The City of Zirdai by Maria V. Snyder

Eighteen

Beaten, bruised, and bloody, Rendor stood before the prince, who eyed him with mild surprise and amusement. Shyla sagged against Yates. Rendor had tried to rescue her and now…now they were both in trouble. Unless she could gather enough magic to freeze everyone.

“Where did you find him?” the prince asked.

“He’s been trying to recruit your guards to switch their loyalties to the sun-kissed, sire,” one of the guards said.

Really? Shyla strained to catch Rendor’s gaze, but his hard stare was aimed at Yates behind her.

“Did he have any success?” the prince asked.

Uneasy chuckling. “No, sire. We caught him before he could do any damage.”

“Good work, Lieutenant. Rendor, you should have left Zirdai when you had the chance. We’ll deal with you in a bit.” The prince turned to Yates. “Captain—”

“He’s not your captain,” Rendor said. “Not while I’m still alive.”

Yates tensed. And Shyla inwardly groaned at his bold statement. The big brute was going to get himself killed.

“We can settle this right now,” Yates said. He handed Shyla and his knife to the closest guard. “I’ll know if you try to influence me with your magic,” he said to her, then to the guard, “Watch me. If I signal you, slit her throat.”

“Yes, sir.”

From her point of view, her situation had improved. The man holding her was no Yates. His mind was easily influenced. She wondered if that had been Rendor’s plan all along.

Rendor was given a sword and Yates drew his. The guards cleared a space for the combatants, moving to the sides of the room. Rendor was in no condition to fight. This was suicide. She counted the people in the throne room. The prince, Yates, Timin, and fifteen guards—nineteen total. She’d influenced over twenty-five at one time, but then she hadn’t spent some of her energy. And they’d also have to escape this level afterwards. She suppressed those negative thoughts. Instead, she focused on the belief and faith that she could do it. Shyla had to gain control of this situation.

Except Rendor was holding his own. In fact, he looked rather nimble for someone who’d been beaten. The fight resembled the last one—brutal, intense, with minimal flourish. Yates also realized his opponent wasn’t as injured as he appeared. The captain changed his strategy, once again targeting Rendor’s old injuries.

Shyla drew in her strength. She had to stop everyone, then they’d find her parents, and she’d use the look away command to get them all free or she’d die trying.

Except Rendor grinned and countered Yates as if not bothered by the change in tactics. The momentum swung in Rendor’s favor. He snaked past Yates’ guard, side-stepped lunges, and was quicker overall. The number of cuts grew on Yates’ arms, torso, and thighs. And then Rendor increased the intensity of his attack. Within heartbeats he’d unarmed Yates and sent the captain to the ground with a massive blow to his temple. The crack reverberated in the dead silent room.

Shyla half expected the captain to get up. He had an extra thick skull after all, but the man remained unconscious on the floor.

The Water Prince frowned down at Yates for a moment. “Well, Rendor, you proved you’re still the best. However, you’re still a traitor.” He swept out an arm, gesturing to his guards. “Even you can’t overcome so many opponents. And one false move, the sun-kissed is dead.”

Yet the guards in the room didn’t appear to be upset by the defeat of their captain. The man holding Shyla no longer pressed the knife to her throat. She sensed—

Son of a sand demon!

“I’m still a captain,” Rendor said to the prince. “And these are my soldiers. They agree with the Invisible Sword that you’re not the right person for the job.”

Shyla glanced at the four who’d helped to hold her down. One gave her a sheepish look. No wonder he’d squeezed her hand back!

The prince pulled his sword and charged at Rendor. The big man twisted. The blade missed his torso by a hair. Rendor didn’t waste any time. Within a few moves, Rendor struck the prince on the back of his head. He crumpled and joined Yates on the floor. A cheer went up.

Dazed by the turn of events, Shyla remained in place as Rendor barked orders to his men. A bunch left and a new batch arrived. How many did he convince? Was that what he’d been doing all this time?

Soon, though, he stood in front of her. “Are you all right?”

From this distance, she noted his bruises had been faked. Probably part of the plan to lure Yates into a false sense of security. She wondered if Rendor had thrown their prior fight. However, she didn’t need all the details yet. Right now the fact he’d come when she was most desperate was all the answer she needed.

“Shyla?”

“Are you here to stay?”

Rendor wiped Yates’ blood off his sword. He bowed and laid the weapon at her feet. Straightening, he said, “I’m your captain for as long as you’ll have me.”

