The Labyrinth of Destiny

by Callie Kanno

  Adesina’s expression became determined. Well, we can oppose it now.

  “I have grown quite famous because of you.”

  Suvi’s cheerful voice cut through Adesina’s grim contemplation.

  “How so?” asked the young queen in surprise.

  “That flower you grew for me with your magic,” explained Suvi, “the seeds are in high demand among sailors. It uses salt water to grow, so it is convenient for those who do not have fresh water at their disposal. Also, the flower itself can be used as a pain-soother, so it has a useful function. They call it Suvi’s Poppy.” The teenage girl’s face glowed with pleasure.

  “That is wonderful,” smiled Adesina.

  With a few deft movements, Suvi secured the hammocks to the pegs on the walls. “So, where have you been for the last nine months? Did you find what you were looking for in Zonne?”

  Adesina’s thoughts turned to L’iam, her beloved husband. The purpose of her journey to Zonne had been to rescue him from Basha, her mortal enemy. Adesina had freed L’iam from the power of the brainwashing potion that Basha had forced on him, but now she had no idea where L’iam was or what had happened to him. She had been swept through the Threshold before she could even really speak to him. Her heart ached with longing for the man she loved more than anything in the world.

  “Yes,” Adesina answered softly. “I found what I was looking for.”

  Suvi seemed to take note of the sadness in Adesina’s voice. She didn’t press the point any further.

  “I suppose you want to rest, and Pa will get after me if I do not get back to my duties. I will see you at supper?” The girl’s expression was excited and hopeful.

  Adesina nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  Suvi grinned. “Good! There are blankets in that chest in the corner. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  The teenage girl left them alone, and Sitara let out a soft sigh.

  “Perhaps it would be a good time to regenerate our vyala. As an Immortal you no longer need sleep, although you may do so if you wish. It is more efficient to regenerate through meditation, though. Would you like me to show you how?”

  Adesina turned her saddened thoughts from her husband and back to the present. Sitara’s suggestion brought a flood of possibilities to Adesina’s mind and she felt a thrill of excitement. She wondered what other advantages came with her new state of being.

  “I would like that very much.”

  Chapter Six: Descending Darkness

  Basha sat behind the desk in the office of the Sharifal. The heavy gold chain and pendant worn traditionally worn by the Sharifal hung around her neck. She knew she should feel satisfaction from the title she now bore, but these days it was difficult for her to feel anything at all.

  It had been more than six months since Basha had returned to the Shimat fortress, newly endowed with the powers of her demon patron. She remembered the exhilaration she had felt when she had overthrown Signe. She remembered the bloodlust as she had hunted down all those who had supported the former Sharifal.

  But now Basha felt nothing.

  Nothing.

  It was as if the emotions had been drained from her very being.

  Basha gave a small internal shrug. It didn’t matter anyway. As a student she had been taught of the dangers of emotion. It could only be to her advantage to be rid of them.

  A shadowy figure moved in the corner of her eye, and she could see that Cha-sak was gesturing to bring her attention back to the matter at hand. Her mind had been wandering more and more over the past few weeks, and she reprimanded herself for losing focus.

  Breyen sat in the chair across her desk. He could not see the demon standing in the room with them—no one could without Cha-sak wishing them to do so—but Cha-sak’s presence was a powerful force, and it weighed heavily on those nearby.

  Breyen’s face was stony and calm, but his eyes were fixed on his own clasped hands instead of meeting Basha’s.

  Basha’s lips twisted into a sneer as she recalled their first meeting after she had made her blood contract with the demon Cha-sak. Breyen had declared that he was taking control of the splinter group of Shimat, and laughed as he called her a pawn to his own schemes.

  He had not been laughing by the time Basha was through with him.

  Now he never met her eye, never spoke out of turn. He had witnessed the awful power of her magic, and his loyalty would never waver again.

  Basha reprimanded herself again, more fiercely this time.

  Her mind was wandering again.

  “…reports that there are still no signs of the rebel Shimat. It seems they are doing nothing more than hiding and waiting. I doubt there are many of them left, and they have proven to be of little threat. Do you wish to continue searching for them?”

  There was a split second of hesitation as Basha’s eyes flitted to Cha-sak and saw his slight nod.

  “Of course I do,” she snapped at Breyen. “We will not stop hunting them until every last one of them is dead. My followers must know what happens to those who are disloyal.”

  Cha-sak became visible and took one step nearer to Breyen. The aging man flinched involuntarily as the shadows in the room took form. The demon had the appearance of a large human made completely of darkness. Wisps of shadow swirled and roiled off of his being. His glowing red eyes fixed on Breyen’s cowering form.

  Cha-sak’s face bore no features other than those glowing eyes, yet he still able to express disdain for the humans in his presence. “Have the remaining members of your order arrived from abroad?”

  Breyen broke out in a cold sweat as he answered. “Yes, Master. The last group awaits your presence.”

  Cha-sak made a small gesture with his hand, and Basha lurched to her feet as if compelled. The demon’s voice was filled with primal satisfaction as he spoke. “Let us go, then, to the final culling.”

