Her hands closed on his thick fur and she wrapped her arms around his neck, draping herself across his back.

Then he ran.

Adesina had no idea how long he ran or in which direction. She continued to cry out in pain, jerking against the searing sensations that rippled through her body.

When her limbs finally began to cool, she sobbed in relief. It took several minutes for the burning to stop all together, and even longer for any feeling to return. Wherever she was, Ravi had laid her in some sort of stream. The water gently washed over her tortured skin, removing the gritty substance that had been thrown at her.

"Ma'eve, hold your breath and let the water run over your face."

She did as she was told, and felt the soothing cold of the river running over her raw face, which had gotten the brunt of the attack. She opened her eyes while under water, flushing out the substance trapped there.

Adesina's sight slowly returned, and she saw Ravi standing over her with a worried expression on his feline face. She slowly sat up, shuddering involuntarily.

"Are you all right, Ma'eve?"

She nodded, but was having trouble controlling her voice.

"We need to hurry back to the others," he urged, moving himself into a position where she could pull herself onto his back again.

She obediently wrapped her arms around his neck and used what strength she had left to hold on. As she did so, anxiety for her friends returned to her mind full force.

Chapter Forty-one: The Salve.

Ravi ran smoothly, hardly jostling her at all, and so quickly that it took only a couple of minutes to find their companions. The battle with the Shimat had come to an end, and the black clothed figures were nowhere to be seen. Even the bodies of the fallen were gone. Only the L'avan were left in the ravaged area.

Her heart pounded at the scene that lay before her.

Aleron's head was bandaged, but other than that he seemed to be fine. He was struggling to build a fire as Sa'jan searched through the medical supplies they had with them. L'era had a gash along her hairline, but she paid it no heed. She knelt over her brother, pressing her hands against his blood-soaked chest. L'iam's eyes were closed and his face was pale. Adesina could barely see him breathing.

E'nes saw his sister and rushed toward her. "Adesina! What happened?"

"Where did the Shimat go?" she demanded.

Her brother raised his hands in disbelief. "A whistle sounded in the distance and they all disappeared."

None of it made sense to Adesina. She turned it over in her mind, trying to work it out.

E'nes reached out a hand to her. "Are you all right?"

She waved his question aside impatiently. "What happened to L'iam?"

He shook his head sadly. She had meant to ask how serious the situation was, but she couldn't bring herself to speak the words.

Adesina stumbled over to the still form of the L'avan prince. His ashen features made him look more like a statue than a human being. L'era was sobbing as she applied pressure to the wound, her slender hands covered in her brother's blood.

"What can we do?" she asked frantically. "He needs a Healer!"

Adesina's eyes whipped to her High City friend. "Aleron is a healer."

He shook his head despairingly. "I am only an apprentice! I have never treated a wound like this. I know some herbs that will help slow the bleeding and a tea that will dull the pain, but beyond thata"

The silence was suffocating.

She placed a shaking hand on L'iam's golden hair, silently searching for some idea of what to do. However, the only thoughts that came to her were of his many examples of kindness. The times he had comforted her, his patience in teaching her, the gentle ways in which he showed her what it truly meant to be a L'avan.

He had been such a good friend to her, and now he was dying because of her. Because she had not shielded him as well as herself from Basha's attack.

She vaguely wondered why it was that the ones closest to her always got hurt. Her mother, her father, Ha.s.s, Jelana, Fia, Gainor, Deasa, Rinaa Faryl.

She suddenly thought of the gift given to her by the strange woman on the day of Rina's wedding, and something deep inside of her told her that it was the only thing that would save L'iam's life. Adesina struggled to her feet and hurried over to her saddlebags, praying that she had remembered to pack it.

She tore through her belongings, searching for the small wooden container. Her heart leapt as her fingers closed around its textured surface. She sprinted back to where L'iam was lying, breaking the wax seal around the edge of the lid.

The salve was a dark red, appearing black while in the container. Adesina dug her fingers into the thick substance, motioning for someone to hand her a bandage. The feeling of the salve on her fingers was strangely unsettling, and the color reminded her of congealed blood. She spread it on the clean bandage, suppressing an inexplicable shudder as she did so. Then, she removed L'era's hands and pressed the bandage on L'iam's wound.

For a breathless moment nothing happened. Then, with a gut-wrenching cry of pain, L'iam's whole body clenched and his back arched. Adesina's first reaction was to remove the bandage and throw it away, but she fought against this inclination and continued to apply pressure to his chest.

"What are you doing?" demanded L'era.

Adesina ignored her, focusing all of her attention on L'iam. She had never been taught how to use her powers for healing, but she was sure there was something that her vyala could do for her dear friend.

She called her vyala up and wrapped it around L'iam like a blanket. His convulsions lessened and finally ceased, allowing his body to rest. Even with this relief, she could feel the battle raging within his being. The connection created by the vyala allowed her to witness what was occurring beyond what was visible to the eye.

The medicine was aggressive, making the healing process more forced than natural. Something in the salve worked to knit together the wound violently, instead of simply allowing that reconnection to take place on its own. L'iam's vyala fought against such an intrusion, but the main ingredient of the medicine drew its power from his life force, making it weak.

Adesina fed energy into him and did her best to buffer the harsh healing that she had inflicted upon him. The bleeding slowly stopped, and L'iam's breathing became more regular. Her breath came out in a rush when she knew his life was out of danger.

