Page 1 of A Tribute of Fire

CHAPTER ONE

I took the corner too sharply and nearly tripped over my own feet, slamming hard into the stone wall. Pain bloomed in my shoulder. I grit my teeth together and kept running, breathing hard, sweat pouring down my back and making my tunic cling to me.

“That way!” I heard a soldier call out behind me, and it gave me a burst of energy, propelling me forward even faster.

An arrow whizzed by my head, so close that it nearly nicked my ear. I gasped and fought the urge to freeze in place.

Stupid girl, remember that a moving target is nearly impossible to hit!My mentor’s words echoed inside my head, reminding me that I needed to keep low to the ground and run as fast as I could.

There was an unfamiliar whirling sound one moment, and then in the next, my legs were suddenly swept out from under me. I tumbled to the ground, my armor clanking. I hit the earth so hard that my breath was knocked from me.

I was dazed for only a moment and then I looked down. They had thrown a bola around my ankles. I pushed the heavy helmet from my head and reached down to tug the rope loose from my legs.

The men’s voices were getting closer.

With a silent groan I got to my feet and ran. I went left through the maze, then right. I had lost track of the course and didn’t know where I was. Fear flooded my system, making it even harder to think, harder to focus on a way of getting out of this alive.

A spear whooshed past me, piercing the hem of my tunic before it slammed into the ground, wobbling in place. I ran by it and turned left again.

A few more turns and I would reach the temple. Sanctuary.

My breathing turned even more ragged as I dug deep, willing myself to fly the rest of the way. My limbs burned, my lungs protested, but I had to keep going.

Another arrow. This one went wide but I still felt the rush of hot air as it cut through the open space beside me.

“We almost have her!” a man’s voice called out in triumph, and the panicky adrenaline coursing through me said he was right. Too close. They were too close.

I heard the sounds of swords being drawn from scabbards as the soldiers behind me closed the distance between us.

I came to a crossroads. Right or left? I couldn’t remember.

With no time to think it through, I chose right.

And after two more turns, I realized that I had made a fatal mistake. That path came to a dead end. There was only a stone wall ahead of me. I banged my fists against it in frustration.

I was trapped.

A dozen soldiers crowded together behind me, their weapons pointed my way. I pulled out my dagger but knew that I wouldn’t be able to fight my way clear. Maybe if there had been only a few I might have had a chance.

“You are caught,” the man in front announced with delight.

“Not yet,” I hissed back.

He stepped forward with his own dagger drawn and I grabbed his wrist, turning it so that he dropped the weapon. I elbowed him hard in the face and pushed him into the man behind him.

Someone lunged at me on my right, and I sidestepped the swing of his staff and used his momentum to shove him off-balance.

Arms went around me, grabbing me hard about my waist and lifting me. To the soldier’s surprise, I went completely limp and fell to theground. It was the worst possible defensive position to be in, but I’d had no choice. I grabbed the back of the attacker’s knee to propel him forward so that he tripped over me, and I kicked out at the two closest men, clearing a spot to leap to my feet.

I got back into a defensive crouch, holding my weapon out. My pursuers spread out in a line and my stomach sank. I knew it was over.

My only hope had been to fight them one at a time.

As I feared, they attacked all together and I had a dozen sets of hands on me, pulling me down. I struggled against them, pushing and kicking, but it was no use.

Demaratus was already yelling as he shoved his way through the crowd. “Stupid girl! What did I tell you? Never, ever allow yourself to be cornered. And you never let yourself get flanked that way!”

The regiment released me and I huffed out, “I know.” When my mentor was in this mood, which was essentially all the time, I was better served by being meek and agreeable. Arguing only made him worse.

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