His words hit her with the intensity of a magical vow, cleansing away the doubt and heartache that had lived in her soul since he’d left.

She jumped into his arms.

He caught her easily. A huge grin spread on his face as he hugged her tight.

“You’re hired,” she whispered in his ear and was rewarded with a deep rumbling laugh—the best sound in all of Zirdai.

Rendor squeezed her once more then set her back on her feet. His gaze snagged on her neck. “You’re bleeding. Timin,” he called.

Timin jerked then hurried over to them. Fear and uncertainty swirled in his eyes. “Uh, yes, sire.”

“I’m not the new Water Prince,” Rendor snapped.

“Why not?”

“I’m the captain of the Invisible Sword.”

They both looked at her.

“Oh no, not me. I’m already in charge of one organization.”

“You can’t leave the position open—there will be civil war,” Timin said. “Who, then?”

Good question. She rejected the first name that came to mind and considered the Invisible Swords, then the vagrants. Orla would make a good leader. But that first name was truly the best choice.

Rendor met her gaze.

“Jayden,” they both said.

“But he’s not…” She couldn’t find the words.

“Not what?”

She sighed. “You’ve missed a lot.” But she had as well. “You’ve been recruiting for the Invisible Sword?”

“Yes. I had to prove to the Invisible Swords that my intentions were honest. I had to make amends before I could return.”

“You…” She was going to say he didn’t have to prove himself, but he did. Not to her, but to the rest of the Invisible Swords.

“Me?”

“Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?” she asked instead.

He stiffened and the familiar stubbornness crept into his expression. “I had my reasons.”

Oh no, she needed a better answer than that. He could have avoided hurting her. Then why— Scorching sand rats. Why didn’t she think of this sooner?

“You suspected there was a traitor in the Invisible Sword,” she said.

“Someone had betrayed them to the priestess, and I didn’t think it was Banqui. But I wasn’t sure who it was, so I kept my plans a secret.”

While upset he didn’t trust her with his plans, she recognized that he’d been right not to. She would have told Jayden right away. The name stabbed into her and the exhaustion from…everything…caught up to her.

“Timin,” Rendor snapped. “See to her wound.”

The man had been standing there politely waiting as they talked, but he sprang into action.

Shyla waved him off. “I’m fine. It’s shallow.”

But Rendor was determined and there was no force that could counter a determined Captain Rendor. So she settled on a cushion and allowed Timin to clean and bandage the cut on her neck. Rendor ordered his men to carry Yates and the Water Prince to the black cells. And, she had to admit, that improved her mood greatly.

Hanif and Kaveri were fetched and updated.

Hanif slapped Rendor on the back and beamed at him when he learned of Rendor’s actions. It was a huge reversal of Hanif’s opinion of the man from when this all started and Shyla had gone to the First Room of Knowledge to find information about the Invisible Sword.

His reaction to the news about Jayden’s betrayal wasn’t as happy. “Jayden? Are you sure?” he asked in stunned disbelief.

“I’m sure.”

Rendor, though, didn’t say a word, just gazed at her in concern. She wondered if he’d suspected Jayden all along.

“You still need someone to rule,” Timin said. He’d been hovering nearby as if uncertain what to do.

The person would need leadership abilities, be able to organize the various tasks that were needed to run a city, and be incorruptible. Not many people had those qualifications.

She looked at her father. “You have lots of experience with—”

“Not interested,” Hanif said. “Besides, I’m a sworn monk. Jayden is the true leader of this city.”

“But—”

“I know what you said about him, and I know you read his soul. But did you look deep enough? Or did you just search for the answers you needed?”

Shyla opened her mouth to reply that of course she had, but then reconsidered.

“You should have learned by now that people are capable of changing.” Hanif glanced at Rendor, making his point. “Whether or not they choose to exercise that capability is up to them.” He smiled at her. “Perhaps you should look again.”

She huffed at her father in exasperation.

Unaffected, he said, “In the meantime, we’re willing to step into the leadership role until then.” He took Kaveri’s hand in his.

Kaveri gave him an unreadable look. “We are? That’s presumptuous, old man.”

He waited.

She sighed dramatically. “It better not take too long to find someone else, or I might get used to living like this. Do you know there are collection stations down here called water closets?” she asked Shyla in amazement.

Shyla laughed. The release of tension soothed her. One problem solved…at least temporarily. There was still the issue with the Heliacal Priestess and her holy army.

“Do you know what happened to the Invisible Swords after we were attacked by the guards?” she asked Rendor.

