silver. The High Priestess said if we hid something for them to find, then they might leave. She was right.” Thea paused. “But before they left, they drove a sword through her heart. They killed our High Priestess.”
“That was when you took over,” Diotima guessed.
“Someone had to,” Thea said simply. “We were all in shock. Women staggered about or sat in the courtyard and cried. There was one particularly beautiful woman, who’d been repeatedly abused; she walked into the woods and hanged herself. We found her the next day.
“I find it hard to describe, looking back after all these years, just how dire our predicament was. Our High Priestess was dead. None of us had ever known a time when she didn’t command. Normally we would have sent to Athens for instructions. But Athens had fallen to the enemy, and for all we knew the Athenians might never return. We were on our own.”
Thea sighed.
“The other priestesses did as I suggested—to do those things we did every day, to bake the bread and worship at the temple. The women obeyed me. By the time the Athenians had taken back their city and the enemy had been driven off, it was thesettled order. The Basileus confirmed me in my position. I never thought to be High Priestess.”
Doris walked up as Thea spoke those final words. “Your incumbency has been a time of remarkable peace,” she said.
“I’m glad,” Thea said.
We followed the river north. Doris chose to join us.
As we walked, I asked, “Have you been a priestess all your life, Doris?”
“Indeed not. I was married to a man for half my life. But he died one day—just collapsed without warning—and my children were grown. I suppose I should have retired gracefully to the home of my son—he’s a good man with a decent wife and they would have been happy to have me—or perhaps I should have married some lonely widower—but I thought instead to remove myself to the Sanctuary at Brauron. I’ve always loved children, you see; I missed my own daughters dreadfully when they married. Moving to the sanctuary was my way of reliving those lovely years when my own daughters were young. Who would have known it could lead to so much death?”
I said, “Thea told us that Zeke served with the army during the second invasion. That was the year I was born. When
did
Zeke come to Brauron?”
“Some time after Marathon. That’s all I know.”
“What’s that smell?” I asked. I’d smelt something I hadn’t expected, something…“Is that … salt?”
“It’s salt water, Nico,” Diotima said patiently.
“Brauron is by the sea.” Doris pointed northeast. “See that hill? The one with the shrubs and not much else?”
It was the hill where Melo and I had fought.
“Walk over that and before you know it, you’ll be at a shallow bay that leads into the Aegean.”
“I didn’t realize we were so close. Is it a port?”
“The sea here’s far too shallow for that,” Doris said. “There’s a jetty and a rowboat. Sometimes the men will take the boat toBrauron town, to bring back heavy goods. Just row the boat down the coast, and you’ll come to Brauron.”
“Is the town far away?”
“Not even half a day.”
“Could a child row it?”
“No,” Doris said at once. “Not a chance.”
We turned south to walk down the east side of the complex. Our tour ended at the most important room in the complex for us: a small room in the east wing of the stoa where the bones of the dead man had been placed pending a funeral.
“I’ll leave you here,” Doris said, and she looked uneasy. “I don’t like dead bodies.” Doris walked off quickly.
Diotima and I shared a look. I shot open the bolt, then slowly opened the door. I peered in.
The skeleton was laid out on a board, which in turn lay on the floor: arms, legs, backbone, pelvis, ribs … everything in the right position. Everything except the head.
A skeleton without a head looks wrong. Without it, the neck looked like a road
“That was when you took over,” Diotima guessed.
“Someone had to,” Thea said simply. “We were all in shock. Women staggered about or sat in the courtyard and cried. There was one particularly beautiful woman, who’d been repeatedly abused; she walked into the woods and hanged herself. We found her the next day.
“I find it hard to describe, looking back after all these years, just how dire our predicament was. Our High Priestess was dead. None of us had ever known a time when she didn’t command. Normally we would have sent to Athens for instructions. But Athens had fallen to the enemy, and for all we knew the Athenians might never return. We were on our own.”
Thea sighed.
“The other priestesses did as I suggested—to do those things we did every day, to bake the bread and worship at the temple. The women obeyed me. By the time the Athenians had taken back their city and the enemy had been driven off, it was thesettled order. The Basileus confirmed me in my position. I never thought to be High Priestess.”
Doris walked up as Thea spoke those final words. “Your incumbency has been a time of remarkable peace,” she said.
“I’m glad,” Thea said.
We followed the river north. Doris chose to join us.
As we walked, I asked, “Have you been a priestess all your life, Doris?”
“Indeed not. I was married to a man for half my life. But he died one day—just collapsed without warning—and my children were grown. I suppose I should have retired gracefully to the home of my son—he’s a good man with a decent wife and they would have been happy to have me—or perhaps I should have married some lonely widower—but I thought instead to remove myself to the Sanctuary at Brauron. I’ve always loved children, you see; I missed my own daughters dreadfully when they married. Moving to the sanctuary was my way of reliving those lovely years when my own daughters were young. Who would have known it could lead to so much death?”
I said, “Thea told us that Zeke served with the army during the second invasion. That was the year I was born. When
did
Zeke come to Brauron?”
“Some time after Marathon. That’s all I know.”
“What’s that smell?” I asked. I’d smelt something I hadn’t expected, something…“Is that … salt?”
“It’s salt water, Nico,” Diotima said patiently.
“Brauron is by the sea.” Doris pointed northeast. “See that hill? The one with the shrubs and not much else?”
It was the hill where Melo and I had fought.
“Walk over that and before you know it, you’ll be at a shallow bay that leads into the Aegean.”
“I didn’t realize we were so close. Is it a port?”
“The sea here’s far too shallow for that,” Doris said. “There’s a jetty and a rowboat. Sometimes the men will take the boat toBrauron town, to bring back heavy goods. Just row the boat down the coast, and you’ll come to Brauron.”
“Is the town far away?”
“Not even half a day.”
“Could a child row it?”
“No,” Doris said at once. “Not a chance.”
We turned south to walk down the east side of the complex. Our tour ended at the most important room in the complex for us: a small room in the east wing of the stoa where the bones of the dead man had been placed pending a funeral.
“I’ll leave you here,” Doris said, and she looked uneasy. “I don’t like dead bodies.” Doris walked off quickly.
Diotima and I shared a look. I shot open the bolt, then slowly opened the door. I peered in.
The skeleton was laid out on a board, which in turn lay on the floor: arms, legs, backbone, pelvis, ribs … everything in the right position. Everything except the head.
A skeleton without a head looks wrong. Without it, the neck looked like a road
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