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“Why have you been searching for it?” Ben questioned her.
Diana laughed as she sauntered up the stairs with her entourage in tow. “Why wouldn’t any magikologist want to discover such a find?” Her eyes widened as she beheld the hole in the floor. “The placement of the Sacrificial Stone!” She dropped to her knees and studied the floor and the ceiling above her. “Yes! It’s nearly perfectly aligned! That would explain why the stone was able to transfer the power successfully away from the Thaqiba and the sacrifices!”
I glared at her. “Quit jabbering and tell us what the hell you’re talking about. I’m sure you want to brag about what you know before you kill us.”
Diana stood and offered us a wicked smile on her lips. “Kill you? What a foolish idea. If I recall, a pair of recent foreign visitors had a gift for magic. It would be much more appropriate to hand you over to the king on charges of trespassing and see that you receive your punishment on the Kneeling Stone.”
A horrible roar echoed out of the tunnel and made our foes turn.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Ben tookadvantage of the situation by picking up Amin and throwing him into his compatriots. That took out everyone but Diana. She was mine.
I grabbed her hair with both hands and pulled. She jerked her head back and let out a terrible cry before I flung her into her precious Kneeling Stone hole and Ben snatched my hand. We fled down the stairs and into the gap with Ben pushing me in first.
We clambered over the rocks and into the tight tunnel. I’d dropped the torch and now could only fumble down the corridor toward the faraway flickering lights. We reached the first intersection and a hulking shadow lumbered out of the darkness in the direction of the entrance.
I skidded to a stop and screamed. The creature screamed in reply. That’s when I recognized the cry of the dakhma.
Ben drew me past our friend and down the tunnel toward the exit. I twisted around and watched the creature turn around. “Hurry!” I shouted as we raced down the passage. “Come on!”
The creature gave the cry that had so frightened our foes and loped after us. It was faster than it looked and even Ben’s long, quick stride was no match for the beast. The dakhma soon caught up to us and dipped its head down. I was scooped up and then Ben. The ceiling was low enough that we had to duck close to its back, but otherwise the ride was soft and smooth.
We emerged from the depths of those terrible ruins and out into the waning night. The dakhma was even faster over open ground and we sped across the sands toward the oasis it called home. I breathed easy only when we reached the shadows of those trees.
Ben slid down from the creature and helped me off its back. He turned to our friend and stroked its back while a smile played across his lips. “You did us quite a favor, friend. We’ll have to repay you someday.”
The dakhma lifted its nose and gave a cute little squawking noise. I laughed and petted its head. “Thank you.”
We regretfully left our new friend and spread Ben’s wings. The dakhma watched us leave with another roar and I waved furiously until his little speck disappeared among the shadowed greenery.
A heavy sigh escaped me as I returned my attention to the city. “That was quite the adventure. I only wish I knew what the hell was going on.”
Ben’s good humor faded as he pursed his lips. “Indeed. It appears the magikologists are working for both the king and the priestess.”
I winced. “And we led them right to where they wanted to be.”
“Our folly may not be as severe as you fear,” Ben assured me. “Diana didn’t know what to expect with what they found and that may give us time to figure out their intentions.”
“What can we do? Go ask the priestess why she wanted them to slither their way into those holes and find that temple?”
Ben’s expression darkened. “What worries me is the temple being located beneath the Thaqiba and the placement of the Kneeling Stone.”
I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. “And that black stone. There’s something wrong there.”
He dropped his gaze to me and studied my face. “Do you still feel that chill?”
I grinned up at him. “I’m fine and your arms are helping me forget it. Now then-” I snuggled a little deeper into his gentle grip, “-where do we go from here?”
Ben returned his focus to the city that grew larger on the horizon. “We can’t go to Salah’s house, so there’s only one place that’s safe for us.”
Ben flew in low and landed us on one of the roofs of the first houses. He set me down and hid his wings, and together we hurried across the rooftops. The eastern horizon had begun to lighten as we dropped down into the narrow alley that led to the cave homes. In a few minutes, we found ourselves tiptoeing through the empty fire pit area. We stopped in front of Dakin’s curtain and Ben reached out to grab the cloth.
“Get in here,” Dakin’s voice muttered.
We stepped inside just in time to watch Dakin light a candle on his nightstand. His hair was frumpled and there were dark shadows under his eyes. He sat on the edge of his bed and glared up at us.
“Don’t you two ever think about an old man’s sleep?” he growled.
