Empire of Sand

The guards segregated us into groups of ten, leading each group to an unfamiliar area of the training grounds. They had assigned Tessie and me to the same group, our tenuous friendship offering us small comfort as the stoic guard led us through a dark, narrow corridor with curving archways. The air smelled like ocean and roasting meat. Nearby, stall owners called out to those passing to entice them to make a purchase. Flies buzzed everywhere, seeking the manure of horses tethered and left in nearby vacant stalls.

I felt naked without William, and I worried about Birdie. I’d fed and watered her, leaving her in a vacant stall with the other waiting horses. With the patrols and the busy city square, Birdie would be as safe as any of the other horses.

The tunnels led to an open dirt plot. Encircled by corridors on every side, this area had served as an equestrian training stall. Though the area was raked clean, hay had collected along the wooden fence posts and a single stone pillar jutted out of its center, with a small wooden post attached near its base. The guard stopped and told us to gather around. We dispersed into a semicircle, ten pairs of eager eyes fixed on the man wearing the Emperor’s crest on his metal breastplate.

“This is training pod A. This is where you’ll complete the first three days of your instruction. Next, you’ll move on to pod B, and the other groups will rotate until you’ve all trained in each. The next two weeks will be grueling, so I suggest you save your frustration for the upcoming battles. What happens in the training pod will remain there. Is that understood?”

Most of us stayed silent.

“This is Banshee,” the guard informed us.

I gasped as a hooded man materialized from the shadows. His hood fell away from his face, revealing a pair of striking eyes, one silver iris and the other blue.

“I see we have quite an assortment,” he said, as his eyes assessed our group. I held my breath as he paced, and he hesitated in front of me, lingering there as if he might speak. With a grunt, he continued his path down our ranks, stopping at Tessie and giving her a perfunctory sniff.

“Gods, did you crawl out of the sewers, girl?”

Tessie remained mute.

“I’ll oversee your training for the next few days. I’d suggest you all take baths as soon as tonight. If I can’t tolerate you, I won’t train you. Don’t bother trying to impress anyone here with your minuscule talents. I assure you whatever it is you think you can do has been accomplished tenfold. The Emperor has no interest in poor castoffs. He’s looking for exceptional.”

I glanced at the others, who gazed off in the distance or hung their heads in shame. I’d decided I didn’t care for this man or his attitude, but he was a necessary evil. A means to an end.

“Now then, let’s not dawdle. You.”

He pointed at Tessie and waggled his fingers.

“Let’s see what you can do.”

Tessie squared her shoulders and stuck out her chin. My lips twitched as I fought back a smile. I liked Tessie and her spirit. Though she’d been a slave her whole life, she walked into the middle of the training pod like the future Empress herself.

“Pride can get you killed,” Banshee advised her. “Remember that, girl.”

She nodded once and flicked her hands. Fire danced along her fingertips like flames from the wick of a candle.

“Is that all?” he taunted.

His eyes glazed over with a strange opaqueness, and his skin leeched of color—translucent with blue veins interconnected beneath. The air grew frigid, and our odd, assorted group clustered closer together. Tessie’s chest heaved as her rate of breathing increased, and her skin began losing its color, too, just as Banshee’s had seconds before. She shuddered and choked, and I started forward to help her. I hit an invisible wall of ice, the force of it jarring my body and sending me toppling backward. Tessie collapsed to her knees, still choking, and a powerful gust of wind raked through the pod, sending the rest of us to our knees. Banshee’s eyes glowed like orbs—tiny, otherworldly moons from galaxies beyond our own.

He opened his mouth, now a dark abyss, and a hollow shriek ensued, high-pitched and overwhelming. The members of our group covered their ears, heads bowed against the cold assault. Tessie fought an invisible enemy, and it had rendered even her flames useless. She fought for air as she twitched her fingers, sending her fire toward the Banshee, who towered over her like a god. The screams gathered as Banshee’s eyes rolled back in his head. Like his mouth, his eyes were now vacant and dark, devoid of any life. His veins grew apparent beneath the thin skin, and his dark clothing fluttered in the wintry winds. Even the guard had taken a knee, shielding his body from the Banshee.

Tessie drew in a ragged breath and stumbled to her knees. The wind encircled her like a cyclone, and she planted her feet and glared at the man before her, refusing to fall. With shaking hands, Tessie gathered her will and sent a wall of flames toward her opponent. I swallowed a scream as the fire died, extinguished before it could cause damage. Tessie’s eyes bulged and her hands flew to her neck, clawing for air. Banshee’s eyes returned and his skin resumed its normal pallor. The wind vanished as quickly as it had come, and the terrible screaming ceased.

Tessie gasped, drawing in a deep breath, and sobbing upon its release. The guard stood, and the rest of us trembled where we’d taken shelter.

“The most dangerous mistake you’ll ever make,” the Banshee said, “is to overestimate yourself and underestimate your enemy.”

Banshee offered a thin hand to Tessie, who accepted out of fear. Tessie climbed to her feet and scurried back to our pathetic ranks, and the guard watching stared at the ghost man with a look of complete reverence.

“Now go bathe,” Banshee instructed. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”