The Threshold Child Part 22

E'nes gave her a sidelong glance. "Does it not?" When she didn't answer he went on. "Do you not care about the home of your ancestors? Of your family?"

Or my enemies, she thought to herself.

Her feelings on the matter were so convoluted that she couldn't even put them into words when explaining it to herself. There was a part of her that desperately wanted to know more about her past and her family. Another part was afraid to know, given their deep involvement with a group of people that she had been warned were dangerous. Yet another part was tugging at the back of her mind, reminding her of her duty as a s.h.i.+mat to gather as much information as possible and then report it to her superiors.

Even with all her misgivings about these people, though, it seemed wrong to spy on them when they had given her their trust.

Adesina decided to take the conversation in a different direction. She picked the first subject of interest that came to mind that had nothing to do with herself. "What are L'avan soldiers doing in the central lands?"

E'nes took a minute to consider the information being requested. After some thought, he deemed it safe to discuss. "A number of things. Reconnaissance, trade, protectiona"

She rolled her eyes. "Very descriptive."

Her brother laughed. "For the most part the L'avan are a self-sustaining civilization, but there are a few things that require us to trade with the outside world. Also, trade helps develop trust between nations. That being said, we also value our privacy and are aware that there are many who wish the L'avan harm. Occasionally we send out people to lay false trails for those who seek to find us."

A brief silence followed. "And the reconnaissance?" she encouraged.

E'nes hesitated slightly. "There have been some disturbing rumors over the past several months. The king asked us to investigate, and we are on our way home to report."

She recalled that he had mentioned a king the previous night. Very few modern nations were ruled by monarchies. She frowned thoughtfully. "You have a king?"

He nodded once, but was clearly against further discussion. She decided to try a different tactic to get information out of him.

"It takes seven L'avan soldiers to do the things you named?"

"I am sure that the s.h.i.+mat would go about it differently," he laughed, "but we have our own way of doing things."

The sound of clas.h.i.+ng metal broke through the harmony of the forest. Several feet ahead of the brother and sister was a small clearing where two crimson clad figures practiced their swordsmans.h.i.+p.

It was K'eb and Sa'jan. They were both in defensive stances when E'nes and Adesina entered the clearing. Sa'jan spotted them and straightened, dropping his guard. Instead of taking advantage of his opponent's distraction, K'eb turned to look at them as well.

Sa'jan measured the expression on Adesina's face and grinned. "You detect flaws."

It was halfway between a question and a statement. When the young woman didn't respond, Sa'jan took a step back and gestured to his spot. "What would you do differently?"

For a moment Adesina was torn. She wanted to step into the place offered to her, but she didn't know if it was proper as a s.h.i.+mat. She should not be offering a.s.sistance to the enemy, even if it was simply a matter of casual curiosity. On the other hand, it had been so long since she had had the pleasure of placing herself against a real opponent in a test of skills.

Her steps were slow as she walked over to face K'eb. The L'avan soldier looked at Adesina, slender and unarmed, uncertain what to do. He finally pa.s.sed E'nes his sword and stood ready for hand-to-hand combat.

A small smile played at the corners of Adesina's mouth as she began to circle him. K'eb circled with her, trying not to look as apprehensive as he felt.

She continued to circle slowly with a faint sneer on her face. Intimidation was a big part of the game, and Adesina was very good at it. When she felt that he was nervous enough to lose his clarity of thought, she moved on to the next part of her strategy. She pretended to drop her guard in the slightest degree, inviting him to make an attack. K'eb saw it as his only chance to gain an advantage, and he moved forward as quickly as he could.

She was behind him before he could blink. She grabbed him around the shoulders and brought his feet out from under him, slamming him hard on the ground. K'eb's breath was knocked out of his body, and it took him several moments to recover. By that time, Adesina was pressing her knee against his throat.

"Your problem," she told him quietly, "is that you a.s.sume everyone is as honorable as you."

The s.h.i.+mat got to her feet and took a couple of steps away from K'eb. As she looked up, she saw a small crowd had gathered. E'nes and Sa'jan stood together, watching the contest with critical eyes. L'iam, A'asil and Ri'sel stood a little farther off. They appeared to have been walking somewhere else when they stopped to watch the match.

L'iam's expression was unreadable, which made Adesina rather uncomfortable. After a few moments of thought, he gestured to his companion. "A'asil, how would you like the chance to regain some of the pride this young woman took from you?"

Sa'jan and E'nes turned around in surprise. They had not been aware of the others' presence.

