CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
The music got louder as the women of Troas came closer, and I could hear them singing.
Io told me the words that I couldn t quite make out. Sing, maidens and mothers, sing to the goddess, the lady of much bounty. Your daughter s five white horses convey us forward now as a symbol of you bringing spring and harvest to us. As we are unsandaled and our hair unbound as we walk through your city, so shall you bless our feet and heads to remain unharmed. As we bring you sacrifices, we ask for your glorious bounty in return. Grant us your fertility and gift of life. Hail, goddess, save this people with harmony and prosperity and bring us another great harvest!
That s beautiful, I said. It sounded more like a prayer than a song. I d thought songs were supposed to rhyme.
The parade finally reached us and I was struck by the young woman leading them. She looked as if she could be the goddess herself. She was extremely beautiful, with long, golden hair and bright green eyes and delicate features. Her white tunic was embroidered with dark blue threads that probably spoke of the noble house she hailed from. She carried new clothing and a veil for the statue with a high degree of reverence and elegance as she entered the archway.
Maia went over to meet her and accept the gift of the tunic, presumably standing in for Theano.
Chryseis, daughter of Ilion, you do us a great honor this day by acting as proxy for the goddess and by bringing such luxurious and fine clothing for her statue to wear. You honor us all with such a gift, and may the goddess bless you and your family.
I knew that name. Chryseis.
Then it came flooding back to me. That was the name of the girl that the prince of Ilion was in love with. The one Jason also liked. He d told me about her back at the feast in the palace in Locris.
Sister to the man engaged to my sister.
Irrational hate and envy flared up inside me. I wanted to stab her perfect pale throat.
Then the other women from the processional began to put their offerings into the bonfire, causing it to increase in size with each new arrival.
I was off in a quiet corner of the courtyard with my sisters, watching the events unfold. To my surprise Suri approached with a skin of wine and held it aloft, her eyes questioning, wanting us to drink.
What did I tell you about the wine? Io asked, exasperated.
That we should drink it because it is so delicious and it will be a bonding experience for our adelphia to share some? Ahyana supplied hopefully and Io had to laugh.
Don t say later that I didn t warn you, she said.
When the skin was passed to me, I took a long, deep drink. Ahyana was right-this was the most delicious wine I d ever had. Undiluted and sweet. I immediately felt warmer and brighter.
Good, isn t it? Zalira asked, taking her turn.
It s incredible, I told her.
We drank the skin until it was gone. Io immediately seemed tipsy and was grinning at us, telling us how much she loved us all.
I still felt like myself, but looser. More relaxed. As if all my troubles had been temporarily erased.
The women from the city also seemed to be having a great time and were wandering in and out of the temple grounds and into the surrounding neighborhood, where wine and food were made available to them, the streets cordoned off for their use.
Priestesses and acolytes were out in the neighborhood and no one seemed to care. The guards were there, but they were drinking and eating as well, laughing and chatting along with the rest of the crowd.
I wished that I d known beforehand how lackadaisical things would be during the festival as I could have planned to sneak out again. I wouldn t have had any wine to drink. I still felt in control of myself but worried that my reaction time might be a bit slower, given what I d had. I definitely wouldn t have gambled on my odds of winning against the library goose.
Ahyana and Suri were playing a dice game that Ahyana seemed to be winning, given her cheers.
I didn t know it would be like this, I announced a bit loudly.
We told you about the festival many times, Zalira countered, lying back on the ground so that she could look up at the sky. Do you not have festivals in Locris?
No. We had parties but not citywide events like this to worship the goddess. All of that was gone.
Zalira made a sad face at me. My father used to say a life without festivals is like a road without inns.
Safe? I asked, confused. Inns were terrible places full of murderers and thieves.
She laughed and then Io decided to drunkenly educate me. Festivals are necessary because everyone here lives in constant fear of famine, so we have to pray and worship to make sure that next year will be bountiful. She stumbled over the last word several times before finally pronouncing it correctly.
In a place like this? I asked. That seemed unbelievable to me. I d never been anywhere so full of life and greenery.
It s happened before, she said. The line between famine and surplus is a thin one.
Zalira put her hands behind her head and nodded her agreement. It takes just one season without the right amount or type of rainstorms. The people here are constantly torn between anxiety and fear on the one hand and relief and gratitude on the other.
My nation has been under a famine for the last thousand years. My announcement seemed to bring my sisters moods down a bit and I felt bad about it. They were having fun and I didn t want to ruin that for them.
Musicians had set up and were playing festive, fast-tempo songs. Dancing began but it wasn t like any I had ever seen before. It wasn t polite and courtly, people weren t following steps. Instead it had a more primitive feel to it and the drumbeats and flutes called out to my soul, urging me to join them.
