Tiphys was worse than Meleager had described. He was ashen, moaning and delirious. Jason was at his side, frustration wrought across his face. ‘There’s nothing we can do but pray to the gods,’ Orpheus murmured beside me as we drew near. I saw Idas’ face, hollow with grief, as he knelt beside Idmon’s body. The gods had been far from the woods today. I looked up at the clouds, searching for the stars. We clustered together on that lonely beach, waiting for the hours of the night to pass. Tiphys’ life ebbed away before dawn. We buried them both at sunrise.
