CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
My remaining throwing knife wouldn t be enough to keep this man at bay. Not only did I need to get him away from my sister but I had to find a longer weapon. Something that would keep him at arm s reach. I had one upstairs.
Thankfully he released Io, who was unmoving.
I didn t know if she was alive or not.
He pulled out a giant broadsword from his back. My heart twisted in my chest as I realized that it would cut the staff I d left at the door of Theano s office into kindling. Maybe she had a weapon of some kind in that room.
It would be the only way I could hope to survive this.
I cursed myself for leaving my xiphos back in my bedroom. I turned and ran for the stairs and heard the man following behind me. I raced up, ducking as he swung out at me with his weapon. I heard his broadsword smash into the stone wall. I ran down the hallway, grabbed the staff, and tried the door handle.
Some part of me had secretly hoped that I d miraculously managed to undo the lock earlier. How many times was this going to happen to me? Chased by killers, locked out from safety.
With a desperate yell I rammed my body against the door with all my might, and to my complete shock, it gave way. There was still a fire burning in the fireplace, giving me enough light to quickly search the room.
There was no weapon. It was only a workspace.
I turned with my staff in front of me, but without a sound, the man wrenched it out of my hands and knocked me down with his fist. I heard his broadsword drop to the ground while he climbed on top of me, straddling my hips. Everything was happening so quickly that before I knew it, he was on top of me, had pulled a knife from his belt, and was aiming it down at my throat.
I reached up and grabbed at his wrists and shoved with all my strength against him. I didn t know which one of us was more surprised that I was able to hold him off-him or me.
It shouldn t have been possible. The man was built of pure muscle. He should have been able to obliterate me within moments.
He growled and kept on pushing his knife at me. I couldn t shove him off or get myself free. I was stuck, my heart beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. I grit my teeth together, my entire body aching from trying to save my life.
I somehow managed to direct his blade to my left, slowly moving the pointed tip of the dagger away from the base of my neck and over toward my shoulder.
My strength began to falter and his weapon moved ever closer to my body. Moment by moment, inch by inch. I was shaking from the strain of trying to keep him from stabbing me.
The knife hovered just above me and I could feel the cold edge of it against my heated skin.
No, no, no.
This couldn t be it. Things couldn t end this way.
Please help me.
There was no answer.
I screamed when his dagger finally broke through my skin s surface, slowly plunging in through veins and nerves and muscle. White-hot pain radiated in my shoulder.
Then he twisted his blade, doing more damage.
Out of desperation I punched him in the face. His head reared back but he didn t release the dagger. I was panicking, terror digging its sharp teeth into me. I punched him again and heard the sound of his nose breaking.
Still he didn t let go and somehow managed to push the blade in farther.
He laughed as blood dripped down his face.
His laughter suddenly stopped and he gagged while the tip of his broadsword appeared through his throat.
I gasped and saw Io standing behind him.
She was the one who had plunged his own sword into the back of his neck.
My adrenaline crashed inside me, my fear fled, and now all I could focus on was the throbbing, shooting pain. The man slumped forward, nearly suffocating me. I tried to move but realized that he had pushed his dagger into me so hard that I was pinned into the wooden floor.
Io shoved at the man and he collapsed to the side and I could breathe again. Every breath I took made the pain radiate further and faster.
What do I do? What do I do? she asked, panicking.
I was about to tell her to go get a healer when she reached over and yanked the dagger out.
It was the worst possible thing she could have done.
Blood spurted from the wound, thick and hot.
I let out a moan.
My mind was frantically trying to recall what Demaratus had said about gushing wounds.
Stupid girl, you have to seal them shut!
I needed stitches or cauterizing. There was no time to sew me up. You have to cauterize the wound, I told Io.
The pain was somehow intensifying.
What?
Get something metal. Stick it in the fire. I wanted to tell her to get the knife that she d pulled from my shoulder, but she ran over to Theano s desk and grabbed the first thing she saw.
The seal Theano used for the wax on her letters. Io ran over to the fire and put the metal seal into the flames.
I was feeling so woozy and lightheaded. I just wanted to go to sleep. My eyelids began to drift shut.
Stupid girl, stay awake! It s just blood. You have plenty-you can stand to lose some and still keep alert!
