"Child of the Serrafa"

"ahurry, hurrya"

"Time flows onwarda"

"aand soon will run outa"

"aat home, herea"

"Rest, dear onea"

"Our eyes shall stand guarda"

Kendan no longer went to visit the L'avan prisoner down in the dungeon, but instead had the prisoner brought to him.

The Shimat fortress had three underground levels. The first one was where Kendan's study was located, as well as the smithy and the stable and so forth.

The level below that was where all of the clandestine experiments were conducteda"which were manya"and the lowest level was the dungeon. The third level was a damp and fetid place, and Kendan hated going near it.

His study was a bare room; holding only a fireplace, a couple of chairs, and a desk. Still, it offered light and warmth, something that the prisoner hadn't experienced in many weeks. Kendan wanted to offer those small things to the L'avan man he had met in the fortress's darkest prison. Also, he preferred being able to look someone in the eyes when he spoke to them.

Now, as he looked into those strangely metallic spheres, he thought he caught a glimpse of the pride that was found in Adesina's eyes. There were very few other resemblances between the twoa"the shape of the eyes, certain angles of the facial featuresa"but Kendan was still certain that this was the father of the woman he loved.

He gestured to the dinner tray that he had ordered before the arrival of the prisoner. "Please eat."

The L'avan remained still, staring at him with a stony expression.

"I swear to you that I have done nothing to alter it."

"Why do you offer it to me?" the prisoner asked hoa.r.s.ely. A wracking cough interrupted his words, doubling him over in pain.

Kendan was very concerned about this sickness that had taken hold of the man before him. His body didn't have the strength to fight it off.

He walked over to the frail L'avan and led him to a chair by the fireplace. "Because I do not wish to have your death on my hands in addition to everything else I have done."

The coughing subsided, and he looked up at the Shimat warily. "Do you have a square of cloth? A napkin?"

Kendan handed it to him and watched as he divided the meal into two even parts and wrapped one half in the cloth. The cloth was then tucked away in the ragged remains of his shirt.

"For later?" the young man asked.

He shook his head. "For Faryl."

"Ah, the woman in your cell."

He didn't respond, but avidly tore at the bread on the tray. Kendan watched him in pity. He hated seeing anyone reduced to such circ.u.mstances.

He pulled his own chair around from behind the desk and set it across from the prisoner.

"The first time I met Adesina, I was struck by her beauty. She has a glow that wells up from deep within and spills over every aspect of her. When you look into her eyes, you see a strength that bears her up in every situation."

The prisoner's eating slowed to a stop as he listened to the words being spoken. Faintly, he asked, "What color are her eyes?"

Kendan's features softened as he pictured her face before him. "Purple with flecks of gold." He closed his eyes and continued, "I used every trick in the book to try and intimidate her, but she just looked at mea"defiant, unmoved. The world could have ended, and she would have remained standing in that spot."

A strained chuckle caught his attention.

"Perhaps she is my child after all."

Kendan stared at the L'avan in amazement, but said nothing as the ragged man went on. "When I first saw her, I thought she was her mother. They look so much alike. It did not occur to me until later that the girl I saw was much too young to be my E'rian."

A pained pause followed this statement. After a few moments, the prisoner looked up at Kendan and quietly asked, "Will you tell me more about her?"

He smiled in relief. "Of course."

He hesitated before asking, "May I know your name?"

After a brief pause, the prisoner replied, "Me'shan. My name is Me'shan."

Chapter Forty-four: Decisions.

King L'unn's expression became more and more grim with each report he received from the Rashad. They were running themselves ragged, trying to keep the L'avan and Rashad leaders informed.

There was no doubt that the army approaching Pevothem consisted of mercenaries from all over the continent. It didn't take much imagination to figure out who must have hired them, even if there would be no proof ever found tying them to the Shimat.

The mercenaries had been gathering over the past several weeks in a forest just south of the mountain range that protected Pevothem from the outside world. The gathering had been done quietly and they had remained undetected until they began marching north as a force.

"Do the Rashad have a head count?" L'unn asked his counterpart.

Rajan shook his head, where the black fur was touched with gray. His golden eyes bore the weight of his many years. "Their numbers seem to be growing daily. More mercenaries join up with them as they march."

"What was the last count?"

"Just over five thousand," the Rashad leader replied.

King L'unn felt his heart sink. Their own army would be hard pressed to number over two thousand. Their seclusion had always been their protection, so their military was small. The L'avan race had never been numerous, and most of the men were farmers, artisans, or scholars. The Protectors, as the warriors were called, had always come from the family descending from Ed'mon, and he was only one of the eleven founders.

L'unn's voice was heavy with disbelief. "How can we possibly face such a force?"

"The Rashad will stand with you," replied Rajan, "and you bear the gifts of the Serraf."

"Will it be enough?" wondered L'unn.

"I do not know," his friend replied sadly.

The L'avan king let out a heavy sigh before straightening his back and striding out of his study. Rajan followed close behind, and together they walked down the many hallways and stairs out of the palace.

The city was alive with activity. Women and children were preparing provisions for their journey to a place more easily defendable, the smiths were working day and night to produce weapons and armor, walls were being reinforced and trenches were being dug. Inexperienced men who had volunteered to join the army were being trained by Protectors, every Healer in the land was being gathered to the city, scholars who had dedicated their lives to the study of vyala were teaching the soldiers everything they knew.

King L'unn walked purposefully to the training grounds, which had expanded to the parks surrounding the original building. His son, L'on, was teaching some of the boys the finer points on how to mix vyala and archery.

It made the king sick to his stomach when he saw the youthful faces of the fifteen and sixteen year old soldiers. When the preparations for war began, the order had been that only adult L'avan could fight. As the numbers of their opponents grew, however, that age limit for L'avan soldiers had dropped from twenty to eighteen, from eighteen to seventeen, and finally to include these young men. Their orders were to shoot from afar and stay away from the main battle, but it was still dangerousa"too dangerous for any peace of mind.

