The Threshold Child.

By Callie Kanno.

Chapter One: The Bird of Prey.

No one ever looked up.

For this reason, a black clothed figure was crouched in the gnarled arms of an ancient tree. In the spa.r.s.e moonlight she was invisible against the background, waiting patiently for her prey. Her metallic purple eyes, the only visible feature, scanned the ground searching the darkness for every possible detail.

The minutes ticked by slowly.

The whisper of the breeze was chilled by the promise of winter, but she ignored the dropping temperature. Her intense focus even overshadowed the slight ache in her muscles from maintaining her position for an extended period of time.

Every rustle in the underbrush, every stirring of the leaves, brought her sharp eyes around in search for some sign of her quarry.

Finally, a similarly garbed figure pa.s.sed beneath her tree, slinking from shadow to shadow. She felt a surge of satisfaction as she shifted her weight to the b.a.l.l.s of her feet in preparation for the attack.

She dropped down from the branches and brought her prey to its knees before there was any time for her victim to react. She removed the hood and scarf of her opponent, revealing the pale narrow face of a young woman with short sandy hair. Her features were harsh but blunt, giving her the brutish appearance of one who delights in violence.

The young woman looked up at the strange metallic eyes that were flecked with gold. She clenched her fists, immediately prepared to lash out, and her face contorted in an expression of pure loathing. "Adesina," she spat.

Adesina didn't need to ask how she had been recognized. She knew her eyes made her easily identifiable. "I hoped I would be the one to mark you, Basha."

"I had hoped to kill you."

Adesina didn't doubt it. The two young women were part of a cla.s.s of students training for an elite and selective military group, commonly known as the Shimat. The compet.i.tion was fierce, and "accidents" happened.

Basha was an unremarkable student, but she was vindictive and unrelenting, which some teachers mistook for determination and strength of character. From the moment she had laid eyes on Adesina, some ten years ago, Basha had hated her. That hate only grew as Adesina excelled among her peers.

Adesina was unusually gifted, even for a Shimat. She had the uncanny ability to sense her surroundings and knew how to use that to her advantage. She was exceptionally agile and her endurance levels were far above normal. These traits, among others, were the reason why she had begun her training five years earlier than any other student.

Adesina reciprocated Basha's intense dislike. Not only that, but she was aware of her own gifts and Basha's shortcomings. It rankled Adesina's pride to see Basha gain distinction through the misconceptions of certain instructors.

A number of sarcastic retorts rose in Adesina's fifteen-year-old mind, but she ignored them. Basha saw the scorn that flashed across Adesina's face, and her own expression blackened with the desire for violent revenge. Instead of voicing her thoughts, Adesina shifted Basha's hood and scarf from her right hand to her left, and drew her dagger from the belt around her waist. "I have unveiled you, Shi Basha. Yield or be disgraced."

Basha's face twisted in disdain as she debated whether it was worth the disgrace to defy one she despised more than anything in the world. When she spoke, it was between clenched teeth.

"I yield."

Adesina stepped forward so she was facing Basha's kneeling figure and placed the edge of her blade against her enemy's cheek.

"I mark you, so that all may know of your first failure."

Her stroke was perhaps harder than it needed to be. Basha swore, but let it bleed freely. Adesina took a small square of white cloth from a pouch on her belt and stained it with some of Basha's blood. She held it carefully in her hand and returned Basha's hood and scarf to her.

Basha took them and got to her feet. "A day will come when I will make you pay for this mark. You will rue the day you came into this world."

Adesina rolled her eyes. Basha had always tended to be melodramatic. "Come on. We have to return to the school."

Adesina began to turn, but her eyes caught the movement of a sleek shadow several yards away. It was hard to imagine that there was anything more black than the woods at night, but something darker crouched just out of sight. Two golden orbs gleamed momentarily but then seemed to disappear altogether. When she looked closer she could see only trees.

It must have been some sort of animal, for Adesina seemed to be the only human with odd colored eyes. Given the size of the spheres, it must have been an enormous creature. There had never been any beast so large this close to the fortress.

She considered investigating further, but an impatient movement from Basha brought her head around sharply. Adesina's learned suspicion of Basha overrode her present curiosity. Frowning to herself, Adesina continued on her way.

The autumn leaves lay thick on the ground, but the footsteps of the two young women were muted by the damp soil. They were merely two silhouettes slipping through the darkness, hidden among the crooked trees that surrounded them.

