Free The Threshold Child by Callie Kanno Page B

and wise woman.”
    Adesina almost stopped in her tracks. “Is? My mother is alive?”
    Ravi considered his answer thoughtfully. “That depends on what you
consider to be alive .”
    This time Adesina did stop. “No more riddles, Ravi. Is my mother
alive or not?”
    Ravi turned his golden eyes on Adesina’s purple ones. “Her mortal
body no longer lives, but her immortal spirit will never die.”
    Adesina could not quite get her head around this way of thinking.
She shook her head stubbornly. “It was just a dream.”
    “No, it was a Dream.”
    Adesina couldn’t keep her anger out of her voice. “What is the
difference?”
    “A dream is a thing of fantasy—a creation of your mind. Dreams,
however, are real. They are glimpses into other times, other worlds. The sooner
you can accept that, the sooner you will understand.”
    Both of them stood still and silent for a few minutes. Adesina’s
inner struggle was only made more chaotic by the words whispered to her by the
incorporeal voices. Part of her wanted to believe what she had been told over
the past several hours, but it felt so wrong when placed next to all that she
had ever been taught. Part of her said that it was all inconsequential anyway
and to just let it go, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was
part of something bigger. Something deeper.
    Ravi stood patiently for a while before walking back over to the
young Shimat. “Keep walking, Ma’eve. We still have a long way to go.”
    Adesina forced herself to move forward. She knew Kendan needed to
be led out of the forest as soon as possible. The day dragged on like an
eternity, and both Kendan and Adesina were relieved to stop for the night. She
set up the camp, persuaded Kendan to eat some food, and curled up next to the
fire. Ravi began to sing quietly, and soon Adesina’s eyes became heavy.
    Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt herself being pulled
far away from the world that she knew.
    She found herself standing in a corridor similar to the ones found
in the Shimat fortress, only the walls were made of white marble and there were
arched windows that lined the wall high up next to the ceiling. Moonlight
streamed through, illuminating the corridor with a mystical glow. The hall
opened to a columned walkway that lined some sort of courtyard. Within the
courtyard, Adesina saw something that took her breath away.
    A utopian garden lay before her. Large exotic-looking flowers
bloomed in brilliant grandeur, displaying shades of color that Adesina never
knew existed. These were offset by smaller, more demure flowers that gave the
garden a pleasing sense of balance. Many tall, beautiful trees swayed to the
soft breeze, and the ground was carpeted with the greenest grass she could have
ever imagined.
    In the center of the garden was a fountain made of pure white
stone that glowed in the moonlight. It made the white marble of the corridor and
columns dull and gray in comparison. Engraved in the stone were several strange
symbols that were defined by the luminous glow of reflected light. The crystal
water heaved upward in the center to form a pedestal for a shimmering orb the
size of a man’s head.
    Seated on the edge of this fountain was Adesina’s mother. Their
eyes met and a shy smile appeared on each of their faces. Her mother patted the
stone next to her. “Come and sit with me, Ma’eve.”
    Adesina did so, fairly bursting with questions. “What is your
name?”
    Her mother smiled her sweet smile. “E’rian.”
    The word sounded slightly musical. It settled into Adesina’s heart
like a warm liquid. “Am I to call you that?”
    E’rian raised her eyebrows. “If you wish. Or you may simply call
me ‘mother.’”
    This had a strangely strong appeal to Adesina. “Very well,
mother.”
    The young Shimat studied the stunning garden that surrounded them.
“Where are we?”
    E’rian joined her in looking around. “It has many names in many
tongues in many worlds. I simply call