“I didn’t kill anyone. I gave the swords to you and Neleus, because I didn’t know how to use them.”

“You pushed that one man onto my sword. And how did you do that anyway? You leaped right over him from a standing start.”

“I don’t know.” I was uncomfortable. I didn’t want to lie to her. “It felt natural, like the normal thing to do when he was coming at me.”

“They tell us to jump in the palaestra, but not like that! You’ll have to teach me.”

“I’m not sure I can.” The sky was starting to pale behind the city and the fading stars seemed to be listening to me lie. “I never leaped that high before. It was fear I suppose, or battle frenzy.”

“So you were afraid? Even though you rushed straight in?”

“I didn’t have time to think about being afraid. I saw them running toward you with swords, and I saw Father’s swords on the ground, and I just leaped for them.” Just then I saw Father come walking down toward the harbor with Neleus, Nikias, Timon, and some of the other Lucians. I called the news to Maecenas below.

“I was terrified,” Erinna said. “Until I saw you coming with the swords, I was frozen where I was. I didn’t think of going for them, though I’d seen Pytheas put them down earlier. I’d have just sat there and let myself be spitted.” She was still staring at the horizon, not looking at me.

“You might have been afraid, but you did everything right. You knew how to use the sword, you killed them, and when that one surrendered you stopped.”

She nodded. Father had reached the side of the quay, where I could see him clearly. He was covered in blood, but he seemed unconscious of it as he stood talking to the others. They were gesturing at the wreck of the Goodness, which had sunk further overnight.

“You saved my life,” Erinna said.

“You saved mine. We fought side by side. You knew how to use the sword. I realized as soon as I got there that I was useless.”

“You’re not an ephebe yet. You haven’t had training. And you were safe where you were up on the stand,” Erinna said.

“I couldn’t just stay there while you and Ficino and Neleus and Father got killed!” I was indignant. On the quay everyone was waving their arms around. Clearly, the argument was getting heated.

“You came straight toward me,” she said. I didn’t say anything. I had, and I couldn’t deny it. “Thank you.”

I still didn’t know what to say. “You were in danger. Anyone would have—”

“You really like me, don’t you?” she asked.

Now I really didn’t know how to answer. “Yes.” I stared down at the argument on the quayside.