The City of Zirdai by Maria V. Snyder

Six

Shyla thought she’d been astounded before. This was so far beyond it she didn’t have a word to describe it.

“I’m being honest,” he said into the silence.

Recovering slightly, she said, “I got that. But what about all the warnings that The Eyes might fail to work and leave a person blind?”

“That’s where the brave part comes in. That supposed risk kept so many people from trying. From even touching them.” He shook his head. “And it put doubts into their heads so even if The Eyes stirred to their touch, they still wouldn’t go through with it.”

“And the conceit? Where does that come in?”

“Believing that you’re so special that there is no doubt they’ll work for you. Having the conceit to actually go through with it.”

It hadn’t been like that for her. She’d had lots of doubts about whether they would wake, but she went through with the sacrifice despite them. Unlike now when she doubted Jayden would believe her even if she tried to enlighten him. His bitterness explained so much.

“You wanted to wake The Eyes,” she said.

“Yes. It should have been me.” He flicked his fingers. Sand burst into the air. “I’ve spent my entire life working to make the people of Zirdai’s lives better.”

There was nothing she could say that would ease his anger. Best to keep quiet and let him get it out. The grains formed the shape of an arrow and zipped around them. One part of her wanted to ask him to teach her how to do that, and the other wanted to duck and cover.

“The Invisible Sword leaders thought I was too young. Too inexperienced. They wouldn’t even let me touch them.” The arrow swooped close to the surface, sucking up more sand. It grew larger. “And then you came along. No experience. Younger than me. You couldn’t care less about people’s lives. Just your own agenda.” He laughed, but it was a humorless sound. “After all that, you really did steal The Eyes of Tamburah.” The arrow slammed into the dune. Sand sprayed out in all directions, leaving behind a sunburst pattern.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” she asked.

He rounded on her. “What could I say? You did it to rescue me. I’d come off as an ungrateful jerk.” Scrubbing a hand through his hair, Jayden glanced around as if searching for a reason for his outburst. “I can’t believe I’m saying all this now.”

She touched his arm. “You needed to say it.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like it’s going to change anything.”

It already had for her and she suspected for him as well. “Rescuing you was only one of the reasons I sacrificed my eyes. Dyani, the little girl who was poisoned, was another. And I realized I not only wanted to help the vagrants and the Invisible Swords, but that I could. Huh. I guess that was conceited.”

“See?” He gave her a wan smile.

“You’re right, bravery and conceit.” And, according to Rendor, insanity. “I never felt I was special, though.”

“But you’re sun-kissed.”

“That makes me an outcast, unwanted, and, if you believe the Heliacal Priestess, cursed. Not special.” She thought about why he’d think that. “Do I act like I am?” That would be terrible.

“No.”

One positive. Probably not enough for Jayden. “If you leave, I’ll understand.”

“Why would I leave?”

“You think I stole The Eyes from you.”

“You did.”

“My point exactly.”

“I’m upset but not stupid. We’re stronger together. Besides, who’s going to teach you how to move sand? Gurice? Ximen? I think not.”

“But you said Ximen can do all three magical techniques equally well.”

“He can, but I’m twice as strong as him.”

“Now who’s conceited?”

“Shut up,” he said with a grin. “And if you’re finished distracting me, let’s get back to the lesson. Smoothing out a boot print is on a small scale, but to be able to bury your body in sand, you have to command a larger area. You have to extend your focus and concentrate on what you want the sand to do.”

“What do I want it to do?” she asked.

“You want the sand to lift up, creating a body-sized hollow. Let’s start with a small area,” he said. “Think of using your will to scoop up a shovelful of sand.”

Shyla considered. Using return wouldn’t work in this case. Fly? Up? “How do you target a certain size when there’s an entire desert full of sand?” At least a boot print had edges.

Jayden bent down and drew a circle in the sand with his finger. “Sorry, it’s been a while since I learned. This will help you visualize. Eventually, you won’t need it.”

Concentrating on the circle, Shyla imagined digging down about two centimeters.

Lift.

The circle heaved, but only a few grains flew into the air.

