Page 133 of Queen’s Gambit

Chapter 37

Roksana

Tangra was dead.

That was the only word for the desolation I faced as I stepped off the ship. Hope withered under the unyielding sun of the Burning Desert.

There was life in the sea. The Aether swirled around the coral reefs as we sailed into the bay. Colourful fish swam around the hull while green seagrass swayed in underwater currents. Still, as soon as I set foot on land, everything inside me screamed that something was wrong.

The Aether didn’t flow; no wispy strands drifted on the wind, and yet it was there. When I concentrated on my second vision, the life-giving power lay in pools, glowing red and stagnant.

And the Tangrians killed anyone who could see it.

A crowd had gathered on the shore to welcome the returning armada. Their chants died when reality set in; their faces turned grim, and, in the end, we were welcomed in silence.

‘You promised a new land. You promised fields and thriving livestock, and you return with a witch!’ The town mayor spat in Siras’ face when he learned who I was.

Then the news spread, and the citizens turned their anger on me. Thankfully, the Tangrian soldiers, the remaining witnesses to the destruction my power had wrought, kept the townsfolk from attacking.

‘When will you be able to help us?’ Siras asked while we rested in a heavily guarded house. My hand instinctively drifted to my mother’s heartstone.

‘Find me the deepest, oldest water source in Tangra, then I’ll be able to act,’ I replied, an idea forming in my head.

If Aether could become stagnant like water, could it be cleansed? Facing a magical engineering problem, I thought of Tova. He would love such a challenge.

Siras didn’t comment when I pressed my face into a pillow to hide the tears. He gathered his things and left, giving me space to grieve.

The next day, to avoid more incidents, I dressed in the clothes Siras provided, put on the Nightshade mask that had somehow survived, and covered my hair with a veil. He looked at me with a small smile.

‘Now you look like a lady of my household. It will help. The water source you asked for is a well under the Hierophant’s palace. Stay covered until we arrive.’

We spent one night in the port while Siras sent half of his remaining men home. Then we set off for the capital.

After a day of marching under an unrelenting sun, my eyes stung. I had never experienced anything like it. How could there be an overabundance of light? The soldiers, still in their armour and livery, had it even worse. Sweat marred their brows, and they laboured for breath as they pushed on through the crimson dunes.

Small mercy that the heat doesn’t bother me anymore.

The lack of water can still kill you. Drink, or I’ll swoop down and throw you on my back. Cin’s thought made me jump.

How? Cin… you didn’t…

You and Reynard decided I would stay behind. Like I’m a pony you command. I will never let you out of my sight again. What if the gods threaten you again? No, you aren’t going anywhere I can’t hear your thoughts. Get used to it, Sanika. If a dragon could stomp its foot while flying, Cin would have done it, but I was too tired to argue.

Besides, after the hostile welcome in the port, having a massive beast at my back was reassuring.

The sand that lashed my face was so sharp it burned my skin. I cursed, put the mask back on and pulled the scarf tighter. We were deep in the desert now, and even though the sun had set, a crimson glow emanated from the sand. When we stopped, I knelt and scooped some into my palm.

‘Is something wrong, Roksana?’ Siras knelt next to me and held out a waterskin. ‘Water?’

‘Your Gate would never have worked,’ I whispered, spreading the sand across my palm. Tiny crimson crystals mixed with ordinary golden grains. This was what gave the Burning Desert its otherworldly glow.

‘Why?’ Siras asked, his eyebrow rising when I pointed at my hand.

‘There’s already plenty of Aether. Right here, this whole desert is packed with it. Something forced it to become solid. I know your culture hates mages, but if there were people practising magic, maybe they’d have discovered what is happening and why.’ I wiped my palms on my tunic and pulled the waterskin from his arms. ‘Do you know what happened here? Is there any record or legend that would explain this? I’d even take an old wives’ tale.’

‘No, we cast out magic users after a chaos mage caused a plague that decimated the population. He was killed after fleeing into the desert. Since then…’ Siras turned his head away from me. ‘I’ll take you to the Capital’s Grand Library. Maybe you’ll find something there. With Hierophant’s death, no one will stop me.’

I nodded and took a large gulp. The water tasted stale, even musty, but I didn’t complain. The soldiers already looked at me with barely concealed envy.