The Threshold Child (18 page)

The Shimat rolled her eyes. “I know how to take care of myself,
Ravi. But what is wrong? What has happened?”

He shook his head doubtfully. “I am not talking about your
physical well being. Something is happening, and I will not leave your side
unless I know you will be safe.”

Adesina’s gaze became intent. “What is happening?”

Ravi hesitated before answering. “I do not know. That is why I
must leave you. I have seen something I do not understand, and I must speak
with one of my own kind.”

 
“Where would you go to do
that?”

Ravi’s thoughts seemed to have turned inward. “Ruvim is probably
the closest. Even so, it is quite a distance…”

After a few minutes of silence, his golden eyes snapped up to fix
themselves on Adesina’s face. “Would you promise me to stay here today? Tell
Jelana you are ill, and stay in this room.”

She was shaking her head before he finished talking. “I am not
going to stay inside all day.”

His expression became stern. “Now is not a time to be willful.
This is very important, Ma’eve. Please promise me.”

“What could possibly happen to me in this city? Especially when I
am only going to school today?”

She met Ravi’s eyes with a glare and folded her arms. He sighed.
“Well, then will you promise me that you will do nothing but go to school
today?”

Part of her wanted to refuse even that, but the better part of her
nature won over her stubbornness. She gave a reluctant nod. “Very well.”

Ravi smiled and nudged her hand with his head as a sort of parting
gesture. Then, without warning, he disappeared. Adesina was a bit startled by
this and quietly called out before she could stop herself.

“Ravi?”

But he was already gone.

Jelana’s voice drifted up the stairs, calling Adrie and Fia to
breakfast. Adesina sighed softly and got up from her chair. She was about to
walk out of the room when something outside her window caught her eye.

There was a small bird with a red string tied to its leg. It flew
up and landed on her windowsill. Adesina cautiously approached the bird and
removed the string. It immediately flew away. The string laid in Adesina’s
hand, and she looked as if it were a problem she’d rather not face.

It was a prearranged signal between herself and Kendan. It meant
that they were to meet as soon as possible. This, of course, would mean
breaking her promise to Ravi. She stood conflicted for several minutes, staring
at the string in her hand and turning the situation over in her mind. On one
hand, she had promised Ravi that she would only go to school today. On the
other hand, she had her duties as a Shimat, and Ravi understood her
obligations.

Adesina closed her hand into a fist, her mind made up. She
gathered her things together and calmly walked down the stairs. Jelana scolded
her mildly for keeping breakfast waiting and urged them to hurry so they
wouldn’t be late. She and Fia were met at the gate by their usual companions,
and they walked to school together as they did every other day. Just before
they reached the school, however, Adesina turned to Gainor with an expression
of panic on her face.

“I left something important at home! I must go back for it.”

Both Deasa and Rina looked ready to ask some concerned questions,
but Gainor simply laughed at Adrie’s absentmindedness and waved a petite hand.

“Hurry back! I will explain to Master Nabil.”

Adesina jogged away without looking back. She slipped along the
back streets, away from the prying eyes of the city. She kept her quick pace
until she arrived at the small grate in the western wall. A survey of the
surrounding area told her that it was safe for her to exit the city through
this unnoticed hole in the wall. Adesina crawled through, covered it behind
her, and stood with her back against the wall, preparing for the dash to the
cover of the forest. It wasn’t just a matter of getting to the trees quickly.
She had to run unseen by the sentries. She had never yet been caught, but it
took all of her focus and skill.

Adesina sat in a crouch with her eyes closed, imagining a swift
wind sweeping close to the ground. This was another trick she had learned in
the early years of her Shimat training. She was not sure how it worked, but it
had never failed her. Adesina imagined that she was one with the wind, that her
steps were aided by its strength and speed.

A quick glance told her that there were no guards looking in her
direction, so she immediately sprinted towards the forest. Whether it was a
trick of her mind or a reality, it seemed to Adesina that she was running even
faster and quieter than what her Shimat skills normally allowed.

She was soon safe in the cover of the trees, and paused to catch
her breath. She reoriented herself to which direction she needed to go and
continued on her way. Adesina walked deeper into the forest until she reached
the hidden cave. She studied her surroundings carefully to make sure she wasn’t
being watched and then entered the cave by crawling on her stomach.

Kendan was waiting for her, seated at the far end of the small
cave with a small lantern by his side. He stood as he greeted her with a wide
smile. Adesina ignored the irregular rhythm that her heart beat at the sight of
him and returned the smile halfheartedly, anxious for Kendan to get down to
business.

He handed her a scroll, which she quickly unrolled. Her eyes
scanned the words before her and then darted back up to Kendan’s grinning face,
hardly able to believe what she had read.

“A mission?”

Kendan laughed and threw his arms around her. “Congratulations,
Adesina!”

She returned the embrace with a breathless laugh of her own. Her
mind wavered between the sensations she experience from the feeling of his arms
around her and the elation of having her first assignment. “But you said that
it would probably be another year before my standing in the High City was
secure enough to risk any sort of mission.”

He pulled back just far enough to study her flushed features. “I
suppose the Sharifal changed her mind.” His expression became more serious. He
released the embrace in order to hold her firmly by the shoulders. “You have
earned this honor, Adesina, and I am very proud of you.”

