Page 62 of When Sisters Collide
“Sounds poetic,” Alena said softly, wishing she’d seen the temple in its former glory.
A breeze swept through the grassland, catching their cloaks, the horses’ manes, and the oak’s sprawling boughs. Alena could almost picture Achaean heroes of old standing beneath its shade, eyes turned skywards, waiting for guidance from the gods.
They rode on, leaving the sacred ground behind. The rolling grass gave way to rocky hills, and in the distance, a dull, rhythmic clacking carried on the wind—metal on stone, endless and grim.
“That’s as far as we go.” Phoebe veered towards a sparse stand of pine trees and dismounted, tying the horses to low branches. “We go on foot from here, under the cover of darkness. Leave a few wolves to guard the horses. We’ll need to move fast once we find San and Kaixo.”
Apollo emerged from the underbrush, circling her in greeting and startling her horse.
Alena dismounted and ran a hand down the wolf’s flank. “Go. Find a way inside the camp and report back.”
Apollo vanished into the trees, and Alena paced the edge of the grove, tension winding tighter with every step. Phoebe settled against a trunk, stretching her legs, her sword resting across her lap.
But Alena could feel her watching. Measuring.
“Alena.” Phoebe’s tone was steel. Alena didn’t stop walking. She already knew what was coming.
“We don’t know what we’ll find in there,” the Amazon continued.
“I know.”
“One of them could be dead.”
Alena’s breath hitched. Her pace faltered.
Phoebe’s tone didn’t soften. “They could both be dead.”
She turned sharply. “I know!” The words cracked under the weight of her fear. “I know… but I still have to try.” She took a shuddering breath, one hand pressing to her chest like she could hold herself together. “Leukos warned me. Hewarnedme it would be dangerous for them, and yet, I brought them this far with me. I can’t abandon them. I can’t?—”
She broke off, breath hitching. She had failed Katell. Leukos was gone. If she lost San and Kaixo, too…
She wasn’t sure she’d survive it.
Behind her, Phoebe’s voice stayed even. “Then we use the wolves to distract the soldiers while we split up and search. We won’t have much time, and if it comes down to it…”
Alena met her gaze, heart pounding.
“If the situation turns dire and I have to choose,” Phoebe continued, “I will save you. Do you hear me?Youare the priority.”
The words landed like a stone in Alena’s stomach. Of course. Phoebe had sworn an oath to the Maiden—to protect the Omega—and she would uphold it, even if it meant leaving the others behind.
Alena didn’t answer. The thought hollowed her chest. She turned away, restless, her mind racing. Needing something to steady her trembling hands, she grabbed her satchel and checked its contents. Her fingers brushed the bundles of herbs she’d packed with care.
San. Kaixo.
They were alive. They had to be.
With a slow breath, she sank down beside Phoebe and closed her eyes, her hands tightening around the satchel’s weight.
The wind whispered through the trees.
Night couldn’t come soon enough.
Apollo had foundseveral breaches in the quarry’s barricade—cracks the guards had neglected to patch. Phoebe chose the narrowest, tucked in shadow and close to the slave barracks, far from watchtowers and guard quarters.
Inside, a cluster of rough wooden buildings stood in rigid rows. Down the main dusty path, torchlight guttered in the wind, casting erratic shadows over the gaping black maw of the quarry. The steady clink of chisels and the dull, rhythmicthudof mallets carried up from the depths. They were still working through the night.
Alena reached inwards, feeling the taut threads of magic in her chest, each one tethered to a wolf waiting in the forest beyond. She’d never commanded so many at once. Leading them to Dodona was one thing, but coordinating a multi-point assault would drain her fast. She didn’t know how long she could hold them.
