CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The captain had personally come down to escort us from our cell, asking us to join him above. Given the two armed guards behind him, I understood that it was not a request. Quynh and I held hands as we walked up the stairs until we reached the top deck.
We were taken to a spot at the front of the ship. The Nikos had just entered the Troas Harbor. There were so many ships-hundreds. All carrying precious cargo to trade.
Quynh and I were being shown off as the rarest of cargo.
And we captured the attention of every ship and boat we passed on our way in.
The city of Troas came into view and I realized two things simultaneously.
First, we were headed for the docks. I had assumed that the trierarch would let down the anchor and we would wait for nightfall, arriving at the docks then.
The second and even more alarming one was that my map was wrong. I had so carefully constructed it, but it had either been full of lies or mistakes. I thought of all the bribes I d paid to sailors and traders, and how I had been led completely astray.
The temple of the goddess was supposed to be in the center of the maze, but there was no center.
My confidence evaporated and was replaced by a crushing terror that made it so I couldn t breathe.
I knew that I couldn t let myself give in to the absolute panic I was feeling. Nothing that I d planned for or had anticipated was happening.
We would be running and I would have no idea which way to go.
There was at least one thing I might be able to control. I whirled to face the captain. We are supposed to arrive at nighttime.
He sounded sympathetic. The people won t wait. They will row out to the harbor and claim you here if we try. We should have arrived last night but were delayed because of the pirate attack.
We needed the darkness and shadows as cover.
Quynh had been vomiting all morning and now I was the one fighting off the desire to throw up last night s feast over the side of the ship.
We were going to die.
It seemed totally inevitable.
The city was massive, bigger than any I d ever seen. It spread out in front of us, as if to mock me and my plans. The palace was at the farthest point and there was nothing beyond it. It stood on a hill, above the rest of the city, encircled by labyrinth walls, with cliffs on the far side.
But that was the only identifiable building. The labyrinth walls were sand-colored, narrow, and intertwined. And there were large openings crammed full of buildings. Hundreds of pockets interspersed throughout the maze. The temple of the goddess could have been in any one of them.
I saw only tiled and flat roofs everywhere I searched. How would I ever locate it?
The dream I d had, where I d seen the beautiful woman in a field of wildflowers, suddenly filled my mind. I remembered that she had been watching the sun rise in the east, her face turned that direction.
What if that had been some kind of clue? My mind seized on the possibility. If it was, then it would make sense that her temple would lie in the west so that her statue would soak up as much light as she could.
Or it might have been located in the east so that she would be closer to the sun when it rose.
Desperation scrambled my ability to think clearly, to decide.
Because if I chose wrong, if we ran in the wrong direction, it would mean certain death.
Hope was all I d had left, and it was quickly abandoning me.
None of my men will participate in the event, the captain said behind me, and I didn t know what he expected us to do. Thank him? Was it an attempt to comfort us?
But he walked away before I could formulate a retort, letting him know exactly what I thought about his declaration.
Quynh s hand shook in mine. It s so big.
She was giving voice to my fears, and I was determined to chase them away. We will find it. Don t worry.
The water in the harbor was deep enough, and free of dangerous reefs, so that we could go directly to the docks and weren t forced to travel by rowboat as we had when we d left Locris.
As the men threw ropes to those who waited on the wooden docks to catch them, I felt even more eyes on us. Everyone openly stared. Another wave of nausea rose up in my throat, but I swallowed it back.
Jason coughed and then announced, The captain is waiting for you by the gangplank.
I nodded and turned to look at him. There was something in his eyes, something I couldn t have described with words. Instead I felt it, deep in my stomach.
He didn t want me to go but was just as powerless as I was to stop it.
May I ask a favor from you?
His expression showed me that he understood how difficult it was for me to ask. Anything, if it is within my power to do so.
If one or both of us makes it to the temple alive, I left a small pot in my cell. Will you bring it there? I had my pack with my dagger, the bags of salt, food, and water. My throwing knives were in my belt, my xiphos attached to my thigh.
I had brought the pot with Locrian dirt to test once I found the eye and a life mage. I would put the eye in my soil and make sure it grew plants. I had to know that the eye would restore my kingdom before I returned home.
But there was no point in carrying something so heavy on my back when I wasn t sure whether I d make it.
Yes, he said. I swear it.
I was used to him being more insufferable, more arrogant, and wasn t sure what to make of this serious man swearing himself to my request.
We reached the gangplank and the captain dismissed him.
Jason leaned in close to me so that no one else could hear and said, If I could save you, I would.
And I believed that he physically could have. That he would have fought off every crew member and then cut his way through the crowd gathered at the dock. The others wouldn t even be able to reach for their swords before he would slice them open. He was capable of it, and for a brief moment, I allowed myself to fantasize that he would do just that-save Quynh and me by facing an entire army alone and succeeding.
But you can t. And you won t. Your words don t matter very much right now, I said.
He lingered for a moment longer, as if he wished to say something else. But he didn t and instead went and picked up a broom leaning against the main mast. To my astonishment, he started sweeping the deck.
I didn t know what I d expected, but it hadn t been for him to start doing chores.
He began to sing, his voice strong and clear.
