CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lia.
Jason was whispering my name against my throat as he alternated between licking my skin, leaving hot kisses, and nipping me. He said my name like a prayer, as if I were the goddess he wanted to pay homage to.
I ran my fingers through his dark, silken hair, marveling at how many textural differences he had. Soft hair, a rough, stubbled jaw, warm, velvety skin over hard muscles. Each one begged to be touched, explored.
And I planned to do just that. But first, I needed him closer.
He moaned against my collarbone as I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding him to me. We were lying in his bed, in a room I d never seen. An inn? His home? I wasn t sure.
I could feel how much he wanted me, and molten heat pounded its way through me, leaving me an aching mess. One who could no longer speak, only feel. I desired him more than I d ever desired anything.
His lips returned to mine, heated and possessive.
You are mine.
He didn t speak the words, but I felt them in his kiss.
But I couldn t be his.
This had to stop.
He had braced his arms on either side of my head so that he could kiss me deeply, but I needed his hands on me. I wanted to tug him down so that his weight would deliciously press into me, leaving his fingers free to wander.
He moved his mouth away and pressed fervent kisses along my cheekbones, my jaw, marking me so that I would never forget that I belonged with him. I burned for him, so brightly and intensely that I worried I might set the bed beneath me on fire.
Yield to me. He murmured the words against my skin and I both heard and felt them. Give in.
Why was I resisting? I didn t want to. But I found myself saying, I can t. You know that I can t.
You can, he encouraged me, his hips pressing into mine, and I bit back a groan at the exquisite ache that caused. Surrender. I want to make you mine.
He stopped kissing, stopped moving. He held his face above mine, and we stared into one another s eyes. His gaze never left mine, but I felt his fingers reaching up to push the sleeve of my tunic from my shoulder, leaving scorching trails everywhere they touched my bare skin.
Lia. Please.
I was on the verge of saying yes when he disappeared, the bed and the room along with him.
Suddenly I was in the training fields in Locris. Demaratus yelled at me while Andronicus swung his club at my head. I ducked out of the way and reached up to punch him as hard as I could in the kidneys.
He bent over slightly, letting out an oof as he dropped his club. Then he grabbed the back of my breastplate with both of his hands, heaving me into the air, directly at the rest of the regiment.
The others were laughing as I fell into a heap on the ground.
Demaratus stood over me, the veins in his neck bulging.
Stupid girl! Stay out of reach!
Everything around me shifted and changed and a field of wildflowers spread out in front of me. I marveled at their beauty. I d never seen so many in one place, growing out of the ground like this. I reached out and felt the soft petals of a bright yellow flower with a black center as high as my shoulder.
I saw a tall woman, taller even than Jason. She had long golden hair that hung to her ankles. It gleamed like sunlight, rippling as she walked. Her eyes were bright green, her tunic a brilliant white. There was a strong scent that seemed to come from her robes, sweet but earthy at the same time. The flowers in the field turned their faces toward her, as entranced by her otherworldly beauty as I was.
The sun was rising in the east and she turned her face toward it, bathing in its light, her skin aglow.
She spoke, and the sound of it overwhelmed me.
Euthalia.
I wanted to follow her. To do whatever she asked of me. To promise my allegiance.
The ground beneath me opened up and I fell, slamming into the dust of Locris with Demaratus leaning over me, screaming.
Stupid girl, wake up!
I let out a gasp as I sat straight up in my cell. I had fallen into a deep enough sleep to dream. It had been a long time since that had happened.
Men were shouting. I looked to the porthole to the left of our cell, and even though it was dark, I saw another ship. It was far too close. Swords clanged against each other, and there were thumps from the decks above us.
My heart pounded in my chest and a metallic taste filled my mouth. Were we in danger? What was happening?
I pulled out my sword and crouched into position. Should I wake Quynh up?
While I was debating that, torchlight appeared from the stairs. Someone was coming.
My lungs tightened while my breath solidified inside me.
A man came into view, his face illuminated by the torch. I didn t recognize him, but there were so many men on board that wasn t surprising. Ever since we d been put in our cell, we had only seen Acmon and Jason as they brought us food and water.
The man slid the torch into a bracket and took the key from where it hung on the post. He reached into a pouch at his side and threw something on the floor. I heard a kind of hissing sound as it hit the planks, but I was unsure of what he d just done. He walked over to me and came to a stop about an arm s length from the cell.
