Her eyes strayed to Kendan's unconscious form. "I am fine."

He smiled at her lie and gave her hand a squeeze. "You know I do not believe you. Why not tell me the truth?"

Her jaw clenched as she fought the waves of emotion crashing over her. "Because that would mean admitting it to myself." She shook her head impatiently. "We do not have time for this! We need to get going."

L'iam nodded slowly. "Should we wait for Ravi?"

Adesina was undecided on that point. "We do not know how long it will take him to find the others."

The thoughtful pause was interrupted by the faint echo of footsteps approaching. The two L'avan froze, staring at each other in apprehension.

A forceful knock sounded at the door.

She spun around, taking in her surroundings. Pools of blood collected on the stone floor, and there was no place to hide the bodies. There was no place for the two L'avan to hide either.

Unless...

Adesina grabbed L'iam and held him close, allowing her vyala to flare up and shield them from the eyes of others. He wrapped his arms around her, adding his energy to hers.

The knock sounded again.

"Shar Kendan?" a deep voice called.

The door opened to reveal three Shimat. The first was a burly man with bristly black hair and a thick beard. He was very clearly the leader of the trio, a.s.serting himself with his chest stuck out. Following close behind was a face that was all too familiar to Adesina.

Basha's eyes widened in surprise as she surveyed the scene before her. "What happened here?"

The leader gestured to the third figure behind him, who was blocked from Adesina's view. "Sound the alarm. There are intruders in the fortress."

Basha shook her head stubbornly. "That is impossible."

The man gave her a scathing glare. "Is it?"

She was immediately cowed. "I just meant thata"

His harsh voice continued. "Can you think of no one capable of breaking into the fortress?"

Understanding dawned in her eyes, and her voice came out in a hiss. "Adesina!"

A shrill bell began to ring, alarming everyone of the presence of the intruders. The man and Basha retreated from the room and out into the hallway. He pointed to her commandingly as he walked away.

"You know what to do."

Basha gave one curt nod and hurried in the opposite direction.

Even after they were left alone, the two L'avan stared at each other in disbelief. L'iam whispered in Adesina's ear, "What are we going to do now?"

Chapter Forty-seven: The Dungeon.

Ravi burst through the door. "Ma'eve!"

She quickly dropped the illusion that her vyala had been creating and stepped away from L'iam, who still had his arms wrapped around her.

"Here, Ravi."

"We must go now!"

There was no argument from either L'avan. The three of them sprinted from the room and down the corridor towards the stairs that would take them to the lower levels.

The door was opened before they reached it, and a rather disheveled looking Shimat appeared.

Adesina increased her speed and leapt into the air, kicking him squarely in the chest. He was thrown backward and head over heels down the spiraling stairs.

She landed on her feet and led the way downward without pause. The stairs were steep and treacherous, making speed difficult. They hopped over the crumpled form of the Shimat that lay huddled against the door leading to the second level, and continued their descent to the dungeon.

The stone stairs between the second and third levels became damp and slick, making them even harder to maintain a quick pace. The torches were fewer, and the temperature dropped several degrees.

The door at the bottom of the stairs was hard to open. The hinges were rusted, making it screech horribly when forced to move. L'iam was prepared to rush onward, but Adesina placed a hand on his arm, bringing him to a halt.

They stepped into the dungeon, looking around cautiously.

The smell of refuse and decay met them in sickening waves, and the darkness seemed to dance fiendishly in various shades of black. The constant drip of brackish water echoed around the stone tomb until it was maddening.

Not a torch was to be seen, so Adesina created a small ball of light to rest in the palm of her hand. She took a few cautious steps forward, straining to see as much of her surroundings as possible.

A quick scan of the surrounding area, using her vyala, revealed that they were alone for the moment; but she used as little of her power as possible, not knowing if she would need it later.

Most of the cell doors stood open, like gaping mouths waiting to swallow them up. It was clear to Adesina that these dungeons were seldom used, which was understandable since the fortress was not a location that the Shimat liked outsiders seeing, even as prisoners.

