Page 81 of The City of Zirdai
When the temple was within sight, Lian and Vashi increased their speed. Shyla kept her slower pace to avoid expending too much energy. Elek passed her a few meters from the escape hatch. Vashi reached it first, then Lian, Elek, Shyla, Jaft, and Aphra. Jayden was the rotten velbloud egg. They all collapsed in the sand. And even while huffing for breath, they were still able to give Jayden a hard time over being last.
“Someone had to erase our tracks while running at the same time,” he said in his defense, but otherwise didn’t seem to mind the good-natured ribbing.
It didn’t take long for them to recover. After removingclosed druks from their packs, they opened them and entered through the escape tunnel.
Aphra stopped to admire the faces. Exploring the carvings with her fingertips, she said, “These might be worth a few osees if you could remove them without damaging them.”
“Really?” Jaft asked. “Who would buy them? They’re hideous.”
“You’d be surprised what people will buy if they think it’s old and rare,” Aphra said.
“There are thousands of them,” he countered.
“Except the buyers don’t know that, do they?” Aphra smirked.
“Ah, tricky.”
They continued on to the judgment room. Shyla removed her copy of the map and spread it out on the altar. Jayden stood next to her.
She pointed to Tamburah’s chin. “This is the starting point and I think that’s here in his judgment room. His eyes are where the maze is located. We just need to figure out which of these hallways is this line that leads from the starting point. We could try all six, but that would take too long. Do you remember the layout beyond each one?”
Jayden picked up the map, holding it out in front of him. He glanced at each hallway, then back at the map.
Aphra moved closer to Tamburah’s face. She poked the tip of her knife into one of the red tears on his cheek. “These are ruby chips. Also worth a couple osees.”
“Can you sell them in Zirdai or would you need to go to Catriona?” Shyla asked.
Aphra considered. “The prince stopped all the hunters here, but he didn’t arrest any of the buyers. I’m sure they’d be interested. As long as it’s not something big or significant. Why?”
“Just in case we’re desperate.”
Jayden finished his assessment. “That hallway matches the best. I don’t remember anything interesting beyond.” He shrugged. “I guess it could be hidden.”
“Elek and Lian stay here,” Shyla said. “If anyone arrives, you can either fight or hide.”
“Or come warn us,” Jayden said.
“Use your judgment,” Shyla said.
Aphra said, “Jayden and I will go first. There might be traps. Shyla, you read the map and tell me which way to go. Then the muscles can follow to watch our backs.”
“Why am I with you?” Jayden asked. “Are you going to use me to trigger the booby traps?”
“Aren’t you the one who knows this place the best?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “You can point out anything that doesn’t look right.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Andyou can trigger the traps,” she teased.
“Not funny.”
Shyla directed the group through a number of hallways of the dead. Their boots scraped on the rough stone floor. The air smelled of dust and abandonment. And that was another potential hazard—bad air. Gases might have built up in various pockets.
Aphra held the druk out in front of her, shining the light on every crack in the floor and walls. She paused often, holding up her free hand, stopping them. Once she crouched down and tapped the hilt of her knife on the floor. When nothing happened she straightened and continued.
The slow pace and the knowledge that a trap could spring at any moment created a tension so thick it tasted bitter on Shyla’s tongue. Only Jayden seemed unaffected, watching Aphra’s cautious movements with an amused disdain.
That was until she cried out and tackled him, knocking him down right before a sword shot out from the wall he’d just been standing next to.
