Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

M ist swirled around Terena as she walked. She did not know where she was going or where she was coming from. Echoes whispered around her, some words growing stronger, others unintelligible mutterings. Terena turned, looking for the source of the voice, but the echoes filled her head until she crouched down, covering her ears.

Take the Twins

You will lead them

Find—

Lead them

Athena’s Weapon

Destroy him before he destroys you

Athena’s—

Destroy him

Find —

Find—

Athena’s Weapon.

Terena bolted upright, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. She didn’t know where she was for a moment. She looked down and saw the bed in the dim light of dawn coming through the small window.

Was she back at the inn? Was she still in Messene?

Terena’s eyes darted right and saw the lump of Sonah’s body huddled beneath the covers. Wiping her hand over her face, she exhaled. She threw off the covers, rising and dressing as quietly as possible.

Before leaving, she paused and turned back to Sonah.

Terena took a few steps closer and gazed down at the girl. She could not see her face, her mass of blonde hair covering most of it.

My sister.

Still coming to terms with what the oracle had told her, this at least was something she did not question.

Her breathing hitched as she reached out a hand, pulling back quickly when Sonah moaned and shifted, burying her head even more within her pillow. There’d be time for them to talk, but it was enough now for Terena to see her.

Turning to pad softly across the room, Terena glanced over her shoulder at Sonah before unlocking the door, lifting the latch as she pulled it open ever so slowly and ducked out.

The innkeeper was at his desk, nodding at her as she passed. Terena paused when she saw Rydon sitting at the back table in the common room. He was holding a mug, steam rising from the rim. As she neared, he looked up, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline when he saw her.

“Where’d you come from?”

Terena’s brow wrinkled. “What do you mean? I was upstairs sleeping.”

Rydon stared at her as she sat. He glanced over her shoulder as the innkeeper came around the bar toward them.

He leaned in before the innkeeper reached them.“The fuck you were,” he hissed at her. “You left yesterday with the acolyte, remember? ”

Startled, Terena whipped her gaze to him. The innkeeper asked if she’d like anything for breakfast and she blinked, looking back at him as she searched for words.

“Get her the eggs with bread. And coffee,” Rydon said when she didn’t answer.

The innkeeper waited a moment, possibly to see if Terena would say something different. When she nodded, he turned and strode toward the door leading to the kitchen in back.

Terena looked around to ensure they were alone before she leaned closer to Rydon. “That was the last time you saw me?” she whispered. “When I left with David?”

Rydon nodded. “Aye. How did you get back? And when?”

Terena lifted her eyebrows and shook her head. “Fuck if I know. This has been the strangest few days of my life.”

A corner of Rydon’s lips crooked up. “Only the last few days?”

Terena pulled a face.

“Not sure how we missed you getting back, unless we were already abed,” Rydon said, his eyes searching her face. “So? How was it?”

Terena let out an enormous sigh. “Honestly? Still trying to process. They drugged me.”

Rydon choked a bit on his coffee. He stared at her. “What the fuck?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Even before we got there. One minute we’re having a snack—me and the acolyte. The next he’s blowing shit in my face and I wake up…” Terena shook her head. “It was all very weird.”

“Did you see the oracle?”

“Aye. Maybe. That’s what’s weird. All of it feels like a dream. There are parts I remember vividly. And parts that are…,” she motioned with her hands in circles around her head.

“Well, did she say anything useful?”

Terena shook her head again as she rubbed at her eyes. Rydon had proven himself to be an ally, and she was even beginning to think of him as a friend. But as she’d told him, there were things about what Pytho had told her she still needed to process and didn’t feel now was the time to share all with Rydon .

At last, she looked up at him. “Sparta. She said we need to go to Sparta. That King Altos has something I need. Something that is mine. Didn’t say what, though. Or if she did, I honestly don’t remember.”

“Do you speak Greek? Because I don’t,” Rydon said as he took another sip of his coffee.

“I understand a bit. Hopefully, they speak the common tongue. They speak it here and they’re Greek.”

“Aye, you’re right,” Rydon said with a nod. “So now we travel even further south. Looking for something that’s yours but, of course, what that is, you do not know. Any thoughts on how long all this will take? Because we’re no closer to heading north than the day we rescued you.”

Terena sat back as the innkeeper emerged with a plate of scrambled eggs mixed with tomatoes and thick slices of buttered bread in one hand, a mug of steaming coffee in the other. He placed them both in front of her, then fished out a knife and fork wrapped in a linen napkin, which she took as she thanked him.

“Are you expected in the north soon? Did your king give you a time limit to fetch me? Because, according to the oracle, we can’t go north without whatever Altos has of mine.”

Rydon’s lips peeled back. “No, there’s no time limit. But I recall getting yelled at for suggesting taking a longer route to get to the north.”

Terena snorted. “The Fates have other plans, I guess.”

