Exhausted, she went to her room to lie down. She’d told Jayden to wake her as soon as they came back. But when she closed her eyes, the cries of the prisoners in the black cells filled her head. How could a memory be so loud? And what if the Water Prince had Hanif and Kaveri in one of his special rooms? Worry and fear pumped through her. In an attempt to distract her thoughts from conjuring up more horrible scenarios about her parents, she focused on other problems, which led to making a mental list of everything she needed to accomplish. It was overwhelming. So why was she wasting time trying to sleep?

Giving up, she took the map from her pack and examined it. That nagging feeling once again poked her like an annoying younger sibling.

Poke—remember this?

Poke—come on, you know it.

Poke—how stupid can you be?

Poke—no wonder Mom loves me best.

The desire to crumple the skin into a tight little wad twitched along her fingers. Instead she stared at it, imagining her eyes had turned to lava stones and could set the damn thing on fire. Too bad she couldn’t read the map like a person’s soul. What would happen if she pushed with the magic of The Eyes while looking at an inanimate object? Probably nothing. At least she wouldn’t be disappointed as that was all she’d managed to get from it so far.

Feeling a bit silly, she gazed at the map using her magic. As expected, nothing happened. Then she blinked. The lines shifted. Suddenly another map rose. A three-dimensional shape of a maze with twists and turns and dead ends. And in the center, the prize. Was that what Tamburah meant when he pointed to his temple and said, It’s all right here? Perhaps he was really pointing to his eyes, indicating that his power would show him the right way. Excitement replaced her frustration. Now she just needed to find the entrance into the maze.

When her eyes crossed with fatigue, she returned to her sleeping mat. Jayden woke her a few angles later. Mojag and Gurice were back.

They’d arrived just before darkness along with the crew from the dig site. The diggers hadn’t reached deep enough to safely remain on site. Gurice went to check on her team working on the tunnel to Zirdai, leaving Mojag to report the news.

Ximen joined the three of them in a corner of the common room. Not for the first time, or the last, she was sure, Shyla wished for a cup of hot tea.

“The monks are in a tizzy,” Mojag said. “Seems the big arrest is unpress…unprez…er…never happened before.”

“What was the reason for the arrest?” Shyla asked.