Cassandra eased her bedchamber door open and winced as the unoiled hinges screamed and blasted apart the early morning quiet.

She paused when the door had been pulled back enough, and she could stick her head out into the hallway. Cassandra looked in both directions, and half expected one of her sisters to burst out of their bedchamber to investigate the noise she'd made.

It never happened. All seemed undisturbed.

Cassandra crept out of her room and shut her door behind her. She cursed under her breath as the hinges moved without further complaint.

Cassandra kept to the wall while she scurried down the left side of the hall. She moved like a thief, her sandals in her hands, and her feet whispered across the stone floor.

It thrilled her to sneak away from her wrongful confinement. A smile stretched her lips.

If only Deiphobus could see her, he'd be stunned to permanent speechlessness.

Most of her journey progressed uneventfully.

Twice, though, Cassandra heard footsteps.

In an instant, she hid in the shadows of the nearest doorway.

She knew the tactic didn't conceal her much, but if the person passed her, maybe in the weak light of the dying torches lining the wall, they'd think her a handmaiden and not bother to inspect.

When Cassandra reached her destination, a compact room used to store extra linens, she let out a breath she'd held since she'd forwent the punishment placed upon her because of the incident with Larciss. Cassandra had wanted to do it once she'd recovered from the fever she'd come down with after her last trip to the forest, but she hadn't had a good reason to until this morning.

She'd woken to a bright green colored snake licking her cheek.

The sign had brought welcomed relief. For days, visions made worse by her illness had bothered Cassandra.

Some had been pleasant, like the recurring one of a young man holding her close while a red glow surrounded them. Cassandra never saw his face, but that didn't upset her. His very presence left her excited and lightheaded.

But most of her prophecies were horrible.

Like the one of fire as far as Cassandra could see and the bloodcurdling screams that had echoed in her head for hours afterward.

Or the one of a battlefield filled with thousands of men hacking at one another. Above the fighting hovered human-like shapes. They never solidified into anything Cassandra recognized, but she knew they were powerful, maybe the gods.

After every vision, even the nice ones, Cassandra shook, scared out of her wits. They came upon her at unexpected times and immersed her so thoroughly, it took her long after they passed to regain her bearings.

She hated her gift.

Cassandra yearned to plead with Apollo to take it back but knew the sun god wouldn't. He might make it worse if she complained.

So, she'd accepted she'd have to keep her gift. She needed to learn how to control it, though, and that's why Cassandra had hoped for a message from Apollo for them to meet.

The linen room had a large window. Next to it, on the outside wall, ivy grew. The plant had ruined the stone, had created gaps in the walls wide enough for Cassandra's hands.

Cassandra pushed open the window and tossed out her sandals.

She put her few reservations from mind.

Cassandra tied her peplos into a comfortable fashion that offered mobility and then climbed onto the window's ledge. She stuck a leg into the sweet freedom crying out to her.

"What are you doing?" an intense voice boomed behind her.

Cassandra squealed as she scrambled away from the window's ledge.

In her hurry, she lost her balance and tumbled to the floor. Her body ached, and she groaned.

"What happened to that instinctual balance you used to brag about?" Hector demanded in a happier tone.

Cassandra rose to her feet and inspected the throbbing parts of her limbs. She'd sustained no severe injuries, but she'd have bothersome bruises.

Finished, she glared at her brother.

He stood at the room's entrance and held his sides. His face had turned dark red from containing his laughter.

"Do you know who you sounded like?"

"Father?"

"Worse. Deiphobus."

Her brother's thin control broke.

The roar of his laugh belted from his mouth, and Cassandra blanched. She crossed the floor to Hector and had to step on the tip of her toes to clamp her hand over his lips to kill the aggressive sound.

"Are you trying to ensure I spend the rest of my life locked in my bedchamber?"

Hector shrugged. His eyes glowed with his amusement.

"Stay quiet."

Hector removed her hand. "I don't think I should. This attempt at escape is so pitiful you deserve further punishment."

Cassandra backed away from him. "It's not that bad."

"Ah, but we both know I taught you better."

"So, I'm a tad out of practice. I still would have gotten away."

"You stomped through the hall like some beast. I'm surprised the entire palace didn't wake from the sheer force of your footsteps."

"It didn't, so it's safe for me to continue. And I'm going to."

Her brother held up his hands. "I'm not here to stop you. I came all this way to visit you, but since you're set on leaving, I'll only warn you."

Cassandra braced herself.

"Deiphobus has been expecting something like this, so he and Polites have taken to patrolling the grounds near the forest."

Cassandra sighed.

