CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
What things? I asked, but then she disappeared and I woke with a start, disoriented.
But despite what felt like a prophetic dream, the day was like any other. I didn t know what was supposed to change or how. Would the goddess reveal it to me? Or was I supposed to figure it out on my own?
I hated that I didn t know and that I couldn t ask anyone.
Her words ran through my head, distracting me during training. Fortunately we were doing rhythmic movements as a group, teaching our bodies to naturally move as a warrior s would so that if we were in a fight we could respond fluidly, without thinking.
We never knew when we entered the gymnasium what we would be doing that day-Antiope seemed to pride herself on keeping us on our toes. Some days we would run; others we would lift heavy objects repetitively to strengthen our muscles. One-on-one sparring was common, but we were also taught to fight groups of attackers.
Artemisia in particular took far too much pleasure in laying out every opponent who challenged her.
When I had trained with Demaratus, he d emphasized my limits and weaknesses. Antiope, in contrast, saw only potential and encouraged me to think beyond my limitations.
That I was stronger and faster and better than anyone believed, myself included.
Any Locrian maiden who survives the run is someone to be reckoned with, she had said to me on more than one occasion as she encouraged me, praised me.
It was an entirely different style of teaching, and I found myself blossoming under her guidance.
After the training session ended, Suri put her hand on my shoulder and pointed toward the river that ran through the temple grounds. It wasn t unusual for the priestesses and acolytes to cool off in the slow-moving waters.
I nodded and walked with her in silence to the riverbank. The water made a calm, soothing sound as it glided over the rocks in its bed. Suri sat down on the grass and I took the spot next to her.
She hadn t ever attempted to spend time alone with me before, and I wondered why she had chosen today. Io and Suri were close, which I understood. Not only because they d arrived at the same time, but because Io did all the talking.
I wondered if Suri ever felt left out. Her face was so expressive that even though she didn t say words, she still participated in our conversations. I felt like I had come to know her.
There was a cawing above me and then Kunguru swooped down, coming to a stop near my hand. He cocked his head to the right. I knew what he wanted. I opened the pouch at my waist to get him some stale breadcrumbs. I saw Quynh s bracelet and sadly smiled. She would have loved this bird.
He made a happy, trilling sound and moved closer, eating the crumbs off my palm. It was easy to see why Ahyana liked him so much. He was a good companion and I had become very attached to him. His only demands were to be fed and told how pretty he was.
He was also an excellent listener. I could share my secrets with him and he didn t judge me or share them with anyone else.
Kunguru had taken a dislike to Artemisia and had swooped at her head a few times until Ahyana had told him to stop because she was afraid the other girl might shoot him out of the sky.
Suri tipped her face up, soaking in the sun s warmth. I placed my hand against the grass, feeling that familiar hum.
I realized that Suri had turned her gaze toward me. She pointed at the ground and then laid her hand against it.
Yes, I feel it, I said.
She nodded, satisfied. Did she know what it meant? Or was she just as mystified as I was and wanting someone to commiserate with?
Like Kunguru, Suri was someone I could confide in. I knew she wouldn t share my secrets. Her allegiance was to the temple and her sisters, but her silence made her an ally.
Do you have vivid dreams? I asked her.
Yes.
Do you dream of your former life?
No.
Given what I suspected she d gone through, I wasn t going to ask her if she dreamed about kissing anyone. I settled on, What about the goddess? Do you dream of her?
Yes.
My heart thumped loudly. Does she speak to you?
Yes.
What does she say? I realized a beat too late that Suri couldn t answer that question. Did you dream of her last night?
Yes.
Just as I had. I wasn t the only one. Did she appear to everyone in the temple? Was this something that happened regularly and I was just unaware of it?
Why hadn t anyone said anything to me about it?
Was that my fault? I was the one keeping everyone at arm s length, not sharing all of myself with them, not opening up about why I was really here. I didn t invite their confidences.
The goddess s words repeated in my head. Time for things to change.
Had she meant my relationships with my sisters?
The rest of our adelphia approached, laughing over something Io had said. It must have been time for lunch, and then we would go to our afternoon class. Several butterflies were fluttering around Ahyana s head and she grinned up at them, holding out her finger. A bright orange one landed, gently flapping her tiny wings.
