The City of Zirdai

by Maria V. Snyder

  Chago was the third and last acolyte. He was a lanky young man who was freakishly fast even with his thoughts. Shyla just managed to stay ahead of him. And she had to sacrifice a couple points to probe his mind. By the end of the match, her energy lagged and Chago won four points to one. At least she’d held him off longer than he’d expected when he’d sized her up in the beginning.

  Hanif consulted with the two other monks before they left. She ripped off the veil as soon as they were out of sight. The material had clung to her damp face while she fought. Then she pulled off the sweat-soaked turban. Ugh. She reeked.

  “You need practice,” Hanif said.

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “You did better than I thought you would.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Did you…?” He tapped his forehead.

  “Is that code for ‘read their souls’?”

  “Shyla.”

  She enjoyed annoying Hanif much more now that she was an adult. “Yes. Durva and Tobbar are legit. Chago isn’t. He’s the Water Prince’s cousin.”

  “Seven hells.”

  “He’s very good. And you’re going to have to decide what to do with him.”

  Hanif’s gaze sharpened. “What do you mean?”

  “If you kick him out, then he’s going to suspect I was somehow involved. Which will no doubt bring Captain Yates back.”

  Another string of curses burst from Hanif.

  “How long can you delay them from taking the oath?” she asked.

  “Not long—five or six sun jumps. They’ve met all the requirements.”

  Too soon. “How about allowing him to become a monk and just keeping him from sensitive information?”

  “That would be difficult.”

  “If you prevent him from passing along information, I can erase his memories later.”

  Hanif considered her offer. “How much later?”

  “When we unseat the Water Prince.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  Figured he wouldn’t accept a vague answer. “I don’t know. We’re still rebuilding. We have limited resources and people. It might be impossible.” She plopped onto a stool and rested her head in her hands. That was the first time she’d admitted out loud that the task of overthrowing the Water Prince and Heliacal Priestess may very well be unattainable for her and the Invisible Swords.

  A warm hand rested on her shoulder. “You have a history of doing the impossible.”

  She lifted her head. “I do?”

  “Yes. You survived on the surface during the killing heat. You woke The Eyes of Tamburah. You convinced Captain Rendor to turn his life around. You rescued Banqui. All things I would have sworn no one could possibly do.”

  “But this is different.”

  He raised an eyebrow—a familiar and exasperating gesture. “Is it?”

  Yes. It was. Maybe. Scorching hells, at this point she’d no idea. And Banqui was missing. Again. She sighed.

  He patted her shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”

  Easy for him to say.

  “And I’ll deal with Chago,” he said. “Perhaps I’ll feed him some misinformation for fun.” An evil little grin spread across his face.

  Shyla almost felt sorry for Chago. Almost.

  After she cleaned up, she joined Jayden in Hanif’s office. He’d spread the nine torques out on the desk. “Only the two are new, the rest are old.”

  Which didn’t tell them much.

  “I’d like to take these back to our headquarters. Maybe we can learn how they work and figure out a way to bypass it,” Jayden said.

  “What if we’re raided?” She’d hate for the torques to be used against them.

  “I can hide them in the sand. So can you.”

  True.

  “And when I’m done I’ll melt them down.”

  “Too bad we can’t sell the platinum.” Then she wouldn’t have to worry about getting coins.

  “It would be nice, but the priestess would just buy it and make more.” Jayden gathered the torques and tucked them into his pack. “When the priestess is no longer in power, we’ll sell it for a bundle of osees.”

  Shyla paused. This was the first time Jayden sounded confident that they would overthrow the priestess. She wondered what changed.

  Unaware of her regard, Jayden said, “If we hurry we can get back before darkness.”

  They left the monastery at angle one-seventy. The sun squatted on the horizon. It had swelled into a giant red sphere that warped the pink sky into bands of purple, orange, and yellow. As they walked through the cooling sand, Shyla mulled over what had happened at the monastery.

