Page 54 of A Tribute of Fire

Head to the blue, the blue

Where the sea meets the sky

On the water we’ll fly

Off to sail, off to roam

Salty waves are our home

To the blue, to the blue,

Head to the blue, the blue

It was the song the rowers had been singing nonstop since we’d boarded. It seemed entirely unsuitable for him to be singing some sea shanty, given my situation. While a tiny part of me was glad that I finally knew the words in the common tongue, the rest of me was in total disbelief.

At least his actions gave me some clarity. I had thought I’d mattered to him, even a little bit. But he had been very honest with me about the kind of man he was, and I was the fool who had wanted to pretend otherwise.

I had been a willing pair of lips, a port in the storm, nothing more, nothing less.

The captain walked us down the gangplank, surrounded by several members of his crew, who had their weapons drawn. I wondered if it was to scare us, or to keep the gathered crowd in check.

Perhaps a little of both.

I headed down first with Quynh right behind me. I wondered how many other maidens had only gotten this far. How many had declined to come out of their cell? Off the ship? Had refused to go beyond the docks, futilely hoping for safety?

How long had it taken for them to discover that they would have been better off running, making an attempt to reach the temple?

I glanced at Quynh and could see the fear written all over her face. Had the other maidens helped each other the way I was going to help her?

Or had it been every woman for herself?

As we exited the docks, we walked past sagging buildings. I saw signs indicating that they were warehouses, trading offices, shipbuilders, recruiting offices. The ground here was not dusty, but a rich, dark, deep brown soil, nearly black.

And there were trees. So many trees. Everywhere I looked I saw green leaves.

I’d never imagined that there could be so much green in the entire world, let alone on a single street leading from the docks.

As we drew closer to the city walls, I became acutely aware of everything around me. The sound of metal being struck, the delicious smell of bread combined with newly cut wood and the saltiness of the ocean. Seagulls flew lazily overhead, calling to one another, while the sun beat down on us. My lips were dried out, but I didn’t reach for my waterskin.

There would be time for that later.

We got past the shipping district and reached the place Jason had told me about, the Fields of Sithon. They were large open areas, covered in grass. I had the urge to reach down and touch it, but I refrained.

Jason had told me that not all the men of Troas participated in the tribute, and so I had imagined that there would be a few dozen, maybe less.

But there were hundreds of armed men lined up. Maybe even thousands.

My heart sank to my feet as I realized the impossibility of what I was going to try to do. I’d been so arrogant in my assumptions that we could survive this.

Many of the men had on armor but not full sets. Mostly breastplates with some bracers. I supposed that they probably weren’t wearing additional pieces because they had surmised it wasn’t necessary.

It hadn’t been necessary against every other maiden until now.

But I was going to fight back.

I recalled how fast Jason had been, how hard Lykaon had hit me, and resolved to do my best to follow all of Demaratus’s training and not let anyone here catch us.

A line had been drawn at the opened city gate, marked by a purple flag that bore the crest of the royal family.

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