“I’ll work with her since she knows me, but you can handle the rest. However, that’s not why I asked you to accompany me.” She turned to Ximen. “How did the magic lessons go?”

He frowned. “Not well. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they showed an utter lack of magical ability.”

“That bad? What about Mojag’s sensing ability?” she asked.

“When he tried to use it, he couldn’t sense anyone. It was only when he wasn’t paying attention that it worked.”

“Plan B?” Jayden asked.

“Yes, I’ll ask for a volunteer.”

“Not Mojag.”

“Did you know he already volunteered?” she asked.

“Figures. You didn’t take him up on it, right?”

“Of course not. Did you really think I would?”

“I think you would do what is needed for this organization to survive,” Jayden said.

Interesting. “There’s another matter. I want to have everyone take the oath at the sun’s apex. The pledge will be almost identical to the one you used, and I plan to give everyone that symbol on their shoulders, but I’m going to alter it to reflect the new archive.”

Jayden and Ximen exchanged a look. Finally Ximen said, “That symbol only works for those who have magic.”

“They only need magic to see it. Right?”

“No. They need magic for it to heal so quickly and for the symbol to remain on the skin. When a wielder takes the oath, it creates a magical reaction.” Ximen rubbed his shoulder. “We’re really not sure how it works.”

That was disappointing, but Shyla thought if she could figure out how Tamburah marked those walls, perhaps she could mark the members.

Ximen left to find her a volunteer for plan B.

Jayden remained behind. “You don’t have to mark everyone. Swearing an oath is a powerful thing, and for most people it is enough.”

She remembered Chago at the monastery, spying for the Water Prince. Perhaps he’d told Captain Yates about Shyla’s visits and it had led to the search and her parents’ arrest. “But not for everyone.”

“You still think there’s a traitor in our midst.” His anger heated the air between them. “Why don’t you just read everyone’s souls and stop with all this taking-an-oath nonsense?”

“Do you want me to read your soul without your permission?”

“You know I don’t.”

“So that must mean you have something to hide?”

“It just means I value my privacy. I get it. Okay? But how is taking an oath going to reveal a potential spy?”

“As you said, taking an oath is a powerful thing, and, in that case, I don’t need to read a person’s soul to know if they’re telling the truth. It’ll all be right there on their surface thoughts. In their body language.”

“And that’s not reading a soul?” he asked.