The Threshold Child (27 page)

Across the way from one of the bedrooms was the final room. He
opened the door and indicated that Adesina should enter.

It was small and plain, but it was clean. There was a single cot
in one corner of the room with a pillow and a carefully folded blanket. There
was a narrow table by the window, which held a washbasin and a hairbrush, and
on the other side of the window sat a worn wooden chair. The whole room seemed
to have been tidied with great care.

E’nes glanced around the room uncertainly. “This is where you will
be sleeping.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Not in the cell?”

He gave her an incredulous stare. “I am not going to allow my
sister to spend the night in a cell!”

Adesina didn’t bother clarifying that she was being sarcastic.
Instead she walked over to the bed and sat down. “You seem to place a lot of
interest in a sister you have never known.”

E’nes took the chair by the window and shrugged. “Of course. The
fact that we have never met before today does not change who you are.”

Her expression became stony. “You do not even know who I am.
Perhaps you will not want such a sister.”

He didn’t seem convinced by her hard words. He folded his arms
expectantly and leaned back. “Very well. Tell me why I would not want you for a
sister.”

“I am a Shimat,” she replied simply. “That should be enough for
you, since we are a
plague
on this world.”

The young man shook his head angrily. “Our uncle should not have
said that. I hope you can forgive him.”

She cocked her head to one side. “Why?”

“He has seen many hardships,” her brother explained, “and it has
made him rather bitter. The Shimat have done much to harm our people.”

“But
I
have not,” Adesina pointed out.

E’nes nodded thoughtfully, but did not say what was going through
his mind. Instead, he leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “Tell me
about yourself.”

She frowned in confusion. “What do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “What was it like growing up as a Shimat?”

“Difficult,” she said curtly.

A short laugh burst out of his lips. “What made it difficult?”

Adesina didn’t really want to answer, but found herself searching
for the right words. “Most Shimat begin training when they are ten years of
age, but I began when I was five.”

The amused expression slipped from her brother’s face. “Why so
young?”

“Children learn much faster than adults,” she reasoned, “and if we
begin early, our education can be much more thorough.”

E’nes shook his head. “But why did you start your training so much
sooner than your peers?”

She looked at him, surprised he couldn’t guess. “Because I am
gifted.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Oh.”

“My leaders saw my potential and wanted to begin shaping it as
soon as possible.” She tried to keep her voice offhanded, but there was a hard
edge to it that she couldn’t hide.

E’nes took note of this and decided to take the topic in a
different direction, trying to keep the conversation amiable. “The L’avan begin
their training when they are twelve years of age. Most of the time this means
an apprenticeship after school. As mentioned before, I am a Protector. I
recently finished by specialized training, and this is my first mission outside
of L’avan lands.”

Adesina’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Specialized training?”

He hesitated a moment before answering. “I am a Royal Protector,
which means that eventually I will be assigned a member of the royal family
whom I will serve as a personal guard. That means extra training.”

She tried to not appear too interested. “Are there many Royal
Protectors?”

“One per family member,” he replied shortly, “and a couple of
extras.”

It was clear that E’nes wasn’t comfortable talking about it.
Probably because he didn’t trust Adesina yet, and he felt that it was dangerous
sharing information about the royal family with her. It was now her turn to
politely change the subject.

“Have you been outside of L’avan lands before now?” she asked.

He gave a slow nod. “Yes, when I was young. Father was on a
commission for the king, and he took Mother and I with him.” After a brief
pause, he added softly, “That was when Mother disappeared.”

Adesina looked down at her clasped hands. “Do you remember what
happened?”

He stared out the window with pain in his eyes. “I was five years
old at the time, so my memory is limited. I remember being excited about the
trip, and I remember that Mother was as well. She decided to take a ride on her
horse and explore the surrounding area, and she never came back.”

Adesina frowned, trying to remember if Signe had mentioned
anything about a horse. “What were you doing so far south?”

Her brother was confused by her question. “South? We were here, in
this forest.”

She shot a quick glance out the window. “You were by the High
City?”

E’nes shook his head. “We are not by the High City anymore. We are
about a day northwest.”

She looked at him in shock. “What?”

His expression was slightly smug. “Why do you think your Shimat
friends have not found you yet?”

Her stomach jolted when she thought about the worry Kendan must be
feeling. But even with this new revelation, something didn’t make sense. “They
still would have been able to track us.”

“The L’avan are what you would call magic users,” he reminded her.
“We are quite able to hide our trail.”

Adesina’s mind was reeling, trying to process two things at once.
She set aside her curiosity about their location for the moment and returned
the focus to the story of her mother’s disappearance.

“You were here when Mother disappeared?”

E’nes nodded his head solemnly. “We were staying in this very
cabin.”

The young Shimat didn’t understand. None of what her brother was
saying lined up with the story she had been told by Signe. How was she to know
whom she should believe?

They were both distracted by the entrance of Ravi, who gave them a
cursory glance before joining them. He appeared to not notice the heightened
emotion in the room. “How do you like your accommodations?”

She forced herself to respond, even though her thoughts were far
from the room. “There is not much room for you to sleep.”

Ravi was unconcerned. “That will not be an issue. I will not be
sharing your room.”

This got her attention. “What? Privacy? How strange. Why do you
suddenly feel it is acceptable to let me out of your sight?” she asked
sarcastically.

