*
Melaina had difficulty with the fast, finding the thin barley broth totally inadequate. She complained of nausea in the morning, but was refused anything to settle her stomach. She'd developed a ravenous appetite of late, possibly even put a little weight on her lanky frame. She started looking for a way around the fast, found the kitchen and snooped for leftovers until the servants caught her.
For a distraction, she dragged her mother out to the dormitories to visit other patients, many of whom had been injured during the battle of Salamis. The draining, festering wounds of some would not heal. That of one man emitted the putrid smell of gangrene, which helped rid Melaina of her appetite. She talked to a boy with no voice while he listened patiently. She visited with a man who had lost an eye, with only an empty socket remaining, and avoided another with a stone in his penis. She was patient while her mother consulted with several women who also had barren wombs. Melaina drew the line at a man who'd had a spear struck through both his eyes. He still carried the bronze tip within his face. She felt sorrow for his blindness, but witnessing his pain was more than she could bear.
The Hierophant went off to see Theognotus again but returned without satisfaction. "He told me I might undergo the procedure tomorrow. You have to stay after these priests, or they'll keep you here forever." His pain, as evidenced by a wincing restlessness while sitting and difficulty walking, had seemed to multiply daily. Melaina grew increasingly concerned about him, but neither he nor her mother would discuss it.
The Mysteries, A Novel of Ancient Eleusis Page 45
