Adesina didn't get a chance to reason with her father, because her words were lost in surprise. They had reached the top of the stairs and were met by a scene that none of them could have antic.i.p.ated.

Sa'jan was in the middle of a group of Shimat, fighting furiously and losing desperately. With his vyala he was warping weapons and slowing the movements of his enemies, but even so, it was not enough against such a large number. He seemed on the verge of collapse, and there was no sign of help in sight. Where were E'nes and the L'avan they were supposed to be rescuing?

She immediately drew her sword and rushed into the battle.

The Shimat were surprised by the sudden arrival of these new enemies, but met them without hesitation. Adesina didn't have to look back to know that she was not alone. In fact, she caught sight of her father grabbing a weapon and joining as well.

She relaxed her mind and remembered the training that she had been given over the years. She moved smoothly from form to form, not pausing to see what effect she was having. Her opponents ceased to be human in her mind and became mere challengesa"ones she knew she could eventually overcome.

Her vyala came to her aid, lending strength and speed. In the back of her mind she could sense that it was anxiously waiting for her to command it to become something more tangible in her fight against the Shimat.

The opponent before her was a skilled swordsman. He flicked his blade expertly, getting past her defenses and using her own moves against her. It took some quick reflexes for her to avoid being stabbed several times.

Adesina watched him closely, all the while defending herself with all the ability she possessed. Eventually, a pattern in his attack began to present itself. As soon as she moved to exploit it, however, the Shimat broke from the form by kicking her wrists upward. Adesina's sword flew over her head and clattered down the stairs that were behind them.

She grabbed the Shimat's arm as he lunged and then she whirled around to avoid his blade, bringing her elbow forcibly into his kidney. The Shimat cried out in pain, but did not stop his attacks. Adesina ducked as he swung his sword around and she aimed a powerful downward kick to his knee. It cracked sharply, and her opponent dropped to the ground.

She rendered him unconscious with a sharp blow to the head, then her eyes glanced around in search for a new enemy. As she did so, her gaze was arrested by her father.

Me'shan was struggling to do his best as a warrior, but his body was weak and his mind was exhausted. He could barely summon enough vyala to keep himself on his feet.

Adesina hurried forward to help, but could not reach him in time. The Shimat he was fighting struck him across the face and then drove a dagger into his abdomen.

Time seemed to slow down as she watched her father fall to the ground. His expression, the rush of air leaving his lungs, the clatter of his weapon as it hit the stonea"all of this was burned into her memory.

After all they had been through, after all they had sacrificed, this was how it was going to end. Her father lay dying on the stones of the Shimat fortress.

She had sent him here.

All around her were the bodies of the dead or dying: her friends, her family. Even the majority of the Shimat fighting them had no idea of the true nature of the order. They were giving their lives to a lie.

She saw L'iam fighting valiantly, trying to get to where Sa'jan had fallen. His features were fierce while in the rage of battle. The glow of vyala surrounded him, and he moved with heightened energy as he drained his enemies of their life force. The Shimat's feeble attempts to fight him in their weakened condition were met with stunning blows that left them alive, but unable to fight.

Even in a desperate battle to the death, L'iam still refused to take a life unnecessarily. The L'avan were such good people, and they had supported her from the beginning.

She had brought them here.

A burning sensation welled up from the core of her being and spread throughout her body. Her hands tingled with power and her vision grew brighter by the second. In her stomach she felt the sharp pangs of sorrow and remorse, and her head whirled with the heat of fury and revenge. The icy fingers of fear wrapped themselves around her heart, and somewhere deep inside of her, something snapped.

She would not allow any more lives to be lost because of her mistakes.

As if this new determination gave her power, she conquered the flurry of emotion that bore her down and drew her father's dagger from the sheath on her belt. Her vyala, which had been boiling beneath the surface, burst forth in a flurry of light that surrounded her.

With a flying leap, Adesina sprang at the Shimat advancing on Me'shan's crumpled form. He turned to meet her easily, but was unprepared for the strength of her attack, which was aided by her vyala. She easily twisted his arm around behind him, and threw him headfirst into the wall. She barely took the time to make sure that he was unconscious before turning away. Her senses immediately ranged out to find another opponent.

