Page 97 of Blood of the Sands

“Is that…”

“An egg.”

We stared in twin disbelief, a weight settling low in my belly. It all made sense now, from the creature’s size to its toothless gums.

“If it was a baby though…” I started.

Keera finished my thought for me, her grim tone echoing my own thoughts. “That means there must be a mother somewhere.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Keera

Irested my chin on my knees as Erix wrote his message with a stick of charcoal, watching the way the flickering firelight played over his features. The setting sun cast a golden light over his skin, and I pondered it was likely the color his complexion would be if his mask hadn’t hidden his skin for many years, keeping it unnaturally pale.

Finishing his note, he whistled softly at Zephyr who hopped over obediently. Erix tied the rolled-up scrap of paper to his leg with a loose bit of string.

We had scoured the baby wyrm’s lair for signs of where its mother had gone, easily finding a swatch of destruction leading away toward the setting sun. After ensuring that we would be able to use it to track the larger wyrm, we had retreated back over the ridge to set up camp and plot our next move.

“He’s more of a hunter than a messenger, but hopefully the desert will see the importance of our mission and guide him to the encampment,” Erix said now as he double checked that his note was secure on Zephyr’s leg.

“Maybe he’ll fly to Kelvadan for help instead,” I mused, needling him more out of habit than anything.

Erix shot me a glare, but it held no venom. “Lord Alasdar will send riders to protect the desert from the lava wyrm. Queen Ginevra only cares for her own city.”

I tilted my head in contemplation as Zephyr flapped his wings, taking flight and soaring away until he was nothing more than a dark spot against the sunset.

“Why do you follow Lord Alasdar?” I asked.

“He taught me—”

I cut him off with a shake of my head. “Even if he did show you that the Heart of the Desert needs to be restored, I would think you’re more powerful than him.”

Erix bowed his head in acknowledgement.

“You’re also the rightful heir of Kelvadan, and now the Champion of the Desert. Why wouldn’t you go to the top of the palace and recover the Heart yourself? Surely you don’t think the queen would turn you away if you asked. As it is, you are the one uniting the tribes, not Lord Alasdar. You don’t need to serve him.”

Erix’s face twisted in something like a snarl. “I owe Lord Alasdar my life…my sanity.”

His words wrung out my heart like a damp rag. If Erix were to turn against Lord Alasdar, he would have to see the burn marks on his back and the denial of his identity with that horrible mask for what they were. They certainly weren’t the kindnesses that Erix made them out to be. I dropped the issue for now.

“How do you expect to get the Heart out of Kelvar and Alyx’s rooms? Nobody has been able to open them since they died,” I asked instead.

“What do you know about blood glass?”

I blinked at the sudden jump in topic, but I tilted my head, trying to remember the stories. The lord of Clan Padra had possessed a saber with a piece of blood glass in the hilt when I rode with them. The vendor at the Trials had touted its strength and rare properties.

“It’s made by mixing blood with the sand of the desert before melting it into glass. It’s said to amplify the power of the desert in whoever wields it,” I said.

Erix nodded. “But not just in whoever wields it. It responds best to the one whose blood was used. We give our life force to the desert and bind it to her, and in return she shares her power with us. Even though it looks just like reddened glass, it is nearly impossible to break.”

I contemplated Erix as he stared into the flames between us, but I stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.

“The royal chambers at the top of the palace are sealed with two pieces of blood glass, made from the blood of Kelvar and Alyx themselves. They would only respond to them and allow the doors to open. To enter without their permission, it would be necessary to break the twin panels. To shatter one would take an immensely powerful individual. To shatter both at once and open the door, you would need a pair of the most powerful people in the desert.”

Understanding dawned, both as to why Erix depended on Lord Alasdar and why Lord Alasdar would risk keeping somebody so close who was so clearly a threat to his power if his abuse were to stop keeping him in line.

“It would take both of you to get to the Heart,” I concluded.