Journey Into Nyx Read Online Free Page A

spear-blade or whatever you call it. In my mind, it will always be my sword.”
    “You shouldn’t say that,” Daxos said. “Heliod claimed that weapon. You’re wielding it for him.”
    “And I’m trying to understand what that means!” Elspeth cried. “Does that mean that I can keep this world safe? Am I’m responsible for his people in his absence? Does that mean I’m not allowed to think for myself—like you?”
    She hadn’t actually meant to say the last sentence, but it came tumbling out. Daxos looked pained.
    “You don’t know what my life was like before the Silence,” he said.
    “Then tell me!” Elspeth said. “I want to know. But don’t try to indoctrinate me with lies.”
    “I’m not a liar,” Daxos said. He looked furious. She’d never seen him show any emotion at all except an occasional smile when she’d bested him on the training ground. His fury was so intense it felt like a tangible thing, and Elspeth inadvertently took a step back.
    “I didn’t say that …” Elspeth said
    “You expect Heliod to make your life perfect,” Daxossaid. “You’re selfish. You want comfort and peace—but just for yourself.”
    “That’s not true,” Elspeth said.
    “You just want a home where nothing can touch you,” Daxos said. “As long as you’re happy, you don’t care about others. What makes you think you’re so important? Why do
you
deserve a life without suffering?”
    “I want that for everyone, not just myself,” she said. His words hurt her physically. The one friend she’d made on this world, and he suddenly despised her. “I thought the gods made this world safe. But now they’re gone …”
    “They’re not gone!” he practically shouted. “This is like the eye of the storm. And I don’t have very long before the storm comes and …”
    He stopped. His body was trembling. Elspeth wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she stopped herself.
    “And what?” she asked.
    “And I’m dead,” he said. “A sphinx told me, Elspeth. He said: ‘At the feet of the untouched city. By the hand of someone I love.’ ”
    “What sphinx? What are you talking about?” Elspeth asked. She hated this moment. She wished the floor would open up so she could disappear. She wished she’d kept her mouth shut and that the two of them were sitting on the couches in the library reading yet another exploit of Heliod meddling in the mortal realm.
    “You’re destined to be a hero …” Daxos began. Elspeth didn’t want to hear any more of his half-truths, so she turned on her heel and walked away from him. As she stalked out of the complex and down to the beach alone, she wondered if she should leave Theros. But where would she go? She liked this placid, sun-kissed polis. It was the first place she felt safe since Bant.
    She sat alone on the shore listening to the gentle rush of the tide. By the time the sun was setting she wasn’t angryanymore. She just wanted to make things better with Daxos. They were supposed to meet in the morning to train, but instead she found the note under her door. She smoothed out the note and read it again: YOU ARE DESTINED TO BE THE HERO OF THEROS .
    And now it was the morning after the argument, and there was no sign of Daxos anywhere. As she tried to fight off the unexpected sense of loneliness, two priests approached along the corridor behind her. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone, so she moved behind a leafy trellis as they strolled by. Even without seeing their faces, she recognized the men’s voices. The younger man was called Stelanos, and he considered Daxos to be one of his friends. The elder priest was called Hew, a nickname from his days as a stonemason, before he left to serve Heliod.
    “He’s neglecting his duties,” the elder priest said. “Something must be done.”
    “I’ll talk to him,” Stelanos said. “I looked for him already, but there’s no sign he slept in his bed at all.”
    “But he never does sleep, isn’t