As we were leaving for Arden, I couldn’t help but look back to where the boneyard lay. It had been the place where I could hide away for a while on my assignments, taking breaks from Daya and the scum of the Wayst. Now, the skull lay in pieces where it once sat proudly, decorating the desert with its sharp teeth and horns. Now, I wouldn’t be able to return without being reminded of this whole mess.

I led Durabi forward on his lead, tipping some of my canteen water into his mouth. We were well stocked from the journey, but the supplies were only a reminder of everyone who had been killed just so we could have another day of reassurance. Durabi drank the water, but continued on, his eyes facing forward as if he knew where we were headed.

The desert was cold, and the sand was beginning to grit between my teeth from where it was slipping in between the fabric that was tightly wound around my head. We marched through the night, though, munching on what little provisions we were allowing ourselves. Every now and again, I could make out Ambrose and Sidra whispering violently with one another, but the wind carried their voices away, leaving their secrets behind in the Wayst for no one else to uncover.

Pinpricks of light signaled we were arriving at our destination. In the dark of the night, hundreds of oil lamps spotted the cliffside, moving upward as if it were a mountain before being taken over by the shadows of Kafali. We were almost there.

“I’ve never seen Arden before,” Sidra said aloud, the awe evident in her voice. “It looks huge.”

“Huge?” Ambrose laughed. “You can’t see anything with how dark it is. Don’t kid yourself. You’ll have to wait for another opportunity to come before you can see the jewel of the Wayst.”

Fal sent me a look as if he was asking if I sensed the same tension that he did. I gave a slight nod, but figured it was best for the siblings to figure it out for themselves. Whatever it was, it could wait until we were out of the dark desert and into the safety of Fal’s office.

“We head to the Ring?” I asked, shifting the bags on my waist.

“No, we have to go to my house.” I must have been too quiet, because he spoke again. “Yes, I do live somewhere, Aumee. I don’t just rot away in my office at the Ring. Does that surprise you?”

A blush creeped over me. “No, it doesn’t. I just didn’t think we would have to go deep into Arden when we’re wanted by one of the worst people around and they’re just a few alleyways away.” I huffed, and I think he must have bought my act.

“We’ll be safe. I have a lot of enemies, so I take extra precaution when it comes to my living arrangement.”

He was telling the truth. The number of twists and turns that Fal had to lead us through before we arrived at what he called the ‘first checkpoint’ was ridiculous. Daya was known by name by all of those in the Wayst who had a brain. Even she was comfortable being in the center of the most well-known city there is. Upon reaching his doorway, though, I was reminded of the man he used to be.

He could hardly fit through, and in the end had to punch down some of the clay that made up his archway. By the time we had entered his home, we were already leaving too many signs of our arrival. I looked back over my shoulder, my eyes searching hard for any figure hiding in the dark. Daya had a history of keeping scouts out with the sole purpose of looking for someone on her black list. When I saw nothing, I turned back towards Fal’s home. I wasn’t entirely sure of what I expected, but it wasn’t what I laid my eyes on.

Fal’s home was small, with nothing more than the basics of a kitchen and a few bookshelves. The four of us stood in his living area, waiting for him to say something. He stood over us, his back hunched so as not to hit the ceiling. “What do you all think?”

“It’s… comfortable,” Sidra remarked as she side eyed a singular chair. “Are you here alone very often?”

Fal shrugged, his shoulders creaking from the obvious discomfort. “Yes. And no. When I’m here, it’s just me. I spent most of my time at the Ring, though.”

We fell into silence. Ambrosse cleared his throat, “So,” he started, “where is the swallow rip thing?”

“Sawlripa. It’s in my library.”

Everyone turned towards the pathetic bookshelves along the walls. Books were by no means an easy thing to come by. There weren’t many binders in the Wayst, so having books was a sign of wealth. But, we weren’t there for books.

“Oh, sorry. I forgot to mention that there’s another room.” Fal said as he turned, bumping into his chair. “It’s usually just me. I haven’t told anyone else about this.” He shifted the bookshelf over, revealing a hole in the wall. “Like a magic trick.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Fal, after this is all over, you need to find yourself some company to keep. And perhaps look into investing money into a better home for yourself.” I pat his arm as I passed him, dipping down into the dark hallway.

I heard Fal mutter something behind me, followed by more crashing as he hollowed out an entrance wide enough for his new frame. My fingers traced the walls, allowing the cool sandstone to guide me through the dark. It wasn’t long before a golden glow showed the way out, and as I moved closer I laid my eyes on a magnificent library.

