Page 164 of A Tribute of Fire

Io let out a long, deep sigh. “Fine. We’re going with you.”

While I’d hoped they would help, I hadn’t counted on it. I should have known better.

“Good. Thank you. Here’s what I think we should do ...”

Zalira stayed up and kept watch while the rest of us slept. I desperately needed it and had a deep and dreamless sleep until she shook me awake.

“It’s time,” she said.

She went around and woke the others and I strapped all my weapons on this time. I didn’t ever want to find myself without them when I needed them again.

We had run over our plan multiple times throughout the day and had solidified what we would be doing. I probably should have given us more time but I felt everything closing in around me.

Like something was urging me to hurry.

When everyone was ready, we moved as a group to the front door of the dormitory. No one else in the building seemed to be awake. Ahyana had Kunguru on her shoulder and we crept stealthily outside.

The treasury was farther away than the administrative building and there would be quite a few opportunities to run into guards, including the new ones.

If I had done this alone and gotten caught, I could have easily explained that I had suffered a head injury and wasn’t thinking clearly. Didn’t know where I was. Lied my way out.

But with all of us? It was a massive risk.

Not to mention that it would be easier for us to be seen. I needed their help and special skill sets, but I felt guilty about it. There would be no explaining this away if we were apprehended in a group this size.

I’d tried to talk them into leaving a few of us behind, but no one would listen.

The bright, full moon beamed down from a clear sky. It lit up everything, erasing the shadows we’d been counting on to aid us.

We would be spotted.

“Oh no,” I muttered.

“Give it a moment,” Zalira said, looking up.

Sure enough, within a few heartbeats, the sky suddenly clouded over and blocked the moon completely. I was so grateful for her gift.

We got to the first intercept point and Zalira had a small bow and arrows that she had “borrowed” from the gymnasium during training today. Two guards were conversing not far from us. She raised the bow and shot wide, over their heads, so that it landed in a wooden post twenty feet away from them.

As we’d hoped, the guards immediately assumed that the temple might be under attack. They drew their swords and ran toward the arrow.

“Go!” I said and headed in the opposite direction. Io had told us about a large row of bushes that we could hide behind while more guards rushed past us to check out the arrow.

When it was clear we rose and continued our run toward the treasury. I wished the building weren’t quite so far.

At the halfway point Ahyana told Kunguru to fly. He took off into the air, and a few moments later, he began to call loudly and repeatedly, causing a commotion. We heard more raised voices, more heavy footsteps following him. We were causing confusion everywhere we went, clearing a path.

I felt so many competing emotions—I was terrified that my adelphia might have to pay for what I was doing, excited that I was finally going to get my hands on the eye, anxious about making a mistake.

All those feelings propelled me forward. I told myself that I would succeed. This somehow seemed easier than the times I’d sneaked through the temple grounds before. Maybe because I’d done it so many times already.

And it felt like we were being watched over, protected. As if the goddess were blessing what we were doing.

Kunguru continued to call out as we reached the treasury. Two guards stood just inside the main door. We could see the spears they held.

Io said, “Let’s hope this works.”

She tossed a glass bottle into their midst and it shattered. The guards both immediately collapsed to the ground.

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