Adding more energy, she tried again.

Lift.

Same result.

“Did I say it was easy?” Jayden asked.

She huffed. “You make it look easy.”

“I’ve eighteen circuits of practice. My father kept a bucket full of sand next to my sleeping cushion just so I could practice every sun jump.”

Eighteen? That meant— “You started using magic when you were six circuits old?”

“Yes.”

“They tested you that young?” She couldn’t keep the horror from her voice. Chaining a young boy in complete darkness was beyond cruel.

“I wasn’t tested in the chamber. My father didn’t have the patience. Try to move the sand again, but this time put some energy into it.”

What did his father do to cause a young Jayden to be scared and desperate enough to invoke his magic? It had to be equally terrible. She channeled her outrage into the command.

Lift.

Sand exploded, shooting into the air before raining back down.

“Better. Do it again,” Jayden said.

She did it another thousand times. Okay, it was more like a hundred, but at least her control improved with each repetition. When Jayden was satisfied, he taught her how to keep the sand in the air. He demonstrated, lifting a section. The cloud hovered above the surface, remaining in place. “Your turn.”

Shyla needed another order. Stay? Hold? Focusing on her circle, she gathered her will.

Lift.

Before she could issue the second one, the grains fell. She glanced at Jayden, but he remained quiet. Obviously using two commands wasn’t going to work. She needed one to do both.

It took her longer to figure out a command than she’d like to admit. Once again, she aimed her will at the circle. She imagined the velbloud flocks.

Float.

The sand rose in the air and stayed.

“Not bad,” Jayden said. “Now put it back so it appears undisturbed.”

Visualizing the smooth rippled pattern of the surrounding sand, Shyla sent her magic to the cloud.

Settle.

The grains drifted to the surface and flowed, matching the pattern.

“Nice. Do it again.”

This time the repetition included lifting sand from a bigger and bigger circle. Each lift used more of her energy. The increasing heat didn’t help either as the sun jumped higher. Eventually, the hot air wicked the sweat from her face and the desert’s scent now held a burnt aroma. Time to retreat underground.

The crew clearing sand had already quit. Except Rendor. He waited for her by the temple’s entrance, which was a meter-wide hole with a ladder that ended on the first level. There were ramps and steps between the other deeper levels.

“Did you think she needed to be rescued again?” Jayden asked Rendor before climbing down.

Rendor ignored his snide tone and sour look. Or so it appeared. Shyla noticed the slight stiffening of his shoulders. Otherwise, the big man’s expression remained neutral—a skill that was unfortunately needed as he endured many cutting comments and nasty glares. Rendor was smart enough not to snap back, but it had to be difficult.

Once Jayden disappeared, she asked, “How are your preparations going?”

“Gurice and Mojag have agreed to go into the city at darkness to purchase the supplies. I’m having…difficulties recruiting people for the rest of my team.”

Surprised, she asked, “Jaft and Elek said no?”

“They agreed, but that’s all. I need four more at least or it’s not worth the effort.”

Scorching hells. “Who else did you ask?”

Rendor stilled. “I’m not giving you names.”

Figured. Although she understood why. The temperature rose and the intensity of the sunlight burned on her head and shoulders. Without further comment, they descended and joined the others in the common room on level eight. Technically it was too early for second meal, but it was a natural break as all three crews were awake and together.

As she filled her skin, she noted the low water level. Then she checked their supplies. Only one full jug remained. She glanced around the room. Not everyone was here so she sent a few runners to gather the rest.

Once all twenty-nine of them were in the common room, Shyla stood on a table and raised her voice above the murmur of conversation. “I’m sure you’ve noticed we’re low on water.”

Quiet descended. Everyone turned to her. Good.

“Rendor came up with a plan to supply us with clean water. Yes, it’s from his knowledge from working as a guard. And yes, I’m aware of the terrible things he has done.”

“Are you sure you are aware?” asked Ajay, one of the Invisible Sword survivors. “Safe in the monastery, you didn’t deal with the constant fear of being caught by him or his guards. You never had anyone you loved taken, tortured, and murdered by him.”