Ravi looked amused. “You do not need protection here, Ma’eve.”

Adesina frowned. “Why not? Why is this fort different from
anywhere else?”

“Do you remember the forest we passed through on our way to the
High City?”

How could she forget?

She replied, “Of course.”

“This forest is similar to that one. It is protected from
intruders.”

E’nes added, “That is why we have an outpost here. It requires
little fortification.”

“Although,” Ravi said in a wry tone, “in my opinion, it is
foolhardy to leave it without guards when it is not in use. Just because the
forest offers some degree of protection, does not mean that outsiders are
barred from the area.”

Adesina’s brother straightened his back and spoke in a slightly
defensive voice, “There are enough rumors to keep the locals away. Even
travelers know to give this area a wide berth.”

Ravi smiled at Adesina. “Your brother seems to think the L’avan
infallible.”

“Really, old friend,” E’nes protested. “You will make her think
that I am naive, or worse.”

The Rashad got to his feet. “It is starting to get late, Ma’eve.
It is time to sleep.”

“I am not tired,” she insisted.

He gave a feline smile. “But I am. Goodnight, Ma’eve.”

E’nes took the hint and moved towards the door. “Goodnight.”

She waited for him to leave before calling softly to her guardian.
“Ravi?”

He paused. “Yes?”

 
“Do you think I will Dream
tonight? Now that I am in a forest like this one?”

Ravi sighed softly. “No, Ma’eve. This forest is not like the other
in that way. It cannot help you to Dream.”

Adesina wasn’t willing to give up that easily. “But I might Dream
anyway.”

He hesitated. “I do not know. You still seem to struggle Dreaming
on your own.”

She frowned. “What do you mean? I Dreamed in the High City.”

Once again, he seemed unsure whether to answer or not. “That was a
projected Dream, not your own.” He could see that she didn’t understand. “The
Dream you saw was a re-creation of the one that I had right before I left you.
My mind had been dwelling on it so long that it imprinted on your psyche as
well. Apparently our minds are more closely connected than either of us
realized.”

Adesina was baffled. “I shared your Dream?”

Ravi nodded sadly. “I saw in my Dream that you were in danger and
that your father was reaching out to you. I knew that you needed to grasp each
other’s hand or you would both be lost. This meant introducing you to your
father, which I was not allowed to do. I could not decide whether I needed to
break that rule or simply protect you until you found your father on your own.
I went to discuss the matter with one of my own kind. By the time I realized
that it was more important that I stay with you, it was too late. You had all ready
turned your father over to the Shimat.”

She shifted uncomfortably. She was torn between the shame of
betraying her father and the compulsion of doing her duty as a Shimat.

Ravi continued. “I had another Dream just before you returned. It
showed me what you had done, and I realized the depth of my error. I did not
know how to make it right. That is why I became so withdrawn. I was searching
my mind and my Dreams, trying to discover a way to right my mistake.”

“It was not your mistake, Ravi. You did all that you could,”
Adesina said quietly.

He shook his head. “No, Ma’eve, the blame falls on me. I was meant
to protect you, even from yourself, and I failed.” There was no self-pity in
his voice, only deep remorse. “I am sorry, Ma’eve.”

She shook her head readily. “No, Ravi. I am sorry that I did not
honor the promise that I made to you.”

They smiled at each other, both glad to heal the breach that had
formed between them over the past few weeks.

“Goodnight, dear one.”

“Goodnight, Ravi.”

He disappeared from sight, something that Adesina still wasn’t
used to happening. She heaved a tired sigh and moved towards the table. She
began letting down her tightly pinned hair, glad that she couldn’t see what a
mess it had become. Adesina brushed her hair smooth and then sat down on the
bed. She had no nightclothes to change into, so she merely removed her boots
and set them neatly on the ground. She laid back and closed her eyes, grateful
to get some rest.

She could hear the gentle breeze outside of her window, stirring the
leaves of the trees. The chirping of crickets sounded in the distance,
accompanied by other sounds of the night. It all came together in a soothing
sort of symphony that lulled Adesina to sleep.

***

L’iam was waiting for E’nes when he left his sister’s room. His
leader beckoned him into the conference room and shut the door behind him.

Ri’sel and Sa’jan were already in the room, sitting in chairs
around a small table. L’iam moved to join them and E’nes did the same.

“Well,” said Sa’jan, “what do you think of your new sister?”

Ri’sel snorted. “She may be the daughter of Me’shan and E’rian,
but that hardly merits welcoming her into the family with open arms.”

“You think she is dangerous?” asked L’iam.

His expression became more respectful, but his voice was no less
decided. “Of course she is dangerous. She is a Shimat.”

E’nes leaned forward and spoke up adamantly. “I disagree.”

Everyone was surprised by his reaction. They looked at him
expectantly, waiting for an explanation.

He chose his words carefully. “That is not to say that she cannot
be dangerous. Of course anyone with Shimat training has the potential to be a
threat. That being said, I do not believe that she is a naturally dangerous
person. She has a good heart.”

His uncle was incredulous. “You can tell that by a few minutes
worth of conversation?”

“Yes,” he replied simply. “She is a lot like Father.”

Sa’jan cleared his throat delicately. “I know that you want her to
be a good person, E’nes, but your conclusions may be too hasty.”