Ani’s expression changed from guilt to worry. “Eshe,” he whispered. “Please say something.”
She couldn’t utter a word. She continued staring at him, not really seeing him as she thought of all the ways this would impact her family.
She would need to work. Nebet too. Ruia and Sabaf were too young, but perhaps they could take over caring for their father while the sisters found employment. Eshe could tutor. She could teach children Greek.
“Eshe,” Ani’s voice pleaded. “Please. What can I do? How can I help?”
One slow blink. Followed by another. Her friend came back into focus.
“Help me tell Father,” she said. Eshe stood and waited for Ani to do the same.
We will survive this, Eshe told herself. We will survive this.
9
Nebet tapped tentatively against the door separating her from the room she and Eshe shared. The younger sister ignored the sound, not completely hearing it through her anguish and fury.
“Eshe,” the older sister called through the wood. “Please talk to me. You’ve been in there all day.”
When she did not respond, Nebet decided to push against the door and let herself in. She could have done it earlier, but Eshe knew her sister was trying to give her space. But no amount of space would make her accept the horrible decision her father revealed to them that morning.
Slowly, Nebet approached and sat beside Eshe on the thin straw mattress. Eshe continued staring out the window, wishing she could grab her sister, jump through the small space, and fly them somewhere far away.
“Dinner is ready. Will you come eat with us?”
“No.”
“Please? For me?”
“I cannot look at him.”
“Father is doing what he thinks is best. He is trying to protect us.”
Eshe whirled on her sister. “He is offering you up like a lamb to slaughter! The only person he cares to protect is himself.”
Nebet cringed, but persisted. “He has no other choice.”
“Of course he has another choice!” Eshe’s hands began to shake. “He could get off his ass and work. He could help us find employment. He should do anything he can to keep you from that… pig!”
After Ani and Eshe informed her father of the loss of the last of the family’s crops, Theshan barely appeared bothered. Eshe thought he took the blow rather gracefully, all things considered.
As if turned out, Theshan took the news so well because he already had his backup plan in motion. He spoke with Benipe not even twelve hours later and accepted the proposal for his eldest daughter. The image of her father’s expression when he told the girls he contacted the rich merchant would be forever seared behind Eshe’s eyes. There was no regret. No guilt. Nothing but complete resolve.
“There is no guarantee any of those things would save the family from becoming destitute,” Nebet stated. “Father is doing the only thing he thinks will guarantee he keeps the farm and an inheritance for Ruia.”
“He’s trading you for money. Like cattle!” Not only did Benipe offer to “take Nebet off her father’s hands”, but he also offered monetary compensation for “taking away his primary caretaker”. The word choice nearly caused Eshe to throw up right at her father’s feet.
“Enough,” Nebet demanded, her tone allowed no argument.
Eshe stared, surprised by the hostility. Faint hope sprung that Nebet would finally stand up for herself and go against their father’s wishes.
“Enough,” Nebet repeated, calmer this time. “There is nothing we can do.”
The hope crashed to the floor. “You can refuse. We can leave and take Ruia and Sab with us.”
“And go where? A poor house? Do you really think that is a better alternative?”
Eshe knew it was not. “We will figure something out.” She would not sit by and allow her sister to lose any chance of a happy life. She knew there was no way the overweight, greasy man could ever make her sister happy.
Nebet shook her head. “No, we will not.”
Anger filled Eshe’s tone. “Why are you so determined to let father do this?”
“I am not upset by things as you are.”
Eshe couldn’t hold in her derisive scoff. “You cannot lie to me.”
Nebet’s dark eyes narrowed. “I am not lying.”
“You are telling me you accept this marriage willingly? That you are happy to become Benipe’s wife? Stand up for yourself, for once!”
Nebet snapped. “I am telling you, I am glad I can do something to help my family out of our current predicament.”
She raised a hand, stopping the retort forming on Eshe’s lips. “I am approaching an unmarriageable age. If I don’t marry soon, I will not be able to marry at all. I am fortunate someone who can help my family has chosen me as a bride.”
Eshe bit her lip. Her sister was not old by any means, but most girls in Alexandria were married long before eighteen, many before sixteen. The Akil sisters lucked out that their father had not pushed them into marriage.
Before now…
“Surely there is someone else? Anyone else who would marry you.” Eshe would grasp at any alternative, no matter how slight. There had to be another way to get Nebet out of marrying the old man.
“I was too picky for too long,” Nebet said. “I had the opportunity, but decided I did not want to marry for anything less than love.
“And you know what?” she asked, straightening her spine. “I’m glad of it. If I had married someone else, I wouldn’t have the chance to help you all.”
The words cut Eshe to the core. Nebet was always the selfless one.
“I don’t want this for you,” Eshe whispered, frustrated tears forming behind her eyes. “I want to help.”
Nebet placed her small hand over Eshe’s. “You can help me by living. Let my path lay a better one for you. Be happy. Marry if you wish, but at least you will get to marry who you want.”
