Page 120 of The King of Koraha
The man and woman carrying the messages to Qulsary were around her age. Shyla used The Eyes to ensure they were genuine. Normally only one person was needed, but with the increase in bandits and squatters, the messengers had decided to team up. They were happy to have company as long as Shyla and Rendor kept up. The trip would last another twelve sun jumps.
The four of them climbed out at angle one-ten to start the journey. The heat slammed into Shyla like an invisible shovel. Memories of being suffocated by hot air threatened to send her right back down into the safety of the travel shelter.
Rendor cupped her elbow. “You okay?”
“Yes.” She shuddered despite the temperature. “My memories are returning.”
“Ah. Too bad the banishment of your troubles is only temporary. At least you never forgot my name.” He smirked. “Must have been because you yelled it so many times.”
She swatted him, grinning. “Brat.”
However, all her good thoughts disappeared as the messengers took off. Their pace was faster than Omar’s at first, but then they settled into a more manageable stride. Still, the next seventy angles was a struggle. She wasn’t as recovered as she’d thought. Rendor, on the other hand, kept up with ease.
The messengers reached the second shelter about five angles before Shyla and Rendor. He had matched his pace to hers. Once she climbed down, Shyla headed for the closest cushion and collapsed.
The following sun jump was a bit better, and like before, she eventually returned to full strength. As predicted, they arrived at Qulsary twelve sun jumps later. The messengers headed into the city to make their deliveries while Shyla and Rendor waited out of sight of the surface buildings until the sun almost reached the danger zone. That guaranteed no one would witness them entering the castle. Shyla searched for nearby bumps just in case. No one lingered outside.
The stained-glass surface building of the inverted castle was deserted. No surprise. The main doors were closed and locked tight. Rendor removed his lock picks and set to work. Shyla sent her magic down to where the guards stood, counting nine bumps. They were relaxed, bored, and confident that no one was idiotic enough to try to breach the castle during apex. She would have been insulted if she didn’t agree.
When Rendor nodded, she wielded her magic, aiming it at the guards.
All’s quiet.
Rendor turned the cylinder, unlocking the door. They slipped inside and relocked the door behind them.
All’s quiet.
They traversed the tunnel, but before they reached the receiving room, Shyla used thelook awaycommand on the guards. Then they crossed to the side of the room and continued down to Najib’s office. Avoiding bumps and using thelook awaycommand, Shyla was fairly confident no one had seen them.
After ensuring Najib was alone, she distracted the guard outside his door and entered without knocking. Najib was working at his desk, but his head jerked up when the latch clicked shut.
He studied them for a stunned moment and Shyla gathered her magic in case he started yelling for help. She scanned his surface thoughts, which were grappling with their sudden and unexpected arrival.
Eventually, he said in a calm voice, “I assume no one knows you’re here since I asked my guard not to let anyone disturb me. Add in the fact it’s almost apex, something must be very wrong.”
“Is the King all right?” she asked.
Najib hopped to his feet. “As of a few angles ago, yes, he’s fine. Why?”
Thank the goddess. Shyla swayed as emotion and all those sun jumps of running caught up with her.
“Sit down before you fall down,” Najib said. When they were settled on the cushions, he said, “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Now she remembered why she liked Najib—he was quick. “The King’s in danger. Commander Xerxes is planning on assassinating him.”
The advisor’s contemplative expression wasn’t what she expected.
“You need to quadruple the guards around the King,” she said.
“The King is well protected. His magic makes it almost impossible for someone to assassinate him. Why are you so concerned?”
She took a breath to calm her racing heart. “Xerxes has a set of ancient and powerful artifacts that can influence others and enslave them.” She explained how the sunfire and blackfire pendants worked.
Finally Najib appeared concerned. “How powerful?”
“Powerful enough to trap me.” Reporting her own enslavement was difficult. Shyla avoided meeting Rendor’s gaze. Guilt over betraying him still gnawed on her heart.
“If he has these stones and some of your Invisible Swords, do you really believe increasing the guards will keep Xerxes from reaching the King?” Najib asked.