A'asil was eager for the opportunity. "I would be pleased for such a chance."

L'iam looked at Adesina. "Would you be willing to humor us? I would like to see how the L'avan measure up to a s.h.i.+mat."

She considered for a moment and then nodded. What harm could it do?

E'nes wasn't of the same mindset, and looked a bit worried. "What kind of challenge did you have in mind, L'iam?"

He shrugged casually. "A'asil is rather well known for his talent at throwing knives."

A wide grin flashed across A'asil's face, and Adesina also felt a wave of satisfaction. She c.o.c.ked her head to one side, giving her opponent a superior smile. "I accept your challenge, and propose we do it in s.h.i.+mat style."

A'asil became wary. "What does that entail?"

She made her voice as offhanded as she could. "It is nothing too complicated. Both compet.i.tors stand facing away from the target, then turn and throw their knives without pausing, one right after another."

He appeared to be at ease with this idea, and Adesina had to suppress a smile. She knew from experience that it was harder than it sounded.

L'iam led them to a spot behind the fort where targets were set up. A'asil was handed five throwing knives and gestured to go first. Adesina measured the appropriate distance from the target and pointed to where her opponent should stand.

He turned his back to the target, taking a moment to breathe and steady himself. He spun and threw all five knives one after another. Adesina watched carefully and thought that he did surprisingly well.

The first knife flew left of the target, the next one hit the outer ring, the following one hit the inner ring, and the last two hit the center.

There was a murmur of approval from the watching L'avan. In spite of that, A'asil was trying not to look disappointed. He walked up and retrieved the knives from the target, turning them in his hand as he walked back to the measured distance. Adesina took them from him and positioned herself with her back to the target.

She closed her eyes, shutting out all distractions and focusing on her goal. It was almost as if she could feel where the target stood and how she would need to throw her knives to strike its center.

In the split second between when she opened her eyes and when she turned, her eyes met L'iam's. Her eyes were a glowing swirl of purple, gold and dark green. L'iam looked stunned by what he saw.

Adesina whipped around and sent all five knives flying into the heart of the target.

She was met with a stunned silence.

The young s.h.i.+mat had a hard time not looking smug. She glanced around the group of spectators, but all of her feelings of self-satisfaction were swept away when she saw L'iam and E'nes. They were both staring at her with strange expressions on their faces.

A'asil walked up to her and offered his hand. "That was extraordinary!"

Adesina took his hand and tried to force a smile past her concern. Why were they looking at her that way?

"Yes," she said distractedly.

K'eb and Sa'jan also walked up to her, commenting on her show of skill. Adesina's focus remained on E'nes and L'iam, who were speaking to each other in low voices. Sa'jan was in the middle of observing to the others the more minute differences of throwing styles when L'iam's strong voice commanded her attention.

"Adesina, would you be willing to try something harder?"

This brought everyone around to look back and forth between Adesina and L'iam. Everyone seemed to antic.i.p.ate the young woman's next show of talent.

She gave a curt nod. Her months in the High City made her hungry for any kind of challenge thrown her way.

L'iam approached her and handed her two more throwing knives. "Directly behind you are two tilia trees. Without looking at your target first, I want you to turn and throw those knives at the lowest branch on each tree. And I want you to throw them simultaneously."

Quiet mutterings of disbelief sounded on every onlooker's breath. Adesina studied the face of the issuer of the challenge. There was no mocking gleam in his eye, no doubtful tone in his voice. It was merely a request, just to see if she could do it.

She closed her eyes again, focusing on the landscape behind her. A slight breeze stirred the air, giving her all the information she needed. She could hear where the wind met the resistance of the trunk and fluttered through the branches and leaves. It painted a picture in her mind of what she couldn't see with her eyes. A moment more pa.s.sed before her mind locked on her target and she began s.h.i.+fting her body accordingly.

She opened her eyes, once again meeting L'iam's for a fraction of a second, and whirled around to release both knives. There was a single and distinct thud as both blades. .h.i.t their mark at the exact same time.

This time the silence was mingled with something else: fear.

Adesina looked around the group again, taking in their expressions. She was aware that she should feel proud for representing the s.h.i.+mat so wella"in a way that struck fear into the hearts of its enemies.

But she did not.

Adesina knew that she was not like the other s.h.i.+mat. She had skills that s.h.i.+mat like Basha or Kendan could only dream of having.

Whether the L'avan were conscious of it or not, the fear that Adesina saw in their eyes was not of the s.h.i.+mat. It was of her.

They were afraid of her.

