The Valiant (The Valiant #1)(73)

I pushed my way through to see what the matter was and was brought up short by Ajani, whose expression was grim.

“Don’t” was all she said.

“Don’t what? Let me by, Ajani.”

I shouldered her out of the way and saw a knot of girls gathered in the hall in front of the door to my room. Elka was there, storm clouds in her blue eyes. When she saw me she shook her head and strode toward me.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Nothing. Someone’s idea of a sick joke.”

I looked past her, and my heart turned over. The door to my room was closed—and streaked with the blood of the dead bird nailed to it. Not just any bird. A crow. I swore and scanned the faces of the other girls who stood there gaping. I snarled when I spotted Nyx, her eyes fixed on the grisly sight.

“Nyx—”

I lunged for her, but Elka caught me by the arm.

“Wasn’t her,” she said. “It wasn’t there an hour ago, and Nyx was in the dining hall the whole time. So were Meriel and Gratia. Lydia found the thing and was so hysterical when she saw it, it couldn’t have been her.”

That ruled out all of Nyx’s most ardent minions. Unless there was another gladiatrix in the ranks trying to curry favor with her. For her part, Nyx had barely even seemed to notice that I was there. Her gaze was riveted to the door.

“It’s a curse,” she murmured. “An ill-luck omen.”

“It’s a bird.” I pulled my knife from my belt so that I could pry out the nails that held the poor dead thing there, crucified like a slave.

Only, it wasn’t dead.

As I reached for it, the crow—a juvenile, by the look of it—lifted its head and cawed weakly at me. One of the girls behind me screamed, and the bird struggled to flap its wings.

“You should break its neck,” Elka said. “End its suffering.”

I frowned. I wasn’t sure how the Morrigan would take that. And I wasn’t going to kill an innocent creature if I didn’t have to, just because somebody thought it would be fun to try to frighten me. I glanced back at the other girls and saw that Neferet was standing in the crowd. I called her over, and she came, her steps only a little hesitant. Ever since she’d started taking care of Antonia, she’d been studying under Heron and learning medicine.

“Can you help me try to save it?” I asked.

She nodded and supported the weight of the bird as I worked the two nails out of its wings. Whoever had done this must have fed the bird something to drug it into a stupor first. Once we freed it from the nails that pierced its wings just below the mid-joint, it was plain that there wasn’t anything else wrong with it. Neferet cooed gently to the bird, and it tucked itself in close to her chest.

“I’ll keep it warm and clean the wounds,” she said quietly to me. “It will probably never fly again . . . but perhaps it will live.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Neferet.”

“Who would do such a thing?”

“Someone who has no idea how angry they’ve just made my goddess,” I said. “And me.”

I spun on my heel and strode down the hall in the other direction, in search of a bucket and rag.

? ? ?

Sorcha found me just as I was cleaning the last of the blood from my door. It was plain she had learned about the crow. Her face was flushed, showing the whiteness of her scar in stark contrast, and angry sparks seemed to dance in the darkness of her damaged eye.

“It’s nothing,” I said to try and forestall what I knew was coming.

“It’s not nothing.” She glared back and forth from me to the door. “I’m pulling you from consideration for the Triumphs.”

“You can’t do that!” I felt a flare of panic.

“I can. I will.” She thrust out her arm, pointing at the last of the rusty stain on the wood. “This is more than a warning, Fallon! It’s a promise. It’s a death mark, and I’m not going to let you go out there and—”

“Sorcha, please.” Something in the sound of my voice stopped her cold. “We don’t even know if Caesar will choose me. But if he does, I have to fight. Not just for me. For you. For the honor of the Ludus Achillea and the House Cantii. You have to let me.”

“No. My decision is final.”

Just like when we were young. My sister could be the most bullheaded creature the gods ever let walk the earth. I felt like I was nine years old again, and I wanted to scream. “It didn’t worry you to send me into the arena against the Fury,” I spat. “How is this any different?”

“You weren’t supposed to fight that madwoman,” she said. “None of my girls were. She shouldn’t have even been on the roster! I argued with the games masters until I was blue and out of breath, but they threatened to censure the whole ludus unless your match went forth. Caesar would have had my head.”

“When are you going to stop protecting me, Sorcha? You say you can’t treat me any differently than the other girls? Then don’t!”

“This isn’t a game anymore.” She gripped my shoulders, her face close to mine. “For some, it never was. And now they’ve set their sights on you. I won’t let that happen. You’re going home to the ludus in the morning.”

“Sorcha—no!”