Free The Threshold Child by Callie Kanno Page A

saw they were approaching her camp. “Are you leaving?”
    Her mother’s smile became sad again. “It is time for you to
awaken.”
    “Will I see you again?”
    The older woman gave her a significant look. “I have answered that
question, Ma’eve.”
    She felt a bit childish, but pressed on. “I just want to hear your
promise.”
    Her mother reached up a slender hand and caressed Adesina’s face.
“I promise.”
    Somewhere a pan clattered, and Adesina jerked awake. She opened
her eyes and saw Kendan stirring the fire and preparing some breakfast. She sat
up with a start. “Kendan! How are you feeling today?”
    He was still quite pale, but he looked much more calm. “I am doing
better. I heard music last night. Singing. It helped to quiet the voices I
hear.”
    Adesina glanced at Ravi, but he was preoccupied and did not return
her look. “I am glad to hear it.”
    Kendan shuddered slightly as he put more wood on the fire. “I will
be relieved when we leave this cursed place. I wish we had never come.”
    Adesina dropped her gaze to the ground and muttered quietly, “Yes,
well. We do not have much farther to go.”
    He turned to face her with a worried expression on his face. “I
have been so preoccupied with my own struggles that I have not checked to see
how you are doing.”
    She waved aside his concerns, trying to appear unaffected. “I am
fine. I suppose an advantage to having a sheltered childhood is that there are
few memories that can be used against me in a place such as this.”
    Kendan folded his arms tightly against his chest. “I envy you
that. My childhood was…rather violent.”
    “Your parents?” she asked gently.
    “And the rest of my family,” he replied. “I really only have the
Shimat order left as far as people who are close to me are concerned.”
    Adesina didn’t really know what to say, and so she settled on what
she had heard others say in similar
situations. “I am sorry.”
    He pressed his lips together. “It would have been worse if I had
been left on my own rather than being brought to
the fortress.” He glanced up at her. “In spite of all of our troubles, we are
more fortunate than most of the people in this world.”
    She could see that Kendan was embarrassed by this show of emotion.
He cleared his throat and broke eye contact with her, finishing his preparations
for their morning meal.
    They did not speak anymore throughout breakfast or as they broke
down the camp. Just as before, Kendan took the horses’ reins in one hand and
held on to Adesina’s hand with the other. She rested her free hand on Ravi’s back,
and they walked purposefully through the trees.
    The voices returned full force as soon as they left the sanctuary
of their camp. Kendan had a sharp intake of breath and squeezed Adesina’s hand
painfully. The young woman sighed softly and did her best to shut out the
noise.
    “You were given a Dream last night, were you not?” asked Ravi.
    Adesina frowned. “How did you know?” she whispered to keep Kendan
from hearing.
    A smile flitted across Ravi’s feline face. “One learns to
recognize these things.”
    They walked in thoughtful silence for a few moments more before
Ravi spoke again. “Will you tell me about your Dream?”
    Adesina was actually relieved to be asked. She wanted to talk
about it with someone who might be able to tell her what it all meant. She described
the Dream exactly how she remembered it and waited for Ravi’s response. When he
continued to be silent, she prompted him impatiently.
    “What does it mean, Ravi?”
    “That is something only you can decide. That is part of what makes
Dreams what they are.”
    Adesina blew out her breath in frustration. “I should have known
you would have nothing useful to say.”
    Ravi chuckled. “You are still young, Ma’eve. Understanding will
come in time.”
    His words struck a chord with Adesina. “My mother said that in my
dream.”
    Ravi nodded slowly. “Yes. Your mother is a good