The City of Zirdai by Maria V. Snyder

Twelve

Shyla stared at Jayden in stunned silence. Hanif arrested? Locked in the black cells? Grief cracked through the surprise and the full implications of his news hit her. She rocked back on her heels. “Another monk? Do you know who?”

“The rumors said she’s a sun-kissed. I thought it was you. That’s why I came back here as soon as I could.” He shot her an annoyed glare. “To find you missing.”

She ignored him. The other monk had to be Kaveri. All of her energy drained and she sank onto a cushion. It was her fault they’d been arrested. Memories from when she’d visited Banqui rose—the foul odor of excrement and piss, the cold dampness, the wails of the other prisoners, and not a single beam of light.

“We have to rescue them,” she said.

“We don’t have the resources,” Jayden said. “Besides, they’re under the protection of the King. They won’t be there long.”

She jumped to her feet. “Being in there one single angle is too long! And the King gave the Water Prince permission to search the monastery, including the Rooms of Knowledge. That must mean they’ve a good relationship. The monks have helped us so much. We have to do something.”

Jayden held out his hands. “Calm down. We’ll find out why they were arrested and see what we can do.”

Not good enough. They needed to act now. “We can get into one of the prince’s empty special rooms and find a way into the black cells from there.”

“It’s not that simple, otherwise we’d have done it before.”

At that moment, she hated Jayden. Easy for him to be logical and calm, it wasn’t his parents who were in trouble. Except, no one besides Rendor knew they were her parents. Everyone still believed she’d been abandoned in the desert as a baby. Hanif had asked her to keep it a secret.

“I’ll send Mojag and Gurice to the monastery as soon as it’s cool enough,” Jayden said. “We can discuss options once we learn more. In the meantime, you can explain to me why you thought going to Tamburah’s temple was a good idea.”

A childish retort—I don’t have to explain myself to you—pushed up her throat. Instead, she detailed her reasons and showed him the map. “I think it might lead to a maze of hidden tunnels and rooms. Do you recognize anything?”

He studied the scroll with his forehead furrowed. A pang gripped her. Underneath his eyes were dark smudges like faded bruises. He hadn’t been getting enough sleep.

Finally, he met her gaze. “We’ve had our headquarters in the temple for hundreds of thousands of sun jumps. If there was something like this in there, the Invisible Sword would have found it by now.”

“It has to be well concealed. And perhaps only I’ll be able to see it.”

“Still dangerous just for a perhaps.”

“We’ll go along as backup,” Elek said, gesturing to the other three who nodded in agreement.

His comment eased some of the pain in her chest. “And I’ll need you, too, Jayden. I think it’s worth the danger.” However, if he didn’t agree to accompany her, it would be too hazardous to go.

“I’ll think about it. For now, let’s deal with the problem at hand.”

“Which one?” she asked.

Jayden ignored her sarcasm. “The one associated with the other bit of news I picked up while working for the black-market dealers.”

She settled back on the cushion. “How bad is it?”

“There’s a trading caravan coming in from Tarim in a few sun jumps. The dealers say the leader of this cavalcade, Zimraan, is fond of precious metals and is well known to have ingots of platinum for sale.”

“How well known?”

“The Heliacal Priestess is probably already planning on sending a couple of Arch Deacons to the man’s market stand.”

Scorching sand demons. “We need to stop that sale.”

“Exactly.”

Shyla mulled it over. “When are they due to arrive?”

“In the next four to six sun jumps, but it could be longer.”

“At least we have some time to plan. But that will take away from all the other things we need to do!”

“You can’t save the city in a couple sun jumps, Shyla,” Jayden said before leaving to find Mojag and Gurice.

But it’d been more than a couple. An eternity of them weighed on her shoulders. To be fair, it was only twenty-six sun jumps since she’d sacrificed her eyes, but she’d expected to have accomplished more. Jayden was right. They lacked resources. They needed to strengthen their numbers. Especially if they were going to rescue Hanif and Kaveri, find the hidden maze, and stop a merchant from selling his valuable goods. She studied the four ex-acolytes.

“Oh no, do you see that look on Shyla’s face?” Lian asked her friends. “She’s up to something. Well, it’s been nice, but I’ve sand to shovel.” She gave a jaunty wave.

“Nice try,” Shyla said, tugging Lian back. “Sit down.” She explained her experiments with Mojag and Gurice to them. “I’d like to see if you have the potential to wield magic.”

