He wrenched the necklace off the man, leaving behind scratches that welled with blood. The man touched his throat but didn’t move. Both Jayden and Mojag loomed over him with their knives in hand.

Shyla, though, crouched down and met his gaze, reading his soul. In pain, his emotions flipped between fear, confusion, and hope he might live through this and not bleed to death.

“Tell me how many torques the priestess has,” she ordered.

There had been a dozen—nine now if they took his and Yarb’s, but he wasn’t telling this sun-kissed anything.

“How about the food and water in the storeroom? Is it safe to eat and drink?” she asked.

Of course not. The priestess was smart enough to poison it just in case he and Yarb failed. “Yes,” he said.

Shyla suppressed a sigh over his lie. He either didn’t believe what The Eyes could do or didn’t know the extent of their power. Good news for her. “Does the priestess know where we are?”

Until this encounter, the Blessed One worried the Invisible Swords had moved to another city. Learning they were still here and might eat the poisoned provisions would help him remain in her favor after this fiasco. “Yes.”

“How?”

He scrambled to come up with a convincing lie. “She has prayed to the Sun Goddess who has told her your location.” Hopefully the heathens would panic and leave their current hideout, making them easier to find.

Turning to Jayden, Shyla said, “You were right. We better leave the city.”

Jayden played along. “I’m always right.”

The Arch Deacon couldn’t understand how these fools lasted this long without being caught and killed.

Shyla kept her expression neutral even though she wanted to punch the man. “Last question. What are the priestess’s orders regarding me?”

This one was easy. “She wants you dead or alive. It doesn’t matter as long as your stolen eyes are intact.”

She laughed. As if The Eyes could be stolen. The Eyes of Tamburah had been in the Invisible Sword’s possession since they assassinated Tamburah nearly fourteen hundred circuits ago. They were crafted from priceless gemstones—sapphires, black diamonds, rubies, and pure white topaz—and resembled real eyes in both size and shape. They contained powerful magic but required a leap of faith and a sacrifice to use them.

If The Eyes stirred in a person’s hands, that meant they had the potential to wield them—though there were no guarantees. The sacrifice was exchanging their real eyes for the gemstones. Shyla had taken that leap and Rendor had cut her eyeballs from their sockets. The Eyes had woken, healing her injuries and allowing her to peer into others’ souls along with other abilities that she was still learning.

The Eyes were rightfully hers. Plus she doubted the prince or the priestess had the courage to make that sacrifice.