The King's Tomb

Isadora studied the hand-drawn chart while kneeling on the rough wood deck of the Sea Lynx. Yun and her fellow monks leaned against the rail while their charge discussed the course with the captain and first mate. 

The captain's tanned, gnarled finger pointed at a small island in the northeast section of the Independent Isles. "This is the place you asked about. I don't think it has an official name." 

Isa stood up, stretching her tanned arms overhead. "We'll call it the Vale," she decided while considering their next move. Someone had drawn several black flags on the map surrounding the island in question. The place was believed to be cursed. Nearly everyone who traveled there became ill within a few hours and eventually died if they attempted to settle." 

A short while later, the Sea Lynx progressed to a new setting. Isa joined her guards at the rail. "What do you think, Yun?" 

Yun gestured to the one of the older monks. "Jovi is a Manoa. Are you familiar with them?" 

"Yes. One of my dad's scouts is one; amphibian beast  form with high resistance to poison and toxins." 

The old monk smiled. His short hair was the color of snow. "Younglings have high resistance, but it's a complete immunity when you're my age." 

Yun nodded; she'd seen his ability firsthand. "Jovi thinks it is some toxin. We'll send him in to scout it out when we arrive." 

**********

The scout gripped the panther tightly with arms and legs; despite her weakness, she kept herself in place as Duscanti descended deep into the catacombs beneath his besieged castle. 

As darkness grew, the stale scent of decay did also. Out of reflex rather than urgency, Duscanti finally slowed to a walk. "This isn't as bad as it could have been... Not bad at all, really; the enemy that hid itself deeply is now revealed." 

The Manoa scout nodded against the short black fur of the black cat's powerful neck. "I can walk now, Milord." 

Duscanti slowed to a halt, waiting as the last of his forces dismounted. "What is your name, scout?" 

"Twil, Milord."  The woman answered, her dark brown eyes staring at the stone floor beneath her feet. 

"No one names their daughter, Twil..."  Duscanti sat calmly on his hindquarters, his ears flicking independently of each other as he listened for signs of pursuit. 

"Twilight..." 

The black cat laughed suddenly, its bright eyes dimming momentarily before a black-haired man replaced the feline form. "We need only to avoid pursuit for a few weeks." Duscanti turned his gaze to the scout.  She was a slight woman of average height with short, mouse-colored hair. Nothing about her stood out. She was average in any meaningful way that could be cataloged: a perfect infiltrator. "Does Forli know your face?" 

"No, Milord." 

"Sooner or later, we'll need intel to plan our next step."  Duscanti spun in a slow circle as if looking for something. "Follow me. I prepared something for this sort of thing."

Twilight followed without speaking further. Both her feet hurt, and her skin itched from the toxins being flushed from her system. 

"There will be fresh water, enough for you to clean up." Duscanti spared her a glance. "I'm well aware of how Manoans rid themselves of poison." 

"Thank you, Milord. That's not common knowledge." 

Duscanti's muscular shoulders shrugged slightly. "Your body flushes poison out and then down to safeguard your heart; this causes your skin to become scaly and your feet to swell up. I'm surprised you can even walk at this point." 

"They hurt a bit, Milord," Twilight admitted.

"Stop putting Milord in every sentence. Until we retake this castle, refer to me as Duscan."

"As you wish, Mi...  Duscan," she replied awkwardly. "He'll have Isadora by now."

Duscan shook his head. "Forli is smart, but something must have forced him to move his plans up. Perhaps sending Isadora on an errand changed his timetable." 

"She wasn't at the castle?"

"No, but that doesn't mean Forli didn't make adjustments for her. It's a certainty that he sent Yakub to intercept her, which means he is most likely dead."

Twilight stumbled slightly, her feet growing heavier with each passing minute. "You think Isadora killed him?"

Duscan nodded. "Either her or the Ulysi monks charged with her protection." 

********

Despite the sun setting nearly an hour earlier, the last streaks of light turned the night sky into a crimson painting that would humble even the most talented artists. A warm breeze pushed the lush grass that bordered the worn walking trail. Couples and small groups walked together under the watchful eye of the Tribal guard. 

Dem followed the two women, ignoring their chatter as he focused his thoughts inward. Telo said that the pirate queen was named Ember. Admittedly, he was no authority on female names, but he didn't think that one was common. Ember was also mentioned in the blood rite he had undergone; it was his mother's name. 

