Page 106 of The City of Zirdai
Confused, she peered at him. “Why not?”
“Sorry,” he said to everyone, but he was staring at Mojag.
Sand exploded from all the buckets. The columns spread out and formed a curtain that swirled in furious circles. Cries pierced the roar of sand. Everyone scrambled to cover their faces, turning their backs to the assault.
Sixteen
It took a moment for Shyla to grasp the significance of the sand attack. Jayden was the traitor! A mix of emotions boiled—surprise, anger, and pain—but she ignored them. For now. Instead, she fought to calm the storm, but Jayden had years of practice in manipulating sand. And all he needed was a fraction of an angle to make his escape. Once he reached the surface, he’d be able to hide. Son of a sand demon!
Then all the sand grains stopped and dropped to the ground. Mojag held out his arms. He’d been the one to stop the attack. He also blocked the exit, standing in Jayden’s way. Shyla would never forget the look of hurt betrayal on Mojag’s face. Or the fury.
Jayden put his hands up as if placating a wild gamelu. “Moj–”
“No!Youdon’t get to talk tome,” Mojag said.
Shyla sensed a magical struggle between the two. Although impressed by Mojag’s strength, she knew Jayden had more experience so she helped the boy.
Sleep.
Jayden glanced at her then at Gurice and Ximen who stepped up beside her.That’s right, you’re outnumbered, traitor.
His shoulders sagged in defeat and he stopped fighting.
Sleep.
This time he crumpled to the ground. She stared at his prone form, allowing the emotions to roll through her. Perhaps she shouldn’t be so surprised. He’d been fighting her ever since they rescued him from the Heliacal Priestess, his resentment coloring all their exchanges. But for him to betray the Invisible Sword? And Mojag? That was a concept just too hard to grasp. What had happened to him? She hoped they’d find out.
Time to focus on the rest of the Invisible Swords. Shyla turned to them. “We’ll proceed with the oath.”
“Are you crazy?” Ximen asked. “We need to evacuate right now.”
“And go where?” she asked.
“The city. We can hide with the vagrants.”
Not a bad idea.
“What if they’re in on it?” Gurice asked. “Jayden was our liaison with them. We need to know the extent of his betrayal before we go anywhere.”
“Should we interrogate him now?” Ximen asked.
“Not yet. We will find outeverything,” Shyla promised. She was finished with being nice. “But not right now. Between the four of us, we shouldn’t have any trouble keeping him asleep.” Then she addressed the rest of the group. “This betrayal proves that we need to stand united. In order to do that, we need to trust each other completely.” She scanned the faces in the room. “Taking this oath is vital and you cannot lie or it will not work. Is there anyone else who wishes to refuse?”
Silence.
“Good, let’s get started. Ximen, you’re next.” She held her breath. Did she have the strength to learn of another traitor?
He pulled up his sleeve. “Let’s go.”
It took about thirty angles for everyone to pledge their loyalty. They encountered no other nasty surprises and a few good ones—of the people who had come with the ex-deacons, three of them had potential to wield magic. The mood in the room had changed significantly. A sense of purpose and determination filled the air, but also an undercurrent of fear. That was to be expected because they could be attacked at any time except when the sun was in the danger zone.
As the members dispersed to return to work or to rest, Shyla consulted Ximen, Mojag, and Gurice about what to do with Jayden. They sat in a circle around him. Poor Mojag hunched over his crossed legs in utter misery. The others were equally dejected—they’d been friends with him for a long time. No one tried to speculate as to why or how or when he decided to betray them. They knew Shyla would discover the answers.
“I’ve extra velbloud tethers,” Gurice said. “We can secure him.”
“It’s going to take all of our magic to keep him from escaping,” Ximen said, glancing at Shyla.
Between using her magic to keep Jayden unconscious and doing the vows, she’d drained most of her energy. “After I interrogate him, we’ll need somewhere to keep him.” There wasn’t any place in their headquarters. “Somewhere that we don’t need a guard or else he’ll use his magic to escape. Somewhere where no one will accidentally find him. We’ll have to— Oh!”
