by E J Pay
Soon I hear something, too. Far away, but getting closer, we hear the barking of dogs.
“Run!” is all there is time to say and we take off down the road, Ananke trailing behind Dom as he yanks her along. We are still several miles from the closest homes. No one can help us. Dom lets go of Ananke and pushes me off the road. I fall into scratchy bushes, getting cut by the branches as I land on the ground.
“This is it, Pearl,” Dom says through ragged breaths. “We have to split up. They still don’t know we are together, but it won’t take long for them to figure it out. I can draw them away, but you and Ananke have to get moving on your own.”
I freeze where I am. I don’t want to separate from Dom. I’ve seen too much of his future to be able to leave him alone. If I let him go now, everything I have seen will happen. Dom will be captured and he will be killed.
I open my mouth to protest and try to get up, but Dom pushes me further into the bushes, his hands on my neck and shoulders. “No, Pearl. You are strong enough to do this. You and Ananke need to get to safety. She will know where to go.”
“Dom, I won’t let you leave me,” I say through gritted teeth as I push at his arms. But it is no use. Dom is stronger than I am. “We have to stay together. It’s the only way we can bring Pearl back!”
Dom looks at me with angry eyes and shoves me again. “This is the only way to bring her back to me,” he says and he grabs the hamsa medallion from around my neck. Before I can understand what he is doing, the necklace is off of me and in Dom’s hands.
Dom is immune to the powers I have to control and manipulate minds and kill, but anyone else would be in danger if they came near me without that medallion on. Any shepherd in a field or weary traveler to cross my path while I am angry will die the same painful death that Theodis did. I might even kill Ananke if she tries to hold me back.
Dom runs like mad toward the dogs and away with my medallion. I watch helplessly as he tosses it into the field. I have to find it and find it fast. It takes at least ten minutes to get out of the tangle of branches and thorns Dom shoved me into. Once I am free, I can no longer see him in the distance. Ananke is sitting on the ground, a blank stare still covering her face.
I head the same direction Dom was running and look for the medallion in the tall grass by the side of the road. I am on my hands and knees, running my fingers through the grass. The sound of dogs echoes in the distance, but I hear something else. Something is hissing in the grass beside me.
I freeze where I am and look around slowly. Not three feet away from me, coiled and head raised defensively, is a shiny silver snake. A small, scaled horn lifts up at the tip of its nose and laying on its coiled body is my hamsa medallion.
I don’t take time to think. I need that medallion and I need to get to Dom. I reach forward as quickly as I can, yanking the necklace from the body of the horned viper and roll away as quickly as I can. But the necklace was caught in the coils of the snake. When I yanked it to me, the snake yanked with it and now I am laying on my back with a snake on my arm.
Before I can stand or run, the hissing snake strikes at my arm, making contact with my bicep. The pain is searing and dizziness fills my head. I drop my medallion and the result is immediate. My arm burns with unbearable heat and I scream at the snake. It makes a sizzling, screeching, hissing sound and is blown off my arm with the force of my power and lands, lifeless, several feet away.
I stagger to my feet, grabbing the hamsa medallion and putting it safely around my neck. The burning I created with the snake was enough to minimize the most dangerous effects of the venom, but I am still dizzy and my limp arm tingles by my side.
I stumble back toward the road, determined to find and help Dom when I hear a familiar voice in my mind.
Pearl! Pearl! Come to me! I am here!
The pearl is calling to me. I had her in my hand when the dogs began to bark. Dom had just given her to me. I forgot her when I started chasing after Dom. I cannot leave her here and I know it.
I make my way as quickly as I can to where I dropped her in the bushes. She is buried tightly under the thick bramble and I scrape my arm trying to get her free from her prison. When there is enough room for her to move, I urge her out from the bush and into my hand. She is sleek and shiny as ever - totally unaffected by the thorns that have cut my flesh.
We have to get to Dom, I say to her, but as soon as I try to stand again, all the blood rushes from my head and I fall to the ground in a quiet, black sleep.
