“I will get them a map,” Antiope said with a nod and left.
Daphne brushed down a fold in her tunic. “I will fetch the salves and medication that Lia needs to take.” I thought I sensed a note of disdain in her voice for what Theano had dictated.
“Come with me,” Maia said to us. “We’ll stop by the kitchen to load you up with supplies, and I will help you pack.”
Although I couldn’t see her face, I would have sworn that Theano’s gaze was upon me.
If she hoped that this mission of hers would lead to our deaths, she was going to be bitterly disappointed.
Everything happened so quickly. Maia helped us gather enough food and water for the next couple of days. She also made us change out of our tunics into basic beige ones so that we wouldn’t draw attention to ourselves. Daphne came with my medication, giving instructions to Io on how to administer it. Antiope brought the map and showed us where the groundwater spring began that fed the aqueduct that led to our fountain.
As she’d mentioned earlier, it would only take us about a day to reach it and a day to return.
She also distributed weapons to each of us. “Stay off the roads,” she said. “They won’t be safe for you. And if someone is hunting for you, that’s the first place they’ll look.”
Her warning did nothing to ease the large boulder that had taken up residence against my chest. She seemed to think it was inevitable that something would happen to us and that worried me.
Especially because I was not in my best physical condition. I didn’t want Io to get in another fight. She still seemed traumatized from our last encounter. I’d caught her crying a few times over the last couple of days when she thought no one would notice. I didn’t know how to ease her pain or how to help her other than keeping her out of harm’s way.
I knew I could count on the rest of my adelphia if we got into a tough spot. I’d just make Io hide if we were attacked. Antiope and Maia walked us past the archway, into the street. It felt strange that they were allowing us to be here, outside of the temple, when all they’d done was tell us that we couldn’t leave.
Maia smiled at us, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Watch over each other. Stay safe. Promise me.”
“We promise,” Io said, but her voice was a little shaky.
“All will be well,” I told them both.
But our mentor didn’t seem to believe me. “You have seen how dangerous the world can be beyond these walls.”
I moved in closer so that only she would hear me. “I have seen how dangerous the world can bewithinthese walls. I will bring them back to you. I swear it.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly. She nodded and bade us farewell.
Zalira and Ahyana led the way. They were the most familiar with the city and navigated the labyrinth with ease. No one paid us very much attention. There were so many people out on the street, and since we weren’t in our temple colors, we didn’t attract notice. We blended in.
It didn’t take us long to exit the city to the south. I’d never been in this part of Ilion—the scenery was stunning. Trees and grass and bushes as far as the eye could see. An ocean of green.
It made me wonder if Locris had ever looked like this.
And if it ever would again.
“Let’s do what Antiope suggested and get off the road,” Zalira said. She headed into a nearby forest, and that was another brand-new experience for me. I’d been in groves of trees before, but those were orderly and planned. This was a riot of tree trunks and underbrush topped off by a canopy of leaves overhead. I could hear birds chirping and insects buzzing.
“I’ve never gone this far south,” Ahyana said, worry creeping into her voice. “What if we get lost?”
“The sun rises in the east and sets in the west,” I said. “As long as we can see the light, we’ll know what direction we’re headed.”
It was a false comfort—we all knew stories of people who had gotten lost, gone missing, never returned home.
“I know which way to go,” Zalira said. “Follow me.”
“Maia seemed upset,” Io observed to no one in particular.
“She did,” Ahyana agreed. “I think she’s worried that we’re going into some kind of trap.”
It echoed exactly what I had thought. “If we stay together, I think we’ll be all right.”
“If Maia thinks there might be a trap, that means it’s not safe for us to leave the temple or the city,” Io responded, ignoring my attempt to console her.