The Shimat saw the light surrounding her and hesitated to attack. The gleam in her eyes burned coldly, sending fear into each of her enemies.

"Adesina!"

She stopped in her tracks and turned to see who was calling her name.

Breyen stood down the hallway where the corridor widened to a large, open area. One arm held a slight figure tightly to himself, and the other hand held a dagger to his prisoner's throat.

Adesina stared in astonishment at the face of Lanil, her childhood friend. Lanil's expression was full of fear and shock, as if she couldn't believe what was happening.

Behind Breyen stood several other Shimat, all holding prisoners of their own. The face that stood out most was her brother's. E'nes gazed back with tears in his eyes, his face heavy with remorse that he had failed her.

Her mind was immediately racing to find a way to free them from their captors, but Breyen's thoughts seemed to be along the same line. He smiled cruelly and shook his head.

"You cannot save all of them."

Adesina considered the situation a moment more before narrowing her eyes. "What now, Shar?" She spat the last word.

"Now," he said slowly, "you will surrender to us and submit to the Sharifal's judgment."

"Her judgment?" she asked harshly.

"For treason," he replied.

Adesina clenched her jaw angrily. "And if I refuse?"

Breyen smiled without humor. "Then we will kill you and all of your companions."

She hesitated as she evaluated their chances of survival, but only briefly. "You intend to kill us all anyway."

His head tipped slightly towards Lanil. "Not all."

This truly gave Adesina pause. After all, Lanil had nothing to do with any of this. She hadn't even finished her training yet.

Doubt tugged at the edges of Adesina's mind. "I do not believe you," she said quietly. "She has seen too much for you to allow her to walk away."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Are you certain of that?"

She wasn't.

She wasn't really certain of anything right now. Her mind was still working to find a way out of this hopeless situation, and was coming up blank. If she refused, every prisoner would be executed immediately. She wouldn't even have a chance to save any of them. If she surrendered, they would all be imprisoned for a while and then executed as soon as the Sharifal returned. Even so, that gave them some time to try to escape, and it ensured Lanil's safety.

It seemed the better option, even if it rankled her pride.

As Adesina opened her lips to accept Breyen's terms, a number of things happened in quick succession.

An explosion erupted in the midst of the Shimat, shrouding them in a thick blanket of smoke. Ravi's deafening roar echoed down the stone corridors, leaving fear and confusion in its wake. The Shimat scattered initially, then hastily attempted to regroup. L'iam's voice sounded through the haze, shouting instructions in the L'avan language. A hand reached through the smoke to grab Adesina's wrist and pull her around the corner.

She was prepared to fight, but Kendan's familiar voice murmured in her ear, "Follow me!"

She was too surprised to resist as he ran down the halls, leading her by the hand. By the time she had composed herself, another realization had come to her.

"My father!"

Kendan shook his head. "We cannot go back. He will be cared for by the others."

Adesina's expression hardened. She stopped in her tracks and twisted her wrist out of his grasp. "I will not leave him," she said flatly.

Seeing that there was no way he could persuade her, he turned and led her back the way they had come.

She could vaguely see Me'shan's unmoving form on the stone floor. Her heart jumped when she saw a hazy black figure bending over him, but she soon recognized Ravi's figure.

"Ravi!"

He looked up in surprise and relief. "You should not have come back."

In spite of his words, Adesina could tell that he was happy to be near her. "At least you will not be worrying about me now that we are together."

A weary smile crossed his lips. "Your unpredictable behavior allows no peace of mind, even when we are together."

Kendan knelt by Me'shan's body and felt for a pulse. "He is still alive, but he is slipping fast. You need to get him to a healer."

Adesina set her lips in a grim line, not wanting to admit how ill prepared they were. "First we need to get out of here alive."

Kendan held out his hand. "Give me your scarf."

She unwound her scarf and gave it to him. Then, knowing disguise did no good anymore, she pulled off her hood and cast it aside. Kendan busied himself with tying the scarf around Me'shan's wound, trying not to gaze at Adesina's face, which he had come to know and love so well.

As soon as the L'avan was bandaged, Ravi got to his feet. "Put him on my back. I will carry him to safety."

