break him of its influence without
Faryl’s aid?

It
was created from your blood. You are the source of its power.

That
thought gave Adesina pause.

“If
I am the source of its power,” she mused aloud, “then I should be able to stop
it.”

Ravi
frowned thoughtfully. “That seems reasonable.”

“How?”
Adesina asked the mysterious voice in her head.

There
was no response.

“I
suppose,” said Ravi slowly, “you will just have to follow your instincts. They
have led you aright thus far.”

Adesina
renewed her determination, shutting out all thoughts of doubt. She squared her
shoulders and closed her eyes again.

In
the L’avan race, purple eyes indicated the ability to focus one’s abilities
above other L’avan. It was Adesina’s ability to focus her intentions with such
intensity that enabled her to use all of the gifts of the L’avan.

She
let go of everything else in her mind and directed all of her focus on this one
task.

She
mentally reached out to the red haze that swirled around L’iam’s body. It
twisted away from her touch, as if she caused it pain.

It
is my blood,
she
reminded herself.
It is a part of me.

She
focused her intention of separating the blood from the other ingredients of the
potion. The blood was hers, and she was going to reclaim it. It was her
right
to reclaim it.

Miniscule
red particles began to separate from the haze and float towards Adesina—at
first slowly, but then with increasing speed. When the last of the blood
returned to its owner, the remaining ingredients drifted to the ground like
dust.

The
field weakened even further.

There
was one more layer that tied L’iam to his life-draining prison. Something less
tangible. Something that originated from… Adesina.

She
looked deep within herself, searching for that last element that kept her
husband in danger. She was shocked at what she found.

Fear.

How
could she be afraid? Hadn’t she already accepted the truth that had been shown
to her? It was her fate to die at the Threshold, and she had no intention of
running away.

Yet
she was still afraid.

Adesina
lowered her head in shame. Her own cowardice was preventing her from saving her
husband’s life.

There
is nothing wrong with being afraid
,
said the mysterious voice.
Fear is a part of all of us. However, the
merciful Creator has given us something to help us overcome our fears.

Adesina
didn’t need to ask what it was. She knew the answer, as if it were even more a
part of her than her fears.

Love.

A
warm feeling began to expand within her chest, and she was able to lift her
head again.

Yes,
it was love that overcame fear.

She
would not deny that she was afraid of death, but her love for L’iam was greater
than anything else. It was her love for her husband that supported her in the
face of her terrible truth.

Her
eyes turned to L’iam’s face—still expressionless in its trance—and her heart
overflowed with love. He had given up so much for her, and yet he had always
insisted that it was nothing at all. He had worked and sacrificed to be
everything that she needed. Now, it was her turn to sacrifice for his sake.

She
did not even have to think about what needed to happen in order to free him
from the spell that bound him. It all happened on its own.

The
strength of her love broke L’iam free from his prison, and life returned to his
dull eyes.

He
looked around in confusion, finally locking his gaze on his wife.

“Adesina,”
he whispered in relief.

Her
returning smile trembled with emotion.

“I
love you, L’iam.”

The
field of magic was centered on her now. The Threshold was powered by her
lifeforce, and it was up to her to seal it once more. One demon had already
escaped into the world of mortals, and she could not allow any more to follow.

Adesina
closed her eyes once more and used the last of her
vyala
to pull the
Threshold closed.

As
she did so, a strange sensation spread throughout her body. Fire seemed to
course through her veins, but the burning was not painful. It was as though her
flesh was being transformed to something stronger—something greater.

She
felt herself shaking uncontrollably, and her mind felt incredibly compressed.
Adesina automatically pushed outward, striving to keep herself from being
crushed. When she was released from the pressure, it was like breaking free
from a cocoon.

Was
this what it felt like to die?

She
was quickly losing consciousness, and she looked over to where the Threshold
stood.

Adesina
could see the light dimming, and she knew that the Threshold was closing.

There
, she thought to herself as she
drifted into darkness.
They are safe.

***

It
felt as though Adesina had been floating for an eternity.

She
felt blissfully light, without any cares or concerns to hold her down. She had
done her part, and she believed that she had done it well.

Now
she could sleep in peace.

Not
yet, my child. Your purpose has not been fulfilled.

The
gentle words pulled her back to the world of the living. She sorrowed to take
up her burden again, but she did not hesitate to obey the benevolent voice.

“Ma’eve?”

Adesina
opened her eyes.

Where
was she?

She
appeared to be in a cave, but not the one where she had been standing before.
The walls were bare of scenic carvings, and there was no dais made from white
marble. Sunlight could be seen streaming in from the cavern opening, only a
short distance from where Adesina laid.

Ravi
sat next to her, staring at her with undisguised anxiety.

Adesina
sat up slowly, holding a hand to her dizzy head. “What happened?”

Her
guardian hesitated before answering. “You died.”

“What?”

“You
died,” he repeated. “I could feel it through our Joining.”

Adesina
frowned. “If I died, then how am I alive right now?”