Page 133 of The King of Koraha
“What for?”
“Shyla might be able to research all sun jump every jump, but I need more exercise and she needs the sun. You do,” he said when she protested. “You get grumpy when you haven’t been topside in a while.” Then to the King, “Also, the first tax caravan is coming in three sun jumps. You’ll have to send out extra guards to escort the taxes even though Xerxes and his people know it’s fake. That could be a vulnerable time for you.”
“And again when the second one arrives a couple sun jumps after,” Shyla said. “We need to be nearby just in case.” When the King didn’t say anything, she added, “I’ll make sure we’re not seen.”
“That’s not my concern. I’m wondering if I’ll be notified about the second caravan. Currently I haven’t been informed of a decoy. Perhaps I won’t be told and the coins will be diverted into Xerxes’ hands.”
“Even more reason to give us uniforms,” Rendor said. “We can be on the surface during those sun jumps.”
“All right.”
Rendor was right. Shyla had needed the warmth of the sunshine on her skin. And despite the circumstances her spirits had lifted as the heat soaked into her bones. They currently stood in the shadow of one of the surface buildings, watching the various caravans arrive and offload before the sun reached the danger zone. It’d been four sun jumps since their conversation with the King.
Since then, Shyla had learned the only way to break an oath was if it was said while a person was under duress, not mentally competent, or too young to know better. Technically Xerxes forced the blackfire pendants onto his victims, but they hadn’t taken an oath per se.
“That looks like the decoy caravan,” Rendor said, jarring her from her thoughts.
The wagons were a sun jump late, but that wasn’t a concern. Najib had informed the King that the tax caravan had been spotted and would arrive at this time, which was more of a concern. What was Xerxes planning? They figured the commander had to be in the city by now. While she appreciated the extra time, each sun jump increased her anxiety.
As the decoy caravan neared, the monks guarding it appeared to be a bit…beleaguered. The wagons pulled up to the castle’s glass surface building. Najib and six guards greeted them. Shyla noted there should be more. Perhaps that was a sign Xerxes wasn’t planning anything at this time. He’d want almost all the King’s guards to be here helping to transfer the coins to the vault, leaving the King with only a few protectors.
Shyla and Rendor moved closer.
The leader of the monks gestured with agitated motions. “…bandits and pirates everywhere. Most of the travel shelters are occupied with squatters.” His voice was strident. “The King better put these coins to good use.”
Najib was unmoved. He clicked his fingers at the guards and they unloaded the wagons in no time. The monks were dismissed without a thank you.
Shyla wielded her magic as she and Rendor entered the castle’s surface building. The tax chests were all piled in one corner. Except for the four guards who were loyal to Xerxes, the others were confused as Najib opened one of the chests.
Najib tsked. “It is as I feared. The coins have been stolen.” He held up the chest for all to see, causing a wave of dismay. “Filled with sand. I’ll go inform the King. Return to your duties; there’s no need to guard these.”
As they followed Najib to the King’s office, Shyla tried to determine what Najib hoped to accomplish.
The advisor entered the office without knocking.
“I’m sorry to bother you, sire. But I’m afraid I’ve bad news.”
“Go ahead,” the King said in a weary tone.
Najib showed him the chest full of sand. “The taxes have been stolen again. I interviewed the monks and they didn’t encounter any bandits or pirates on their way here. However, they did talk to a sun-kissed wearing your sigil in Apanji. They said she wanted to ensure the coins hadn’t been stolen and they opened all the chests for her. At that time, the coins were inside. She told them to travel straight here and not stop in Haiya.” He took a breath. “I’m afraid that confirms Shyla stole your taxes and that everything she told you about Xerxes was a lie.”
The King made all the appropriate noises of outrage and indignation over her deceit. She had to give Najib credit for using this as a way to discredit her. He had evidence and it was much better than some fictitious report from a scout. She wondered how long Xerxes would wait before requesting an audience with the King. Two or maybe three sun jumps? Either way they were running out of time.
The next sun jump, Shyla and Rendor watched for Gurice and Mojag’s wagons before apex and again before darkness. They weren’t the only ones. A few of Najib’s guards also lingered on the surface. When the siblings failed to show, Shyla was not worried. Not at all.
“Stop worrying,” Rendor said when they returned to the King’s underground chamber. “Mojag can move dunes. They’re fine.”
“There’s no sand here for Mojag to move. And you heard the monk about the bandits—”
He pulled her close. “You can’t change anything by fretting.”
“I agree. Now convince my heart.”
Stepping back, he said with a sigh, “I’d love to, sunbeam. I’ve lots of ways to convince your heart, but we’re no closer to a solution to our Xerxes problem.”
After another frustrating round of research, the solution remained out of reach. They repeated their vigil the next sun jump. No sign of the caravan before apex, but a few angles before darkness, three wagons appeared in the distance.
That was when Shyla spotted Najib and his four loyal guards waiting for the caravan. Also hidden in various shadows were all the Invisible Swords, including Rae and Lamar, the two wielders. While Shyla was happy to see that they were healthy, their presence didn’t bode well for Gurice and Mojag.
