Sa'jan lunged forward to jab his dagger into her side. Her eyes widened as she fell to her knees, clutching her side in pain. The wound did not kill her, but it left her momentarily disabled.

Sa'jan went down on one knee to look directly in her face. "Where are the others being kept?"

She tried to smile mockingly, but it turned into a grimace. When it became clear that she would not cooperate, a sharp blow to the head rendered her unconscious.

Van'dan, who had finished destroying all of the experiments in the room, spoke in the L'avan language. "It does not matter. I will help you find all of them."

He examined Sa'jan's shoulder and then popped it back into place with a deliberate motion. Sa'jan bit back a cry of pain, but nodded his thanks.

E'nes tried to get to his feet, but fell down again. The two other L'avan hurried over to help him.

"What is wrong with him?" asked Sa'jan.

Van'dan pointed to his arm, which was still colored silver from the slime. "It is some kind of poison. They used it on all of the L'avan because it makes us easier to control."

The older L'avan frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"One's vyala is entirely spent on eradicating the poison from the body. If a L'avan uses their vyala for anything else, the poison takes hold and kills them."

He opened his ragged tunic to show a silver streak of his own painted on his chest. "It effectively neutralizes our gifts and weakens our physical strength at the same time. As long as they do not use it too frequently, they can keep us this way indefinitely."

"What happens if it is used too often?"

He glanced at the sleeve he had ripped from E'nes. "Then the poison overcomes the vyala, and the L'avan dies."

E'nes looked up at Van'dan in despair. "I cannot use my vyala?"

The former prisoner shook his head sadly. "You will die if you do."

Sa'jan was pacing back and forth. "Is there a cure?"

"Only time," was the reply. "A L'avan's vyala will eventually rid the body of the poison, but it takes time."

"How long?" he asked gruffly.

Van'dan shrugged. "We were re-poisoned once a week, so it probably does not last much longer than that."

Tears of frustration welled up in E'nes' eyes. "A week? We will be on our way home again by then! How can Ia" He paused to steady his voice. "How can I help my sister if I am like this?"

An ominous silence filled the room.

Sa'jan broke it by walking over to the L'avan strapped on the table and untying their bond. "You can help by looking after all the prisoners we save."

All three of them were barely conscious, and it took a bit of effort to get them to their feet. The reality of how weak these L'avan were gave the rescuers pause. How were they going to be able to save others while trying to help these prisoners along, all the while avoiding the Shimat guards?

Their leader surveyed them and then came to a decision.

"E'nes, you will take these prisoners and hide them in the stables. Then meet me back here to get the next group and take them to hiding."

The young L'avan started to protest, but he was sternly cut off.

"We stand a much better chance of remaining undiscovered if we split up. Also, if something should happen to me, then at least some of you will escape."

E'nes still shook his head stubbornly. "What about you? You cannot take on the entire Shimat army."

Sa'jan smiled. "That is not my intention."

He opened the door and glanced around, making sure that the coast was clear before stepping into the corridor. The others followed him, supporting each other.

Then, without warning, a group of Shimat turned the corner.

"Go!" shouted Sa'jan as he drew his sword.

Without waiting to see what his companions would do, he charged into the midst of his enemies.

King L'unn's horse shifted nervously beneath him. The tension in the air was so thick that it left a bitter taste in his mouth. The L'avan army waited in the gra.s.slands just beyond the mountain pa.s.s, and the mercenary army was closing in. It was only a matter of time until the battle would begin.

Fear was the dominant emotion on the faces of each individual, and L'unn couldn't blame them. They were outnumbered at least two to one, maybe more, and a good portion of the army had no training beyond what they had been given in the last few days. They all looked to him, searching for some measure of comfort, and he did his best to rea.s.sure them.

He sat tall and proud, appearing to be confident. He rode his horse along the lines of waiting men, giving words of encouragement and grasping shoulders of friends.

There was some consolation in knowing that the younger soldiers were acting as archers placed in the trees of the forest behind them. They would be shielded from most of the danger. L'unn was also glad to know that all the L'avan citizens were well protected in their strongholds.

His beloved wife was safe. That much, at least, he knew. His eyes turned to his eldest son, who was also riding among the men to help abate their fears. His thoughts turned to his younger children who were many leagues away, and still in grave danger. What if none of his children survived?

L'on brought his horse alongside the king, and L'unn gave his son a grim look. "I should not have let you come."

L'on snorted softly. "That would have filled the people with confidencea"the crown prince goes into hiding while everyone else fights the enemy."

"If both you and your brother diea" he couldn't bring himself to go on.

The prince finished the sentence in a brusque tone. "Then L'era will rule."

King L'unn could only shake his head. "She is with them."

His son reached over to put a hand on his father's arm. "L'iam would never let any harm come to her. He probably tied her to a tree to keep her out of danger."

The king smiled at his son's optimism. "You are probably right. L'iam was even more protective of L'era than your mother and I were."

A murmur ran through the crowd, and both sets of royal eyes were immediately fixed on what caused the stir.

Like a black cloud rolling slowly over a plain, the mercenary army appeared at the turn of the mountain pa.s.s, heading toward them. The dull glint of their armor shone ominously in the moonlight, and the jingling of their weapons as they marched was unnerving.

