Page 51 of The Eyes of Tamburah
“No. Besides, I don’t have the coin to pay you.”
“You don’t need to pay me.”
“Yes, I do. I’m not going to owe anyone a favor.”
“Why not?” He moved closer and dropped his voice. “It could be fun.”
She huffed in derision.
Gurice covered her mouth, but didn’t quite stifle her laughter. Jayden frowned at her, but that just made her shoulders shake harder.
“At least fill your water skin before you leave,” he said to Shyla. “We just set up a fresh supply.”
A good idea. “All right.”
He led her to the communal jug. It was a large glass barrel with a spout and small faucet at the bottom. A young girl with long curly black hair turned the handle and filled her glass. The water was clear—no signs of sand or dirt. Shyla wondered where they procured the water, but wasn’t curious enough to ask. Once she filled her skin, Jayden showed her the exit and explained how to get to the first mark on her map.
“Thanks,” she said, giving him a short wave goodbye.
“Good luck,” he said.
Only when she found that at least his initial directions matched what she encountered did she relax. Whether they actually led to the black river had yet to be determined.
After a few angles, the sound of pounding boots rumbled behind her. Stuck in the middle of a tunnel, she spun to face her attacker. It was Jayden with a panicked expression.
“Don’t…” He panted, gasping for breath. “Drink… the water.”
Alarmed, she dug her water skin from her pack. “Why not?”
“Poisoned.”
“How do—” The image of that little girl filling her glass flashed. “Oh no! Is she all right?”
He hunched his shoulders as pained grief creased his face. Jayden took her water skin. “Come back for a moment, we’ll get you a new one. Please.”
She’d been about to refuse, but it was thepleasethat changed her mind. The scene in the cavern was now one of utter chaos. Jayden disappeared, leaving Shyla alone.
A woman wailed over the little girl in her arms. “Dyani, Dyani, Dyani…my sweet baby girl. Wake up.” She rocked the girl, but the body remained stiff and her dull eyes were void of life. Even standing ten meters away, the mother’s grief pierced Shyla’s heart.
The image burned into Shyla’s brain along with the knowledge there was nothing anyone could do or say to change it.
Two men argued over the glass barrel. “…checked!” one yelled.
“I did. It’s marked.” The other stabbed his finger at a blue circle pattern on the glass. “It’s safe…or it was when I brought it in.” He ran a hand through his hair.
Both men glanced around as if the poisoner would be standing there smirking at them.
Jayden returned with an empty water skin. “I figured you wouldn’t trust our water. Will you be able to find some?”
The fact that he was concerned about her, when one of his people just died, amazed her. “Yes, I’ll be fine.” She gestured to the barrel. “Who would poison the water?”
He gaped at her a moment, then recovered. “You really don’t know?”
“A rival commune?”
“No,” he said with such vehemence, she almost stepped back. “It was the Water Prince—or rather one of his guards or spies. His goons try to poison all the water that has been obtained illegally. They miss a fair amount, which is what keeps us alive. And we test all our water, but this…” Jayden’s gaze swept the group of people hovering around the dead child. “This means either we have a spy in our midst or one of the Water Prince’s agents has discovered how we mark our barrels safe.”
That was beyond awful. “How do you test your water?”
