“Xander mentioned something about her being able to protect Quynh.”
“She’s supposed to take over as chieftain of our clan after my mother dies, and I’ve never seen her lose a fight. You would like her.”
I suspected that I might. I thanked him again and then Io and I went upstairs.
We greeted Stephanos, who stood outside the room. I knew that Xander wanted his phratry to help him gather in citizens outside Troas’s walls, and I appreciated the fact that they were here, watching over Lysimache.
Your husband did that for you,that voice inside me whispered. I ignored it while Stephanos had me give him my weapons; Io wasn’t carrying any. I made a mental note to tell her to start wearing some. We all needed to be prepared.
“Just a precaution,” he said as I handed over my knives and sword.
He couldn’t have thought that I would kill her. I was the one trying to keep her alive. Or perhaps they wanted to make sure that Lysimache couldn’t steal a weapon from one of us.
Stephanos opened the door and ushered us into the room.
Lysimache had removed her armor and was bandaged in several different places. They had brought a healer for her, and while I wouldhave enjoyed the idea of her suffering, I was glad she wouldn’t bleed out anytime soon.
The room was minimal—she had a bed and a table and a chair. A tray of uneaten food sat on the table and she was seated in front of it. I noticed that she hadn’t been given any utensils.
“If it isn’t the traitor and her little mouse,” Lysimache said with a sneer.
Stephanos stood in the doorway and said, “That is Princess Thalia and Princess Iolanthe to you and you will treat them with respect.”
Her eyebrows lifted and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. “You hid that very well, didn’t you, Io? I suppose that makes us family.”
“You aren’t the first person in my family who deserves to die,” she snapped back, and this served to only amuse the high priestess.
“The little mouse has grown fangs!”
I heard Stephanos muttering something, so I quickly turned around. “We can handle this. Would you wait downstairs? I’ll call if I need you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. We’ll be fine.” I wasn’t at all worried about my ability to subdue Lysimache if need be.
I was, however, a bit concerned about possibly having to restrain Io.
“Don’t worry, Io,” Lysimache said after Stephanos had shut the door. “My end is coming soon.”
“Yes, I heard you haven’t been eating and drinking,” I said. “That seems like a pathetic way to die.”
The smile slid off her face. “If you wanted to give me a sword, I’d be happy to go out fighting.”
“With as weak as you are right now? That would be a short and boring fight.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “What is it that you want?”
“Answers,” I said.
“And you think that I’ll give them to you?”
“I do. What good is it doing all this plotting and planning if you don’t get to tell anyone the details?” I asked. I glanced over at Io. She was vibrating with anger. I took a step to the left to adjust my position so that I was between the two women. Just in case.
Lysimache nodded. “Yes, you should know how you made those plans possible.”
She was trying to goad me into anger but I wasn’t going to let her do it. “How did you curse Locris?”
“I told you that already. I used the eye of the goddess.”
