Skye jumped to a crouch and tilted his head. A cough traveled to him, the sound muffled. An animal snorted. Instinct made him try to expand his magic outward, but nothing happened. He silently cursed the desert. Leaving Eiren asleep, he crawled up the side of the hill and peered over the top of the dune. He counted six men and kotis. Skye watched as one of the silhouettes pulled back on the reins, and the koti snorted again. The man’s head shifted back and forth as if he checked his surroundings.
Were they stopping for the night, or were they scouting the area? Either way, Eiren and he were exposed, their only protection the sand dune between them and the six men. Skye’s left hand flexed along the sword sheath. When they all dismounted, Skye breathed a sigh and worked his way down the hill without upsetting the sand. He tapped Eiren’s shoulder in the dim light cast by the two moons.
Eiren, Skye called through their bond, wake up. When the paka stirred, Skye threw his arm over her back, holding her still. Don’t move. Listen.
They both froze when one of the men grunted in response to a short statement. Without his magic, Skye had to rely on the sounds to interpret the men’s actions. When he heard the jangle of metal against leather, he relaxed. They were unsaddling the kotis.
My Lord, what is happening?
Skye grimaced, shooting her an apologetic glance. There are six men on the other side of this dune. He pointed in their direction. It sounds like they are setting up camp for the night.
Malirrans?
He tilted his head in thought. Were they Malirrans? For some reason, his gut told him no. Although they were all covered in cloaks, the way the men moved was somehow familiar. No, not Malirrans. But what are Pyrannis doing in the middle of the Gais Desert?
Do we dare move closer? Perhaps we can gather some information. Eiren’s ears swiveled back and forth when a koti snorted again. When she looked over at him, Skye saw her curiosity. What is the animal I hear?
You mean the kotis? Then he remembered Eiren had only ever lived in the tunnels until recently. She was so wise in most things that he often forgot until she asked such a question. Despite the drastic differences between the worlds—below and above ground, the paka encountered each new experience with a level of calm and confidence that Skye had not mirrored.
He lifted his hand and scratched the paka behind her ears. The amount of trust she had in him humbled Skye, and his hand shook in response. When Skye had himself under control once more, he said, Pyrannis use kotis as beasts of burden. We often ride them if we travel long distances.
She wiggled with excitement, raising her head in the direction of the men. She admitted, I have read of the animals. Are their markings unique like the book described?
Skye chuckled, though he muffled the sound by pressing his face against her neck. Let’s move closer, and you can find out for yourself, he suggested.
They left their packs on the ground, but Skye unsheathed his sword in a slow, careful move. Eiren followed him up the hill. Lying flat against the rim, he raised his head and scanned the area below. With one quick glance, he knew where each Pyranni and animal stood. All the men are busy looking down or working on the animals. If you want to see the kotis, look now, but hurry. We can’t take the chance that your eyes reflect the firelight.
The smallest man—who Skye thought might be a young boy—took the reins of all six animals and tugged them to the opposite side of the flat area. Eiren nudged him aside and lifted her head, taking a long look at the animals. She sniffed the air before lowering herself once again. They have sloped backs. How do you people ride them?
Skye realized that all the saddles were piled on the other side of the makeshift corral. But before he could explain, the men started talking in a low murmur. For once, the stillness of the desert helped to amplify the Pyrannis’ voices, ensuring that Skye and Eiren could stay hidden except for his forehead and eyes while overhearing the others’ conversation.
“I don’t like this. We have seen nothing alive or dead all day, but I’m positive we’re being watched,” a roughened voice said.
“I agree,” another man growled as he fed slivers of wood to the growing fire. “My neck is sore from all the times I looked over my shoulder.”
“I’ve told you. My troop has entered this desert several times over the years. We are safe no matter what your senses tell you. The Kurites rarely leave their holes.” Skye studied the man talking. He was older than the others, his voice marking his age. “We are safer here than in Pyran right now.”
The first man argued, “I should have stayed and fought. Instead, we ran like cowards.” Bitterness laced each word. All five men dropped their hands to either a knife located in their boot or fingered the hilt of their sword. The young boy, finished with the animals, scurried closer to the small fire, his head turning back and forth, looking at each man before starting the process all over again.
Skye shared a long look with Eiren. Eiren whispered, There is contention within the group. The men act as if they’ve recently come together due to circumstances rather than familiarity or friendship.
The old man drew his knife, using it to peel the shell off a small fruit. He muttered, “Better cowards than butchered by the Malirrans.”
A man on the other side of the fire spoke up, “Pyrannis don’t run from a fight. Gharra needed us. Ilun is right, we are cowards.”
The man in charge bristled, standing back up to threaten the two men with his size. “You think Gharra’s fate would end differently if you died on the streets? Fools, every one of you,” he spat.
