Page 29 of The Eyes of Tamburah
“I’m not helping you.” She tossed the map onto the desk and turned to leave.
“Then you’ll soon be out of a job.”
Chofa paused and glanced over her shoulder. “What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I’m stating fact. If I don’t find The Eyes, then Banqui dies. Do you really think the Water Prince’s next archeologist would hire you and your crew? There’s a person out there who knew what Banqui was looking for. Odds are in favor of him or her being one of his workers. No one will trust you again.”
She curled her fingers into fists and faced Shyla. “Fine. Banqui didn’t tell us much—not even the name of the temple. We uncovered the main entrance, dug our escape tunnel, reinforced the structure—there were a few weak areas—shoveled out a ton of sand, and opened up a few air vents. He wouldn’t let us explore, said he was worried about booby traps. After we saw those hideous faces carved into the walls, we were glad not to go in too deep.”
“Did anyone on your crew seem overly interested in finding treasure?”
“No. My crew knows better. Stealing from Banqui is stealing from the Water Prince. Too dangerous.”
Shyla didn’t quite believe her. “Was your entire crew at the burial ground dig?”
“Yes, they were all there.”
“Did anyone leave or disappear for a few angles?”
“No. He or she would have been gone for most of a sun jump and I would have noticed.”
“And everyone is here now?”
“Yes.”
Shyla considered. If she could trust Chofa, then none of the crew was involved in the theft. But that didn’t mean they were innocent. One of them could have recognized the temple as Tamburah’s and put the clues together. It was easy enough to pass the information along to fellow conspirators. Then the digger just needed to wait until everything died down before joining the others.
“Are you finished?” Chofa asked. “I need to update my crew.”
“Yes.” But Shyla was no closer to an answer. At least she had a possible lead—sort of.
She left Banqui’s and asked the first guard she encountered to deliver a message to Rendor for her. The man balked until she flashed the sigil. Then he was more than happy to comply. The warm satisfaction of being treated with respect flowed through her even though she knew it was dangerous to get used to.
The time was close to angle ninety so she climbed to level nine for second meal. After that, she’d have to follow up on her promise to Banqui and do what she’d been dreading—visit the monks and the First Room of Knowledge.
CHAPTER
6
When she finished her meal, Shyla filled her water skin and took a dozen sticks of gamelu jerky just in case the information she sought proved elusive. The monks would allow her to remain in the monastery during the darkness—actually as long as she needed—but they would not provide food or water.
After she gathered supplies, Shyla still had to wait twenty angles for the dangerous surface heat to dissipate. She returned to her room. Even though the temperature was hot, it wasn’t too uncomfortable for her. Sorting through the tablets and scrolls of her own collection, she hoped one of them might mention a secret organization. She cleared a spot on her floor and read through them.
A knock on her door startled her. She shot to her feet. No one except Banqui ever visited her. While she debated if she should grab a weapon, the cracked glass slid aside, revealing Rendor.
Sweat streaked his face and darkened his tunic. “Seven hells, Shyla, what are you doing up here?”
“Research.”
He grunted. “It’s not safe.”
“The temperature—”
“Not what I’m talking about.” Rendor gestured to her broken door. “Although how can you stand the heat?”
She shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
“I’ll have someone fix your door. Do you have someplace to stay in the meantime?”