“Does that mean you’ll read our souls?” Rae asked. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

“No. Yes. Not exactly.”

“That was clearly confusing,” Jaft said.

“I won’t dig for your innermost desires and secrets. I’m searching for your potential. I might learn something about you, but it’s usually just surface thoughts and emotions. It’s up to you.”

“I think knowing I have potential to wield magic is worth Shyla knowing I hate my father,” Lian said.

“We all know you hate him,” Elek said. “If I ever meet him…” He punched a fist into his hand. “I’m going to pummel him.”

“After I’m done with him,” Lian said.

“What if we’re cracked? Then what?” Rae asked.

“I’ll try to open it. Expand it.” Shyla mimed pulling apart a druk.

“Try to? That doesn’t sound very reassuring,” Jaft said.

“I’m still working on that part. Once I figure it out, then I’ll open everyone with potential.”

“I’m feeling better already.”

“Ignore him, we always do,” Lian said. “I’m in.”

The other three also agreed.

“What do we need to do?” Rae asked.

“Relax.” Shyla grabbed a handful of sand and poured it on the table. “I want you to gather your energy and try to move the sand.” She explained the process of using magic as best she could.

Lian went first, then Jaft, Elek, and finally Rae. Nothing she encountered while searching for that inner light surprised her, except for Rae.

The petite woman was a sun-kissed. Burn scars marked her skin from when she’d been abandoned in the desert. Rae dyed her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes in order to blend in. Only the monks knew what she was and she wanted to keep it that way. And, of the four, Rae was the only one with potential. As Rae focused on the sand, a sliver of light glowed inside her.

“Figures,” Lian said when Shyla told them.

“At least I’m still young and handsome,” Jaft said, eliciting groans all around.

Unconcerned, Elek shrugged his big shoulders.

Rae, though, curled tighter. “Are you sure? The sand didn’t move when I stared at it.”

Sensing Rae’s distress, Shyla put her arm around the young woman’s shoulders. “Yes, I’m sure. And you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I’m okay. Just getting used to the idea. Besides, nothing bad ever happened to…crack me.”

Perhaps the trauma of almost dying as a baby had unlocked Rae’s magic, or maybe being sun-kissed was a factor. Shyla wondered if her mother might have the potential. Claws of fear sank into her stomach. What if something terrible happened in the black cells that unlocked Kaveri’s magic?

To keep from useless worrying, Shyla scanned the common room. Many people had congregated there for second meal. She asked Elek to gather the rest of the ex-acolytes so she could test them. He went over to a table of them. She was struck by how the members had sorted themselves into groups of ex-acolytes and original Invisible Swords. Even she thought of them that way. That wasn’t good. She needed to fix it. Yet another problem to add to her ever-growing list. At least they had a steady supply of clean water thanks to Rendor. Thinking of him sent a bolt of pain right through her. She quickly refocused on the Invisible Swords.

Elek sent Balin, Nard, and Daksh over and then went in search of the others. Shyla explained to the three men what she was doing and why. They’d all seen magic in use and all were willing to allow her to access their souls. Too bad none of them had potential.

Of the remaining ex-acolytes, only Yoria had potential. The woman was thirty-eight circuits old and she wasn’t surprised to be…cracked. Shyla needed to come up with a better word.

“My tyrant of a husband drove me to leave Zirdai and join the monks,” Yoria said. “I should have done it sooner, which is why I’m helping others as an Invisible Sword. The citizens of Zirdai need to realize they’ve waited too long. It’s time to change the status quo I consider my experiences a mixed blessing from the Sun Goddess.”

“She tends to do that,” Shyla said, remembering her own “conversation” with the goddess.

Being sun-kissed is a gift, the goddess had said. I do not enjoy seeing my people suffer. Make it stop.

The Sun Goddess must be very disappointed in Shyla.

After the danger zone had passed, Mojag and Gurice left for the monastery and Shyla pulled Jayden aside.

“Besides Mojag, two of our members have the potential,” she said to him. “I want to examine the original Invisible Swords.”

“Waste of time and energy,” he said. “They’ve all been through our assessment and failed.”

“But you might have cracked them.” Again, she needed a kinder descriptor.

He opened his mouth but then paused. “Good point.”

Progress! “I’m also thinking we need…something to bring everyone together.”

“Something?”

They’d discussed this before and Jayden had gotten angry, but she was tired of worrying about Jayden’s moods. “Yes, a new oath for a new archive of the Invisible Sword.”

