Her lips tightened in comprehension. "Like that young man."

He was confused. "What young man?"

"The one who follows her around like an angry shadow."

The light of understanding dawned in Sa'jan's eyes. "Ah, Hestia's son. Do not judge him harshly. He is suspicious of any outsiders."

"Why is that?" L'era asked innocently.

Sa'jan shook his head sadly. "Several years ago they were driven out of a village by a mob. A torch dipped in oil was shoved against his face, burning him badly. He was only ten years old at the time."

Tears of sympathy and outrage welled up in L'era's eyes. "How could anyone do that?"

He looked at her, his eyes aged with the sorrow of experience. "The world is a darker place than what we would wish it to be."

Adesina heartily agreed, but said nothing. She had been raised with the view that the world was corrupt and in need of dramatic change. However, experience outside of the Shimat fortress had taught her that it was a very different shade of black than what she had imagined.

Ravi, who seemed to read her thoughts by the expression on her face, said to her quietly, "It is not too late for the darkness to be overcome. A single ray of light can dispel all shadows, if given the right direction."

She nodded slowly, wondering when that ray of light would come.

The L'avan continued southward, moving as quickly as they could. They knew their supplies would eventually run out, and they needed to be near villages that were not so set against trading with L'avan.

About a week after their encounter with the Ojuri, L'iam brought them to a sudden halt. He pointed in the direction that led out of the trees. "There is a camp there."

Sa'jan frowned thoughtfully. "It is rare for any of the Northern Tribes to venture into the central lands."

The young prince's expression became even more troubled. "I do not believe that they are a Northern Tribe."

"Who, then?" asked E'nes.

L'iam didn't answer, but nudged his horse forward, moving out from the cover of the forest. The other L'avan followed him cautiously.

Camped at a discreet distance from the forest were several ragged groups of what could only be described as refugees. It was clear that they were people unaccustomed to living outdoors.

They were scattered and unorganized, dragging along items that no seasoned traveler would ever take on a journey. There were few horses and even fewer wagons. The tents were all makeshift, created out of whatever the refugees had in their possession.

As they approached the camp, they were spotted and shouts of warning rang out through the camps. The refugees stared at them in fear as they cautiously approached. Ravi, especially, was viewed with terror.

Adesina noticed the stares directed at him and frowned. "Can they see you now?" she asked quietly.

Ravi chuckled. "Yes, I am allowing others to see me. I thought it would give our party some added protection."

"Well, it certainly makes us more noticeable," she muttered.

They dismounted their horses while still at a fair distance from the camps and went the rest of the way on foot. They wanted to seem as non-threatening as possible.

The L'avan were met by a phalanx of men armed with sharpened sticks and pitchforks.

"What do you want, magic-users?" The hostility in their voices was mingled with fear.

Adesina studied the people before her, suddenly realizing why they seemed so familiar. Their clothes were in rags, but she could still make out what they used to be.

"You are citizens of the High City!"

The foremost man lifted his chin arrogantly. "What of it?"

She spread her hands in an open gesture. Trying to look harmless in spite of her Shimat uniform, Blood Sword, and L'avan features. "I used to dwell in the High City."

"Impossible," spat the man. "We would never let one of your kind live in our city!"

A figure pushed it's way to the front of the phalanx and stared at Adesina. She was shocked to find herself looking into a familiar face.

"Aleron!"

He could hardly believe his eyes either. "Adrie?"

Adesina could understand his disbelief. The last time he had seen her, she had been dressed as a High City citizen and was pretending to be a docile girl who hailed from the Northern Tribes. Now she stood before him heavily armed and holding herself like an accomplished warrior.

Aleron continued to gape at her as if he had never seen her before. When he spoke it was in a low, distrustful voice. "Did you have something to do with the attack?"

She was baffled. "What attack?"

He didn't answer her question, but searched her eyes for the truth. When he saw that she honestly didn't know what he was talking about, he offered a small smile. "I can see that you did not. I am glad, so glad!"

Aleron spoke a few quiet words to the man who appeared to be their leader. "I know this young woman. I will vouch for the company."

The man wasn't convinced. "What value will your vouching have when the rest of us are dead?"

He shook his head angrily. "I tell you, I know this woman! She had nothing to do with it."

The man stood his ground stubbornly. "If you are so eager to join them, then do so. I will not allow those magic-users into our camp!"

Aleron straightened his back, handed his sharpened stick to the man, and turned to face the L'avan. "May I join you for an evening meal?"

Adesina glanced at L'iam, who nodded readily. "Yes, of course. You can tell us what happened here."

He smiled grimly as he turned to walk back to his own camp. "And you can tell me where you have been for the past few months. Please allow me some time to clean up, and then I will join you."

The L'avan returned to their horses and rode back towards the trees. They set up a camp at the edge of the forest, keeping a close eye on the refugees.

L'iam looked apologetic as he gave instructions. "We will have to stay on guard. I know under normal circ.u.mstances they would be respectable neighbors, but desperation changes people. We do not know of what they are capable."

L'era began building a fire while Sa'jan a.s.sembled ingredients for the meal. Ravi stood guard, E'nes set up tents, and L'iam and Adesina attended to the horses.

Aleron joined the group a short time later, riding a brown plow horse. He slowed to a stop several feet away from the camp. His eyes were on Ravi, uncertain how to act around such a beast.

Adesina walked over to Ravi's side, resting her hand on his back. He noticed the gesture and gave her a curious look. "Has this creature always been with you?"

She was surprised by the question. "Yes. How could you know that?"

