I will die tomorrow.

  And yet I have not finalized the necessary preparations for Nettie after I am gone.

  Is it denial? Does this subtle reluctance to act stem from a belief that it will delay the inevitable? Perhaps I subconsciously believe preparation is acknowledgement?

  We live our lives as though God Yven will forget to inscribe our names in his ledger.

  Why is that?

  — Excerpt from the journal of Flangel the Wise. Last Entry.

  Jyuni

  It was customary for the mursashu of Shang's caravan to be given an experience with Sandwurm venom so they recognized the symptoms. Jyuni had no illusions as to what was causing the sensation—the gash on her palm throbbed, a blaze of pain that still couldn’t overshadow the ice-cold feeling of her arm locking up.

  She could feel it creeping through her veins. She fought to breathe, but she didn't rip her mask off as she vainly tried to quell the rising panic in her chest.

  She was already on her fourth breath.

  "Mursa," she choked out, laying down on her back as she had been taught. There were many stories of people who could have been saved, but failed to lie down safely before the paralysis set in, resulting in a twisted neck during the fall.

  Mursa Shang scrambled to her, his composed visage dropping from his pale face. "Jyuni. Jyuni. Oh Gods, Jyuni."

  She reached towards her knife, dropped in the Sands when she had fallen. She reached in vain. "My blade," she whimpered, trying to delay her next breath. It would be her sixth.

  "Mursa, it's great to see you are awake again." A voice. Jyuni recognized it. Choji's. She wanted to turn her neck, but her body wouldn't move. Her eyes shifted, but she had turned her face towards her knife and Choji was on the other side. "I regret to inform you that the earlier attack had… Oh. Is that Jyuni?"

  Silence. Then, a gentle hand turned Jyuni's head up, and she could see Mursa Shang's face again. His black hair had become oily, probably due to the minimal amount of washing they could do while traveling. But his dark eyes, full of worry, seemed to harden in resolve.

  Choji loomed into view, presenting the dropped knife to Mursa Shang with both hands. "Here is her knife, Mursa."

  "Thank you, Choji. But it will not be needed."

  What? thought Jyuni, almost choking on her eighth breath. Of course it would be needed! The healers couldn't stop the poison anymore. Did Mursa Shang intend to kill her some other way? Surely, hopefully, he wouldn't condemn her to live out her life as one of those horrific, twisted things.

  "I don't understand," said Choji. He looked down at Jyuni, who blinked rapidly at her friend. Yes, tell him! "Did Jyuni not tell you the healers cannot circulate their aura for healing without being affected by the dragon's Domain?"

  "No, I am aware." Mursa Shang's voice became low, soothing. "Choji, gather several more of our people. Enough to be witnesses."

  "Mursa, I don't think —"

  "Choji." The Mursa's voice became firm. "Your Mursa has spoken."

  No, don't! Jyuni wanted to say, but her mouth would not move. All that came out was a muffled whimpering. Please don't let him do this, Choji! You know what it means if he asks for witnesses.

  But Choji could not hear her silent pleading, and disappeared from her view, leaving her alone with Mursa Shang. The man brought up her left arm and pulled down her sleeve, revealing the tattoo he had inscribed on her arm the day he’d chosen her as his successor.

  "You listen well most of the time," he said softly as he brought up a glowing finger to trace the intricate lines. The auric ink glowed in response, coming to life in his wake. "But when it comes to certain things, you tend to act without thinking. Not that I consider it a sin to have emotions or attachments; I have them too. I just… I just hope that this will be the last time you forget to keep your composure, my silly apprentice. Never jump into anything without having confidence you can come out unharmed."

  Choji's head bobbed back into view behind Mursa Shang's shoulder. "I have five with me, Mursa." Jyuni saw Gyota, the mursashi of buying and selling, and Teyasu, part of Choji's mursasho. Their faces were somber. No doubt Choji had already informed them why they were gathered.

  "Mursa," said a voice. Rovena, the mursashi who oversaw travel. "This decision seems poorly timed. We have just lost a third of our people, and when we enter Oasis, we have to contend with the Stewards. Doing this now, of all times, would not set Jyuni up for success. I understand how you feel, but —"

  "Rovena." It was only a word, but the mursashi’s sentence cut off as though she’d been slapped. The misgivings on the others' faces immediately melted into shame. Everyone had clearly wanted to argue, but the dangerous tone that entered the Mursa’s voice stopped them in their tracks.

  No! Jyuni screamed in her head, for her mouth would no longer move. She tried communicating with her eyes instead. Please, Rovena. I've never heard you walk away from a fight. Gyota. Teyasu! Choji, please. Someone stop him! I never… I didn't want to… it's my fault! And now this?! This was beyond her tenth breath; the venom had already seized most of her body. If things progressed any further, her body would slowly and painfully mutate into a Sandwurm over the next few days.