As they walked, Adesina's mind turned back over the events of the night. It had been a surprise to be shaken from sleep and told that tonight would be the final test for their year of training. If they pa.s.sed they would be eligible to advance to the next year. If not, they would be put through a remedial course of training.

They had been individually led to different parts of the forest northwest of the school and told that their one objective was to find and unveil one of their cla.s.smates. Those unveiled were to be marked by the victor.

Now Adesina and Basha emerged from the forest and approached a small camp. It consisted of two small tents set up on the hill overlooking the forest. The three instructors of Adesina's group of students stood waiting, robed in black. In the darkness they took on the spectral appearance of the harbingers of death, and the young student felt a chill run down her spine at the sight. Beside the instructors stood a spidery device similar to a brazier, but with flames instead of coals.

Adesina looked at the faces of the men that had taught and trained her since she was five years old. They regarded her gravely as the two young women approached. She greeted them respectfully in order of seniority, bowing to each. "Shar Breyen. Shar Jareb. Shar Per."

They bowed back. "Shi Adesina."

Basha went through the same ceremony, but did not receive any acknowledgment in return.

Her pale blue eyes smoldered with rage even though she kept them lowered. Breyen indicated toward the brazier. Adesina took the stained square of cloth she was holding in her hand and gently laid it on the fire. The flames licked at the corners of the cloth, blackening them and curling them as if it were contorting in agony. Adesina watched it dispa.s.sionately and wafted the smoke onto her face before stepping back again.

This was a symbolic ritual of the Shimat. The stained cloth represented the victory won, and all that the victory had cost. The sacrifice, the skill, the lessons learned. By breathing in the smoke, it all became part of you. The ritual was also a way to honor those who made you stronger.

Per nodded approvingly. "Shi Adesina, take your prisoner to the medical wing and then you may retire."

Both students bowed again before walking past their instructors. The hill leveled out to become flat ground after a few steps. The gra.s.s was grayish-green in color and coa.r.s.e in texture. In the meager moonlight it took on a sickly appearance. This, in addition to the thin mist swirling over the ground, gave a ghostly feeling to the fortress that served as the school and training facility.

The fortress was set on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. The great outer wall looked harsh and forbidding at night, but during the day it gave a strange sort of comfort in its solitary strength. There were no other cities or villages near the fortress; no other buildings that might call themselves neighbors. The fortress stood alone for many leagues, and it seemed to take power in that seclusion.

The ma.s.sive gates stood open, which was quite unusual, but the lapse of security was compensated by several Shimat guards standing watch. Three stood along the wall directly above the gates, and two more stood on the ground on either side. The others were positioned at even intervals along the wall like dark columns, upright and unmoving.

All of them wore the black uniform that Adesina and her peers had been privileged to wear for the night's activities. Black clothing, knee-high boots, gloves, a high-collared black leather vest, and a hood and scarf that only left the eyes visible. These glittering spheres watched the two young women closely, but the guards remained otherwise still and silent.

Basha fumed inaudibly as they walked. Her burning glare was fixed on the ground and her fists were clenched at her side. When they pa.s.sed through the gates, she turned to Adesina and said venomously, "I can go to the medical wing by myself."

Adesina shrugged indifferently and walked away. Less time spent in Basha's presence was always a good thing, and she wanted to get what rest she could before dawn. Basha took the corridor to the left and Adesina turned right, back to their sleeping quarters.

Each of the rooms that served as sleeping quarters held ten to fifteen students. There were two or three metal washstands per room, and one large mirror on the wall in which they could thoroughly inspect the neatness of their personal appearance.

Every Shi, or student, was instilled with a strict sense of order, which carried over into every aspect of their lives. The uniform had to be meticulous, the hair combed back from the face, proper hygiene attended to, and so forth. All such rules for personal care and general cleanliness were set down in what was called "the code."

Keeping this in mind, Adesina resisted the urge to simply plop into bed fully dressed in spite of her fatigue. She took off the Shimat uniform she had been given for her a.s.signment, folded it carefully, and placed it on the small chest located at the foot of her cot.

Under normal circ.u.mstances, a student wasn't allowed to touch such a uniform. They were only worn by full Shimat, and had to be earned. For certain tests, however, that rule was waived.

Adesina put on her sleeping uniform, unpinned her hair from its tightly braided knot, and climbed carefully into bed. With a weary expression on her face, she settled down for some much needed sleep.

Chapter Two: Lives of the Fortress.