“A new archive?”

“Yes, since the organization has gone through a major change, it’s a new era.”

“I like that.”

She put her hand to the wall as if to keep from falling over. “Whoa. Next time warn me before you agree with me.”

He flashed her a smile, and damn, the frustrating man was handsome. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jayden huffed in amusement. “Are you going to gather everyone or do it individually?”

“I think everyone should be together. But I’m still working out the details. For now, I’m going to concentrate on testing everyone.”

Over the rest of the sun jump, Shyla examined the remaining members. Or she tried. A few kept dodging her, and she assumed they didn’t wish for her to test them but were too polite or too scared of her to say no. At least she found one more person with potential. Lamar, a quiet young man, told her the trauma of the priestess’s ambush and seeing his friends in the Invisible Sword killed by the deacons must have caused him to crack.

“Up until then, I was lucky and didn’t think anything would harm us.” He hunched his thin shoulders.

“You were lucky to escape,” she said.

“I guess.”

One thing she’d learned was that magic came with a cost. She wondered why the other survivors of the massacre hadn’t also tapped into their power. They had to have been traumatized as well. Did that mean they didn’t have the potential? Or were they stronger and hadn’t needed to tap into their inner reserves? She wished there was a way she could connect to that closed lantern that was supposed to be inside those people born with magical potential, but, so far, only the ones that had been cracked open were visible. At least Jayden had been right about Aphra, though. She didn’t pass, and she wasn’t happy about it either.

Overall, Shyla was pleased with finding three more. Including Mojag, that would bring the total number of wielders to nine if the new ones could access their full power. Perhaps a few lessons would do the trick. Or would she need to fully engage their magic? Once Mojag and Gurice returned, she’d talk to all four and discuss options.

Exhausted, she went to her room to lie down. She’d told Jayden to wake her as soon as they came back. But when she closed her eyes, the cries of the prisoners in the black cells filled her head. How could a memory be so loud? And what if the Water Prince had Hanif and Kaveri in one of his special rooms? Worry and fear pumped through her. In an attempt to distract her thoughts from conjuring up more horrible scenarios about her parents, she focused on other problems, which led to making a mental list of everything she needed to accomplish. It was overwhelming. So why was she wasting time trying to sleep?

Giving up, she took the map from her pack and examined it. That nagging feeling once again poked her like an annoying younger sibling.

Poke—remember this?

Poke—come on, you know it.

Poke—how stupid can you be?

Poke—no wonder Mom loves me best.

The desire to crumple the skin into a tight little wad twitched along her fingers. Instead she stared at it, imagining her eyes had turned to lava stones and could set the damn thing on fire. Too bad she couldn’t read the map like a person’s soul. What would happen if she pushed with the magic of The Eyes while looking at an inanimate object? Probably nothing. At least she wouldn’t be disappointed as that was all she’d managed to get from it so far.

Feeling a bit silly, she gazed at the map using her magic. As expected, nothing happened. Then she blinked. The lines shifted. Suddenly another map rose. A three-dimensional shape of a maze with twists and turns and dead ends. And in the center, the prize. Was that what Tamburah meant when he pointed to his temple and said, It’s all right here? Perhaps he was really pointing to his eyes, indicating that his power would show him the right way. Excitement replaced her frustration. Now she just needed to find the entrance into the maze.

When her eyes crossed with fatigue, she returned to her sleeping mat. Jayden woke her a few angles later. Mojag and Gurice were back.

They’d arrived just before darkness along with the crew from the dig site. The diggers hadn’t reached deep enough to safely remain on site. Gurice went to check on her team working on the tunnel to Zirdai, leaving Mojag to report the news.

Ximen joined the three of them in a corner of the common room. Not for the first time, or the last, she was sure, Shyla wished for a cup of hot tea.

“The monks are in a tizzy,” Mojag said. “Seems the big arrest is unpress…unprez…er…never happened before.”

“What was the reason for the arrest?” Shyla asked.

“Hiding a known criminal, and collusion, whatever that means. Yates said if the monks told him where the sun-kissed is hiding, he’d let Hanif go. The other monk was arrested for obstruction.” Mojag perked up a bit. “Good call on not telling them where we are.”

“What about the King? Has he been informed?” Jayden asked.

