The City of Zirdai by Maria V. Snyder

Five

Hanif’s gaze darted to Shyla before he recovered his manners. “This is Kaveri, one of our gardeners. Kaveri, this is Shyla and Rendor.”

“Pleased to meet you both. Although, I do remember when you were found, Shyla. Such a sweet baby.”

Interesting that Hanif hadn’t told Kaveri that Shyla knew the truth about her origins. She wondered if Kaveri even knew that she had figured out Hanif was her father and that he wouldn’t tell her the identity of her mother, claiming it was the woman’s decision.

Shyla smiled at her mother. “That’s nice to hear.” She shot Hanif a sour look. “Much better than being told how difficult and stubborn I was all the time.”

“You?” Rendor feigned surprise. “Difficult and stubborn?”

Shyla elbowed him in the ribs. Hard. He had the audacity to chuckle!

Kaveri laughed, a charming light sound. “Hanif can’t show his true feelings to the children or else they’ll never listen to him. He enjoys teaching them too much.”

“Enjoys? He could have fooled us,” Shyla said, giving him a mock glare.

“Yes, well…we’ll let you get back to work, Kaveri.” Hanif herded them toward the exit. Fast.

But Shyla paused and turned around before leaving. “Can I ask you something?” she asked Kaveri. All the air in the cavern seemed to disappear.

“About the plants?” the woman asked, hopeful.

“No, about you.”

Hanif tensed.

“What do you want to know?” A slight wariness crept into her gaze.

“Were you abandoned outside Zirdai like I was?” Shyla would wait until Kaveri was ready to claim the relationship between them. And if she never did…then Shyla would accept it.

Kaveri’s tight grip on her basket relaxed. “No. I was found near Tarim.”

That was over a hundred sun jumps away. “How did you end up here?”

“Some monks travel to other monasteries as part of their spiritual journey. The people living here soothed my soul so I stayed.”

“That’s lovely,” Shyla said, trying not to grit her teeth. When they’d left the cavern, she rounded on Hanif. “Why didn’t you tell me monks can travel?”

“You didn’t ask.”

Her fingers curled with the desire to strangle her father. “You knew one of the reasons I didn’t want to become a monk was because I wished to visit the other cities of Koraha.”

“You had many reasons, Shyla. A person who takes the oath must be completely at peace with their decision.”

“But how is a person to make an informed decision when vital information is being kept from them?” She held up a hand. “And don’t say they needed to have faith.”

Hanif stopped and faced her. “You decided you weren’t staying when you were ten circuits old. From that point on, you turned a blind eye to everything going on around you.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but no words escaped her lips. He had a point.

“You had faith when it was needed, Shyla,” Hanif said in a softer tone. “Besides, you wouldn’t have been happy as a monk.”

“No, but I missed all of you.” It had been a lonely and difficult two circuits.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “That was the point. You needed to be on your own to figure out what you truly desired.”

She leaned into him for a moment, taking comfort from his steady presence, drinking in the knowledge that she was no longer on her own. However, along with her newfound family, she also had accepted a great deal of responsibility. A bone-deep fatigue pulsed, reminding her of Orla’s good advice not to wear herself out, which she’d promptly ignored.

“I don’t have the energy to return to our hideout. Can I stay a little longer?” she asked.

“Of course, you’re always welcome here.” Hanif released her, then added with a glint in his eyes, “But not when you have guards or deacons chasing you.”

“When? Thanks for the confidence.”

“Anytime.”

Shyla and Rendor headed back to her room. By the time they arrived, her legs had turned into mush. After kicking off her boots, she just about crawled under the fur. Rendor hesitated, glancing at the door.

She skootched over and patted the cushion. “You look as exhausted as I feel.”

He gave her a tired smile and joined her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she draped an arm over his broad chest. They hadn’t had any time alone since moving to the new headquarters. Too bad they were both exhausted.

“I’m glad you didn’t become a monk,” Rendor said, tucking her closer.

“You do know that celibacy is not part of the oath, right?” she teased, then sobered. It was another fact about life in the monastery she’d only recently learned. A blind eye indeed.

“Oh yes. I got that when I noticed the resemblance between you and Hanif. And…”

She waited, but he remained quiet. Because Rendor was observant and smart, she could finish his sentence. “And between me and Kaveri.”

“Yes. It was striking.” A pause. “Do you plan on acknowledging the relationship?”

“No. Not unless she does. It’s an odd way to raise a child, but, if I think about it, it’s better than growing up a vagrant and worrying about raids, having enough water, and your next meal.” She huffed. “Like we’re living now. If I became a monk, I never would have ruined your life.”

