“A little too lumpy.” Jayden’s voice was slightly muffled. “Let me…” Sand shushed as it moved over her. “Okay, now lift your hood a bit and clear out two holes so you can see.”

When she lifted the material, sand flowed toward her face.

“Not that much,” Jayden said. “Push it away.”

She cleared it and then created two small openings.

“Looks good. How do you feel?”

“Like a sand devil ready to pounce.”

“Good. My turn.”

Beside her the rustling sounds of moving sand didn’t last long. Show-off.

As she waited for the sun to arrive, Shyla made a few discoveries. One, that the sand acted like a blanket, keeping her warm. Two, that remaining still for a few angles was harder than she thought. And the more she thought about it, the greater her desire to move, to stretch, to sneeze, to scratch since it seemed like every centimeter of her skin itched. Three, that breathing caused problems. Worried about taking too deep a breath and having someone notice the sand expanding and contracting, she tried to limit how much air she took in. But then that caused her to pant, which made her afraid she was running out of air despite Jayden’s assurances and the fact there were two holes right in front of her.

“Breathe normally,” Jayden said.

Surprised, she asked, “How did you know?”

“I can hear you.”

Oh. Drawing in even breaths, she calmed.

The dark gray desert lightened in tiny increments. At first a blush of pink spread through the sands. It darkened, painting the surface with strokes of ruby, crimson, and orange until the desert was stained with color. When the sunlight struck the surface, it flashed with brilliance and snapped into the familiar reddish-orange hue.

Soon the cleaning crew appeared at the city’s entrances, sweeping and shoveling the sand that had collected during the darkness. The constant wind only stilled during the killing heat.

Then the Heliacal Priestess arrived on the surface with a dozen deacons and four Arch Deacons in her wake. The priestess’s green silk robe flowed behind her. The golden orbs embroidered on the fabric shone as she moved. Shyla squinted and spotted the platinum torque at the woman’s neck. Sunlight glinted off the metal and the light silver color contrasted with her ebony skin. Bald and beautiful, the priestess walked with a confident grace, leaving behind slender footprints in the sand. The priestess worshiped the Sun Goddess every sun jump, performing a ritual and praying to the deity for…Shyla had no idea. Probably bountiful crops and help in gaining more power.

Shyla watched the priestess until she disappeared from sight. Then she scanned each deacon as they passed. The Arch Deacons were next. They wore green tunics and pants along with turbans and veils to hide everything but their eyes. Their torques glinted through the thin material of their veils.