  Before there were any more complaints, Mursa Shang stated, "all of you will bear witness."

  "Aye," they muttered in unison.

  "Teyasu."

  "...Aye," said Teyasu, who seemed to realize he couldn't hide behind Gyota any longer. "I bear witness."

  "I am forever grateful to each of you for having served our people faithfully with your expertise and wisdom," said Mursa Shang. He'd finished tracing her tattoo, and the design glowed brilliantly on her arm. "And I understand it is selfish of me to ask, but I will regardless: Please serve and guide Jyuni in the challenges ahead. She can be stubborn and foolhardy at times, I admit. But each of you have taken part in her education, and each of you have told me I did not choose poorly. I hope you don't hold a grudge against her, for this is my decision — and my decision alone." He stopped, then looked up at the gathered mursashu, and said simply, "Please be generous in your counsel with Jyuni. Mursa has asked."

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  The mursashu glanced at each other in uncomfortable silence. Then Rovena knelt down with Mursa Shang, clapped a hand on his shoulder, and chuckled. "I'll tell her off for both of us, then. Someone has to do your share, right?"

  Gyota joined in. "I'll make sure to yell at her if she burns the midnight oil."

  Amazingly, Teyasu spoke up too. "Jyuni still can't beat me when it comes to attention to detail, so of course! How else will she improve without anyone to point out her mistakes to her?"

  No, Jyuni begged as the remaining witnesses joined in. No. Please. None of you should be reassuring him right now. None of you! All of you should be telling him to leave me be! He can always choose another successor!

  They stepped back as Mursa Shang shook out his right sleeve, tapping his own tattoo. It glowed to life, golden aura running along the bold black lines in an endless stream.

  "I am grateful to have called you my family," said Mursa Shang. "These are my final instructions. Keeping the Dao on our side is the key to balancing ourselves between the Empire and the Free Cities. Remember our ultimate goal is to help Molam so we can help ourselves—don't be afraid to give him what he wants, just be certain you're always prioritizing our survival." He spoke as though he was addressing the others, but he stared straight down at Jyuni. "We're useful to Molam now, but don't forget he has other goals beyond what he needs to do in the Sands. I expect him to reevaluate our partnership the moment he upholds his end of the deal and we resettle a cleansed Mur. I don't think he's the type to exploit us; if nothing else, he knows our caravan is the closest thing he has to an ally in Oasis. It's possible I'm wrong, but I've set the necessary groundwork to ensure our relationship doesn't devolve to something we merely tolerate." He fell silent for a moment, then spoke again. "The journey doesn't end when we restore Mur. The fight after that matters too; not just with the other Mursa, but with the other Cities who might want our resources."

  He pulled Jyuni's torso onto his lap, then brought up her left arm, pressing their tattoos together before continuing. "Next, remember to never underestimate the Stewards, but Steward Ryu can be trusted to keep her word. As a young Steward, she needs allies too. Also, Mursa Khan and Allyce may try to influence you. If push comes to shove, pick Mursa Khan's side to keep Mursa Allyce in check. Well, I'm sure you know that much, at least."

  Golden aura flowed inexorably from Mursa Shang's tattoo towards her own. Warm aura suffused Jyuni's body, more than she had ever felt in her lifetime. She almost felt ecstatic. The closest thing she could compare it to was that one time she’d drunk too many cups of Formosan coffee, but without any of the anxiety.

  And, more importantly, it was beating back the ice in her veins.

  Mursa Shang leaned down, brushing some hair away from her face. "Finally, take care of your health. I know you don't rest enough when your moon cycle comes, but no one will begrudge you for looking after your body. You do your best work when you are rested." Another pause. Her throat worked, but no sound came. "Also, drink more water instead of living off coffee, I'm certain it's ruining your sleeping schedule. Oh, and if you do dabble with paramours, get a steady supply of yakshur tea. Rovena knows what I'm talking about."

  The last of Mursa Shang's aura drained into Jyuni as she finally found the strength to move. She pushed herself up, catching Mursa Shang's head on her shoulder as he collapsed forward, breathing heavily.

  "Mursa," she choked out, at last. Even through the tears of her blurry vision, Jyuni could see the ritual of successorship had drained him of all his vitality. Mursa Shang, who had always looked relatively middle-aged and strong, had visibly aged to become an old man.

  "Don't cry." His dim eyes looked up at her as a frail thumb wiped away her tears. "You are Mursa now."

  But Jyuni sobbed, at first silently, then, as her body shook off the last memories of its paralysis, she choked on her breath and started bawling. She brushed her fingers over Mursa Shang's, trying to focus on the peaceful expression he wore through her blurred vision. She needed to memorize his face. She needed to—

  "Jyuni?"

  Jyuni looked up, trying to blink away her tears. "Gyota?" There were too many, and she rubbed them away with her arm.

