Resting her forehead on the edge of the cold stone table, Shyla endured a moment of overwhelming sadness despite her earlier resolve. Being the leader of the Invisible Sword hadn’t pressed as hard on her shoulders when Rendor had been a member. At least Jayden would be more than happy to take The Eyes from her should she go rogue. In fact, he might be too willing. Perhaps Gurice or Ximen would be a better choice.
When she’d indulged in her self-pity long enough, Shyla returned to the scroll, skimming Tamburah’s long list of horrors and increasingly erratic behavior. One comment snagged her attention. The scribe claimed Tamburah frequently stared at his sculpture—the oversized relief of Tamburah’s face carved into one of the walls of his judgment room. The king had referred to his sand visage as his legacy many times. The scribe had assigned the behavior as another sign of the king’s megalomania, but Shyla wondered if there was more to it.
A memory tugged. She’d studied the carving closely when she had waited for the Invisible Sword. Something about Tamburah’s face…the configuration of the blue and purple sand had reminded her of a map. Excitement pumped through her. If she examined the pattern with her new sight, would it reveal more?
Of course no one would agree that it was worth the risk to go to Tamburah’s judgment room to examine it. Both the Water Prince and Heliacal Priestess might be watching the temple. However, the Invisible Sword’s old hideout was in the lower levels so the upper ones might be safer.
She sensed that pattern might be a key. To what, she’d no idea.
Good thing she didn’t need anyone’s permission.
Instead of dashing off to Tamburah’s temple, Shyla remained in the Second Room of Knowledge until she read through all the scrolls and tablets she’d collected on Tamburah. It took the rest of the darkness to finish. Nothing else mentioned or even hinted at the existence of another vault or buildings. Because that would just be too easy. She returned the materials to their proper shelves.
Stiff, sore, exhausted, and with a headache that throbbed behind her eyes, Shyla staggered to her room in the empty wing of the monastery. Sinking into the soft sleeping cushion, she wondered if anyone would notice if she stole it. An image of her hunched over with the cushion on her back as she trudged through the desert made her giggle. Perhaps the monks on guard would think she was an oversized velbloud looking for its flock.
She dreamed she flew high above the sands, connected to the ground by a thin thread. Her pleasure over the view warred with her fear as the fibers in the thread slowly unraveled. She woke the instant the thread snapped. Or was it the sound of her door opening that had jolted her from sleep?
Either way, she was on her feet when Easan entered her room. He held a druk and the young monk’s face was creased with worry.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Captain Yates is here with a platoon of guards. They’ve orders to search the monastery for you.”
Son of a sand demon. Her memory wipe must have not lasted on that thick-headed man or else someone had tipped him off that she was here. She glanced at the sand clock—angle sixty-five and too close to the danger zone for her to leave the monastery through one of the escape tunnels. “I can hide in the First Room—”
“Yates has permission to search the Rooms of Knowledge.” Easan’s voice was strident with outrage. “All of them.”
“The Water Prince doesn’t have that kind of power.”
“No he doesn’t, but the King of Koraha does.”
“The King gave the Water Prince permission?”
“Yes.”
Shocked, she stared at her childhood friend. “Wait. How did the prince manage that? Qulsary is over seventy sun jumps away. Unless the King isn’t in the capital?”
“He’s there. The prince has a special dispensation from the King. It’s to be used one time only for an emergency.”
“I’m considered an emergency?” She didn’t know whether to be flattered or terrified.
“Apparently. Aren’t you special.” He gave her a tight-lipped smile.
It was bad, but it still wasn’t dire.
“Also the guards have formed into six eight-person units for the search.”
Now it was dire.
Eleven
Seven hells. An eight-person unit was too many for Shyla to influence right now. If she’d had more sleep, then maybe. She still couldn’t believe the King of Koraha had given the prince permission to enter all the Rooms of Knowledge. She wondered how close the prince and King were. He had to have impressed the King at some point to win that dispensation. Had the prince sent a message to the King about Shyla? Did she have to worry about his men coming to Zirdai? Perhaps she should concentrate on surviving the problem at hand.
“Is there any place to hide down past level twelve?” Having grown up in the monastery, she knew there weren’t any hiding places in the upper levels. Not ones that Hanif or one of the other monks hadn’t found her in pretty quick.
“No. There’s nothing. Sorry,” Easan said.
“Do you have any rooms with loose sand?”
“Not below level one. But if you need sand…” He pointed to the sand clock. “We’ve a bunch of those.”
Not enough for her to hide under. Plus it would look suspicious—a mound of sand right in the middle of an otherwise clean room. She sorted through her childhood memories. Perhaps something would trigger a brilliant plan. No luck. “How long have they been here?”
“About five angles. They’ve already searched the top six levels. Good thing I checked your room first.”
“Any gaps between units that I can slip through?”
“They’re being rather thorough. What do you want to do?”
Only one thing to do. “I’ll find a way to stay hidden until they leave.”
“Where?”
“It’s better you don’t know.” Shyla grabbed her pack and headed to the First Room of Knowledge. Hopefully being able to go between there and the map room would allow her to remain undetected. She had enough energy to hide the shortcut from one or even two, three if she was desperate. Although she doubted that many would find the hiding spot under the table. The maze of shelves and sudden dead ends should be confusing to the guards. Overall, not the best plan, but it was all she had.
At least she didn’t have to guess when the unit entered. Their boisterous voices echoed off the stone walls and their irreverent and smug comments grated on her sensibilities. They didn’t belong here and they knew it. Hanif must be beside himself over being forced to allow the guards into the Rooms of Knowledge.
Then a voice that sent a knife of fear straight to her heart said, “Fan out, and don’t trust your eyes. Search with your hands. I’ll wait here in case you flush the sun- kissed out.”
She shouldn’t have been surprised. Of course Yates would be with this unit. He wouldn’t be able to resist going into a place that was normally off-limits to him. Not waiting any longer, she hurried to the map room. Once inside, Shyla crouched to the side of the opening and just out of sight. If she sensed anyone nearby, she’d project a solid wall.
As she waited, she counted her heartbeats, which seemed to echo loudly in the room. It didn’t take long for the sounds of boots and voices to reach her. Two, maybe three guards approached the table.