Vessel

the wall of the tunnel, and she nearly lost her grip. She squeezed tighter. The tunnel felt hot around her, and she smelled the worm’s sickly sweet sweat. It clogged her throat.

I will feed you magic, Bayla said. Guide the worm!

Liyana felt the magic pour into her, and she expanded in a rush. Suddenly, without entering a trance, she was the worm, tunneling through the earth, aware of the two bodies clinging to her flesh. Water, Liyana thought at the worm. She pictured water beyond the army encampment, near the grove of trees where she and Pia and Raan had pitched their tent.

The worm raced for it.

With a crash the worm burst out of the earth. All of a sudden Liyana felt the sun on her face. She couldn’t open her eyes—dirt flew all around her. Chunks of earth rained everywhere.

“Release now!” Oyri shouted.

Liyana let go.

She fell to the ground, and the wind rushed out of her lungs as she impacted. When she opened her eyes, the worm was gone.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The dust settled.

Liyana wiped the dirt out of her eyes with a filthy sleeve. She pushed herself to sitting. You have bruised my body, Bayla said.

“Are we safe?” Oyri demanded. She walked in a circle, arms outstretched. She stumbled over the cracked earth that the worm had left, and she fell to her knees. Her facecloth was gone, and the blue uniform was torn and streaked with dirt.

Liyana scanned the hilltop. So far, no soldiers, but that could change. She thought of the emperor and wondered if he was caught in the chaos. She wished she could have explained—but no, he wouldn’t have understood anyway. He’d given the order to kill Bayla. Her mind, deep beyond where Bayla could hear her, whispered, But not me. He did not wish to kill me. She pushed aside thoughts of him. “We’re too visible. We need to hide in the tent.” Wincing from her new bruises, she hobbled over to Oyri and helped her stand.

On the walk to the tent, Oyri stumbled three times, even with Liyana escorting her. Liyana hadn’t realized how proficient Pia had been at compensating for her blindness. Pia had never taken a false step. She had walked with the confidence of a sighted person. By contrast, Oyri shuffled and stumbled like a baby goat learning to walk.

Pushing Oyri’s head down so she’d duck, Liyana guided her into the tent. Their packs were still inside, as was the withered pile of cacti that Liyana had gathered before entering the encampment. Oyri flailed her arms to feel around her, and she hit the packs. She recoiled. “I demand to know why my vessel is blind. I should be flawless!”

“Pia was flawless,” Liyana said. “You should honor her sacrifice.” Unable to watch the goddess flounder in Pia’s body, she checked outside the tent. Still no soldiers, but no Korbyn, Raan, or Fennik either. Sendar, she reminded herself. He was Sendar. Fennik was gone.

“Get back here!” Oyri screeched. “I require immediate answers. You must tell me where I am, who you are, and how I came to be here.”

Tell her the traitor’s name was Mulaf, and we will kill him, Bayla said.

Liyana ducked quickly inside. “Shh, you’ll draw the soldiers. You and several other deities were captured by the Crescent Empire. . . .” Quickly she summarized everything that had occurred for both Oyri’s and Bayla’s benefit. As she talked, she felt Bayla churn inside her. “The emperor will march on the desert soon.”

We will mount an attack on the encampment! Bayla shouted within.

“I must warn my clan!” Oyri cried.

Destroy Mulaf, and cut the viper off at the head! Bayla swirled like a sandstorm inside Liyana.

“My people must hide from this scourge!”

Give me the body, and I will wreak such havoc—

“Quiet, both of you!” Liyana held up her hands. She thought she heard noises from outside the camp. Inside her, Bayla continued to rage, scattering Liyana’s own thoughts. Please, stop, I need to listen!

Bayla fell silent, though Liyana felt her continue to churn.

Listening, Liyana heard hoofbeats hitting the sand. She crawled out of the tent and peeked through the trees. Five horses trotted down the hill. Three had the lithe bodies of desert horses, while the other two were stocky empire horses. Squinting in the sun, Liyana tried to see the riders. There were two . . . no, three. One horse held two figures. The others were riderless.

“Who is it?” Oyri called out to her.

“Shh,” Liyana said. She watched as they came down the slope. Sand billowed around the horses’ hooves. She saw the blue of their robes. Behind her, Oyri exited the tent loudly, thrashing her arms to feel her way.

It is them, Bayla said. Only Sendar rides like that.

Relief poured through her like sweet, clean water. “It’s them,” she repeated to Oyri.

“Who’s ‘them’?” Oyri asked.

Liyana stepped out of the shelter of the grove and waved her arms in the air. She saw one of the riders wave back. In a few minutes the riders and horses reached their camp. Liyana ran toward them. Behind her, Oyri tried to follow. She clung to the trunk of one of the trees. “This is intolerable. I should not have to ask. Tell me who it is!”

“Korbyn, Sendar, and . . .” Liyana saw that Raan was still unconscious. Korbyn had her draped across the horse’s neck in front of him. Liyana sprinted the last few yards.

Korbyn slid off the horse with Raan. Liyana caught the girl’s arm, slowing her descent.

“Is she—” Liyana began.

“I don’t know.” Together, she and Korbyn carried Raan into the tent and laid her inside. Liyana tucked a blanket under her head.

“Are they chasing us?” she asked.

“Not yet. But they’ll notice our absence soon enough, and they’ll be after us, especially without Sendar there to agitate the horses.” Liyana heard Sendar outside the tent, walking the horses in a circle around the grove to cool them. “We can’t stay here long.” Korbyn caught her chin and peered into her eyes. “Bayla . . . Is she truly . . .”

Tell him yes.

“Yes, she’s inside me.”

“This shouldn’t be possible,” Korbyn said. “Is she . . . well?”

Kiss him, Bayla said.

Liyana flinched. What?

It will prove I’m here.

His hand was still on her chin, and his face was inches from hers. Leaning forward, Liyana kissed him, and then she sprang back.

He touched his lips. “Was that you or Bayla?”

“I . . . I don’t know.” Liyana could still taste his lips on hers and knew that Bayla had not forced her to move. She had done it herself.

Liyana felt Bayla shift inside her. Of course, it is me! Why would he doubt? This time the swirling felt deeper, as if a chasm widened within. Recoiling, Liyana didn’t answer.

“How is this possible?” Korbyn asked again.

The swirl intensified, shifting from confusion to anger. Bayla’s anger whipped inside Liyana. Tell him I blame him.

“She blames you.”