Page 170 of A Tribute of Fire

Now I couldn’t help the single tear that escaped from each eye. I wiped them away with the back of my hand. I wanted to cry to let out my frustration and disappointment. I knew my sisters would let me and not judge, but now was not the time.

“You’re right,” I said, my voice catching. “I do have to keep going.” There was no other option. I just didn’t know what my next move would be because I had no idea where else to look.

The palace?

A return to the library to search for books that might have clues?

Theano’s personal rooms?

“I have faith in you,” Io said. “You’ll regroup. You’ll figure out your next steps.”

Again, she was right. I would do that. I couldn’t give up.

I was grateful I had a group of best friends who wouldn’t let me.

We stopped to eat and Io took the chance to put the salve on my still-healing wound.

She moved my tunic aside and said with wonderment, “Look at that. There’s a leaf imprint on your shoulder.”

“Because you used Theano’s seal,” I reminded her.

“Yes, but I thought it would go away. It’s still there.”

“A constant reminder,” I said. It was too bad she hadn’t used a flat blade instead, as that would have made the skin stay smooth. But beggars couldn’t be choosers.

The irony that I was permanently scarred from retrieving a key that hadn’t led me to the eye was not lost on me. I opened my pouch and took out the key, staring at it for a moment before I tossed it onto the ground. I wasn’t going to need that again.

We continued on after finishing our meal and reached the groundwater of the spring just before night fell, with Zalira leading us directly to it.

It had been deliberately plugged up. We stood in a half circle around it. Rocks and mud had been packed into the spring.

And not just any mud.

Red-colored mud.

There was also red dirt on the ground all around us.

The hair on the back of my neck rose. I drew my sword and quickly observed the area.

My sisters immediately unsheathed their weapons as well.

“What is it?” Zalira asked.

“That red dirt. I’ve seen it before.” I turned slowly, taking in everything around me, looking for any sign that we weren’t alone.

“Where?”

“My ship was attacked by pirates. They told me that they had come specifically for me and my sister, the Locrians. And before they attacked, they threw this red dirt down on the floorboards.” I wasn’t sensing anything, but that wouldn’t mean anything if the enemy had concealed themselves well enough.

“Why?” Io asked.

“I don’t know. And—” I had almost said Jason’s name, but now was not the time to bring him up. “No one on theNikosknew what it meant. And when I went out that night in Troas to send the message to my parents, I took the chance to ask a sailor about the dirt, but still no answer. Have you heard of anything like that?”

All my sisters shook their heads. “No,” Zalira added.

“The man who—” Io couldn’t finish the sentence. “The one who was looking for you at the temple. He said he wanted the Locrian. Do you think it’s the same people?”

“The men in the temple didn’t throw down any red dirt.” I didn’t know if that was some kind of requirement for them, but considering the dirt here at the spring, it seemed important enough that if the men in the temple had been from the same group, I imagined they would have put down the dirt there, too.

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