The City of Zirdai

by Maria V. Snyder

  “Do you know where they get the water?”

  “No. Not many do. It’s one of those closely guarded secrets. We really don’t care if they steal it or bribe the guards or have another source as long as it’s clean. Do you want me to arrange a deal with one of them? I’ve done it for my commune on level sixty-two many times.”

  His comment about bribing the guards made her pause. Rendor should know about how the Water Prince’s guards collected and distributed the water. “Not yet.”

  “Why not? We’re going to run out of water soon.”

  Again she resisted snapping at him. “How much would it cost?”

  “Quite a lot. Thirty-six osees for the first shipment of a dozen jugs. And if it’s poisoned that’s just bad luck, you don’t get a single coin back.”

  Wow. She’d figured it would be expensive, but not that pricey. “What’s to keep them from just giving everyone poisoned water?”

  “Once a dealer’s jugs are discovered to be poisoned, he’s out of business. No one would buy from him again. The problem is that person just hides behind another to keep selling until the guards figure him out again and lace his jugs.”

  “So the guards eventually find the dealers?”

  “Some of them. The ones who have stayed hidden the longest charge forty-eight osees a dozen. But they’re picky about who they sell to. We’d be too big a risk for them. Besides, we can’t afford it.”

  Not yet. She hoped her talk with Aphra would be profitable. “What about food? Are there food dealers as well?”

  “Jerky is always easy to get. There’s not much supervision in the smoke caverns on level four and the workers steal rolls and sell them. That’s where we’ve been getting our supply. Fresh meat, eggs, and vegetables are harder to obtain. You can’t get into the growing caverns, but the delivery people and kitchen workers can be bribed.”

  She considered. “Is that how the Invisible Swords acquired food before?”

  “No. Truthfully, there were only a handful of people who had to remain truly invisible and they all had magic so they slipped in the dining caverns and helped themselves without anyone the wiser. The other members either were legitimate citizens or vagrants and had their own sources of food and water.”

  He didn’t say it, but Shyla sensed his impatience over her decree that they not steal. Technically, obtaining food and water illegally was stealing, but at least someone was getting paid for taking the risk.

  Then there was the problem of transporting food and water to their headquarters. “Can we connect our headquarters with the city? Maybe dig an underground tunnel?”

  If he was thrown by the change in subject, he didn’t react. He frowned in thought, gazing over her shoulder. “Our headquarters is further than Tamburah’s temple. It’ll take time and plenty of manpower. Plus we’d have to dig a bunch of fake tunnels to confuse anyone following us. The maze to our old hideout was the result of thousands of sun jumps’ work over the last thirteen hundred circuits.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Having just one tunnel would be a start and I think needed since traveling topside is becoming increasingly risky.”

  “Can you scout out a location in Zirdai we could connect to?”

  “Yes. We’d need to link to a place down some long-forgotten tunnel that’s not too deep. Somewhere between levels six and twelve.” He straightened. “I’ll take a look. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to talk to a treasure hunter about earning us some coins.”

  “Do you know how to get back here?” he asked.

  “Only by crossing the plank.” She crinkled her nose, remembering the strength of the air blowing up from the depths, threatening to knock her off. Just the thought of standing on the edge conjured up the scent of gamelu meat mixed with damp sand that had been seared into her senses.

  “Then pay attention on the way out.”

  “All right.” Shyla pulled her wrap from her pack and arranged it to cover her short blond hair. Though it no longer stood up like bristles on a brush, her hair still had a long way to go to return to the length it had been before the deacon cut it off. One benefit to its current state was that it was easier to cover and keep clean.

  She grabbed a druk as they crossed the common area. The vagrants had gathered to share first meal together. Her stomach grumbled when she smelled the velbloud eggs, but she continued past the tables.

  Jayden grabbed her arm, stopping her. “We should eat first.”

  “No. We’re not taking food from them. They—”

  “Are happy to share. They know we’re trying to make their lives better. They want to support us in the ways they can. This is one way.”