Demaratus, I whispered. I wished he were here. He would know what to do. He would save me.
The seal is hot, Io said. Now what?
Didn t she work in the infirmary? Bring it over here and press it against my wound.
What? she exclaimed. I can t do that!
You have to, I told her. It was getting harder and harder to hold on to my consciousness. I can t do it myself, and if I tried, I might faint. Make sure you seal the skin shut. Don t stop, even if I scream. You have to stop the bleeding or I ll die.
The edges of my vision were blurring into black. I felt her pushing my tunic aside and then heard her take in a deep breath.
I m so sorry.
She pushed the heated seal into my skin and I screamed, the pain blocking out my ability to see or hear. My senses pinpointed to the excruciating burning on my shoulder and it utterly consumed me, ravaging my body with the worst, most intense pain I d ever experienced.
It hurt worse than getting stabbed.
I couldn t breathe, couldn t think, couldn t move.
The other side, I gasped after she took the seal away. The smell of burning flesh filled the high priestess s office. You have to close the opening on my back, too.
Tears streamed down her face as she rolled me onto my side and, without hesitating, pressed the hot seal against the open wound there.
I screamed again, and then I must have passed out, because everything went black.
It seemed to have only been for a few moments because I awoke to see Io vomiting in the corner.
I m all right, I mumbled, trying to soothe her.
She shook her head. I killed that man. I killed him. I took his life.
You did it to protect me. It was getting easier to form words. Feeling was returning to my limbs, and even though my shoulder was screaming at me, I struggled to sit up. I couldn t do it. I was too dizzy from the pain. You saved my life.
I know, I know, she cried, wrapping her arms around her knees and curling up into a ball, rocking back and forth.
I d spent months preparing to take a life while training with Demaratus, so it hadn t been an earth-shattering thing for me when it had happened.
But for Io? Who only wanted to protect all living things?
The only way I could think to help her in the moment was to spur her to action. To get her focusing on something else.
We have to raise an alarm, I told her. There might be others.
That seemed to reach her. Yes. I ll go sound the horn. You re right. We have to warn everyone.
She ran out of the room and I screwed my eyes shut. This was my one chance. I had to get up. I had to search this room before the others arrived. I turned over onto my stomach, clenching my teeth against the pain. I wished I had something to bite down on. I crawled over to the wall and used it as leverage to push myself up.
I was breathing hard, sweating. My whole body was in pain, like it had radiated out from my shoulder and infested every part of me so that I was one giant ache. My head throbbed, my vision blurring.
A horn sounded, again and again. Io was letting the entire temple know that we had been invaded.
There was a movement at the door and my heart sank. I had lost my one opportunity.
With a sigh of relief, I realized that it was Suri.
She had a dagger drawn. She must have just missed Io. She raised both of her eyebrows at me, questioning whether I was all right.
I ll live, I told her as I leaned against the wall, lacking the ability to step forward.
Her gaze fell upon the dead man.
Io, I told her, and she looked so sad and concerned. She did it to save me.
Suri nodded.
I need you to look for me. I can t do it. Before anyone comes to check up on us. A key.
At that Suri s eyebrows climbed even higher up her forehead and then she made a face like she couldn t believe I was still going to search after what had just happened. She pointed in the direction of the infirmary.
I shook my head at her. The guards will fight off whoever remains and then they ll scour the grounds to make sure they didn t miss any invaders, which means they ll be here soon. I m running out of time. Please.
She frowned and then closed her eyes. She stood still for several moments and I became aware of how labored my breathing had become. I fought to keep my eyes open and my throat burned from thirst.
Suri opened her eyes again and headed straight for Theano s desk.
The edges were engraved with leaves, the symbol for the goddess. I watched as Suri ran her fingers along the leaves on the outer right side of the desk and came to a stop.
I couldn t see what she did. Everything looked exactly alike.
She pushed against a leaf and a little drawer popped out.
Containing a silver key.
Suri had done it. She had found the vault key. I let out a small pained laugh. I hadn t been stabbed for no reason. I had found what I d come for.
But she turned her head toward me and my heart stopped beating entirely at her expression.
She wasn t going to let me have the key.