A black shape darted through the grass, scaring me half to death before I realized it was Whisper. The hound happily greeted his master, who shooed him off.
“Take us to Eleos, boy.”
Turning around, Whisper led us back to the temple road where our horses were tied up under the shade of an enormous tree. Athena raised her head and shook her white mane when she saw me, tail swishing.
Eleos was untying the horses, oblivious to our presence until we were upon him. “Lady Aethra!” He said, voice strained with worry. “Are you alright? When you weren’t in your room. . .”
A flood of emotions rushed through me at the sight of him. Curiosity, concern, relief.Fear. But mostly, I heard two words echo in the back of my mind.
‘I’m not.’
“Cover your face,” Seth ordered. “You can’t be seen.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not one of the kidnappers.” Seth pulled me off his shoulder and boosted me onto Athena’s back.
Eleos looked between us, nodding. Maybe he’d read my mind. Grabbing a spare cloak from his saddlebag, he covered his clergy colors and lowered the cowl around his face.
The trees near the garden rustled as Percy burst through. He sprinted to Seth’s side and doubled over to catch his breath. “My spell worked a little too well.”
“Good.” Seth turned toward the Temple doors. With a heavy scrape, they opened, and knights in blue surcoats flooded out. “Sorry, princess,” he said.
Mounting behind me, Seth twisted my arms behind my back and pushed me down, making it look—and feel—more like he’d slung me roughly over the saddle, rather than daintily helped me up.
Gritting my teeth, I stared behind us, watching the flood of knights scramble to grab their own mounts and give chase. A few drew their bows and aimed for our heads.
Athena reared as an arrow landed in the dirt at her feet.
“Where’s Seraphim?” Eleos asked.
“Stealing the stone,” Seth said, turning Athena toward the gates.
“Wait!” I gasped. “We can’t leave without her!”
Fire sparked in the distance, traveling up a tree rising behind the temple. Another roared to life beside it, glowing orange against the night. Sparks flew through the air, scattering like rain over the temple.
A few knights twisted to look at the fire. Their armor glowed red beneath the living flame that ascended the heavens before sharply descending upon them.
Great wings of blood and fire cleaved through the black of night and slammed into the temple road in a great conflagration. Seraphim rose from the embers, the wings retracting into her back before crumbling into ash. Spinning on her heel, she darted toward her horse.
I lost sight of her as Seth urged Athena into a gallop. We flew through the gates, the sound of pursuit hot on our heels. Bells rang urgently through the Temple yard, fading into the distance as we rushed through dark streets.
Seth released me and helped me sit up. Wrapping my arms around Athena’s neck, I turned to see Percy racing alongside us, mounted on the little red mare.
“What’s going on?” He shouted. “This was supposed to be asimpleescape.”
“Our luck’s never simple,” I said. “Seraphim’s kidnapping me and the stone. The temple is chasing us down.”
“What?” Percy gaped. “Why?”
“I cut a deal with the Grand Cleric.” I hesitantly glanced back at Eleos. “The world would collapse into chaos if they believed I was real, and the end was nigh. I offered a solution to help us both—heretical thieves, stealing the stone.”
“Oh.” Percy blinked. “You know who they’re going to send to kill us, right? They’re going to sendmy father.”
“Who they send doesn’t matter. If we outpace them to Cynthus, we’ll cross the river to Duath Nun, and the chase will end.”
“It’s a good plan,” Eleos agreed. “Assuming we don’t get caught in Cynthus.”