Chapter 13
When I wake up from my venom-induced sleep, the sun is burning bright in the sky overhead. I am shaded by the bushes I fell into. My arm is throbbing and so is my head. I open my eyes slowly and blink the light into my eyes. As I do, I see a small black dot in front of my face. I reach out for it. It is the little pearl. As soon as my fingers brush her surface, I am flooded with sadness. She doesn’t say a word, she just conveys images to my mind.
I see Dom, running from guards again, leading them away from the place where he left me. The dogs who sniffed his clothes and licked his hand earlier in the day are chasing him and barking like mad. He cannot outrun them. It doesn’t take long for the dogs to be on top of him, pinning him down and biting at their master’s command. The guards beat Dom at first then remain at a distance from his body, letting the dogs maul him. After a while, the guards tell their dogs to halt. Dom has lost too much blood and he lies moaning on the ground.
“You shouldn’t have played your little mind tricks on us,” one of the guards says. He has a swollen eye, doubtless inflicted by the man in the purple robe when he discovered his prisoner had escaped. “Now we know not to touch you,” the guard continues. “We have to let the dogs take care of you for us.”
I know Dom could have manipulated the dogs. He was trying to keep them away from me. So he let them maul him as he lay submissive on the ground.
“But guess what, little master,” the guard says to Dom, “our master wasn’t kidding when he said he would have your sister help. In fact, he’s on his way to your house right now to find her and bring her home with him. If she’s a good girl, she won’t need the dogs to protect her.”
I hear a gurgling sound coming from Dom. He is laughing while his lungs fill with deadly fluid. He knows that I am not home. He knows I manipulated Mama’s mind into believing I traveled north with Ananke, not south. The man in the purple robe will be led on a goose chase looking for me. By the time he discovers the trap, I will be long gone and Dom will be too.
The image of my twin fades as the little pearl’s vision is blurred by salty tears. Dom’s pain is over now. His secret is safe. I couldn’t save him, but he saved me.
Chapter 14
For days, Ananke and I travel by night with the little pearl in my satchel. Ananke is still in a daze. Dom held her hand for too long without paying attention. His power is lasting with her longer than intended. The pearl and I say nothing. Our hearts are heavy and I stumble about as we make our way into the heart of Argos. We move past bustling vendors and dirty alleyways. I run into people because I am not watching where I am going. My feet move ahead in blind obedience to the instructions Dom gave me. We only stop to sleep when the air is absent of all human sound. We only stop to eat when we don’t have the energy to go further. Why do we keep moving? Why are we running? Where are we going?
“Thyrea,” Ananke says when I have these thoughts. Dom said she would know the way. Maybe that is all that is left in her mind.
We continue forward, following Dom’s plan. He wanted us to run. He wanted us to be safe. I run for him. I run for me. Dom said we could find safety, that we could lead a normal life again. I don’t believe that anymore. But I cannot bring myself to ignore what he told me. So, I keep walking, Ananke just a few steps ahead.
We travel by some of the most extravagant city homes, multiple stories high with tile roofs, ornate garden courtyards, and fine cloth covering the windows. But we also travel through some of the most desperate
and destitute neighborhoods where the only shelter is from dead branches woven together like a tent. In the brief moments when my mind is clear, I think of how unfeeling humanity can be. That opulence and poverty can live so close together. Both sides hating the other, perpetuating the disease of class. In a body filled with power, I am still powerless to change human nature. In these moments, I am glad my Dom is not here to see what I see. Then I cry and I miss him again. He would help me understand that I am not powerless to change things.
The little pearl and I communicate only minimally with our minds as we travel through cities, towns, and countryside. We are both in pain, trying to survive Dom’s death. Ananke says little or nothing. She just keeps walking, leading us where we are supposed to go. Weeks go by before I use my voice. When I finally do, it is hoarse and raspy from disuse. My mouth and throat are dry and sticky. I am out of food now. Dom’s bag went with him and was probably used as a trophy for the guards who captured him. And though I’ve been careful with my supplies, I knew they couldn’t last forever. Ananke’s bag is empty.