The others rumbled their agreement. She’d known there was animosity toward him, but not to this degree. Rendor sat alone in the back corner, appearing as if he’d turned to stone.

Shyla swallowed. “Yes, I am aware. I’ve seen the Water Prince’s special rooms and witnessed the torture. I’ve also witnessed Rendor coming to our aid when we rescued Jayden from the Heliacal Priestess.”

“He only came to our aid after he almost died. If he returned to the Water Prince the next guard in line for captain would have challenged him and won. . Killers like him don’t get second chances.”

Seven hells. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. “Everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone can change. Yes, I grew up sheltered in the monastery and then was blind to the people’s pain and suffering when I lived in Zirdai. I changed and am working just as hard as all of you to help the citizens. Rendor has changed, too, and is making amends.”

“Yeah, by biding his time until he can report to the Water Prince,” Titus, another Invisible Sword survivor, said.

“He’s trustworthy,” she said.

“You only think that because you’re in love with him,” a male voice called from somewhere in the back of the group.

Titters and gasps followed. Scorching sand rats. That explained why her word wasn’t good enough for them. They thought she was biased due to her emotions.

Projecting her voice over the rising din, she said, “It is because I read his soul. You all witnessed what I’ve gone through in order to do just that.” She went up onto her tiptoes, making a show of searching for someone in the back. “Does the person who doubts me wish for me to read his soul?” Some uncomfortable shuffling. She let them sweat for half an angle. “No? I’ve respected everyone’s privacy. And you have accepted my leadership. I assigned Rendor to lead this mission. He needs volunteers.” In other words, she could order them to do it. “We. Need. Water.”

Shyla stepped off the table, grabbed two rolls of jerky, and left. Only when she was alone in her room did she relax. How… Why did they think she was in love with Rendor? He’d made his feelings for her clear, along with his desire to atone, but she thought she’d been treating him like everyone else. She wondered if Jayden had been spreading rumors in order to undermine her authority. Or perhaps their fear and hatred of him were too strong to overcome. Too bad leadership skills hadn’t been included with her new eyes. Did she just make it worse?

Her exertions caught up to her. She plopped onto her mat and chewed the dried jerky.

Gurice visited her first. After a quick knock, she entered Shyla’s room. “Nice speech. I’m gonna need coins to purchase the air bladders for Rendor.”

Why would he—oh, to carry the water. Velblouds had four air bladders inside of them. Just before the start of the killing heat, the animals filled their bladders with hot air and floated, escaping the deadly temperatures on the surface. The bladders weren’t the best water containers for long-term storage, but, in the short term, they were lighter than leather and would be easier to carry.

“How many osees do you need?” she asked, digging into her pack. Shyla had hidden the bulk of the coins but always kept a few with her.

“Four or five.”

She handed six to Gurice. “Just in case.”

“Thanks.”

“No, thank you for going on this mission.”

Gurice cocked a hip. “Did you know Rendor caught Mojag once?”

“No. He doesn’t like to talk about what he did when working for the prince.” Not like they had any time to talk.

“This was before you came to Zirdai. Before Rendor was the captain. He could have arrested Mojag and tortured him for information on the location of the vagrant communes. Mojag was only nine circuits old. But he didn’t. Instead, he showed my brother a shortcut to avoid an area where there were lots of guards, and then let him go. Mojag didn’t even know the guard was Rendor until he was promoted to captain.”

Shyla wasn’t sure where Gurice was going with the story so she waited.

“What I’m trying to say is, working as the captain for the prince drained his soul. Or so we all thought. I’m glad he still has some left.”

Nice of Gurice to share her thoughts.

“And, scorching hells, girl. He’s a fine-looking specimen. Hope you’re taking full advantage.” She winked.

Not so nice now. “Don’t you have buckets of sand to dump?”

Gurice laughed, waggled her fingers in goodbye, and left.

Her room was too quiet without Gurice. Shyla debated. She should rest, but she was…restless, which didn’t make any sense. Her thoughts kept circling around in her head, but she refused to analyze them. Or rather, overanalyze. Instead, she decided to help clear sand from the dorm level.

