Page 43 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

My stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”

“We caught someone on the grounds during the Choosing. A vampire. He didn’t come into the temple, so we didn’t report it. Most everyone thought he was hoping to find someone who strayed for him to feed on, but I didn’t agree. I was outnumbered,” Daphne said.

“What do you think he was doing?” Cora asked.

“I think he was searching for something. Perhaps whatever it is you are looking for.” The priestess gestured toward the entrance. “Perhaps we should speak outside, where it’s less crowded.”

I noticed that all the acolytes were now standing around and watching us. As soon as they saw me watching, they scrambled away, quickly pretending to work on other tasks.

Our group followed the priestess out of the naos and down the steps to the large garden outside the temple. There were no acolytes out here, only carefully manicured cypress trees and colorful flower beds. Large vats of oil burned on either side of the entrance, the heat making me feel a little nauseous.

I moved away from them, finding a shady place near a grove of trees. The others followed.

“Tell us what you think he was looking for,” I said.

Daphne seemed nervous, her eyes darting from side to side as she spoke, “The previous priestess told me there were times when suspicious individuals came and wandered the grounds. Sometimes they vanished as soonas anyone spoke to them. She suspected they weren’t human.”

“But you didn’t find out what they were after?” Laera asked.

She shook her head.

“So how are we supposed to find it?” Cora asked.

“I think it’s going to be up to me and Laera,” Sophia said. “In the caves, I could feel magic.”

“Magic?” Daphne whispered.

“An ancient shield of some kind, we hope,” Lagina said. “Something that might help us keep Athos safe.”

“It would be old. Something dating back to the first Athonians,” Cora said.

Daphne’s eyes widened. “I think there’s something you should see.”

She led us back into the temple, shooing away the curious acolytes with a wave of her hands and a stern look that would have made my mother proud. My chest tightened. I didn’t let myself think of my mother often and I still hadn’t had a chance to mourn her.

I mouthed a few words asking for my mother’s peace as we passed the statue of Athena. I think the goddess would have liked my mother.

The back of the statue was just as polished and gleaming as the front, but it was difficult to see the details with the limited light. The way it was set up made it obvious that nobody came behind the statue. The acolytes and few who were permitted near it must only view it from the front.

Daphne took a torch from the wall and lit a smaller vat of oil that was sitting near the feet of the goddess.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Laera said.

I followed the princess’s line of sight to a break in the marble at the base of the statue. “It’s a trapdoor.”

“What’s down there?” Sophia asked.

“We were warned to never open it,” Daphne admitted.

“Great. We get to crawl into some dusty, spider-infested hole where we’ll probably be eaten by some monster,” Cora said.

“You really think there’s a monster down there?” Daphne asked, her voice tight.

“Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me,” Laera said.

“I hate monsters,” Sophia murmured.

I glanced over at my sister, knowing she’d seen and done things that I never would have dreamed her capable of since discovering her true identity. I didn’t want her to put herself in any more harm’s way.

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