We have finally reached Thyrea. Ananke and I stop by a fountain, washing our bodies in the flowing water and changing into the clean robes we have kept in our bags. We must be close to her fiancé’s family home. She will be safe there. I hope she will be anyway. I have decided that I won’t be staying with her. I have to break all family ties. I have to find a way back home. Nothing else matters to me anymore.
“Ananke! Ananke!” I hear an older woman’s voice calling from a market. Ananke and I both slow our steps, turning our heads toward the sound of the voice. Out from the bustling wood and fabric market stalls, a large woman, plump and happy with graying hair and dancing eyes bounds toward us. When she reaches Ananke, she takes her in her arms and holds her close. Ananke blinks several times and shakes her head. I see recognition filling her face as she is squeezed by the woman.
“Lia,” Ananke says. Her voice is a ragged whisper. It is the first I have heard her speak in many days. “My Lia,” she says again, hugging the woman back.
“I must take you to Themis,” Lia says. “He will be overjoyed to see you.” Lia lets go of Ananke and turns to me. “And is this your young cousin?” she asks Ananke. “I thought you were bringing both of them.” Ananke’s face is a blank expression again when she looks at me. She has forgotten who I am.
“No,” I answer Lia, “I am not Ananke’s cousin but a servant from her home. I was sent to assist her on her journey. Now that she is safely in your custody, I will be looking for employment in town.”
“Two women were sent alone on such a long journey?” Lia asks.
“No, our custodian is looking for an inn where he can rest before returning to Argos,” I say. The lie is weak, but it’s enough to convince Lia. She returns her attention to Ananke.
“Well, I am so glad you were cared for,” she says. “Now, let me get you to the house so you can rest and eat.” My stomach growls as Lia takes Ananke by the hand toward the bustling market. Ananke turns back to look at me and smiles. She is grateful. She is pretending to know who I am. I wish her well and hope she will be happy in her new home and life.
As for me, I need food and I need work. My body is numb to any feeling except the pain in my heart. I have to keep going for Dom. I do what I can to make myself presentable and travel through the city to find employment. It is growing dark when I finally find an inn across the city from where I left Ananke.
“Ah, and how can I help you today, my dear?” the rotund wife of the innkeeper asks. She has mistaken me for a guest. But better a guest than a vagrant.
“Please, ma’am,” I respond to her, “I am looking for employment. I am a very good cook, and I am eager to find a job where I can earn my keep.”
The eyes of the woman lose their merriment in an instant. She pinches them together like it will help her see me more clearly.
“And why would a young lady dressed in such fine robes be needing a job, may I ask?” She looks at me with eyes full of suspicion. “Or are those even your clothes?” She grabs my robes and pulls me close to her face. “I’m willing to bet that you stole those clothes from the line of a proper lady.” The woman’s breath is foul at this distance and she is strong. “I’ve a mind to call the authorities on you.” That is something I cannot let her do.
With all the skill I can muster in my weakened state, I pour my thoughts into her mind. “No, ma’am,” I say to her. “You are mistaken. These clothes are mine and I am only in search of a job. I am reliable and teachable. I will be a good investment for you.”
My words and emotion-bending work on the woman’s mind and she lets go of my robes. “An investment, did you say?” she asks me with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve had a mind to make a good investment myself. You look too skinny to be a decent cook, though,” I send the promise of improvement into her mind. She harrumphs. “If you get to being too much of a burden, I daresay I could bargain you off.”
Her mind is rough and I am weak. If the promise of bargaining me away or selling me is enough to get into the household, I’ll take it. At least it will be a safe place to eat and sleep.
“Alright, I’ll take you on,” she finally says.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
Alright, little pearl, I whisper to my companion, let’s make Dom proud.
“I haven’t any need of a cook at present, though,” the woman continues. “My sister-in-law does all our cooking, but I’m willing to bet she could use another kitchen maid.”