Leaving her room, she walked straight into Rendor. Hitting a wall would have been softer. He grabbed her elbow to steady her even though he scowled at her. It didn’t take the power of The Eyes to sense she was in trouble.

She glanced down the hallway. At least no one lurked nearby to overhear their forthcoming argument. Suppressing a sigh, she returned to her room. Rendor followed.

He didn’t even wait until the curtain swung back into place. “I’ve my team. Ximen, Balin, Lamar, Daksh, and Nard volunteered after your speech.”

Except Lamar, they were all strong men. Balin, Daksh, and Nard were ex-acolytes. Hanif had grumped over losing them, claiming they were top level fighters—a high compliment from him. Lamar was one of the eleven Invisible Swords who had survived the ambush. With Gurice, Mojag, Jaft, and Elek, Rendor’s team had nine people. So why the scowl?

“That’s good. Is everyone entering the city this darkness?”

“Yes. Gurice and Mojag assured me they could obtain the supplies without delay.”

“Will everyone be able to leave at angle zero?”

“That is my plan. If we run into anything unexpected, we might have to stay another sun jump.”

Her stomach twisted with just the thought of waiting that long for news. “Do you need another magic wielder?”

“No.”

Short and to the point. Was he afraid she’d order Jayden to tag along? Or that she’d join them and take over his mission? She’d told everyone she trusted him. So she kept those thoughts quiet. “All right. What else do you need. Osees?”

“No. Nothing else. But I want to know something.”

Oh boy. Shyla laced her fingers together to keep from cringing at the rumble of anger in his tone. “Go ahead, ask.”

“When were you planning on telling me you read my soul?”

“I didn’t—”

“So you lied to everyone?”

“No. I… When I first woke The Eyes, your and Hanif’s thoughts inundated me. I didn’t know how to block either of you. At that time, I picked up on your sincerity, your desire to atone, and your emotions. It was all there on the surface. I didn’t probe deeper. But I trusted you before that. Otherwise I’d never have asked you to become a member.” And to cut her eyes out, but she wisely refrained from reminding him.

“I remember. You trusted me to join the Invisible Sword, but I also distinctly remember you saying you wouldn’t risk your heart. Not until I proved myself to you. You know how I feel about you. Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you…”

Jump into his arms? Like she’d promised. Pain had replaced the anger in his voice, making it worse. “I…”

“You don’t share the same feelings,” he said. “That’s why you’ve been keeping your distance. Why you didn’t respond to that idiot in the common room.”

“No. That’s not… What about at the monastery?”

“What about it?”

“We…”

“Shared a sleeping cushion. To sleep.”

He made it sound so…ordinary. “Yes, but I…” The right words remained elusive. She struggled to extract them from deep within her. Why was this so hard?

“You…what? You’re embarrassed? Is that why you only showed me you care when the Invisible Swords couldn’t see us? Or is it that you don’t want my history to tarnish your leadership?”

“No! I…”

“That’s what I thought. Excuse me, I need to get my team ready for our mission.” Rendor strode from the room.

Shyla’s mouth hung open, but a tight knot in her throat blocked all sounds and made breathing difficult. Pressure and pain filled her chest like a velbloud’s air bladder. Still nothing escaped. Not even a squeak. She should run after him, grab his arm and tell him…what? That she believed if the others knew her feelings for him, they wouldn’t trust him? Was that the real reason? Or was she worried they wouldn’t trust her? No. They had faith in her. Then what?

Sitting on the mat, she cradled her head, trying to relax enough to draw in a deep breath. Was she having a panic attack? No. Perhaps she should have never made that damn speech. She recalled the words. Something in there niggled at her. A part of her must believe that the Invisible Swords would never accept Rendor. Then what would she do?

It struck her like an arrow to her heart. She didn’t have to do anything. Rendor would never betray their trust. And he certainly wouldn’t care what the others thought of him. So why should she?

