The City of Zirdai

by Maria V. Snyder

  Elek and a few other strong Invisible Swords helped her to relocate Jayden and carry the supplies he’d need to survive. Ximen and Mojag also accompanied them. Gurice remained at headquarters.

  After Jayden was secured, Elek and the others left. Shyla, Mojag, and Ximen stood just out of reach. One druk glowed with a yellow light. It cast long shadows from its place on the floor.

  “Ready?” she asked them.

  Mojag pressed against her and she wrapped an arm around his bony shoulders, squeezing him in encouragement.

  “You don’t have to be here,” she said to the boy.

  “I know. I need to be here.”

  Another squeeze. “I know.”

  “Let’s do this,” Ximen said grimly.

  They stopped commanding Jayden to sleep. It didn’t take long for him to wake. He opened his eyes and spotted them. They braced for a magical attack, but he sighed and pushed to a sitting position. He froze when the rasp of metal over stone sounded. His gaze followed the chain from his ankle to the anchor in the middle of the small cavern.

  “Is this revenge?” he asked Shyla, referring to when she’d spent twelve sun jumps chained in here as they tested her for magic. He had called it a testing chamber, but to her it’d always be a prison. There was one way out, but there could have been four for all the good it had done her.

  “No. It’s practical.” And maybe there was a little bit of revenge in her decision to bring him here, but she wouldn’t admit to being petty. Not now. “Are you going to tell us what we need to know about why you sold us out to the priestess or am I going to have to read your soul?” She’d taken her shield down just in case he attacked with his magic.

  “The priestess?” Mojag asked.

  “Yeah, I figured it wasn’t the prince, too,” Ximen said. “Jayden hates the prince.”

  “He hates the priestess, too.” Mojag frowned. “Probably a lie, like everything else.”

  Jayden flinched. “I hate the prince more. Hated him enough to be willing to stab him with my knife. But she ruined that.”

  Oh no, he didn’t get to blame her or anyone else. “By saving your worthless life. Your plan was flawed.”

  “Not this again. It’s definitely not the time,” Ximen said. “Is that why you ran to the priestess? Thought she’d help you kill the prince?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “In exchange for killing…” His voice hitched. “Bazia, Payatt…our friends…the Invisible Swords.”

  “No.” Jayden shot to his feet. “I didn’t tell her the location of our headquarters. Banqui did that.”

  She groaned. Not this again!

  “The idiot snuck out,” Jayden said. “Banqui had forgotten about one of his caches when we let him get his personal items. He said there were priceless artifacts inside, but we wouldn’t let him leave our hideout. It was too dangerous.” He huffed in disgust. “Normally opening those almost invisible doors is just about impossible to figure out, but the Water Prince’s personal archeologist certainly knew how to operate them. So smart until he came back. He’d no idea that he was being followed. The deacons showed up in force soon after he returned with his stolen treasures. Don’t give me that look, Shyla, he was stealing from the prince just like all the other archeologists before him, saving up for the perfect time to leave the city.”

  It was difficult to believe Banqui’s carelessness was the reason for the attack. He’d spent quite a bit of time in the prince’s black cells—an experience, she was sure, that no one ever wanted to repeat. “But after we rescued you, I asked you if Banqui was involved. You said you didn’t know.”

  “You asked if he betrayed us. And I didn’t know. He could have purposely led the deacons to our hideout.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “The priestess has him.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me—oh.”

  “Yeah, oh. I needed there to be doubt about his involvement.”

  “Is he alive?” She held her breath.

  “As far as I know.”

  At least there was some good news from all this.

  “Speaking of involvement, when and why did you get involved?” Ximen asked.

  “Wait,” Mojag said. “How can we believe anything he says?”

  Ximen and Jayden glanced at Shyla.

  “I can tell when he’s lying,” she said.

  Mojag scrunched up his nose. “But he’s lied to you a million times. How come you didn’t know then?”

  Good question. “I wasn’t…monitoring him then. I trusted him.” Big mistake.