The street rat put the thought aside; he didn't know the circumstances surrounding his abandonment. A young woman with an unwanted pregnancy, the streets of Thaigmaal were littered with similar stories. 

"You okay, dasai?" Ai glanced over her shoulder and slowed until he was forced to walk between the two women. She slid her arm through his and smiled warmly. "Perhaps there is someone else you'd rather be walking with?"

Tam claimed his other arm. "Who is better than us?"

Dem changed the subject, refusing to rise to the bait. "Any events going on tomorrow?"

Ai shook her head. "Not really; the archery contest is the day after, so getting some practice might be a good idea." 

Dem covered a yawn, deliberately maintaining low expectations for his archery performance. "I'm going riding with Rave after morning training."

Tam wrinkled her nose slightly, sharing a glance with Ai over the top of her dasai's head. "We could go with you." 

Dem chuckled at the transparency of the statement. "Do you think she's going to ride off with me?"

Ai grinned widely. Although the gathering was just starting, word had passed through the other clans. Don't disrespect anyone in the Swiftwind family, especially Demitri. "My dasai is best; everyone knows this." 

The sound of horses caused the trio to pause; Telo approached with another rider and three spare mounts. 

Dem recognized the second rider as Yanz, a member of the Swiftwind Clan. "Are we going somewhere?"

Telo flashed a smile at the group. "Since that captain stopped by, everyone has been talking about the city that appeared out of the sand."

Dem glanced toward the darkening horizon; small groups of younger riders were steadily streaming toward the north. "Should we tell someone?"

Unexpectedly, Ai ducked under the rope barrier and grabbed one of the leads from Yanz. "No. This is the Gathering!" 

A few moments later, the five riders headed north. Dozens of similar groups were doing the same thing. 

Within a few minutes of leaving camp, the lush grass of the plains gave way to the soft dunes of the desert, a reminder of what the terrain looked like nine months out of the year. They headed north, following a trail that had seen at least a hundred tribal riders, possibly more. 

Dem followed Telo, and the rest of the group spread out behind them in a single file. After ascending steadily for another five minutes, they crested the hill and slowed to a walk. 

A natural basin had formed amid the endless ripples of sand. Telo pulled back on the reins, bringing his horse to a stop. "I guess he wasn't lying. It's like the sand sifted into the ground."

Dem nodded in agreement. Calling it a city was an exaggeration. At the bottom of the basin's center were half a dozen stone structures, including something resembling a temple. A single building stood apart, accessible by a bridge through the middle of the settlement. "Looks like we aren't the only ones here." 

Ai pointed to a group near the bottom where the tribal horses were stowed. "Someone set up a stable to watch the horses; let's head down." 

"It's Dern and our shaman," Dem stated after a glance. He leaned back in the saddle and locked his legs to keep from falling forward while his mount descended. The footing was soft; his horse would chop his stride every few steps to stay balanced. 

Yanz was bringing up the rear of the formation; he squinted at the makeshift stable but could not discern anyone's features. "How can you see them from here?" 

When they arrived a few minutes later, Dern motioned for them to dismount. He grabbed the leads when they complied and pulled the horses into the remuda. 

"Don't start any fights, dasai." The Swiftwind shaman favored Dem with a smile.

Dem grinned at her words; it was the first time she referred to him as dasai. "I will be careful, dosu." 

"Anything we should know?" Ai asked while her dark brown eyes studied the area. Dozens of ground torches were lit around the perimeter of the settlement. On the west side, someone had meticulously set up a tent city. "The city dwellers are here?"

"Yes, at least a hundred of them."  The Swiftwind shaman placed a hand on Ai's arm. "Keep out of their tent area, but feel free to explore the town. I hear that something is interesting on the bridge." 

"Where's your spear, Dem?" Dern scowled at the young tribal. "I'm going to cut it down to a proper size tonight; after that, I don't want to see you without it." 

"Yes, Huntmaster." Dem glanced at the others in his group; only Telo and Yanz carried spears. He had his daggers, but in hindsight, they should have paused long enough for Ai and Tam to arm themselves. 

"Should we check out the bridge first?" Telo fell in step between Dem and his recently adopted sister. "We can always come back tomorrow if it gets too late."

Ai shrugged slightly. "I'm curious about it, but I'll go wherever the group wants." 

Yanz nodded in agreement. "I vote for the bridge! I'm on guard duty again tomorrow and might not return for a few days." 

