Page 55 of A Tribute of Fire

I’d certainly seen it on enough wax seals on correspondence in my father’s library to recognize it.

The gateway soared above us. The outer walls were thirty feet high. At least the traders had been correct about that. The walls looked as if they’d been built to keep monsters out.

Two men were situated near the line. One held a brass horn in his hand, while the other had a small water clock on a makeshift table.

Nereus greeted the two men and then turned to speak to us.

“This never gets easier, no matter how many times I do it,” he grumbled to himself. Then he cleared his throat and loudly announced, “Locrian maidens, there is only one rule: survive. And there is only one way to win: enter the temple of the goddess.”

I nodded, swallowing back the boulder that had taken up residence in my throat. I’d had so long to prepare for this moment that I should have been calm. Instead my heart was crashing into my ribs like a battering ram.

“A horn will sound to indicate that it is time for you to race. You will be given a one-minute head start. The horn will sound again to signal that the chase can begin. Do you understand this?”

“Yes.” It was difficult to speak.

He nodded, accepting my answer. “May the goddess bless you.”

I understood that he’d meant it kindly, but it felt like he had just pulled out his sword and stabbed me in the gut.

Then the captain left with his guards, back to the ship.

Where Jason was probably still singing his infernal song.

I didn’t know how much time I had before the trumpeter blew his horn. I pulled out my sword, undoing the sheath and stowing it in my pack. I used the xiphos to cut off the bottom of my tunic, getting rid of the ridiculous length.

Then I did the same to Quynh’s tunic. The excess fell to the ground in a pool around her feet that she kicked away.

If anyone was upset or concerned that I had a weapon, they didn’t say anything, and no one tried to take it from me.

I felt hollowed out inside, as if I’d become detached from my body. Fear bubbled into my lungs as my heartbeat slowed to a loud, heavy thud. I grabbed the flagpole and cut off the flag, letting it flutter away. I handed the wooden pole to Quynh.

“Hit anyone who comes too close,” I said. I’d offered her my dagger earlier, but she’d said she was afraid she’d do more damage to herself than to someone else. I wanted her to have some kind of weapon.

She nodded and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. She was holding it together remarkably well and I felt a swell of pride in her.

“Ready?” I asked. “We can’t stop. We can’t hesitate. We can’t rest. We will have to keep pushing forward until we reach the temple, no matter what.”

“I understand.” Her hands tightened around the pole. “If this is the end, then I’m glad that I’m with you.”

“It’s not the end,” I said. I took her by the hand and crouched into position, waiting.

I watched as the man lifted the horn to his lips and blew with all his might, a long, solid note.

“Go!” I yelled and we began to run.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

There was a familiarity in my actions, as if my body remembered exactly what to do because I’d practiced so many times.

Just beyond the main gate, the labyrinth split into eight different sections. I saw that the four on the west had dirt paths, while the four on the right were all cobblestones.

If I took a western path, they would be able to more easily track us. But I had decided that the temple would be in that direction.

“This way,” I said as I tugged Quynh’s hand, forcing her to keep up. Demaratus had made me train with armor so that it would weigh me down because of how much faster I’d be able to run without it.

Neither one of us had anticipated that I’d be carrying an even heavier burden now.

The maze walls were not as high as the outer one, maybe twenty feet tall. I glanced up, making certain that no archers were waiting for us.

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