The Blade of Dawn

Chapter 9

Barely perceptible in the distance, Xander waits with three horses.

"Why is he here?" I freeze mid-run. I am shaking. I try to calm myself down.

Easton stops and turns towards me.

"I followed Xander after he left the merchant's shop. He searched the city for you and asked the guards about you. When I learned that you had been thrown in the dungeon, I knew I needed help. Xander deals in the black market. He knows which guards are corrupt and which ones aren't and he has the money to bribe guards. I needed his help to pay off the guards, get into the dungeon and get the key."

"What does he want in exchange for his help?" My eyes narrow.

"I'm not sure. He wouldn't say. Nothing is free, especially with him. I don't want him here, but we have no choice. The only way to get you out of the city was with his help." Easton replies.

I feel like a pawn in a game I don't understand.

"We can't linger here. We are too exposed. Please." Easton continues when I don't respond.

I don't know Easton, but I trust him more than anyone else I've met in this strange world. I will go along with him for now, and then figure out a plan.

Easton and I reach Xander, mount the horses, and ride swiftly into the desert. When the city is no longer visible, we slow down and allow the horses to walk.

"Why did you come through the city gates?" Xander asks. "I thought the plan was to use the tunnels."

Easton is about to reply but I interject.

"I killed a soldier. A Dark Solider." The words tumble out of my mouth. I am still trying to process everything that happened.

"What?" Xander tugs on his horses reigns and skids to a halt. "This will make it impossible to keep you hidden. Kronos will never let someone get away with killing one of his Dark Soldiers. They are promised protection for working for him. They represent his power. By killing one of his men, you have just challenged his power."

"She had no choice." Easton angles his horse towards Xander defensively.

Xander groans and rubs his face.

"It doesn't matter that she killed a Dark Soldier, she will be hunted anyway." Easton continues. "Word has already spread like wildfire through the city that Kyzalah has been reborn."

"I am not Kyzalah." I cut in.

"Maybe not, but you can break magic. Kronos will stop at nothing to find you and either control you or kill you." Easton says.

"So now what?" Xander folds his arms across his chest and leans back in his saddle.

"We can't take her to the slave settlement now. It is too dangerous. If we are followed somehow, we'd be leading the soldiers right to my people. I can't risk that. I say you take her to the Kohaki canyon and I'll go to the settlement and warn Rhea and the others." Easton says.

"Aye aye captain." Xander nods with mock deference and turns the nose of his horse west.

"I will be back by sunrise." Easton says, biting back a retort. He rides off quickly, leaving Xander and I alone.

I urge my horse forward and catch up with Xander, not wanting to get lost in the dark. The only thing that lights our path now is the moon and the stars.

"Who is Rhea?" I ask.

"She is the leader of the escaped slaves that live in the desert."

Before I can ask anything more about Rhea, Xander leans forward in his saddle and his horse picks up its pace. It's clear he does want to talk. I don't care. I want answers.

"Why are you helping me?" I ask once I catch up with Xander.

"I don't know why you are assuming I am helping you."

"Aren't you?"

"I'm helping myself."

"What do you mean? Were you really going to sell me to that merchant as a slave?"

"No. I was going to teach you how to use your magic, and in return, you were going to make me a lot of money, and help me with some matters I need cleared up. I didn't know you had the power of Kyzalah. That changes everything."

"But then why did you take me to the merchant's shop?"

"I needed get you a new identity. Everyone in all of the Cora Islands has a identification card issued by the Capitol. Without one, you'd be sold as a slave or killed. The merchant I took you to happens to deal in the black market and sells ID's that check out if they are examined by one of Kronos' soldiers. But you had to get spooked, make a run for it, and ruin everything."

"Why are you helping me now?" I press.

"No more questions." Xander picks up his pace, leaving me trailing behind him.

We ride in silence until we reach a jagged mountain range. The mountain tops point to the sky like gnarled fingers. Their jagged peaks are chiseled by the wind and sand. Moonlight reflects off the mountaintops, casting eerie shadows in the dark night.

We ride through through a valley until we reach an almost imperceptible cave that is carved into the rock wall. Xander dismounts his horse and leads it inside the cave.

"Stay with the horses. I'm going to find some brush to start a fire." Xander says, handing me the reins of his horse.

I take the reins and stand at the mouth of the cave and wait.

The only sound is the quiet breathing of the horses and the subtle whistle of the wind as it winds through the cave.

Xander returns with some brush and small sticks and starts a fire. I sit down in front of the fire and watched Xander add brush to the fire when it dwindles. He takes some nuts and dried meat out of his saddle bag and hands it to me. I am ravenous and eat quickly.

Xander hasn't spoken to me this entire time. He barely even looks at me. The charming demeanor I saw when I first met him is gone. He seems bothered by something and lost in his own thoughts.

"Why were you chasing that snake in the desert?" I ask, breaking the silence.

Xander looks at me for a moment, debating whether or not to answer.

"Snake blood is incredibly valuable. It is hard to get, for obvious reasons, so it sells for large sums in the marketplace. Tykilians believe that it can cure illness and bring good fortune." Xander pauses for a moment and then adds. "I'm living proof that it does neither of those things."

The fire makes shadows that dance on the cave walls. I shiver and wrap my arms around myself. Xander lays down on his back on the dirt floor of the cave and closes his eyes.

"You should get some sleep while you can." Xander says, ending the conversation.

I lie in the dark cave staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come. Xander's breathing steadies and falls into a slow rhythm. I study his rugged face and wonder what his story is.

The last embers of the fire begin to die down. Xander shifts in his sleep. When he does so, I see something glimmer on his belt. The object is hidden in a sheath and partially wrapped in cloth but it looks like some kind of knife.

Curiosity seizes me and I sit up and lean in to get a better look. I hold my breath, afraid that at any moment Xander will wake up and catch me leaning over him.

The fire pops as it slowly dies, illuminating the hidden object.

It is not a knife.

It is a dagger.

Green gems line the hilt. There is a stone missing in the center.

It isn't just any dagger.

It is my dagger.