"That's fine with me,"  Dem altered his path to align with the well-packed trail leading to the bridge. "Odd place for a bridge."

"Perhaps there was water here when it was built." Telo hefted his spear in one hand, stabbing the blunt end into the ground with each step. "They say this desert was formed by the same magic that killed the Rat King." 

Tam's laugh sounded from behind them. "Where did  you hear such a thing?"

Telo grinned at Dem while ignoring Tam's question. "You'll learn many important things when it's time for your Masaat." 

"I hope so..." Dem decided not to get drawn in by their banter. Several familiar faces stood near the bridge entrance. 

"Hey, Dem." Tier Whitehill limped from the center of the group he was with. 

"Hey,  Tier." Dem offered his hand, and they gripped forearms. "What's interesting about this bridge?"

Tier waved his group out of the way and pointed at a sun-shaped capstone at the bridge's center. "There is some sort of invisible barrier set up near the middle. As you pass the sun, it gets harder and harder to move. None of us could get more than a handful of steps past it."

Dem studied the bridge; he couldn't sense anything odd about it. Except for the capstone at the center, it was constructed of sand-colored blocks cut into one-meter cubes.  Running the length on either side was a two-meter-high, black iron rail that featured a large mural of a beast battle. "Impressive work; guess we should give it a go." 

"Mark your progress with this," Tier tossed him a piece of rock chalk. "We've all been doing it."

"Thanks," Dem nodded politely and then stepped onto the bridge. 

"We should take bets!" Telo grinned at the street rat as he matched his stride. "One of those gold nuggets we found says that I get the farthest." 

"I won't bet on myself, but I'll match that. My dosu will get further than you."  Dem strolled with his hands behind his back. 

Ai gave Telo a measured glance before nodding in agreement. "I've already spent the gold we found, but... If you beat me, I'll walk with you tomorrow." 

Telo snorted. "You think highly of yourself, Swiftwind. One nugget for one walk? Three walks! And you can't bring Tam or Dem." 

"Done!"  Ai let Telo and Dem get a step ahead, content to walk in between Yanz and Tam. 

The group of five was within five meters of the capstone when the torches mounted on the black iron rails suddenly lit up. 

Telo stepped onto the capstone a few moments later. Almost immediately, he felt an invisible force pushing against him. "This is like wading through waist-deep mud." 

"Damn..." Yanz was the first to stop. "Toss me the chalk!" 

Dem paused long enough to throw the chalk back. "Looks like you made it further than Tier." 

Tam leaned into her next step, cursing when her progress came to a sudden halt. "That's it for me. "Chalk, please!"  She caught the white rock and bent low enough to scratch a mark and write her name. 

"Dasai?" Ai matched Telo step-for-step, so she hadn't noticed that Demetri was walking casually several steps ahead. 

The street rat pursed his lips slightly; it was obvious that Ai and Telo were in a dead heat, and neither seemed capable of gaining another inch. To his surprise, he felt no resistance at all. "Looks like the two of you are done?"

Ai nodded and caught the chalk when Tam tossed it. She marked the spot before handing it to Telo and immediately retreated several steps. 

"Seriously?"  Dem lowered his voice so Ai couldn't hear. "One more step, and you can tell your kids a story about how you met their mother."

Telo gripped the chalk, his face slowly turning red as the veins on his forehead became pronounced. Growling with effort, sweat running down his face, he managed another half-step. His eyes struggled to focus when he scratched his mark and hastily retreated.  He collapsed onto the capstone while his companions applauded his effort.

Ai helped him to his feet, her dark eyes dancing with humor. "Well done, Telomere." 

"Ai!"  Tam's voice held a sense of urgency that caused her friend to glance back. "Dem isn't stopping!"

The street rat continued his casual stroll across the bridge. Had he taken the time to glance at the shadow he cast in the torchlight, he would have been stunned to see it was the image of a rat scurrying unhurriedly toward his destination. 

At the bridge's end were brass rings mounted onto gold doors. When Dem gripped them and pulled, they opened easily. 

"Shit..." Ai muttered a curse before catching Yanz's eye. "Run back and tell the Huntmaster what happened." 

Yanz nodded and took off at a sprint, leaving the other three to watch as Dem entered the tomb. 

Telo whistled softly. "It's like he didn't feel anything."

Ai nodded in agreement. "My dasai is best."