“They retreated to Orla’s commune. Zhek checked them over and they’re all fine.”

“I was hoping they continued with the plan.”

“Without you they had no way to get to the priestess.”

True.

“There are rumors that the priestess is preparing to attack the Water Prince,” Rendor said. “She knows you’re here and will not tolerate him having The Eyes. Her only strategy is to strike before he does and hope to catch him off guard.”

“Except she doesn’t know we’ve taken over so—”

“The advantage is ours.” Rendor grinned.

Hanif and Kaveri wanted to get started on familiarizing themselves with the job of running the city. They enlisted Timin’s help to show them the ex-prince’s main office.

Shyla stood to follow them. They needed to start planning their strategy for countering the priestess, but Rendor put a big hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “You’re exhausted.”

Not a question but a statement of fact. And she couldn’t argue as just standing up had been a colossal effort—not that she’d admit it.

“All right. But I want a big comfortable sleeping cushion,” she said, shuffling out of the throne room. If she never returned to this place, it would be too soon.

Rendor took her hand and led her to his old office. “Yates never used it, and all my stuff is still here.” He gestured to the sleeping cushion.

Remembering waking up here once before, she smiled. Rendor had been so upset with her. One of the many times since she’d known him. She collapsed onto it, sinking into the softness.

“Get some sleep,” he said, covering her with a fur.

She tugged on his arm. “Join me.”

“To sleep?”

“Eventually.”

His surprise lasted a mere heartbeat before his expression softened. “You’re exhausted.”

“But—”

He brushed his lips over hers. “We’ll have plenty of time later.” But he settled in next to her. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

Resting her head on his shoulder, she pressed against him, fighting off the inevitable. The strong scent of Rendor filled her senses. And that reminded her.

“How did you beat Yates? The last time your injuries slowed you down. Or were you faking it?”

“No.” His grip tightened for a moment. “Not pretending at all. It was Zhek. He did…something…to my injuries. The monks did a great job saving my life, but Zhek tsked over my shoulder and hip and readjusted something. All I know is they were hurting pretty bad after that first fight with Yates, and Zhek made it all go away.”

Another reason to test Zhek for magic. “You didn’t say anything.”

He shrugged. “You’d been stabbed. My pain could wait.”

Typical. She snuggled in closer. “I missed you.”

“Being apart was torture.”

“Good,” she said.

He looked at her. “Good?”

“Yes. That ensures you won’t do it again.”

“I won’t.”

When she woke, Rendor was gone. Not that she was surprised, but it still caused a brief moment of panic despite his promise. She understood why he’d left before and, without his efforts to recruit the guards, she’d be dead right now and not just feeling as if she’d died.

Standing required extra effort. She wobbled as her legs adjusted to bearing weight. Good thing no one witnessed her ungainly extrication from the fur and sleeping cushion. When she was steady, she went looking for Rendor.

The servants and guards that she passed eyed her with curiosity and not animosity. Still, she braced for someone to call out in alarm. Each intersection she fully expected to be tackled and arrested. She kept her distance from everyone out of habit, but it soon became clear she’d no idea where Rendor might be in the vast complex.

Shyla asked a passing servant, who escorted her to a conference room. Rendor sat around a low stone table with Ximen, Mojag, and Gurice. A number of torques and deacon robes were piled on the table. A sense of urgency rumbled through the low intense tones of their discussion. Mojag spotted her first. He sprang to his feet and almost knocked her over with his strong, enthusiastic hug. The rest smiled at her with hugs in their gazes.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said. His voice sounded young and vulnerable. But then he pulled away and with clear annoyance asked, “Can you tell them that I know the city better than anyone else?”

“I’ll agree you know the city well,” she said. “But I won’t go so far as to say better than anyone.”

He made a disgusted noise and flopped back to his cushion.

“Strategy session?” she asked.

“Yes,” Ximen said.

Gurice gestured to the empty seat. “Sit down before you fall down. Mojag, go tell someone to fetch her something to eat and drink.”

“Hey. I’m a magic wielder now, and—”

“Are still the youngest and the fastest. Go now so you don’t miss anything.”

Shyla hid her smile as Mojag rushed from the room. Folding her legs under her, she sank gratefully into the square of softness. The short walk from Rendor’s office had drained most of her strength. He shot her a concerned look, but she gave him an I’m fine shake of her head. No doubt food and water would revive her. She hoped.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked. She had lost all track of time since her capture.

Rendor frowned. “About three hundred angles. Zhek ordered that no one disturb you.”

