Page 95 of The City of Zirdai
Surprised, she asked, “Where’s Ximen?”
“Good to see you, too,” he snarked. Then he sobered. “Mojag is driving me crazy. The kid is inexhaustible and wants to learn everything about magic. Right away! For the first time in his short life, Mojag is focused and determined.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
“For you,” he mock-grumbled. “Not for me. I needed a break so I asked Ximen to take a turn with him.”
“Good idea. Did you bring a statue?”
Jayden dug into his pack. “I thought this one makes him look the most kingly.” He handed her a statue of Tamburah wearing a crown and elaborate royal garments.
It was about thirty centimeters high and weighed around two kilograms, which meant it was hollow. If it’d been solid gold, it would be much heavier.
She updated Jayden on the new members. “We’ll take them with us when we leave at angle zero. In the meantime, I’m going to visit the professor.” She grabbed a handful of coins and gave them to Jayden. “Here. We’re going to have twelve more people to feed. Please buy some fresh food.”
He stared at the coins in his palm. “Twelve?”
“So far. I’ve been recruiting and I plan to get a dozen more.” She slapped him good-naturedly on the back before hurrying to level forty-two to finish her business with Emeline.
After dodging a couple guards, Shyla slowed. No sense running straight into the enemy. When she reached level forty-three, she paused as a familiar set of…bumps touched her. Pressing against the tunnel’s wall, she peered around the corner. About three meters away were Nuru and Vallie—the two guards who helped her when Utina, the historian, demanded that she be arrested. They had seemed open-minded and intelligent when they escorted her to the library. Would they be open to the idea of joining the Invisible Sword?
Shyla drew in a breath. Only one way to find out. Gathering her courage, she rounded the corner and strode to the pair. It took them a few heartbeats to notice her, and then a couple more to recognize her.
“Hey!” Nuru shouted, pulling his sword. “You’re under arrest.”
She held out her hands to show them she was unarmed. “I’m not running away.”
Vallie had also drawn her weapon. “Good, then we won’t hurt you.”
“I just want to talk to you,” Shyla said.
“Fine. You can talk all you want on the way down to the Water Prince. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.” Nuru gestured with the tip of his blade.
“No.” She made eye contact with each of them. Both were confused by her behavior, but excited to have caught the sun-kissed. “You know the Water Prince will torture me and eventually kill me.”
“He might spare you,” Vallie said.
“You should have thought of that before you stole The Eyes from him,” Nuru said.
“The Eyes were never his. But if he gets them, he will have a great deal of power. And what do you think he’ll do with this power?”
“Not our concern,” Nuru said. “Now move, or I’ll—”
“When will it become your concern? When the prince targets your family? Your friends? Your partner? When your mother is hanging upside down being tortured because your thoughts were not what the prince wanted to hear?”
They both stared at her.
“Yes, The Eyes will give him the power to read your minds, your emotions, your souls. You won’t be able to lie to him. Ever.”
Vallie sheathed her sword and pulled out a pair of manacles. “Nice try, Sun-Kissed. But we don’t scare easily.”
“I’m telling the truth. And you can help me to overthrow the prince. I’m—”
“A delusional sun-kissed whose brains have been fried by the sun. No, thanks,” Nuru said.
“You’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” Vallie said. “There’s no reason for us to trust you.”
Their emotions matched their words. The idea of working with a sun-kissed or anyone to overthrow the prince would be suicide. Too bad. Shyla summoned her will.
