CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
We moved as quickly as we could. It was obvious how much pain Quynh was in, but she didn t complain.
I felt incredibly guilty, as if I had caused this. Earlier I d told her to pretend she d been injured and had somehow willed it into being. This evil existed because I had spoken the words.
You should leave me, she said. I was worried about slowing you down before, but now? There s no way we can make it. We ll both get caught.
The footprints with the words went left and I continued to follow them. I will tie you to me if I have to. I m not leaving you.
Lia, you must see reason. I can t go on.
Yes, you can. We might be close. We ll get to the temple and then you ll have plenty of time to heal.
The footprints led to a wooden door that had been painted red. I knocked on it, and when it opened slightly, I jammed my foot inside and entered the front room. The woman at the door gasped as I pushed past her. Several other women were gathered inside, all wearing fine-twined linen in various bright colors.
Quynh realized where we were. Hetaerae.
Hetaerae were expensive courtesans, the very best of what their profession had to offer. And my regiment had shared with me that the hetaerae would often custom order sandals with the words follow me embedded into the soles with metal spikes so that potential customers would be able to find their business easily.
I was so glad that the same thing was true in Ilion.
An older woman came downstairs. Her rich black hair was piled up on her head, her dark, piercing eyes taking us in. What s all this? Who are you?
We are the Locrian maidens. My sister has been injured, and I ve come to ask you for a place to rest, to heal. My heart thundered inside me. I knew this was a big risk, but we had to get off the street.
The woman shook her head at me. We cannot help you.
No citizen of Ilion may assist us. Are you a citizen?
At this she hesitated. No. I am Sasanian. She showed me her right wrist, and there was a tattoo there. A small dot surrounded by four oblong petals, representative of their nation.
Then you can help us. All the hetaerae in Locris had been from other places, and I had gambled on the fact that the same would be true in Ilion.
Your presence here endangers my girls.
She would be taking a risk by sheltering us-I understood that. The men of the city are hunting us, and we re both injured. I m asking you, woman to woman, to please help us. We ll die without it.
If anyone understood the situation we were in, what it was like to be at the mercy of men, I hoped it would be her. The woman considered my request.
I took the chance to press things further. We weren t supposed to enter the city in the middle of the day. We were supposed to be afforded the protection of night, and we haven t even been given that. Please let us have a fighting chance.
I held my breath and waited.
She was obviously someone well practiced in disguising her emotions, as I couldn t guess at what she was thinking.
All right. Until nightfall. Our clients will begin to arrive at that time, and it should be easy enough to sneak you out in the confusion. She turned to the girl I d pushed past. Close the door.
Relief flooded my body. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Come upstairs. There is a room you can use. I m Mahtab.
We followed along behind her with Quynh still making a small sound of pain with each step.
I m Lia, and this is my sister Quynh.
Mahtab raised her eyebrows slightly, as if surprised at my declaration because we obviously weren t blood-related, but she didn t comment on it.
Could we get some fresh water? And bandages? And brown or beige tunics? Something most women would wear so that we won t be noticed, I said. We obviously couldn t go out in the bright yellows, pinks, and oranges the hetaerae downstairs were wearing. We can pay you.
Once we were upstairs, we walked down a long hallway to a small room they used for storage. It was too tiny for a bed or any other furniture. I will bring you what I can, she said. Stay here and I ll return.
Thank you, I said again. She nodded before leaving, closing the door behind her.
Sunlight streamed into the room and I lifted Quynh s ankle so that I could better examine it. She hissed as I gently touched it. It looked a little swollen, but it wasn t bright red. I didn t see any broken bones.
I also didn t know how long it took a sprain to heal, but I suspected that it wouldn t be quick enough for us to keep running.
Mahtab returned along with one of the women from downstairs and they carried all sorts of supplies, including a washing basin. I reached into my pack and gave them one of the bags of salt I d brought. It was worth far more than they had given us, and I saw the other woman s eyes widen when she realized what it was.
I again angrily thought of the wealth Locris might have if not for the tariffs imposed by the Ilionian blockade.
We cannot tell you where the temple is, Mahtab said, handing the bag of salt to her companion. If we tell you, we would be put to death.
I think I know where it is, I said. We won t ask. You re doing so much for us and I wouldn t be that ungrateful.
You will have to leave at nightfall, she repeated. They will organize a search and go house by house until they find you. I won t let anyone who lives within these walls be put in danger. They re all under my protection.
I understand.
She nodded and left us alone again.
I helped Quynh to wash her face and change out of her tunic. She grimaced and grunted the entire time, and I could plainly see how much her ankle was hurting her.
You won t be able to save her.
I pushed Demaratus s words away, but they took up residence in my mind, repeating over and over again. After I changed into my own tunic, cutting it short, I washed up the best that I could, flinching when I ran the washcloth over my thigh. It throbbed with pain but it would be fine. At this point nearly every part of me ached with some kind of bruise or cut. I wrapped a bandage around my leg and another around Quynh s ankle, as tightly as I dared.
We both went completely still when we heard a man s voice outside yell, Has anyone seen the Locrian maidens? You will be rewarded for information!
No one answered him, but it took me several minutes to relax as I waited for the door to burst open or for one of the women to volunteer our location.
It didn t happen.
Quynh leaned her head against the wall, clearly in a great deal of pain. I passed her the water, making sure she drank.
She barely took any.
You re going to need water, I said.
She gave me a tight smile. I know.