Who are you? I demanded. Could he see that I was armed? I kept my sword at my side, and hoped it was hidden in the shadows.
Your savior.
He had the same dark hair and brown skin of an Ilionian or Locrian, but his accent was unlike any I d ever heard.
I stayed quiet, assessing my situation. He had a sword at his side that he hadn t drawn yet. But he had the key and could open the door to our cell.
Could put his hands on me or Quynh.
We ve come to free you, he said.
For one quick moment I thought I could send Quynh with them. I would continue on to Ilion, but she could escape with these men and be safe. It seemed like a perfect solution.
You can trust us. We mean you no harm, he added, and it felt like a step too far.
Things that seem too good to be true usually are.
Now it was my father s voice I heard in my head. Warning me.
Something was off.
Would you like to come with us? he offered.
The sounds of battle raged above us, swords meeting swords, bodies hitting the deck as men were struck down. Which side was winning? Would I have to face this one man alone or would there be more?
No thank you, I said. I think I ll stay here.
He made a tsking sound and shook his head. That was the wrong answer.
There were more footsteps on the stairs and the man was joined by two others. The newcomers already had their weapons drawn.
An eerie calm settled into my nerves as I prepared for what was coming. The man would have to unlock the cell to get at me, and then I would have the chance to strike. I could do a lot of damage to him before the others could reach me.
Maybe your little friend would like to join us. We ll wake her up gently and then we ll ask her. And we ll make sure she enjoys our particular kind of questioning, the man said, and his companions laughed.
I raised my sword then, fury gripping my gut. I will kill you if you touch her.
With your tiny little knife? he asked, amused.
Many a man has lost his life to this blade. I would be happy to add you to the list. I hoped he wouldn t see through my bravado. There was no way I would be able to defend us against three armed warriors.
The men above deck were all fighting for their lives. No one had time to worry about me and Quynh.
We were on our own.
Lia? She chose that moment to wake up, and my stomach dropped down to my feet. It would have been better if she d stayed asleep. I didn t want her to see what was going to happen next.
It will be all right, I told her in a soft voice. Stay low and out of the way as best you can.
She immediately scooted herself into the far corner of the cell.
The man held up the key, letting me know that he intended to open the door. I was hoping you d make this easy, but it will be much more fun if you re going to put up a fight first. We know how Locrian women like to be treated.
I didn t know what that was even supposed to mean, but I wasn t going to ask him for a further explanation because it didn t matter. It was obvious that they intended to hurt us.
At least the Ilionians were only planning on killing us and had no intention of violating us first.
The man darted forward, fitting the key into the lock and turning. At the same time I reached through the bars and stabbed his thigh. It was the first time that I d ever deliberately drawn blood. He roared and threw the door open, immediately retreating. He swore viciously at me, then shifted into a language I didn t know.
He drew his sword as he said something to his companions. The other men spread out and I saw that they were going to attack from all three sides of the cell. Quynh understood this and, without my telling her to, moved directly behind me, up against the wooden wall of the ship.
As far out of range as she could get.
There was no way they would attack simultaneously. I would deal with the one who got to me first and do my best to avoid the blows of the other two.
I almost wanted to laugh. I d been so concerned about Quynh and me being struck down in the streets of Troas that it had never occurred to me that we might not survive the ship ride there.
You should have taken our offer, the first man said as he raised his weapon. Then his eyes bulged as a sword plunged through his chest, the tip gleaming in the torchlight before it was quickly withdrawn.
When the man crumpled to the floor, I saw Jason behind him.
Then Jason tore through the other two men as if they were made of papyrus. His sword arced and sliced as he danced around the two invaders, moving faster than I d ever seen a man move in battle before.
Before the second man could even raise his weapon to defend himself, Jason had already struck him down and moved on to the last. He dispatched the third man so quickly that Jason had already sheathed his sword before the man had finished falling to the ground to join his companions.
Like some kind of battle magic. As if he were goddess-blessed.
I still held my sword aloft, expecting that Jason would attempt to disarm me.
Are you all right? he asked, and I couldn t respond.
He stood there for a moment longer, his eyes raking over me, and then he ran back upstairs to rejoin the fight.
With the danger over, the adrenaline quickly left my system and I dragged air back into my lungs. I dropped my sword to the ground and then fell to my knees as I thought of what Jason had just done.
He had saved us, but all I could think about was that if a sailor could fight like that, what hope would Quynh and I have against the trained citizenry of Troas?
We would die before we even got six feet away from the ship.