The dungeon consisted of three main corridors that were linked by four smaller hallways. Adesina began to systematically search each of these corridors, looking for the cells that were being used.

After a few minutes they came across a door that was locked. L'iam connected to his vyala and swept the room on the other side, searching for what was inside. With glowing eyes he nodded to her, indicating that the cell held a prisoner.

She flicked her fingers backward, and the small ball of energy she had been holding hopped up from her palm and remained floating in the air. With her hands free, she leaned down and began picking the lock.

It took only a few expert movement before she heard the telltale click. Adesina cupped the ball of energy again, bringing it forward. Then, drawing back the bolt, she pushed the door open.

Three figures lay huddled on the ground. The L'avan took a hesitant step forward.

"Me'shan?"

The slight scuff of a boot warned Adesina that someone was coming up behind them. She threw the ball of light into the air, where it hovered and grew brighter, then whipped around to see the hateful face of Basha.

Adesina immediately drew her Blood Sword, bringing it down as hard as she could. Basha blocked the a.s.sault with her own blade, grappling with the seventeen-year-old girl.

"Welcome home," she hissed spitefully. "Come to save your friends?"

The young L'avan threw back her opponent, but her follow-up attack faltered when she saw the commotion going on around her out of the corner of her eye.

The three figures in the cell leapt to their feet and tossed aside the rags that had been covering their Shimat uniforms. They both rushed forward to attack L'iam and would have overpowered him if it had not been for Ravi. He let out a ferocious growl and became visible, which startled the attacking Shimat. This gave L'iam enough time to draw his weapon and prepare to defend himself.

Adesina almost paid dearly for her distraction. Basha swung viciously at her legs, but her reflexes were just quick enough to jump over the intended blow. She brought her blade down again, and Basha had to roll to get out of the way.

The Shimat scrambled to her feet, backing away from Adesina in order to regain her footing. Trying to distract her opponent, she began to speak.

"You should not have come back here. You might have stood a chance of evading us in the outside world, but now you will surely die."

Adesina's smile was without humor. "We shall see."

She did a quick feint and then spun around to add more force to her attack. Basha was not fast enough to evade it completely, and she cried out in pain as the sword slashed her upper arm. Her gloved fingers strayed to the small pouch on her belt, but Adesina shook her head in warning.

"Your powders will not work this time, Basha. I will use my magic to throw them back into your face."

Fear flickered in her ice blue eyes, but she tried to cover it up with scorn. "I am not afraid of your witchcraft."

The young L'avan quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Of course not!" Basha spat. "The skills of a Shimat far outweigh any tricks you have up your sleeve."

Adesina's eyebrow arched in mockery. "I am a Shimat, Basha, and much more skilled than you."

A knowing expression crossed her hardened face. "You have not received the same training that I have over the past year and a half. You have been cooped up in the High City, wasting away to nothing more than a common citizen."

This time her opponent snorted openly. "If you are so certain of my inferiority, then finish me off. Stop talking about it."

Basha threw a fistful of red powder at Adesina, but her vyala was at the ready. It sprang up as a shield, returning the concoction back in the direction from whence it came, but Basha was already springing out of the way.

The L'avan ran after her enemy, away from the ball of energy's light and into the shadows.

She saw the form of the Shimat turn down one hallway, and she increased her speed to head her off. She ignored the pa.s.sage that Basha was now running down and instead went down the one that ran parallel to it.

They were now completely cut off from the light, and it took Adesina's eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. Again, she hesitated using her vyala, not wanting to exhaust herself before this ordeal was over. Instead, she relied on her Shimat training, praying that she was not so out of practice that she could not overcome Basha.

Adesina stopped running as she came to the end of the corridor. She sheathed her sword and moved up against the wall to listen for her enemy's footsteps. She closed her eyes against the black of her surroundings and focused on what she heard.

The steady drip of the water. The distant sound of L'iam and Ravi fighting the other Shimat. A cold draft of wind pa.s.sing down the stairwell. The soft shift of leather boots.

A grim smile pa.s.sed her face, and she prepared herself for an attack.

