Page 108 of A Tribute of Fire

Not because she had the eye.

I took a couple of steps back and looked at the statue. That humming feeling I’d felt in the flower garden returned. Maybe there was a value here that I couldn’t see. I got on my knees.

“Oh great goddess.” I whispered the words, afraid that I might be overheard. I tried to remember the correct way to do this. I sighed, worried I would mess it up.

“I’m not sure what to say,” I continued on. “You probably see me as a thief. Or a usurper. But I’m here because I do believe in you. I need the eye to take it back to Locris, to save my people. I know you were angry, and you had every right to be. But it was a thousand years ago. And there are people paying the price who have never trespassed against you. I’m asking for your forgiveness. And your help.”

Was that too presumptuous? Were we supposed to speak to the goddess this way? Should I be humbler, or use more flowery language? I only knew how to speak from my heart and I had to hope that it would be enough.

“I have to find the eye. I think it’s at the temple somewhere, but I don’t know where.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, fighting off tears. I was so frustrated and worried and everything seemed hard.

Then I remembered that I was supposed to tell her what I had sacrificed for her when asking for a boon. “I gave you my sister. There’s nothing more precious to me that I could have offered to you as a sacrifice. You know what it’s like to be parted from someone you love. Don’t let her death be meaningless. Please let me save my land and restore your worship there. If I’ve ever pleased you, I beg of you to grant me this.”

I waited several beats in the quiet. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I was a bit dismayed that there wasn’t some kind of response. While gazing at the statue, I saw a glimmer on her arm. Curious, I stood and walked over. Maybe I’d imagined it. No, it was definitely bright. I scratched at the spot and flakes of ivory paint fell away, revealing gold.

I tried to find a spot that wouldn’t be immediately noticeable. I lifted the cloth tunic that they’d draped over her. The statue also had acarved tunic underneath the cloth one, and on one of the green painted folds, I scratched. More gold.

With a gasp I let the cloth tunic drop. She was plated in a layer of gold under the paint. There was a literal fortune on this statue. More than a king’s ransom.

This was why they had the guard.

I briefly considered returning here and retrieving enough gold to help my nation after I found the eye, but I immediately felt sick to my stomach. That would be wrong. Selfish and greedy. I rejected the notion.

Feeling as if I should say something, I managed, “I’m sorry for scraping off the paint. I’m sure someone will fix it. And ... thank you for listening.”

I began walking toward the stairs when a wave of emotion hit me, hard in my chest.

A love so pure and shining that I put my hand over my heart and turned back to the statue.

Euthalia.

The voice echoed loudly inside my head, unmistakably coming from someone else. Then everything dissipated and it was just me in an empty room again. I grabbed the broom and hurried up the stairs, starting to sweep. What had that meant? Why was she saying my name? Was she answering my request? Approving of it? I wanted to take things that way, but I couldn’t be certain.

And there was no one I could ask.

During my morning tutorial with Maia, I questioned her about why life mages weren’t allowed in the temple considering that they performed the goddess’s magic, and that seemed to completely befuddle her.

I wanted to ask her about the goddess. The words were burning my tongue because I was so desperate to say them. But I focused my attention on something else.

Because I didn’t honestly care whether life mages could enter the temple. Why was the statue covered in gold? Why did I get these feelings, hear someone speaking my name? What did it mean?

Instead we talked about things that didn’t seem to matter. Much of what Maia shared with me I already knew or had heard from Io. Io had been an excellent teacher and was careful to impart everything she thought might be important. I could see her taking over Maia’s role someday.

It made me a little sad that I wouldn’t be here to see it.

As I went about the rest of my day, it felt like someone had painted giant letters on my black tunic, announcing what I’d done, and people would only have to look at me to know that I had broken a rule.

But no one said anything to me. No guards rushed into the dining hall to seize me and drag me off to Theano for punishment.

No one knew.

My small success made me even more determined to sneak out into the city to get my parents a message and then find a way to break into the temple treasury.

One of the major issues was that there was no predictable pattern to the guard patrols. The shift changes didn’t take place at the same times, either. For the last two weeks, I’d gotten up every night after my sisters went to bed, watching out our window. I made mental notes and was so frustrated that I didn’t have any papyrus or lead to write down my observations.

The night after I’d approached the statue, Ahyana surprised me by joining me at my watch. I was apprehensive, but she didn’t ask me what I was doing. She stood next to me, her gaze pointed the same direction as mine.

“Have you ever observed ants?” she asked me in a soft voice.

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