The Labyrinth of Destiny by Callie Kanno

waver again.
    Basha reprimanded herself again,
more fiercely this time.
    Her mind was wandering again.
    “…reports that there are still no
signs of the rebel Shimat. It seems they are doing nothing more than hiding and
waiting. I doubt there are many of them left, and they have proven to be of
little threat. Do you wish to continue searching for them?”
    There was a split second of
hesitation as Basha’s eyes flitted to Cha-sak and saw his slight nod.
    “Of course I do,” she snapped at
Breyen. “We will not stop hunting them until every last one of them is dead. My
followers must know what happens to those who are disloyal.”
    Cha-sak became visible and took one
step nearer to Breyen. The aging man flinched involuntarily as the shadows in
the room took form. The demon had the appearance of a large human made
completely of darkness. Wisps of shadow swirled and roiled off of his being.
His glowing red eyes fixed on Breyen’s cowering form.
    Cha-sak’s face bore no features
other than those glowing eyes, yet he still able to express disdain for the
humans in his presence. “Have the remaining members of your order arrived from
abroad?”
    Breyen broke out in a cold sweat as
he answered. “Yes, Master. The last group awaits your presence.”
    Cha-sak made a small gesture with
his hand, and Basha lurched to her feet as if compelled. The demon’s voice was
filled with primal satisfaction as he spoke. “Let us go, then, to the final
culling.”
     
    ***
     
    Cha-sak did not listen as his
servant gave her speech to the humans gathered in the courtyard. He had heard
it before. He had put the words into his servant’s mind.
    She told the humans of the changes
that had been made and of the absolute power that stood in their future. She
made promises of glory, using her limited magic to dazzle their eyes. And she
warned of what would happen to those who chose to oppose the Scepter of
Cha-sak.
    Cha-sak shielded himself from the
sight of the mortals, but let the feeling of his presence flow. They would
sense his power, and their fear would burn his face into their minds. That very
fear would make them more loyal followers than any amount of devotion could.
    These Shimat were useful
humans—cold of heart and filled with greed. At first Cha-sak had scorned their
use of his people’s name, but now it seemed somewhat fitting. The humans may
not be true Shimat demons, but they had the same desires and the same
ruthlessness.
    His servant’s speech was drawing to
a close. Now came his part.
    Cha-sak’s ruby eyes glowed with
power as he looked over the faces of those assembled. He could see their
emotions and intentions as clearly as if they were holding signs.
    Most of the humans only showed a
willingness to obey orders. Cha-sak again allowed himself to be pleased at the
lifelong training that had built an army of unquestioning followers for him. He
had expected to be faced with the task of creating a devoted following from
scratch, but here he had found one that was just waiting for the rightful
leader.
    Cha-sak continued to study the
crowd.
    There were a handful of humans that
showed the flame of enthusiasm and ambition. Cha-sak waved his hand toward
those individuals and a red light hovered over their heads, invisible to all
except for himself and his servant. Those would be the humans that would be put
into a special division and given the more unusual tasks.
    There were also a handful of humans
whose minds were overshadowed with doubt. Their sense of morality was too rigid
for Cha-sak to find any real use for them. He waved his hand toward those
individuals and a black flame hovered over their heads, once again invisible to
ordinary eyes. They would be separated from the group and executed.
    Once Cha-sak had finished, his
servant went to work. She separated the three groups, directing them to
different areas in the fortress. A massive camp had been constructed just
outside the fortress, and tent assignments would be given