Unable to take any more–to accept her sister’s unhappy future with a smile, Eshe stood up. Nebet’s hand fell away as she turned and walked out of the room. She refused to look back when Nebet called her name. Knowing, if she did, it might break her.
10
Field after field. Building after building. Eshe passed by friends and acquaintances but did not notice anyone or anything. She walked without thought. All she wanted was for each step to take her farther and farther from her troubled family.
How could her father do it? How could he sell his daughter for money?
Why didn’t he think of an alternative? Why did he not at least try?
The bothersome tears never left her eyes, but one threatened to roll onto her cheek at any moment to accompany the frustrating thoughts.
Nebet might say otherwise, but Eshe knew her sister wanted a way out. No way did her sweet and gentle sister want to marry that man. Once again, Eshe ravaged her brain for an alternative. For any way she could keep her sister from the horrific fate.
“Eshe!”
She paused at the sound of her name. Had it been anyone else, anyone at all, Eshe was sure she would not have heard it.
But that voice was one Eshe suspected she would hear above a roaring crowd. Its owner tugged at her soul in ways she had yet to fully understand.
Eshe turned and met Lome’s waiting smile and wave. The raised arm lowered as he took in her expression.
In an instant, Lome was at her side. His eyes roamed over her entire body, looking for any sign of hurt. Eshe flinched, shocked at how fast he managed to reach her.
“Eshe?” he repeated her name as a question. “What is the matter? Are you alright?”
The pressure on her chest increased in response to his concerned gaze. She breathed in her nostrils to keep the moisture at bay.
She failed.
Countless tears began streaming down her cheeks. She tried to breathe and calm herself down but was left gasping for air. The brunt of her sadness, guilt, and hopelessness threatened to drown her in Lome
’s presence.
Strong hands cupped either side of her face. Lome tilted her head up and forced her to look into his eyes. “Breathe,” he instructed. “In. Out. In. Out.” He mimicked the process, his broad chest and shoulders moving up and down in demonstration.
With gasps and subsequent hiccups, Eshe attempted to follow his example, lifting her hands to hold onto his elbows to steady herself.
Even as she tried to regain the ability to breathe, she was sure her cheeks flamed from embarrassment. Her behavior was horrifying. She never cried in front of anyone. Why did the first time have to be in front of him?
Gradually, Eshe’s tears abated and her lungs picked up their usual rhythm.
Finally able to see through her tears, Eshe blinked and observed Lome and her surroundings. She was somewhere in the main marketplace, and somehow, Lome managed to move them to a small nook between two stalls. Eshe’s public breakdown turned out to not be as public as she feared.
She dropped her arms and moved to step back. Lome had no choice but to remove his palms from either side of her head. She walked backwards until her back rested against a wooden pole.
“Feeling better?” he asked, concern evident both in his tone and expression.
“Yes,” her voice cracked. The crying must have left her dehydrated.
Lome continued to examine her. “What happened?”
All she could do was shake her head. Eshe had no idea how she would explain her breakdown–if she even could.
“Eshe,” Lome said firmly. “What. Happened?”
His eyes captured her own. She could see the worry and resolve in them. He would not allow her to leave his presence without offering some sort of explanation.
Eshe inhaled deeply, willing the air to take her answering words out with the exhale. “My father has agreed to Benipe’s suit. Nebet will marry him within the month.”
Lome did not move an inch. He simply continued to hold her gaze. “How did she take it?”
“Nebet?” Eshe squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “She is resigned to doing it. Even claims she is happy to get our family out of trouble.”
Alarm crossed his face. “You are in trouble?”
Eshe shook her head, and loose strands of hair stuck to her moist cheeks. “Financially. My father’s latest harvest has gone missing. He was counting on it to settle our debts.” It was not the entire story, but Eshe did not wish to share her entire family’s failings with others. Especially not Lome.
“I am sorry to hear it.” He slowly reached forward and moved the hair behind her ears.
“Thank you.” Tears threatened again. “My father only offers Nebet for money. He has no concern for her happiness.”
Lome raised a hand and gently brushed away the latest tear drop with his thumb. “You say Nebet is resigned to the marriage. Perhaps being able to assist your family is, indeed, enough to make her happy?”
Eshe furiously jerked her head. “No. I won’t allow her to do it.” She would not let Nebet sacrifice herself. It was the only thought which ran on a loop through Eshe’s mind. “I need to find a way to prevent the marriage from happening.” Without knowing it, her eyes turned pleading. As if she asked Lome to help her figure out a way to save her sister.
Lome opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed his lips, rethinking his words. Eshe noticed.
“What?” she asked.
He gave one firm shake of his head and looked almost like he was telling himself, “Nothing.”
She could see he was lying. Without thinking, Eshe reached out a hand and tightly held onto his wrist. “Please,” she swallowed. “What were you going to say?”
His eyes darted back and forth between hers. Assured by what he saw, Lome said, “What if I told you I could help?”
Her grip tightened. “I would say, tell me. Whatever it is. If it can save Nebet, please tell me.”
Lome covered her hand with his before the buildings around her began to blur. An intense pressure pushed against her body and she felt as if her neck snapped back when a gust of air passed them.
