“But we didn’t know that, did we? You didn’t bother to tell anyone anything—”

“I was dying—”

“Exactly so, and we were trying to get a healer to you. But it appears that you didn’t need one.” Agnes’ frown tipped into a scowl as she looked me over. “You should be dead.”

“Sorry to disappoint—”

Suddenly, she was beside me, as quickly as if she’d shifted. And maybe she had. I’d been looking down, knotting the belt on the robe, and hadn’t seen her move. But when I looked up, she was right behind me.

And I wasn’t the only one who was furious.

“You didn’t disappoint,” she hissed, meeting my eyes in the mirror. “You should be dead. But after all that banging around and screaming, when we finally broke in, what did we find?”

I had no idea. I wasn’t even sure I wanted one. But Agnes was intent on telling me anyway.

“Just you. Bruised and battered and tangled in the sheets, but alive. When you should have been a blackened, smoking corpse! And Rhea won’t say why you’re not—”

“You’re not supposed to be asking her,” I said, trying not to look relieved. “You know that—”

“Like it matters, after today. With gods haunting the byways—”

“It matters! You could change time—”

“—and demigods opposing them!”

I stopped and stared at her for a moment in the mirror. I did not look at Rhea, because that would have been a dead giveaway, and because I didn’t need to. I could see her vaguely over Agnes’ shoulder, violently shaking her head.

So, Agnes didn’t know.

But she damned well looked like she did.

“I’m not a fool, Cassie,” she sneered, as I turned around. “No one could have done what you did today, no human, at least. But no god would have looked like that when we dragged you back.”

“She’s hurt,” Rhea said, coming forward. “You saw—”

“Yes, and you would have seen worse, had Lady Herophile not thrown you out.”

Rhea opened her mouth, then closed it again quickly. She didn’t mention that she’d run back in later, when they were arguing with the mages downstairs, and that she’d seen plenty. She was learning discretion a lot faster than I had.

“The Lady shouldn’t have done that,” she said instead. “I should have been the one to tend her—”

“And watch your Pythia die?” Agnes glanced over her shoulder. “No one should have to live through that, not when half choked themselves. You inhaled too much smoke rescuing her—”

“I’m fine,” Rhea said staunchly, and for the first time, I saw Agnes smile at someone, and actually look like she meant it.

“Yes, you are. You’re strong. But you will see enough in this profession that you would wish to erase. No need to add one thing more.”