“Hanif told them not to fight. He said to contact the King.” Mojag rubbed his arms with short agitated strokes. “Do you think the King will send his army? What if they side with the Water Prince?”
“It will take at least seventy sun jumps for a message to reach the King,” Shyla said. “I doubt he’d do more than send a message back ordering Hanif and Kaveri’s release, which will take another seventy sun jumps if the King responds right away, otherwise it could be even more.” Any amount of time was unacceptable to her.
“Do you think the monks would be willing to help us?” Jayden asked her.
“Help us how?”
“We need more people. The monks are well trained. We could join forces and attack the Water Prince.”
That would be wonderful. “They might want to, but they’re not permitted to interfere.”
Jayden pounded his fist on the table. “That’s just an excuse.”
“They work for the King.”
He was not appeased. “Then we can’t help Hanif. Not yet.”
Shyla wasn’t going to give up. “We managed to get to the prince before. We can do it again.”
“The only reason that worked was because the Water Prince thought you had The Eyes. This time, he’d just overwhelm us with sheer numbers. And that is if we even get down there. If the priestess hears we’re on the warpath, she’ll send Arch Deacons after us.”
“We can wield magic and remain hidden.”
Jayden leaned forward. “It’s too exhausting. The Invisible Sword’s leaders brainstormed various strategies to overthrow the prince. The best they came up with is tricking him with The Eyes.” The unspoken and you ruined it flared in his pointed gaze.
“He’s right,” Ximen said.
“But you didn’t have a leader who woke The Eyes. I’m—”
“Still learning how to use your magic,” Jayden said.
She wilted. True.
Mojag yawned and left to get some rest. Shyla watched him go. “You might have more students to teach.” She filled them in on the results of her test.
“Lamar? Wow, I never would have guessed,” Ximen said. “And Mojag’s going to be…obnoxious.”
“Except they still need to be opened. I was thinking if they learn how to focus their magic, that might work to expand their abilities.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Ximen asked.
“Then I’ll ask for a volunteer and use The Eyes.”
“You have to be careful, Shyla,” Jayden said. “Remember when you took the oath and the magic slammed us all into the walls? There are other consequences to using magic aside from exhausting yourself. Some people’s minds are fragile.”
“Then I’ll be cautious. It’s just too important not to try.”
“What about that caravan?” Ximen asked. “How are we going to get that platinum when we don’t have enough coins to buy it and we won’t steal?”
Shyla met Jayden’s gaze. “Come with me to Tamburah’s temple. Give me one chance to find that maze.”
“You know you can order me to go with you,” Jayden said.
“Do you want me to? Will that help?”
“No to both. All right, I’m in. When do you want to go?”
“Angle three-forty-five. Ximen, I want you to work with the potentials, see if any of them can wield magic.”
“Does this mean I’m the one who gets to tell Mojag about his magic?” Ximen asked.
“No.” Jayden stood up. “I’ll do it.” He left.
“What about the dig site?” Ximen asked.
“Gurice can take your place for a sun jump.”
“She’s not that good with moving sand.”
“What about Titus?”
“He’s better. Can you send them both?”
“Yes, let them know, and I’ll round up my backup. Rae isn’t going to be happy about staying behind,” Shyla said.
“Tell her that we’ll start at angle zero. I’m beat.”
“Get some rest, Ximen.”
He gave her a two-fingered salute. Shyla found Rae in the small room she shared with Lian and two other women who were also ex-acolytes.
As expected, Rae protested. “Who are you going to take instead?”
“I’ll take Vashi. I hear she’s a pretty good fighter.”
Lian snorted. “Those Invisible Swords all think they’re good, but compared to our training…” She spread her hands and turned her palms up—unimpressed.
“You’re Invisible Swords now,” Shyla reminded her. “And we need to all work together.”
“That’s the thing,” Lian said. “We don’t feel like one of them.”
“I know. I’m working to rectify that.” Shyla paused. “When I have time.”
Shyla made one more stop.
“A hidden maze with booby traps? Count me in,” Aphra said.
“If we find it. And just being in the temple will be dangerous,” Shyla said.
Aphra arched an eyebrow. “And how is that different from my life as a treasure hunter?”
“Fair point. But do you even know how to fight with that knife you carry?”
“You want to try taking it from me?” Aphra shifted her weight to the balls of her feet.
“A simple yes would have sufficed.”
“But it’s not as fun.”
Shyla grinned. “Another time then.”
“No magic. That’s cheating.”
She agreed. “No magic.”
While walking back to her room, Shyla considered her brief conversations with Rae and Lian and Aphra. Perhaps they should all train and spar together. They could spare fifteen angles a sun jump. Not only would it keep their skills sharp, but it would create a sense of kinship. Like all good ideas, she wished she’d thought of it sooner. Maybe then Rendor wouldn’t have left.
She pulled her thoughts from that direction. Those “should haves” and “could haves” would only drag her into despair. Instead, she focused on the mission, and was surprised to find Mojag waiting for her in her room.
He played with the sand in her practice bucket, molding shapes with his hands only to squash them and create something else.
“Is it true?” he asked without looking up.
No need to ask what he referred to. “Yes.”
“What if I lose my abilities to…sniff out people by opening up my magic?”
“I think it would enhance those abilities.”
“What if it changes me?”
“You don’t have to do anything. If you’re happy to remain this way, I won’t force you. No one will.”
Now he looked at her. “I can’t do that. It might help us.”
“Might is the key word, Mojag. No guarantee.”
He jumped to his feet. “You sacrificed your eyes for us. Your eyes! No guarantee then either! It’s the least I can do.”
A very mature reaction. She wondered what Jayden had said to him. “Why are you afraid of changing?”
“You and Jayden and the others are so…serious and worried all the time. You have so much…responsibility. No one is happy.”