“They’re asleep right now, but I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you when they wake. How long are you staying?”

“Just another sun jump.” Sleeping sounded like a good idea, so she headed to her room. As she sank into the cushion, she wondered if she could justify using her newly acquired coins to buy a couple sleeping cushions. Would Zimraan have any to sell? And why was she obsessed with this? Perhaps thinking about obtaining a comfortable cushion kept her from contemplating the fact she had no one to share it with. No one had seen Rendor. Did that mean he’d left the city? And why did that notion hurt so much?

Orla was right. The group she’d helped rescue cheered when she entered their quarters around angle twenty. A dozen total—part of an extended family that had gotten on the priestess’s bad side—they stayed in a large room that had sleeping cushions, furs, tables, and a sitting area. They also cared for the four that still required assistance.

After she explained about their potential to have magic because of the trauma they had experienced, they all immediately agreed to allow her to test them, even those four who couldn’t stand.

Of the twelve, only two had been cracked, and one was younger than Mojag. Too young, but she was determined to be a part.

“When you’re older,” Shyla said to her. And she explained to Wazir, the other one, that he’d have to relive the horrors he had experienced in order for her to fully open his magic.

“You saved my son. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you,” Wazir said.

The mention of his son sent a jolt of alarm straight through her along with a sudden realization. The other Invisible Sword members didn’t have children, which she was very glad about. And she didn’t want Wazir’s son to grow up without his father. Or for his wife to lose her husband.

“You can help by taking care of your son. I’ll find another-”

“Do you think I want him to grow up in a world where your family can be arrested or grabbed by power hungry deacons for little to no reason? He will be safe here in the commune while I fight to make Zirdai a good place to raise a family.”

“We will fight.” Another man stood next to Wazir. “I might not have magic, but I have a strong back.”

Two young women joined them.

“Us, too,” one of them said. “If we want things to change, we have to stop waiting for someone else to change them.”

Hard to argue with that. “Welcome to the Invisible Sword.”