He pulled back and tossed a small brown sack at my feet, the ends tied together with string. It fell with a heavy thunk, and sand rustled inside.
No, not sand.
The scent wafting from it…it was the unforgettable scent of salt air and rose-laced perfume, mixed with the distinct aroma of petrichor and mist. The way Troy smelled just after a snowstorm. The way my mother always smelled.
My stomach tightened as I stared down at it. No, that was impossible. It couldn’t be. There were few things in this world that were permanent. Few things I could count on. One of those had always been my mother. Regardless of how intently she’d prepared me for leadership, I knew I’d never need those lessons. Not when she’d be the High Queen of Troy until the end of all days.
She was immortal. One of the few left in this brutal world.Nothingcould kill her.
I pointed a shaking finger at the sack. “I don’t know what kind of trick you’re trying to pull here, but—”
“It’s not a trick. When Zeus discovered Theia was plotting against him, he found a way to make wooden stakes fatal to her—and to you. And since she came into his city uninvited, he felt the need to protect his people from someone who clearly meant them harm.” He drew his sword and pressed the wooden tip against my cheek. “He told me to let you go as long as you swear you aren’t involved.”
My chest burned, and the corners of my vision bled black. And as my lungs struggled to grasp air, Ares shoved his sword harder against my cheek.
“Are you going to swear it?” he murmured in a low, dangerous voice.
The world blurred before me. “You’re lying.”
“I assure you I’m not lying. Zeus killed your mother. And if you’re involved in this, I’m to kill you, too.”
“Involved inwhat?!” I shouted the words. Suddenly spinning away from him, I leapt onto the rocky ledge to put some distance between us.
If my heart wasn’t torn into a million pieces, I would relish the shock on his face. He hadn’t expected me to move so quickly, hadn’t expected me to get away from him at all. But besting him didn’t matter—not when my blood was roaring in my veins and pain shuddered through every inch of me.
My mother was dead.
She wasdead.
I wanted to rip apart this entire city, then scream at the stars.
“She was plotting against the Olympians. You didn’t know about it?” Gone was the vicious edge to his tone. He seemed genuinely curious.
“She wasn’t plotting anything.” I yanked a wooden dagger from where I’d hidden it beneath my cloak and angled it his way. “I will kill you for this.”
His brow rose. “And break the peace treaty, Selene?”
“Thetreaty?” I asked, my voice cracking despite my every attempt to keep a tight lock on my emotions. All my mother’s words echoed in my ears. All her training, all her prepping. I was to stay calm in every situation, no matter how tough, no matter how dire, and no matter how terribly I wanted to crumble into a million pieces and become one with the ground.
But this—this was something I’d never imagined possible.
How was I supposed to keep it together when the most important person in my world wasgone?
Ares reached into his cloak as if he planned to grab another weapon. Before he could draw it, I dove toward the sack between us. My fingers closed around the cloth, and I pulled it toward me. Before I could dash away again, Ares gripped the front of my cloak and hauled me to my feet.
His other hand held his sword against my chest.
I gulped in a breath, the world slowing around us. His eyes went hard, and he began toshove,but—he stopped short, hesitating, a strange expression momentarily crossing his face.
Clenching my teeth, I slammed my boot into his stomach. He grunted, stumbling away. Before he could react, I swung my leg and kicked him in the face, hard enough that the bone in his jaw crunched.
Ares fell to his knees. I angled my dagger, readying myself to make my first kill, but an explosion of distant shouts stopped me short. I lifted my gaze, scanning the city wall. The guards had spotted the fight, and a group of armored vampires were rushing this way, swords raised, bows nocked with wood-tipped arrows.
I looked back at my enemy, on his knees and rubbing his jaw. He’d heal soon and those guards would surround me. I was strong enough to take on a couple of them, but not all.
So I shoved down my thirst for vengeance and spat in the dirt just in front of Ares. “One day, I will make you pay for this.”
And then I ran, clutching my mother’s ashes to my heart.