“They sent a messenger. And the monks said they argued with Yates that he didn’t have the power to arrest them, that he used up his one exemption. But he said that it was used to search for the sun-kissed, which also meant the monks had to cooperate and, when they didn’t, he was within his rights to arrest them.”

“I’m surprised the monks allowed the guards to leave,” Ximen said. “From what I’ve seen, they’re more than capable of handling them.”

“Hanif told them not to fight. He said to contact the King.” Mojag rubbed his arms with short agitated strokes. “Do you think the King will send his army? What if they side with the Water Prince?”

“It will take at least seventy sun jumps for a message to reach the King,” Shyla said. “I doubt he’d do more than send a message back ordering Hanif and Kaveri’s release, which will take another seventy sun jumps if the King responds right away, otherwise it could be even more.” Any amount of time was unacceptable to her.

“Do you think the monks would be willing to help us?” Jayden asked her.

“Help us how?”

“We need more people. The monks are well trained. We could join forces and attack the Water Prince.”

That would be wonderful. “They might want to, but they’re not permitted to interfere.”

Jayden pounded his fist on the table. “That’s just an excuse.”

“They work for the King.”

He was not appeased. “Then we can’t help Hanif. Not yet.”

Shyla wasn’t going to give up. “We managed to get to the prince before. We can do it again.”

“The only reason that worked was because the Water Prince thought you had The Eyes. This time, he’d just overwhelm us with sheer numbers. And that is if we even get down there. If the priestess hears we’re on the warpath, she’ll send Arch Deacons after us.”

“We can wield magic and remain hidden.”

Jayden leaned forward. “It’s too exhausting. The Invisible Sword’s leaders brainstormed various strategies to overthrow the prince. The best they came up with is tricking him with The Eyes.” The unspoken and you ruined it flared in his pointed gaze.

“He’s right,” Ximen said.

“But you didn’t have a leader who woke The Eyes. I’m—”

“Still learning how to use your magic,” Jayden said.

She wilted. True.

Mojag yawned and left to get some rest. Shyla watched him go. “You might have more students to teach.” She filled them in on the results of her test.

“Lamar? Wow, I never would have guessed,” Ximen said. “And Mojag’s going to be…obnoxious.”

“Except they still need to be opened. I was thinking if they learn how to focus their magic, that might work to expand their abilities.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Ximen asked.

“Then I’ll ask for a volunteer and use The Eyes.”

“You have to be careful, Shyla,” Jayden said. “Remember when you took the oath and the magic slammed us all into the walls? There are other consequences to using magic aside from exhausting yourself. Some people’s minds are fragile.”

“Then I’ll be cautious. It’s just too important not to try.”

“What about that caravan?” Ximen asked. “How are we going to get that platinum when we don’t have enough coins to buy it and we won’t steal?”

Shyla met Jayden’s gaze. “Come with me to Tamburah’s temple. Give me one chance to find that maze.”

“You know you can order me to go with you,” Jayden said.

“Do you want me to? Will that help?”

“No to both. All right, I’m in. When do you want to go?”

“Angle three-forty-five. Ximen, I want you to work with the potentials, see if any of them can wield magic.”

“Does this mean I’m the one who gets to tell Mojag about his magic?” Ximen asked.

“No.” Jayden stood up. “I’ll do it.” He left.

“What about the dig site?” Ximen asked.

“Gurice can take your place for a sun jump.”

“She’s not that good with moving sand.”

“What about Titus?”

“He’s better. Can you send them both?”

“Yes, let them know, and I’ll round up my backup. Rae isn’t going to be happy about staying behind,” Shyla said.

“Tell her that we’ll start at angle zero. I’m beat.”

“Get some rest, Ximen.”

He gave her a two-fingered salute. Shyla found Rae in the small room she shared with Lian and two other women who were also ex-acolytes.

As expected, Rae protested. “Who are you going to take instead?”

“I’ll take Vashi. I hear she’s a pretty good fighter.”

Lian snorted. “Those Invisible Swords all think they’re good, but compared to our training…” She spread her hands and turned her palms up—unimpressed.

“You’re Invisible Swords now,” Shyla reminded her. “And we need to all work together.”

“That’s the thing,” Lian said. “We don’t feel like one of them.”

“I know. I’m working to rectify that.” Shyla paused. “When I have time.”

Shyla made one more stop.

“A hidden maze with booby traps? Count me in,” Aphra said.

“If we find it. And just being in the temple will be dangerous,” Shyla said.