  She’d never considered that the Water Prince and the Heliacal Priestess would send people to infiltrate the monks. Growing up with the acolytes, she hadn’t noticed anyone being too curious or too observant, which was more of an indication of her observational skills than theirs. The most alarming realization was that of the fifteen acolytes that had volunteered to be Invisible Swords, one or more of them could be spies.

  After she’d woken The Eyes, they had rushed to rescue Jayden, then they’d hurried to move into the temple and had been scrambling to secure basic needs since. She’d never formally accepted them, nor had she asked them to pledge an oath—not that swearing to be loyal meant they would be. If Hanif allowed Chago to become a monk, the man would lie.

  Shyla hadn’t wanted to scare or upset anyone by abusing her power. But now that she thought about it, she needed to formalize the membership. At least for the acolytes since they weren’t Invisible Swords before.

  “Jayden, did the Invisible Sword require all members to pledge their loyalty to the organization? Does everyone have the mark on their shoulder?” It was an invisible mark that only other members could see.

  “I was thinking the same thing. Yes, everyone who helped us pledged their loyalty. Only those in the upper levels bear the mark.”

  “We need to do that for the new recruits.”

  “I agree. Are you going to read their souls, too?” he asked casually.

  “If I do, then I should do it for all the Invisible Swords as well. It’s only fair.”

  He stopped. “No it isn’t. They all swore their loyalty. If you do that, they’ll be insulted.”

  Just like Jayden was at the very idea. Except they’d made their vow before Shyla woke The Eyes. “Yet someone betrayed us.”

  He rounded on her. “Not someone. Banqui. You just refuse to see it. Which is why no one believes you about Rendor.”

  This was an old argument, but she couldn’t help saying, “There’s no evidence Banqui did it. And why would he? He has no reason.” Plus he’d promised her he’d say goodbye. And perhaps she was being naive, but she trusted Banqui to keep his promises.

  “Coins are enough of a reason.”

  Tired of arguing, she headed toward the temple. No matter what Jayden thought, she was going to figure out a way to test all the Invisible Swords.

  Before they reached the common room, Shyla said to him, “I want to hide in the sand again.”

  “You think the priestess will try to abandon another baby?”

  “No, but I’d like to ensure no one is following our people.”

  “All right. I’ll meet you here at angle three-fifty.”

  Shyla squirmed into a comfortable position before commanding the sand to cover her.

  “Better,” Jayden said of her efforts as he settled next to her.

  It didn’t take long before Shyla spotted Gurice and Mojag. The siblings slipped from the south exit. The tight pressure around her chest eased a fraction.

  “There’s Ximen,” Jayden whispered a few angles later.

  While happy that he was free of the city and that no one had followed any of the Invisible Swords, Shyla worried about Rendor. Why hadn’t he left with Ximen?

  They remained in place for another ten angles. Still no Rendor. The sweepers returned inside. Still no Rendor. The pries
tess finished her service. Still no Rendor.

  When the area was completely deserted, Jayden said, “We better go back.”

  “You can go,” she said.

  “Shyla, he’s not coming out. Not if he doesn’t want to draw unwanted attention. I’m sure Ximen knows where he is and why he stayed behind.”

  He was right. Yet Shyla was almost afraid to find out why. The citizens of Zirdai hated him, the Water Prince had ordered his guards to kill him on sight—if they could—and the deacons would happily end his life for no reason at all.

  Shyla and Jayden returned to headquarters. Gurice, Mojag, and Ximen were regaling the others in the common room with stories of how they spent the sun jump hiding from the various factions.

  Unable to wait another moment, Shyla sent Ximen a silent command.

  Come here!

  He turned to her in surprise, but once he saw her expression, he hurried over to her and Jayden.

  “What happened?” she demanded.

  “The mission was a complete success. And, as long as we’re careful, we can tap into that water source whenever we need it.”

  “A complete success?” she asked doubtfully. “Then where’s Rendor?”