Rydon watched her beneath his lashes. “If it’s even them driving you.”

Terena frowned, flashing him a look before returning to her eggs. “What does that mean?”

“Did she say anything else?”

Terena noted how he’d ignored her question, but left it alone. “Aye, but I’ll wait until the others are with us.”

“Mmm,” Rydon said, his eyes widening as if a thought struck him. “I forgot to tell you?—”

“May the blessings of the gods shine upon—Ren! When the fuck did you get back?”

Croak grinned at the look of shock on his sister’s face a second before she bolted up from her chair and threw her arms around him. He laughed and caught her, stumbling a step.

“Happy to see you, too, sis,” he murmured into her neck. He grabbed hold of her ponytail and tugged.

Terena pulled back, her expression soft, her hazel eyes bright as she scoured his face. She put her hands to his cheeks and laughed. “When did you get here? Gods, I am so glad to see you!” She pulled him close for another fierce hug.

“Late last night,” he answered as Gabriol moved around him and clapped Terena on the back before taking a seat beside Rydon. “Luckily, Rydon was still up.”

“How’s Orry? Is he still sleeping?” Terena asked, finally letting go of Croak. She took her seat again once he’d taken the one next to her.

Croak glanced at Gabriol before dropping his gaze to the table. Terena frowned and was about to speak again when the innkeeper reappeared, two more mugs of steaming coffee in his hands he set on the table.

When Gabriol and Croak had finished ordering their breakfast, Terena looked pointedly at Croak.

“So?”

Croak twisted his lips and shifted his gaze back to her. “He’s gone ahead to Seleste,” he said at last. He lifted his coffee and before he took a sip, he muttered, “And then he’s heading north.”

“What?” Terena demanded, her mouth dropping open. “Alone? Why?—”

“We had some trouble in Villadelle,” Gabriol said, his face dark as he glanced over at Croak. He turned back to Terena. “Heylisian soldiers. We got caught up in a skirmish.”

“He’s fine,” Croak said, laying his hand on top of Terena’s when she looked like she might surge out of her seat. “He thought it might be better if he traveled alone with the shroud. No one’s going to be looking for a cleric traveling alone. I gave him the last of my orichalcum so he’ll be fine.”

Terena scowled at him and snatched her hand back, crossing her arms over her torso. “And you both let him?”

“It makes sense, Terena,” Rydon said with a sigh. “We’re bound to run into more soldiers. Now we have to head even further south, it’s best he’s gone with the shroud than traveling with us and possibly getting caught with it.”

“Wait, where are we going? Why south?” Croak asked.

Terena dropped her chin and Croak imagined the wheels turning in her head. After a silence in which Croak shared looks with both Rydon and Gabriol, Terena pushed her chair back and rose.

“Take a walk with me,” she said to Croak. He lifted his eyebrows but stood, following her out of the inn.

When they were well enough away from the inn, he caught up to her and nudged her with his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“I didn’t want to talk in front of the others,” she said, her eyes darting around. “There are things the oracle said I don’t want to say in front of Rydon and Gabriol. At least not yet. Rydon’s still not telling all when it comes to that northern king of his.”

Croak nodded. “Fair enough. What did the oracle say?”

They walked for a bit before Terena responded. “Something about someone’s death and two souls. A betrayal. The Heir of War rising and Athena’s Weapon being forged.”

“Sounds like she was drugged.”

Terena snorted. “Aye.”

“What else did the oracle tell you?”

“That I need to go to Sparta. King Altos has something of mine, although she conveniently forgot to mention what that was.”

“Fucking oracles,” he said with a shake of his head. “Always so vague.”

Terena couldn’t help but smile at his grumbling. “Yeah. They’re all the same.”

Her brother winked at her and threw his arm over her shoulders as they started walking once more .

“Think we’ll ever get to the north? I bet fifty silver we’ll find someone else telling us we have to do something else to get something else and then go see someone else who will guide us to something else. We’ll be old and grey before we ever set foot in Seleste at this rate.”

Terena laughed. “I get that sense as well. Hopefully, this northern king will have more answers for us. But first, another detour.”

“Well, what else would we be doing if we didn’t have this legendary quest to go on?”

She grunted.

“And,” he said, squeezing her shoulder, “how many people in this day and age can say they went on a hero’s quest looking for the Olympian gods? Just saying that gives me chills.”

Terena grinned up at him. “So, off to Sparta?”

“Off to Sparta! And if you’re lucky,” Croak wagged his eyebrows at her with a wicked grin of his own, “maybe you’ll see a certain dashing commander.”

Terena gasped and pulled back to hit him, but he anticipated her and jumped away, laughing.

As their laughter died down, she looked up at him with a hesitant smile.

“One more thing,” she said, her voice low.

Croak looked down at her, waiting.

“Sonah’s my sister.”