Aphra arched an eyebrow. “And how is that different from my life as a treasure hunter?”

“Fair point. But do you even know how to fight with that knife you carry?”

“You want to try taking it from me?” Aphra shifted her weight to the balls of her feet.

“A simple yes would have sufficed.”

“But it’s not as fun.”

Shyla grinned. “Another time then.”

“No magic. That’s cheating.”

She agreed. “No magic.”

While walking back to her room, Shyla considered her brief conversations with Rae and Lian and Aphra. Perhaps they should all train and spar together. They could spare fifteen angles a sun jump. Not only would it keep their skills sharp, but it would create a sense of kinship. Like all good ideas, she wished she’d thought of it sooner. Maybe then Rendor wouldn’t have left.

She pulled her thoughts from that direction. Those “should haves” and “could haves” would only drag her into despair. Instead, she focused on the mission, and was surprised to find Mojag waiting for her in her room.

He played with the sand in her practice bucket, molding shapes with his hands only to squash them and create something else.

“Is it true?” he asked without looking up.

No need to ask what he referred to. “Yes.”

“What if I lose my abilities to…sniff out people by opening up my magic?”

“I think it would enhance those abilities.”

“What if it changes me?”

“You don’t have to do anything. If you’re happy to remain this way, I won’t force you. No one will.”

Now he looked at her. “I can’t do that. It might help us.”

“Might is the key word, Mojag. No guarantee.”

He jumped to his feet. “You sacrificed your eyes for us. Your eyes! No guarantee then either! It’s the least I can do.”

A very mature reaction. She wondered what Jayden had said to him. “Why are you afraid of changing?”

“You and Jayden and the others are so…serious and worried all the time. You have so much…responsibility. No one is happy.”

She’d been ready to explain until he reached the last point. Thinking quickly, she said, “We’re unhappy with the situation, which is why we’re working so hard to change things.”

“Nah, that’s not it. You haven’t been happy since Rendor left.”

“That has nothing to do with magic, Mojag. And you already have serious responsibilities which you are handling so well. When I was your age, my biggest worry was handing in my assignments on time.”

“Sounds boring.”

“It was.”

“Okay, I’ll do it. And if the magic lessons don’t work, I wanna be first.”

“First what?”

He tapped a finger on his chest. “The first person you open.”

Mojag left before she could respond, which was a good thing as she didn’t want to upset him by refusing.

Jayden didn’t comment when Aphra joined their group at angle three-forty-five. Elek and Jaft scowled at Vashi, who ignored them both. The tall woman’s long brown hair had been braided and twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck. Her tawny-colored eyes sparked with disdain as she scanned the others. Except for Jayden. A softness eased the strong lines of her face when she gazed at him.

They climbed to the surface. The sharp cold of the air chased away the last tendrils of sleep, and Shyla drew in a deep cleansing breath. It energized her. But she knew the bite in the air would eventually cause shivers and numb fingers.

When her eyes adjusted to the starlight, Shyla turned to the group. Mojag was right, everyone was so serious all the time. They had good reasons, but if there was too much pressure they’d all break. They needed to warm up. Might as well make it fun.

She pulled in a deep breath and said, “Last one there is a rotten velbloud egg!” She took off running. Suddenly feeling six circuits old, she laughed. The sound was carried by the wind.

For a few meters she worried that no one had followed her. That they all stood there staring after her as if she’d gone insane. Then a whoop sounded behind her along with the crunch and thrum of boots on the sand.

Jaft soon caught up to her. He flashed her a big grin. “You run like a gamelu with a sore hoof.”

“Better than smelling like one,” she countered.

“Yeah, well, enjoy the aroma, because you’ll be downwind of me from now on.” With a burst of speed, he pulled ahead.

Lian came up beside her and slowed to Shyla’s pace. “We’ll let that idiot burn up all his energy and then we’ll pass him while he’s bent over sucking in air.”

“Sounds like this isn’t the first time you’ve raced him,” Shyla said.

“Let’s just say he has issues with pacing himself.”

“Oh?”

Lian winked at her.

“Oooh.”

Vashi drew up on Shyla’s right side. “This is fun. I really needed to stretch my legs.”

“With those long legs, you have an unfair advantage,” Lian mock groused.

“And they’re handy in a fight.”

“Modest, too. I’m beginning to hate her,” Lian said, but without any malice.