It seemed to Adesina that she had only just closed her eyes when she heard the bell toll, signaling the time to rise. The clear resonating tones reached every corner of the fortress, keeping every Shi punctual.

With a heavy sigh, Adesina rolled out of her cot and straightened it to its normal tidy state. She walked over to the washstand, splashed some cold water on her tired eyes, and began preparing for the day. She put on her loose, dark gray training clothes and tied back her long straight hair.

Like her eyes, Adesina's hair was unusual in color. It was a silver so l.u.s.trous that it could not be mistaken for gray in any light. The locks that framed her face, however, were black.

A quick glance in the mirror showed Adesina that all was in proper order. She made a small adjustment in the tie of her belt, but nothing else seemed amiss. She allowed her eyes to stray from the details of her clothing and take in the rest of her appearance.

She was a bit undersized due to the extreme physical toll of her training, but she was not disproportional. She was slender but strong, pale but healthy. A light sprinkling of freckles dusted the bridge of her nose, and her almond-shaped eyes were narrowed in a speculative gaze. She tried to decide if she was beautiful, but had no frame of reference with which to judge.

Her gaze lingered on her hair and her eyes, the two features that seemed to isolate her from the rest of humankind. She had never been given a satisfactory explanation as to why she looked so different from everyone else. It set her aparta"made her feel like an outsider.

Such social and emotional isolation had hurt her as a child. As she had trained, she had hoped that her growing skills would create some sort of bond between herself and her cla.s.smates. Her unique acceleration merely added jealousy to the list of things that alienated her from her peers.

With a heavy sigh, Adesina turned and walked briskly out of the room. She joined the throngs of students walking from their sleeping quarters to breakfast. Most of them had businesslike expressions on their faces, but a few of the younger Shi looked anxious. Adesina could relate, for she remembered all too well what it felt like to be a new student in the Shimat fortress.

She was greeted in the mess hall by a pet.i.te girl her own age whose name was Lanil. Her diminutive stature, in combination with her large blue eyes and benign expression, often led others to underestimate her as a warrior. Adesina envied her this advantage. No one who looked at Adesina took her for granted. Her abnormal coloring alone was enough to make people think twice before approaching her.

Lanil glanced at Adesina's undamaged cheeks and smiled confidently. "Whom did you mark?"

"Basha."

Lanil giggled in delight and clasped her hands together. "Good! She deserves it."

Although they were the same age, Adesina had five years of seniority over Lanil because of her early start in training. Lanil and Adesina were both "Shar Children," meaning that they had been raised in the fortress as opposed to being brought to the Shimat by their parents when they were old enough to train. They had been the best of friends until Adesina was taken away from the nurserya"the only friend that Adesina had ever had. They remained closer than most students, but the years had changed them.

Lanil remained caring and sympathetic, in spite of her rigorous training. It was generally a.s.sumed that she would take a job in the fortress after she finished her schooling, rather than being given an a.s.signment as a warrior. Adesina, on the other hand, had become more hardened with every year. Her peers treated her harshly due to her youth, and the level of expectation of her teachers drove her to extremes she would not have known otherwise.

Now this unlikely pair stood in line together to receive their rations, one of the few times they saw each other anymore. It was a nutritious but boring meal that was calculated to give them enough energy until their midday meal. Adesina received her wooden tray with a sort of weary resignation.

Lanil smiled at Adesina and hummed to herself. Most of the other students resented Adesina's youth, but Lanil was genuinely happy for her.

"So? Does this mean you advance?"

Adesina shook her head and held out her bowl for her portion of porridge. "I still have to meet with the Sharifal."

Lanil's expression of excitement turned to fear and dismay. There were many Shar, or instructors, at the school, but there was only one Sharifal. She was the leader of the Shimat, and rarely involved in student affairs. When she was, it was usually for disciplinary action. Severe disciplinary action.

"The Sharifal? Why?"

Adesina shrugged uncomfortably. "All students are interviewed by the Sharifal at the end of my year of training, whether they are marked or not."

Lanil shuddered. "I do not envy you."

Adesina and Lanil parted ways. Each student was required to eat with the others of their year of training. As Adesina ate her simple rations, she looked down the table to see who had been marked and who had pa.s.sed. For the most part she wasn't surprised at what she saw, but there were a few marked who she had thought would pa.s.s.

Basha was seated at the far end of the table, a dozen or so st.i.tches in her cheek. She and some of the other marked students were muttering darkly amongst themselves. Basha threw Adesina a look of utter detestation and malice. Her thin mouth was pressed into an almost invisible line, and her eyes flashed with undisguised fury. Adesina could only imagine the tale of treachery and woe that Basha was spinning about Adesina to soften the disgrace of being marked.

