Page 224 of A Vow of Embers

She let out a bored sigh. “I am done speaking to you.”

But I wasn’t done asking questions. “You will answer me, and then you will pay for your crimes.”

My words didn’t seem to affect her. “Out of everyone, I would think that you would be the one person who would understand what I’ve done.”

That surprised me but I tried not to show it. “What do you mean?”

“Your brother. Ilion is responsible for his death due to their excessive tariffs, correct? He was hoping to find an alternate trade route? Tariffs that I personally suggested to make certain that Locris would suffer for centuries. Tariffs that I made sure were increased year to year. The former queen of Ilion is particularly susceptible to suggestion, by the way.”

Which meant that Lysimache had also played a part in Haemon’s death. The anger bubbled and boiled in my veins, urging me to strike.

“You shouldn’t want to save Ilion,” she said. “Don’t you wish to avenge your brother’s death? Doesn’t it destroy your soul to know that the people responsible for his life ending do not suffer? Aren’t you burning up inside with the desire to make them all pay?”

There was a truth to what she said, and it bothered me. It hadn’t been too long ago that I had felt that way. Ready to burn this entire nation to the ground for what I had thought they’d done to Quynh, and what they had actually done to my people and my brother.

Destruction wasn’t the answer, though. I had seen enough of it today. It didn’t solve anything.

“You are coming with me,” I said, trying to keep the wobble out of my voice. “You will go to the palace and tell them what you’ve done.”

“No, I won’t be doing that.”

Despite the fact that I had my sword trained on her, she stood suddenly and tugged at her belt so that her tunic collapsed into a puddle at her feet.

She wore fitted, costly, custom metal armor underneath.

A set worthy of a princess of Ilion.

Lysimache drew her sword and I moved into my fighting stance. My heart raced as I realized that I knew nothing about my opponent. She could be goddess-blessed and I might be dead before I could even mount a defense. She was waiting here because she had intended to fight to the end like a true warrior.

She looked amused. “I have been training for a thousand years, little girl. How do you think you’ll defeat me?”

In my mind I saw the shattered bodies of Maia and her niece. Antiope clinging to life.

My fellow priestesses and acolytes lying dead and broken on the grounds of the temple.

I had to live. Not only for my loved ones—my family, my adelphia, Locris—but for the women of this place who had been cut down.

And for Xander. If anything happened to me, it would happen to him, and I wouldn’t allow that.

With his face in my mind, I attacked first, swinging my xiphos at her, and she met my blade immediately. She hadn’t been expecting my strength or my fury and I saw the surprise on her face. She had thought I would be weak, as I’d been living away from the temple.

Lysimache must not have known that Maia had been sending fountain water to us.

She pushed me clear of her but didn’t remark on my strength. I didn’t give her a chance to regroup and immediately attacked again. She was slower this time, almost permitting me past her defenses. I withdrew a dagger and feinted at her other side and she raised an armored wrist to block me from her face.

With her attention diverted, I slid my sword into the opening under her arm not covered by metal. I heard the shock in her voice as she called out in pain and stumbled back.

This was how I would defeat her. She overestimated her own abilities. She was rusty.

And I was fury itself.

“When did you last train?” I taunted her. “Watching and participating are not the same thing. How many hundreds of years has it been since you last picked up a weapon?”

“It will come back to me,” she said with a shake of her head. Blood spilled from where I had cut her.

“But not in time to save you,” I said and slashed my sword down at her. I was unrelenting, not permitting her the chance to catch her breath or to think about her next move. I forced her to do nothing but react, to do her best to keep me at bay. I was like a woman possessed. I had never fought this way before.

The words of all my battle masters filled my head. Demaratus, Antiope, even Xander. I couldn’t hesitate. I had to strike immediately and not allow her the chance to recall her skills.