Page 116 of The Eyes of Tamburah
Now what wasthatsupposed to mean? “What about The Eyes? Do you know what happened to them?”
“The Water Prince is aware he’d been given fakes. The Heliacal Priestess is still seeking them.”
In other words, no. A chill rolled up her back. Between the two of them, they’d tear the city apart. “Then it’s probably best for me to stay dead. Relocating to another city seems like the smartest course of action.” She waited for Hanif to make a comment about her running away, but he kept his lips pressed together.
“Zhek, do you have any mag—medicine to change the color of my hair?” she asked.
Zhek picked up the cup of his tea and handed it to her. “No. And that’s enough questions for now. Your skin is healed, but there’s still quite a bit of damage to the inside of your body. Drink this, dear child.”
The Sun Goddess had called her the same thing so perhaps that proved her “conversation” had been nothing but a delusion. She saluted Zhek with the cup and downed the drink in a few gulps.
* * *
When she woke, one word kept repeating in her mind—gaps. What did Hanif mean by that? She was alone for the first time in sun jumps. Usually Zhek hovered nearby to ensure she ate and drank, after which she promptly fell back to sleep—an ideal existence, as she avoided painful memories. She also hadn’t seen Hanif or Rendor since she’d been taken out of the goo. Bonus!
However, with her mind clear, her traitorous thoughts returned to the series of events that had been triggered when Banqui first burst into her room, announcing The Eyes had been stolen and the Water Prince believed she was the thief. Despite the sad ache of losing her friend and the sharp barbs digging into the empty place where her heart used to be, she sought those gaps. Just so she could inform Hanif he’d been wrong.
She started with the facts. The Invisible Sword plotted to assassinate the Water Prince. Using The Eyes as bait, they had known the prince would hunt Banqui and Shyla down and that Shyla’s naivete would convince him she was innocent—which she was! The prince would then turn on the charm and get her to agree to seek The Eyes for Banqui’s release—not that she had a choice really, since the threat to Banqui’s life had been real. Maybe Banqui betrayed the Invisible Sword due to revenge? They had ruined his reputation. Plus he’d suffered the most while the Water Prince’s guest.
Meanwhile, the Water Prince had his own agenda. He suspected the Invisible Sword had The Eyes and figured her resourcefulness and attention to detail—not to mention her desire to save her friend—would lead Shyla to the Invisible Sword’s headquarters where Rendor would report back. The HQ would be raided by the guards and he would not only have The Eyes, but eliminate an adversary. No gaps.
Rendor had confirmed this when he’d said, “if all had gone as planned.”
The plan was ruined by the Invisible Sword. They’d realized the Water Prince was after them and ambushed Rendor—almost killing him. And to think she had grieved for him. Stupid. And still no gaps.
Then the Invisible Sword imprisoned her. Why? They had claimed to test her for magic. She hadn’t mentioned magic to Hanif. A gap? It could have been a form of hypnotism. Except…she’d seen Jayden and the others use it. And she’d used it as well. Hanif probably already knew about magic. Maybe the monks had the talent as well. But the fact that she didn’t tell him or Rendor about her magic made it a gap. A small one.
The Invisible Sword had gone to quite a bit of trouble to convince her of their intentions to help those in need and that they needed Banqui to use the power of The Eyes. And once she’d vowed to be a part of their organization, they had a ready plan to free Banqui, which really was a way to get close enough to the prince to assassinate him. No gaps there.
But why would the Invisible Sword “wake” her magic? If all they wanted was for her to bring them to the prince, then why bother? Had they thought she’d need to use that magic in order to reach level ninety-seven? Unless they hoped once the prince was dead, she’d join them for real? But then her pledge took longer than anyone else and Jayden had said, “You’re clearly conflicted and not committed.” And he’d also said, “If you’d been more… attuned to the city’s plight, we would have approached you directly.” Obviously he and the Invisible Sword didn’t trust her despite her actions. Then why did Jayden try to save her when the Arch Deacons attacked? Since she was unable to ask Jayden, that was another gap.
Rendor had then tried to romance The Eyes from her. She’d been tempted, which she hadn’t mentioned. But that was personal—no need for Hanif to know how close she came to falling for that betrayal. And the pouch of Rendor’s coins in her pack…he hadn’t lied about that, but it had been a last-ditch effort to get her to run away with him. Then why stay at the monastery? Argh! Another gap. Scorching hells.
Back to the assassination attempt. That plan was inadvertently ruined by Shyla. Keeping one eye hidden until Banqui had been released had been a smart thing to do. If they’d trusted her and told her the plan, she’d…
Hmmm. Would she have supported it? The Ways of the Yarin were all about defense. The Water Prince was abusing his power and the people were suffering. But to kill him? There had to be a better way. No. She wouldn’t have supported that plan. What would she have done instead? Shyla laughed. It was a harsh sound as her throat still burned. She would have done exactly what she had done! And their plan had been doomed to failure. The man wasn’t a fool and had worn armor. No gaps.
After Banqui’s rescue they returned to the Invisible Sword’s headquarters and, according to Jayden, had been betrayed. By who? Banqui was the most obvious suspect, but it could have been any of the Invisible Swords. Gap.
And Shyla’s conversation with the Sun Goddess? Real or imagined? Gigantic gap.
Great. Just great. Once again, Hanif managed to be right. Did it matter? Did Shyla have the desire to fill in those gaps? The old Shyla wouldn’t have been happy until she uncovered all the facts. Now, she learned that pain accompanies knowledge. Lots of it. Could she leave Zirdai? Leave Jayden’s fate in the hands of the priestess? Never find out if Banqui betrayed the Invisible Sword? What about Rendor?
She hadn’t been conflicted when all she cared about was saving Banqui. Now, opposing thoughts, emotions, and desires whirled through her without stopping.
Time to visit the only person she could trust and who might be able to help her…or confuse her even more.
* * *
When Shyla poked her head into Hanif’s rooms, he appeared to be meditating. But then again he always seemed to be in a state of extreme calm—except when she riled him, which was quite often. Hanif’s door was also always open.
“Come in, Shyla,” he said before opening his eyes.
She entered the austere main area. The set-up was similar to an office—he had a desk and a work area—yet he preferred to do his business on the cushions arranged in an oval on the right side with everyone holding a cup of tea. Hanif’s only vice.
He gestured to the cushions. “Sit. Are you here to fill in those gaps for me?”
She chose the blue and silver one—her favorite. The design reminded her of the patterns a small dust devil leaves in the sand as it swirls through the desert.
