“I’ll do it,” she announced. She turned on her heel, not waiting to be dismissed, and headed for the training ground to find a bow. It didn’t matter if her head ached or her vision flickered. This would be the most important competition of her life, and she had no choice but to win.
33
Leawincedasshereached across the table for a jug of water. It was the night before the final day of the games, and she had been training with her bow and arrows nonstop for the last several days. Her arm ached from days of pulling back the bowstring.
Her headaches had increased in force and duration since she’d started training, as though her brain was protesting the intense focus needed for target practice. Kallias had left her the poppy, but she didn’t take any, fearing it would make her too groggy to perform.
Just one more day,she told herself. Then, she’d be free, and she’d never have to lift a bow or a sword again if she didn’t want to.
Jason, seated across from her at the table, pushed the water jug closer to her. “Are you sure about this?” he asked for what felt like the tenth time.
She cast him a weary glance. “By this time tomorrow, I could be free. I’d be a fool not to take that chance.”
“By this time tomorrow, you could also be somewhere far worse than here.” He leaned forward. “What would your medicus say about all this, I wonder?”
Lea knew exactly what Kallias would think. “He’s not here,” she said sharply. He was probably halfway to Greece by now. Inthis, she could only rely on herself. Not Kallias’s hazy promises of helping to secure her freedom months or years in the future.
At the thought of how far away Kallias might be and how she might never see him again, her appetite vanished. Her head was pounding. She wanted to be somewhere dark and quiet, somewhere without people questioning her decisions. “Excuse me,” she muttered, rising from the table. “I need to rest.”
Lea left the dining hall and crossed the short distance to the barracks building. Outside her door, Nyx waited, tail swishing, but she nudged him aside and slipped into her room. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the cat knocking all her belongings onto the floor, so she kept him outside.
As she closed the door behind her, a shadow moved near her bed. Her head whirled to catch the movement. A dark, cloaked figure loomed.
She sprang backward. Her chest of drawers was right next to the door, and her hand scrabbled for the closest object at hand. An unlit ceramic lamp, fist-sized and perfect for throwing. She drew back her arm.
“Lea,” the figure hissed just as she was about to let it fly. “It’s me!”
The lamp slipped from her fingers and tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, it landed on her rug, so didn’t shatter. “Kallias?”
She swooped down and retrieved the lamp, holding it defensively against her chest in case she should still need to use it.
The figure moved closer until she could make out his face in the shadows. “Yes. It’s me.”
Her eyes feasted on the sight of his face. It really was him. Here, in her room. “You’re—you’re supposed to be in Greece,” she said stupidly.
He frowned. “I never said I was going to Greece.”
“I-I thought…I assumed you would.”
“No.” He brushed his hands over her shoulders. “Lea, I never left the city. You think I could stand to be that far away from you?”
“Never left…the city?” She blinked at him. “But…they’re looking for you!”
“The biggest city in the world is an excellent place to disappear,” he said, with a superciliousness that both irked her and warmed her head to toe. Gently, he took the lamp from her hands, set it back atop her chest of drawers, and folded her into his arms.
She allowed herself only a moment to enjoy the bliss of his embrace before drawing back. “Whyare you here?” she demanded.
He tucked a curl of hair behind her ear, his face grave. “Because I heard people talking about the competition tomorrow. Lea, please tell me you’re not planning to compete.”
“I am,” she said.
He released her abruptly. “You can’t be serious.”
“It’s my best shot at freedom.”
“We’ve discussed this.” He grabbed her hands. “Every coin I earn is yours. But this—you risk too much! You’ll be trapped there just like I was.”
“You’ve said yourself how variable the emperor’s mind is. I wager the novelty of his female Praetorian will wear off in a month or two. It won’t be forever.” That, at least, was what she’dbeen telling herself to take the edge off the awful possibility of a second-place finish.
