Astarte's Wrath by Trisha Wolfe

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    What would it mean if I were freed? Would the queen accept me as his choice? Hardly. Would Egypt accept a former Kythan slave as the future queen to Xarion? No. He would have to sacrifice not only his crown, but his entire life—everything. He admitted as much, but does he really understand the cost? I would no longer be subject to the punishment of death, but we’d surely have to leave Alexandria. Maybe even Egypt.
    And how could he keep my unbinding away from the Kythan? Once freed, surely every Kythan would revolt and demand to be freed. Xarion’s words of sacrifice haunt me. I touch the gold-leafed cabin pole, my fingers tracing the curved ankh. It’s just not his or my sacrifice. We’d sacrifice tradition and all of Egypt to be together. It would incite a rebellion.
    Does he truly feel I’m worth that? I don’t know if it’s the most selfish thing I’ve ever heard or the bravest—to stand against everything and everyone to chance a life together.
    I can’t deny that the thought of his lips on mine, his hands caressing me passionately, his words of longing whispered in my ear drives me mad. I crave him like my lungs crave air, like my tongue craves water.
    Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to force thoughts of his touch away. I can’t allow myself to be weakened. I have to stay strong, and that’s going to be difficult since I’m with him every day. It’s the worst kind of torture. Why did he tell me? I could have gone my whole life ignorant of his feelings and somehow found a way to be content, if not happy, as his guardian.
    Looking to the sky, Phoenix’s rant comes to me on the harbor breeze, his words puncturing holes of uncertainty in my ba ; my soul. Our own creator believes it’s a season of change. Fadil is stirring dangerous ideas in my friend and who knows how many other Kythan. And now Xarion is adding to that confusion, planting seeds of doubt within me. My life, my home, my duty . . . but to be free? I’ve never thought of the possibility.
    Would my freedom also mean freedom for Xarion? If Octavian conquers at Actium, then death awaits the king of Egypt. Xarion could be spared. He could live a life— his life—free from the rulers of the world who wish him harm.
    And the Leymak have proven they can co-exist within the human world, among the gods, without binds to control them.
    But for how long?
    No great power comes without consequences if it goes ungoverned. Look at what Rome is becoming. It’s proof that power corrupts. Xarion’s own father was murdered for his power. Now Rome aims to conquer all the world—just as Alexander tried to do.
    There is no clear choice in this matter. I take in a deep breath, allowing the cool, salty air to cleanse my heated lungs. Keeping my back to Xarion, I look up to Pharos. Its fire-white light blazes against the darkness, strong and fierce.
    The air around Pharos ripples, the sky’s violet hue fading to a deep crimson. A staggering vision sweeps over me and my legs buckle. I clutch the cabin pole as the world around me changes.
    Flames engulf Alexandria, the Pharos’s light setting the city aflame as it travels over buildings and palaces. Cries ring out, terrified screams that rise above the smoke. Lightning arcs against the harbor skyline; Charge attacking like bolts from the sky.
    Come to me, sister.
    Fear grips my stomach, and I glance around, searching for the source amongst the chaos.
    “Star?” Xarion’s voice breaks through the vision. Close, but it feels distant.
    The Leymak I battled—Candra, is here. But how? I shake my head, and the vision begins to fade. No, she’s not in the city, she can’t possibly be. She’s speaking to me again through the aether. She sent the vision. She wants me to believe Alexandria will burn. But was it a threat or a glimpse of the future?
    Anger roils my already nauseated stomach. What does she want from me?
    Isis, what should I do?
    I exit the queen’s barge, feigning a headache from the loud