Rendor moved so quickly, Shyla didn’t have time to react. He sat up, pulling her with him so she faced him.

“You did not ruin my life.” His intense gaze seared her. “I thank the Sun Goddess every sun jump that you came into my life.”

Even though she had read his soul when she’d first awoken the power of The Eyes and knew he spoke the truth, she still struggled to believe it. “But you went from captain of the guard to a grunt who shovels sand.”

“Someone told me I look ‘mighty fine’ when I shovel.” He smirked.

Figured he’d remember that. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. And I’d rather shovel sand than torture people for the Water Prince.”

And just like that, he put it all in perspective. “Sorry. I know. It’s just…”

“Your heart is still not sure about me.” Rendor cupped her cheek.

Actually, it was thumping its approval quite loudly. But she’d told him of her confusion before she read his soul. She hadn’t yet revealed that she knew his commitment and love were genuine because she wanted him to see just what he’d gotten himself into. He might change his mind. Plus the rest of the Invisible Swords needed to witness his efforts to become a better person.

He dropped his hand. “Don’t worry, Shyla. I’m willing to prove myself so you’ll jump into my arms.”

She smiled. “You’re not going to let me forget that, are you?”

“Not for one degree.” He lay back, bringing her down with him, once again tucking her close. “Now sleep.”

“You’re rather bossy for a grunt.”

“In this case, I’m in charge.”

“Of what?”

“Of making sure you take care of yourself by getting enough sleep and eating well.”

“How’d you get that job?” she asked.

“No one else wanted it,” he teased.

Shyla smoothed out her and Rendor’s tracks as they returned to their headquarters. The sun hung just above the horizon. They had woken at angle one-sixty. And while she was refreshed, the effort to erase their boot prints was quickly draining the energy she’d regained. It was a good thing Rendor had insisted on carrying the two jugs of water Hanif had insisted on giving them. She’d vowed to pay him back.

Jayden and Ximen waited for her near the main entrance.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, noting their tight postures.

“Nothing now that you’re here,” Ximen said. “We heard Captain Yates was at the monastery. Did you see him?”

“Yes.” She explained what had happened.

“That’s exactly why we haven’t been teaching you more about your magic,” Jayden said. “You don’t know your limits.”

Oh no, he didn’t get to pull that on her. “Knowledge is never a bad thing. If I knew more about my magic, I wouldn’t exhaust myself experimenting.”

They glared at each other.

“Perhaps a compromise?” Ximen suggested.

“I’m listening,” Shyla said.

“We’ll teach you, but we determine the pace. And you have to promise not to overextend yourself again. Agreed?”

That was an easy question to answer. “Yes. When do we start?”

Ximen glanced at Jayden.

“How are you feeling now?” Jayden asked.

She straightened. “I’m fine.”

“She’s still recovering,” Rendor said. “You promised not to exhaust yourself,” he added when she frowned at him.

“All right, then we’ll start at angle zero of the next sun jump. We can meet here on the surface,” Jayden said. “Unless you need more time to recuperate?”

Mindful of Rendor, she chose her words with care. “I should be sufficiently revived by then. If I’m not, I’ll let you know.”

Jayden just shook his head. He gestured at the water jugs. “That’ll help, but we need to address the water situation before we run out.”

Remembering Orla’s advice about delegating, she said, “Rendor has a good idea about getting water.” She turned to Rendor. “Time is critical so put together a team to restock our supplies. No one is off-limits. Let us know if you need anything.”

Rendor nodded, keeping his expression neutral, but appreciation sparked in his eyes.

Jayden drew in a breath but wisely kept quiet in front of Rendor. She suspected he’d corner her later. Too tired to care, she retreated to her room on level nine. As they cleared more and more space inside the temple, the others insisted she have her own spot instead of sharing. Even though only a worn curtain served as her door, it was a nice gesture and gave her the illusion of privacy.

Eventually, they would open up all the dorms. And she hoped she could move up to level six and install a mirror pipe. When she lived in Zirdai, her room had been on level three and she missed being close to the sun.

At about three meters by two meters, the space was…cozy. The thin mat kept her off the cold floor and she used her sun cloak as a blanket. There was no need for a heavy fur this deep as the temperature remained at ten degrees Celsius no matter what the angle. A long table stretched along the wall on the other side of the room. She set her pack down on it. A couple bedraggled sitting cushions were beside it. Two druks kept the darkness at bay, although she wondered if she’d still need them while she slept now that she had the ability to sense people nearby. It’d been embarrassing to admit she was afraid of the dark.

