The City of Zirdai

by Maria V. Snyder

  “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.

  “Brea
the 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.

  Seven

  Even though they were both hidden under the sand, Jayden managed to grab her arm. “Stay put.” His voice was muffled but the order was clear.

  “No.” There was no way she’d let the Heliacal Priestess and her deacons abandon a baby. Another wail tore into her guts.

  “We can’t do anything until they’re gone. We’re outnumbered. Besides, we can’t just appear from the sands. There’s still too many people leaving the city.”

  She hated that he was right. Hated it with all her heart and soul. “As soon as—”

  “Yes, we will.”

  How could he be so calm? A third and weaker cry skewered her. A physical need to move, to run, to swoop in and scoop up the baby hummed in her blood and drummed on her muscles.

  “Look,” Jayden said. “There’s Nard and Lamar.”

  Shyla spotted the two men. No one paid them any attention as they strode away from the city in a different direction than Elek and Jaft. They too carried shovels. Except Nard’s sun cloak appeared…odd. There was a…hump on his back. Not big as if— Idiot! They carried the air bladders full of water on their backs under their sun cloaks. Rendor was a genius!

  A bit of pride pushed her other emotions to the side for an angle. He wasn’t the second worst choice. In fact, she would no longer tolerate those comments. And it was time to stop trying to please everyone.

  After a few more angles, Balin and Daksh slipped from a little used exit and soon disappeared from sight. Shyla and Jayden continued to wait, but none of the other Invisible Swords left the city. Soon, the flow of people stopped and the sweepers retreated underground. Had the rest of the team been caught? Or were they still collecting water? Instead of jumping to horrible conclusions, she’d ask Elek when she returned to the temple. But first the baby.

  Jayden squeezed her arm. “Not yet.”

  She suppressed a growl. What were they delaying for? The baby shouldn’t be out—

  The Heliacal Priestess and her posse strode into sight. Oh, right. So anxious to rescue the infant, she’d forgotten about the seventeen people. Except only thirteen returned from the place of worship. The four Arch Deacons were noticeably absent. Seven hells. They’d remained behind to ensure the baby wasn’t rescued. And with the torques protecting them from Shyla and Jayden’s magic, they’d be hard to beat. Not impossible, but not a guarantee either.

  Once the deacons and the priestess disappeared underground, Jayden said, “I’m not sure where the Arch Deacons are, so move the sand to the side instead of up into the air.” He released his grip. “Try not to draw attention.”

  Shyla concentrated and envisioned the grains being swept aside as if she was slowly opening a set of curtains. The weight lifted from her back as the sunlight brightened. Interesting how the sand had also insulated her from the heat. The sand devils dug into the dunes to escape the killing heat, but they also had tough hides and special respiratory systems to aid in their survival.

  Her stiff muscles protested when she pushed to her feet. Jayden stood next to her, brushing sand from his cloak.

  Scanning the desert, she found the deacons’ tracks. However, the baby hadn’t made any more noise. Had the infant died already?

  “We need a plan,” Jayden said. “We can’t just rush in there. Let’s take a look first.” He shrugged off his cloak.

  Like Shyla, he wore the red tunic and pants that the monks donned when they were on the surface. Hanif had given them a number of used and worn sets. She copied Jayden. They folded the sun cloaks and then buried them under the sand. Without the protective material, the heat grew uncomfortable despite the early angle. Sweat collected along her brow.

  Instead of following the tracks, Jayden led them to the southeast, looping around so they would approach the worship site from another direction. When they neared it, they crouched low, keeping a larger dune between them and the Arch Deacons.

  Shyla spotted two monks lying in the sand nearby. And they no doubt noticed her as well. The monks or acolytes—hard to tell since their clothing, veils, and turbans blended in with the colors of the desert—appeared to be within direct sight of the worship site and probably the Arch Deacons. Either the Arch Deacons had chosen to ignore them or they hadn’t seen them.

  She tugged on Jayden’s arm and pointed the monks out to him.

  “Why are they here?” he asked, whispering in her ear.

  Good question. Normally the parents of sun-kissed babies abandoned them in the desert well away from the public paths. In rare cases, some were given to the deacons to leave on the surface. “I think they’re waiting for the Arch Deacons to return to the city so they can rescue the baby.”

  Jayden huffed. “So it’s a waiting game? See who’ll stay out here the longes
t without getting cooked?”

  If the baby was unprotected from the sun, it would die well before the killing heat. “The monks are technically not allowed to interfere.”

  “So it’s up to us?”

  “Yes.”

  “We need to take a peek,” Jayden said.

  “How?” She gestured to their surroundings. “They’ll see us and we can’t influence them.” Shyla stared at the monks. An idea formed.

  “I’ll go through the dune,” Jayden said. “I’ll just push the sand this way so they don’t notice.”

  That would take him a fair amount of energy and time. “No. I’ve another plan.”

  “And…?”

  “If it doesn’t work, we’ll go with yours.” She crept to the edge of the dune, closing the distance between her and the hidden monks. Waving her hands, she hoped to catch their full attention and not just a glance. Lowering her mental shield, she prepared to act. The monk closest to her shifted his gaze and she made eye contact. Perfect! She picked up on his emotions and thoughts.

  What did Shyla and her companion think they were doing? If they tried to get the child, they’d have to fight four Arch Deacons without his and Lota’s help. Hanif would kill them both if they were seen aiding an abandoned child. At least Hanif’s information that a sun-kissed had been born recently proved accurate. Appalled and disgusted, he hoped the Arch Deacons would leave soon, but the scorching sand demons seemed determined to wait until the poor child died. He also worried they’d been warned about the monks attempting to rescue the sun-kissed since the four deacons faced four different directions. And they each kept a hand on the hilt of their swords as if expecting an attack.

  A scary thought hit Shyla. What if the baby was bait? What if this was a hideous attempt to get the Invisible Swords to come out of hiding? She returned to Jayden and told him what she’d learned and her fears.

  “How would they know you were watching on this particular sun jump?” Jayden asked, questioning her theory.

  “I don’t know. Maybe they thought we had spies in the city. Hanif had known this might happen and sent the monks. Unless…” No, that was too terrible.