“I’m willing to make an exception for you,” I said. Dolion must have told her. “I don’t have much patience for people who kill children.”
“I killed Ilionians.”
“Your sisters in the temple, who you vowed to protect. Maia.” My voice caught, and I had to stop speaking. I didn’t want to show any weakness to her.
“They were not my sisters. And I do not honor vows to a goddess I do not follow.” She let out a short bark of laughter, and the sound was cold and empty. “I am not interested in rehashing the past. I invited you here to discuss you and I settling this the way the ancients did. In single combat.”
This was what Demaratus had spoken about in the dream I’d had of him recently. Was that a sign that I should accept? “You and I fight and the war is over?”
“Yes. If you win, my army will return to Caria. If I win, Troas opens their gates and lets us in.”
This didn’t feel like it was my decision to make. I didn’t have the authority to speak for Troas.
But maybe I didn’t need to have that. Because with my god-weapon and my aspect, there was no way that I would lose to Artemisia.
“A fight to the death?” I asked.
She nodded. “Your goddess versus my god. Then we will see who is right and who is dead.”
“I’ll need to talk it over with my sisters.”
“We’ll meet here in an hour. If you are woman enough to show up.”
I turned my horse around and rode hard, hoping that it would make me a more difficult target.
But no arrow or spear was launched at me. I again took a circuitous route to return to my sisters.
“What did she want?” Io asked as I dismounted.
“She wants to fight me one-on-one. To the death. When I win, the army will leave. And I will take the eye of the goddess from her weapon.”
Ahyana shifted her weight from one foot to the other, like she was anxious. “What if you don’t win?”
“Then she thinks we’re going to open the gates of Troas to her. But I don’t have the authority to make that decision, so I don’t think it will be a problem to make that vow.” I didn’t lead Ilion the way that Artemisia now led the Carians.
“This seems like a terrible idea to me,” Zalira said.
“If I fight her and defeat her, then the army will leave and I will have the eye.” Which was why I had come to Ilion in the first place.
Zalira didn’t seem to think that would be true. “What if the person who takes over after she’s dead doesn’t honor her deal?”
“Yes,” Ahyana said. “What if that person is Dolion?”
That would be awful. “If that happens, we’ll deal with it when we get there.”
Io had Luna in her lap and was petting her. Luna’s gaze followed me as Io asked, “I thought you were trying not to kill people. To honor life as the goddess would want.”
It was the same thing Artemisia had just thrown in my face. And it was a little ironic coming from Io, who had taken quite a bloodthirsty turn recently. “I think killing one person to save hundreds of thousands is an acceptable price to pay. Besides, I was trying not to kill out of vengeance.”
“Which this would absolutely be,” Zalira pointed out. “You’ve wanted to take out Artemisia since the first time you met her.”
That might have been a fair point, but I was still going to do it. And not because of my personal hatred for her. But to save Locris and Ilion. To get the eye. If I could get this army to turn around ...
This was fated. I was supposed to fight her. I knew that as well as I knew anything else.
Artemisia had given me an hour, so I needed to head back. The route I had chosen was a long one.
I walked back to my horse and beckoned Suri over. She came with a disapproving look that I ignored. “If something goes wrong, you need to make them leave. Head straight back to Troas.”
