Mojag headed into the tunnel. He was dressed in a green tunic and flared striped pants woven from gamelu fibers. The clothes were shabby but clean and warm. Jayden and Shyla also wore similar clothing except she had her wrap to cover her hair. Most of Zirdai remained at a constant ten degrees Celsius. Only the upper five levels fluctuated, going from zero during darkness to sixty degrees during the kill zone. Shyla had lived on level three. She enjoyed access to sunlight via a mirrored pipe to the surface, but she had to descend to level six every sun jump to survive the heat.

They were currently on level twenty-two. The people who lived here had enough coins to pay their taxes and tithe, but not much extra. Mojag fit in without calling attention to himself. Tall for thirteen circuits old, he was all gangly arms and legs.

Shyla clasped her hands together when he disappeared. If anything happened to him, she’d never forgive herself. A surprise, since at one point she would have happily killed the little sand rat.

If Mojag ran into an ambush, he’d claim he was lost. Neither the deacons nor the guards should recognize him. While his older sister, Gurice, had been an Invisible Sword for circuits, Mojag hadn’t been old enough to be invited and tested for magic. No longer. Desperate times called for desperate measures and they needed him. Once things settled down, he would be tested.

Waiting for the boy to return was almost torture. Shyla stood up half a dozen times with the intention of running to Mojag’s rescue, but, each time, Jayden tugged her back down.

“Relax. He’s been a vagrant since birth, he knows what he’s doing,” Jayden whispered.

It wasn’t Mojag’s skills she was worried about. The Invisible Swords had been murdered by the Arch Deacons without mercy. And those same deacons might be lying in wait. They might not even bother to question Mojag before killing him. Shyla turned to voice her concerns but stopped. Tension rolled off Jayden’s shoulders. He and Mojag were like brothers. Jayden already understood the risks. No need for her to remind him. Instead she concentrated on keeping still.

When Mojag returned, Shyla relaxed.

“Well?” Jayden asked.

“There’s two Arch Deacons watching the entrance into twenty-two, but I slipped around and checked the hidden one on twenty-four and there’s nobody there,” Mojag said.

“Did they see you?”

“Nah. Smelled them before I even got close. I covered the druk and crept up on them. Not that they would have heard me over their conversation. They’re bored out of their skulls.”