Zimraan had played his part well. At first he’d been against the idea of deceiving the Heliacal Priestess’s deacons, but a large pouch of osees had changed his mind.
Four more Arch Deacons waited as well. They demanded to know what had happened. Shyla’s people had ensured their faces were hidden behind the veils. They parted and revealed their prizes—Shyla, Gurice, and Ximen with their hands tied behind their backs. She glared at them all, playing her part.
“The mission was a complete success,” Elek said.
“What about the other renegades?” one Arch Deacon asked.
“Dead,” Elek said in a flat tone. Muscling past the man, he gestured for the others to go inside.
“That wasn’t part of the mission,” the man said, trailing them. “The Blessed One will be upset.”
“They fought back.” Elek shrugged. “Not much else we could do.” Picking up the pace, he led them down to level six.
Once they were safe from the killing sun, Elek slowed. The four from the entrance had followed, obviously intent on accompanying them. Elek headed to a less populated fringe of the city.
“Hey, wait, you’re not going the right way,” an Arch Deacon said.
“I think this is a good place,” Elek said.
“For what?”
“For this.” He snapped his fingers. Elek’s warriors attacked.
The four had no chance. They were unarmed and forced to their knees in a fraction of an angle. Jaft removed their torques and Shyla used her magic to erase their memories. She then went deeper, finding their reasons for becoming Arch Deacons. Her magic wouldn’t be able to change their personality or beliefs, but she questioned why they served the Heliacal Priestess knowing they were no longer saving souls, but hurting them.
The priestess does not speak for the Sun Goddess. I do and she is not happy with your behavior.
Her efforts probably wouldn’t work for all of them, but two showed promise. They left the Arch Deacons and continued on their journey.
“Are we going to do this for all the deacons?” Jaft asked.
“Eventually. I’d like to do it for all those who are loyal to the priestess. However, for now, only the ones who try to stop us,” Shyla said. “Our mission is to get to the priestess. Once we have her neutralized, we can go from there.”
“With so many of us, we’re bound to draw attention,” Jaft said.
“Our numbers will scare most people off,” Elek said. “Besides, if we move quickly, they won’t have time to gather forces if they suspect we’re not legit.”
“Are you going to be able to go down ninety more levels?” Ximen asked Shyla.
With her hands mock tied, walking was difficult.
“We’ve got her,” Daksh said, indicating Nard who stood on the other side of Shyla. “If she has trouble, we’ll help her out.”
“How?” Ximen asked.
Shyla was also very interested in the answer. The two men each cupped one of her elbows and lifted her off her feet. It was strange, but with her feet only a few centimeters off the floor, they could carry her.
“Everyone ready?” Elek asked.
When they confirmed, he set off at a brisk pace. Shyla managed to keep up for ten levels, but after that Daksh and Nard carried her. The big men didn’t slow even with the extra weight. Must be nice to be so strong. That thought led to her wondering about Rendor. Would he spot her with the deacons and try to rescue her? No. It was a silly thought. Even Rendor couldn’t take on thirty-two deacons.
As expected, no one dared get in their way. Elek took a route that avoided all the crowded areas of Zirdai but wasn’t on the edges. Deacons didn’t worry about being noticed so if they appeared too furtive, it would trigger suspicion.
They traveled unheeded all the way down to level ninety. There they entered one of the larger caverns that tended to be a gathering place for the residents in the area. There were many of them throughout Zirdai. Due to the wealth of the citizens at this level, this one was extravagantly decorated with oversized cushions, tables, plush rugs, and trol lanterns.
It was also empty.
The Invisible Swords had a moment to exchange a warning before the other side of the cavern filled with a similarly sized group.
The good news—they weren’t from the priestess’s holy army. The bad—they were the Water Prince’s well-armed guards.
Seventeen
The two groups sized each other up. All had drawn their weapons. Invisible Swords disguised as Arch Deacons faced the Water Prince’s guards. Rendor had told her the two factions avoided conflicts. Except, apparently, when it came to The Eyes. This was the second encounter. And informing the guards they weren’t deacons would just make things worse—although she really couldn’t think of how things could get worse.
Captain Yates entered the cavern and proved she hadn’t been thinking hard enough. His people parted, allowing him to walk to the front. Yates scanned them. His gaze paused on Shyla. It burned with deadly intent—a pledge just for her. She tried to read him but was blocked. He had gotten another torque. Fear burned up her throat. How many of his guards were also protected?
“Who’s in charge?” Yates asked.
“I am,” Elek said, stepping forward. “You are interfering with the Blessed One’s wishes. Move aside.”
“No.” Yates looked at Shyla. “The Heliacal Priestess will kill you. The Water Prince won’t. His promise.” Then he turned to Elek. “Give me the sun-kissed, and you can walk out of here.”
His confidence was based on the guess that Shyla would choose the prince over the priestess and not attack the guards with her magic. If she was truly the priestess’s prisoner, then he would have been right. Shyla scrutinized the guards, sensing if any of them blocked her. She found four, which she considered a lucky break.
“No,” Elek said.
With nothing else left to say the two groups engaged. Yates and Elek crossed swords. Shyla worried for Elek—he wielded one of the stolen swords, but fighting with a weapon wasn’t his strongest skill. Unlike Yates, who was much better. Avoiding the fighting, she, Ximen, and Gurice backed up to the far wall.
“Target the guards,” Shyla said, aiming her magic at one of them.
“Any special requests?” Ximen asked. “Confuse them, stop them, or put them to sleep?”
“All of them. Just watch where the bodies fall,” Shyla said. “We don’t want our people tripping over them.”
A contained chaos filled the room. Bodies collided, slumped over, and cried out in pain. The hot metallic odor of spilled blood and the sour aroma of sweat polluted the air.
Elek kept up with Yates for a while. Then the captain turned on the speed and Elek was soon unarmed. With his training in the Ways of the Yarin, he was able to dodge Yates’ sword. Eventually the captain wore Elek down. Shyla sucked in a breath, but instead of killing Elek, Yates shoved him toward them. Elek slammed into Ximen and Gurice, knocking both down.
Then Yates was in front of her. She glanced up as he reached for her neck. The memory of him choking the life out of Rendor flashed. Yates had said the prince promised not to kill her, but Yates never said he wouldn’t.