CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Nothing happened.
Frustrated, I sat up and immediately regretted the decision. My head hurt so much it was like someone was banging on it with a hammer. I let out a small groan and put my hands against my skull, as if I could push the pain away.
The second thing I noticed after the headache was the flood of regret I was currently feeling.
Jason had correctly predicted my reaction last night.
Thinking of him only made my head hurt worse. When he d told me in that house that my judgment was compromised, I had been angry with him. I hadn t thought that I was drunk. But considering what I d confessed to Io last night, I clearly hadn t had my wits about me.
I glanced over at her bed but it was empty. She was already awake. I hoped she wouldn t remember what I d told her.
Even if she did, would it matter? I knew her secret as well. She couldn t afford for it to get out, either. They would expel her from the temple for being a member of the royal family.
Mutually assured destruction.
All this time I d pictured Prince Alexandros as being some kind of monster, but if Io was his sister, he couldn t have been all bad.
Or maybe that was the leftover wine in my body talking.
Thinking about drinking immediately turned my thoughts back to Jason and our last in-person encounter and I wondered if things would have gone differently if I d been sober. I was fairly certain that I still would have made the same choice. I d wanted him so badly-even now I ached for him.
It would have been the wrong decision. I understood that logically. I knew the promises I d made. I could not do those kinds of things with him. Especially not if I wanted to find the eye and restore Locris to the way I d seen it in my dream last night. I imagined that the goddess would not be interested in helping an acolyte who had blasphemed one of her basic laws.
But I now understood why those other priestesses had risked being buried alive. From what I had experienced, it might have even been a little bit worth it.
I let out a deep sigh as I realized how close I d come to throwing everything away for Jason. For a man who made me no promises, a man who didn t want marriage or a relationship, a man who would happily move on to the next woman as soon as he tired of me.
I was such a fool. I d never felt this kind of humiliation before. Without the spiked wine to alter my perceptions and thinking, I could see everything clearly. It would have been a huge mistake if I d stayed.
And I had no idea how to interpret what had happened with him in my dreams. Him saying he was actually there and that everything was real?
How could that even be possible?
It had to have been my own psyche, trying to convince me that I hadn t come so close to wrecking everything for a worthless man who didn t actually care about me. To paint him as a devoted lover, willing to die for me.
That wasn t who he was.
Then why did he send you away? a little voice asked me . If he didn t care about you, he could have taken advantage of you last night and you would have welcomed it.
I didn t want to think of him as being an honorable man, just a selfish one. It made things easier. Maybe he didn t really want me. Maybe he d only felt sorry for me and let things go too far. Who was to say?
Disgusted with myself I went into the washroom and found Io there, happily scrubbing her face and whistling a tune to herself.
Too loud, I muttered. How are you not hungover?
When you re skilled with herbs and medicines, you have a hangover cure. Here s one for you. Add it to some water and drink it, she said, putting a small vial in my hand.
You are my favorite person, I told her, truly meaning it.
You re not the first sister to say that to me, she said with a wink.
Io, about last night . . . I let my voice trail off, not sure how to broach the subject with her. I certainly didn t want to bring it up if she had been so drunk that she no longer remembered.
What about it? It s all one giant blur, she said. I think there was dancing, maybe music. I know there was wine.
I smiled. It sounded like my secret was safe. Nothing. It just seemed like you were having a good time.
She nodded. I was. And everything has been so hard lately that I really needed a night like that.
I m glad you had it. I waited a moment and then said, What are you doing up so early?
Tryphosa, the new lead healer, the one who took over for Daphne? I heard her voice catch on Daphne s name, but she pressed forward. There is a farm nearby that has requested our help with their olive tree grove and we re going out to assist. It should only be for a few days.
She had mentioned this trip when she d found out that Daphne had died. Do you think that s safe?
The farm is not far from the city walls. There will be a few of us and I think we ll be all right. I might mention it to Tryphosa to see if she wants to ask Antiope for an additional guard or two.
I didn t like the idea of her leaving the temple grounds after all the recent attacks and losses we d suffered, but it wasn t my choice to make. Good luck and safe travels. We ll miss you.
I ll be back before you know it, she promised.
She was gone when I came back from using the toilet, and I hurried over to complete my chores. The courtyard was in complete shambles and there was no way for me to finish everything up before my morning class. I focused on the temple itself and then did my best in the courtyard. I was going to need help.