The room was large, and I stood on a balcony that overlooked the candlelit room. A chandelier hung from the center, the flames on the wicks the same color as the ones in the sanctuary. Ever fire was common in Arden, but how Fal managed to get it into such a hidden room was beyond me. Chests sat amidst books that were placed neatly on shelves, as well as on top of books that rose like towers from the ground. Multiple chairs and desks were scattered throughout the room, each one of them with different items on display. Maps, drawings, and age stained letters littered the desktops, their markings a blur from where I stood.

Fal came out of the hallway from behind me and hurried down the stairs. “Feel free to look around. There are quite a few things that even Daya doesn’t know exist.”

“Why not trade with her?”

Fal shrugged, his face scrunching up as he thought about it. “I give her items that I have no interest in. Or items that I don’t think can hurt anybody else. Locators, maps, historical accounts. She seems to be interested in them, but I have never been as intrigued by those.” He began looting through the different chests. “We’ll have to do some searching. I know the dagger is here somewhere, I just don’t remember where I left it. It should be locked up.”

“Where are the keys?” Ambrose and Sidra said in unison as they emerged onto the balcony. What had taken them so long?

Fal didn’t seem to notice how strange they were acting as he rifled through all of his belongings. “That is a great question. One I’m not sure I have the answer to.”

“You don’t keep track of your keys?” I made my way down the stairs, hopping over the last bit of railing as my eyes settled on a shining map nearby. I approached it, looking over to where Fal was. “Some collector you are.”

He smiled at me. “I have a tendency to lock things up and leave them that way. Once I’ve studied something and done enough research, I make a decision. Do I lock it up and know where to find it, or do I lock it up and hope that even I can forget?” His smile faded as he tucked a large chest under his arm. “There are some things I just don’t want to see the light of day.”

I gave him a nod. “We’ll figure it out. We have all night. This place isn’t that big.”

In the first hour of being in the library, most of us were less focused on finding the item in question, but rather exploring what oddities Fal had uncovered from the sands of the Wayst. Some items Fal would remove from our grasp, while others he would give a brief history lesson. From empty chests with odd engravings to books in Old Deorcae, he had so many things that Daya would often pass up. Most of her collection revolved around magical artifacts or tools that could be used to tighten her power hold on the Wayst. Fal seemed to seek out items that did no such thing. His items were harmless, powerless. His maps were of the Wayst, both old and new, as well as lands I had never seen or heard of. One with a looming citadel lined with mountains, one with nothing but green and blue painting the land, one with marks and dashes. It was remarkable.

The shining map kept calling to me, though. I couldn’t discern exactly what it was. A cryptic poem sat in the upper left corner of the tattered scroll, and a silver sheen covered the majority of it, lined with sand dunes. The slick surface of the silver covered a painting of the sky, with gorgeous hues and puffy clouds. I was tracing the edge of the map when Fal came up behind me.

“You found my favorite piece.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I think I know, but I have yet to find enough literature on it.” He didn’t say anything for a second. “There’s this place. I’ve read about it. They call it the Land of Sky. It’s a gateway that only opens once a year. They say that you come to the edge of the desert, and both above you and at your feet, you can see nothing but blue sky. You can walk on it. Accounts have said that people who enter don’t come back, but… in a good way. They say it’s the way to the afterlife. The good afterlife.” His eyes dazzled as he looked down at the map. “Maybe the book says something about that, too. Maybe we can go and really be free.”

I chuckled. “You can’t be free if you’re dead, Fal.”

When I looked back up to him, the gleam in his eyes had disappeared, and they were now focused on the ground. “It’s just a kids story, I know. But, I’d like to think… maybe I could map out the Wayst. The parts no one has. You could be there,” he nudged me, “you know, if you wanted to be. And, if, one day, along the way, we happen to find the Land of Sky… I’ll walk through it. If I can leave this dusty place I would do it. That’s freedom, Aumee. That’s my end goal. It doesn’t have to be yours, but, it’s there.”

I didn’t say anything for a long time after that.

How ridiculous. A place where the sky fell to the ground, where people like me could step from sand to heavenly blue? It couldn’t exist. I’m not sure I wanted it to. If that was the gateway to the afterlife, to the good afterlife, as Fal had put it, did any other death not bring you there? If I died right then and there, would I go to that gateway, or would I end up somewhere else? Somewhere worse? Or back here?

I shoved the thoughts from my head. I needed to focus. As the hours went on, everyone became increasingly slower in their search. Keys were being piled up in the center of the room, and when we were satisfied that we had tried all of them in each chest, Ambrose sifted his hands through the keys saying, “Well, as fantastic as seeing the insides of all of those chests was, I can’t help but feel frustrated by the fact that we still have yet to find the dagger.”

“It’s here somewhere.”