She needed to find Rendor and explain. But was she ready to jump into his arms? What exactly did she feel for him? They’d flirted and she was physically attracted to him. Should she even be in a relationship? Her priorities had shifted from herself to all of Zirdai. Plus now she was responsible for the lives of twenty-nine Invisible Swords. Would being with Rendor be too much of a distraction? Or be too selfish?

This would be easier if she could peer into a mirror and read her own soul. But it hadn’t worked. Yes, she’d tried. She sagged back on her mat. Pain pulsed in her temples. Despite her promise to take it slow, she’d overextended her magic. And here she was angsting over Rendor when she should be resting.

She pulled her sun cloak up over her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she decided to nap for a few angles and then talk to Rendor before he left for his mission. The right words were sure to come at that time.

By the time she woke, Rendor and the others had gone. She stood on the surface at angle one-seventy. No sign of their tracks marked the sand. Ximen had done a good job erasing ten sets of boot prints. The sun hung low in the pink sky. Shyla chewed on her lower lip. Worry and fear took equal turns squeezing her heart.

Jayden joined her.

“Why didn’t anyone wake me before they left?” she asked him.

“No need. You put Rendor in charge. Unless you wanted to give him a kiss goodbye.” Jayden studied her.

If he was hoping for a reaction, he was going to be disappointed. However, she suspected she’d have to endure similar comments in the future if she didn’t put a stop to it right now.

“My private relationship is none of your business,” she said.

He crossed his arms. “Oh, I think it is.”

“Why is that?”

He held up his index finger. “First, you chose the worst person. No, falling in love with the Water Prince would have been worse.” Another finger shot up. “Second, we really can’t trust your judgment even if you say you read his soul. How do we know you didn’t just see what you wanted to see?”

She mimicked him. “First, who is this we? Are you sure it isn’t just you? You’ve been fighting me about everything. Is it because you’re jealous of Rendor?”

He scoffed. “Hardly.”

It wasn’t because Jayden cared for her. He had made his opinion of her pretty clear, especially when he had called her a selfish sun-kissed. “Second, if you don’t trust my judgment, you’re welcome to leave and to take the others who are also concerned about my personal life with you.” When he didn’t reply, she continued, “I’ll say it again, my personal life is none of the Invisible Sword’s business.”

“Then why did you assign Rendor to get us water when I repeatedly offered to take care of it?”

Son of a sand demon, he was jealous. “He had a better idea and he’s a natural leader. I’m taking advantage of his skills, just like I do with Mojag or Ximen. And with you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I need to learn everything I can about my magic.”

“Is that all you need me for?”

“Oh, for sand’s sake, Jayden. No. You’re vital to this organization for your connections with the vagrants, your knowledge of the hidden areas of Zirdai, your magical powers. Do I need to continue?”

“Well…”

She huffed. “I’m not stroking your ego anymore. Let’s stop wasting time arguing and get to work. All right?”

“A truce?”

“I’d like nothing better.”

“All right.” He shook her hand.

She practiced working with the sand. Lots and lots of practice before full darkness. After third meal, she returned to her room. Soon after, Jayden brought her a bucket of sand.

“This is for—”

“Practice,” she finished.

He grinned evilly. “Yup.” At least Jayden had given her a distraction. She doubted she’d get much sleep.

And she was right. Shyla used up her energy to work with the sand. After that, she tried to rest. But despite the fatigue flowing through her body, every time she closed her eyes, Rendor’s angry image rose. The pain in his voice echoed.

She glanced at the sand clock. Again. Angle three-twenty. Again, she swore the grains flowed up instead of down. Staring at the curved glass of the clock, Shyla pushed her will at it.

Stop.

The grains paused. Ha! She’d stopped time. Now the clock matched her mood. Too bad no one was there for her to tell. A pang of loneliness bounced in her chest. Her thoughts immediately went to Rendor. Argh. She couldn’t wait any longer. Grabbing her sun cloak, she strode from her room and headed down to the dorms on level ten. Only a few had been cleared and Jayden shared one of them with Ximen, Mojag, and two others. Druk lanterns hung in the hallway, casting enough light into the rooms.