They did as he asked, and then Kendan once more took a hold of Adesina's wrist to lead her down the hazy halls. Ravi followed as silently as a shadow.

Every time the gray form of a Shimat could be discerned through the fog, Kendan would pull her into a doorway or alcove and wait for them to pa.s.s.

The second time this happened, Adesina whispered, "Why are you doing this?"

He continued to hurry her along, finding his way through the smoky maze of corridors without any hesitation. "L'iam is helping all those who are able to escape, and will meet up with us down this way. I cannot lead you out of the fortress myself, but I can show you the way."

She jerked her wrist out of his hand and planted her feet solidly. "Why?" she asked stubbornly.

Kendan couldn't quite look her in the eye. "You know why."

When his gaze finally met hers, she saw something there that she thought she would never see againa"something that she had half thought she had imagined.

His dark eyes often seemed unfathomable, but right now they were vulnerable and full of longing. There was a deep emotion there mingled with unbearable pain.

They only looked at each other for a moment, but Adesina experienced a flash of intuition. There had been moments of truth in the lie of their relationship. How much had been true she was not entirely sure, but he had felt as strongly as she had. Perhaps even more.

There was something else that she saw in that brief glance: he was just as hurt by the truth of the Shimat order as she was. He had been asked to sacrifice just as much. Unlike her, he did not have the L'avan to turn to for comfort and refuge. That was why he had stayed under Signe's power for so long.

"We must hurry if you are to get away," he muttered and he turned to continue down the hallway.

Adesina followed, but still had many questions. "How can we possibly get away? Surely by now the Shimat have cut off every exit."

His jaw clenched as he explained quietly. "My aunt intended for me to succeed her as Sharifal. Ever since my parents' untimely demise, she has been training me for the day when she will help me to take power."

The young woman didn't understand what this had to do with trying to escape the fortress. She frowned as he led the way into a small room at the end of an un.o.btrusive corridor.

Her confusion was momentarily put out of her mind when she saw the group of people waiting for them in the room.

"L'iam!"

She impulsively rushed forward and threw her arms around him. He held her tightly and asked in her ear, "Are you hurt?"

Adesina shook her head. "No, I am fine."

He sighed in relief and then shook his head in sorrow. "I am sorry, Adesina! I could not find your father!"

She smiled and stepped back. "It is all right. We have him."

Kendan cleared his throat, fighting to keep the saddened expression from his face. "We are running out of time."

L'iam nodded and gave him a suspicious look. "Where is this escape you promised us?"

The Shimat walked over to the far wall. "One of the advantages to being the intended successor of the Sharifal is that she pa.s.ses on information only known by herself."

He pushed on a small stone near the bottom of the wall with his foot and an audible click sounded. He then moved to the wall to the left of the door and pushed another small stone that was at eye level. Another click sounded. Next he went to the wall on the right of the doorway and pushed near the corner.

A small section of the wall opened to reveal a secret pa.s.sageway.

Adesina nodded to L'iam and he led the way in. She counted fifteen L'avan prisoners, including her father. Most of them were staggering as they hurried along, holding each other up. E'nes was carrying Sa'jan over his shoulder, and Ravi still had Me'shan on his back.

Finally it was just the former Shimat and her Shar standing in the small room. She furrowed her brow as she looked at him.

"What if they discover that you helped us?"

He smiled briefly. "They will not."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Perhaps you would be safer if you came with us."

His expression softened. "That is very kind of you. I wish I could, but it is not possible."

"Why?"

His dark eyes drank in her unusual features. "I do not belong with your people. I belong here."

Adesina stared at him in disbelief. "You are not one of them!"

Kendan's smile widened at the adamant tone in her voice. "I am. I was born a Shimat, and I will die a Shimat. That is the path given to me."

The sound of footsteps could be heard approaching. Kendan grabbed her by the arm and pushed her into the pa.s.sageway. "I can give you a few hours before they come after you, but that is all. Run!"

The wall was shut in her face before she had a chance to say anything in return. She stood in the darkness for a moment before turning to catch up with her companions. Ravi's golden eyes glowed in the black only a few steps away.