Page 10 of The King of Koraha
“Oh. Yes. Of course.” Except her fingers refused to unbend. Her hand ignored the request. Her arm appeared to be the leader of this silent rebellion. They were her tether. If she let go, she’d float away.
Rendor came up beside her. He took her free hand into his. Only then could she release the wagon. His solid presence grounded her.
The path down into the valley was just as winding as the one they had ascended. Except the surface was a gritty stone and very narrow—the wagons only just fit. The rumble of the wheels echoed loudly all around them. The gamelus fought to keep the wagons from going too fast. And there was a wall of rock on the left and a drop-off on the right.
Shyla kept close to the wall while Rendor walked next to her. They still held hands as they followed the caravan.
“I would have warned you about the height, but I thought since you flew with the velblouds it wouldn’t bother you,” Rendor said.
“I was desperate, delusional, and dying. I would have done anything to survive. Now…” She shivered despite the heat.
“You’re safe, healthy, and have a strong sense of self-preservation?”
“Exactly! And there’s no sand. There’s nothing to cushion a fall.”
“Although from this height, sand—”
“Would cushion a fall,” she said with conviction.
“I need to believe that if I’m ever stranded on the surface at apex again.”
“You won’t be stranded again. Not on my watch.”
That she believed.
There was no ladder into the next travel shelter. Instead, there was a tunnel halfway down that speared the side of the mountain. They didn’t go down but rather in. Far enough to escape the cold of darkness. And the cavern was big enough for the wagons and gamelus.
After spending all darkness inside, they left as the first ray of sunlight lit the tunnel’s entrance. Rendor took her hand as they continued down the narrow path. When they reached the valley floor, the wagons rolled with ease over the flat, hard ground. The road was clearly marked. Best of all, there wasn’t anything to hide behind or under. No one was going to sneak up on them.
As the sun jumped across the sky, the buildings swelled in size. Shyla soon discovered extended walking on the bedrock caused her ankles, knees, and hips to ache. The bottoms of her feet hurt as well. Wow. She never thought she would ever, in her entire life, miss sand. But she did.
When they reached the warren of city entrances seventy sun jumps after they’d left Zirdai, her relief at finally arriving warred with her anxiety over her meeting with the King. But soon she forgot all of that as she gawked at the intricate colored-glass mosaics on the surface buildings. The structures were so close together they formed a confusing maze. And the people! Their voices echoed off the hard walls, jumbling together into a cacophony. They all dressed in bright fabrics. Some bustled by and others walked in animated groups. So many people outside the city doing…she’d no idea, as there were only a few nearby velbloud flocks to tend. Children raced around and played games, their laughter slicing through the general din. And then she noticed what was missing—the scent of the desert. The air no longer held the hot aroma of ginger and anise. Now it scratched at the back of her throat with a mix of baked earth, paprika, and a sweet odor that smelled like a perfume that had been worn too long. Remembering the reason she was there, Shyla watched for danger, but most of the people they passed showed only mild interest in the wagons. They smiled at her and she checked to see if the hood of her sun cloak was up. It wasn’t. Shyla slowed to a stop.
“What’s wrong?” Rendor asked. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword as his gaze swept the crowd.
“They smiled at me.”
He glanced at her. “Of course they did. You’re beautiful.”
“And you’re biased. I’m sun-kissed.”
“Welcome to Qulsary. They don’t care about that.”
“How do you know? You were only here for a couple sun jumps.”
“The King’s personal guards had three sun-kisseds and no one treated them any different.” He huffed. “Except some of our guards. Idiots tried to make a few snide remarks and were soundly trounced for their trouble. Served them right.”
“I seem to recall a certain captain of the guard that was grumpy to a certain sun-kissed.”
Rendor frowned. “I was grumpy toeveryoneback then.”
They continued to an area where other wagons were being unloaded. Yegor brought the caravan up beside an entrance into the city that was big enough to fit the wagons and gamelus.
“This is it,” Lota said. “You’ve escorted us safely and are free to go.”
“What about unloading?” Shyla asked. “Aren’t you worried someone might steal something?”
Lota gestured to the guards milling around. “The King’s guards make sure no one takes anything they shouldn’t. There might be something in one of these wagons for the King.” She mock gasped in horror. Lota clearly held no love for their reigning monarch. “We’re heading to Ginda next. You’re welcome to join us.”