  “Monitoring?”

  “Right now, I’m using my magic to tap into his surface emotions. If he lies, I’ll know. And if he won’t answer our questions, I’ll go deeper and find the answers.” The last part was more for Jayden than Mojag.

  “So when and why?” Ximen demanded.

  Jayden scrubbed a hand over his face. “When they attacked us, I found the leader and begged him to stop killing our people. Promised him I’d arrange for the Heliacal Priestess to get The Eyes if he stopped.” Then he looked at Shyla. “Promised to hand the sun-kissed over.”

  Ah, so it was an ambush and not very bad luck Shyla had run into those Arch Deacons in Tamburah’s judgment room. So much for Jayden not wanting to hurt her.

  “My people were dying. I had to do something,” Jayden said.

  “Only ten of us escaped,” Ximen whispered.

  “They would have killed everyone, Ximen. The rest were arrested.”

  Ximen perked up. “The commanders?”

  Jayden shook his head sadly. “They wanted to kill the leaders and those that could wield magic. Good thing you and Gurice weren’t with them.”

  “Oh, so I should thank you for not ratting us out?” Ximen demanded.

  No response.

  “The exchange with the Heliacal Priestess,” Shyla said. “You for The Eyes. Your idea?”

  “Yes. I knew the prince had the fake Eyes so the Invisible Swords would have to give the priestess the real ones. I’d no idea you had woken them.” He glared at her. “They told me you died.”

  She glared right on back. “Not sorry to disappoint you.”

  “But we rescued you, Jay. Why keep working for the priestess?” Ximen asked.

  “We have no chance against the Water Prince. You’re all fooling yourselves. I want him dead! And I don’t care if I have to work with the priestess to do it.”

  “What did you tell her?” Ximen asked.

  A hushed silence. Would he reveal the depth of his betrayal or would Shyla have to force it from him?

  “Not much. I didn’t want you or Gurice or Mojag hurt. She doesn’t know the location of your headquarters or about Tamburah’s second vault. In fact, she stopped assigning deacons to watch our old headquarters. Actually, the priestess doesn’t care if you’re hiding out in the desert playing at a rebellion. We both figured the new organization would eventually stall and break up.” He growled in frustration. “How in the seven hells did you get twenty more people?”

  “We’re asking the questions,” Shyla said coldly. “What did you tell her?”

  “I recognized the significance of the torque around her neck. She’d no idea. It’s an heirloom handed down—or taken—from one priestess or priest to the next. Must have been a gift from the Invisible Sword founders. Despite the rumors, the torques weren’t lost. They were entrusted to and passed down to the leaders of the Invisible Sword. I found them in my father’s things after he died. I hid them, but told the priestess where to find them to protect her pet Arch Deacons.” His shoulders drooped. “I wouldn’t have told her, except she needed a show of good faith from me before we did the exchange.”

  “And you were going to let her own The Eyes?” Ximen asked in shock. “So the prince is dead. So what? We’d still have to deal with the Heliacal Priestess who’d have the power of The Eyes at her disposal.”

  “She never would have woken them,” Jayden said. He scowled at Shyla. “Nor would I have told h
er how.”

  “Why tell her about the deacons having magical potential? How did she open them up?” Shyla asked.

  “Again, so she can defeat the prince. And she didn’t open them…I did.”

  Jayden must have been spying on her and Gurice when she’d worked with Mojag. That meant— “I thought it was from the power of The Eyes.”

  “Despite what you think, you’re not that special. All you need is just regular old magic and someone to teach them.”

  Ximen shook his head. “So the priestess kills the prince and takes over control of the city. How does that help you?”

  Jayden looked at Mojag, and the emotion associated with that gaze touched Shyla’s heart. For the first time since all this started, she didn’t hate Jayden.

  “He did it for the vagrants,” she said. “The priestess must have promised him that she would leave the communes alone.” He was the Vagrant Prince after all.