No wonder she was starving. “He’s here?”

“Everyone’s here,” Gurice said. “Good thing we have the entire level at our disposal to house everyone. We have recovering prisoners, Invisible Swords, and all the guards. Once they learned that nothing is going to change with the new regime, well besides no more torture, killings, and corruption, they were happy to work for us.”

“Not all are here,” Rendor corrected. “About four dozen are in the city on patrol. And those that relished carrying out the prince’s bloody orders have been arrested.”

Ah. “And how is the prince enjoying his new accommodations?”

“He’s not.”

She shared a smirk with Rendor. Then she considered Gurice’s report. “Did you release all the prisoners?”

“No. We freed the Invisible Swords and the vagrants, but we need to go through the prince’s records about the rest. We don’t want to free a dangerous criminal by mistake.”

Smart. “How many Invisible Swords survived?”

“Twenty-three!” Then she grudgingly admitted, “I guess Jayden did save lives.”

“Where are they?”

“In the empty rooms of the guards’ quarters,” Rendor said. “Timin’s been taking care of them.”

“Where are the guards’ quarters?” she asked.

“Their quarters are in the southwestern section of the prince’s level right above the prince’s special rooms.”

“What else did I miss?”

“Mojag just reported that the rumors about the priestess preparing for an attack are hot. His words not mine,” Ximen said. “We might not have as much time to get ready as we’d thought.”

“How soon?”

“Four, maybe five sun jumps at most.” Ximen picked up one of the torques and waved it in the air. “What we really need to know is how you countered this. Assuming that’s what happened. Timin was sketchy on the details. Did you wield magic?”

She explained what happened. “Once I realized the symbol on their torques didn’t match our new symbol, it no longer blocked my magic.”

“All you need is faith that it’ll work?” Gurice asked. “That seems, no offense, too easy.”

“At first, it did seem too easy. But think about it. When we swore our loyalty to the Invisible Sword, we sketched the symbol onto our bodies with magic. They’re connected. And even though the torques no longer worked when we swore with the new symbol, we thought they did and didn’t even try to use our magic. It was only when I was utterly desperate that I realized this.” She shuddered at the memory. Glancing at Rendor, she asked, “Did you know what was going on in the throne room when you arrived or was that an amazing coincidence?”

“A bit of both,” he said. “I had intel that the prince was going to try to wake The Eyes during that sun jump, but I didn’t know the exact time. I had to guess based on the activity around the throne room.”

Mojag returned with a servant in tow. The woman placed a tray down in front of her. Shyla stared at the meal in wonder until the spicy ginger aroma of roasted gamelu meat caused her stomach to roar. It was the first time she’d had real food in sun jumps. A glass of that pure clear water accompanied the feast. She’d groan in pleasure, but her mouth was full.

Ximen tapped his finger on the torque. “The good news is we can all bypass the protection.”

“We can?” Mojag asked.

Gurice updated her brother on what he’d missed. “As long as the symbol remains the same. If they find out the new symbol, we’re screwed.”

“Good thing we uncovered Jayden’s treachery before this discovery,” Ximen said.

A heavy silence filled the room. Shyla glanced at Mojag. The boy wrapped his arms around his chest. Hanif’s words about a person’s ability to change repeated in her mind. Perhaps it was worth the effort to revisit Jayden’s soul. And that reminded her.

“How long has it been since he…” She gestured with her fork, unable to say it.

“Sixteen sun jumps since we locked him up,” Ximen said.

He had plenty of supplies left. That also meant she’d been taken prisoner fourteen sun jumps ago.

“We do need to worry about the deacons who can wield magic.” Gurice picked up one of the platinum necklaces. “These can protect our people and some of the guards, but not all. Do we have any intel on how many deacons have power?”

“I originally thought there weren’t that many,” Shyla said. “But they’ve had time to find more.” She considered the new wielders in the Invisible Sword and if they were ready to fight. “How do you think the priestess is going to attack?” she asked Rendor.

“If I was going to target her people, I’d send small units to ambush all the clusters of deacons in the city at the same time. Also, at that time, I’d lead a bigger unit to her level and fight my way in.”

“You’ve given this some thought,” Ximen said.

“The prince hated her and we brainstormed different strategies. That one had the biggest chance of success with the least amount of expected losses. I’d expect the priestess will use a very similar plan. If she strikes with surprise, speed, and intensity, it will be hard for us to counter and she’d have the advantage.”