If it had not been for that barely perceptible noise, Adesina would not have heard Basha coming down the perpendicular hallway. She grudgingly admitted that, if nothing else, her opponent had improved in stealth while she was away.

A quick survey of her surroundings revealed a rusty sconce on the corner of the adjoining corridors where torches were once held. She gave herself a small running start, jumped into the air, and grabbed the sconce. Using the rusted handhold, she swung herself around the corner and landed a powerful kick squarely in Basha's chest.

The Shimat fell back forcibly, having the wind knocked out of her with an audible grunt. Adesina landed harder than she antic.i.p.ated, and it took her a moment to compensate.

It was just long enough time for Basha to catch her breath and roll backwards over one shoulder. She remained in a crouch, straining to see through the darkness.

Basha attempted to spring forward to tackle the L'avan, but the young woman neatly sidestepped it. Instead of attacking again, Basha scrambled deeper into the shadows.

Adesina had no doubt that she would try to set up some kind of trap, and therefore proceeded after her with caution.

Her eyes darted from doorway to doorway, searching for any sign of movement. She eased her father's dagger from the sheath on her belt, holding it at the ready.

A soft swish of cloth around the far corner caught her attention, and she hurried forward on silent feet. Adesina stood with her back against the wall, reaching out with her vyala to sense what was around the bend.

Basha's figure was poised to strike as soon as she came into sight.

She shifted her dagger into her left hand and then pulled out one of her throwing knives. Using her green tinted vision, and keeping her back against the wall, she reached around and threw the knife.

Basha's exclamation was a combination of pain and surprise as the blade struck her just above the knee.

The young L'avan dashed around the corner and used the b.u.t.t of her dagger to hit her enemy across the face with as much strength as she could muster. Basha dropped to the ground heavily, unconscious.

Adesina stood over her with an expression of contempt contorting her features. Her grip on her dagger tightened and she went down on one knee, ready to finish the job.

As she was pressing the blade against her throat, the dull shimmer of the hilt caught her eye.

It was amazing that the emerald enamel was visible at all, but it seemed to be able to glimmer in the darkest black. The handle felt warm in her hand, as if it had a life of its own, and Adesina's thoughts turned to how it had come into her possession.

It was no accident that Horas had given it to her, and she remembered the loving words that E'nes had spoken as he had returned it to her as they were leaving Pevothem. It was a family heirlooma"proof that she belonged to someone. It was a tangible tie to those she had grown to love.

Not a love in the sense that the Shimat equated with unquestioning obedience, but the kind of love that knit hearts together and withstood all odds. The kind of love that showed a young lost girl that she was not alone in the world. The love that forgave her of her mistakes and brightened the hope of her future.

In another time, the former Shimat would not have hesitated to take the life of the young woman before her. There was no doubt that the world would be a better place without Basha in it. Even so, Adesina couldn't bring herself to do it.

She was not that cold, ruthless girl anymore. She had a brother and a father, a guardian and good friends. They all loved her and had shown her how to be a better version of herself. She no longer belonged to the Shimat. She was a L'avan, and the L'avan believed in mercy.

She got to her feet and looked down once more at her ancient enemy.

"Your life is no longer your own," she said to the unmoving form, "because I could have taken it, but chose not to do so. This knowledge will follow you as long as you live; and although it may be a thorn to you, it will be the key to my freedom."

The silence that followed those words was profound. Adesina could feel their truth ringing deep within her soul.

She turned her back on Basha and ran towards where she had left L'iam and Ravi. The scene that lay before her as she approached them seemed exaggerated by the shadows cast by the ball of light hovering in the air.

One Shimat was sitting on the ground with his back up against the wall. His hands clutched his leg, which was mangled and bleeding. The second Shimat held a spetum and was keeping Ravi at bay. The third was bearing down on L'iam with his sword, following blow after blow.

Hoping to provide some sort of diversion, she shouted in the Shimat language, "Stop!"

Both Shimat looked up in surprise, pausing in their a.s.saults. Ravi used the disturbance to his advantage, ducking around the weapon pointed at him and sinking his teeth into the Shimat's thigh.