Page 68 of The King of Koraha
Sensing her fury, Rendor touched her arm. “The bandits will just attack other caravans. At least this way no one is injured.”
Of course he was right. And anxiety twisted in her stomach as soon as she calmed down. She’d judged Tahir and punished him without any hesitation, just like King Tamburah. Icy fear spread through her body and she shivered. Had she just taken another step toward madness?
Once again, Rendor picked up on her mood. He moved closer. “Don’t worry, we’ll inform the King. Once he has the coins to hire soldiers, these ambushes will be stopped.”
But would the King be able to stop her?
The rest of the trip to Apanji was uneventful. It was close to darkness when they arrived at the surface buildings of the city. Shyla pointed out the two thick pink columns that stood twenty meters higher than the rest of the structures.
“Those are the pillars of the sky,” she explained to Rendor. “They go all the way down to the bottom of the city.”
“Impressive.”
“Wait until you see them when the sun is up.” Shyla was looking forward to being underground when that happened. It was the best vantage point to view them. Most cities had something that celebrated the Sun Goddess and showcased her glorious sun. Except Zirdai. According to the historic records, Tamburah had destroyed the mirror falls that brought sunlight into Zirdai like a cascade. He’d claimed he was more powerful than the Sun Goddess and everyone should worship him.
Rendor made a few inquiries and found them rooms to rent. The two-room suite was small, clean, and located away from the crowded center. After third meal, Shyla insisted on going to the local market to purchase a map. They would be living here for a while.
Rendor was amused. “You can decipher archaic languages and read ancient maps, but you can’t figure out the signs etched into the walls? How’d you find your way in Zirdai?”
“I bought a map and explored. Besides, those signs only tell you the immediate area. I need to see the whole city.” She spread her hands wide.
“Most city maps are out of date almost immediately,” Rendor said.
“Doesn’t matter, I just need a general layout.”
She found a seller and purchased a map that had enough detail for her purposes. When they returned to their rooms, she spread it out on the table. At first glance, Apanji appeared to be shaped like Zirdai, a deep narrow vase. But upon closer inspection, there was a yawning cavern that had a rectangular shape in the middle of the city. It extended from level ten all the way down to the bottom level.
“There’s another reason why I wanted this.” She tapped the map with her finger. “If you were going to bring in a bunch of mercs and wanted to lay low for a while, where would you stay?”
Rendor peered over her shoulder. “I’d seek out rooms like ours—on the edges, but close to the action.” He pointed to the market, which had been built on tiers up the side of that huge cavern. “In the levels behind the stalls, there’s a number of places for temporary stays. They’re mostly for the merchants and wagon drivers who come and go. However, just beyond that is another grouping of rentals.” Rendor paused. “I could check them out, see if the mercs are there. That would be a good starting point.”
She faced him. “And I’ll infiltrate the monastery and see how many monks Lonato’s pilgrims have converted.”
“No,” Rendor said immediately. “Too dangerous.”
She had expected his resistance. “Not really.” She held up a hand. “By the time Xerxes figures out we’re not coming back to Nintri and sends a message to Apanji, it will take approximately sixty sun jumps. We’ve used forty-eight of them to get here, so we have another twelve sun jumps before word arrives.”
“Fine, then I’ll go with you,” Rendor said.
“You’ll stand out. No one will believe you’re a monk. I know how monasteries work. I can pretend to be a visiting monk, have a look around, and leave.”
“Leave? Just like that?”
“Well, no. I have to see how bad the situation is and fix it if I can. Plus if they’re not converted yet, I’ll talk to their leader about assigning monks to help the King.”
“What if they’re all converted? Are you going to influence an entire monastery?”
“No. I’ll retreat.” When he hesitated, she added, “I escaped the Monks of Callow and they knew who I was right from the start. This time, I’m not announcing that I’m working for the King, and I’ll wear long sleeves to hide the sigil. No one will suspect.”
He grumbled and was clearly not happy, but he didn’t have a solid argument. “How long?”
“Three or four sun jumps at most.” And before he could change his mind, she asked, “Are you going to be able to avoid drawing notice?”
“Don’t worry about me, I know how to blend in.”
They spent the next sun jump together and visited the shaft—a underwhelming name for the gigantic vertical cavern. The pink sky columns speared the space into thirds as if they’d been installed to hold up the city. They both shone with bright white light, illuminating the entire area. There was no need for lanterns when the sun was in the sky.
“What causes it to shine like that?” Rendor asked her.
