Page 100 of The King of Koraha
The woman was right. She couldn’t. “Get off me, Vilma,” she ordered.
But instead of standing, Vilma was plucked off her and tossed aside. A huge shadow covered Shyla. Xerxes. How in the seven hells did he escape? She had either underestimated his strength or someone helped him. It really didn’t matter at this point. She was cooked.
Shyla rolled away. But he was faster, scooping her up and pinning her back to his massive chest with one giant arm. Panicked, Shyla flung sand at his face. He squeezed harder, making her gasp with pain, but didn’t let go.
“You should have killed me. Those Eyes are wasted on you,” he said.
Concentrating on the grains of sand under his boots, she pulled. However, the glint of gold and the cold kiss of metal on her neck shattered her concentration. An unbroken pendant dangled, slowly twisting. She averted her gaze.
No! Not again. Not ever.
The ground beneath them buckled and lurched. Thrown off balance, Xerxes released her. She stumbled and fell. Huge dunes of sand undulated through Xerxes’ soldiers, knocking them down and sweeping them away. Shyla stood frozen, gaping at the extraordinary display of magical power. Moving sand was one thing, but dunes… Seven hells.
Xerxes called a retreat. Those that could move bolted toward the city. Fast.
“Stop them with the sand,” Mahira called. “They’re under arrest.”
But they had reached the hard pack around the city’s entrances and soon disappeared inside.
“They’re stuck in the city until the surface cools,” one of the guards said to the captain.
“Form teams and search for them. Go now!” Captain Mahira rounded up her guards and they sprinted after Xerxes’ soldiers.
Still rather stunned, Shyla rubbed her aching ribs. Her hand brushed against the new pendant hanging around her neck. She quickly hid it in the palm of her hand. Gurice and Mojag rushed over to her. Scanning them for injuries, she breathed easier over their minor cuts, bruises, and ripped clothing.
“Do you need me to take it off?” Mojag asked, pointing to the necklace.
“Yes, please.”
He lifted the chain over her head. She kept the blackfire in her hand, letting the chain dangle.
“Should we help the city guards?” Gurice asked her.
“No. They know their city the best and they have plenty of people. We’d just get in the way.” Her energy fizzled. She’d used quite a bit of magic during the fight. “Besides, I need to free the Water Prince and the rest of his advisors and guards from my compulsion.”
“How did Xerxes know about the ambush?” Gurice asked.
She explained. “He knew I’d broken his pendant and he’s smart enough to figure out that I’d try to protect the taxes.”
“But he underestimated us,” Mojag said. “We surprised him with the disguised monks and saved the taxes.”
“Yeah, well, this isn’t exactly a win, rat.” His sister gestured to the group of people sitting on the sand and bleeding from more serious injuries. “We didn’t capture the mercs. We barely managed to keep them from killing us.”
Xerxes’ comment repeated in Shyla’s head.You should have killed me. Those Eyes are wasted on you.Were they? What if Xerxes escaped Apanji and caused more harm? Or murdered someone? Should she have been more ruthless? More like Tamburah? The Sun Goddess’s words sounded in her head.Not Tamburah. The despot would have eliminated Xerxes and his followers without a second thought. Shyla needed to stop worrying so much about abusing the power of The Eyes and trust herself to use them in the best way possible—by helping others. An invisible yet ever-present tightness around her chest disappeared.
Shyla scanned the Invisible Swords, counting heads. Jaft limped toward them with Rae tucked under his arm. The petite woman couldn’t really support the bigger—
“Rendor! Where is he?” she asked Gurice.
“Gone with the mercs.”
“Sorry, Shyla,” Mojag said. “I tried to grab his necklace. No luck. And his thoughts were slippery, they were all about making Xerxes proud, so I couldn’t grabhimeither.” He ducked his head. “I was going to ask Gurice to help, but she was busy. Then the fight turned scary and I had to move the dunes.”
“You moved the dunes? By yourself?” she asked.
“Course. Everyone else was battling for their lives. And that monster had you locked in his arms.”
She’d known Mojag was strong when he had stopped Jayden’s sand attack, but this was on an entirely different level. Squeezing his shoulder, she said, “You saved everyone. Don’t worry about Rendor. We’ll get him back.” Because if she didn’t, she’d never forgive herself.