During my tutorial Maia was telling me about the goddess s siblings and how they ruled over different parts of the world, far from here.
Is the goddess s name Damara? I asked, interrupting her while she was speaking about the sister of the goddess who presided over the seas.
She sucked in a sharp breath. Where did you hear that word?
At the festival. I overheard some women speaking. Another lie, but I wasn t going to tell her anything about Jason.
That is not the goddess s name. Damara is a title that means mother of life that is sometimes used for her. We do not speak her true name. It is too sacred.
Or, as Jason had suggested, it would give me some kind of power if I knew it. Hadn t the goddess essentially told me the same thing in my dream?
No wonder they kept it hidden.
Another thing I would have to learn in order for my quest to be successful.
I was grateful that throughout the rest of the day none of my sisters brought up the festival. Not even Zalira, and I had fully expected her to tease me further about Jason. Last night she d obviously intuited that he and I had been together but she said nothing about it.
It made me a little suspicious because it seemed out of character for all of them to not ask questions.
They were all helpful, though, when I begged them to assist me with mapping out potential points of interest, places I might want to investigate in my search for the eye. Some private residences with substantial libraries, booksellers near the docks who might have religious texts, the palace.
I wondered if Io knew of a secret way into her old home. I would have to ask her when she returned.
We were at dinner when there was some kind of commotion outside. I heard women calling to one another, saw Antiope get up and run out with her weapon in hand.
Were we under attack again?
Everyone in the dining hall emptied outside into the courtyard. There were soldiers lining the street for several blocks. Armed and armored.
All facing the temple.
As if they were about to lay siege.
Antiope had her sword out, facing the army gathered in front of her. The soldiers parted then, creating a pathway down the middle of the street.
Black stallions pulled a chariot as it slowly made its way toward us. I couldn t see who was coming and it suddenly seemed vitally urgent that I do so. I climbed up the steps to the temple patio to get a better view.
My sisters followed me.
What s going on? Ahyana asked. Are we going to have to fight?
They easily outnumbered us. If this was to be a battle, we would eventually lose.
The chariot moved agonizingly slowly, making certain to create a spectacle of itself before it reached the archway. It was meant to intimidate, to show the wealth and strength of the person driving it.
When it finally arrived I realized that I recognized the man holding the reins. He was tall, muscled, built like a warrior. Blue tattoos covered nearly every patch of his pale, exposed skin. He had a dark gray tunic and light eyes.
And bright red hair.
I knew him. Fury tinged my vision, while adrenaline spiked in my gut.
With a growl I spun on my heel, intending to return to the dormitory.
Where are you going? Zalira asked.
That is the man who killed my sister, I said through clenched teeth. I m getting my sword because I m going to run him through.
You can t leave the temple, Ahyana said. As soon as you step foot onto the street, he can harm you.
He can try. Now that I had him within my sights, I wasn t going to let him escape with his life.
He owed it to me after what he d taken.
Don t get your weapon, Zalira told me. Not before we know what s happening. You can t rush out there and murder the man in front of all those soldiers.
She was right but I didn t want her to be. I wanted to see the expression in his eyes as I plunged my xiphos straight into his chest so that he would know exactly what it felt like to have his heart destroyed.
Because he had obliterated mine.
The redheaded demon handed his reins to a soldier standing behind him on the chariot and then held up both of his hands, asking for the crowd to be quiet.
I am Thrax, captain of Prince Alexandros s royal guard. I have come for the princess.
For Io? I knew she had cheated to get in here, that serving the goddess was the most important thing in her life, but had she joined without her family s knowledge or permission?
Had they finally tracked her down and decided to demand her back? Would they force her into that arranged marriage?
There is no princess here, Antiope called back scornfully. There are only servants of the goddess.
You harbor a foreign princess in your midst, Thrax said and then he seemed to make eye contact with me.
My heart plummeted down to my feet.
No, no, no.
This was not happening.
My time had run out.
As I told you, Antiope retorted, there are only humble servants here.
I have come for Princess Thalia to honor the betrothal contract she made with Prince Alexandros.
The temple crowd seemed confused, exchanging glances and whispering to one another.
It wouldn t take them long to figure out who he meant.
There is no one here named Thalia, Antiope said.
His gaze still locked with mine, he said, The Locrian maiden. I demand that you turn her over to me.