  And Jayden knew them best. But she only filled her water skin halfway before joining them. Their conversation reminded her of the meals she had growing up in the monastery. It was a similar exchange of their plans for the sun jump, a bit of gossip, a bit of teasing, some good-natured grumbling about work shifts, and arguments over stupid things like who cooked the best eggs. She’d missed that connection, that sense of family. The Invisible Swords hadn’t gotten there yet.

  Once the meal finished, Jayden led her out to a familiar part of the city. They parted. She pulled her wrap lower, putting her face in shadow. Dressed like one of the citizens, she was practically invisible. No magic needed. She kept to the edges to avoid encountering them. But, of all the people she did pass, not many even glanced at her, and those who did didn’t really see her.

  It struck her that all these people were just trying to survive, earning enough coin to pay for food and water for themselves and their families. And to avoid being noticed by the guards or deacons. The air hummed with a current of fear. People struggled to breathe in this toxic atmosphere.

  But would their lives change once the Invisible Sword defeated the Water Prince and Heliacal Priestess? Taxes and tithes would still be needed to grow food and distribute water. Yet there would be no harsh punishments for minor crimes, no threat of torture just because a deacon decided someone didn’t show the proper devotion, and no more fear simmering in the air. It was going to take a great deal of time, coin, and effort, but she was determined to bring laughter back to the city of Zirdai.

  Shyla reached the dining cavern on level nineteen. It was angle thirty—the end of first meal. Almost everyone had gone, but a few lingered inside. The deacons in charge of making sure those who entered had paid their tithes rolled up their scrolls of names, preparing to settle in for the boring angles between meals. Citizens could stop in for water at any time, but most filled their water skins during the three meal times.

  Gathering her will, she used her magic on the deacons.

  Look away, she commanded them.

  Look away.

  Both men turned to glance in the opposite direction and she slipped by them. Her magic worked differently than the power of The Eyes. She could influence a person’s perceptions or give them simple commands like sleep or look away without the need for eye contact. However, The Eyes made her magical commands stronger.

  Only a few people sat at the tables scattered around the cavern. Since all the dining areas spanned two levels, the ceiling arched high above. The sounds of the workers cleaning up the serving line bounced off the hard stone walls as the lingering spicy scent of roasted gamelu meat perfumed the air. She breathed in deep. It’d been so long since she had a hot juicy meal that she just about drooled.

  Pulling her focus back to her task, Shyla scanned the diners. When not recovering artifacts, the treasure hunters gathered here each sun jump to swap stories, dig for information, and to team up if a job was too big for one of them to handle. Except this jump. No one lingered, which meant they must all be working.

  Most of the hunters worked as freelancers for Fadey. He arranged jobs and hooked up hunters with buyers. For a fee, of course. When she’d first arrived in Zirdai, she had worked for Fadey, finding the location of hidden treasure for his hunters. It had been a temporary arrangement until
she’d set up her legitimate business.

  Shyla headed to Fadey’s rooms. He lived on level seventeen despite having enough coins to afford a deeper place. Hunters stayed close to the surface for easier access to the buried ancient ruins, temples, and palaces full of artifacts.

  As she walked through the tunnel leading to his door, Shyla slowed. The…bumps of hidden watchers reached her. She sensed two people lurking in the shadows. Guards or hunters or maybe a rival’s men? Perhaps a couple of Fadey’s minions, protecting their boss’s home. When she neared his door, she had to make a decision—keep walking or stop and knock.

  She needed to find Aphra. Deciding to stick to her original plan, she knocked on his thick colored-glass door. The last time she visited, one of his minions wouldn’t let her in without a bribe. Shyla dug into her pack, finding her pouch of coins.

  The door slid open without anyone demanding that she state her business. Fadey stood on the other side. His mouth hung open as he stared at her in shock. She was equally surprised as his clothes were rumpled and stained. His curly black beard was straggly and unkempt. She’d never seen him so disheveled.

