“Aye, I’m fine,” she reassured them. “We went for a walk, not to slay any serpents.”
“Ha. Ha.” Croak said with thick sarcasm.
“I feel tired, though,” Terena said, although she was anything but. She was exhilarated, her smile wide enough to hurt. She caught Rydon’s eye and her smile slipped. “We should go back. You stay, if you want. Daris can walk me back.”
Rydon and Croak both vetoed that option, and they all turned to walk back to Melanos’s cave.
Terena took Croak’s proffered arm, listening as the others chatted around her. A million thoughts chased each other in her mind.
What did it mean that her vision—a memory—had been different? She should have asked Pytho more about?—
Pytho.
Terena stopped, the blood draining from her face.
“Pytho!”
Terena toldeveryone of the vision she’d had of Pytho, and her fear something had happened to the oracle. They’d all agreed to leave in the morning and talk to the king as soon as they had returned.
Standing near the cave entrance, Terena had tried to pull Melanos through the cave but it hadn’t worked. Whatever she needed to do to free the god, she either didn’t yet have the power or she needed something else to make it happen.
A thought had popped into her head. “Perhaps the oracle knows of a way to free you. On our way back north I’ll come back and try again.”
Melanos had looked at her with a frown and a shake of his head. She hadn’t the time to try to convince him of her word but she vowed she would return. Whether or not he chose to wasn’t something she had time to worry about.
The trip back to Sparta took the better part of a fortnight. Terena had not healed enough despite having another round of the disgusting drink from Rydon’s blood. A part of her had almost felt weird drinking it in front of Daris, so she’d snuck away for some privacy and taken the drink with her. While it helped her recover much of her strength, it still hadn’t healed her wounds as quickly as Melanos had claimed it should.
Something else she needed to ask Pytho about.
The late morning sun beat down on them when they finally made it to the city. The day promised to be beautiful, a cloudless sky with the sun bright, but with a bite in the air that spoke of autumn. As they crested a hill overlooking the city, Jason called out.
Below them, four soldiers on horseback thundered toward them and Terena shifted her eyes to Daris. He was frowning, looking not at the soldiers, but beyond. Terena followed his gaze to the city walls and squinted. She could see movement on the wall walks.
“What’s going on?” Croak asked.
Daris urged his horse on, and they all followed. The soldiers slowed when they neared. One man pulled off his helmet and bowed his head at Daris.
“Commander, one of our scouts caught sight of your return. The king is asking to see you at once.”
“What’s happened?” Daris asked as the others reined their horses a respectful distance away.
The soldier looked at the others and pursed his lips. He dismounted and a second later, Daris did the same. While they conferred, Terena shot a look at Rydon, who looked back at her, his mouth pinched.
Daris strode back to his horse and mounted. “Heylisia attacked from Elis,” he said. His face was tight, and Terena could see a muscle in his neck jump. He flicked a glance at her before he addressed his men. “They captured Messene and took the oracle.”
Everyone spoke at once. Or rather, shouted. Terena surged forward on Nyx, her hand clasping Daris’s forearm. He spared a glance at her, patting her hand with his before he roared for silence.
“Terena and I will go to the palace,” he said, then turned to Rydon. “I need you and your men to gather your things. We’ll meet you at the Champions Gate and then we ride for Messene.”
“Wait, what?” Terena demanded. She shook her head, casting a look at Rydon, then Croak before turning back to Daris. “No. No, I can’t do that. We can’t do that, Daris.”
“What are we even going to do in Messene,” Rydon asked, his arms wide. “Is the oracle even there still?”
“We’re wasting time,” Daris snapped. He turned his mount and Terena’s hand slid away. “You need to come with me, now, to the palace.”
There was no speaking to him after that. Daris spurred his stallion and his men followed, leaving Terena to gape at his retreating back. She swiveled her wide-eyed gaze to Rydon, her mouth slack.
“What the fuck?”
