Page 158 of A Tribute of Fire

“Come on,” Io said, waving her hand and averting her gaze from the horrible scene. My mind felt foggy, but one of the things I noted was how easily the guards moved the bodies. Some of these men were thick and heavy and the women were dragging them like they weighed no more than a bird.

I also thought of what I had done that evening that I had no explanation for. How had I broken down Theano’s door as easily as if it had been made of papyrus? I had managed to hold back a man twice my sizewith biceps larger than my legs. While I knew that people in stressful situations were capable of powerful things, panic and adrenaline could only account for so much.

Not to mention how I’d managed to hold off those men who had attacked me in the streets of Troas only a couple of days ago. Technique would not have been enough to keep me safe.

It was like I’d gotten stronger. A lot stronger.

And the same was true for all the women of the temple.

My head was pounding so hard that I stumbled. It hurt to think.

But I couldn’t turn off my questions. Why had these men attacked us? This felt like the pirate raid on theNikos. And the pirates had been specifically looking for me, just like the man who had chased me tonight.

Somebody wanted me dead.

Who?

Was it someone here in the temple? Theano? Artemisia? I wouldn’t have been surprised by either one. But would they really be willing to commit sacrilege just to kill me? I couldn’t imagine that they would go that far, but maybe they would.

Who else in Ilion would wish me harm? Why were they seeking me out? No one knew who I truly was, beyond being a tribute. My identity was a secret.

Why was this happening?

As I tried to think of who and why, I remembered that the pirates had thrown that red dirt before fighting. The man tonight had not done so. I didn’t think they were the same people.

Which meant that there was more than one group of warriors trying to end my life.

That was terrifying.

Especially when I didn’t know who was behind it.

They got me into the infirmary, where Daphne was helping another wounded acolyte, who was groaning with pain.

“Io!” Daphne said when she saw us. “I’m so glad you’re here. I need you.”

“Lia is hurt,” she said, helping me onto one of the beds. “She was stabbed in her left shoulder and the blade went all the way through.”

“Everyone is hurt,” Daphne muttered under her breath, but she still came over to inspect me. “It was quick thinking to cauterize the wound.”

“That was Lia,” Io said. “She told me to do it.”

“It probably saved your life.” Daphne tested my limb and I let out a muffled moan, not able to hold back the sound. It was like she was torturing me. “Make a fist.”

I did as she asked even though my hand protested in agony.

Daphne nodded, satisfied. “You still have full range of motion, which indicates that the blade didn’t hit any tendons or arteries, for which you should be very grateful. You’re lucky that it only went through muscle.”

I didn’t feel very lucky at the moment.

“We’ll get you something for the pain, and after we’ve treated everyone, we’ll create a salve to help soothe your skin and fight off infection. Then we’ll bring you something to help you sleep. Io, with me,” Daphne said. She went back to the patient she’d been treating when we arrived.

Io hovered over the bed, reaching for my right hand and squeezing it. “I would stay here with you if I could.”

I squeezed her back. “I know. I need to thank you for earlier. I know that tonight was ... difficult. But I want you to remember that you protected life. He would have killed me and others.”

She released my hand and twisted her lips to the side, as if she were trying not to cry. “Deep down I understand that. I just ... never thought I would be capable of doing it. I also know that you would have done the same for me, to save me.”

“A thousand times over,” I told her. It was then that I noticed that black-and-purple bruises in the shape of fingers had formed on her neck. It was a miracle that man hadn’t crushed her windpipe. I wasglad he was dead, or I would have gone back over to the administrative building to finish the job myself.

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