Page 59 of A Tribute of Fire

Forcing myself to get up, I shook off a wave of dizziness. There had been little possibility of her missing and accidentally stabbing me, given how massive her target would have been. “I appreciate your consideration.”

She gave me a small smile and we gathered all our things before heading back into the maze.

My body felt shaky, my throat ached.

But my senses were not entirely dulled, and I heard the sound of a spear cutting through the air. I dived at Quynh, knocking her down to the ground as the spear flew past.

I immediately helped her back up and we continued running.

“That spear almost—” she said.

“I know,” I interrupted her. “Don’t talk. Save your breath. Keep moving.”

We continued west, heading for those rooftops I had seen. We were fortunate that, other than our first encounter, no one had attacked us in a group. That we’d only been dealing with one man at a time. I was concerned that was going to change.

That while there were some hunters who wanted to get the glory solely for themselves, the rest would figure out that they’d be better served to hunt us in packs, like wild animals.

“Lia!” Quynh called, and I turned, my xiphos up, ready to defend her.

“I have to rest,” she said. “I’m sorry. I know we can’t stop, but I have to drink something.”

The sun was past its apex in the sky and had started its slow descent down. It would be hours until nighttime. We would have had a better chance to stop and recuperate under the cover of darkness. I wanted to keep going, but she deserved a break for how well she’d been keeping up with me.

If anyone came down this passage, they would instantly spot us. There was no good place to hide. And someone had already thrown a spear at us; there was no question we were still being pursued.

I handed Quynh my pack, and she found the waterskin. She took a long, deep drink. “Not too much,” I warned her. “Your stomach will cramp up.”

She nodded and handed it to me. I had just gotten a mouthful when I sensed someone behind me and immediately ducked down and pivoted, moving my body away. The tip of his blade kissed my cheek. I lashed out, bringing my sword up, deflecting his motion while knocking his weapon loose.

How many times would someone be able to sneak up on me? My concern for Quynh was distracting me. My attacker reached for my tunic and got a fistful of cloth at the shoulder. He raised his right hand, intending to punch me. I turned my face at the last second so that his fist met my hairline above my forehead, and although the shock of the impact rang through me, he had it worse.

He yelped, a high-pitched noise, as I heard the bones in his hand break from hitting the toughest part of my head instead of my cheek. It was another maneuver I’d only ever actually practiced—I hadn’t realized that it would work so well.

“Go!” I shouted to Quynh. She began to run while I turned to finish with this man. He picked up his fallen sword in what was obviously his nondominant hand, and I was easily able to parry his thrust while running my own blade up the inside of his arm, spilling his blood into the dirt.

Considering him sufficiently dealt with, I grabbed all my things and raced after my sister. She had come to a crossroads.

“Left!” I shouted to her. I caught up and went to take the lead.

Which turned out to be a good thing as a tall man stood in our way. He held a broadsword and a massive shield and filled the entire path, making it impossible for us to pass.

Grabbing one of my knives from my belt and holding my xiphos aloft, I barreled straight toward him. He lifted his shield up, expecting me to slam into him, widening his stance as he braced for impact.

Which was exactly what I’d wanted him to do.

At the last moment I slid along the ground between his legs and sliced at the backs of his tendons as I went past.

He roared with pain and went down.

I got up and looked for Quynh, but she was already racing past me. When I caught up to her, she said, “Your leg!”

I glanced down. My outer thigh was shredded, streaks of red showing underneath the dirt. “I don’t even feel it!”

It was true. Just as Demaratus had taught me, I was beyond pain.

We continued to run hard until we came to a crossroads where there were three different paths. “Wait,” I told her.

I knew we were being followed, but we couldn’t keep running and hoping we’d accidentally trip across the temple. I tried to get my bearings. The sun was going to the west, which meant the palace was directlynorth of us. I looked up at the walls and realized for the first time that there was faded paint along the edges.

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