Page 201 of A Tribute of Fire

Had he wanted to eliminate me before I ever came to Ilion so that he would be free to marry his precious Chryseis?

That didn’t make sense. He could have just canceled the contract. There would have been a fine to pay, but he certainly could haveafforded it. He didn’t have to end my life to have his way. And why would he want me to turn myself over now?

Whoever had stopped up the spring wasn’t working for the prince.

“We will go out now and fill up as many vases as we can from the fountain,” Antiope said. “An attack on one of our acolytes is an attack on all of us. The prince does not get to dictate our actions or our choices. We are not subject to him. We are one sisterhood.”

“I should turn myself in,” I said, shaking my head. Despite Antiope’s rallying speech I could see that not everyone felt the same way she did. “I’m not going to put everyone in danger.”

One for many. I knew that it was the right thing to do.

“Didn’t you hear Antiope?” Zalira said, coming to stand in front of me. “We stand together. We are sisters.”

My heart clenched at her words, wanting to believe them but knowing how this would eventually turn out.

I couldn’t hold out forever. Neither could the women of the temple.

Eventually I would have to do what the prince wanted to save everyone here.

And I would do so willingly.

I would find a way to still save Locris. That wouldn’t change.

What would change was getting to see my adelphia every day. I knew that at some point that would have happened regardless, but if I was being honest with myself, I’d dreamed about convincing all of them to return to Locris with me, with Jason captaining our ship.

It was a ridiculous fantasy and I shouldn’t have even entertained it.

“Everyone go back to your responsibilities!” Antiope yelled over the fray. “If our decision changes, we will let you know!”

Zalira took me by the arm and led our sisters back to our room. When the door was shut she said, “We have to smuggle you out.”

Ahyana nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! We’ll get you out of the temple and then you’ll be safe. You can hide in Troas until you find whatever it is you’re looking for and then you can go home. You canhave all of my coins.” She went over to her heavy box. “I don’t have a need for them.”

I bit the inside of my cheek so that I wouldn’t cry. I knew how long she’d been collecting her drachmas. “I won’t take your money.”

“It’s actually Kunguru’s money since he was the one who stole it, but he would want you to have it, too.”

Suri went over to the window and looked out, as if she expected to see a mob with torches calling for my head.

“There won’t be a way to leave,” I said. “Did you see how many soldiers were out there? That Thrax said they’ve surrounded the entire temple. I’ll never be able to sneak past them. Even with distractions and cloud cover.”

“I don’t accept that,” Zalira said with a shake of her head. “There has to be a way. I won’t let them march in here and grab you and force you into a marriage you don’t want.”

“We may be left with little choice.” Demaratus had impelled me to be realistic. If I knew what the outcome would most likely be, then I could prepare for it and maybe even find a way to circumvent it.

“There’s always a choice! We just have to find it,” Zalira countered. “But in the meantime, one of us should always be with you. I don’t think things are going to be safe for you going forward.”

I thought she’d meant from outside the temple but I soon discovered that the greater threat came from within.

The army did not leave. True to their word, they laid a serious siege outside the temple walls. They never entered the grounds, but they stayed put. They didn’t allow any messengers or supplies in or out. Our pantries were well stocked and every available vase had been filled with water. It seemed unnecessary because the water continued to flow.

Every evening at dinnertime Thrax came to the archway in his chariot and made the same announcement. His name, that he was captainof the prince’s royal guard, and a demand that I be turned over to him to honor the contract.

I always came out to see him when he arrived, planning all the ways I was going to make him bleed as soon as I got the chance.

When there wasn’t a literal army between us.

Zalira, Ahyana, and Suri kept trying to come up with a plan for me to sneak out but nothing they thought of was viable. The vise had been applied too tightly. There was no way to escape.

---