  “Fadey, what—”

  “Come inside, quick.” He grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the room, shutting the door right behind him.

  “What happened? What’s going on?”

  “You’ve returned from the dead. I can ask you the same thing.”

  “I asked first.”

  “And it would take me angles to tell you everything. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time. You need to leave before the guards arrest you.”

  Three

  That explained the two shadows outside his door. “Do you have another exit?” she asked.

  “Of course,” Fadey said, gesturing to his back rooms. “But they’re being watched by the prince’s dogs as well.”

  She thought quickly. “All right. I’ll be back.”

  “No. Run away and don’t come back!”

  “Don’t worry, Fadey. I’ve a plan. They won’t know I returned.”

  He pulled on his beard. The long strands of curly hair straightened. “I can’t help you if you’re arrested.” Fadey released his hold and the beard bounced back into place.

  “I know. Keep your door unlocked so I can slip inside.” She left his rooms and glanced to each side as if nervous, clutching her wrap tighter.

  The guards stepped from the shadows to her left, but she pretended that she didn’t notice them. Instead, she turned and hurried down the tunnel. They followed her. Shyla led them further away from Fadey’s rooms and snagged a druk lantern before going into the abandoned tunnels. Unlike Jayden, she wasn’t as knowledgeable about all the back ways, shortcuts, and hidden areas of Zirdai, but she’d explored many of the upper levels, including level seventeen.

  She looped around a few times, hoping to get the guards lost. They didn’t grab a druk. No doubt to stay hidden in the darkness beyond the reach of her orange-tinted light. When she entered the next intersection, she turned right and closed the druk, plunging them all in complete blackness.

  A muffled cry of dismay sounded. The men hustled around the corner. She didn’t linger. With a hand on the wall, she raced ahead of them. When she reached the next intersection, she turned left and then right at the following one. Once satisfied she’d lost them, she opened the druk and returned to Fadey’s.

  This time no one lurked nearby and she entered his rooms without any problems. Fadey stuck his curly head out the door to check that no one waited to arrest her.

  “Scorching hells, Shyla. What did you do?” he asked, closing and locking the door.

  “I led them on a merry chase and lost them. By the time they figure out how to return, I’ll be long gone. Now, let’s sit down and catch up.”

  He grumbled but led her to his sitting room. The opulent touches—lava stones, a hand-woven rug, and oversized cushions—were all gone. A few battered thin cushions remained and Fadey plopped onto one while Shyla sat on another, facing him.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “The Water Prince sent his dogs to round up all the treasure hunters,” he said in a defeated tone.

  “Round up? Are they—”

  “They’ve been arrested. They’re either rotting in one of his black cells or have been tortured to death.”

  Horrified, she pressed her hands to her chest. “Do you know what happened to Banqui?”

  “Dekel spotted him creeping around the city, looking skeletal. It was about twenty to twenty-five sun jumps ago. Then one of my hunters reported seeing him about two or three sun jumps after that with a deacon escort. And I’ve heard nothing since.”

  Captured or collaborating? Either way it wasn’t good news.

  “Sorry, I know you are friends. I’d look into his whereabouts, but I’ve my own problems to deal with.”

  She focused on Fadey. “Why is the prince arresting the hunters now?” The prince had mostly ignored them and the black market merchants.

  “Those blasted Eyes. You stole them from him and he’s determined that no more artifacts shall be taken. Rohana, his new archeologist, is the only person authorized to dig.” Fadey leaned forward. “If you still have them, you need to give them back!”

  It was a good thing Fadey’s powers of observation tended toward ancient artifacts or else he would have noticed the change in her eye color by now. “The Eyes don’t belong to him.”

  “But we’re all suffering.”

  “Do you really think if he had The Eyes he would release the hunters?” Guilt and sadness twisted around her heart. At least Fadey wasn’t locked in a cell. A beat later—why not? “Why didn’t he arrest you?”