There were twelve Shi in her year of training. When they had first begun as children, there had been twice as many students. Nevertheless, yearly advancement was never a guarantee, and proving oneself quickly became a daily requirement.

Adesina felt an all-too-familiar twinge as she reflected on her life as a student in the fortress. Her childhood ideas of what it would be like to train as a Shimat had been far from the reality. Her initial reaction to her early training had been one of excitement. She had been anxious to prove herself worthy of such an honor. That excitement had rapidly been replaced by a form of desperation. Nothing she did ever seemed like enough, even if it was more than what her cla.s.smates could do. Her Shar pushed her more and more each year, expecting her to go beyond her best.

Half of her knew that it was merely part of the process of becoming all that she could be, but the other half of her continued to feel that desperationa"that secret fear that she would fail. She hid this fear with bravado, but it was ever present in the back of her mind.

Shaking away these dark thoughts, Adesina turned her attention back to her meal.

After breakfast the Shi proceeded with their daily schedule. It was a review day, so most of their morning was spent in a cla.s.sroom. Over the years, Adesina had been taught a variety of subjects from botany to psychology, tactics to languages and cultures of the world. Adesina retained information very well, and usually found these review days to be tedious.

Today was different, for there was a palpable tension in the air. They were being taught by a subst.i.tute Shar, which meant that their Shar were most likely meeting with the Sharifal. Adesina, along with all of her cla.s.smates, had a hard time concentrating on their anatomy review.

To get her mind off of her anxiety, Adesina began studying the Shar teaching them that day.

She was a young woman in her mid to late twenties with striking auburn hair and sharp gray eyes. Adesina a.s.sumed that she was still training to be a Shar, based on how she reacted to teaching a cla.s.s of near graduates. Her emotions were kept in very tight check, but Adesina could sense a bit of underlying nervousness.

The Shar walked with a slight limp, perhaps from a broken leg that had been poorly set. She was also quite tall for a woman. Adesina wondered if such height was an advantage or a disadvantage as a Shimat warrior.

Adesina also began to speculate on what kinds of missions this woman would have been sent. Potential Shar were required to give at least five years of service before training as teachers, so this woman must have had some experience.

Perhaps she had been a bodyguard to an important Shimat. Perhaps she had been a messenger. But it was most likely that she had been a spy. Most Shimat were trained to appear as normal citizens and then placed in cities and towns in every nation. The Shimat always knew exactly what was going on in every part of the continent.

Such thoughts carried Adesina over into the midday meal at noon. All the students then ma.s.sed back into the mess hall where they received rations only slightly more ample than their breakfast. Lanil gave Adesina another friendly smile, which Adesina had trouble returning. Her nerves were starting to wear thin.

After the meal the Shi were sent out to the courtyard for time to practice their skills in weaponry and horsemanship. The courtyard was a large open area, divided into sections that each served a different purpose. There were obstacle courses for those on horseback as well as those on foot, target ranges, circles drawn on the ground for sparring and hand-to-hand combat, etc. The stones on the ground were worn smooth from many years of use, as were the blocks in the surrounding walls. Shimat guards patrolled along the top of the wall like caged panthers pacing back and forth, watching those within the fortress as well as any that might be without.

As usual, Adesina kept a close eye on Basha and her cohorts, who had the unfortunate tendency to "miss" their mark and send some sort of weapon hurtling in her direction. The first few clumsy attempts had been in their youth, so Adesina's injuries had been minor. As they grew older and more skilled, so did Adesina's capacity for sensing danger before it arrived. In a way, Adesina was grateful for the unintentional training she had received from those who meant her harm.

Adesina began sparring with one of her cla.s.smates. They both held long wooden staffs, and wielded them with precision and force. In spite of this, it was clear that both of them were merely going through the motions, for they each had their minds on what lay ahead. Adesina's thoughts kept turning to the tallest tower, where the Sharifal lived.

While there were plentiful rumors among the Shi about their revered leader, little was actually known. Those students who were taken to see her never returned, regardless of the reason for their summons. Adesina wondered what the Sharifal looked like and if she had seen her before; for it was said that the Sharifal disguised herself as a Shar and walked among the students.

Adesina's sparring partner seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "What do you think she is like?"

Adesina blocked his blow and returned with one of her own. "Who?"

"The Sharifal."