Page 159 of A Tribute of Fire

As Io went off to assist Daphne, I realized that Suri had disappeared. I lay in the bed, aching and exhausted, and ran my right hand over my pouch to feel the outline of the key. Still there, right next to Quynh’s bracelet.

The key had to be for the vault. It had been hidden in a secret compartment that presumably no one but Theano knew about. Why would she do that unless it was important?

I should have paid closer attention to the keys that Theano carried on her belt so that I would be able to tell whether it was a match.

There was at least one good way to find out if it would open the vault.

Should I wait? There was no doubt in my mind that Antiope was going to immediately increase the number of guards patrolling. So perhaps it would work better in my favor to delay trying to break into the treasury.

Not to mention that I currently wasn’t in the best physical condition to be attempting a break-in.

A few minutes later Zalira and Ahyana came into the infirmary with Suri. She had apparently gone to retrieve them, and I was relieved that she had. Zalira had the beginning of a black eye and Ahyana’s lip had been busted open.

“Are you all right?” I asked them, at the exact moment that they said the same to me.

“We’re fine,” Zalira said. “Three men climbed into our window. I was able to call for Ahyana and we fought them off until the guards arrived to help us. I’m so glad we were awake and waiting for you. Can you imagine if we’d been asleep and unaware?” She shuddered.

The whole situation was so unnerving. “How did they get past the guards in the first place?”

“They must have observed the guards and figured out the pattern as well,” Ahyana offered. “But instead of sneaking out, they were figuring out a way to sneak in.”

“What were they after?” Zalira asked.

“I think me,” I told them in a low voice. “The man who attacked Io said he was looking for ‘the Locrian.’”

“Why?” Ahyana asked, and I could only shake my head.

“Maybe they hate me for making it to the temple?”

Now Zalira was the one shaking her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Who would risk blaspheming against the goddess just because you’re serving here?”

All questions, no answers.

“Do you think someone in the temple helped them?” I asked carefully, not sure what their reactions would be.

Suri’s eyebrows rose as if this surprised her.

“Of course not!” Ahyana said. “We are sworn to each other.”

Yes, we all vowed to protect one another, but that didn’t mean somebody couldn’t have used a third party as proxy to technically circumvent that rule.

Daphne approached and handed me a cup. “Drink this.” Then she turned her attention to the other three. “All of you need to return to your room. It’s late.”

We told each other good night. They left and I could feel the pain medication doing its job.

Despite my body not hurting quite as much, I was filled with an uneasy feeling. I realized how badly things could have gone. If I’d been asleep, caught up in my nighttime fantasy world, those men would have come into our room and slaughtered us all.

I woke early the next morning, my body accustomed to rising at this hour.

It was the first night since I’d arrived that I hadn’t dreamed of Jason, and it bothered me. I wanted to tell him about what had happened last night.

To be in a place where there wouldn’t be any pain.

Maybe he would have insight that I didn’t. Which was ridiculous because I was the one doing the dreaming. Anything that he offered would be something I’d already thought of.

The pain medication had long worn off but my head felt clearer and I was able to move. My shoulder still throbbed like I was being stabbed on a continual basis but I could sit up. The pain was bearable.

I got myself a drink of water, which was difficult to do with only one hand. When I had finished with the entire cup, Daphne came over to check on me. She felt the pulse in my left wrist and then looked into my eyes.

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