"Yes, my lady," Pirro said.
"Girls, help him get ready," Kyniska said to Euryleonis and the others, causing a stir of giggles as they shooed Pirro out of the stables.
"What are you thinking?" Stefanos asked without preamble.
"I can't miss the race," she said. "If I win, if Pirro and my team cross that finish line first, I need to see it with my own eyes, not somebody else's, no matter how beautiful they are." She reached up to touch Stefanos' face, but he held her hands and brought them down.
"This makes me uneasy, Kyniska," he said. "The rules are clear. If a woman violates the rules of the sanctuary, she will be humiliated, banished for all time, and maybe even executed. The Eleans won't stand for it, and nor will your brother."
"I don't care about my brother!" she said, pulling awa