Skye’s alarm sent a tremor through his body. No, his family and friends were safe inside Gharra’s city walls.
Eiren slid closer, sharing her body heat with him until he calmed enough to eavesdrop again. Briefly, he thought about joining them, except the paka’s presence stopped him. Skye couldn’t leave her alone.
A fifth man interrupted, his quiet words lowering the tension. “Are we cowards? Yes, for now. The Malirrans have conquered Pyran. It’d do no good for us to lose our lives to the enemy. When there is a chance to take back Gharra from Lukar the Bloody, then we’ll cast off our fear of death and become courageous once more.” The man stared into the fire before murmuring, “Lukar and his men have much to answer for.”
The boy asked, “After the initial purge, will there be anyone left to fight?”
Two of the men shook their heads, but no one else answered him. Skye frowned. It looked as if they had had this conversation before. The Malirrans controlled Gharra? What happened to King Ragnar? Eiren and he waited for another hour to see whether they could learn any more. More time passed before the men rolled out their blankets, neglecting to post a guard.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Skye pointed to their own packs behind them. Eiren nodded and slithered backward until she could turn around without disturbing the sand. Skye kept vigil until Eiren stood by her pack. He slid back, using his elbows, forearms, and knees. Without a word, he tied Eiren’s pack onto her back, then picked up his own. Waving Eiren to the left, they trekked over the sand, heading away from the men, their footsteps silent.
An unknown distance later, Skye halted in mid-stride with a shudder. The situation was far worse than he thought. Lukar the Bloody must be the Malirran leader. And what did the boy mean when he mentioned a purge? If Malirrans controlled Gharra, crossing into Pyran was more dangerous than he had originally imagined. Retrieving Lara would require a more delicate, devious plan than his initial one.
Eiren’s body brushed up against his leg. Do you wish to continue or stop for the night?
Needing the contact, Skye knelt and cupped her face in both hands, scratching the underside of her jaw. He studied her a moment. “I want to put more distance between us and the Pyrannis, but if you require rest, we can stop until morning.”
I am fine, she assured him. I am more concerned by the news from Gharra.
Skye heaved a sigh and scrubbed his face, grimacing when the grains of sand rubbed against his forehead. “I agree. My original plan won’t work.” He sat down to open the pack on Eiren’s back. Rummaging around, he pulled out some jerky. Feeding Eiren, he continued, “I thought we’d find her in the Malirran camp located just inside Pyran’s border. If the Malirrans have conquered Gharra, Pyran has fallen in truth.”
She hummed while chewing the stringy meat. So, instead of sentries, we now must contend with both the walls and Malirran sentries. She was silent for a moment before sadness flowed through their bond. She whispered, Is our task finished before we have even started?
Skye ripped another piece of meat off and held it out for Eiren. He scowled. Was it? Chewing the dried meat more slowly, he gazed up at the sky. He refused to believe Lara was lost to them. At last, he said, “Do not give up hope. We’ll succeed, but we must become more devious. Don’t forget that I know Gharra like the palm of my hand. With Ragnar no longer ruling Pyran, the city is in chaos. It offers us one advantage—the ability to go undetected. Chion won’t stop until he reaches Lara, whether we help him or not. We have several more days before we can begin searching for the trapdoor outside of Luthis. Let’s use that time to develop a plan.” He repacked the food in Eiren’s pack, then they climbed another dune.
A short while later, Eiren cautioned, Wait, My Lord. I hear something.
Skye froze, watching her ears twist in every direction. Her tail twitched with frenetic energy. Was it the same group or someone else? They both turned in the same direction when a deep cough bounced over the sand dunes around them.
Run, Skye commanded, shoving Eiren in the opposite direction. More surefooted, Eiren’s tail disappeared over the hill before Skye was halfway up the dune.
Behind him, a man yelled, “Halt where ye are.”
Skye looked over his shoulder. Caught in the crosshairs of a crossbow, Skye held his hands away from his side in surrender. Eiren, whatever happens, stay hidden. He turned around until he faced the three men, careful not to make any sudden moves.
Are they Pyranni warriors?
Yes, but it doesn’t mean I am safe from harm. One holds a crossbow. In fact, Skye had no idea what to expect. Suspicion was written all over their faces. Two groups of men in one night. The Gais Desert was crawling with Pyranni warriors. It didn’t bode well for Eiren and him since Luthis was closer to the Pyran-Kureto border. Exactly how many men had evaded the Malirran army? Sooner or later, Pyrannis were bound to come across a trapdoor leading into the tunnels below. The Kurites must be warned, but he had to survive the confrontation ahead first.
One of the men had a series of scars that crisscrossed his face, and he had left his hair loose. He ordered the man holding the crossbow, “Keep him in ye sight.” All four of them stood looking at each other. “I did not know others were ahead of us.”