  ***

  Cha-sak did not listen as his servant gave her speech to the humans gathered in the courtyard. He had heard it before. He had put the words into his servant’s mind.

  She told the humans of the changes that had been made and of the absolute power that stood in their future. She made promises of glory, using her limited magic to dazzle their eyes. And she warned of what would happen to those who chose to oppose the Scepter of Cha-sak.

  Cha-sak shielded himself from the sight of the mortals, but let the feeling of his presence flow. They would sense his power, and their fear would burn his face into their minds. That very fear would make them more loyal followers than any amount of devotion could.

  These Shimat were useful humans—cold of heart and filled with greed. At first Cha-sak had scorned their use of his people’s name, but now it seemed somewhat fitting. The humans may not be true Shimat demons, but they had the same desires and the same ruthlessness.

  His servant’s speech was drawing to a close. Now came his part.

  Cha-sak’s ruby eyes glowed with power as he looked over the faces of those assembled. He could see their emotions and intentions as clearly as if they were holding signs.

  Most of the humans only showed a willingness to obey orders. Cha-sak again allowed himself to be pleased at the lifelong training that had built an army of unquestioning followers for him. He had expected to be faced with the task of creating a devoted following from scratch, but here he had found one that was just waiting for the rightful leader.

  Cha-sak continued to study the crowd.

  There were a handful of humans that showed the flame of enthusiasm and ambition. Cha-sak waved his hand toward those individuals and a red light hovered over their heads, invisible to all except for himself and his servant. Those would be the humans that would be put into a special division and given the more unusual tasks.

  There were also a handful of humans whose minds were overshadowed with doubt. Their sense of morality was too rigid for Cha-sak to find any real use for them. He waved his hand toward those individuals and a black flame hovered over their heads,
once again invisible to ordinary eyes. They would be separated from the group and executed.

  Once Cha-sak had finished, his servant went to work. She separated the three groups, directing them to different areas in the fortress. A massive camp had been constructed just outside the fortress, and tent assignments would be given to the main group. The humans chosen for the elite division would be given quarters within the fortress, and the ones to be executed would be led to a room that would be sealed before filling with poisonous gas.

  Cha-sak turned his red eyes to the weak mortal form of his servant. His expectations of her abilities had never been more than moderate, but she had proven to be competent in her own way. She never questioned her orders, which was a valuable trait in itself.

  She also seemed to lack a keen self-awareness, which was valuable to Cha-sak in a very different way.

  She hadn’t noticed that her soul was slowly being leached from her body.

  Already her movements were becoming clumsy and her thoughts were becoming sluggish. It wouldn’t be long until he had complete control over her.

  The conditions of their blood contract had been rather one-sided, and Cha-sak had made it that way deliberately. He was required to speak the truth while creating such a contract, but he had used archaic language and declined to inform her that she was allowed to question any of the terms. As far as she knew, she was to act as his anchor to this world, preventing him from being recalled to his former prison. In return, she was allowed to wield his power as her own.

  That was but a fraction of what their arrangement entailed.

  Cha-sak would have smiled if he had a mouth. This world of mortals was puny and without unity. He would crush humanity within a year’s time, and all would worship him.

  His servant had finished her task and stood uncertainly, waiting for instructions on what she was to do next.

  Cha-sak made a negligent gesture that sent her striding back to the Sharifal’s tower. She could stay there until he had use for her again.

  The demon used his vyala to float up and stand on the outer wall of the fortress. He looked over the camp of his followers and gloated silently to himself.

  The last of his army had finally gathered. Now he could begin destroying all who opposed his absolute rule—starting with that troublesome settlement of L’avan half-breeds.

  ***

  Along the southwestern coast of Sehar rose a range of mountains with a lake to its east and a forest to its south. The mountains were rumored to be filled with creatures of nightmare, so few travelers elected to go in that direction. There were no villages, no cities. The area had been abandoned by humans for centuries.

  Until now.

  A humble camp had been built at the foot of the mountains, amidst the great trees of the forest. The majority of the occupants appeared to be children and teenagers. There was a handful of grown men and women supervising the workings of the camp, but the only other adult was a middle-aged woman with short, raven hair and piercing blue eyes.

  She stared at the camp with an expression of disgust, silently cursing the events that had reduced her to such lowly circumstances. Once she had been a revered leader of the world’s greatest warriors and assassins. Now she was little more than a nanny—watching over children while hiding in the woods.

  “Signe?”

  The former Sharifal turned to see a petite young woman approaching her. Signe had to search her memory to recall the young woman’s name.

  “Yes, Lanil, what is it?”

  “The sentinel network reports that a man is approaching the forest. He is wearing the uniform of a Shimat. Shall we send someone to intercept?”

  A sliver of hope appeared in Signe’s mind. She had been waiting a long time for her loyal followers to contact her.

  “I will take care of it myself,” she told the young woman. “From which direction is the man coming?”

  Lanil pointed east, and Signe gave a decisive nod.

  She left the camp behind, moving quickly and silently. It had been many years since she had become Sharifal, but she had lost none of her skill as a Shimat.

