CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The ground rushed up to meet me as I slammed into it. The pain was instant and crushing. I lay on the stone floor, unable to catch my breath. I was fairly certain I d broken a rib. I moved my legs and they seemed intact, no bones protruding through my skin. That was good.
Each breath I pushed in and out burned. Not only because of whatever injuries I d sustained, but from the loss of Quynh.
I had made it to the temple, but it had cost me her life.
It wasn t a bargain I would have ever agreed to.
Your kind are not welcome here.
I rolled slightly to locate the voice speaking to me and realized that I must have hit my face at some point because my left eye was swollen shut. Three women stood in the middle of the room. They were dressed in green tunics, all different shades.
The one in the center wore a veil that covered her entire face. The woman to her left looked to be only a few years older than me, while the one on her right was elderly, her silver hair in a long braid over her right shoulder.
The veiled priestess repeated her words. Your kind are not welcome in the sacred place. You need to leave.
Did she mean Locrians? My kind were ordered to survive and to serve the goddess if we made it to the temple alive, I said, trying to sit up as the blinding pain made me groan aloud. I forced myself up. I wanted to stand but didn t think I would be able to support my own weight right now.
We are under no obligation to keep you, the priestess said. Throw her out onto the street.
This woman would never understand what this had cost me. I wouldn t let her toss me aside. I would stay in this temple until I got what I came for. Then, and only then, would I leave.
She was not going to send me away, especially not now, when those hunters were most likely waiting for me. You are under an obligation to keep me.
I wished that I could see her face. Her entire body tensed up, though, as if preparing for a fight. Where had my sword gone? Although . . . what good would it do me? I couldn t battle anyone right now.
I am not, she said.
Yes, you are. I am Aianteioi. As a religious institution, by law you must offer me hospitality and sanctuary if I seek it or risk offending the goddess. I was extremely grateful my father had required me to memorize all the laws that protected the Aianteioi.
Because those laws were about to save my life.
There was a very long silence as I got to my knees. Everything hurt and I didn t think I would ever feel whole again without Quynh, but I was prepared to do whatever I needed to stay right where I was.
I wouldn t think that a priestess of the earth goddess would willingly break her laws, I said. I would assume that there would be great consequences for doing so. Although I could not see her face, the other two women s expressions were answer enough. They were shocked and even looked a bit . . . frightened?
Another long silence, and then finally the priestess spat, Fine. Stay. But you will be treated like the Locrian that you are. Find her more suitable clothing and shave her head.
The younger woman left the room, presumably to carry out the instructions.
For a moment I thought I had misunderstood. Had she just told someone to shave my head? She couldn t be serious. Did they not know what my hair meant to me? But two more women entered the room carrying black cloth, scissors, and a razor.
No, I protested, but my arms were held in place and I was hauled to my feet. I nearly passed out from the pain, but noticed that these women seemed ridiculously strong, lifting me as if I were a child when I was a head taller than most of them.
Or maybe I was incredibly weak after all I d endured.
My tunic was roughly removed, and a black one put on. The same kind that criminals and outcasts wore.
I was pushed back down onto my knees, and a strong hand on my right shoulder held me in place.
They were going to cut my hair. Shave my head. Again, as if I were a criminal.
You cannot cut a Locrian woman s hair! It is sacred to us! I protested, but no one responded.
With a sense of resigned dread, I understood that this was going to happen. I couldn t stop it. There was nothing else they could have done that would have dishonored me more.
Demaratus would have rather I strike down everyone in this room than let them take my hair and my honor.
But I wasn t a Daemonian. I was a Locrian who still had a mission to carry out.
It was only hair. It would grow back.
I clenched my teeth together and held completely still as they pulled and tugged at my hair, unpinning the careful braids Quynh had made. They cut them off with scissors and I watched as the braids fell like thick ropes onto the floor around me.
With my gaze pointed down, Quynh s bracelet caught my eye. I reached over to touch it, to feel the flower knot under my fingertips. She had known at the hetaera house what she was going to do. She had been planning her sacrifice even then. Maybe longer.
I couldn t think of her alone somewhere, in the dark. She would be so scared. No, not scared. She would never be afraid again. She was gone. And they were going to burn her with wood that bore no fruit, her ashes tossed into the sea. I wouldn t even have the chance to give her a proper burial, to say goodbye to her. She would never know peace. That was another unimaginable loss.
The razor was being dragged over my scalp carefully and I fought back the furious tears that filled my eyes. I would not cry. I would not give these women the satisfaction.
I would channel all my hurt, my loss, my suffering, my pain into anger.
Vengeance.
I would find the eye of the goddess, rebuild my nation, save my sister, and then I would come back here and burn this entire city to the ground.
My lungs seemed to grow tighter and tighter until I could no longer breathe. I fell forward, the world going black before I passed out.
I woke up with a start, reaching for my weapon.
It wasn t there.