  “Is she right?” Mojag asked. He’d been quiet up to this point.

  “Yes. The priestess will also release our people from the black cells. And no more deaths in the prince’s special rooms.”

  “But you forgot about the deacons torturing people to confess their sins,” Shyla said. “Or did you negotiate with her to stop that as well?”

  The muscles in his neck tightened. “The deacons don’t kill those people.”

  “So you’re okay with torture?” she asked.

  “She won’t need to torture anyone when…”

  Oh, this should be good. “When what?”

  “When she has you.”

  Ah. She shouldn’t be surprised. The Water Prince wanted the same thing. And Jayden had set the Arch Deacons on her before. “And when is that going to happen?”

  Jayden’s posture stiffened but he didn’t say anything. His magic flared. Shyla braced for an attack. Nothing happened. It took her a moment to realize that he was preparing to fend off her efforts to read his soul.

  “Are you sure you want to do it this way?” she asked.

  No answer.

  She deepened her connection into his mind.

  Jayden commanded, “Stop!” with a full blast of his magic.

  Scorching sand rats, the man was powerful. More than she’d thought. Her body locked tight. She was unable to move. And from the unnatural stillness beside her, she guessed Mojag and Ximen had been caught as well.

  But that was the thing—while she could counteract his magic with probably a great deal of energy, it was unneeded. The power of The Eyes could not be stopped by magic. And she’d already established a link to his soul. There was no need for her body to move in order for her to explore his mind with hers.

  She was curious what Jayden planned to do next. His thoughts raced with possibilities as a grim satisfaction over trapping the three of them flowed through him. Perhaps he could command them to give him the key to the cuff.

  Shyla sank lower into the core of his emotions. A red-hot hatred burned for the prince. Why? She sought out the source. An image of a lovely young woman with dark hair and amber eyes. A fierce love and adoration surrounded her…Jayden’s older sister. The image flipped, turned upside down and now she was naked, covered in cuts, and bleeding to death in one of the prince’s special rooms. Jayden huddled below, watching her die through the metal grate. Listening as her blood dripped into the black river next to him. Shyla felt his, horror, and fear twisting into hatred and fury as intense as the sun. All directed toward the new Water Prince. A ruthless man who attacked the vagrants soon after he’d won the throne. He claimed they soiled his city and he would exterminate them all.

  His anger was certainly justified. But she couldn’t sanction what he was willing to do to reach his goal.

  Jayden must have sensed her presence. “No, wait. Stop.”

  Too late. She continued. His feelings toward her were more complex. Jealousy, anger, frustration, admiration, exasperation, and hatred for stealing The Eyes from him, for preventing him from assassinating the prince.

  Then she sank to the darkest levels of his mind. There lurked his guilt for not being fast enough to save his sister, for being away from the commune when the guards attacked, for not protecting his people, the self-loathing of working with the priestess. In his mind, he was not a traitor. He did not betray his friends, he was saving them all. He was a hero. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep them safe and alive. Even tell the priestess when and where to capture the sun-kissed.

  Shyla sifted through his memories of the conversations he’d had with the priestess, the exchanges of information, and the plans they made. It was an ugly, unpleasant task. One she didn’t relish. One that would take her a long time to recover from. But before leaving his soul, Shyla found a place where Jayden was at peace, where love and not hate resided. His emotions toward Mojag were pure. The fierce protection and brotherly love clear. Shyla paused and absorbed the goodness. This was what she wanted to remember when she thought of Jayden. Not the hate and pain of betrayal.

  When she withdrew from his soul, Shyla became aware of her physical body. No longer frozen in place, she filled her lungs.

  Ximen had his hand on her arm. “Are you all right?”

  “Not really, but I will be.”

  He nodded his understanding. Ximen wasn’t all right either. Mojag stared at Jayden, who was now curled in a ball on the floor. Tears welled from his amber eyes—the same color and shape as his sister’s.

  “Did you…” Ximen twirled his hand. “You know…”

  “Yes, I learned what we needed to know.”