“Is it?” Sidra whirled around, pointing her finger at Fal’s chest. “You said it was here. We’ve turned this place upside down and have yet to find it. If you’re lying, your tongue will be cut out!” As she jabbed her finger against the rocky layer of Fal’s chest, her robes lifted just enough at her waist that I caught a glimpse of something thin and silvery beneath the fabric. What a snake. After everything we had done.

“It’s a good thing I like my tongue, then.” Fal bent down so his face was directly in front of Sidra’s. “I’m not lying you little witch.”

Ambrose ran to his sister’s side. “Don’t threaten her.”

“Sidra is the only one who has threatened anyone so far,” I said with a dry laugh. “We clearly have to keep searching. Perhaps it would help if your sister didn’t have a cactus up her ass and actually helped.” I moved to Fal’s side, and the look that crossed Sidra’s face was terrific. She moved closer to me, but before she could open her mouth, I held my hand out. “You have it. Don’t you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She crossed her arms, stepping back as her eyes darted in each person’s direction.

“Hand it over.”

“Hand over what?”

I had enough. I reached forward, grabbing her by the arm as I felt around her body for any sign of the weapon. Sure enough, my hand graced the hilt of a slim dagger. I yanked it from its place. The dagger had a bone hilt where its thin, curved blade jutted out. “Next time don’t be as obvious when you’re pocketing something. I must admit, though, you’re quite the performer.” I threw her body away from mine, looking over to Ambrose. “Were you in on this?”

Ambrose’s eyes were cast to the ground. When he didn’t say anything, I handed the knife over to Fal. “They had no intention of helping us, Fal. It’s time you realize that.”

Fal took the dagger from my hand, holding it delicately in his own.

Tears were streaming down Sidra’s face. Pitiful. “We were just going to take it and go! I swear! I talked Ambrose into it.”

Ambrose said nothing, just moved over to sit down on a stack of books.

His sister continued as if she were pleading for her life. “It was my idea. I told him that we should take the dagger and run. That way we wouldn’t have to waste time helping you. That’s all it was.”

“That’s all?” I knelt down so I was face to face with her. “You swear? You had no intention of cutting us open?” Sidra froze as I stared her down. “You’re too obvious, Sidra. Too desperate. Your parents are dead and you were ready to kill the first two bodies you had available. All you would have to do was complete the spell, and reverse Fal’s curse once you had your parents back.”

“That wasn’t the plan!”

“How are we supposed to trust you when all you can think about is backstabbing us?” I rose, my fists shaking as I looked down at her. “We have put everything on the line so we could help you two. This is how you wanted it to end? We could have stolen your book from the moment we met you. We could have let those Traders take you and use you up. Instead, we’re helping you with some of the darkest magic there is so you can have your parents back, as if no one else in the world has ever lost a parent. Grow up.” I spun away, making my way upstairs as everyone stayed in their places, dead silent.

I heard someone come after me, and I whirled on them as soon as I made it out into Fal’s living area.

It was Ambrose. He held his hands up, eyes wide with fear. I sighed, but waved to let him know it was okay to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

“I’m sorry.”

“You aren’t the one I’m concerned about.”

“Sidra is… lost. She was always closer with my parents. She took better to the magic. She would do anything to bring them back.” He ran his fingers through his hair, but seemed to be stepping away. “She’s actually very similar to you.”

“I wouldn’t label myself stupid.”

Ambrose chuckled. “No. I would label you driven. Desperate. Alone, even.” His eyes softened, but I could feel myself tensing up the more he spoke. “You’re a good person, Aumee. So is my sister. You’ve both just been handed the worst choices in life. I wish I had tried harder to convince her you two were worth the help, but I think she has to realize that for herself.”

We stood there, him staring at my face as I stared out of the doorway of Fal’s home. “You two can stay if you both can prove that this isn’t a fight against each other. We all have something we need out of this. If we play our cards right, and if we play them together, we’ll get what we need.”

“Thank you.” He held out his hand, as if we were making a deal. I didn’t shake it. He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Daya taught you well.”

“I’ll take the first watch. Tell everyone else to rest for the night.”

Ambrose bowed his head ever so slightly before returning into the hidden library. I slid the bookshelf back into place and waited. I positioned the only chair in Fal’s room to face the doorway, and watched as the dark night turned a beautiful dust gray. I should have had someone relieve me, but I needed time alone. Time to think of everything that had happened.

I should have just taken the book when I had had the chance.

Rocks in the alleyway shifted, crunching under someone’s foot. I sprung to my feet, pulling my weapons out of their sheaths. This was not a good place for a fight. I was cornered, with no good view of whoever was approaching. No chance of escape unless I managed to sneak behind them.

They stepped into the light, and I tightened my grip on my daggers. No turning back.