Page 32 of The Divine Lies We Weave

The Viperess chuckled, low and breathy. Fair point.

Are you going to tell me what you want with me yet?

Not yet.

How convenient.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Leela found a place near the ladder, away from the light, and hoped for a quick exit without anyone noticing.

Eventually, the ship rode over one last dune, and Leela’s breath caught in her throat. The ship hovered over a giant hole, funneled deep into the ground. When the ship was in position, it lowered, dropping as Leela’s stomach did. Shadows crept over her and she was thankful for the dark cover to hide under.

Tunnels opened into a web of carved-out houses among arches and lengthy hallways. Too many people for Leela to count wandered through the labyrinth, carrying weapons or training in separate rooms across the several layers.

Eventually, the ship docked on the ground. Leela craned her neck to glimpse at the top.

“Welcome to the den,” Tanmay said, sneaking up behind her.

Leela jumped and frowned. “You call this the den?”

Tanmay nodded. “Our humble abode. Our safe place.”

She regarded the gaping hole in the ceiling. “Don’t the monsters ever, well, you know, fall?”

Tanmay chuckled. “Oh yes, but because we’re between the dunes, they barely see us. If they ever fall, they’re falling a very long way, and it’s only ever happened once.”

“Did it crush anyone?”

“Luckily, no. It cracked its spine and died. Made for some good weapons too.”

Leela shuddered.

People lumbered their way off the ship. The wounded were hoisted onto carriers and lowered down, or they stumbled down the ladder with an assistant. Leela could tell this wasn’t their first time. Everything was organized and precise.

Leela quickly glanced at Rajesh, who stood at the top and ordered those below to hoist or pull.

She sucked in a breath as his arm muscles bulged underneath the shirt. She shouldn’t be thinking about him like that. Not anymore.

“Ready?”

Leela hadn’t realized she was the last one. Everyone else, besides Rajesh, was gone. She was too focused on watching them help the wounded to actually take note of what she was meant to be doing.

She nodded.

Rajesh let her go down first, and she scrambled down the ladder. Sand sank underneath her bare feet. Her toes nestled between the grains. Red. Good.

Rajesh jumped down beside her, landing with a gentle thud.

She followed without being told. The rest of the crew helped the injured, but Rajesh strolled through the cavernous cutout tunnel as if he owned it. Leela supposed, being captain of a sandship, he did.

More sandships lined the dock. Giant sails flapped in the gentle wind. People scrambled like ants inside the tunnels, carrying crates full of fruits and vegetables off the ships, and others were tying the ropes to keep the ships in place. Sun beat from the center, rising higher and higher. Leela quickened her footing, sliding into a hallway after Rajesh.

“Stay close. Hold onto my shirt,” Rajesh said.

Leela didn’t question him. She grabbed the tiniest part of his shirt, fingertips barely touching, and he led her down a set of long dark passageways, which were too dark for shadows to crawl. She stayed closer, not too close in the fear of his scent drawing her in, but close enough she didn’t get lost.

He turned this way and that, seeming to know where he was going without much of an issue. Now and again, he’d glance over his shoulder, and Leela would note a small green glow around his pupils.

She frowned. Why in the sands were his eyes glowing? She wondered if it was a weird monster hunter thing. Perhaps they injected themselves with the blood of the Flames to make it happen the way they carved their weapons from the bones.