He pointed to her hand resting on Ravi. "You used to walk with your hand extended like that. I never understood why until now."

Adesina smiled and nodded. "Aleron, this is Ravi. He is my guardian."

Ravi inclined his head. "How do you do?"

The young man's eyes bulged in shock. "It can talk!"

"Yes, he can." she amended gently.

Adesina beckoned Aleron to dismount and follow her to the L'avan camp. He did so with a small amount of trepidation. All citizens of the High City knew of and feared the *magic-users,' but very few of them had had any personal contact with them. Aleron's brave words in the face of his rude countryman now seemed to fall flat in the presence of the possible danger of the strangers.

The L'avan straightened from what they were doing as the two approached. The young woman began by gesturing to her friend. "This is Aleron, of the High City." Then she indicated to each of her companions, who bowed or curtsied, respectively. "This is L'iam, the leader of our group, and his sister, L'era. That is Sa'jan and E'nes, my brother."

He bowed clumsily in return, staring at E'nes in shock. "IaI am honored."

L'era invited him to come and sit by the fire while dinner finished cooking. Aleron was a bit intimidated by her exotic beauty, and could only blush and mumble his thanks. Adesina sat down across from him, smiling at his embarra.s.sment.

He focused his attention on Adesina. "Where have you been, Adrie?"

Adesina's expression became more serious. How could she explain everything to him? "Well," she began slowly, "first of all, I must tell you that my name is not Adrie. It is Adesina."

His sunny features clouded over in confusion. "Who are you?" he asked in a troubled voice.

There was something in his tone that bothered Adesina. She searched for the right words, but couldn't seem to find them. Finally, E'nes took over the explanation, laying a hand on his sister's arm.

"My sister was taken from our people and raised by the Shimat. We all a.s.sumed she was dead. Not long after the disappearance of the L'avan man from the High City several months ago, L'iam and I came looking for him. We discovered Adesina was living there, and convinced her to come with us back to our homeland."

Aleron stared at them incredulously. "I thought the Shimat were old wives' tales."

Adesina shook her head sadly. "No, they are very real."

He struggled to swallow. "Can they do all the things the stories say?"

She gave him a questioning look. "I do not know what the stories say."

Her friend from the High City hugged his knees as he briefly told of the tales that haunted every small child's nightmares. "They say that the Shimat are demonsa"shadows that periodically take form. They steal small children from their beds and turn them into slaves. It is said that those who lead wicked lives have their souls taken by the Shimat when they lay dying."

Adesina would have laughed if she had known less truth about the real Shimat. "The truth is not so bad, and yet it is much worse. They are a secret organization whose sole purpose is to gain power. They use blackmail, corruption and fear to invisibly gain control over the nations."

He stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief. "And you are one of them?"

Her expression became stony. "I was raised as one, yes."

E'nes stepped in. "Most young Shimat do not know the true purpose of the order, Aleron. Adesina has since discovered this truth and chosen to not follow their path."

Aleron was relieved to hear this. "Forgive me for doubting you, Adrie. After what happened in the High Citya"

They waited for him to go on, but he fell silent, staring into the fire with an anguished look on his face.

After a few moments, L'iam asked gently, "What happened to the High City, Aleron?"

He exhaled loudly, wiping some tears from his eyes. "I do not even know where to begin."

"Start from when I left," Adesina urged.

He nodded, taking a deep breath and collecting his thoughts. "Your disappearance caused quite an uproar. We searched for weeks through the city and the surrounding area. Every Outsider that had come to the High City was detained and questioned. The Governors were frantic."

Adesina couldn't understand why such a fuss had been made. "Why?"

Aleron made a helpless gesture. "You were the second magic-user to go missing from our city. I know you always claimed to be from the Northern Tribes, but the important thing was that you looked like a magic-user. As long as you were around, they could pretend that they were on excellent terms with the race. That is why they were all so anxious to be on your good side. If you appeared to support one of the Governors, the High City citizens would think that that Governor had the support of your whole race."

She gave him an appraising look. "You seem to know a lot about political maneuvering."

He shrugged. "What else is there to do in the High City?"

Adesina couldn't argue with that. "What happened then?"

"Well, you were the second magic-user to disappear," he repeated, "and the whole city was terrified that a ma.s.sive army of magic-users would come marching in to destroy us all."

"Did they?" asked L'iam.

Adesina looked at him in surprise. He knew very well that the L'avan had done no such thing. Why would he ask otherwise?

Aleron shook his head sadly. "I do not know. It all happened so fast."

"Tell us what happened," urged L'iam gently.

He rested his curly head in his hands, speaking in a low voice. "For weeks after you disappeared nothing happened. Our searches always turned up empty, and there was no sign of retaliation. People started to relax, thinking that everything would be fine in the end." He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Then one night I woke up to the sound of screams."

There was a breathless pause. Adesina leaned in and repeated softly, "Aleron, what happened?"

His voice was almost a whisper. "The city was on fire! People were running everywhere, animals were on the looseaand there were dark shadowsa"

L'era frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Aleron's eyes were haunted. "There were shadows everywhere. They were the ones setting the fires and killing the animals anda"

His words fell before Adesina, ringing with condemnation. She knew exactly how this story would end, and she knew who had caused it to begin. She desperately wanted to be wrong, but deep down she knew she wasn't.

"And what?" she asked woodenly.

"I saw them bar up the doors of houses before setting them on fire. The women and children screamed and screamed, but they could not escape. People on the street were ma.s.sacred without hesitation, without mercy. There was blood everywhere!"

There were tears running down L'era's face. "How did you survive?"