CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Sanctuary! the woman called out as she burst through the archway and collapsed in a heap in front of the fountain. I claim sanctuary!
Antiope shoved her way through the crowd. All the women from the gymnasium were lined up on the outer edges of the courtyard. No one moved to help the woman. I took a step forward but Io put a hand on my forearm, keeping me in place.
Close the gates! Maia called out. There were two iron doors on either side of the archway that could be swung into place and locked together.
No! Antiope yelled back, pointing her sword at the oncoming men. Leave them open!
The men drew closer and the disheveled woman got to her feet and rushed up the steps but stayed on the patio, not entering the temple. The men pursuing her stopped at the archway, not crossing over.
Return her to us! one of the men yelled.
She has claimed sanctuary, and by law, we will protect her, Antiope replied. Men may not enter this sacred ground.
One of the men took his helmet off, throwing it to the ground. I do not believe in superstition, and that woman belongs to me.
She belongs to herself! someone in the crowd called back, and there were several murmurs of agreement.
I will not ask again! Return her to me now!
Come and claim her, then. Antiope gave a terrible grin as the man entered the courtyard. I realized that she had ordered the gate to be left open because she wanted the men to break the rules. Half the men followed the first.
Io turned, burying her face in Suri s shoulder, as if she knew what was about to happen.
Stay back, Antiope said to all the women lined up to watch. Do not interfere.
Then she approached the men alone, sword at her side. It is against the law of the goddess for you to be here. Leave now or face the consequences.
What do you think you re going to do? That first man laughed, as did his companions who had joined him.
You have made your choice, and now you will pay with your life, she said.
There was a new round of laughter from the men.
With a war cry Antiope quickly swung her blade and removed the first man s head from his neck with a single stroke. There was a stunned silence when his head fell onto the courtyard with a sickening thud.
Then the other men attacked Antiope, all at the same time. Not one of them could reach her, though. She not only defended herself from every oncoming stroke but found openings to slice and stick and stab.
She moved so quickly and surely, never missing a step as the sound of metal clanging filled the air around us. She whirled and spun, hitting away every weapon extended toward her. The men were shouting, some yelling in pain, their expressions serious and angry.
But Antiope bore a ferocious smile on her face, delighting in the carnage, like she lived for this kind of thing and wanted more of it.
Three men collapsed to the ground in heaps, clearly dead. The three left alive ran back to those waiting at the archway, limping and clutching their sides.
Would anyone else like a one-way voyage to the underworld? she taunted as she pointed her sword at the men, streaks of blood across her face.
They all fled as quickly as they could.
I was in shock over what had occurred. And that shock was increased by the fact that no one else seemed very concerned that our battle master had just slaughtered four men.
Although to be fair, she had given them ample warning.
Someone handed Antiope a rag and she cleaned her sword, and then her face. Several older priestesses, led by Daphne, went over to the woman who had asked for sanctuary. Daphne put a cloak around her shoulders as they helped her up. Their small group began walking with her toward the infirmary.
Acolytes near me were speaking in low voices to one another.
The courtyard will have to be cleansed and blessed.
At least they didn t enter any buildings. Can you imagine?
What would happen if they did?
I don t know and I don t want to find out.
Maia stood a few feet away with a sword gripped in her hand. I wanted to ask her about the consequences if men entered the buildings, but I sensed now was not the time.
I was surprised by the lack of reaction to what we d all just witnessed. No one was crying or screaming or seemed upset. These women were battle hardened. Even Io, who had turned her head away the entire time. She had stayed calm.
What had these women experienced?
Back inside, Maia said, and the members of my adelphia moved to obey, with Io still pointing her gaze at the ground, away from the men who had just died.
I envied Antiope and her skills. I wished that I could be more like her. I hesitated a moment and then approached her.
When she acknowledged me with a slight nod, I said, I want to fight like you.
She studied me for a moment while cleaning her neck. Dedicate yourself to your training, do what I say, and you will.
Lia! Maia called, and I hurried to catch up with the rest of my group. I wasn t sure what had compelled me to approach Antiope-the absolute ferocity and strength I d witnessed from her had been a marvel.
I wanted that for myself.
Not only because of my mission to retrieve the eye, but because I never again wanted to be in a position where I wouldn t be able to defend myself or my loved ones.
My heart ached as it again mourned for Quynh, but I swallowed my sadness back and instead mentally replayed the fight I d just witnessed.
Antiope had to be goddess-blessed. A warrior who was chosen by the goddess and given supernatural strength and speed. How else could I explain what I d watched? I d always assumed that only men were goddess-blessed, but I d just seen that it wasn t true.
One thing was certain-I was not goddess-blessed. I wished that I were-I would have given anything to be so. If I had been, I might have been able to keep my sister alive.
Thinking about Antiope s skills reminded me of when I had seen Jason fight, when he had protected us from those pirates on the Nikos . His abilities had been both exhilarating and terrifying. Attractive .