All of the sensations ceased. Eshe closed her eyes against the blurriness and used Lome’s arm to steady herself.
The dizziness gone, Eshe opened her eyes and gasped. They no longer stood in the market.
Eshe spun around and took in the sight of the creek near her family’s home. It was more than a thirty-minute walk to their current spot from the market.
“What?” she muttered, still taking in the scene. “How?”
Lome gently patted her hand before removing it from his forearm and returning it to her side. “I believe it is best if this conversation is held in private.”
Realization dawned. “Y-you moved us here?”
He nodded.
“How?” she repeated. Now, her hands shook for an entirely different reason. She felt panic begin to settle in.
“It relates to how I may be able to help you and your sister,” Lome said. “If you would allow it, I would like to start from the beginning.”
He grabbed her hands and held tight when she tried to pull away. He stared deeply into her eyes. “You are not in danger. Remain calm.”
As if someone opened the cork on her emotions, Eshe felt all her anxiety and panic pour out of her body. Her heart rate slowed, her stomach unclenched, and her breathing regained a steady pattern.
When she tried to remember what worried her, Eshe’s mind refused to dwell on the mysterious way they ended up in their current location. Her thoughts demanded that she listen to Lome. They insisted she learn how he could help Nebet and told her to worry about everything else later.
Succumbing to her thoughts, Eshe nodded once, signaling for him to begin.
Noting her calm, Lome turned and made himself comfortable on a smooth rock near him. He gestured for Eshe to sit across from him. She complied and faced him fully.
“As you know, I am not from Alexandria.”
A mechanical nod.
“What you do not know is that I am technically not from Greece, either. My two brothers and I have a home there, but we are not Greek.”
Brow furrowed, Eshe did not know how the place of his birth impacted his ability to help, but she asked, “Where did your parents come from?” His lighter tones certainly implied he had Grecian blood in his veins.
Lome released a low laugh, surprising Eshe. His long legs angled up, allowing him to lean forward and rest his elbows against them. He looked down at the ground. “I do not have any parents.”
Immediate regret and sorrow filled Eshe, she intended to offer condolences when Lome interrupted, “It is not what you think. My parents are not dead. I never had any.”
Eshe often heard orphans say such things. It seemed like the denial made the lack of parenting more bearable.
“I can feel your sadness on my behalf, Eshe. Please, stop. I told you, my parents are not deceased. They never existed in the first place.”
“How can that be?” she asked cautiously. “We cannot be born without a mother.” She spoke like she talked to a person ready to lose it.
His eyes finally turned up. They were serious as he said, “Because I was not born.”
Lome proceeded to explain the unique and incredible circumstances surrounding his and his brothers’ lives.
The men appeared in the middle of a grass field one day, just the three of them, completely naked. Not one of them had any idea of their identity or location, but each recognized the other as a brother.
Eshe sat on the rock, doing her best to keep her mouth from falling open. If Lome noticed the effort, he did not address it.
Within the following year, six others appeared in the same field. The brothers recognized them as kin, but did not feel a bond like the one they shared with one another. For centuries, no one else appeared, but each of the nine held out hope one may appear who had more information about where they came from.
“So my brothers and I made our home in Greece, right next to the fields and hills w
here the nine of us appeared.”
Through all of his words, one resounded in her ears. “Centuries?” she choked out, her previous calm and openness disappearing in the blink of an eye. “You said centuries.”
“Yes,” his eyes implored with her to remain calm. “We have been alive for centuries. We are immortal.”
Eshe’s heartbeat accelerated. Adrenaline pumped through her blood, preparing her body to run. She stared at her sandaled feet, doing her best to not reveal her plan of escape.
“You have nothing to fear from me.”
Her head whipped up. “How can you know I’m afraid?”
“It is easy enough to guess, but it is also one of my… abilities. At least when it comes to you.”
“Abilities?”
In demonstration, Lome lifted a palm and a bright blue light shot into the sky. Eshe watched its path with both wonder and terror. “Abilities,” he repeated.
Within a second, Eshe threw herself face down onto the ground in front of him. She shut her eyes and began muttering prayers for protection. She knew enough of Greek religion to remember their gods… witches… whatever Lome was, were not always known for their mercy or kindness. She prayed to the goddess mother, Isis, to protect her from whatever plot he planned for her.
“Eshe,” Lome’s voice filled with horror. From her planted position, she heard him stand and take a step towards her. Her muscles tightened.
Lome paused. “Eshe. I would never hurt you.” He bent down and grasped either side of her upper arms. She continued muttering her prayer and kept her eyes closed. He lifted her like she weighed no more than a bundle of cloth.
Once she was standing, a gentle finger traced the outline of her tense jawline. She cringed and leaned away from the caress.
“Eshe,” Lome breathed into her face. “Don’t you know how much you mean to me?” The words sounded sincere, full of some emotion Eshe could not place.
Unthinkingly, her eyes fluttered open.
His worried hazel gaze filled her vision. “You are everything to me.”
Enticed: An Immortal Chronicles Story Page 5
