The City of Zirdai

by Maria V. Snyder

  “From you?”

  “No, from the deacons. I don’t think they’ll be pleased that your information was inaccurate. I won’t cause you any more trouble. I suspect you’ve already had more than your share and that’s what I’m trying to stop.” Shyla left.

  During third meal, Shyla observed the kitchen staff in the dining cavern on level thirty-nine. There she spotted a young man using magic. She trailed him to his room and repeated her recruitment spiel to him and his roommates. Except this time one of the men contemplated how to report the sun-kissed to his superiors. So she erased his memories of her visit and sent him to sleep.

  “He’ll betray you if you tell him about me. Decide to come or stay, but don’t reveal your plans to him.”

  “How do you know he planned to betray us?” one man asked.

  “The same way I know you’re thinking of finding your sister, Karrah, hoping to convince her to come with you.”

  He straightened in surprise. “Oh.”

  “And, by the way, she’s welcome.” Although where Shyla was going to fit all these people she had no idea.

  She wished she could visit the other six dining caverns. Because once these people disappeared, she doubted she’d be able to get near the kitchen workers again.

  Jayden arrived at Orla’s commune after darkness.

  Surprised, she asked, “Where’s Ximen?”

  “Good to see you, too,” he snarked. Then he sobered. “Mojag is driving me crazy. The kid is inexhaustible and wants to learn everything about magic. Right away! For the first time in his short life, Mojag is focused and determined.”

  “That’s wonderful news.”

  “For you,” he mock-grumbled. “Not for me. I needed a break so I asked Ximen to take a turn with him.”

  “Good idea. Did you bring a statue?”

  Jayden dug into his pack. “I thought this one makes him look the most kingly.” He handed her a statue of Tamburah wearing a crown and elaborate royal garments.

  It was about thirty centimeters high and weighed around two kilograms, which meant it was hollow. If it’d been solid gold, it would be much heavier.

  She updated Jayden on the new members. “We’ll take them with us when we leave at angle zero. In the meantime, I’m going to visit the professor.” She grabbed a handful of coins and gave them to Jayden. “Here. We’re going to have twelve more people to feed. Please buy some fresh food.”

  He stared at the coins in his palm. “Twelve?”

  “So far. I’ve been recruiting and I plan to get a dozen more.” She slapped him good-naturedly on the back before hurrying to level forty-two to finish her business with Emeline.

  After dodging a couple guards, Shyla slowed. No sense running straight into the enemy. When she reached level forty-three, she paused as a familiar set of…bumps touched her. Pressing against the tunnel’s wall, she peered around the corner. About three meters away were Nuru and Vallie—the two guards who helped her when Utina, the historian, demanded that she be arrested. They had seemed open-minded and intelligent when they escorted her to the library. Would they be open to the idea of joining the Invisible Sword?

  Shyla drew in a breath. Only one way to find out. Gathering her courage, she rounded the corner and strode to the pair. It took them a few heartbeats to notice her, and then a couple more to recognize her.

  “Hey!” Nuru shouted, pulling his sword. “You’re under arrest.”

  She held out her hands to show them she was unarmed. “I’m not running away.”

  Vallie had also drawn her weapon. “Good, then we won’t hurt you.”

  “I just want to talk to you,” Shyla said.

  “Fine. You can talk all you want on the way down to the Water Prince. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.” Nuru gestured with the tip of his blade.

  “No.” She made eye contact with each of them. Both were confused by her behavior, but excited to have caught the sun-kissed. “You know the Water Prince will torture me and eventually kill me.”

  “He might spare you,” Vallie said.

  “You should have thought of that before you stole The Eyes from him,” Nuru said.

  “The Eyes were never his. But if he gets them, he will have a great deal of power. And what do you think he’ll do with this power?”

  “Not our concern,” Nuru said. “Now move, or I’ll—”

  “When will it become your concern? When the prince targets your family? Your friends? Your partner? When your mother is hanging upside down being tortured because your thoughts were not what the prince wanted to hear?”

  They both stared at her.

  “Yes, The Eyes will give him the power to read your minds, your emotions, your souls. You won’t be able to lie to him. Ever.”

  Vallie sheathed her sword and pulled out a pair of manacles. “Nice try, Sun-Kissed. But we don’t scare easily.”

  “I’m telling the truth. And you can help me to overthrow the prince. I’m—”

  “A delusional sun-kissed whose brains have been fried by the sun. No, thanks,” Nuru said.

  “You’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” Vallie said. “There’s no reason for us to trust you.”

  Their emotions matched their words. The idea of working with a sun-kissed or anyone to overthrow the prince would be suicide. Too bad. Shyla summoned her will.

  Stop.

  They both froze. Vallie’s arms were extended as she reached for Shyla. Pushing her arms down, Shyla hooked the manacles back on the woman’s belt. Then she took Nuru’s sword and slid it back into its sheath. Shyla stepped behind them and erased their memories of the encounter with her. Only when she was out of sight did she release them.

  She climbed to level forty-two. After ensuring there was nobody in the tunnels around the professor’s room, Shyla knocked on the door.

  Emeline invited her inside. “I didn’t think you’d be back this quick.”