  Ximen glanced at Jayden then away. “He…” Ximen fidgeted with the sleeves of his tunic.

  She wanted to strangle him. “Spit it out, Ximen.”

  Ximen drew in a breath, then released it slowly. “He decided to remain behind. He said he’s not welcome in the Invisible Sword and it would be better for everyone if he just disappeared.” Ximen touched her arm. “Rendor did the right thing. It’s best for all of us.”

  Eight

  It’s best for all of us. Had Ximen just said that to her? She stared at him in shock.

  Rendor had decided not to become a member of the Invisible Sword.

  Rendor had decided not to come back to her.

  His angry words—which she’d been avoiding thinking about—replayed in her mind. 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?

  Scorching hells, why did she have such a good memory? Each word stabbed into her heart. Why hadn’t she chased after him right away? Why had she waited? Stupid, selfish sun-idiot. And now he was gone.

  “Did you erase his memory of us?” Jayden asked.

  The thought of Rendor not remembering her tore through her with sharp teeth. She glared at Jayden. He wore a pleased smile that Shyla wanted to slap right off his face.

  “No,” Ximen said. “He’s been exiled. If the guards see him, they have orders to kill him. Besides he doesn’t have anyone to tell.”

  “What about his parents and older brother?” Jayden asked.

  Stunned, she almost rocked back on her heels. Rendor had a brother? Why didn’t she know? What else didn’t she know about him?

  Ximen shrugged. “They disowned him when he signed up to be a guard.”

  “How do you know this?” she asked.

  “Rendor’s been causing the vagrants and the Invisible Sword trouble since he joined the guards,” Jayden said. “We were hoping to find some leverage to keep him from being such a heartless killer. When we threatened to harm his brother, Hastin, he laughed and told us to go ahead, and, while we were at it, to take out his parents as well and save him the trouble.”

  “Where do they live?” Shyla demanded.

  Ximen glanced at Jayden as if seeking his permission.

  “I asked the question, Ximen,” she snapped.

  “This really is for the best,” Ximen said. “Think about it, even Rendor’s parents didn’t want him and they raised him.”

  “That’s not what I asked.” She stared at him. If she had to get the information by using The Eyes and taking another step down the path to Tamburah’s madness, she would.

  Ximen dropped his gaze. “They live on level eighty-four.”

  Only the very wealthy could afford to live below level eighty. She’d no idea. A self-absorbed and selfish sun-idiot. “What do they do?”

  “They own a number of businesses. Hastin travels to other cities to purchase and trade goods. He’s supposed to be some kind of prodigy.” Ximen shrugged. “All we know is that soon after Hastin became an active part of their business, they were able to move down from level sixty-seven.”

  And Rendor’s skills with a sword were not beneficial to his family. He’d told her his family thought he was worthless, but she’d never asked him…anything. Too concerned with the Invisible Sword. No wonder he didn’t want to come back. Too bad. She’d find him and drag him back if she had to.

  “Shyla, it’s not worth the risk,” Jayden said.

  Was she that easy to read?

  “You’re vital to this organization. Without you, we can’t free Zirdai,” Ximen said.

  Jayden touched her arm. “You can’t be selfish.”

  Oh yes she could. And she would. It took every gram of willpower not to punch him in his you-can’t-be-selfish guts. Instead, she turned from them both and hurried to her room before tears spilled. Once in the privacy of her room, though, her sadness turned to anger. She paced the tiny area.

  At the first sign of trouble between them, Rendor bolted. He had known the Invisible Sword wouldn’t welcome him right away, that he’d have to fight for it. So what changed?

  You don’t share the same feelings, he’d said.

  How could he believe that when everyone else apparently thought she was in love with him? Had something happened on the mission? She needed to talk to Gurice. Of all the people in the Invisible Sword, she’d already accepted Rendor. Or so it seemed.

  Shyla found Gurice dumping buckets of sand on the surface.

  “You just came back from a mission. You don’t have to work,” she said to Gurice. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Nah. We slept while we waited.”