Everything came rushing back, crashing into me like a giant wave. Pain lanced through me, striking every extremity.
Quynh was gone. I had made it to the temple and forced them to keep me even though they hadn t wanted to.
I raised my wrist and felt a rush of relief that her bracelet was still there.
Then I reached up to run my fingers along my scalp.
There was just stubble, rough against my fingertips. They d made sure to finish the job even though I d fainted.
Good morning, an entirely too happy voice said to me.
Again I found myself reaching for my sword. A girl stood at the foot of my bed. She was short and wore her dark hair pinned up. She had light brown eyes, light brown skin, and pink cheeks. She wore a pale green tunic.
Even though her physical resemblance to Quynh was only slight, there was something that reminded me of my sister. Something that felt familiar and right, as if I d met this girl before.
As if my sister had sent her to me.
Which was confirmed when I heard a voice inside me whisper, You need to trust her , and it sounded just like Quynh.
My heart clenched in response.
I m Iolanthe, the girl said. But everyone calls me Io.
Lia, I offered.
Welcome to the temple. Is there anything I can get for you?
My instinct was to accept what the voice had said and believe that she was a nice person who wanted to help, but the wary nature Demaratus had nurtured inside me hadn t gone anywhere. Just a short time ago, the priestesses had been ready to kick me out, and when they d been forced to accept me, they had done their best to make sure that I knew I wouldn t be one of them.
Why was this Io being so kind to me?
Water. My throat felt like it was on fire.
She hurried over to a table, where I saw a pitcher and cups. She filled one for me and brought it over.
I took it eagerly, the cool liquid slipping past my lips, but then I immediately spat it out.
What is that? I asked. There had been a strange metallic taste that I didn t recognize.
Io looked confused. What do you mean?
Is this poisoned? Was that the way the priestesses had decided to deal with me? Using subterfuge to kill me?
No. May I? She reached for my cup and I gave it back to her. She took a big drink before returning it to me. She waited for a few beats and then held up both of her hands. See? Not poisoned.
Why does it taste like that?
We get our water from a special fountain and that s just the taste. You ll get used to it, she said, pulling a chair over to the side of my bed. I understand your suspicion, though.
You do?
It s a long and complicated story that isn t worth sharing, she said with a nod, leaving me to wonder what circumstances she had been in where being poisoned was an actual possibility. Io paused, looking down at her hands. As if it were difficult for her to make eye contact. I heard that you weren t exactly welcomed when you arrived.
Ha. She was definitely understating it. They weren t friendly, no.
And they . . . Her words trailed off as she pointed at my head.
I touched my scalp, self-conscious. They did. Did they do this to you, too?
No.
So it was special treatment reserved only for Locrian maidens, then.
I ve been here for a few months, she added, and it seemed like she was trying to change the course of our conversation.
I realized that I didn t know how Ilionian women joined the temple. What is the process for you to become a priestess? Do they chase you, too?
She looked embarrassed and ducked her head slightly. First, I m only an acolyte. Like you. It takes a long time to become a priestess. Second, we run, but we aren t chased. We can, however, do whatever it takes to reach the temple first. Including fighting with other competitors.
Io must have seen the incredulous look on my face because she smiled. I know I must not seem like the sort of person who would win that kind of ultra-competitive race. Acolytes are taken every six months, and they take as many as are necessary to replace priestesses that have died since the last race.
What if no one dies?
Then there are no races. When I participated, they took two. The six months prior to that, they took two as well.
That was concerning. Why were priestesses dying so quickly?
Of old age, Io added, correctly interpreting my expression. We serve our entire lives. Now this will be your home until you die.
I didn t bother to correct her. There wasn t a point. But even if it was from natural causes, that still seemed like a significant number.
She leaned in, her eyes twinkling. Can I tell you a secret?
Part of me wanted to warn her that anything she shared with me I d use to further my own ends, but I couldn t risk failure. It might mean that I d have to betray people, pretend to be their friend, earn their confidence.
It bothered me, and I heard Demaratus s voice in my head telling me that it shouldn t.
Yes, I said, pushing those concerns aside.
I shouldn t be here. It s believed that only the strongest and fastest should be allowed to serve the goddess. I cheated.
You did?
She nodded, her eyes dancing. I have worshipped the goddess and her creations since I was a little girl. The only thing I have ever wanted was to serve her in her temple. I knew I d never win the race. I m too small and I m not very fast. So I hid near the end and waited. After Suri crossed the threshold, I immediately followed her.
Her confession made me uneasy. This seemed like information that could get her tossed out of the temple. Why would she tell it to me, an enemy, someone the priestess had wanted to offer to the hunters last night?
Was it a test? To see where my allegiances might lie?
Or was she just as she appeared? Kind, generous, trusting?
Not able to help myself, I vocalized my concern. Why would you share that kind of confidence with me?
She tilted her head and looked at me as if I d just asked a foolish question. Because now you are my sister. And we have been waiting for you.