Skye grunted, “I thought the same until I came across another small group a while back. They bedded down for the night in that direction.” He pointed back to where Eiren and he had come from. “I didn’t know them, so I left them alone.”
“Are you alone, then?” The man crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side.
Shrugging his shoulders despite the pack weighing him down, Skye nodded, “Yes. I escaped Gharra once it became obvious the Malirrans were winning.” He turned to look the man with the crossbow in the eye. “I mean you and yours no harm. We’re all Pyrannis after all.” He wriggled his fingers and asked, “Can I lower my hands and join you? I would like to know whether you have any more news of home.”
Talking too low for him to overhear, the group came to a decision. The scarred man waved him forward, “I am Bran. We were under the command of Warten before he was killed. And ye name?”
For half a heartbeat, Skye was at a loss. He couldn’t give his, for everyone would have heard about how his name and honor was stricken from his family. Taking a chance, he said, “Timosy. I was in my last year of training when the Malirrans attacked.” Timosy was a common enough name, and these men were older. They’d have no need to see the trainees in passing.
Bran nodded, and Skye took the last few steps to stand in front of the other men. “Ye are one of the lucky ones. The majority of the young warriors and trainees were cut down shortly after the fall of the West Gate. The Malirrans swarmed the area and pushed inward.” When the men sat down, Skye followed their lead but kept his distance.
Eiren, are you safe?
I am, she replied. I am scouting the perimeter now. I wanted to ensure there were no more men hiding elsewhere. So far, the men are alone, but I’m only halfway done. Find out what you can about Gharra, both for your peace of mind and Lara’s rescue. The more we know, the better we can plan. I’ll let you know when I’ve completed the perimeter.
Placing the crossbow on the ground beside him, the man commented, “Since you are still alive, I gather you are now a blooded warrior. You fared well for your first battle.”
Skye looked down at his hands; the man’s attempt at complimenting him sent a shot of remorse through him. He hadn’t been there to fight off the Malirrans. They were brutal fighters; at least the ones he had fought against were. Determined to hear news, he asked, “Do any of you know what happened? I escaped not too long after the battle ended.”
Bran took a sip from his water pouch. Although the Pyranni’s gaze was focused on the dune behind Skye, he knew the man saw nothing but the battlefield in Gharra. “The Malirrans tricked us, assassinating King Ragnar when they were supposed to sign a treaty for alliance. We knew better.” He shook his head, his shoulders bowing with heavy regret. “The siege had barely started, and the Malirran King called for a treaty?”
“I wondered how King Ragnar was killed,” Skye muttered. “Mass confusion reigned where I was, and no one knew what happened.”
“Lukar the Bloody is treacherous but sneaky too. Gharra never stood a chance. We were attacked from four sides—the three gates and from the ports. The Malirrans chose their attack well, waiting until the darkest night of the year.”
God’s teeth. The battle had occurred weeks ago? What had happened in Gharra since then? If weeks had already passed, the Malirrans now had full command of the city. Patrols would be in place. Few Pyranni warriors would have survived. This was the purge the boy had spoken of. The God and Goddess save them all. Pyran was doomed.
He clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. Pyran was no longer his home, but he still cared about its people. He now understood why the Lan’Ai bond was so crucial. If Pyran had already fallen, Kureto was next. The Kurites believed they had time before Pyran fell. They were wrong. The war with Malirra was closer than they knew.
“Timosy, ye are free to join us. We’ve escaped the Malirrans, but this is still Kurite territory. The greater our numbers are the more likely we will survive an attack. I am surprised ye have lasted this long alone.”
Skye bowed his head from where he sat, giving the men their due. They were good men, yet a weariness surrounded them. They reminded him of when his home was ripped from him. “I cannot. I swore an oath that I’d search for anyone I knew. I have escaped notice for weeks, so I can only assume that my ability to hide from Kurite patrols is because I’m alone. However, I would be remiss in not pointing you to where another group of warriors rest. Perhaps if the warriors band together, there is hope for Pyran yet.”
Bran looked at him in confusion. “Where are ye heading, boy? Surely ye aren’t going where I think ye are.”
Skye smirked, amused at the idea someone besides his three companions worried about him. Bran was a protector of those who he thought weaker than him. The man sighed, shifting his legs around. “Ye return to Pyran.”
“I do,” Skye agreed. “I’ve no choice in the matter. My family lives in a village a short distance from Gharra. I must return for their sake.”
The man with the crossbow spoke up, “Travel at night and stay off the roads.”
Skye nodded. He had a feeling Lara was in the heart of Gharra, held in the castle. But these men couldn’t help him with his task. Aware that Eiren waited for him, he looked over his shoulder. Dawn approached. He turned back around and stood up. With another bow, he said, “If I meet any other Pyrannis, I will send them this direction. May the God and Goddess bless you.”