“The Great Drought . . . It’s here too, isn’t it?”

Liyana nodded.

“Then there isn’t an escape,” Raan said. “There is no other life for our people.”

Liyana wanted to embrace her, but Raan may not have welcomed it. She thought about saying that she was sorry. The words caught in her throat. She didn’t think Raan would have believed her anyway.

Tears poured from Raan’s eyes and were caught in the facecloth. “Break the statue. Korbyn, say my words. Use your magic. Call my goddess.”

Liyana sliced the scorpion statue. She held out the shards.

Raan stared at the shards for a long moment. “If you lived through this, I can live through it.” She took the shards. Liyana watched her walk shakily to the center of the tent. Around her, Pia and Fennik silently swirled and leaped on the silk carpets. Korbyn chanted. Imitating the other two vessels, Raan danced. She held the shards of the scorpion statue so tightly that the edges sliced her fingers. Red stained the diamond.

Liyana turned to the crates. She picked up the falcon statue.

Across the tent, Mulaf woke. He leveled a shaking finger at Liyana. “You’re her! Bayla! Murderer!” His voice rang out. “Guards!”

The three other vessels collapsed.

Six guards burst through the tent flap, and Liyana dropped the falcon statue. She raised her sky serpent blade in front of her. Quickly Korbyn pointed to the magician. “He attacked my assistants with his magic! Arrest him!”

Swords raised, the guards advanced on Mulaf.

The magician continued to point at Liyana. “Kill Bayla! Before she destroys us all!”

Liyana backed away. “You escorted me from this tent to mine after I met the emperor. You told me about the Cat Clan. You said I was safe and free. How could I remember this if I was Bayla?”

Eyes wide, Mulaf lowered his arm. “But . . . your power . . . You used magic. I felt it!” He didn’t resist as the guards surrounded him. Two of them clamped their hands on his arms.

Another guard knelt next to Pia and felt her pulse. “This one’s dead,” he reported. He stood and wiped his palm on his uniform, as if to wipe away the feel of death.

Liyana rushed to Pia’s side. Shaking, she felt for her pulse as well. She couldn’t find it on Pia’s wrist. She felt for the pulse on her neck. Nothing. She lay her head against Pia’s chest. “She isn’t breathing!”

“That’s normal,” Korbyn said. Fennik also lay still and silent. But Raan writhed on the floor and moaned. “This”—he knelt beside Raan—“is not.”

Pia’s eyes popped open. “I live,” she said. It was Pia’s voice but it wasn’t. “But it’s dark! I cannot see!” She clawed at her face and yanked away the facecloth.

“Shh,” Liyana whispered in her ear. She replaced the facecloth and glanced at Mulaf. His eyes were on Raan. “Pretend you’re Pia, the vessel. We’re in danger. Say as little as possible.” Sweet goddess, it had happened so fast. Like that, Pia was gone.

Fennik sat up. He looked around.

Korbyn bolted to his side. He made a show of checking Fennik’s vitals, but Liyana guessed he was whispering in Fennik’s ear as well. Sendar’s ear.

She knew she should feel joyful for them, but instead all she felt was an ache. Pia and Fennik! She helped Pia—Oyri—to her feet. Several of the guards had left Mulaf’s side and had trained their swords on Liyana and Korbyn.

Sendar held himself still, and Liyana knew he was in a trance. Outside, a horse trumpeted. And then other horses whinnied and cried. Liyana heard shouts and the stamp of hooves.

“Check outside,” one of the guards ordered.

The soldier nearest to the door obeyed. He returned only a minute later. “It’s the horses, sir! They’re stampeding!” He darted out again.

Sendar opened his eyes.

Clever boy, Bayla thought.

Mulaf’s eyes widened. He looked at the doctor and his assistants as if the force of his gaze could help him see through the facecloths. In another second he would connect them with the broken statues. Liyana glanced at Korbyn. She didn’t know if he had a plan. We need to leave now, Liyana thought.

We need a larger distraction, Bayla thought. Horses aren’t frightening enough.

“Are there worms beneath us?” Liyana whispered to Oyri. Often the great worms burrowed below the bedrock, following water deep within the earth, surfacing only in the salt flats to spin their thread.

Oyri nodded. “Far, far beneath, but yes.” Stilling, she concentrated.

Mulaf flapped his arms like an agitated bird. “You must stop them!”

On the ground, Raan moaned and twitched.

Liyana saw Mulaf close his eyes, preparing for a trance. She picked up the falcon statue and threw it at him. It hit his stomach. He flinched, his concentration broken, and a guard pressed a blade to Liyana’s throat. “He was about to use magic!” she said. “You can’t trust him!”

“Tie them all up and gag them, including the magician,” one of the guards ordered. “We will sort this out after the crisis is over.” He pointed to three of the guards. “You and you and you, help outside.” The three soldiers rushed out. Only three remained.

“Ready yourself,” Oyri said softly.

The floor began to shake. Liyana fell to her knees.

Across the tent, Mulaf fell against one of the guards. He grabbed for the guard’s sword hilt and tried to yank it free. A second guard rushed to stop him. Sendar leaped on the third guard. He slammed his fist into the soldier’s chin.

Korbyn hefted Raan over his shoulders as the ground began to crack beneath her. “Liyana, watch out!” he yelled.

In the center of the tent, the earth split apart. A giant silk worm burst through the floor and reared above them. Oyri grabbed Liyana’s arm. “Guide me to the tail!”

Liyana yanked her away from the worm’s gaping maw. “Here! Back here!” The bulbous tail lashed in front of them. It swept into the emperor’s desk, knocking it onto its side with a massive crash.

“Help me jump on it!” Oyri ordered Liyana. She tightened her grip on Liyana’s arm.

Liyana balked. “You can’t mean—”

Jump, vessel, Bayla ordered.

Pulling Oyri with her, Liyana threw herself onto the worm’s tail. Oyri wrapped her arms around it. Liyana dug her fingers into the wet silk strands that coated the worm’s body. As Oyri and Liyana clung to it, the worm thrashed, tearing the tent further. The tarp fell, covering Mulaf and the guards. “Do not let go!” Oyri shouted.

The worm arced in the air. It flipped its body upward, and Liyana screamed. She closed her eyes, and the worm slammed into the earth. Rocks and dirt flew around them as the worm dove into the tunnel it had made.

Liyana felt rocks and dirt pummel her back. She clung tight and buried her face in the wet silk. Her body hit 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.