Page 76 of The Eyes of Tamburah
“Oh no, no, no.” Shyla crossed her arms and turned to Ximen. “He thinks I’m a traitor. He tried to kill me. Why should I trusthim.”
“Jayden.”
“I don’t believe you’re a traitor anymore,” Jayden said, “I’m sorry I tried to kill you.”
Not good enough. “Why did you change your mind?”
“I wasn’t aware of your…arrangement with the Water Prince. All I knew was you were on a quest for the monks and I was tasked with aiding you. But then you were determined to go to the guards, endangering my people. I have all the informationnow.” He glared at Bazia, who ignored him.
Not sure if she was ready to forgive him but unwilling to delay any longer, Shyla rolled up her sleeve as instructed.
Ximen pulled a knife and grabbed her upper arm with his free hand. He glanced at Jayden. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
Ximen met her gaze. “Relax. Let Jayden’s song in and this won’t hurt.”
Relaxing while a blade touched her just below her shoulder wasn’t possible. However, she allowed the strange humming to fill her mind.
“Go,” Jayden said.
Ximen drew the Invisible Sword’s symbol into her skin with the blade’s tip. His motions were smooth and sure and there was no pain. Odd. Blood welled and dripped but nothing hurt.
When he finished, he cut the same symbol into his palm then pressed it to her wound. “Repeat after me. As a member of the Invisible Sword, I swear I will embrace the beliefs and tenets of the organization and fully support its efforts to help those in need.”
She recited the words.
“As a member of the Invisible Sword, I swear I will not betray its existence or the identities of its members to anyone and would give my life to keep its secrets.”
Panic burned in her stomach, but she echoed Ximen.
“I pledge my loyalty to the Invisible Sword.”
Her throat tightened as if sand blocked her windpipe. The monks had wanted her to make a similar pledge. She wouldn’t do it for her family, but she had no choice but to do it for a group of strangers. Otherwise twenty-two people would be tortured and killed. Her freedom was worth the price. This was also for Banqui. And for Dyani.
Swallowing the lump, she said, “I pledge my loyalty to the Invisible Sword.”
Pain blazed on her arm as an unseen force knocked her and Ximen apart. The symbol burned deep into her like acid eating through stone. Shyla pressed her hand to the injury as the agony intensified. Was it because she was a cursed sun-kissed? Unable to stand, she collapsed to her knees then lay on her right side on the ground, curled into a ball. The torment continued. Did they believe she hadn’t told the truth?
Why wouldn’t it stop? She muffled her sobs into the crook of her right arm.
“Why is it taking so long?” Jayden’s concerned voice seeped through her misery.
“Perhaps she’s pledged to another,” Ximen said.
“It’s because she lied,” Bazia said. “Her word is worthless.”
Bazia’s comment turned Shyla’s pain into anger. A hot sun-at-angle-ninety type of fury. She gathered it into a ball of rage and pushed.
The others flew back and slammed into the walls. The burning on her arm eased, then disappeared. She uncurled and lay panting on the floor. Sweat drenched her tunic. The three stumbled to their feet and returned to her side. Shyla didn’t have the energy to worry if they planned to retaliate.
“Well, that was different,” Jayden said, rubbing the back of his head. He knelt next to her and helped her to a sitting position. “Shyla, can I see your arm?”
Her right hand remained clamped over the injury. Reluctantly, she released her hold. The skin was smooth and unmarked. No cuts, no bruises, and no blood. Not even a scar.
“Does that mean it didn’t work?” she asked in confusion.
“No.” Ximen held up his palm. It too, lacked any evidence of an injury. “It worked.”