Are you hungry? They had brought us some nuts and fruit. I divided them up in half and gave Quynh her portion.
But she didn t touch it.
Instead she began to undo her bracelet. I want you to put this on.
An alarm sounded inside me and I was filled with dread. Why?
My mother told me that it would bring me good luck. And it did. It brought me to you and our family. She struggled with the knot and I didn t try to help her.
You still need the luck, I reminded her.
I have you, and that s luck enough, she said. She finally managed to get it loose, and I realized that I d never seen her without it. Not once in my entire life. She even wore it while she bathed.
Part of me was terrified that this meant she was giving up, but she had promised me that she wouldn t.
I can t accept it, I said when she offered it to me.
She let out a sound of frustration. I don t typically ask anything from you, but I am asking you for this.
I feel like if I take it, I m admitting that we ll die. Or that she would die and I would have to carry on and keep her bracelet safe.
Lia, please. Seeing that her entreaty wasn t working, she changed tactics. I will not take another step unless you promise to take my bracelet and keep it safe.
Seeing no other recourse, I took the bracelet. She helped me tie it onto my wrist. It felt wrong on my arm, like it didn t belong there. I will guard it with my life.
I ve already said this to you, but if something does happen to me- She held up both of her hands as I began to protest, stopping me. If something does happen, please don t let it be in vain. Promise me that you ll go on.
The unshed tears that collected in my throat were hot, burning me. Don t make me promise that.
Do it, Lia.
She wouldn t give in on this, I could tell. So I nodded. I promise.
Good. Her entire body relaxed, and within a few minutes, she had gone to sleep. I was glad-her body needed the chance to recuperate.
I leaned against the far wall and considered our options. I thought about offering Mahtab another bag of salt and asking her to watch over Quynh here, but I understood that she would refuse. That it would bring death on her house, and while she was kind enough to offer us temporary shelter, she would not be willing to put the lives of those she looked out for on the line for us.
It wasn t like I could go out and look for another person to take Quynh in. There might be men searching this area already, and I would be caught and killed. Even if I did find someone, they might lie and turn us in.
The only thing I could do was press forward. The temple might be two streets over or two miles away. I had no way of knowing. It didn t matter, though, because we would find it.
Both of us. Together.
Hobbling the entire way if we had to.
As I nibbled on the nuts they d brought us, I thought about how, while we were resting, our hunters could be doing the same. There would be some who were still searching and tiring themselves out, but not everyone would do that.
They would be fresh and ready to meet us, while Quynh and I had been severely hurt.
We weren t going to stand much of a chance.
The sun continued to sink, bringing us closer and closer to the time that we would have to leave. I didn t want to risk going to the window for fear that someone might recognize me. The odds were small but I wasn t willing to tempt fate.
Darkness came, rolling in like a wave from the sea. I heard the front door open and then men s voices downstairs, sounding happy. I found my sheath in my pack and tied it back onto my leg.
The door to the storage room opened and one of the hetaerae stuck her head in. Mahtab sent me. You have to go.
I had already gathered my things together and leaned over to gently shake Quynh, wanting her to have as much time to rest as possible before we had to run. I said her name and she immediately woke.
Is it time? she asked, and I nodded.
There is a ladder here that will take you up to the roof, the woman said. I had been worried about how we would get past their clientele downstairs, and this was a perfect solution. It would also keep us off the streets, where the men had been searching for us.
Quynh again collapsed against me when she stood, burying her face into my shoulder. I had desperately hoped that her condition would improve, but that hadn t happened.
We would just have to do the best we could.
I had her climb the ladder first. The woman Mahtab had sent put her hand on my shoulder. My mother was Locrian. And the temple is half a mile north from here. Above the temple doors there is a stone carving of trees and barley. It is easy to recognize.
Thank you, I said, nearly overwhelmed with relief and gratitude. You ve saved us.
She nodded and then quickly left. I finally had hope again. We were close.
Quynh had reached the top rung when I heard a man behind me say, The Locrian maidens! The Locrian maidens are here!
He was half-undressed and started running toward me. I got my sword out and began to climb but watched as Mahtab appeared behind him, grabbing the edge of the rug and pulling it out from under the man, sending him flying forward.
She ran over to check on him, cooing and asking if he was all right, while giving me a quick nod. I climbed up quickly and slammed the door down. There was a large clay vase nearby, and I rolled it on top of the door to slow our pursuers. The roof of the hetaera house and the surrounding buildings were all flat. We could run up here and stay off the street.
But that man calling out had sent up an alarm and I heard men below us, mobilizing. It wouldn t take them very long to figure out where we had gone.
I helped Quynh the best that I could, but we were far too slow. At least now we had darker clothes and the night to help protect us. We crossed onto another roof, and then another.
A shattering sound cut through the night air. The pot I d put on top of the door.
We have to hurry, I said unnecessarily. I knew she was doing her best. But I didn t know how many men were behind us or how hard it would be for me to fight our way through.
There was a gap between the roof we were on and the next one. I didn t see a way down. We would have to jump.
I ll go first, and then I ll help catch you, I said. You ll have to run. It will hurt, but you can do this.
She nodded. It wasn t a difficult jump, but my ankle wasn t sprained. I made the leap easily and then pivoted around, getting close to the edge. Your turn!
Hobbling back a few steps, she did her best to run, but my stomach bottomed out when I saw her make the mistake of leaping from her injured foot. It caused her to miscalculate the jump.
Fear squeezed my heart with its icy claws.
Quynh wasn t going to make it.