  After more than half an hour of travelling through the woods, Signe heard a soft rustle through the trees ahead. The sound was barely detectible, but her ears were sharp and alert. Signe dropped to the ground behind a small ridge and waited for the man to pass by.

  Shadows obscured his face, making it difficult for Signe to identify him. He seemed to sense that something was amiss, and he slowed to a stop.

  Signe studied the strong figure in the fading light and felt a jolt of shock as she recognized the man.

  It was Kendan.

  Her mind whirred in a frenzy of thought as she considered everything she had heard over the past several months. Her adopted nephew had disappeared a year ago with a valuable Shimat asset—a Tracker slave. There had been reports of his disloyalty, and Signe had assumed that he had turned his back on his former life.

  But if that were true, why was he here now?

  He had been seen in the company of the L’avan sorcerers, and yet here he was on his own.

  Had he betrayed Signe or had he been acting as a spy on her behalf?

  Signe felt resolution settle into her mind. She knew her nephew, and he placed a great deal of importance on their family connection. She could trust in his loyalty based off of that alone.

  She got to her feet and slowly stepped into his path.

  His dark eyes fixed on her and turned strangely cold. His hands remained loose at his side, but his jaw clenched with some unexplained emotion.

  Signe could see the signs of independence in his stance. His posture almost spoke of open defiance. She would have to rein him in immediately and remind him that he owed her his absolute obedience.

  “Kendan,” she said stiffly, filling her voice with disapproval. “I am surprised you dare face me after all this time.”

  “Are you?” was his soft reply.

  Signe kept her face impassive, but she was astonished by his tone. The two short words sounded like a challenge.

  “There have been reports that you have betrayed the Shimat order. That you have betrayed me.” She flung the accusations at him, trying to knock him off balance enough to put him back under her control. “I should have you executed.”

  There had been a time when such words would have immediately cowed Kendan. Signe expected him to drop his gaze in shame and spill forth an explanation of what had happened over the past year.

  Instead, his eyes narrowed.

  “You do not seem to be in a position to do so.”

  Doubt began to chill Signe’s mind. “Have you allied yourself with Basha?” she demanded.

  A sneer twisted Kendan’s young face. “Never,” he spat. “I am finished holding the hand of darkness.”

  His words were somewhat enigmatic, but Signe ignored them for the moment. “Good,” she said shortly. “I would hate to know that my nephew had turned against me.”

  Kendan’s voice rasped as he spoke.

  “I am not your nephew.”

  Signe had begun to turn away, and she stopped dead at his words.

  “What?”

  “You are no family of mine,” he stated in a steely tone.

  The feeling of dread in Signe’s core was growing. “I do not know what you mean.”

  Kendan’s gaze bore into her soul. “You killed my parents.”

  Signe gasped involuntarily, and she felt the icy fingers of fear close around her heart.

  Chapter Seven: Vengeance

  Kendan could see the fear on Signe’s face.

  He knew what she had done to his family. He knew that she had manipulated him his entire life. And now she knew that he knew.

  She licked her lips. “Someone has been telling you lies, Kendan. Why would I murder our family?”

  Kendan’s anger boiled over and his voice grew louder. “They were not your family! You were obsessed with my father and hated him for choosing another over you. Yo
ur need for vengeance destroyed my family.”

  Signe’s taut face turned a shade paler. “I would never do such a thing.”

  “I saw you do it,” Kendan shouted. “I witnessed it with my own eyes. It just took the magic of the Threshold to show me the truth.”

  Her brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? What is the Threshold?”

  He shook his head with a jerk. “I am not giving you any answers. You do not deserve anything I have to offer.”

  She spread her hands in a beseeching gesture, but her eyes were cold and calculating. “Please, Kendan, calm down. You must listen to reason.”

  He barked a short laugh. “Reason? Is that your claim?”

  “If you have information that can help the Shimat order—” Signe began.

  Kendan cut her off with a hard shake of his head. “You mean, if I have information that can help you to regain power.”

  The former Sharifal licked her lips. “A conflict between Shimat factions would be disastrous. No one wants a fight.”

  “Oh, on the contrary,” Kendan said in a soft and deadly voice, “that is exactly what I am looking for.”

  Signe’s eyes hardened. “I see there is nothing that I can say that will convince you.”

  Kendan took a breath to calm himself. He knew he needed a clear mind. “I am finished listening to lies.”

  “So be it.”

  Moving like lightning, Signe whipped out a throwing knife and hurled it at Kendan.

  If he hadn’t been expecting an attack he would not have been able to move in time. He leapt to the side and rolled as he hit the ground, pulling his meteor hammer out of the pouch on his belt.

  Signe pulled out her dirk and was sprinting toward Kendan before he could regain his footing.

  She drove her blade downward, aiming for his heart.

  Kendan punched upward, striking Signe’s attacking arm and stopping her potentially fatal blow. He leapt to his feet and wrapped the steel braid of his meteor hammer around his left arm. One end of the braid bore a knife, which held in his left hand. He gripped the other end of the braid with his right hand and turned his wrist, swinging the metal ball that was attached to the end of the braid in a circle in front of him.