It was well into the darkness when Shyla, half asleep and bleary eyed, found a comment that might have been an allusion to other vaults. Suddenly awake, she scanned the passage a couple times. It had been written by the official scribe, but for his own personal account. The scroll chronicled Tamburah’s increasing paranoia. How he had doubled his guards, switched sleeping rooms, arrested his advisors and hired all new people, and became obsessed with his wealth. Tamburah had ordered his servants to move his valuables to different locations until he found one that he believed was secure, then he killed them all so only he knew where his treasures were. When one of his generals had expressed concern that the king wouldn’t remember, Tamburah had pointed to his left temple and said, It’s all right here. Then he had the man put to death for his impertinence.

At first, Shyla thought Tamburah referred to his memory. Then she suspected it might have to do with The Eyes. Either way it wasn’t going to help her. She continued to read the scribe’s journal. It detailed Tamburah’s decline into madness, his increased blood lust and obsession with eyes. Nausea churned in her stomach as she learned that the king had delighted in personally gouging out the eyes of his enemies, which sounded like anyone who had dared to even look at him.

She hunched over and hugged her arms to her chest. Was that her fate? According to the written history, Tamburah had been about thirty-one circuits old when he’d assumed power and allegedly The Eyes. Signs of his unbalanced mental state had been mentioned approximately ten circuits later. He’d been assassinated nineteen and a half circuits after he’d been crowned. Did that mean she only had ten circuits of lucidity? And would Rendor keep his promise to remove The Eyes when—if—she turned into a tyrannical maniac like Tamburah? Probably not. Rendor no longer wished to be with her. She needed to ask another to ensure she didn’t become a monster.

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.