Infinite Sacrifice by L.E. Waters Page A

under
his arm. I kiss him, and he’s gone.

 
     
     
     

Chapter 8
     
    It’s months before we hear from
anyone again. Nereus stops by one evening and with a big smile.
“You will be happy to know Arcen graduated agoge today.”
    Ophira lets out a little scream,
hugs me, and I sicken at the thought I should be so relieved my son
didn’t run back home.
    Nereus continues, “They wasted no
time in sending them out as reinforcements to Leander’s
army.”
    Thinking of Leander seeing Arcen in
action makes me wring my hands. Regardless, we had a celebratory
feast that night with wine, listened to Nereus’s stories, and
enjoyed every word and peal of laughter. I start in labor on a
summer day. I ask Ophira to help me outside and up to the cliff
since I had my heart set on the baby being born up there among
Demetrius’s wildflowers. This time we don’t worry if we shall call
anyone because Leander is away and this baby won’t be examined
since it’s a mothax. I labor more quickly this time, and when it’s
time to push, I look out over the cliffs and hope this baby will be
blessed. Ophira holds her up for me to see; she’s thick and strong.
She has a full head of strawberry-blonde hair, pomegranate-red
lips, and a peculiar mark above her right knee, but it only endears
her to me more. I name her Kali and having her to take care of
fills our days. She makes every day wonderful. She walks early and
is running before her birthday comes around again. Theodon comes a
few times to see her and is slow in giving her attention at first,
but soon realizes she’s irresistible. Theodon visits one day,
especially to spend time with her, and is here when we see a few
carts and horses coming up our road.
    I scream inside.
    Leander, dressed in full armor, is
on his way back. Legs hang off the back of his cart. I rush down
the hill to them so fast it’s hard to stop. There is Arcen, lying
upon his embossed shield, dead. I start crying; Ophira catches up
and holds me.
    Leander gets off and nods to me.
“Don’t waste your tears. He died a coward.”
    With that, he rolls Arcen over to
show five broken arrows in his back.
    He was shot while running
away.
    “Oh no, oh no, oh no.”
    This is great shame to a family.
Leander and I will be disgraced and Kali might not even be able to
marry now. There’s nothing so vile as a coward in Sparta; a leper’s
more welcome at a ceremony. To be the mother of a coward is like
death. Ophira pulls me up the hill and I can see Leander up ahead
hesitating at Theodon.
    He shouts down to me, grabbing
Theodon’s thick shoulder. “You see this! This is what a real son
looks like! This is something a man like me should have! I would’ve
been better off breeding with this helot!” He points despairingly
toward Ophira.
    I can’t take it
anymore and burst out, “No need for that! Theodon is yours! He’s both of
ours! He was born Arcen’s twin! He came from my womb! I nursed him
for a year!”
    Leander looks shocked at first and
then amused. “Is this true, Ophira, or is she losing her
mind?”
    Ophira lets go of me in anger,
turns to me, and says, “Of course she’s losing her mind. What else
will jealousy and a cowardly dead son do?”
    I look at Theodon, who seems so
utterly confused. Ophira goes up to him and whispers something in
his ear, rubs his shoulder, and takes him to his horse. I can’t
believe Ophira took this from me. Leander walks up to Kali, who is
tottering around sweetly, mindless of what’s occurring in front of
her.
    He shouts, “And once this mothax
turns ten, we’re sending her away!”
    His angry voice now scares her, and
she comes running to me. I hold her tight as I cry in her hair and
watch Arcen’s dead body lie still.
     
    ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
     
    Other than commands and nods,
Ophira and I stop talking. Though she still works for me, it’s
amazing how little we have to communicate. I understand why she had
to deny my confession for both our