Page 113 of The City of Zirdai
Zimraan lowered his arms. “They’re new. They’re building a monastery outside the city of Marib.”
“We still need your caravan in order to surprise and capture the insurgents,” the Arch Deacon said. When Zimraan hesitated, he added, “You’ll be compensated and everything will be returned to you.”
The caravan master had no real choice. His eight guards were no match for sixteen Arch Deacons. Shyla watched as the Arch Deacons and six deacons exchanged clothing with the wagoners. And then the ones in hiding appeared. Eight of them swapped with the caravan’s guards, while two donned the tunics of the men from the last wagon.
The priestess had sent the exact number of people to cover all the caravan’s personnel except Zimraan of course. There would be no gaps to warn Shyla or her people that a swap had taken place. Smart. Too bad for the priestess, Shyla already thought of doing that exact same thing.
The people now dressed as deacons moved away from the caravan—her cue to start. Shyla aimed her magic at the sand below the disguised deacons’ feet, moving it away. Ximen and Gurice helped her. Cries rang out as they sank and struggled and failed to find firm ground. The priestess’s wielders were unable to aid their colleagues. Jayden only had time to teach them how to influence people. A handy skill until the ground dissolved underneath them. She couldn’t suppress a snicker.
Not everyone was caught. But she wasn’t worried as Elek, Jaft, Lian, and the other fighters—who were now dressed like deacons—took care of them. The priestess’s wielders tried to interfere with Shyla’s people, but their efforts had no effect. The Invisible Swords all wore rings of platinum on their fingers. Engraved into all the platinum jewelry was the old Invisible Sword symbol. Ximen’s experimentation with the torques had revealed that it didn’t have to be worn around the neck. As long as it touched skin and had the symbol, it worked.
The Goddess had smiled on them because Wazir was a metalsmith. He’d been able to make the rings quickly. His occupation was also the reason he and his family had ended up in the chapel. Wazir had refused to hand over his inventory of platinum to the Heliacal Priestess so she had tortured his family.
When everyone was secured, Shyla removed her camouflage. Her injured leg had stiffened with the inactivity and she was unable to stand. Ximen who was nearby, rushed over to help her to her feet. So much for her grand entrance.
Grins and whoops sounded from the Invisible Swords when she joined them. She congratulated them on their success. But they couldn’t relax yet. The sun climbed closer to apex and the deacons needed to be taken to the monastery where Zimraan’s people waited. The monks had agreed to hold on to the captured deacons for a few sun jumps.
To her, the very best part of the plan was that she now had thirty-two Invisible Swords disguised as Arch Deacons and deacons.
They raced the sun. Zimraan’s caravan arrived at the entrances to Zirdai around angle sixty-five. The porters waiting for the merchant sprang into action, unloading the goods, unharnessing the gamelus, and cursing under their breath at the unexpected delay. Zimraan shrugged, claimed traveling in the desert was a dangerous undertaking then proceeded to bark orders.
Zimraan had played his part well. At first he’d been against the idea of deceiving the Heliacal Priestess’s deacons, but a large pouch of osees had changed his mind.
Four more Arch Deacons waited as well. They demanded to know what had happened. Shyla’s people had ensured their faces were hidden behind the veils. They parted and revealed their prizes—Shyla, Gurice, and Ximen with their hands tied behind their backs. She glared at them all, playing her part.
“The mission was a complete success,” Elek said.
“What about the other renegades?” one Arch Deacon asked.
“Dead,” Elek said in a flat tone. Muscling past the man, he gestured for the others to go inside.
“That wasn’t part of the mission,” the man said, trailing them. “The Blessed One will be upset.”
“They fought back.” Elek shrugged. “Not much else we could do.” Picking up the pace, he led them down to level six.
Once they were safe from the killing sun, Elek slowed. The four from the entrance had followed, obviously intent on accompanying them. Elek headed to a less populated fringe of the city.
“Hey, wait, you’re not going the right way,” an Arch Deacon said.
“I think this is a good place,” Elek said.
“For what?”
“For this.” He snapped his fingers. Elek’s warriors attacked.
The four had no chance. They were unarmed and forced to their knees in a fraction of an angle. Jaft removed their torques and Shyla used her magic to erase their memories. She then went deeper, finding their reasons for becoming Arch Deacons. Her magic wouldn’t be able to change their personality or beliefs, but she questioned why they served the Heliacal Priestess knowing they were no longer saving souls, but hurting them.
The priestess does not speak for the Sun Goddess. I do and she is not happy with your behavior.
Her efforts probably wouldn’t work for all of them, but two showed promise. They left the Arch Deacons and continued on their journey.
“Are we going to do this for all the deacons?” Jaft asked.
“Eventually. I’d like to do it for all those who are loyal to the priestess. However, for now, only the ones who try to stop us,” Shyla said. “Our mission is to get to the priestess. Once we have her neutralized, we can go from there.”
“With so many of us, we’re bound to draw attention,” Jaft said.
“Our numbers will scare most people off,” Elek said. “Besides, if we move quickly, they won’t have time to gather forces if they suspect we’re not legit.”
