The City of Zirdai Read online

  “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… W
hy 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.”