  “No sense waiting.” Shyla pulled the statue from her pack.

  “Oh my.” She took the golden figure almost reverently. Holding it near a lantern, she examined it carefully, once again using her tools. “It’s genuine.” Emeline glanced up. “Well done. How many artifacts did you find in Tamburah’s second vault?”

  “I’ve a few more pieces,” Shyla hedged. “Are you interested in buying them?”

  “I doubt I have the coin for such historically valuable items. But the Water Prince is very curious where you found these. Guards!”

  Shyla started as guards rushed from the professor’s sleeping chamber. So focused on potential ambushers outside the room, she’d never considered seeking them inside. A deadly mistake.

  Fifteen

  Shyla recovered from her shock and held up her hands. Not to surrender, but to push her magic at the six guards.

  Stop.

  They halted.

  The professor clutched the statue of Tamburah to her chest as she glanced at the guards. “What are you waiting for? Grab her!”

  Sleep.

  The four men and two women collapsed to the floor.

  Emeline backed away from Shyla. “What did you do to them?”

  Shyla stepped toward the deceitful woman. “You’ll find out if you don’t pay me what you owe for the crown.”

  “She’s bluffing,” a familiar and rather terrifying voice said. The Water Prince stepped from Emeline’s sleeping chamber with Captain Yates right behind him. “Shyla won’t hurt you.” He met her gaze.

  Big mistake as that allowed her to read his soul. The prince gaped in shock as he noticed her new eye color. His surprise transformed to fury in a heartbeat, but he recovered, burying his anger deep and resuming his neutral expression. He studied her as if appraising a gamelu herd. As much as she was tempted to go deeper into his thoughts and emotions, she kept her focus on his surface emotions only. For now.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Shyla said. Her voice remained calm despite the tight fear ringing her throat. Gauging how much strength
she needed to knock both the prince and Yates unconscious, she collected her will. From past experiences, Yates would be hard to influence. Perhaps she should just bolt. But would she make it to the door before Yates caught her?

  Still clutching the statue, Emeline pressed into a corner, staying out of the way. The prince and Yates kept their distance from her. The Water Prince wore an unremarkable tunic and pants that showed off his athletic build. At twenty-five circuits old, he was young for such a powerful position, but his ruthlessness had developed at an early age.

  Holding his hands out to the sides, the prince said, “Relax. We’re here to talk.”

  The truth. Yates’ massive fists were pressed to his hips, but he hadn’t drawn his sword. Or his knife. His fierce glower warned her that he could grab both at any time.

  She gestured to the six guards on the floor and edged closer to the door. “Sure doesn’t seem like it.”

  He gave them a disdainful look. “They’re for my protection.” Then he returned his full focus on her.

  Even though she knew he was evil to his core, she was still struck by his handsome features, the deep emerald of his eyes flecked with silver, his black hair contrasting with his tan skin. Like many others who lived deep in the bowels of Zirdai, the prince spent little time in the sun, while Yates could almost be his shadow.

  Subtly she shifted, increasing the distance between them. The door loomed behind her about two meters away. But then she sensed more guards on the other side. They filled the hallway in front of Emeline’s quarters.

  Scorching sand rats.

  “What did you want to talk about?” she asked, delaying the inevitable. Her best chance would be to dive into the hallway, surprising those waiting, and hope to sprint away without having to send them all to sleep. She inched closer.

  “About a possible exchange.”

  She froze.

  He smiled, but the sharp lines of his face didn’t soften. In fact, they appeared even more severe, and she wondered how she could have ever thought this man attractive.

  “It’s your turn,” he said. Then after a moment, he continued. “No? All right then, I wish to discuss the fate of the two monks in my custody—your parents.”

  She kept her expression impassive despite her heart’s frantic beats. “My parents abandoned me in the desert. You are mistaken.”

  “Oh, come on, Shyla. You’d have to be blind not to see the resemblance.”

  Considering she was raised in the monastery and spent eighteen circuits with Hanif, blind was an apt description. “What do you want?” Although she had a good guess.

  “I want The Eyes of Tamburah.” He swept out a hand, indicating the sleeping guards. “But you’ve already claimed them and somehow woke their power.” His tone almost filled with awe until it sharpened. “You lied to me. You said The Eyes held no magical powers. That you didn’t seek power. Yet, here you are.”

  “I didn’t lie. At that time, I thought both statements were true. But now…”

  “Now?”

  “By assigning me the task to find The Eyes for you, you made me see the real city of Zirdai, and not the one I’d built in my childish fantasies. I saw the rot, the corruption, and the horrors of your rule. I saw a city suffering. And when I held the means to change it in my hands, I found the strength to claim it.”

  “Nice speech. You may have The Eyes, but you don’t have much else. You may be able to put my guards to sleep, but I’ve an army of people. And if you could render them all unconscious, then we wouldn’t have almost caught you at the monastery.”

  Shyla thought it best to remain silent. If he was hoping she’d reveal the limits of her power, he was going to be disappointed. She concentrated on the guards outside the door, counting them and devising an escape plan.

