Two hours later, we approach the coastal city where one of thefew above-ground populations in my kingdom thrives within clay buildings constructed along rocky amber cliffs.
The sun has sunk below the horizon, shedding its final light across the city ahead.
The Tol-Dakri have carved out a place for themselves that defies my control. They conduct their own trade, make their own laws, and live as they please.
For generations, their truce with the Ember Kingdom has been clear: As long as I stay out of their way, they’ll stay out of mine.
Far in the distance, tawny-brown serpents patrol the air, none so big as my golden serpent, but I don’t underestimate their ferocity.
The Tol-Dakri have proven themselves to be fierce in the face of a threat.
They will attack me on sight.
Which is why I plan on ensuring my presence goes undetected.
It’s time to land before the final glinting sunlight ceases to provide cover for my approach.
“Set me down here,” I call to my serpent, who immediately glides to the dunes below us.
Leaping off his back, I press my hand momentarily to his neck. “Stay out of sight. Move beneath the sand dunes and hide on the eastern side of the city. I need you to await my call.”
On that side of the city lies an open expanse of terrain that the Tol-Dakri use for combat training. I know this because, before he died, my father brought me to the Tol-Dakri city on one of the few sanctioned visits. I was old enough to take note of and to remember the city’s layout, as well as the internal design of their leader’s quarters.
If things go badly, I’ll head for that part of the city where it’s less populated.
The Tol-Dakri may have no love for me, but I’d like to keep collateral damage to a minimum.
My serpent bounces his head in acknowledgment of my command before he slithers into the nearest dune, concealing himself beneath the sand within seconds.
Setting out on foot, I keep the sun at my back, staying behind sand dunes as much as possible. Evading the tawny serpents is only the beginning. Getting past the city’s outer wall will be my second challenge. Not that rocks can stop me.
Moving with the wind, I reach the wall in quick time, now making the most of the encroaching shadows of nightfall. As I travel, I take note of the guards’ movements atop the wall, the way they cover all sections except…one.
I eye the western side of the wall, where the guards don’t patrol—a weak spot in their defenses. It’s only a small gap, but it’s enough.
Staying out of sight and keeping my eyes peeled for serpents, I dart toward that section. Quickly whipping off my gloves and pocketing them, I reach up and press my bare fingertips to the rock, praying my fire won’t explode beyond my control as I hoist myself upward.
My hands instantly heat, and the rock at my fingertips becomes soft, allowing me to dig in my fingers and create handholds, one after the other, as I move upward.
I scale the wall within seconds, reaching the turret, pausing on the wall, listening for footfalls before I launch myself up and into the battlement.
A heartbeat later, I jump from the other side into the city itself, catching lightly hold of the inner wall to slow my fall so that I land with no louder than a whisperingthump.
Keeping my movements calm, I meander into the nearest alleyway, avoiding a group of warriors sharpening their knives on myfar left.
I’m dressed like they are, and, now that I’m inside the city, all I have to do is move steadily, and I’ll appear like any other city dweller.
I take the long route to the Tol-Dakri leader’s quarters, unsurprised to find the side entrance into the humble clay building unguarded.
The Tol-Dakri’s leader, a woman named Ortansia, is confident in her ability to defend herself, and so she should be.
I met her on my last visit, a fierce woman who earned her position not by birth but in a fight to the death with the former leader who had reigned for decades. Since then, she apparently defeated five challengers, wiping out her competition entirely.
She is as formidable as Cassia of the Starlit Court.
Listening carefully and keeping my footfalls whisper-quiet, I follow the soft sounds of movement from within the building to one of the back rooms. From memory, it’s some sort of library.
The door is open.