A pile of clothing occupied one corner, and a pyramid of scrolls sat in another. Borrowed from the monks, one of the scrolls showed the layout of the Temple of Arinna, their current home. Another contained information about The Eyes.

She closed one druk and turned the other low before lying down. But her thoughts whirled with all the tasks she needed to do and sleep refused to come. After a few angles, she gave up and unrolled the velbloud skin with the guidance on using the power of The Eyes.

The problem was the information was written in an archaic language and rather cryptic. She’d learned how to read it as that had been her specialty—transcribing old tablets and scrolls—but it took extra time to translate.

So far, Shyla had learned how to block others’ thoughts and emotions, which helped keep her sanity. And she was getting so good at lowering and raising her mental shield that it almost didn’t require a conscious effort. The Eyes also increased her magical power. Before she woke them, she could only influence one person, but afterwards she had persuaded twenty-five people that she’d disappeared. And now she could also alter a person’s memory. She wondered if that was the real reason for Jayden’s reluctance to teach her. Perhaps he was scared of her powers and didn’t want to give her even more abilities. She didn’t blame him; if she thought about it too much, it frightened her as well.

Shyla worked on translating a section of the scroll until the pain in her head forced her to return to her sleeping mat where she proceeded to toss and turn, unable to find a comfortable position. Perhaps some hot tea… No, she wouldn’t waste water. Besides, they didn’t have any lava stones or fuel to heat the water. And tepid tea was…well, tepid. She added lava stones to her wish list along with decent sleeping cushions and extra furs and blankets and fresh meat and vegetables. Perhaps she could buy some from the monks.

Lying on her back, she was staring at the ceiling when she sensed Rendor outside her room—that really was a handy skill! Shyla lowered her shield. He’d brought her a water skin and a couple rolls of jerky since she’d missed second and third meal. Not wishing to disturb her rest, Rendor debated whether to leave them next to her door or to set them inside on the table.

“Come in, Rendor. I’m awake,” she said, raising her mental barrier again.

He swept the curtain aside. “Did I—”

“No, you didn’t wake me.” She sat up. “Thanks for bringing food and water, but I don’t need it.”

“Yes, you do,” he said, stepping into her room. “You haven’t been eating or drinking as much as you should. How can you function properly without sustenance? People are relying on you.”

He’d noticed. “I don’t—”

“Have a headache? Aren’t hungry?”

Now that he mentioned it, the dull ache flared to a sharp pounding, and her stomach rumbled. Loudly. At least he didn’t gloat. “How did you know?”

“I’m observant and can count.” He handed her the skin.

She took a couple sips of water, but it tasted bitter.

Rendor crouched down beside her. “I know you think you’re helping the others by not taking your full share, but you’re not. You’re making all the decisions. Important ones that shouldn’t be made when you’re weak and dehydrated.”

The desire to grump at him pushed up her throat. But he was right and she had been skipping meals. So she gulped down a few more mouthfuls of water and chewed on the dried jerky.

When he stood to leave, she suddenly didn’t want to be alone. “What time is it?” she asked between bites.

“Around angle three hundred.”

“Have you gotten any sleep?”

He hesitated. “Not yet. I wanted to talk to Jaft and Elek about joining my team before their shift.”

The two men had been acolytes when they’d volunteered to help Shyla rescue Banqui and then they joined the Invisible Sword after she’d woken the power of The Eyes. “Good choices.”

“I need strong men. Water is heavy.”

“Are you taking the cart?”

“No. That’s too difficult to conceal and the water jugs are too awkward to carry. I’ve another idea.”

“What is it?”

He smiled. “I need to figure out if I can get the right materials first. If not, then I’ll have to think of something else.”

In other words, he would tell her only when he was ready. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.” He left.

She hugged her arms to her chest as a sudden chill raced up her spine. The room seemed colder without him. Shyla resisted calling him back. She’d slept so much better with him beside her. However, many of the Invisible Swords didn’t like or trust him despite her repeated assurances that he was sincere. And they wouldn’t be happy about him staying in her room even if all they did was sleep.

The Invisible Swords believed in the power of The Eyes, yet she was learning that they needed to experience certain things for themselves like Rendor. Which shouldn’t have been a surprise as she’d been the same way. Hanif had warned her that the citizens of Zirdai wouldn’t welcome a sun-kissed, but she left the monastery anyway, determined to change everyone’s mind. It took her two circuits to admit he was right.

Eventually, she slept. In her dreams, a sand storm chased her. She tried to run away from it, but her feet sank into the soft surface, slowing her down. Soon the storm caught up to her and she was lost in a dense fog of sand that obscured everything and cut her off from everyone—the worst part, until the airborne grains filled her nose and blocked her throat. Unable to breathe, she woke with a strangled cry, clawing at her neck, convinced she was suffocating.