I couldn t let myself get lost in the music. With all the recent attempts on my life, I decided I should at least try to keep some of my wits about me. I instinctively understood that joining their dance would make everything worse.
I m going for a walk. I ll be back in a little while, I said. I worried for a moment that I might not be able to get up, but I was fine. I walked away from the crowds to let my head clear.
The priestesses and acolytes had also worn their hair down and gone barefoot. I noticed that being shoeless had the effect of making it so I could feel the power in the earth beneath my feet clearly. It was stronger, more present. Like it was about to burst up out of the soil and envelop me.
I bent down to put my fingers into the grass, laying my hand flat against the earth.
The humming sensation increased.
What I d told Zalira the other night? About women having magic? I believed it. I didn t understand how it worked, but it had become evident to me that my sisters were special and their gifts were clearly goddess sent.
Although no one else seemed to believe me.
While crouching down I became aware of a particular sensation-as if I weren t alone. At first I thought that one of my sisters had followed to check on me but that wasn t it.
My breath caught when I realized who it was.
Jason. Jason was here.
He was waiting for me. I could feel him, as if everything surrounding me had changed because he was nearby.
I walked along the stone fence until I found a bench. I climbed up and easily pulled myself up to the top of the wall and then jumped down.
The alley was quiet-none of the revelers were down in this direction.
I was alone.
Had I imagined it?
Then I was being pulled back against a hard body, a hand going over my mouth, my heart flying up into my throat. As I d predicted earlier, my reflexes were not at their best, and I couldn t think of what to do to break the hold I found myself in.
Lia, it s me. Jason breathed his words against my skin.
My entire body sagged with relief. I was where I d been longing to be-in his arms.
Then I remembered why I was supposed to be angry with him.
There was movement at the end of the alley, as if someone were passing by. He released me and I turned around, grabbed him by the front of his tunic, and pushed him behind a tree so that we wouldn t be visible. I leaned my head out slightly to make certain we hadn t been seen.
If you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask, he said with a teasing lilt. You didn t have to shove me into a tree.
I don t want . . . My words trailed off as I looked at him. Really looked at him.
He was so, so, so handsome. Had he always been this attractive? I wanted to fan my overheated face with my hand but refrained.
My fingers relaxed so that they were flat against his strong chest. It was pleasurable to touch him, to be with him.
It reminded me of the time in training when Suri had sneaked past my defenses and slammed me flat on my back. I had struggled to pull air into my lungs, the wind knocked out of me.
I remembered what it had been like when I could finally draw a large, full breath in. That s what seeing him again was like-as if I d been holding my breath for days and could only now breathe again.
You shouldn t be here. Men who attempt to view the festival come to a bloody end. I learned that today.
I ll take my chances, he said, sounding amused.
He had no idea what he would be up against. That despite how gifted he was with a blade, Antiope would certainly be a formidable opponent. She might even win.
Did you miss me? he asked as if he already knew the answer.
Yes, I had missed him.
Desperately. Completely. Totally.
His heart beat quickly under my hand while my own heart was trying to bruise itself against my rib cage.
Because I ve missed you, he said, and his words made my stomach knot up with pleasure.
Want for him beat through my blood, filling me up. My body felt like it was on fire just from standing close to him. I was desperate for him to touch me. I d never craved physical contact before, but if he didn t put his hands on me soon, I was going to expire on the spot.
As if he knew exactly what I needed, he reached up with his thumb and ran it along my jawline. It was such a small gesture but it made the fire inside me reach dizzying heights. It shredded my nerves, this heady concoction of pleasure and yearning.
He moved his thumb over to drag it across my lips and sent bolts of desire from my mouth directly to my abdomen.
Jason touched me like he felt exactly the same way that I did.
Everything around me took on a soft, gentle sheen and he was the only thing I could see clearly.
He took his hand away and leaned his head forward, as if he intended to kiss me. Thank you for not biting me.
What? I asked, very confused.
When I put my hand over your mouth earlier. I apologize for doing it-I didn t want you to make a noise and draw attention to us. His lips ghosted over mine and I shivered in anticipation.
Oh. You re welcome.
There might be other parts of me that you want to bite later and I m letting you know now that I won t mind at all, he said in a silky tone, and I didn t understand why it made me want to collapse against him.
Why would I bite him? That shouldn t have been arousing but for some reason it was.
Maybe because everything Jason said and did made me want him more.
My brain tried to remind me of something. Something important. But he was hovering his lips along the same path his thumb had taken earlier-along my jaw and over to my ear. The warm, wet heat of his breath against the outer shell of my earlobe was very nearly my undoing. I could actually taste my desire for him on the tip of my tongue.
The book! I said suddenly and then immediately turned all that lust into anger. I pushed against his chest, taking a step back.
He looked bewildered. Book? he repeated.
Yes. Did you steal the book I took from the chief recordkeeper out of my room?