Off to the side, a large group was gathered to hear the words of a central figure. L'unn frowned, and walked over to see who it was that was addressing them.

He recognized the figure of the young Protector who had traveled extensively with L'iam. He searched his memory for the young man's name, finally recalling that it was K'eb.

"ashe said that we cannot expect our enemies to have the same morals as ourselves."

One of the men closest to him shook his head stubbornly. "That does not mean that we should discard our morals as well!"

K'eb raised a hand, trying to explain. "I am not suggesting that we do so, nor was Adesina. She said that we can still fight with honor, but we need to be aware that our enemies will not always do the same. If we can antic.i.p.ate their lack of integrity, we are better prepared to defend ourselves."

"How can we trust what a Shimat says? Even if she was born a L'avan?" asked another man from the crowd.

K'eb turned with an indignant expression on his face. "She is no Shimat! She may have been trained as one, but she is as L'avan as any of us."

"What do you say, Than'os?" asked another, gesturing to the thin man standing a few feet away from K'eb. "You trained with the Shimat girl, did you not?"

"I did," replied Than'os decisively, "and she is the most gifted warrior I have ever seen. I do not know how she compares to other Shimat, but her skill is definitely superior to my own. I, who have been a Protector for seventeen years."

At this point, King L'unn was spotted, and a murmur ran through the crowd. They parted, opening a path to the two L'avan in the center.

As L'unn approached, K'eb and Than'os bowed and placed their hands over their hearts in salute.

"Your Majesty."

He beckoned for them to straighten and looked them directly in the eyes. "You have been teaching what Adesina taught?"

K'eb's voice was hesitant. "In a way, your Majesty. That is, I was pa.s.sing on some useful suggestions that I received. Than'os was merely observing. He would not presume to take the training of Protectors into his own hands."

The king waved a hand. "You need not defend him. He can speak for himself."

Than'os' sharp features were pinched thoughtfully. "I was not teaching, your Majesty, but I wish that I had been. Adesina imparted highly useful knowledge before leaving the city, and I think it should be used."

L'unn surveyed the expectant faces around him. Some were clearly against using any knowledge given from a former Shimat, others were eager to learn anything that could help them in the upcoming battles. His own inclination was with the latter.

"You are correct in feeling so, Than'os. I only regret that I did not think of it sooner. Pa.s.s on all that you have learned from Adesina to the members of the L'avan army. You as well, K'eb. It may be that her instruction is the key to our success."

"But, your Majesty!" protested one of the Protectors.

When the king turned his powerful eyes on the young man, he bowed his head and continued in a more humble tone of voice. "What if the Shimat girl was sent here to lead us astray?"

L'unn raised his chin and spoke with all of the authority in his being. "She has my confidence."

No one dared object after such a mighty declaration. The king nodded to K'eb and Than'os, and they immediately began pa.s.sing on the knowledge that they had received at the hand of the young girl who bridged the span between Shimat and L'avan training.

He turned and saw that his eldest son was standing behind him, watching with a wary expression on his face.

L'unn smiled and beckoned for his firstborn to join him as he continued his survey of the battle preparations. L'on did so without hesitation.

"Father, I do not mean to question your judgment, but are you sure that this is a good idea?"

The king's smile widened at the diplomatic manner in which his son spoke, the upright stance of his walk, the self-a.s.surance that only came with many years of hard work. He watched as his son acknowledged the soldiers they pa.s.sed, encouraging and uplifting as he went. L'on was going to make a fine king.

"What idea, my son?"

L'on's n.o.ble brow was lined with the habitual concern he felt these days. These lines of worry deepened as he turned his eyes to his father. "The idea of having our Protectors trained like Shimat. I know it is important to know one's enemy, but it is equally important not to become like them."

King L'unn's expression became more serious. "I do not believe we are descending to the level of the Shimat by incorporating the techniques given to us by Adesina. We are taking what is valuable, and leaving what is dark."

A brief pause followed, where both were deep in thought. The silence was broken by a hesitant question posed by the young man.

"And what you said about Adesinaa?"

"I mean every word," affirmed the king solidly. "She has my complete confidencea"in both the matter of training our soldiers and in the mission she now undertakes."

This brought a heavier silence as they both thought of the group of L'avan making their way to the far south. L'on wondered about the risk they were taking.

"How many can they save?" he asked quietly.

His father sighed. "We cannot be sure. Many L'avan have gone missing over the years, but that does not necessarily mean that they were captured by the Shimat."

"Do you-" the prince cut himself off abruptly.

He was going to ask if his father considered the whole thing worth the risk, but decided against it. The king would not have sent them if he did not think it a worthy cause, nor if he did not think they had a good chance of succeeding.

King L'unn seemed to know what his son had been about to ask and gave him an understanding glance. "Every life saved makes it worthwhile, L'on."

"What of the lives lost?"

This very question had haunted the king ever since the others had set off. He thought of his younger son, who was still learning and growing as a warrior. He thought of his daughter, who had run away to follow her brother. They had all placed their hopes in the young Shimat woman, who appeared to be the one spoken of in prophecy. That is why he allowed them to set off on such a dangerous journey with so little planning. He shook off his fears and answered with the rea.s.surance that he wished to have himself.

"They have Adesina to guide them, and the aid of the Rashad princea"not to mention the skills of each individual. They could not be better equipped if I had sent an entire army with them."

L'on was not convinced, but tried to keep it from his face. He knew his father had enough to worry about as it was. "I suppose you are right."

The king turned his eyes to the trees beyond the training soldiers and soundlessly prayed that he was.