Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

T he journey to Elis, where the waterfall Melanos had told them to find, was much quicker than Terena had expected. They’d rested in Thuria for the night before riding off at dawn, heading northwest from Ibros and crossed into Elis by nightfall.

The Liodari had understandably been suspicious when Terena shared the story of their meeting with the god Melanos, but they’d followed her the next morning without protest. Daris opined more than once that traveling to Elis was not safe. He’d peppered her with questions about the god and what had transpired in the cave.

“Listen,” she said at one point, annoyed with all his questions, “if we survive meeting this serpent, you’ll see him yourself.”

Melanos had told them the falls were about an hour’s ride beyond the southern border, so they made camp near a small stream once they’d crossed the border, leaving the Greek road and traveling on a worn, rough path where the horses could only ride in single file.

The food was plentiful, as Melanos had conjured three sacks full of provisions for them before they left his cave. Croak sat on his bedroll, digging through one sack and pulled out apples and grapes, and a wheel of cheese he kept for himself despite protests from Gabriol, who had tried more than once to snatch it from Croak’s lap. The other two sacks were similarly investigated. Gabriol, the more judicious traveling companion, gave the provisions he revealed to Michael, who passed them along to Jason and Daris.

Terena slapped Croak on the back of his head and while he yelped, she passed the wheel of cheese to Rydon. When he was still rubbing at the hurt, Terena grabbed the loaf of bread peeking out from the bag and split it evenly amongst their group.

While they enjoyed their food, Croak pestered Daris and his men with questions about Sparta, about how he’d become the Commander of the Liodari. Terena tried hard not to seem overly interested, although she did lean in closer, cocking her head so she could hear better across the low crackle of the fire.

“When I was twenty, the Commander of the Liodari took an interest in me. Spartan boys train from an early age to be soldiers, but Liodari are the best of those soldiers. Only those who have distinguished themselves in battle ever receive an invitation to join. Because I had not, they tested me against Magi.”

“What?” Croak scoffed and flicked a hand at Terena. “We fought Magi! We beat them too! Make us Liodari, Daris.”

The others laughed and Terena dropped her chin as she grinned.

When she looked up at Daris, he looked bemused. “When did you fight Magi?”

Croak blew through his lips. “Seems forever ago now. Back in Agraboda.”

Terena glared daggers at him. His smile faded when he saw it.

He ducked his head.

She could feel the heat of Daris’s stare. Her face burned from it.

Terena schooled her face and turned to him. “Long time ago.”

Daris continued to stare at her. He turned his head when Jason leaned over and said something to him. She watched as he nodded before turning to gaze out at the fire.

“What happened next?” Croak asked.

Daris looked over at him, startled. His expression turned thoughtful. “Our commander fell after a small incursion from the Ibrosians five years ago and I succeeded him. ”

“The youngest commander in Liodari’s history,” Michael said with pride.

“I feel like you skipped a lot,” Croak said, his eyebrow lifted. “That battle you speak of? Even in Heylisia we’d heard the Ibrosians had you cornered when you went to retrieve your commander’s body. You slew twelve men before more Liodari could get to you. Or that a bear once attacked you when scouting near the Gulf of Heroes. That’s how you got the scars along your left ear, aye?”

Daris shrugged. “We are a warrior society,” he said in a low voice. “We do not boast of our deeds. We make ourselves ready for the next ones.”

Terena couldn’t help the smile spreading on her face. She ducked her head as Rydon nudged her with his knee.

“Something amuses you,” Jason bit out.

Terena shook her head once. “Not at all.” She looked up with a quick glance at Daris. “I’ve not known you long, but that is… that’s exactly what I’d expect you to say.”

Daris watched her across the dying fire, his eyes sparkling in the flickering light. She kept his stare a moment longer before she shifted.

“Why do they call you Athena’s Weapon?” she asked, her lips twisting when his face shuttered, his eyes narrowing for a split second before he dropped his gaze to the fire.

“He’s the hero of Sparta,” Jason said defiantly. “It stands to reason he’d be the hero that was promised to help the Heir of Ares upon his return.”

Terena’s pulse quickened. She glanced between Jason and Daris, noting Daris was frowning at Jason. She saw the quick shake of his head.

“Heir of Ares, huh?” Croak said with a sly grin and she snapped her eyes to him. He winked back at her. “You think he needs help from a mortal?”

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but Daris tilted his head again and Jason quickly shut his mouth.

Croak wasn’t deterred. “Maybe he already has Athena’s Weapon.”

“Croak,” Terena said in a low voice .

“What?” he shrugged, then held out a hand to Daris. “No offense, Daris. You could definitely be someone’s weapon, obviously. But… how would you even know the Heir? What if the Heir was sitting?—”

“That’s enough,” Rydon said.

Croak looked over at him and shrugged.

“We’ve had a long day,” Terena said into the silence. “I’m to bed. I wish you all a pleasant sleep.”

With that, she turned on her side, her back to the fire as she pulled the edges of her cloak tighter around her and closed her eyes with a deep sigh.

“I’ll take first watch with Michael,” Daris said in answer, and Terena heard the others mutter their assent as they bedded down.

Croak bent over Terena’s hip and whispered loudly, “Are you sure you don’t want to switch places and take the watch with the handsome commander?”

