That means I’m down to one tunic and my leather pants, and they’re not even here. At least they’ll fit. Actually, they’ll probably fall off.
“I need to go to the agora when we get back. Not that I have any money.” I scowl at Griffin. “When is payday, anyway?”
He laughs and kisses me in front of everyone. I’m too weak to shove him away, and the second his lips touch mine, I forget to protest anyway.
“You deserve a raise. You all do. Now move!”
CHAPTER 27
Everyone flies into action. Griffin stays with me, coaxing me to drink water while I get dressed. Egeria’s clothes are too big for me and much softer than what I’m used to. Wearing them is like walking through a cloud.
Just when I’m starting to think it would be great to sit down again, Carver opens the door and pokes his head into the room. “Everything’s ready.”
Griffin watches me take two steps and then swings me into his arms.
“That’s not necessary,” I protest, ignoring the white spots streaking across my vision.
“I’m Beta Sinta,” he replies gruffly. “I’ll decide what’s necessary.”
I have an excellent comeback to that. I just don’t use it. Instead, I say, “Just wait until I have the strength to fight you again, Your High-Handedness.”
Griffin grins like he can’t wait. He juggles me in his arms to fit us through the narrow doorway and then carries me downstairs and across a shady courtyard, the floor entirely covered in colorful mosaics portraying the Olympians conquering the Titans in the War of Gods.
“Did you get Panotii for me?” I ask Carver.
He nods. “That horse is a legend. No one can understand how he got here over an hour before the army did. They were out of the castle five minutes after you.”
I blink at him in surprise. I was pouring the healer’s magic and then my own life force into Griffin for that long? No wonder I almost killed myself.
We cross under a domed archway and into a second courtyard that’s too big to be shaded. The sun hurts my eyes, and I turn into the shadow of Griffin’s neck, the heat hitting me like a wall.
Beta Team and Egeria are waiting by the horses. “Where’s Piers?” I ask, yawning.
“Heading the army,” Griffin says. “They’ll meet us at the west gate.”
Panotii sees me and nickers. I slip out of Griffin’s arms and go to my horse, stroking his neck. He nudges my chest with his velvety nose, nearly knocking me over.
“You’re a hero, you know.”
His enormous ears twitch. Of course he knows.
I try unsuccessfully to get my foot in the stirrup. Flynn offers me a leg up, but Griffin muscles him out of the way and lifts me up himself. Flynn grins in a way I don’t like at all, and he and Kato keep poking each other in the ribs, looking back and forth between Griffin and me.
I make a face. “How old are you? Five?”
Flynn pats my thigh, giving it a hearty squeeze despite Griffin’s dark look. “That’s the Cat we missed.”
Exchanging a look with Carver, the two of them then rummage around in Flynn’s bag. It’s Kato who hands me the flask they pull out.
“What’s this?” I unscrew the top and sniff suspiciously.
He refuses to answer, his cobalt eyes merry, so I make a show of being wary before putting the flask to my lips. The familiar taste that washes over my tongue fills me with delight. “Fisan clover water!”
Kato grins, nearly blinding me with his good looks. “Flynn, Carver, and I thought you’d like it.”
“I practically grew up on this stuff. My sister and I used to sneak into the kitchens and drink until our stomachs sloshed.”
Griffin glances at me. “Sister?”
“Where did you get this?” I ask, tilting my head back for a longer sip.
Kato takes the flask back when I hand it to him, closes it, and then tucks it into Panotii’s saddlebag. “Ios has a realms store. Fisan merchants arrived this morning with the clover water—and this.” He turns to the others, and Flynn pulls a necklace from a leather pouch, gingerly holding the chain between his thumb and forefinger.
My heart skips a beat. Or maybe three. Tiny, hammered gold laurel leaves climb the pendant, protecting it and attaching it to a gold chain. Inside is a shard of glacier from the Ice Plains, encased in a magic vial to keep it from melting. The ice swirls with myriad shades of blue and pulses with so much magic that it must have been harvested near Olympus. There are probably only a handful of people who can make it that far onto the Ice Plains and back.