Soon, they were too winded to talk. Shyla glanced behind her. Elek was a few meters back, while Aphra and Jayden jogged side by side. She wondered if they were biding their time. Or was Jayden keeping a slower pace for Aphra? The treasure hunter probably didn’t have the training the rest of them did.

As predicted, they passed Jaft about a kilometer from Tamburah’s temple. While far from bent over, he puffed and complained with each step. “Stupid…sand…sucks…all the…energy…from my…legs.”

When the temple was within sight, Lian and Vashi increased their speed. Shyla kept her slower pace to avoid expending too much energy. Elek passed her a few meters from the escape hatch. Vashi reached it first, then Lian, Elek, Shyla, Jaft, and Aphra. Jayden was the rotten velbloud egg. They all collapsed in the sand. And even while huffing for breath, they were still able to give Jayden a hard time over being last.

“Someone had to erase our tracks while running at the same time,” he said in his defense, but otherwise didn’t seem to mind the good-natured ribbing.

It didn’t take long for them to recover. After removingclosed druks from their packs, they opened them and entered through the escape tunnel.

Aphra stopped to admire the faces. Exploring the carvings with her fingertips, she said, “These might be worth a few osees if you could remove them without damaging them.”

“Really?” Jaft asked. “Who would buy them? They’re hideous.”

“You’d be surprised what people will buy if they think it’s old and rare,” Aphra said.

“There are thousands of them,” he countered.

“Except the buyers don’t know that, do they?” Aphra smirked.

“Ah, tricky.”

They continued on to the judgment room. Shyla removed her copy of the map and spread it out on the altar. Jayden stood next to her.

She pointed to Tamburah’s chin. “This is the starting point and I think that’s here in his judgment room. His eyes are where the maze is located. We just need to figure out which of these hallways is this line that leads from the starting point. We could try all six, but that would take too long. Do you remember the layout beyond each one?”

Jayden picked up the map, holding it out in front of him. He glanced at each hallway, then back at the map.

Aphra moved closer to Tamburah’s face. She poked the tip of her knife into one of the red tears on his cheek. “These are ruby chips. Also worth a couple osees.”

“Can you sell them in Zirdai or would you need to go to Catriona?” Shyla asked.

Aphra considered. “The prince stopped all the hunters here, but he didn’t arrest any of the buyers. I’m sure they’d be interested. As long as it’s not something big or significant. Why?”

“Just in case we’re desperate.”

Jayden finished his assessment. “That hallway matches the best. I don’t remember anything interesting beyond.” He shrugged. “I guess it could be hidden.”

“Elek and Lian stay here,” Shyla said. “If anyone arrives, you can either fight or hide.”

“Or come warn us,” Jayden said.

“Use your judgment,” Shyla said.

Aphra said, “Jayden and I will go first. There might be traps. Shyla, you read the map and tell me which way to go. Then the muscles can follow to watch our backs.”

“Why am I with you?” Jayden asked. “Are you going to use me to trigger the booby traps?”

“Aren’t you the one who knows this place the best?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “You can point out anything that doesn’t look right.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“And you can trigger the traps,” she teased.

“Not funny.”

Shyla directed the group through a number of hallways of the dead. Their boots scraped on the rough stone floor. The air smelled of dust and abandonment. And that was another potential hazard—bad air. Gases might have built up in various pockets.

Aphra held the druk out in front of her, shining the light on every crack in the floor and walls. She paused often, holding up her free hand, stopping them. Once she crouched down and tapped the hilt of her knife on the floor. When nothing happened she straightened and continued.

The slow pace and the knowledge that a trap could spring at any moment created a tension so thick it tasted bitter on Shyla’s tongue. Only Jayden seemed unaffected, watching Aphra’s cautious movements with an amused disdain.

That was until she cried out and tackled him, knocking him down right before a sword shot out from the wall he’d just been standing next to.

“Scorching sand demons,” he said.

Aphra shushed him and they remained quiet. Shyla and the others stood frozen in place. Afraid to move, she noted Vashi had drawn her short sword.

“All clear,” Aphra said, rolling off Jayden.

He regained his feet, brushing the sand off his pants. “That happened so fast. How did you know?”

“I heard a click. These traps are old and many times there’s a delay. And sometimes they fail to trigger. Other times…”

“Other times?” Jayden helped Aphra to her feet.

“They skewer you without warning.”

He shuddered and scanned the walls. “When the Invisible Sword had their headquarters below, we hardly came up here, but I was certain there weren’t any traps left.”