  “Tell me how the mission went.”

  Gurice swiped a stray lock of brown hair from her light green eyes. “Ximen reported it all to Jayden.”

  Who was the last person Shyla wished to speak to. “Humor me.”

  She shrugged. “We entered the city the same as we left it, in pairs. Mojag and I were first in and we got to the black market before it closed for darkness. I bought the air bladders and then we met up with the others on level thirty-two. Then Rendor led us down to this creepy tunnel that had big pipes crossing through it. The noise of the water rushing inside them was deafening and we had to use hand gestures to communicate. We found a rusted valve and Rendor, Elek, and Ximen had to all grab it.” Gurice grinned. “Lots of bulging muscles on display.” She fanned herself with a hand.

  “Focus.”

  Gurice laughed. “That valve opened with such a screech I thought it would bring every guard down on us. But nothing happened. We filled the bladders without a hitch and climbed back to the surface. That was the hardest part. Water is heavy!” She shook the empty bucket. “Not as heavy as sand, but I don’t have to lug sand up ninety-nine levels.”

  “Did you see the prince’s…special cells?” Shyla swallowed the bile that immediately rose when she thought of those rooms. The image of the naked dead woman hanging upside down had been seared into her mind.

  “No. And we didn’t see any guards. Rendor seemed to know exactly where they’d be. Even during the sun jump we had to wait before leaving, we encountered no one as we stayed in various forgotten spots and took turns sleeping.”

  Good news and another reason they needed Rendor. See, she wasn’t being selfish. “Did one of the guys say anything…nasty to Rendor?”

  Gurice’s expression softened. “Before the mission there was lots of unkind and spiteful grumbling, but no one said anything to him—nobody’s that stupid. And during the mission, everyone was quite impressed. I’m sorry, Shyla. I know you two were…”

  Were. As in the past. “Did he say anything about…that?”

  “Just what he told Ximen. He
seemed pretty grim at the time, but he’s not exactly the happiest person.”

  True. But she treasured those moments she’d made him laugh. “Do you know how to find those pipes again?”

  “Both Ximen and Elek know how to get back to the pipes, but truthfully, I’d feel better if Rendor was with us.”

  “Did he mention what he was going to do? Where he might go?” Shyla remembered he’d planned to become a monk before she invited him to join the Invisible Sword. If she couldn’t find him in the city, she’d check with Hanif.

  “No. He said he’d keep out of our way and not to worry about him.”

  That wasn’t going to happen. “Thanks, Gurice.”

  At the end of the sun jump, Jayden and Mojag headed to the city. Shyla joined them, ignoring Jayden’s protests, which turned him sullen. He refused to discuss the mission with her.

  Instead, she filled Mojag in on the new mission. “I need you to find out how much platinum has been sold recently, and if the deacons bullied a family to give up their baby.”

  “What are you going to do?” Mojag asked.

  “I’m going to see if the vagrant network knows where Aphra or Banqui are.” And Rendor.

  Glancing at Jayden, Mojag said, “We could do that for you.”

  “I know, but if they know where they are, then I need to talk to them both.” And talk to him…well, after she slugged the big brute.

  The rest of the trip was quiet—unusual for Mojag, but the boy must have sensed Jayden’s foul mood and had enough self-preservation instincts to tone down his normally chatty personality. They joined the flow of people heading back into the city after tending to the velbloud flocks and gamelu herds.

  Jayden led them to Orla’s commune on level thirty-nine. She had planned to scan all the people they passed, searching for Rendor, but, due to Jayden’s knowledge of the city’s twists and turns, they only encountered a few citizens. Frustrating and impressive. It was obvious the Invisible Sword needed Jayden. Was she risking alienating him by chasing after Rendor? No. She needed them both.

  Orla welcomed them. The older woman fussed over Mojag, sending him to get something decent to eat—a kind and cutting gesture at the same time. Though maybe Shyla was just feeling guilty for not providing fresh food for her members.