Deiphobus and Polites had fantastic eyesight. If they were on the lookout for her, they'd spot her even if she used all her skill to remain hidden. She couldn't escape.

Hector leaned in close. "Take the eastern gate. Only the servants are up now. If you're swift enough, you'll reach it unnoticed."

Cassandra threw her arms around Hector and hugged him tightly.

A gesture her brother returned. Before they parted, he kissed her cheek.

"I hope you enjoy yourself."

She faced the window. "Thank you."

Without further interruptions, Cassandra climbed down the wall. She gathered her sandals, slipped them on, then ran toward the eastern gate.

She stuck to the shade, though she didn't pass a single soul. Much like her trek from her bedchamber to the linen room, nothing interesting occurred. She reached the eastern gate, ventured off the paved path, and fled into the forest.

The morning warmed while she made her way to Apollo. The sky lost the remaining orange and pink of dawn and flourished into a dazzling, cloudless blue. A magnificent start to the day.

The soft, captivating notes of a song met Cassandra's ears and sounded more beautiful than any music she'd ever heard. She followed the song, much against her will, and came upon the designated meeting spot.

There, the sun god sat with his back against a tree. Apollo held a simple white lyre and strummed his fingers against the taut strings with ease no mortal could match.

He smiled when Cassandra came into view.

Before she could greet him, the god sang a joyful tune about a poor man's love for an unhappy married woman and the tasks he goes through to convince her to run away from him. It ended with the pair dying old, their hands linked.

The emotion he put behind the lyrics drew tears from Cassandra's eyes.

She burst into wild applause when the song finished.

The lyre vanished, and Apollo stood. He bowed.

Cassandra wiped her wet face. "You're amazing."

Apollo straightened and approached Cassandra. "Thank you." He grasped her right hand and held it between his palms. "How have you been?"

She didn't hide the truth. "I've been miserable."

Apollo nodded. "The visions."

"Will I ever be able to control them?"

"Of course. It'll take much practice, but you're an intelligent, quick young woman. It shouldn't take long."

Relief flooded Cassandra.

Deep down, she'd believed the gift wouldn't ruin her life. Apollo had granted others the farseeing ability, and they weren't mad or depressed.

Aesacus, Priam's oldest son from his first wife, was a priest of Apollo. The seer acted oddly but otherwise appeared to live fine.

But Aesacus had been raised as a priest as soon as it'd been made clear he had Apollo's favor. He'd known nothing but servitude. He'd never been in the position of Cassandra.

What did that mean for her?

Apollo squeezed Cassandra's hand. "What troubles you?"

"How will your gift change my life? Can I get any semblance of normalcy?"

"I hadn't thought of that." Apollo gazed into the distance. "Have you considered becoming one of my priestesses?"

"No."

The response slipped out of Cassandra without thought.

The god's eyes flashed, and he flung her hand away.

Cassandra reached for her friend. She hadn't meant to insult him. "I don't—It's too early for me to think about stuff like that."

Apollo shrugged her off.

Cassandra wouldn't surrender. She cupped his cheek and didn't flinch at his scorching skin.

"I need to understand what's going on with me first."

The fire in his eyes faded, and the heat under his skin extinguished. Apollo leaned into her touch. "Forgive me. I forget this is all new to you."

Cassandra beamed. "I forgive you."

She patted his cheek before stepping away.

"Ready for your first lesson?"

"Yes."

It began.

For half the day, Cassandra worked to keep the visions from consuming her.

Apollo forced false prophecies to plague her and talked her through the various images she saw. He stressed Cassandra couldn't loosen her firm grip on her mind, no matter what the visions showed her. If she didn't, she'd go insane.

By her sixth attempt, sweat coated Cassandra's peplos. For brief moments she ruled the visions, but then her will crumbled, and they'd overtake her.

Each time, Apollo had to rip her from them and bring her back to the forest.

She reached her limit.

Cassandra fell against the sun god and bawled. The task seemed impossible.

Apollo embraced her. "No, don't."

He tipped her head back. His thumb brushed across her trembling lips. "You did wonderfully, much better than I expected. You'll get there, I promise."

The god's caress caused her stomach to knot and her heart to leap into her throat. A blush crept across her cheeks.

"I... I should go back."

"Yes..."

Cassandra swore he bent toward her.

The air grew warmer, and she couldn't breathe.

Would he kiss her?

The moment ended.

Apollo's lips never connected with hers.

Instead, he released her, and much-needed air rushed into Cassandra's lungs.

"G-Goodbye, my Lord."

"Goodbye."

Apollo didn't spare her a glance before he disappeared.