Free Journey Into Nyx by Jenna Helland

breath, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. “Why are you tormenting the king with the heads of the Nyxborn?”
    “I am concerned with the fate of Akros,” the satyr said. “I was trying to warn Anax of the coming danger. And look, I was right.”
    “Did you consider seeking an audience with the king and talking to him, rather than confusing him with cryptic nonsense?” Elspeth asked.
    “I tried to seek an audience but was refused,” the satyr said. “I knew I needed to get the king’s attention. With all his oracles, they should have read the signs and given himthe correct information.”
    “Your timing is unfortunate,” Elspeth said. “The Nyxborn are outside the walls. It’s a little late to warn him.”
    “I am no oracle,” the satyr admitted. “I thought we had more time. But it wouldn’t have done me any good to knock on his door. Anax thinks satyrs are barely smarter than barn animals. But I do love Akros. It’s a testament to the majesty of the gods and doesn’t deserve to be pillaged by minotaurs.”
    “You love Akros?” Elspeth asked.
    “The Iroan Games, my dear,” the satyr said. “If you’ve never witnessed the spectacle of the games, then you cannot understand the joy this city brings my people.”
    During her time in Akros, people had talked about the Iroan Games constantly. Everyone was welcome in the stadium during the competitions. It didn’t matter where they were born or what god they worshiped. Satyrs especially flocked to the city to witness the events.
    “But I still don’t understand what you want from me,” Elspeth said. Her head felt as if it were stuffed with straw. She sensed there would be gaps of logic in his story, but she couldn’t focus on them. And what had Sarpedon told him about her?
    “I can tell you how to win this battle against the minotaurs with no loss of life—at least on your side,” the satyr said.
    “Why don’t you tell King Anax yourself?” Elspeth asked.
    “Really, Sarpedon seemed to think you were smarter than that,” the satyr said with disappointment. “My previous attempts to communicate with Anax were misinterpreted. I am facing Akroan justice in a time of war. If I did try, no one would listen to me.”
    “Why do you suppose they will listen to me?” Elspeth asked.
    “Because you’re not going to tell them it was my idea,” the satyr said. “Remember, you’re a hero of renown. You killed Polukranos, single handedly.”
    “That’s not true …” Elspeth protested
    “If you offer your wisdom in this situation, they will listen,” the satyr said. “And Akros will be saved.”
    “How could you end the siege without anyone dying?” Elspeth asked, curious in spite of the strange circumstances.
    “You’ve come in the castle by way of the Deyda River Gorge, correct?” the satyr said. “The river is the most powerful river in all of Theros. The minotaurs have built themselves a nice little wall, but it’s open at both ends at the edge of the cliff above the water.”
    “But the water is still hundreds of feet below the city,” Elspeth said.
    “Have you no imagination?” the satyr asked. “With the right mages, you could raise the river, sweep the wall clean, and send the invaders tumbling into the abyss.”
    Elspeth visualized what he was saying. Cymede had just demonstrated her incredible skills bringing them up the river by manipulating the rocks and water. A single mage might not be able to do it. But … she remembered Daxos’s playful splash on the banks of Hunter’s Crossing on the day they traveled to the Despair Lands. Daxos had divine skills that Elspeth didn’t understand. Together, two powerful mages might be able to accomplish such a feat.
    “Raise the river and divert it through their fortification,” Elspeth said. The genius of his plan was dawning on her. “No one fights. No one inside the city ever has to raise a sword.”
    “The minotaurs are merely swept away,” the satyr said.