Hands grabbed her wrists and pulled her fingers away from her skin.

“Easy there,” Jayden said. “It’s just a dream.”

She stilled and focused on him as her heart slowed to normal. He knelt next to her mat. When she no longer gasped for breath, she said, “Thanks.”

Jayden released her and sat back on his heels. “I came to check on you. It’s angle ten.”

“Oh. Sorry. I’m—”

“Still recovering?”

“I don’t think so. I couldn’t sleep, but when I did, it wasn’t restful.” Far from it. She wondered if her bad dream was a symptom of using too much magic. Jayden stood and brushed the sand off his knees. “Do you want another sun jump to rest?”

“No.” Remembering Rendor’s comment about taking care of herself, she said, “Just give me five angles and I’ll meet you.”

Shyla hurried to change and eat. When she reached the surface, she paused to drink in the sunlight. It warmed her even though the air around her was still cool from the darkness. A breeze blew the sand, the ribbons flowing over the surface like translucent snakes. She breathed in the familiar scent of ginger mixed with anise.

Nearby, the first crew cleared sand. Rendor was among them. She wondered if he’d gotten any sleep. As if feeling her gaze on him, he glanced up and smiled at her. She returned it. What a sap.

Jayden was helping to smooth out the piles of sand that had been brought up from the temple. He used his magic to move the grains, making it appear to be undisturbed—a small dune in a series of equally unimposing dunes.

She joined him. “Is that the same as erasing tracks?”

“Yes, except you have to control more of the sand so it takes more concentration. And you need to envision the end result.” He swept a hand out to the miniature dunes. “As we clear the sand from the temple, I’m building these just like if they were etched by the wind. Slowly, gradually, angled perpendicular to the dominant wind direction. So if anyone noticed this patch of the desert over time, the dunes would not appear suddenly from one sun jump to the next.”

Gurice trudged over with another bucket and dumped it onto a new pile. “Must be nice to stand around doing nothing, enjoying the view,” she snarked.

“Yes. It’s lovely.” Jayden didn’t rise to the bait.

“You know I can make dunes while you schlep heavy buckets,” Gurice said.

“I know.” He turned to Shyla. “Gurice can make dunes as well, but, while I created four small dunes in a few angles without much effort, it would take her longer and sap all her strength.”

“Yeah, well, moving sand grains isn’t my forte,” she grumped.

“Can you erase your tracks?” Shyla asked.

“Yeah, but it’s harder than making a person see what I want them to see.” Her green eyes glowed with mischief. “That’s my specialty.”

“But, again, she can only do a few people at a time, while I can influence a dozen.”

“Rub it in.” Gurice strode away, muttering.

“She’s a little sensitive,” Jayden said.

“Does everyone have a specialty like Gurice?” Shyla asked.

“Yes. Everyone can do one thing better than the other skills. A few can only do one or two things. The weaker the magic, the more limited the person.”

“What’s your specialty?”

“I’m rare in that I can do all things equally well.”

“How rare?”

“Before the ambush, there were four of us. After…” He stared into the distance. “It’s just me and Ximen now.” Grief thickened his words and dragged them through the air.

“How many people could wield magic before?”

“Twenty total.”

She stared at him in shock. “That’s it? I thought the Invisible Sword had—”

“We don’t. While there were dozens of people in the different levels of our organization, we didn’t have many that could wield magic.”

And there were only eleven of them left. Twelve if she counted Zhek. His ability to heal had to be magical. Then there was Mojag and his sensitive nose. Which made her wonder… “What are the ‘things’ you keep mentioning?”

“Magical skills. There are three of them—influence, manipulation, and movement. You already know about influencing a person’s perceptions, making them see or not see what you want them to, making them smell an odor, fall asleep, or sit down, things like that. Influence also allows us to ‘sense’ a person like we did when we were at our old headquarters.

“Manipulation is more advanced as it goes into a person’s thoughts and emotions, changing their memories, causing fear or happiness. Movement is what we do with the sand.” Jayden smoothed out Gurice’s small pile. “Reverting the sand to its undisturbed state is a lifesaving skill. You already know how to erase tracks in the sand, but there are a few other skills that are essential. Remember when we ambushed you and Rendor on that dune?”

“Hard to forget.” Her tone held an edge. Rendor had almost died.

Jayden ignored it. “When you crested the dune, the sand was undisturbed. But just under the surface were twelve Invisible Swords.”

She perked up. Was he going to teach her how to travel through the sand?