Suri tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to look at her. Then she did something utterly shocking. She opened her mouth slightly, as if to speak, and then touched her lips with her fingers. She moved her hand to gesture at our sisters.
It took me a moment to understand what she was trying to communicate. Tell them? I asked.
Yes.
Suri had never signed like that with me before. She had pointed, moved her head to indicate yes or no, but not this. It felt important and significant.
What had the goddess told her?
It was difficult to listen in our afternoon class, with both the goddess s words and Suri s unspoken ones running around in my mind, and the only reason Maia managed to grab my focus was because she said, Jason.
That got Lia to pay attention, Zalira said with a grin.
Did they say Jason? Ahyana whispered. I m fairly certain I heard the name Jason.
Stop it, I told them under my breath, but this seemed to make things worse.
Io leaned forward and I expected her to tell us to be quiet. Instead she said, I thought we d decided Jason was stupid.
What? I asked, confused.
You talk in your dreams, but you always say the same two words. Jason and stupid, Io said. What did he do to make you call him names?
Can we please listen? I asked. I knew exactly why I d said what I did. Those were the things I dreamed about-Jason kissing me interspersed with Demaratus calling me stupid.
You know it s dire when Lia s the one telling us to be quiet, Zalira said, and I made a shushing noise as Io and Ahyana started to giggle, Suri grinning.
They finally stopped, but I knew my cheeks were red. As far as I could tell, I was the only one who had ever had any type of romantic relationship and all my sisters wanted to live vicariously through me. I kept trying to tell them that I d only had the one brief experience, but it didn t seem to matter.
Maia spoke about a great warrior named Jason, who had been tasked with finding and destroying a horrific beast. A creature that had the head and body of a woman, but the lower half of a dragon.
Every time she said the name Jason, I could feel my sisters eyes on me. I was going to be teased relentlessly later on, I already knew it.
The lesson was not only about him, but about other heroic warriors who were celebrated in word and song for having hunted down and destroyed other monsters. Creatures who could turn men to stone with a touch, or unhinge their jaws to devour men whole. Ones who had poison in their veins and instantly killed anyone who tried to mate with them. Beasts who kidnapped children in the middle of the night, breathing fire on those who tried to reclaim them. A chimera who had a hundred heads and would grow two more if you cut off one.
What do all of these monsters of mythology have in common? Maia asked.
The room was silent. Finally a second-year acolyte raised her hand. They all eat people?
They re all female, Artemisia said from the back of the room, cutting through the first answer like a knife.
Yes. Maia nodded. In the stories, the beasts that must be vanquished are always female. Have you ever wondered why? It is because men have always feared women s destructive potential. Knowledge gives us power. Your power is a threat. Especially the women in this room.
My breath caught. Was this why Ilion kept their women ignorant? I raised my hand. I needed to know more.
A priestess entered the room, obviously out of breath. The king is dead!
Maia s face fell. Class dismissed!
She raced up the stairs, grabbed the messenger priestess, and exited with her. The entire class broke into a noisy uproar.
While it was sad that the king had died, I didn t understand the confusion.
What s going on? I asked.
This is going to cause total chaos, Ahyana said, her face grim. It wasn t an expression I d ever seen on her face before.
Now I was even more bewildered. Why?
A new king must be selected, Zalira said.
Won t it be his oldest son? There should be a line of succession. It was how things worked in Locris.
No, Zalira said with a shake of her head. There is a council of elders for the city and they will determine the king in three months time. They will choose from the king s sons.
How do they choose?
Ahyana said, My father once told me that the king was chosen over his brothers because he was already married with an heir.
That made my breath catch and solidify in my chest. I couldn t breathe.
As far as I knew, none of the king s sons were married.
And only one of them was betrothed.
Prince Alexandros.
To me.
My mind quickly followed the logical outcome of this situation. If the prince had to be married in order to be chosen as king, he would press the betrothal. He would demand that I be brought to him and our contract fulfilled.
How much time did I have? Two weeks? Two months? I didn t know. Panicked dread made my limbs feel shaky and I had to stand up.
The journey across the Acheron Sea took less than a week. There would only be so many times that my father could put the prince off before he grew suspicious. What would he do if he discovered what I had done? That I was sworn to the temple and the goddess s service?
I d known from the start that my actions might put Locris in danger, and now that day had arrived.
Everything had changed. I had to get a message to my parents.
I would have to sneak out of the temple tonight.