“That means the guards throughout the city might be attacked at any time,” Gurice said. “Do we need to double them?”

Good question. If they did, that would alert the priestess. “We can assign Invisible Swords to guard the guards. They can blend in with the citizens and not tip the priestess off.”

“That’s a good idea,” Rendor said.

“And I think we should do what Rendor suggested and put together small units and attack at the same time,” Shyla said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Shyla assigned them each tasks.

Mojag hopped to his feet. “I’ll keep watch on the deacons. If they so much as twitch in our direction, I’ll let you know.”

“All right. Be careful.”

Mojag scoffed. “It was easy before, but now that I can wield magic, it’s—”

“Don’t boast,” Rendor said. “You’ll tempt the Sun Goddess to teach you a lesson.”

Shyla waited for Mojag to make a snarky comment. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully before dashing away.

Shyla lumbered to her feet. Rendor grabbed her elbow to steady her. How did the big man move so fast?

“Perhaps you should—”

“Introduce myself to the guards and staff? Good idea,” she said. Shyla wanted to ensure everyone was loyal so there wouldn’t be any traitors surprising them later.

A grumpy rumble rolled from his throat.

“When’s the last time you slept?” she asked.

No answer.

“That’s what I thought. How about we make a deal? I won’t exhaust myself if you don’t. We can meet back in your office to rest together.”

“Rest?”

“Eventually.”

He laughed.

Shyla walked around the prince’s complex, stopping everyone she encountered to say hello and to thank them. Only a small amount of her energy was needed to assess their intentions. A few remained anxious about the prince’s capture, but she sensed it was more fear of the unknown than any hostility toward her and the Invisible Swords. Two of the guards tried to hide their anger, which stirred suspicion. For them, she used extra power to dig for the reason. Both were loyal to Yates and hoped for an opportunity to rescue him. Shyla noted their names to give to Rendor.

When the air around her seemed to thicken and drag on her body, she figured she’d reached her limit. She returned to Rendor’s office. Disappointed that the sleeping cushion was empty, she kicked off her boots and crawled under the fur.

Sometime later, warmth invaded her uneasy dreams and a solid presence pulled her close. She sighed and melted against him. Her worries soothed.

She woke wrapped in his arms with her head on his bare chest. Taking a moment to breathe in his scent and listen to the steady rhythm of his heart, she kept still. Then she ran a hand over the muscles of his stomach. His heartbeat increased its pace. So did hers as she explored the hard planes, her fingers dipping toward his waist.

Shyla lifted her head and met his gaze.

“I hope we never stop meeting like this,” he said, then he kissed her.

Heat spread throughout her body as she deepened it, drinking in the taste of him. He groaned and his hands snaked underneath her tunic, resting on her back. His touch burned her skin. They kissed until breathless.

When they broke apart, Shyla sat up and plucked at her tunic. It chafed on her overly sensitive skin. She wanted it off.

Rendor took her hands in his, stilling them. His expression was a combination of desire and concern. “We can take it slow.”

“Remember when you said I didn’t know everything? Before you kissed me that first time?”

Confusion flashed on his face, but he nodded.

“Then afterwards you said that kiss was just the beginning.”

“You have a very good memory.”

“I do.”

“Do you also have a point?” he teased.

“I do.” She smiled. “You were right. I don’t know everything and I want to learn what comes after a kiss like that.”

Fire ignited in his gaze as he pulled her close and kissed her again, sending pulses of desire straight to her core.

“I think…” he breathed. “That your education…will be extensive.” His lips brushed her neck. “And require…multiple sessions.” Rendor nibbled on her earlobe.

She gasped, surprised by the intense spike of passion that speared her.

“You’ve much to…learn.” He pulled off her tunic and drew her close.

Shyla’s breasts brushed against his chest. Shivers raced along her skin. “Teach me.”

Rendor taught her how a touch could make her heart race and her body tremble. But most of all, with his words and actions, he showed her why the joining together of two people was called making love.

Much later, Shyla lay entangled with Rendor. She watched his chest expand and contract with each breath as he slept. The powerful and stubborn man had shown incredible gentleness. She suppressed the desire to wake him up for another lesson. He needed to rest. So did she, but her body hummed with the aftereffects of pleasure. Eventually, she drifted into a light sleep.

A loud roar woke them as a rumbling vibration shook the floor. Rendor and Shyla exchanged a horrified look.

Everyone living in an underground city knew and dreaded that combination of sounds.

It meant a gas explosion, followed by a cave-in.