Unconcerned, Elek shrugged his big shoulders.

Rae, though, curled tighter. “Are you sure? The sand didn’t move when I stared at it.”

Sensing Rae’s distress, Shyla put her arm around the young woman’s shoulders. “Yes, I’m sure. And you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I’m okay. Just getting used to the idea. Besides, nothing bad ever happened to…crack me.”

Perhaps the trauma of almost dying as a baby had unlocked Rae’s magic, or maybe being sun-kissed was a factor. Shyla wondered if her mother might have the potential. Claws of fear sank into her stomach. What if something terrible happened in the black cells that unlocked Kaveri’s magic?

To keep from useless worrying, Shyla scanned the common room. Many people had congregated there for second meal. She asked Elek to gather the rest of the ex-acolytes so she could test them. He went over to a table of them. She was struck by how the members had sorted themselves into groups of ex-acolytes and original Invisible Swords. Even she thought of them that way. That wasn’t good. She needed to fix it. Yet another problem to add to her ever-growing list. At least they had a steady supply of clean water thanks to Rendor. Thinking of him sent a bolt of pain right through her. She quickly refocused on the Invisible Swords.

Elek sent Balin, Nard, and Daksh over and then went in search of the others. Shyla explained to the three men what she was doing and why. They’d all seen magic in use and all were willing to allow her to access their souls. Too bad none of them had potential.

Of the remaining ex-acolytes, only Yoria had potential. The woman was thirty-eight circuits old and she wasn’t surprised to be…cracked. Shyla needed to come up with a better word.

“My tyrant of a husband drove me to leave Zirdai and join the monks,” Yoria said. “I should have done it sooner, which is why I’m helping others as an Invisible Sword. The citizens of Zirdai need to realize they’ve waited too long. It’s time to change the status quo I consider my experiences a mixed blessing from the Sun Goddess.”

“She tends to do that,” Shyla said, remembering her own “conversation” with the goddess.

Being sun-kissed is a gift, the goddess had said. I do not enjoy seeing my people suffer. Make it stop.

The Sun Goddess must be very disappointed in Shyla.

After the danger zone had passed, Mojag and Gurice left for the monastery and Shyla pulled Jayden aside.

“Besides Mojag, two of our members have the potential,” she said to him. “I want to examine the original Invisible Swords.”

“Waste of time and energy,” he said. “They’ve all been through our assessment and failed.”

“But you might have cracked them.” Again, she needed a kinder descriptor.