Page 227 of A Vow of Embers

“We should start gathering the bodies,” Zalira said.

Ahyana nodded. “Where should we bury them?”

“Near the flower garden,” Io whispered. “That’s where they can be closest to the goddess.”

We began the awful work of gathering our sisters. Io cried silent tears the entire time. I had to stop thinking of how I knew them. The woman who had congratulated me after I beat Zalira in a sparring match. The acolyte who had held the door open for me when I was running late. The healer who had helped Daphne patch me up after I’d nearly been killed by assassins. The priestess who had offered me the last pear from her plate when I’d gone back for seconds and the kitchen had run out.

I had focused so much on how I’d felt like an outcast and as if I didn’t belong, only paying attention to those who had been mean or harmful to me, and had discounted all the small kindnesses that had been extended to me. I regretted that I hadn’t paid closer attention to them.

It took hours to bring everyone over to the garden. Suri had found a half dozen shovels, and we began to dig. It was grueling, backbreaking work that wasn’t made any easier by the sun beating down on us.

As if the sun god wanted to punish us further.

When night fell, I told Io to get some sleep since she looked like she was about to collapse.

“I don’t want to go alone,” she said.

Zalira and Ahyana seemed every bit as exhausted, so I asked if they would go with Io. They both looked relieved, and the three of them headed off to our old bedroom.

Leaving just Suri and me to dig.

Xander had been right. We’d been at this for so long and we hadn’t made much of a dent. After a couple of hours, Suri turned to me and waved me off with her hand. Then she put her hands together and rested them under her face, telling me to go to bed.

“I don’t want to leave you here alone.” I had never seen a shade, but if there was ever a time that one might haunt the earth, it was this night.

She frowned at me and made the same gestures again. I got the sense that she wanted to be alone.

“Are you sure?”

Yes.

“Then I’ll see you in the morning.”

I didn’t know how much headway Suri could make by herself but my body desperately needed to rest. It was difficult to put one foot in front of the other. I was exhausted from everything that had happened over the last two days. I had managed to sleep fitfully on the way back from Lycia but it hadn’t helped much.

When I reached our room, I tried to dismiss all the feelings and memories that were brought up by being back here.

I let out a groan as I lay down.

“Lia?”

I sat up. “What is it, Io?”

“Whoever did this must be stopped.”

“That’s what we will do,” I said as I lay down again. “We’ll catch them and lock them up.”

Now Io was the one sitting up. “People escape being locked up. They must be put down like you would a rabid dog.”

This didn’t sound like her. She considered all life to be precious. I knew that she was the kind of person who would capture a spider to release it outside instead of squishing it.

“Do you realize what you’re saying?” I asked, feeling alarmed.

“I do. This can’t ever happen again. These women were so good. Innocent. Caring. Devoted. They didn’t deserve this.”

I had just kept myself from taking Lysimache’s life because I didn’t want to become like her, or let anger and vengeance rule my life. Was Io doing the same thing? Did I have to worry about her? I didn’t know what to think.

Or how to help her through this.