  “He did. I was…questioned and forced to give him the names of treasure hunters.” He hung his head in shame.

  “Did he interrogate you in one of his special rooms?”

  A nod, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  “Fadey, no one is going to blame you for cracking. You survived a terrible experience.”

  “No one else thinks that way. They all say I’m a coward. Then to rub it in, the prince assigned me to be Rohana’s assistant and if I don’t locate artifacts for her, she threatens to send me back to the prince.” He shuddered then hooked a thumb behind him. “Those dogs outside my door are looking for the hunters who got away.”

  A spark of hope. “Some escaped?”

  “A few. Fortunately, I don’t know all the hunters in Zirdai so couldn’t name them, and they’re smart enough to stay far away from me. No one has visited me except you, and now he’ll know you’re alive.”

  “No, he’ll learn someone came to visit you. They didn’t recognize me.”

  Looking miserable, he put his head in his hands. “They’ll ask me, Shyla. And I’m not strong enough to keep it secret.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  He glanced at her. “Are you that confident you can avoid being arrested?”

  “No, but I’m learning how to stay hidden, probably like the hunters who escaped. Or do you think they left Zirdai?”

  “I don’t know where they are. If they’re smart, they’re long gone.”

  “Do you know who escaped?”

  “Someone tipped off Dekel and he told his crew. They scattered right before the guards arrived.”

  “Is Aphra part of Dekel’s crew?”

  “Yeah.”

  Shyla was glad the woman escaped. Aphra had treated her like a normal person.

  “I answered your questions, now it’s my turn. What happened to you?” Fadey asked. “The deacons said you went topside during the killing heat and died. We spent an entire service thanking the Sun Goddess for taking you home.”

  She found it interesting that the priestess hadn’t informed her flock that the evil sun-kissed had returned. That would be quite the embarrassment. It also might proved to be to Shyla’s benefit.

  “They lectured us about reporting sun-kisseds as soon as they are born. Sorry.” He ducked his h
ead.

  Everyone believed Shyla had been left on the sands to die when she was a newborn, including her until eighteen sun jumps ago when she’d learned she was born in the monastery and Hanif was her father. “Why are you sorry? You haven’t sacrificed any sun-kissed babies, have you?”

  He stared at her in horror. “No!” Then he recovered. “They want us to report all sun-kisseds.”

  “Does this mean you’re going to report me?”

  “Of course not. But why would the deacons lie about you?”

  “They didn’t. I did go topside right before the killing heat.”

  “How did you survive? No one has before.”

  Shyla leaned closer to the man. “Fadey, look at me, please.” She lowered her shield as he met her gaze.

  Finally noticing her new eye color, he jerked in surprise. “Your eyes—”

  “Fadey, you will forget my visit and our conversation. Shyla Sun-Kissed is dead. When the guards ask who came to see you, tell them it was a merchant looking for treasures to sell on the black market. Tell them you turned her away and laid down for a nap.”

  Sleep.

  He slumped over. Shyla lifted his head and tucked a cushion underneath. Even though it would save him from getting into trouble, erasing his memories sat heavily on her heart. She wondered if she would reach a point where altering memories no longer caused her concern. Would she be ruthless in order to win? Shyla hoped not, but it worried her.

  As she navigated the tunnels down to level thirty-nine, she considered her next move. Even if Aphra remained in Zirdai, would the woman still be able to sell treasures for Shyla? The hunter had mentioned working with someone at the university in Catronia—the closest city to Zirdai—so perhaps Aphra’s network hadn’t been shut down by the prince’s sweep. But how would she find the woman? Maybe Jayden had some ideas.

  She arrived at the commune before Jayden. Zhek waylaid her almost immediately, demanding to check her injury. With her history of ripping stitches, there was no way he’d trust her word that it was fine. She grinned at the surprised tone in his voice when he declared it “healing nicely.”