Kendan’s face hovered close to Adesina’s, his eyes silently
questioning hers. He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but instead
he cleared his throat and stepped away. Her heart was pounding so loud she was
sure Kendan could hear it. In order to cover the noise, she began talking in a
hurried voice.

“Is this all the information I will need?”

She knew the answer before Kendan gave it.

“Yes, of course.”

Adesina busied her eyes with the scroll, but soon her
preoccupation became genuine.

She was to kidnap a man.

The scroll detailed times and locations of where this man could be
found. It gave a rough description of the man’s physical appearance, focusing
mainly on what the man would be wearing, which was definitely unlike anything
worn by everyday citizens of the High City. Adesina frowned and looked up at
Kendan. “This is to be executed tomorrow.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“How does the Sharifal expect me to be successful with so little
preparation time?”

Kendan gestured to the scroll. “It does not require very much preparation.
You will not be on your own in this mission.”

Adesina continued reading. Her instructions were to incapacitate
the man as quickly as possible and turn him over to another Shimat. A time for
this exchange and location within the High City were also given.

“How are you going to get another Shimat into the High City in
order to transport this man out?”

A brief smile crossed Kendan’s face. “You are not the only Shimat
in the High City.”

She stared at him in shock. “What?”

Even when Kendan repeated himself, Adesina couldn’t believe her
ears. “Who is it?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You know I cannot answer that. This Shimat
is very well placed and we cannot risk discovery.”

Her eyes narrowed. “If you already have a Shimat in the High City,
then why am I there?”

 
“Every Shimat serves a
different purpose. Location is merely a means to that purpose.”

The young woman sighed, suddenly feeling weary, unaccustomed to
such a flurry of emotion. “So I am to kidnap this man and turn him over to
another Shimat?”

Her companion looked disturbed by her tone. “Yes, but please be
careful. It may seem simple to you, but this man is highly dangerous. He is a
cult leader, and he uses fear, uncertainty and lies to control those around
him. Avoid direct contact with him if at all possible.”

Adesina smiled at the concern in Kendan’s voice. “I will be
cautious.”

He grabbed her hand to prevent her from leaving. “He is a magic
user, Adesina. And he will use those skills against you if he has a chance.”

The smile faded from her face. “Are they really so dangerous?”

A haunted expression flickered in Kendan’s eyes. “The forest we
passed through on the way to the High City, that was the work of magic users.
They plant ideas in your mind, make it difficult to know what is real and what
is imagined.”

Adesina nodded slowly. “I understand.”

She handed the scroll back to Kendan and waited until he burned
it. They stood in silence for a few moments, looking at each other in
uncertainty. Then, as she started to turn away again, he grabbed her wrist once
more and pulled her back to him. This time he wrapped one arm around her waist
to press her close, and the other hand grabbed the back of her neck to bring
her into a passionate kiss. His lips were hot against hers, and her mind spun
as she kissed him back.

After a few blissful moments, they parted. Kendan breathed in the
scent of her hair and murmured, “Be careful.”

Adesina wasn’t sure what she said in return, her thoughts were so
muddled. She turned and crawled out of the cave, stumbling more than once as
she got to her feet. Unable to express her happiness with a shout, she settled
for running through the trees.

She could see nothing but Kendan’s face before her, and could not
force herself to think of anything else. She ran in circles for a while,
reveling in the giddiness she felt. Unfortunately, such self-absorbed elation
could not last in her Shimat-trained mind. She turned in the direction of the
High City and began running, this time to make up for the time she had wasted
earlier.

The cool air helped in settling her thoughts back to the task at
hand. Dreams of Kendan would have to wait for after her assignment.

This was a mission that would require particular care. Not just
because her target was so dangerous, but also because Adesina had to find a way
to capture this man without being seen by the people who were supposed to be
serving as her alibi.

She slipped through the grate and rushed to the school, arriving
just in time for the lunch break. Her friends waved at her with expressions of
relief on their faces.

“Where have you been?” demanded Gainor.

“We were deciding whether or not to come after you,” said Deasa.

“We were so worried!” added Rina.

Adesina gave a careless laugh. “Why were you worried? It is not as
if anything could happen to me while in the High City.”

The girls exchanged glances. “Well,” muttered Rina, “it
is
the
spring.”

Adesina frowned. “What do you mean?”

Gainor got the look in her eye that said she was about to share a
juicy piece of information. “Spring is when the traders come to the High City.”

“Traders?”

Gainor nodded. “Yes!
Outsiders
that come
into
the
High City to trade!”

Adesina had noticed that, in spite of the High City’s aversion to
Outsiders, they did a lot of trading. In fact, they relied so heavily on outside
resources that they probably could not survive at all if that trading ceased.

The young Shimat had a sudden realization. She had wondered about
the description of the man she was to kidnap, but now it made sense. Her target
was an Outsider.

Rina misinterpreted the expression on Adesina’s face and placed a
comforting hand on her arm. “You do not need to be afraid, though. They are not
allowed beyond the Square, and they are watched very closely.”

She was spared the need to answer by the approach of Aleron.

“Adrie! Are you going to the shop today?”

Adesina nodded absently. “Yes, of course.”

His face lit up with his sunny smile. “Great! I will meet you by
the gate after school.”

She tried to ignore the significant glances passing between her
friends as Aleron walked away. Apparently it was impossible for them to imagine
a normal friendship between a boy and a girl.