Page 18 of The Eyes of Tamburah
The dry warm air pressed on her back and she fought to stay on her feet. Her pant legs flapped. She clutched her wrap to keep it from flying off. The strong gingery anise scent of the desert mixed with cooking smells and a variety of sour odors. This must be one of the main air conduits. Coughing, she quickly exited the tunnel.
Shyla admitted defeat at level thirty and abandoned the edges for a more popular route. She readjusted her wrap, ensuring the material covered her hair and cast a shadow over her face. By the time she reached level forty-three, it was angle one-thirty-five. At this depth, the druk lanterns glowed with a greenish tint. Utina shouldn’t be at second meal, and Shyla hoped the historian wasn’t teaching a class.
The Zirdai University was considered the smallest university of Koraha. Shyla found it hard to believe when the maze of its lecture rooms, offices, and dormitories was five levels deep and two kilometers wide. She’d only been to Utina’s office once when Banqui introduced them.
A nervous twinge of guilt flared in her chest. This had nothing to do with finding The Eyes and freeing Banqui. But it had everything to do with her future. Unless she failed to find them and no longer had a future. No. Not going to think bad thoughts. She would focus all her efforts on recovering The Eyes as soon as she delivered the Gorgain crypt map to Utina.
Shyla waited until a group of students passed her before she pulled her wrap back to expose more of her face. Then she knocked on Utina’s half-opened door. The bright white light of a trol lantern spilled into the hallway.
“Come in,” Utina called.
Pushing the door wider, she paused. A man sat in front of Utina’s desk. Both he and Utina stared at her in shock.
“Am I interrupting something?” Shyla asked.
The man jumped to his feet. “No. No, we…uh… were just finishing.” He exchanged a glance with Utina before bolting from the room.
Utina pointed at the empty cushion. “Have a seat.” Her hard voice matched her stony expression. And her black hair had been pulled into a severe bun.
“I’m sorry I missed our meeting.” Shyla perched on the edge. Touching the bandage on her temple, she said, “I fell and—”
“Save your excuses,” Utina said. “I didn’t want to hire you. But Banqui insisted I give you a chance.”
This wasn’t going as she expected. “I found the location of Gorgain’s crypt.” Shyla took the map from her pack and spread it over Utina’s desk, tapping a finger on the spot she’d circled. “And I discovered a tunnel that the grave diggers used. You can reach the crypt without going through the main building, avoiding any traps.”
Instead of looking happy, Utina crossed her arms. “Am I supposed to believe that Gorgain’s diamond and gold crown and ruby torque are still buried with him?”
Shyla said slowly, “They should be.”
“Oh, so you’ll wait until I dig them up and then steal them from me?”
Ah, scorching hells.
Utina leaned forward. “And then what? You’ll kill me and I’ll disappear? Like you did to Banqui.”
Son of a sand demon. “I didn’t—”
The man returned with four guards right behind him. “That’s her! The sun-kissed who stole The Eyes and killed the Water Prince’s archeologist.”
As the guards rushed her, Shyla held up her hands. The sleeves of her tunic fell down, revealing the sigil. All four halted a meter from her.
Puzzled, the lead guard grabbed her arm to inspect the bracelet. He grunted. “It’s legit.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Utina snapped. “She must have stolen it.”
“Impossible,” the lead guard said without hesitation. “Do you need any assistance?” he asked Shyla in a respectful tone.
Her emotions flipped from outrage about being falsely accused of murder and theft to amusement over the sudden change in the guards’ demeanors.
“Yes. Please escort this man from the room and ensure we are not disturbed.”
They did as requested. Shyla had to clasp her hands together to keep from dancing around with glee. Instead, she turned to Utina. The woman gaped at her. Pulling the map from Utina’s desk, she rolled it and tucked it back into her pack.
“I’m sorry, but I was unable to find the location of Gorgain’s crypt.” Shyla dug five coins from her pouch and tossed them onto the desk. They clattered. “Here’s your refund.”
“Wait,” Utina said as Shyla turned to leave. “You can’t sell that map to the treasure hunters. Those artifacts are historically significant and belong to Zirdai’s people.”
“If Ihadsuch a map, then I would give it to an honorable person. One who doesn’t jump to conclusions and doesn’t judge another based on the color of her hair. Someone like Banqui. Who is very much alive.” Shyla left.