  “Do we have to evacuate?”

  “No. Everything he told us was true.” She faced Mojag, putting her hands on his bony shoulders. “He loves you. All your interactions with him were genuine. He never lied to you.”

  “But he lied to everyone else.”

  “He believed he was doing the right thing for everyone.”

  “Except you,” Ximen said.

  True. “Let’s go. We’ve lots to do to prepare.” But she turned toward Jayden.

  He’d uncurled and sat up, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

  Shyla pushed the druk closer to him with the tip of her boot. “Being locked in total darkness is cruel, so you can have the druk.”

  “You can’t leave me here,” he said.

  “Why not?” she asked then pointed to the back of the chamber. “You’ve plenty of supplies for the next thirty sun jumps.”

  Jayden spun. Water skins and rolls of jerky rested on the low stone table. A cushion sat next to it along with a small pile of scrolls—because they weren’t heartless. Collection buckets lined the far wall with a jar of cleanser.

  “No,” he said with dawning horror. “No. You can’t.”

  “We can. And now that you have lots of time to think, consider this: if we’re defeated by the priestess, will we tell her where to find you or not? That is, if we live through the battle.” She paused to let her words sink in. “I guess if no one shows up after thirty sun jumps, you’ll have your answer.”

  She tilted her head toward the exit and the three of them turned to go.

  “Stop,” Jayden called, once again using his magic.

  But Shyla was ready for him and deflected it. They strode from the chamber, turning right at the first intersection.

  “No!” Jayden’s last anguished yell echoed off the walls, thudded with their heartbeats, and followed them all the way back home.

  So. Much. To. Do. With only limited time. Before they entered their headquarters, Shyla explained to Ximen what she’d learned and what she was planning.

  “Wait. The priestess knows we’re going to buy the platinum from Zimraan and you still want to go ahead with the purchase?” Ximen asked with plenty of skepticism.

  “Yes.”

  “And that’s where they expect to capture you.”

  “Yes.”

  He shook his head. “You’re the boss.”

  And she had the most to lose. When she e
ntered the common room, she noted the quiet conversations and morose expressions, the sense of defeat and fatigue in the air. Time to change that.

  “Listen up,” she said, projecting her voice. “We’ve work to do.”

  They fetched the rest of the Invisible Swords and she issued assignments. Handing a bunch of torques to Ximen, she said, “Figure them out. I want to know exactly what they can do and how to counteract them.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

  She ignored his sarcasm. “Have Titus help you. Gurice!”

  The woman snapped to attention.

  “You’re in charge of training the new wielders. Start with Mojag. He’s quick and from the way he stopped Jayden’s sand attack, powerful. Concentrate on manipulation; we’ll teach them the other techniques later.”

  “Them?” Gurice asked.

  “Yes, I’ll be sending you more soon.” She glanced at the two women and the man who’d been cracked. They’d sat together, looking overwhelmed and uncertain.

  Then Shyla gestured to Elek and Jaft. “Gather all the warriors,” she instructed. “Ask the new members who can fight and see what they can do. I want a status report on readiness in a sun jump.”

  They nodded and, for once, Jaft didn’t have a smart-ass reply. Shyla watched them move among the others. Before they could approach Rae, she pulled the woman aside.

  “Rae, it’s your choice. Open your magic or join the fighters.”

  While petite, Rae knew how to use her size to her advantage and was fierce in a fight.

  “What do you need more? Wielders or fighters?” Rae asked.

  An easy question to answer. “Wielders who can fight.”

  “Figures.” She drew in a breath and straightened her shoulders. “All right. Let’s do it now before I change my mind.” She gave Shyla a tentative smile.

  “Meet me in my room,” Shyla said. “I need to talk to the others.” She found Yoria, Lamar, and the three ex-deacons and their three friends. Explaining the process of opening their magic, Shyla gave them all the choice. “No one is forcing you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. If you decide to become wielders, then wait outside my room for your turn.”