Chapter Twenty-two: Vyala.

L'iam approached Adesina. There was no fear in his eyes, which was strangely comforting to her. Instead, he looked thoughtful.

He gestured to a direction away from the fort. "Would you walk with me?"

She glanced at her brother. E'nes's eyes weren't frightened either, and he gave her an encouraging smile.

Feeling guarded, but also curious, she agreed and followed L'iam away from the group of L'avan. They walked at an easy pace, not speaking for the first few minutes. He studied the ground in front of him, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked. Adesina fixed her gaze straight ahead, looking but not really seeing.

"You are very talented."

She responded to this compliment the same way she had to A'asil's. "Yes."

Amus.e.m.e.nt twitched at the edges of L'iam's mouth. "Would you mind telling me how you did it?"

She had been asked the same thing by her cla.s.smates when she had first discovered the skill, but no one had ever understood enough to be able to do it themselves. "If I focus hard enough, my mind creates a picture of the world around me. From there it is simply a matter of aim."

He gave a slow nod. "Have you any other skills that set you apart from your fellow s.h.i.+mat?"

Adesina looked at him warily. She had not said that other s.h.i.+mat did not possess the same skills as the ones she had shown the L'avan. Still, she could not help commenting, "I am the best."

Once again, L'iam looked entertained. "Really? The best of the s.h.i.+mat at seventeen years of age?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Perhaps not the most experienced, but certainly the most skilled."

He became serious. "I do not doubt that."

L'iam came to a stop and faced Adesina, a crease forming on his forehead. "I am certain that you have heard rumors of the L'avan. In particular, our ability to use what is commonly called magic."

The young woman nodded, intrigued.

"This is true, in a way. We have what is called vyala. It means *soul light' in our language. It has many different forms, and it is what sets us apart from the rest of the human race." He gave her a searching look. "I believe that you have been using your vyala unintentionally. This is what makes you the best among your peers."

Adesina was skeptical. "You think I have been performing magic without knowing it?"

He a.s.sented. "Your ability to sense the world around you is one of the abilities given to certain L'avan."

She just couldn't bring herself to believe that her talents had not come from years and years of hard work. "How do you know I am even capable of performing magic?"

L'iam had to work to keep his expression smooth. "Because you are L'avan. Even if I did not know your parents, I would know of your ability, for the eyes do not lie. Vyala runs through your veins."

"The eyes?" she asked.

"That is why every L'avan you will meet has unusual eyes. They are touched by vyala."

Silence followed for a few minutes as Adesina processed all of this new information. She felt a strange craving to learn all that she could about these people. Perhaps it was an attempt to learn more about herself.

As she considered everything L'iam had told her, pieces of the puzzle of her life began falling into place.

Yes, she had worked hard her entire life. She had struggled and sacrificed and forced herself to continue when she felt she had nothing left. No one could say that it had been easy for her, even with all of her talent. Although, looking back, Adesina could see all the things that had set her apart from her fellow s.h.i.+. She knew it wasn't just her strange appearances. She knew it wasn't her driving ambition to be the best, because every s.h.i.+ shared that goal. She knew it wasn't because she had been given a head start in her training.

L'iam saw the emotions playing across her face, and he could see when she had accepted his words. "I could teach you how to access your vyala consciously. I could show you how to use it to make you an even better warrior."

Adesina was instantly suspicious. "Why would you want to teach me to be more dangerous than I already am?"

He thought about his answer before giving it. "Because we were not born enemies, even if our different lives have made us such. Because I believe that every being deserves to know their full potential. And because as L'avan, I have no right to deny you the knowledge you were born to have." After a pause, he added softly, "Magic changes us in ways we cannot imagine. Perhaps when you discover your potential, I will have no reason to fear your intentions."

Adesina looked at the man standing in front of her. She looked at him the way Mistress Faryl had taught her.

He held himself upright, accustomed to standing before others. Even though he was relaxed at the moment, there was a great deal of n.o.bility in his bearing. His features were soft and open, inviting her to search them for any signs of deceit. His eyes, more than anything else, drew Adesina's gaze. They were sharply intelligent, but wise as well. They were modest yet confident, unreserved but controlled, compa.s.sionate, lively and unflinchingly honorable.

She finally nodded. "Very well. I accept your offer."

A brilliant smile broke over L'iam's face. "I am glad! We shall begin tomorrow."

At first Adesina was confused over the delay, but then she looked at the sky and noticed it was getting to be evening. They walked back to the fort and went inside, where everyone was waiting.