  It was a mistake. The glowing aura on her tattoo flashed visibly in front of the gathered mursashu. She was so overwhelmed with grief that she hadn’t even noticed the light it was emitting.

  Gyota seemed unsure of how to react at first, then knelt down and lowered his head. "My apologies. I greet our Mursa."

  Part of her was braced for this, but she still felt a stab of shock as the others followed his lead.

  "Mursa Jyuni. Your instructions?"

  Mursa Jyuni. The familiar Title weighed on her in a way even Sandwurm poison could not; a sinking feeling in her chest, unalleviated by the aura surging through her body. She'd whispered it to herself before, and even joked about it with her friends. But now that it was real, it felt completely hollow.

  She didn't have a right to this Title.

  Was this why Mursa Shang rarely talked about Mursa Gailscha? Did he also mourn her absence every time he looked at his own tattoo? Jyuni gazed down at Mursa Shang's withered body, then pressed her dry lips to his forehead. How could he look so serene, having left her so distraught?

  "Mursa Shang needs to rest now. Find the members of the Dao. Bring them to me." She paused. Was that how he would have said it? She wanted to lower her voice, as though that somehow gave her a more imposing tone, but chose not to. He would have told her to do things her way. Instead, she announced slower and more deliberately:

  "Mursa has spoken."

  Molam

  Primrose and Kalle found Molam still cradling Cholani's head. Their neck wound had already dried up, leaving dark reddish-brown streaks on his legs.

  A sharp intake of breath from Kalle. "Cholani? So much blood! What will we do? First Meera, then Jyuni, and now Cholani —"

  Primrose held a hand up to Kalle's chest, silencing him with a sharp look. "Molam, are you able to talk?"

  Jyuni, was it? Then… "Is Mursa Shang dead?" Molam answered with a question. He closed his eyes, still trying to understand what Cholani's last look had meant. It was not an expression of fear. The wideness of their eyes… Surprise? No, their eyebrows had been too relaxed. Although that could have been due to the Sandwurm toxin. Malice? No; he had read no accusation, no indignation. Cholani had been a respected mursashi, and though Molam had only barely known them, he'd come to suspect that Cholani had possessed the skills to become chosen as a Mursa if they’d wanted. And the most important skill any mursashu honed…

  Had that look been… understanding?

  "Yes," Primrose replied, kneeling down on the Sands next to Molam. He stiffened, but she didn't move closer. Instead, she merely added, "the Mursa… well, they're conducting the inheritance ceremony right now. How did you know?"

  "Mursa Shang would never let Jyuni die on his watch," he answered simply. The mursashu had been observing their trio, and Molam had been doing the reverse. As much as the man had tried to stay casually aloof, Molam's gamble by summoning Fiery One had been all the proof he needed to confirm that the Mursa’s apprentice was one of his biggest weaknesses. After Kalle’s lamenting about Jyuni, it wasn’t difficult to guess the resulting sequence of events.

  Molam just hadn’t expected things to have played out the way that they did. His thoughts were still jumbled, trying to deal with what he had just done on top of trying to understand the current situation they'd found themselves in. The sheer amount of chaos within such a short amount of time was still proving quite difficult for him to wrap his head around successfully.

  "What else has happened?" Molam appreciated that Primrose had yet to reach out to him, instead just choosing to make her presence known. Perhaps that was best; his left hand fingers were still clenched around the crown of Cholani's head. The other hand was coated in dried blood, having done its best to stem the flow caused by the wound he'd sliced open. Yes… that was it. The same hand wielding the knife had been the one trying to stop the outflow of blood. No doubt Cholani would have found the sudden shift hilarious, if they hadn't been paralyzed and bleeding out.

  "The Spear and Shield of Oasis came together to kill the remaining Sandwurms. Now… the Oasians are helping the mursashu salvage what they can. It seems Jyuni is undergoing the ritual to receive Mursa Shang's Title." Primrose hesitated, then asked, "will we join the combined hosts?"

  Molam looked up at her, and she blinked and looked away for a brief moment, her focus falling on the discarded knife before her eyes quickly flicked back to his face. He noticed her attention wavered, but didn't pay it any mind. The silence between them dragged on before he looked at Kalle towering above, drinking greedily from his waterskin.

  "Of course we're joining them," Molam finally answered. He pushed away Cholani's body, burying his hand in the Sand to try and scrape off the dried blood. The heat seared at his skin, but Molam didn't care. Why wouldn't Cholani's blood scrub off?

  "Don't lose sight of our goal, understand? We're here for jade. That's all that matters." He pushed himself to his feet, brushing the remaining sand off his clothes. Once he was satisfied, he turned to a pale-faced Primrose and Kalle. "A few matters have… changed, but we're finally going to reach Oasis."

  Mursa Allyce, Khan, and Khan's apprentice Paradyne will be revealed when apt.