The Labyrinth of Destiny (41 page)

Sitara had been assigned to shield
the battlefield from Cha-sak’s attacks, but she was surprised to find that no
attacks were being made. She continued to maintain the shield, but she was
curious what else could be drawing the demon’s attention.

As she stood at the back of the
roughly constructed fortification, she felt the soft brush of another mind
against her own. Her eyes blazed with anger as she recognized the gesture that
had once been common between the Serraf and the Shimat.

Cha-sak was requesting to speak to
her.

Riel felt the touch as well through
their Joining. She looked at Sitara in shared shock.

What could he possibly want?

Sitara felt a wave of emotions so
powerful that it hurt her physically. She shook her head.

I do not care.

This is the first time he has tried
to contact the Serraf in centuries.

Sitara clutched her fist against
her chest and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself.

It must be important…

Riel nodded at Sitara’s thought,
but said nothing.

Sitara’s emotions were conflicted,
and she knew that her guardian felt the same.

Slowly, with agonizing indecision,
the Serraf opened her mind to Cha-sak so they could communicate directly. She
only opened the doorway enough that they could speak, careful to block off all
parts of her mind that might give the demon an advantage.

I did not think you would answer
me.

Cha-sak’s tone seemed pleased. It
made Sitara feel ill.

I almost did not.

It has been many years since I
have felt the beauty of a Serraf mind.

Sitara resisted the urge to shut
Cha-sak out of her mind once more. The demon repulsed her.

What do you want?

Cha-sak’s reply was simple.
An
alliance.

Sitara almost laughed aloud.
What?

The Serraf and the Shimat used
to be the closest of allies. Together we served and struggled, together we
lived and laughed.

Sitara shuddered.
Do not speak
of such times. You desecrate the memories by speaking of them as if you cared.

I do care
, insisted the
demon.
The Shimat never forsook their bond with the Serraf.

Anger flooded her mind.

You sacrificed my predecessor to
the Darkness in order to gain power. You used her trust to lead her into
danger, and then you destroyed her for your own purposes.

There was a brief pause as Cha-sak
considered his words.

There are always sacrifices for
the greater good. It pained me to see my partner die, but it had to be done.

No,
lashed out Sitara.
There
was no greater good, only your selfish lust for more power.

She could feel his dissent.

You do not understand.

I will
never
understand
how one so dear to the Creator could betray the Light and embrace the Darkness.

To fight the Darkness is folly
,
stated Cha-sak calmly.
It is a battle that cannot be won. It is better to
join the Darkness while there is still a chance to do so, otherwise your kind
will be destroyed.

Sitara’s thoughts became tinged
with scorn.
So you are offering an alliance in order to save the Serraf?

Yes.

You could have saved yourself
the trouble
, Sitara sent to him bitterly.
I would never join you.

Another pause.

You are being too hasty in your
decision.

Sitara gave a sort of mental shrug.
It does not matter, because the decision is not mine.

Cha-sak’s tone became more
uncertain.

What do you mean?

I am no longer the leader of the
Serraf.

That is not possible. Passing on
that role is not a simple matter.

Sitara’s reply was a bit stinging.
I
am aware of that.

Who is the new leader?

Adesina.

The pause that followed was long
and heavy.

Only a Serraf can lead the
Serraf.

I know.

She is a human. She cannot
possibly…

Sitara gave a humorless smile.

She
was
human, until she
became the Threshold Child.

Cha-sak seemed unwilling to believe
Sitara’s words.
The prophecy of the Threshold Child is a foolish lie. If it
were to happen, it would have happened during the Great Wars. You are using the
prophecy in order to convince the other Immortals to follow you.

If that were the case
,
reasoned Sitara,
do you think that Ruon would be here? He is not one to
follow blindly.

Ruon?

The Serraf shook her head.
You
truly have been so consumed by your ambitions that you have not seen anything
that has been happening.

She took his silence as
confirmation of her words.

I will never join you, Cha-sak,
and you will not win this war. We have the Threshold Child, and we have the
Creator on our side.

Because their minds were connected,
she felt the shiver of fear that passed over the demon. It gave her
satisfaction as she closed her mind to him once more—this time, forever.

She had never truly healed from the
loss of her beloved sister, the one who had died at Cha-sak’s hands. However,
now she felt strangely complete—free from the pain that had haunted her for
centuries.

Cha-sak would lose, and Sitara
would finally find peace.

***

Ruon could see that something was
happening with Sitara, but he did not know what it was. In truth, it did not matter
much to him. The Serraf was free to do as she pleased.

With a small, shuddering breath,
Sitara opened her eyes. Then she turned and walked away from the fortifying
wall.

Ruon shrugged and turned his eyes
back to the battle. The humans were fighting so hard in a battle they couldn’t
possibly win, and he found that he admired them for their dauntless
persistence. It was as if they didn’t realize how hopeless the situation was.

The Laithur suddenly became very
still.

He felt an unfamiliar mind roving
in his direction, searching as though blind. His instincts told him that the
strange mind was searching for his, and he debated whether to reach out or not.

He could simply ignore the
searching mind. The odds of it finding him by chance were slim, and even if it
did, it would need his permission to make a connection.

Or he could find out what the
stranger wanted. He had a pretty good idea of who it was that was looking to
contact him.

Ruon allowed the other mind to find
his. He was curious to know what Cha-sak had to say.

Once the initial contact was made
Ruon made the other demon wait, as if he were deciding on whether to speak to
him or to ignore him. Ruon really just liked making Cha-sak wonder if he was
wasting his time.

