Page 157 of A Tribute of Fire

I shook my head at her. “The guards will fight off whoever remains and then they’ll scour the grounds to make sure they didn’t miss any invaders, which means they’ll be here soon. I’m running out of time. Please.”

She frowned and then closed her eyes. She stood still for several moments and I became aware of how labored my breathing had become. I fought to keep my eyes open and my throat burned from thirst.

Suri opened her eyes again and headed straight for Theano’s desk.

The edges were engraved with leaves, the symbol for the goddess. I watched as Suri ran her fingers along the leaves on the outer right side of the desk and came to a stop.

I couldn’t see what she did. Everything looked exactly alike.

She pushed against a leaf and a little drawer popped out.

Containing a silver key.

Suri had done it. She had found the vault key. I let out a small pained laugh. I hadn’t been stabbed for no reason. I had found what I’d come for.

But she turned her head toward me and my heart stopped beating entirely at her expression.

She wasn’t going to let me have the key.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Suri could have easily prevented me from taking the key if she wanted to. I was in no condition to retrieve it or to fight her for it. She took it out, pushed the drawer back into place, and then came to stand in front of me.

To my confusion, she offered it to me. I must have misinterpreted her earlier expression. She had looked upset about something, but what?

“Can you please put it in my pouch?” I asked. Again, she could have refused. She could have walked out of the room and buried it somewhere and I never would have found it.

But without hesitation she opened my pouch and slid the key inside.

There was relief despite the crushing pain. “Do you sense anything else hidden?”

No.

I supposed that would have made things far too easy, if the eye were in the office.

Although now I had no idea how I was going to break into the treasury. I thought of what Demaratus would have done if there had been an attempt made on my family’s life. He would have doubled the guard.

Antiope would do the same. Or worse.

I might have had the key, but this attack had just complicated everything in my life. Not only in getting to the vault but in having to worry that someone specifically wanted me dead and might make another attempt.

Io’s voice came from just outside the office. “We have to take Lia to the infirmary. Daphne needs to help her.” She didn’t come into the room and I couldn’t blame her.

Suri came over to my right side and put my arm around her shoulders. I leaned against her heavily, but she easily held me up.

“Thank you,” I told her. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

She nodded and we walked out into the hallway. I could see that Io wanted to assist us, but that would have meant going on my left side, where I’d been stabbed, and I didn’t think I could bear the blinding pain. I held my left arm against my body and stumbled down the hallway, nearly tripping on the stairs.

But as we walked, I told Io our cover story. “We were up late talking. We heard something outside. We came out to investigate and were attacked. I led the man away from you.”

She nodded and I saw her gulp. I hoped she would be able to lie effectively or else we were going to be in a lot of trouble. They couldn’t know what I’d taken or everything would be ruined.

When we got outside I couldn’t help but gasp and stop short. There were so many bodies. Some were being dragged out into the courtyard.

Men in full armor, but I also saw a priestess and a couple of acolytes.

How many people had died?

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