Page 64 of The Eyes of Tamburah
“They’ve probably relocated by now.”
“That’s not what I asked you.”
“Not all of them were involved.”
“It doesn’t matter. They’re breaking the law.”
“Well, some of us don’t see it quite so black and white,” she said, annoyed. “Besides, I don’t want their suffering on my shoulders. I just want to recover The Eyes and be done with all of this.”
When they reached level three, Shyla stopped in her room to change into fresh clothes and exchange the borrowed wrap for her sun cloak. By the time they reached the surface, it was angle twenty-five—plenty of time to walk to the monastery.
During the early angles of a jump, the sunlight warmed instead of burned as it swept over the dunes, leaving behind cool pockets of shade. At this time, the creatures of darkness returned to their burrows while the animals who thrived in the heat woke.
This trip, Shyla didn’t need to search for the monks’ trail markings. The route was still fresh in her memory, but she kept a close eye for sand demon tracks—they too took advantage of the early angles.
When they arrived at the first row of dunes, she stopped. Something was…not quite right.
Rendor sensed it as well. He clasped the hilt of his sword, but didn’t draw the weapon. “Monks?”
“No.” And that was the problem. “There should be one or two.”
“Maybe they trust us.”
“Not likely.” Not ever again. “Come on.” Shyla trudged up the dune with Rendor right behind her.
At the top of the rise, she scanned the horizon. Still no monks. Not that they stood out among the rolling red terrain and sparse clusters of vegetation, but she had experience spotting them.
She faced Rendor. “I think we should—”
The sand around them exploded into the air with a whoosh. The mini sand storm obscured everything. Shyla yanked her cloak over her face to block the grains from getting into her eyes and lungs. Rendor pushed her behind him as he pulled his sword, but she turned so they were back to back. They had probably triggered a huge area of cap sand. Still, better to be prepared.
When the air cleared, they discovered it hadn’t been cap sand after all. A ring of people surrounded them. Stunned, she gaped at them. They must have been hidden underneath the sand. Except the dune had been undisturbed when they’d climbed it. And even now, the sand appeared…pristine. Impossible.
No. She’d figure it out later. Right now, she needed to concentrate on the problem at hand. They wore form-fitting clothing the same shade as the sand. Turbans covered their heads and faces, leaving only their eyes exposed. Shyla counted twelve.
“Monks?” Rendor asked.
“No.”
“How can you tell?”
“They’re armed.”
CHAPTER
11
“Friends of yours?” Rendor asked. His voice remained steady despite the twelve armed figures surrounding them. Each held a sword in hand.
“I wish.”
“How many can you take?”
Was he serious? She glanced over her shoulder, but his attention was fixed on the enemy. “Two.”
“That leaves ten for me.”
“Can you really—”
