“Are you going to explain what you’re doing now?” Gurice asked.

“Not yet.” She worked with them both until she was able to identify their inner…druk…without having to witness them using magic. Its heavy presence really reminded her of the lantern—it seemed a vital and solid part of them. And then she had to decide what to tell Mojag. Could she open that druk all the way? Shyla wondered what had happened to him to crack it. Perhaps it was the death of his parents.

When Mojag yawned for the third time, Shyla ordered him to bed. Gurice moved to follow, but she asked her friend to remain. She explained what she’d been doing.

“If it’s foolproof, we just added another weapon to our arsenal.” Gurice grinned. “That was worth making a million sand blobs.” Then her smile faded. “Does that mean Mojag doesn’t have the potential?”

“Actually…” Shyla told her about the crack.

“He’ll be thrilled.” Gurice cocked her head. “Though I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m happy for him but also sad because it’s a burden as well as a gift.”

“And we need to decide what to do about it, and if I should try to open the rest of his magic so he can wield it with intent versus tapping into it unconsciously. I’ve no idea if it will work or what would happen.”

“We should discuss this with Jayden and Ximen,” Gurice said. “I don’t want to hurt my brother, but I don’t want to hold him back either.”

When they arrived in the common room, Aphra and Ximen had already returned from the dig. They sat around a table, talking intently with Jayden. Shyla and Gurice joined them.

“What’s the bad news?” Shyla asked.

“How did you know the news is bad?” Aphra asked. “Magic?”

“No, your body language.”

“Oh. Well, we uncovered the entrance to the grave diggers’ tunnel. About three meters in we hit a wall.”

“A real wall or something not marked on the map?”

“The tunnel collapsed,” Ximen said.

“Can you open it up?” Shyla asked Aphra.

“It’s soft so we can clear it. But, because it’s soft, we need to install extra supports as we go deeper or risk being buried alive. But there’s no way we can reach the crypt in eighteen sun jumps.

Ten

Just when Shyla thought something was finally going their way, they hit a wall. Literally.

“How about if we remove the sand with magic?” Gurice asked Aphra. “Would that make it go faster?”

“It’s not the sand that’s the problem, it’s the time needed to ensure our safety,” Aphra said.

Which was important. Shyla slumped over the table and rested her head in her hands.

“What do you want me to do?” Aphra asked.