  “What I want”—the prince stepped closer—“is for you to work for me. I want the Invisible Sword to disappear for good—never to be seen again. In exchange, I’ll release the monks and anyone else you care about.”

  Not quite what she’d expected. At least cutting her eyes out wasn’t part of the deal. Not yet anyway. Not until he learned how to claim the power for himself.

  “Anyone? Including Banqui?” she tried.

  The prince glanced at Yates in genuine surprise. The captain shook his head.

  “Have you lost your friend again? That’s rather irresponsible of you,” the prince said.

  At least Banqui wasn’t locked in a black cell. Then where was he? Bringing her attention back to the prince, she asked, “What would I do if I worked for you?”

  He tilted his head at the prone forms on the floor. “You’ll be one of my protectors. You’ll also be my advisor. You can tell if someone is lying, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You’ll help me usurp the Heliacal Priestess. The city doesn’t need two rulers. Everything will be better with just me in charge. And…” The prince moved closer and lowered his voice. “I’ll stop torturing people for information.”

  That was too good to be true. There had to be some trick despite his honesty.

  He leaned in. “Think about it. Why would I need to torture anyone when you can read their souls and learn all their secrets?”

  Stopping the torture was her top priority. And working for the prince would solve a number of other issues and avoid a battle where there would be casualties. A cold pulse of shock slammed into her when she realized she was tempted. It allowed the rational part of her to override her emotional first reaction. What the prince proposed she’d do instead of hurting his prisoners was exactly what Tamburah had done. Besides, the prince had to release her parents eventually or risk upsetting the King.

  Then it occurred to her that she could capture the prince right now. Except she doubted his guards outside would allow her to leave with her prisoner. Unless she knocked them out, which would take too much energy because Yates was thick-headed and would require most of her strength.

  The prince watched her. “Do we have a deal?”

  “I need to think about it.”

  “Then sit down and have a think.” He gestured to a cushion. “Professor, do you have any refreshments for your guests?”

  Emeline let out a squeak of surprise before dashing over to a water jug. Shyla didn’t move. Obviously the prince wasn’t going to let her leave without an answer. And she wasn’t about to give him one. Both led to trouble.

  As the prince made a show of settling in with a glass of water in hand, Shyla’s thoughts raced. There were about eight guards in the hallway. Too many to put to sleep, but perhaps she could influence them.

  She accepted a cup from Emeline but didn’t sip the water. The professor might have served her holy water. Why not? She’d betrayed Shyla to the prince, she could be working for the priestess as well. And that thought gave her an idea. Gathering her power, she sent it to the five men and three women waiting outside.

  Arch Deacons.

  Shyla envisioned half a dozen well-armed Arch Deacons approaching the guards from both sides.

  Arch Deacons.

  Shouts pierced the tense silence. Then a rustling and the unmistakable ring of swords being drawn. The prince and Yates exchanged a concerned glance before the huge man strode to the door and slid it open with more force than needed. A crack zigzagged along the colored glass.

  The guards had split into two groups of four. They stood back to back, facing the Arch Deacons.

  “What’s going on?” Yates demanded.

  Arch Deacons.

  Shyla pictured them advancing on the guards.

  “Arch Deacons are attacking, sir!” one man said as he blocked an invisible weapon.

  Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Shyla used the not here command and took off down the tunnel. Only Yates spotted her. The captain cursed and the sound of his boots pounded after her. Once she was out of sight of the guards, she dropped her mental suggestions, then poured all her energy into staying ahead of Yates.

  From the brief glances over her shoul
der, Yates wasn’t far behind. In fact, for a man his size, he was rather quick. There was nothing worse than being chased through an underground city. Eventually, they’d run into more guards or a group of deacons or a dead end, which was very likely as she wasn’t familiar with this particular level.

  The few people she passed just pressed against the walls, giving Yates room. They wouldn’t dare try to stop him, but they wouldn’t interfere with her either. Unless they decided helping the Water Prince’s captain would benefit them. All she needed was a fraction of an angle to disappear from his sight so she could lose him before that happened.

  Shyla aimed her magic back at Yates.

  Gone.

  Nothing. Not even a hitch in his stride. She added more force.

  Gone.

  And a bit more power.

  Gone.

  Her commands just bounced off his broad chest. Or so it seemed. And to add to the fun, another set of boots sounded behind Yates—probably the fastest of the guards rushing to catch up. She ceased her efforts to use her magic and concentrated on her direction. Aiming away from the populated areas, Shyla turned to dart down what she hoped—

  Pain exploded in the back of her right thigh. She sprawled forward, skidding over the stone floor, scraping her palms and forearms raw. But that was minor compared to the agony that gripped her leg muscles. She looked back and wasn’t sure what was scarier. The knife sticking out of her leg or Captain Yates standing next to her with the tip of his sword descending slowly toward her. Desperate, she sent all her magic at him.

  Stop!

  Nothing. She tried to scramble away from the weapon, but the fire in her leg prevented her. The sharp point of the sword touched her back. She froze—all pain forgotten as it pierced her tunic and skin.

  “The prince doesn’t care if you die,” Yates said. “As long as I don’t damage your eyeballs.” He twisted the sword, creating a bigger gash.