Her only response was to jerk her elbow back sharply, a satisfied smile on her face at Croak’s yowl of pain.

Terena bolted upright, thrashing against something heavy, her chest heaving with fear so potent she lashed out wildly.

“Stop! It’s me! Stop—Ren!”

Her blood roared in her head, her ears rang with it, dissipating enough she heard Croak’s words, heard him hissing at her to stop. Her eyes focused finally and she saw his face, tight with concern and pain. He exhaled, his breath heating her face.

“Gods,” Terena said, her voice hoarse. “Your breath is rancid.”

A scoff sounded behind her as Croak’s mouth tilted up in a smirk. “I’ll breathe on you again if you don’t stop fucking hitting me.”

Terena held onto his forearms, her grip easing as embarrassment washed over her. She glanced around and saw the others watching her with varying degrees of concern and wariness. Terena sat up.

“The prince again?” Croak whispered so only Terena could hear .

She nodded.

Croak pulled back and kissed Terena’s forehead before he stood. “All better now,” he called out and winked at Terena. He groaned as he rose, his knees cracking. “Yikes. I’m too old for this. Promise us a soft bed tomorrow, Daris.”

Daris and the others seemed inclined to ask about the nightmare that had Terena thrashing so violently, but they remained silent and took their cue from the others as they went about the business of breaking camp.

Rydon and Gabriol strode to their horses, hoisting their saddlebags in place. Croak muttered about visiting Gaia for his morning prayers—which was Croak for taking a piss—while Terena gathered her bedroll, shaking out her cloak and tossing it over her shoulders.

They reached the falls a short while later. From there, they had to search for the caves beneath the falls Melanos had mentioned, so they dismounted to search. They looked for ten minutes near the base of the falls. Croak and Gabriol stayed with the horses while the rest wound their way up to the top of the falls.

As they walked further on, their group separated. Daris and his men were a hundred feet ahead of where Rydon and Terena walked. Somewhere in that area was an entrance to the cave system where they would find Bethana, the serpent.

The water ran swift, rapids dragging the rocks beneath, pulling along tree branches and other debris from the banks on either side. Terena crouched, setting her bow down, and cupped her hand in the cold water. As she drank, she looked around and spotted Rydon meandering further north, keeping close to the edge.

They were a few hundred feet from the drop to the falls when the first arrow landed near Rydon.

Terena snapped up, turning toward where the shot came from. Rydon ran to her, his sword out. Another arrow whizzed at her back and Terena spun, eyes wide, when she saw the riders on the opposite bank, arrows trained on her. She pulled off her bow and reached for an arrow as Rydon yelled out.

“Rivermen!”

They were on either side of the river, the ones on their side charging straight at them. Terena nocked an arrow and let it fly, her left hand snatching up the next arrow and nocking it as Rydon shot past, engaging two men behind her.

Terena heard more yelling from her right as she turned to shoot at the men on the other bank. Daris and his men thundered toward them, their swords lifted as they engaged more attackers at her back.

She had just fired another arrow across the river when a jolt of pain on her left thigh made her stumble forward. Terena cursed, her right hand shooting out to stop her momentum, but she slipped on the riverbank and fell in.

The rapids grabbed hold of her and sucked her under. She fought to emerge, arms digging against the current. As the rapids dragged her down again, Terena opened her mouth in a panic and swallowed water. She flailed her arms, her chest tight and throat burning. Pushing against the water, the rapids pulled at her, taking her further away.

The river roared around her whenever her head emerged, and she gasped for air. Terena swung her arms some more and was able to keep her head about the water for a few precious seconds. Turning her head, she took several deep breaths as she hurtled toward a large rock near the center of the river. Her eyes darted around, landing on a thick tree branch clinging to the side of the river.

She thrust her legs down and for a second had enough momentum to push toward the branch as she rushed past. Grabbing it, she pulled herself up enough to keep her head above water. Terena coughed, retching up water and air as she clung to the branch.

Shouts sounded, and she turned her head. Rydon and Daris raced toward her.

The tree snapped, and she screamed when the rapids whipped her away, pulling her toward the falls. Terena yelped and tightened her hold on the branch, hugging it as she tried to lift herself atop it.

The branch collided with another rock, allowing her enough time to twist her leg and hoist herself up. It turned and the rapids carried her along once more.

Terena looked up when she heard Daris shouting at her. Looking around, her terrified gaze landing with surprise on Daris and the others, now in the middle of a wood bridge she was careening toward. She had a second to register Daris hanging over the bridge, with the others holding him as he extended an arm down.

Terena’s heart jumped to her throat.

She lifted her right hand, screaming as pain shot up her leg when the branch hit another rock. It snagged and caught, but Terena was now on the other side of Daris. She looked up again and saw he’d scrambled to the other side, so close now she whimpered, trying to pull herself up.

“REACH!” he screamed at her, his hand shaking.

Terena inched her hip up higher on the branch, crying out against the pain in her thigh and gritted her teeth. She reached up again, her fingers glancing off of Daris’s when she heard a crack.

Her eyes widened, glued to his when she realized what was happening.

A primal scream ripped through her as Terena jerked violently. The roar of the falls drowned out all sound as she fell.