I stood, unsteadily, and obeyed. “You have lived too long with mortals, Centaur,” I heard her say before the animal skins closed behind me. I sagged against the cave’s wall; my throat tasted brackish and raw. “Achilles,” I said. His eyes opened, and he was beside me before I could speak again. “Are you all right?” “Your mother is here,” I said. I saw the tightening of muscle beneath his skin. “She did not hurt you?”