Not wishing to wake the others, she crept into the small space and whispered his name. Jayden woke with a jerk. He sat up and brandished a knife.

Whoa. Shyla held her hands up, leaning back.

He relaxed. “Don’t do that.”

“Wake you up?”

A grunt. “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why—”

“I want to practice hiding in the sand.”

“Now?” Incredulity laced his voice. “It’s still dark and cold.”

“I want to hide near the city’s entrances. Is there a way to see through the sand? That would be a great way to spy on who’s coming out without having to influence everyone.”

“You’re worried about Rendor’s team.”

At least he didn’t just say Rendor. Progress. “Yes, but…I thought it might be a good idea to see if anyone follows them from the city.”

Jayden considered. His blanket had slipped down to his waist, revealing his bare chest and defined abdominal muscles. Rendor also slept without a shirt despite it being ten degrees. She shivered. What was wrong with these guys? Did they enjoy showing off their muscles to sleep deprived and lonely sun-kisseds?

“All right,” he said. “Give me an angle to get dressed.”

She retreated to the common room. A few people sat at the tables, talking in low voices. Others hauled buckets up to the surface. While it was too cold to stay out there for long without being bundled up, short excursions were fine. Especially since lugging heavy sand was hot sweaty work.

Rae and Lian sat in the corner. The ex-acolytes waved her over. When she joined them, Rae said, “Worried about the team?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“We’re insulted he didn’t ask us,” Lian said. “We helped you get through all those guards and down to level seventy-three. That should count for something.”

“It does. You have my eternal gratitude for helping rescue Banqui.” Shyla wouldn’t have gotten far without them, Jaft, and Elek. And that reminded her of another worry—where was Banqui? Was he safe?

“You know what I mean,” Lian said.

“I do. And don’t feel left out. Rendor did you a favor. Unless you wanted to climb ninety-nine levels carrying about twenty kilograms of water?”

Rae crinkled her small nose. Everything about the girl—yes, she was about the same age as Shyla, but she looked so young—was petite. Except her ability to fight. Nothing tiny about that.

Jayden arrived. “Ready?”

Shyla put on her sun cloak. The garment also provided warmth.

“Where are you going?” Lian asked.

“To do a little reconnaissance,” Shyla said.

“Need backup?” she asked with a hopeful tone. Lian’s pretty heart-shaped face held a wistful expression.

“I know everyone’s sick of shoveling sand, but it’s a necessary evil. And all too soon you’ll be going on dangerous missions.” Frankly, anytime any of them entered the city was dangerous.

“Promise?” Rae asked. Mischief sparked in her golden eyes that were framed by her long black eyelashes.

“Yes.”

“Goody.”

Shyla and Jayden climbed from the temple and paused, allowing their vision to adjust to the darkness. They weren’t taking a druk. The lantern shone with a white light when it was on the surface. That shine would give them away.

The long fabric of her cloak flapped in the cold breeze. Above her head, the black sky glittered with millions of stars. A cluster of five large stars known as the brothers shone bright enough to illuminate their surroundings. Without the sun blazing overhead, the desert held no color. It rippled with various shades of gray.

Jayden erased their prints as they headed to the city. The sand crunched with a crispness underneath their boots. A quiet emptiness hovered over the landscape unlike during the sun’s reign where the heat took up too much space, pushing and shoving at everything like a bully.

They passed a velbloud flock. The animals huddled together in one large mound. The warm air in their bladders kept them comfortable along with their white hair, which had the unique property of providing warmth during darkness and cooling the creatures during the killing heat. The people of Koraha revered the velbloud. When one died from sickness or old age, every part of it was used for the people’s survival.

When they reached the city’s outer limits, they circled the one-story structures, searching for the perfect vantage point. They chose a tall dune on the northeast edge. From that height, they would have a nice view of many of the entrances.

Jayden helped her float a Shyla-sized amount of sand. She lay on her stomach in the indentation. Holding out the hood of her cloak, she commanded the grains to settle. At first, it seemed like nothing happened, but then a weight pressed on her shoulders, back, legs and head. The starlight disappeared.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“A little too lumpy.” Jayden’s voice was slightly muffled. “Let me…” Sand shushed as it moved over her. “Okay, now lift your hood a bit and clear out two holes so you can see.”

