When she lifted the material, sand flowed toward her face.
“Not that much,” Jayden said. “Push it away.”
She cleared it and then created two small openings.
“Looks good. How do you feel?”
“Like a sand devil ready to pounce.”
“Good. My turn.”
Beside her the rustling sounds of moving sand didn’t last long. Show-off.
As she waited for the sun to arrive, Shyla made a few discoveries. One, that the sand acted like a blanket, keeping her warm. Two, that remaining still for a few angles was harder than she thought. And the more she thought about it, the greater her desire to move, to stretch, to sneeze, to scratch since it seemed like every centimeter of her skin itched. Three, that breathing caused problems. Worried about taking too deep a breath and having someone notice the sand expanding and contracting, she tried to limit how much air she took in. But then that caused her to pant, which made her afraid she was running out of air despite Jayden’s assurances and the fact there were two holes right in front of her.
“Breathe normally,” Jayden said.
Surprised, she asked, “How did you know?”
“I can hear you.”
Oh. Drawing in even breaths, she calmed.
The dark gray desert lightened in tiny increments. At first a blush of pink spread through the sands. It darkened, painting the surface with strokes of ruby, crimson, and orange until the desert was stained with color. When the sunlight struck the surface, it flashed with brilliance and snapped into the familiar reddish-orange hue.
Soon the cleaning crew appeared at the city’s entrances, sweeping and shoveling the sand that had collected during the darkness. The constant wind only stilled during the killing heat.
Then the Heliacal Priestess arrived on the surface with a dozen deacons and four Arch Deacons in her wake. The priestess’s green silk robe flowed behind her. The golden orbs embroidered on the fabric shone as she moved. Shyla squinted and spotted the platinum torque at the woman’s neck. Sunlight glinted off the metal and the light silver color contrasted with her ebony skin. Bald and beautiful, the priestess walked with a confident grace, leaving behind slender footprints in the sand. The priestess worshiped the Sun Goddess every sun jump, performing a ritual and praying to the deity for…Shyla had no idea. Probably bountiful crops and help in gaining more power.
Shyla watched the priestess until she disappeared from sight. Then she scanned each deacon as they passed. The Arch Deacons were next. They wore green tunics and pants along with turbans and veils to hide everything but their eyes. Their torques glinted through the thin material of their veils.
Protected from her magic, there was no way she could sneak up on the Arch Deacons. Even though that wasn’t what she intended to do on this sun jump, Shyla considered the problem. Perhaps if the Invisible Sword members arrived at the priestess’s worship site before the sun and hid in the sand, they could ambush the Arch Deacons and take their torques.
However, that scenario didn’t sit right. Interrupting a religious ceremony seemed dishonorable. Shyla hadn’t believed in the existence of the Sun Goddess, but then she had been trapped on the surface and almost died of heat exposure. During that time, she had a conversation with the Sun Goddess who had asked her to save the people of Zirdai. Even though the encounter was probably a delusion, Shyla had been more open-minded about the Sun Goddess ever since.
The last of the Arch Deacons crossed her sight line. This one carried a sack over their shoulder—probably incense for the ritual. Shyla’s focus returned to the entrances, seeking Invisible Swords. She spotted Elek’s broad shoulders as he and Jaft strode from the north exit. They wore sun cloaks and carried shovels, not water.
She dug her fingers deep into the sand as her mind whirled with the implications. Was the mission unsuccessful? Needles of fear for Rendor and the others shot through her, leaving behind a painful pulse. At least no one followed them.
Then, despite the layer of sand, the high-pitched wail of a baby in distress reached her. The sound sliced right into her heart.
Son of a sand demon, that Arch Deacon hadn’t been carrying incense but a baby. No doubt a sun-kissed to be abandoned on the surface to die.
In this case, she’d be more than happy to ruin the Heliacal Priestess’s plans.
Seven
Even though they were both hidden under the sand, Jayden managed to grab her arm. “Stay put.” His voice was muffled but the order was clear.
“No.” There was no way she’d let the Heliacal Priestess and her deacons abandon a baby. Another wail tore into her guts.
“We can’t do anything until they’re gone. We’re outnumbered. Besides, we can’t just appear from the sands. There’s still too many people leaving the city.”
She hated that he was right. Hated it with all her heart and soul. “As soon as—”
“Yes, we will.”
How could he be so calm? A third and weaker cry skewered her. A physical need to move, to run, to swoop in and scoop up the baby hummed in her blood and drummed on her muscles.
“Look,” Jayden said. “There’s Nard and Lamar.”
Shyla spotted the two men. No one paid them any attention as they strode away from the city in a different direction than Elek and Jaft. They too carried shovels. Except Nard’s sun cloak appeared…odd. There was a…hump on his back. Not big as if— Idiot! They carried the air bladders full of water on their backs under their sun cloaks. Rendor was a genius!
A bit of pride pushed her other emotions to the side for an angle. He wasn’t the second worst choice. In fact, she would no longer tolerate those comments. And it was time to stop trying to please everyone.
After a few more angles, Balin and Daksh slipped from a little used exit and soon disappeared from sight. Shyla and Jayden continued to wait, but none of the other Invisible Swords left the city. Soon, the flow of people stopped and the sweepers retreated underground. Had the rest of the team been caught? Or were they still collecting water? Instead of jumping to horrible conclusions, she’d ask Elek when she returned to the temple. But first the baby.
Jayden squeezed her arm. “Not yet.”
She suppressed a growl. What were they delaying for? The baby shouldn’t be out—
The Heliacal Priestess and her posse strode into sight. Oh, right. So anxious to rescue the infant, she’d forgotten about the seventeen people. Except only thirteen returned from the place of worship. The four Arch Deacons were noticeably absent. Seven hells. They’d remained behind to ensure the baby wasn’t rescued. And with the torques protecting them from Shyla and Jayden’s magic, they’d be hard to beat. Not impossible, but not a guarantee either.
Once the deacons and the priestess disappeared underground, Jayden said, “I’m not sure where the Arch Deacons are, so move the sand to the side instead of up into the air.” He released his grip. “Try not to draw attention.”
Shyla concentrated and envisioned the grains being swept aside as if she was slowly opening a set of curtains. The weight lifted from her back as the sunlight brightened. Interesting how the sand had also insulated her from the heat. The sand devils dug into the dunes to escape the killing heat, but they also had tough hides and special respiratory systems to aid in their survival.