To the blue, to the blue
Head to the blue, the blue
Where the sea meets the sky
On the water we ll fly
Off to sail, off to roam
Salty waves are our home
To the blue, to the blue,
Head to the blue, the blue
It was the song the rowers had been singing nonstop since we d boarded. It seemed entirely unsuitable for him to be singing some sea shanty, given my situation. While a tiny part of me was glad that I finally knew the words in the common tongue, the rest of me was in total disbelief.
At least his actions gave me some clarity. I had thought I d mattered to him, even a little bit. But he had been very honest with me about the kind of man he was, and I was the fool who had wanted to pretend otherwise.
I had been a willing pair of lips, a port in the storm, nothing more, nothing less.
The captain walked us down the gangplank, surrounded by several members of his crew, who had their weapons drawn. I wondered if it was to scare us, or to keep the gathered crowd in check.
Perhaps a little of both.
I headed down first with Quynh right behind me. I wondered how many other maidens had only gotten this far. How many had declined to come out of their cell? Off the ship? Had refused to go beyond the docks, futilely hoping for safety?
How long had it taken for them to discover that they would have been better off running, making an attempt to reach the temple?
I glanced at Quynh and could see the fear written all over her face. Had the other maidens helped each other the way I was going to help her?
Or had it been every woman for herself?
As we exited the docks, we walked past sagging buildings. I saw signs indicating that they were warehouses, trading offices, shipbuilders, recruiting offices. The ground here was not dusty, but a rich, dark, deep brown soil, nearly black.
And there were trees. So many trees. Everywhere I looked I saw green leaves.
I d never imagined that there could be so much green in the entire world, let alone on a single street leading from the docks.
As we drew closer to the city walls, I became acutely aware of everything around me. The sound of metal being struck, the delicious smell of bread combined with newly cut wood and the saltiness of the ocean. Seagulls flew lazily overhead, calling to one another, while the sun beat down on us. My lips were dried out, but I didn t reach for my waterskin.
There would be time for that later.
We got past the shipping district and reached the place Jason had told me about, the Fields of Sithon. They were large open areas, covered in grass. I had the urge to reach down and touch it, but I refrained.
Jason had told me that not all the men of Troas participated in the tribute, and so I had imagined that there would be a few dozen, maybe less.
But there were hundreds of armed men lined up. Maybe even thousands.
My heart sank to my feet as I realized the impossibility of what I was going to try to do. I d been so arrogant in my assumptions that we could survive this.
Many of the men had on armor but not full sets. Mostly breastplates with some bracers. I supposed that they probably weren t wearing additional pieces because they had surmised it wasn t necessary.
It hadn t been necessary against every other maiden until now.
But I was going to fight back.
I recalled how fast Jason had been, how hard Lykaon had hit me, and resolved to do my best to follow all of Demaratus s training and not let anyone here catch us.
A line had been drawn at the opened city gate, marked by a purple flag that bore the crest of the royal family.
I d certainly seen it on enough wax seals on correspondence in my father s library to recognize it.
The gateway soared above us. The outer walls were thirty feet high. At least the traders had been correct about that. The walls looked as if they d been built to keep monsters out.
Two men were situated near the line. One held a brass horn in his hand, while the other had a small water clock on a makeshift table.
Nereus greeted the two men and then turned to speak to us.
This never gets easier, no matter how many times I do it, he grumbled to himself. Then he cleared his throat and loudly announced, Locrian maidens, there is only one rule: survive. And there is only one way to win: enter the temple of the goddess.
I nodded, swallowing back the boulder that had taken up residence in my throat. I d had so long to prepare for this moment that I should have been calm. Instead my heart was crashing into my ribs like a battering ram.
A horn will sound to indicate that it is time for you to race. You will be given a one-minute head start. The horn will sound again to signal that the chase can begin. Do you understand this?
Yes. It was difficult to speak.
He nodded, accepting my answer. May the goddess bless you.
I understood that he d meant it kindly, but it felt like he had just pulled out his sword and stabbed me in the gut.
Then the captain left with his guards, back to the ship.
Where Jason was probably still singing his infernal song.
I didn t know how much time I had before the trumpeter blew his horn. I pulled out my sword, undoing the sheath and stowing it in my pack. I used the xiphos to cut off the bottom of my tunic, getting rid of the ridiculous length.
Then I did the same to Quynh s tunic. The excess fell to the ground in a pool around her feet that she kicked away.
If anyone was upset or concerned that I had a weapon, they didn t say anything, and no one tried to take it from me.
I felt hollowed out inside, as if I d become detached from my body. Fear bubbled into my lungs as my heartbeat slowed to a loud, heavy thud. I grabbed the flagpole and cut off the flag, letting it flutter away. I handed the wooden pole to Quynh.
Hit anyone who comes too close, I said. I d offered her my dagger earlier, but she d said she was afraid she d do more damage to herself than to someone else. I wanted her to have some kind of weapon.
She nodded and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. She was holding it together remarkably well and I felt a swell of pride in her.
Ready? I asked. We can t stop. We can t hesitate. We can t rest. We will have to keep pushing forward until we reach the temple, no matter what.
I understand. Her hands tightened around the pole. If this is the end, then I m glad that I m with you.
It s not the end, I said. I took her by the hand and crouched into position, waiting.
I watched as the man lifted the horn to his lips and blew with all his might, a long, solid note.
Go! I yelled and we began to run.