When she lifted the material, sand flowed toward her face.

“Not that much,” Jayden said. “Push it away.”

She cleared it and then created two small openings.

“Looks good. How do you feel?”

“Like a sand devil ready to pounce.”

“Good. My turn.”

Beside her the rustling sounds of moving sand didn’t last long. Show-off.

As she waited for the sun to arrive, Shyla made a few discoveries. One, that the sand acted like a blanket, keeping her warm. Two, that remaining still for a few angles was harder than she thought. And the more she thought about it, the greater her desire to move, to stretch, to sneeze, to scratch since it seemed like every centimeter of her skin itched. Three, that breathing caused problems. Worried about taking too deep a breath and having someone notice the sand expanding and contracting, she tried to limit how much air she took in. But then that caused her to pant, which made her afraid she was running out of air despite Jayden’s assurances and the fact there were two holes right in front of her.

“Breathe normally,” Jayden said.

Surprised, she asked, “How did you know?”

“I can hear you.”

Oh. Drawing in even breaths, she calmed.

The dark gray desert lightened in tiny increments. At first a blush of pink spread through the sands. It darkened, painting the surface with strokes of ruby, crimson, and orange until the desert was stained with color. When the sunlight struck the surface, it flashed with brilliance and snapped into the familiar reddish-orange hue.

Soon the cleaning crew appeared at the city’s entrances, sweeping and shoveling the sand that had collected during the darkness. The constant wind only stilled during the killing heat.

Then the Heliacal Priestess arrived on the surface with a dozen deacons and four Arch Deacons in her wake. The priestess’s green silk robe flowed behind her. The golden orbs embroidered on the fabric shone as she moved. Shyla squinted and spotted the platinum torque at the woman’s neck. Sunlight glinted off the metal and the light silver color contrasted with her ebony skin. Bald and beautiful, the priestess walked with a confident grace, leaving behind slender footprints in the sand. The priestess worshiped the Sun Goddess every sun jump, performing a ritual and praying to the deity for…Shyla had no idea. Probably bountiful crops and help in gaining more power.

Shyla watched the priestess until she disappeared from sight. Then she scanned each deacon as they passed. The Arch Deacons were next. They wore green tunics and pants along with turbans and veils to hide everything but their eyes. Their torques glinted through the thin material of their veils.

Protected from her magic, there was no way she could sneak up on the Arch Deacons. Even though that wasn’t what she intended to do on this sun jump, Shyla considered the problem. Perhaps if the Invisible Sword members arrived at the priestess’s worship site before the sun and hid in the sand, they could ambush the Arch Deacons and take their torques.

However, that scenario didn’t sit right. Interrupting a religious ceremony seemed dishonorable. Shyla hadn’t believed in the existence of the Sun Goddess, but then she had been trapped on the surface and almost died of heat exposure. During that time, she had a conversation with the Sun Goddess who had asked her to save the people of Zirdai. Even though the encounter was probably a delusion, Shyla had been more open-minded about the Sun Goddess ever since.

The last of the Arch Deacons crossed her sight line. This one carried a sack over their shoulder—probably incense for the ritual. Shyla’s focus returned to the entrances, seeking Invisible Swords. She spotted Elek’s broad shoulders as he and Jaft strode from the north exit. They wore sun cloaks and carried shovels, not water.

She dug her fingers deep into the sand as her mind whirled with the implications. Was the mission unsuccessful? Needles of fear for Rendor and the others shot through her, leaving behind a painful pulse. At least no one followed them.

Then, despite the layer of sand, the high-pitched wail of a baby in distress reached her. The sound sliced right into her heart.

Son of a sand demon, that Arch Deacon hadn’t been carrying incense but a baby. No doubt a sun-kissed to be abandoned on the surface to die.

In this case, she’d be more than happy to ruin the Heliacal Priestess’s plans.