Finally, the Laithur opened a line of
communication to the visitor. He could not fully open his mind to any being
other than another Laithur, or the result would be insanity for the receiving
party. The mind of a Laithur was touched with infinite possibility, and most
minds—Immortal or not—could not handle being faced with the vast complexity.

Good afternoon, Cha-sak.

There was a flicker of surprise
from the Shimat demon which brought a small smile to the Laithur’s face.

You knew I would try to contact
you?

Only you would attempt to
connect at this time.

There was a slight pause. Ruon
imagined Cha-sak attempting to regain his footing.

I was surprised to learn that
one of my brother demons was among my enemies. Why are you aiding the Children
of Light?

Although Cha-sak was shielded from
the eternity of Ruon’s mind, Ruon could clearly see into Cha-sak’s. The Shimat
had not learned to block off his personal thoughts and emotions, which meant
that Ruon had intimate insight into what Cha-sak was really saying.

You were surprised, but not
displeased.

Another pause.

No, I suppose not.

Why?

Cha-sak felt a stab of irritation,
and Ruon sensed it as well. The Shimat demon had not anticipated revealing his
reasoning so soon in the conversation.

Because it means that I am not
the only demon in this world. I have a natural ally in you, and I did not know
of your presence until recently.

The Shimat were manipulators. They
enjoyed shaping conversations in order to lead the thoughts of those foolish
enough to listen. The Laithur, on the other hand, were much more
straightforward. Ruon preferred having the whole truth right at the beginning.

Your natural ally? What an
interesting idea.

Is it not true?

Ruon gave the impression of a
slight shrug through his thoughts.
It is not as simple as you make it seem.

Cha-sak repeated his earlier
question.
Why are you helping the Children of Light?

Ruon did not answer, but asked a
question of his own.
Why not tell me why I should be helping you?

There was another flash of
irritation from the Shimat, and Ruon smiled again. The Laithur and the Shimat
had never really gotten along, regardless of the fact that both had willfully
become demons.

You aligned yourself with the
Darkness, and yet you fight on the side of Light. Such a choice does not make
sense.

We Laithur have never claimed to
make sense.

Ruon could feel Cha-sak’s growing
frustration.

You must know that you are on
the losing side.

Yes, I know.

A surprised silence followed.

I have a superior army, and my
soldiers will crush the L’avan.

Very likely.

Cha-sak seemed baffled by Ruon’s
casual agreement, but he quickly recovered.

You are a Creature of Darkness,
Brother Ruon. Come take your rightful place as my partner. Together we will
rule this world.

Ruon took a moment to consider the
Shimat’s words.

The future was not decided, and so
it was entirely possible that Cha-sak could succeed in his plan. He certainly
had a much greater chance of success with Ruon to help him. From a logical
point of view, the two demons would be just as likely to prevail as Adesina.
More, for they would have a larger army and possessed more experience using
their
vyala
.

What would we do once we
conquered this world? How could I continue to trust in my safety? The Shimat
are not known for their loyalty.

Cha-sak’s mind showed a brief
flicker of triumph, as if Ruon’s questions were proof that he was nearing a
decision.

We will swear a blood oath to
one another, that we will never harm each other by our own hands or through the
actions of those who follow us.

It was a strong promise, and did
not leave any loopholes through which one might find a way around it. Of
course, it benefitted Cha-sak as well. It would make him forever safe from
Ruon.

Your offer is tempting…

Then join me,
pushed
Cha-sak.

…but I am afraid I must decline.

Cha-sak’s thoughts were shocked and
confused.

You decline?

Yes.

Why?
Cha-sak demanded.

I pledged myself to the
Threshold Child before I came to this world. I swore that her fate would be my
own, and that I would give her what I could offer.

Such promises can be broken,
argued the Shimat.

Mine will not be.

Ruon could sense the growing anger
in Cha-sak’s mind, but he was not cowed by it.

You would give up the glory of
ruling this world just to follow some girl in her hopeless cause?

The Laithur gave the impression of
raising a finger.
I did not say her cause was hopeless.

What do you mean?

She is the Threshold Child. Her
army may be losing, but
she
will not.

Cha-sak’s thoughts were scornful.
Do
you truly believe that she is the Threshold Child?

Ruon considered his words before
conveying them.

I have been watching her
carefully ever since I agreed to come on this journey. I have seen her courage
and her compassion, and I have seen her flaws and her ignorance. She is so…
human
…in
spite of her transformation into a Serraf.

That seems to be an argument
against her,
pointed out the Shimat demon.

I thought so, too, at first.
Yet, it is not. She is everything that the Immortals need in order to return to
our true purpose. Her very ignorance inspires one to step up and teach through
example.

Cha-sak’s disdain filled his
thoughts, even though he did not form them into words.

Ruon gave a small smile.
I have
seen for myself what she has the potential to become. In the short time I have
known her, she has grown so much. I know that she is the Threshold Child, and I
will follow her wherever she leads. You may call that folly, but I believe that
it would be a much greater folly to hold to the Darkness when I have seen the
Light.

Cha-sak withdrew his mind from
Ruon’s, leaving lingering thoughts of disappointment and scorn in his wake. The
Shimat demon clearly did not give much credit to Ruon’s words.

Or his mocking might have only been
stubborn denial.

Ruon took a deep breath and found
that he was feeling rather cheerful. He was about to go and find Sitara when a
sudden sensation came over him.