Even though they had been informed on the numbers they would be facing, the sight was enough to drive away what remained of their hope.

In an effort to prevent this, King L'unn used his vyala to send the image of a fiery bird across the sky. It was said that the Serraf could take this form, and it served as a reminder of the gifts they had given the L'avan people.

A heartening cheer erupted from the throats of the L'avan army.

As if responding to a signal, the Rashad suddenly appeared at their sides. Their race had never been as numerous as the L'avan, but the added numbers seemed to make quite a difference to the defending forces.

L'unn looked over at his friend, Rajan, and together they took a few steps forward. They wanted to be visible to all of the soldiers as they waited for their opponents to advance.

"War was unheard of in our fathers' time," he said softly.

The Rashad leader nodded his graying head. "And our grandfathers' time."

"I suppose we cannot expect to lead the same lives that they did."

Rajan smiled sadly. "No, we cannot. The labyrinth of time progresses, and we must follow it through to the end of the age."

The L'avan king quickly looked over at his companion. "This is the change, then? She is the Threshold Child?"

There was no need to specify who they were talking about. L'unn had asked Rajan about Adesina not long after she had come to Pevothem. The Rashad had been reluctant to give a definite answer until now.

"Yes, she is the Threshold Child."

An unexpected warmth filled the king's heart. "Then they will be safe."

Rajan gave him a questioning glance.

"L'iam and L'era will be safe if they are with her," King L'unn continued.

The Rashad didn't answer, knowing how precious hope was at a time like this. He could not bring himself to take it away from his oldest friend.

"They will be safe," L'unn repeated, "and our people will survive. In spite of all of this, the L'avan people will survive."

Rajan merely turned his golden eyes to the approaching army. It was just like he had seen in his Dreams. He wondered if his Dreams about the others at the fortress would be as accurate as this. Either way, he feared that the reality would be just as dark.

It was raining.

Actually, considering the torrential downpour, that seemed like an understatement. Even in the shelter of the trees, Aleron was still getting very wet. He had built a makeshift tent next to the fire and had placed L'era underneath it, but that meant that there was no room for him.

He tucked a blanket around the unconscious princess, built a large fire, and then went to sit between the roots of the closest tree. It was only slightly more dry, but it was better than nothing.

He found himself gazing into the shadows beyond their camp. His heart almost stopped when he thought he saw a shadow move. After several minutes of staring at that same shadow, he berated himself for letting his imagination run away with him.

L'era started to stir, and Aleron hurried to her side. She had not moved since he had drugged her, and he was beginning to get very anxious. Her eyes fluttered and opened, resting on his with a dazed expression.

They slowly focused and became more aware, then they also hardened when they saw his face. "You!"

He was immediately apologetic. "Adrie made me promise to keep you here!"

She sat up and jerked away from him. "How could you?" she raged. "After coming so far, how could you let them leave me behind now?"

Aleron started to get angry himself. "Do you think I am happy with this arrangement? I wanted to go as well!"

L'era wasn't listening to him. "My whole life I have only been seen as a princess, and this was my one chance to do something greata"to prove that I was something more! Now, thanks to you, that chance is gone."

"I know!" he shouted, wounded by her accusations. "I wanted to prove myself, too!"

She stared at him in surprise, but he was now too upset to take notice. He continued to yell, even though she had fallen silent.

"I know I am not a warrior, but I wanted to help in some way! I wanted to help her! Not that she needs it," he added in a tone of self-mockery. "I, a healer's apprenticeawhat could I possibly offer her?"

L'era was stunned by his words. She studied him in pity, forgetting her own frustrations. "You really care for her."

Aleron fixed his eyes on the fire, not wanting to admit that he was in love with someone so completely out of his reach.

The princess tried a different direction to gain his confidence. "I feel like such a burden to this group. I followed them so I could prove myself, but I ended up just being another mouth to feed, another person to protect."

He nodded. "Me, too. I thought I could help."

"She is glad you are with us," L'era said softly.

Aleron snorted. "No. I am just her funny little friend from the High City who tagged along. I do not even belong here."

She wrapped her blanket around her shoulders more tightly and replied, "That makes two of us."

Their eyes met, and for a moment they said nothing. They understood each other completely, and knew that they were not alone in their personal disappointments.

So strong was the shared empathy of this new bond that they didn't notice the dark shadows emerging from the trees.

Chapter Forty-nine: Loss.

Adesina led the way up the stairs to the second level. There was a small pa.s.sage that led from there straight to the stables, and that was the way she wanted to make their escape.

Me'shan ran surprisingly well on his own, with a little help from L'iam's vyala. Ravi stayed by Adesina's side and the L'avan prince brought up the rear. Me'shan repeated the insistent request he had made when they first left his cell.

"We need to find Faryl."

Adesina had been surprised to hear the name of the High City's woman apothecary, and had readily agreed to find her. Now she was beginning to doubt if that had been a good idea. All Me'shan had been able to tell them was that she had been taken by Shimat guards the day before. There was no way of knowing if she was even still in the fortress.

"We will certainly help her if we can find her, but they could have taken her anywhere. She may not even be alive anymore."

Me'shan shook his head violently. "No, she must be alive! I promised her I would protect her!"