"He will live."

They all looked at her uncertainly.

"Are you sure?" asked L'era tremulously.

She nodded, weary from her battle with Basha as well as the stress of the present situation.

"Yes." She gazed at Aleron. "Do all that you can for him."

Aleron nodded eagerly and continued mixing herbs. Adesina got to her feet and staggered a few feet away. E'nes wrapped her in a blanket and urged her to rest, which she gladly would have done if she could have.

Instead, she stared vacantly at the portion of the sky that was visible through the trees. Ravi joined her, laying next to her in his familiar fashion.

"What happened, Ma'eve?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I do not know. Basha has never beaten me before. She has never even come close!"

He frowned. "Is that what is bothering you?"

Adesina knew what was meant in his tone and hurried to defend herself. "No, it is everything that has taken place. What happened here is unacceptable."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She searched for the right words to describe what it was she was feeling. "They tracked us easily, came upon us unawares, almost killed us alla"

He shook his head. "You cannot blame yourself every time something goes wrong, dear one."

"I was supposed to protect my companions from the Shimat. My insight was supposed to be enough to avoid these kinds of situations. Maybea" she trailed off hopelessly.

"Maybe what?"

A heavy sigh escaped, accompanied by a few unexpected tears. "Maybe I am not enough to protect us. I was a Shimat for so very little time, I do not know what I need to in order to shield us against them."

Ravi looked her squarely in the eyes and said, "Ma'eve, you need to stop expecting to be invincible."

She was surprised by his direct tone of voice. "What?"

"You are human, and therefore fallible. Mistakes are made, judgment is clouded, weaknesses hinder, and outside forces occasionally overcome us. Do you know why?"

"Why?" she couldn't help asking, even though she had a good idea what he would say.

"To make us stronger. To make us better. Through our adversity, we are enabled to overcome all things in our future."

She knew he was right, but it was hard to let herself off when other people were getting hurt. "How does this help us right now?"

His eyes narrowed at her resigned att.i.tude. "Go forward, Ma'eve. It is too late for doubt. Trust yourself, trust your friends, and trust that you will not be left alone in the darkness."

The last statement gave her pause.

She had never considered herself a spiritual person. The Shimat taught that religion was an indicator of a primitive civilizationa"a lack of reason and pure thought. Adesina had always agreed with that opinion without giving it much thought. Yet, over the past year, she had been faced with so much that simply could not be explained as anything short of miraculous.

She had not yet overcome her deeply ingrained skepticism, but she was starting to feel a deeper meaning in everything around her. She could understand why people felt the way that they did about a higher power. Every time she connected with her vyala she could feel that there was something greater beyond herself. Something that, as Ravi put it, would not leave her alone in the darkness.

This train of thought was interrupted by Aleron. He approached the two of them with a small bowl in one hand and a rag in the other.

"I have something for your skin. It should help you to heal."

Adesina smiled at his consideration and nodded. "Thank you."

He knelt beside her and dipped the rag into the bowl. "I also mixed in some herbs to help you relax and get some sleep."

The herbal concoction felt good against her raw skin. Aleron applied it with great care, and then wrapped her back up in her blanket. Then he and Ravi began humming some of their favorite songs together.

Adesina closed her eyes, marveling how effortlessly the two voices wove the music into stunning harmonies. The medicine worked quickly in relaxing her body, and she found herself drifting off into sleep.

Adesina jerked awake when she heard L'iam stirring. She silently moved over to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

With some effort, he opened his eyes and looked at her, bewildered. "What happened?"

She smiled and touched her still aching face. "Is it really that bad?"

He didn't smile in return. "It certainly looks painful."

Adesina shrugged. "Well, it probably looks worse than it really is."

L'iam tried to sit up, but she immediately pushed him down again. "Do not get up. You need to rest."

He looked down at his chest and saw the blood-soaked cloth. "So, it was not a dream."

"No, it was not."

He laid back with a heavy sigh. "Tell me everything."

She did as he asked and told him everything she remembered. The Shimat attack, her ensuing fights, the red powder, her discovery of his injury, the healing salve. When she finished with her tale, she looked at him in hesitation.

"I am sorry, L'iam."

He looked perplexed. "For what?"

Adesina struggled to find the right words. "For causing you so much pain. For the battle and for the salve."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Do not tell me you are blaming yourself!"

She didn't answer, but stared at her clasped hands. L'iam reached over and placed his hand over hers. "It was not your fault. Those Shimat were set on attacking us, and would have found a way eventually. As for the medicine, there is no way you could have known how it would affect me. You were trying to save my life, and for that I am grateful."

Adesina felt a warmth deep in the core of her being. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but L'iam had a way of rea.s.suring her in a way no one else could. When he said it wasn't her fault, she wanted to believe him.

L'era, who was laying beside her brother, began to wake up. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. When she saw that he was no longer unconscious, she gave a little gasp.

"L'iam! Are you all right?"

He nodded, doing his best to hide the pain and fatigue he felt. "I am fine."

She snorted incredulously. "You were stabbed!"

L'iam laughed. "Well, I will be fine. I think I am strong enough to travel."

His sister shook her head. "No! There is no way you are traveling until you heal."

"The medicine seems to have worked miracles so far. There is no reason to believe that it will not continue to do so. Besides, we need to get to the Shimat fortress as soon as possible."