“That would do very nicely,” I reply, “thank you.”
“Humph,” the woman says. She slows her pace and looks confused as to why we are having this conversation. I don’t want her to come to her senses, so I impose on her moment of reflection.
“If you will show me where to go, I can start working now,” I say, pouring the words into her mind and ears.
“Yes, well, this way then,” she replies and leads me through the crowded rooms to the back of the inn. We enter a room much larger than the household kitchen I’m used to working in. It is bustling with people moving about, chopping, battering, frying, and baking. Herbs hang from the ceiling. A vertical rotisserie spins in the corner with a large leg of lamb attached. Servants run over to it occasionally to slice meat for the gyros or shawarma they are making for the inn guests. The smells and sounds fill my nose and ears with hunger. It’s the first time I’ve noticed that pain in weeks. I try to focus on what the large woman is saying to me.
“And this is Aphrodite, my sister-in-law,” she says, leading me to the woman in the middle of the bustling room. “Aphrodite, I have a new kitchen maid for you. This is…well, what is your name child?”
“Athena,” I answer. The little pearl and I knew I would need to change my name to create another layer of secrecy from the man in the purple robes. He has never seen me up close, so having a different name may be enough to save me if we should cross paths again. I have always loved the name Athena.
“The goddess of wisdom and war, eh?” the large woman asks. “Well, let’s just hope you live up to your name in the wisdom part. We can do without the war.”
“Des,” Aphrodite interjects, “if there is one thing I don’t need it’s another kitchen hand.”
Another servant enters the room and runs to the large woman. “Pardon me Mistress Desdemona, but master Nadir requires your help with a guest.”
Desdemona lets out a short sigh, rolls her eyes, and turns to her sister-in-law. “The child is an investment. If that brother of yours keeps running up debts, she will pay for the trouble of keeping her fed. Now, show her the way around the kitchen while I go clean up another mess for your brother.” She huffs and stomps after the servant and leaves the kitchen the way we entered it. I turn to Aphrodite for further instruction.
Aphrodite. The goddess of beauty. It is an unfortunate name for someone so unbeautiful. Her dark skin is covered in warts and her kinky hair is riddled with grey. I wonder if perhaps she was a beautiful baby
or child and simply lost the worldly beauty as she grew older. I am holding out hopes that perhaps her personality is as beautiful as her name.
“Well, it looks like I’m stuck with you for now,” Aphrodite says. “Just mind that you keep your pretty little self workin around here and nothin else. I don’t need no runaway pregnant servant girls coming to ask me for help.” I am surprised at first by the implication. I am not quite twelve-years-old and I look it. But life here is so short. I suppose I’m really not very young when girls marry at fifteen or younger. I may end up dying by 13 from some disease. It’s a miracle I have lived this long.
I nod my promise to not flirt with the servant boys or inn guests and follow Aphrodite out of the inn and across the back courtyard to the servant housing.
“I ain’t got a lot a place for you to sleep in,” she says as she leads me to a small shed. “All the higher servants is already bunked up doubles and triples. You’ll ha’ ta stay here ‘til someone else leaves or dies.”
I swallow hard, “This will do just fine,” I say as I enter the small room. “Thank you.”
Aphrodite looks me up and down, taking in my good robes and clean face. “Hmmm,” she says. “I don’t know what brought such a nice young girl ta be a servant, but I don’t want ta know. It’s easier for us both that aways if we can keep a few secrets t’ourselves.” I give her a small smile of appreciation. “But you don’t want ta go awearin them nice things in my kitchen.” She disappears for half a moment then returns with her hands full of servants’ robes. They are darker and coarser than what I have been wearing, but they are clean. “Here,” she says as she tosses them to me. “Go ahead and put these on. You can leave them good clothes in here. You can use the washtub every week for your body and your clothes. If you want more cleanin than that, you’ll ha’ ta take yourself down ta the creek on your off time. Mind you, now, you don’t get much off time. But there it is.
