The Labyrinth of Destiny by Callie Kanno Page B

detectible, but her ears were sharp and alert.
Signe dropped to the ground behind a small ridge and waited for the man to pass
by.
    Shadows obscured his face, making
it difficult for Signe to identify him. He seemed to sense that something was
amiss, and he slowed to a stop.
    Signe studied the strong figure in
the fading light and felt a jolt of shock as she recognized the man.
    It was Kendan.
    Her mind whirred in a frenzy of
thought as she considered everything she had heard over the past several
months. Her adopted nephew had disappeared a year ago with a valuable Shimat
asset—a Tracker slave. There had been reports of his disloyalty, and Signe had
assumed that he had turned his back on his former life.
    But if that were true, why was he
here now?
    He had been seen in the company of
the L’avan sorcerers, and yet here he was on his own.
    Had he betrayed Signe or had he
been acting as a spy on her behalf?
    Signe felt resolution settle into
her mind. She knew her nephew, and he placed a great deal of importance on
their family connection. She could trust in his loyalty based off of that
alone.
    She got to her feet and slowly
stepped into his path.
    His dark eyes fixed on her and
turned strangely cold. His hands remained loose at his side, but his jaw
clenched with some unexplained emotion.
    Signe could see the signs of
independence in his stance. His posture almost spoke of open defiance. She
would have to rein him in immediately and remind him that he owed her his
absolute obedience.
    “Kendan,” she said stiffly, filling
her voice with disapproval. “I am surprised you dare face me after all this
time.”
    “Are you?” was his soft reply.
    Signe kept her face impassive, but
she was astonished by his tone. The two short words sounded like a challenge.
    “There have been reports that you
have betrayed the Shimat order. That you have betrayed me .” She flung
the accusations at him, trying to knock him off balance enough to put him back
under her control. “I should have you executed.”
    There had been a time when such
words would have immediately cowed Kendan. Signe expected him to drop his gaze
in shame and spill forth an explanation of what had happened over the past
year.
    Instead, his eyes narrowed.
    “You do not seem to be in a
position to do so.”
    Doubt began to chill Signe’s mind.
“Have you allied yourself with Basha?” she demanded.
    A sneer twisted Kendan’s young
face. “Never,” he spat. “I am finished holding the hand of darkness.”
    His words were somewhat enigmatic,
but Signe ignored them for the moment. “Good,” she said shortly. “I would hate
to know that my nephew had turned against me.”
    Kendan’s voice rasped as he spoke.
    “I am not your nephew.”
    Signe had begun to turn away, and
she stopped dead at his words.
    “What?”
    “You are no family of mine,” he
stated in a steely tone.
    The feeling of dread in Signe’s
core was growing. “I do not know what you mean.”
    Kendan’s gaze bore into her soul.
“You killed my parents.”
    Signe gasped involuntarily, and she
felt the icy fingers of fear close around her heart.

Chapter Seven: Vengeance
     
    Kendan could see the fear on
Signe’s face.
    He knew what she had done to his
family. He knew that she had manipulated him his entire life. And now she knew
that he knew.
    She licked her lips. “Someone has
been telling you lies, Kendan. Why would I murder our family?”
    Kendan’s anger boiled over and his
voice grew louder. “They were not your family! You were obsessed with my
father and hated him for choosing another over you. Your need for vengeance
destroyed my family.”
    Signe’s taut face turned a shade
paler. “I would never do such a thing.”
    “I saw you do it,” Kendan shouted.
“I witnessed it with my own eyes. It just took the magic of the Threshold to
show me the truth.”
    Her brow furrowed. “What are you
talking about? What is the Threshold?”
    He shook his head with a jerk. “I
am not