“This is how we did it.” Jayden stepped a couple meters away. He pulled the hood of his sun cloak over his head and down so it covered his face as well. He gestured. A thick cloud of sand rose up in front of him, leaving behind a shallow depression. Shyla moved back, instinctively covering her nose and mouth. But the grains remained near Jayden.

Then he stretched out in the dip in the sand on his stomach. Resting on his elbows, he held out the edge of the hood. It resembled a tent around his head. The sand cloud settled over him and dissipated.

She stared at the sand. It was smooth, pristine. Jayden had disappeared. Nothing happened for an angle, then the sand exploded into the air, obscuring her view. When the sand settled, Jayden stood there. The spot around him was once again undisturbed.

“That was impressive,” Shyla said. “How long can you stay under the sand?”

“It depends on how deep you are. I was pretty close to the surface and you saw that I trapped a pocket of air with my hood. I could have stayed under for about ten angles. Once you go deeper, you have less air and less time.”

Fascinated, she asked, “How deep can you go?”

“Only as deep as the loose sand. Once you hit the hard stone, that’s it.”

That didn’t add up. “But when they captured me, we traveled through the ground.”

Jayden gave her a wry smile. “That’s what you were supposed to think. It was a bit of a show.”

“A show?” She tried and failed to keep the outrage from her voice.

“Remember fear and desperation trigger magic. Come on.” Jayden strode away, heading for a large dune.

She followed. They climbed to the top.

Jayden faced her. “When I disappear, look over the side.” He pointed. Then he pulled his hood down. A cloud of grains spiraled into the air. It wasn’t thick enough to block the sight of Jayden sinking into the sand.

Even though she’d seen it before, it still startled her and she had to stifle the desire to rush over and grab his arms. When any other person sank, it meant the poor soul had stumbled into a patch of unstable sluff sand, which, if he was alone, meant he would soon suffocate and die.

Once Jayden vanished, the cloud settled and the sand rushed to fill the hole, leaving behind no sign he’d been there at all. Shyla hurried to the dune’s edge and peered over. After a couple heart-pounding moments, sand poured from the side as if the dune was bleeding. Then a man-sized slit opened and Jayden sauntered out. The grains reversed direction, plugging the gap.

He turned toward her and held his arms out wide. “Ta da!”

Show-off. But she had to admit it was impressive. She slid down the side of the dune until she reached him. “Why did the sand run out of the dune before you exited?”

“My body took up space inside the dune. The sand will compress to a certain point, but the rest has to go somewhere. When I sank, the sand moved to give me room. Some of it went into the air so I could cover my passage, and the rest went out the side.”

“So, after the ambush, I was taken through the dune?”

“Yes. Payatt took you with him, then he erased your memories of the trip to the testing chamber.”

A nice name for what it really was—a prison—but she kept quiet. Instead she focused on the fact Payatt had erased her memories. It was strange to think she had an experience that she no longer remembered. Unease grew, knotting her stomach. “Was that the only time my memory was altered?”

He hesitated and a longing to read his soul gripped her. She studied him, searching for any indication he was about to lie.

“I think so,” he finally said.

“Think?”

“I wasn’t with you the entire time. Plus you moped in your room those three sun jumps after we rescued Banqui. Someone could have visited you to find out how much you knew about our organization.”

Shyla recalled the events after Banqui’s rescue, but something nagged at her. A detail that…didn’t quite fit. It clicked.

“Why didn’t you erase my memories?” she asked him. “You can do manipulation as well as the other two skills. But you told me it wasn’t your specialty.”

“I lied. I was furious at you for that stunt you pulled with the Water Prince. If I’d accessed your memories, there was a very good chance I would have wiped everything.” He swiped his hand through the air in one harsh chop. “Clean slate. Baby fresh.”

Stunned, she grappled with his admission. So much there… She’d known he was angry, but this was on an entirely different level. Also the fact that a person’s mind could be obliterated back to infancy… Scary.

She regained some of her composure. “I don’t regret that stunt. It saved us all.”

“So you say.”

Yes, she did. The Water Prince had been wearing armor under his tunic. But she hadn’t woken The Eyes yet, so Jayden hadn’t believed her. Obviously, he was still upset. It explained why he argued with her on everything. And why he didn’t fully trust her. It occurred to her that Jayden was the only one who hadn’t witnessed her sacrifice for The Eyes. Hanif had been right to invite the Invisible Swords to watch. It’d made a difference in how they treated her.

“Do you think The Eyes made a mistake choosing me?” she asked.

“I think The Eyes don’t choose. I think they’ll work for anyone who is brave and conceited enough to allow another person to cut out their eyeballs.”