Aphra glanced at Shyla. “We must be getting close.”

“A few more turns,” she said.

“Stay behind me,” Aphra ordered.

No one argued.

After a few angles and a half dozen more traps, which Aphra triggered so they weren’t surprised on the way out, they reached an empty hexagonal room. About four meters wide, it was smaller than Tamburah’s judgment chamber and a layer of loose sand covered the floor, but, instead of six doors, it had only one. The room was a dead end. Aphra checked it for traps as Shyla consulted the map, but it appeared they’d arrived at the area of Tamburah’s left eye.

“Now what?” Aphra asked after she declared it safe.

Shyla examined the room. There were no symbols or markings on the walls or floor, no switches or even cracks. Everyone waited for her. But she saw nothing. After another frustrated angle, she remembered. Shyla needed to see with the power of The Eyes. Gathering her will, she added…heat…to her gaze and scanned the walls.

Yellow symbols glowed—one on each wall, five total.

“Do you see them?” she asked, digging into her pack for a piece of chalk.

“Them?” Jayden asked.

She swept a hand out. “The glyphs?”

“No.”

The rest shook their heads.

“I do.” The others watched her as she traced them with the chalk. When she finished all of them, she relaxed and the glow faded. The white chalk marks stood out clearly against the reddish-brown walls. The curved graphics tugged at her memories. She’d seen these before.

“That was…interesting,” Aphra said. She moved closer to study one. “This is familiar.”

Shyla joined her. “I thought so, too.”

“These crossed and hooked lines remind me of Wequain’s reign. It’s part of his crest. He had everything branded with his crest.”

“Even his family and servants,” Shyla said, then tapped the middle of her forehead. “Right here.”

“That’s horrible.” Jaft rubbed his arms.

“Hence the moniker, Wequain the Horrible.” The king had done a few other notable things as well. “He also started using osmium as currency. And—” She stared at the symbol as its meaning clicked in her head.

“And?” Jaft prompted.

“And it’s the number three!”

“Great. How does that help us?”

“Patience, Jaft.” Shyla examined the others. “Here are numbers one, two, four, and five.”

“It’s a code. Get the right combination and…something happens,” Aphra said.

“Something good or something bad?” Jayden asked, no doubt remembering his near miss with the blade.

“It’s usually a surprise.”

“Fun.” Jaft’s dry tone indicated he thought the opposite.

“There are one hundred and twenty combinations with five numbers if you don’t repeat a number,” Vashi said. “But if you do, then it’s in the thousands. If the code is longer than five digits, then the possible combinations can be in the millions.”

Shyla flipped between being impressed by Vashi’s math skills and despairing over the sheer number of possibilities.

“Vashi was in charge of our treasury and ensuring we had enough supplies,” Jayden said.

While interesting, it wasn’t helping. Shyla concentrated on the glyphs. The numbers weren’t in order on the walls either from left to right or right to left. Only Tamburah would be able to see them, so why not make it simple?

Since she needed magic to find them, Shyla guessed she needed to use her power to…what? Touch them? It’d be a start.

“I’m going to try pressing them from one to five in ascending order. You need to leave the room just in case there’s a bad surprise,” Shyla said.

They moved to the doorway but remained there.

Shyla went to number one and pulled her magic into her right hand. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Yell if you see or hear anything.” She placed her palm against the symbol. The rough wall was cool to the touch. Moving onto two, she repeated the action. Then three, four, and five. She kept her weight balanced, ready to dive or dash.

Nothing happened.

All right, what else was simple? “Now descending order.”

“Are you going to try all hundred and twenty combinations?” Jaft asked.

Was she? “Yes.” She touched five, then four, three, two, and one.

A deep boom rattled the room. Then, starting in the middle of the floor, a line appeared in the sand and spiraled outward, growing larger with each rotation. It looked as if a giant invisible finger was drawing it.

She looked at the others. “Can you see—”

“The creepy death spiral? Yes,” Jaft said.

Shyla joined her friends as it grew. With a thud, the middle of the room sank. Sand sizzled through the cracks in the floor as it continued to go down. The grating sound of stone scraping stone filled the air. The next spiral sank a moment later, then the next, and the next followed. Another boom vibrated through the soles of her boots. After a few heartbeats, the sand stopped. Silence descended.

Instead of a flat floor, before them was now a ramp that corkscrewed down into the blackness.