I internally sighed. Why did my thoughts continually turn to him? I wasn t ever going to see him again. Our brief adventure together was over. He was traveling out at sea and I was here.
Maybe it was because he d helped me, even though I hadn t realized it. He had given me the clue I needed to find my way through the labyrinth.
It wasn t as if he were the only person who had ever been nice to me, though. That single act didn t warrant my mind s devotion.
Maybe it was because he was the only man I d ever kissed-and most likely always would be, now that I had taken a vow of celibacy.
I reentered the gymnasium and noticed that Theano had stayed in her seat. She had not come out to watch the fight that had occurred. She was still, unmoving. Like a statue.
That poor woman, Io said behind me.
At first I thought she meant Theano, but I realized she meant the woman who had claimed sanctuary. What will happen to her?
There are safe houses that are funded by the temple. Worshippers bring monetary and food gifts here to the goddess, which we use to provide for ourselves and to assist women who are being mistreated and ask us for help.
I supposed something like that would be necessary in a society where men hurt women. It was not the Locrian way.
Why had things changed in my nation and not here? Maybe it was in response to Ajax s actions and the repercussions. It might have caused the men to choose to be and do better. Or perhaps the Locrian women had demanded the change so that we wouldn t be cursed even worse.
Ahyana waved at the ceiling and I glanced up, seeing Kunguru watching us from the rafters.
Antiope approached our group and there was a tiny flicker of excitement in my stomach. Would my training start now?
Tell your bird to leave, she said to Ahyana. He needs to stay outside.
It made me wonder how many times Kunguru had attended their sessions.
With a small frown Ahyana cupped her hand next to her mouth and said, Kunguru, you have to go outside. I don t want you to go, but Antiope says you must.
He cocked his head, as if he understood. Which was silly because birds couldn t speak. And even if they could, there was no way he would have been able to hear over all the noise of the priestesses and acolytes still feverishly discussing what had just taken place in the courtyard.
Kunguru flew from the rafter to a windowsill. His black feathers gleamed in the sunlight, and it was almost like he was taunting Antiope by mostly following her orders. Technically, most of him was outside, while his feet and head remained inside the building.
The battle master shook her head in annoyance and then climbed up on the dais. She knelt before Theano and they seemed to be speaking to one another. I wished I could hear what they were saying.
Then Antiope got to her feet and yelled, Silence!
The gymnasium fell quiet, with only a few murmurings here and there. It didn t surprise me that people were so quick to obey her after what I d just seen. I wondered if Antiope was going to address how the men had entered the temple grounds. Remind us that there was a reason why we trained so hard.
But she didn t do that. It is time for the weekly matchups to determine rankings! And our first fight will be between Artemisia . . .
Artemisia walked over to the center ring and smirked at the crowd, some women patting her on the back as she passed by.
And Lia of Locris.
My adrenaline spiked at the announcement. What? Why?
Had this been Theano s choice or Antiope s? And what was the intention here? To embarrass me?
She s not trained! Maia called back, which surprised me. I knew she was my adelphia s mentor and charged with watching over us, but she seemed quiet and meek. Not the type to openly defy Antiope. It isn t fair.
If Antiope was bothered by Maia speaking up, she didn t show it. What better way is there for the novice to learn than to fight the best? Come into the center ring, Lia.
Zalira clapped me on the shoulder. She usually tries to sweep the feet. Watch out for that.
I didn t tell her that I had personal experience already with that particular move of Artemisia s.
My heart was thudding slowly as I walked toward the ring. I didn t know how to play this. I wanted to protect myself, to keep from getting too hurt. I also wanted to inflict some damage on Artemisia as payback.
There was another part of me that wanted to impress Antiope. To show her that I was someone worth investing her time in.
None of that would be possible, though. I couldn t let any of them suspect that my background was royal because of the temple rules. I considered whether I should pretend to know absolutely nothing about fighting, but I figured that might also seem suspect, given that I d survived the race and being chased by armed men.
Somehow I was going to have to walk a path in the middle.
I was obviously going to have to lose.
Antiope handed me a staff. It wasn t something I d ever trained very much with, as Demaratus had preferred things that were pointy.
Try not to get hit, she said as I entered the ring.
I hoped I could put on a good enough show. The task seemed impossible.
Artemisia whirled her staff around in lazy circles as she observed me. The deadly look in her eyes was unmistakable.
She would kill me if the opportunity presented itself. And was there more of an opportunity than being engaged in combat?
I knew, without being told, that she had other weapons on her. I would have to start carrying my own and keep an eye on her during sparring.
Antiope explained the rules, and they were exactly the same as what Io had shared earlier. There would be points awarded for contact and if one opponent pushed the other out of the ring.
My heartbeat grew louder in my own ears as I prepared myself.
Ready? Antiope verified, and when we both nodded, she said, Begin!