HETAERA: Daughter of the Gods

by Coffey, J. A.

  “They poke fun and insult me, I know. I recognize their tone, if not the words. You do not know how grateful I am that you have come to Sais.”

  “Why do you not pick new ladies to attend you?” I asked.

  “What would it matter?” She sighed and I pretended not to recognize her unhappiness. She was so filled with longing for Libya, that I thought it wise not to unleash the tempest of her tears. She was much like Mara in that respect.

  “You should try to apply yourself to your tutors, my Princess. Your time would be easier spent here, if you became more accustomed to our culture.” I urged, gently.

  Ladice sniffed. “That is what you have done, yourself?”

  I supposed I had. I was more than immersed in Egyptian culture. I’d troubled myself to learn everything I could, and in the learning, came by an understanding that I had lacked before. Perhaps that is why I couldn’t bear the hungry faces of the orphans on the street, or hear the crack of a whip against a slave’s back.

  The next week Amasis sent an invitation for me to attend him, while he exercised his chariot horses. I was excited at the prospect of seeing him again. And having owned a fine stable in Naukratis, I was more than interested in seeing him race, and flattered that he should ask me to attend. Part of me wondered if he realized his Cyrene wife was learned in horseflesh, but I could not bring myself to ask.

  He led me to a wide sandy track near the edge of the city. There were a few others gathered to watch, including Neferenatu, the vizier. I tried not to notice his angry, narrowed eyes as Amasis led me to the pair of fine white horses.

  He encouraged me to stroke their gleaming bodies, while stable hands held their reins tight. The horses quivered under my touch, and my gaze darted back to the gathered royalty, clustered in loose knots of conversation. I identified with the horse’s emotions. Fear. Distrust.

  “Sha,” I murmured low. “I won’t hurt you.” I blew gently into his nostrils that he might become familiar with my scent. The horse nickered in response and allowed me to catch hold of his rein.

  Amasis put his hand on my shoulder and led me back to inspect the chariot. It was a wonder--great and golden as Apollo’s sun chariot. The entire carriage was bedecked in layers of gold, electrum, and silver. The concave interior sported painted scenes of Amasis conquering a horde of kneeling Nubians, his foot placed atop their heads.

  “Ride with me,” he commanded.

  This time, I did not hesitate.

  I handed my cup of wine to the nearest servant. Amasis stepped up first, and I stood just behind. In the chariot there was enough room for us to stand side by side, but I was content to let more practiced hands hold the reins. He widened his stance, his muscular thighs straining at the tight pleats of his shenti. I braced myself, holding onto the sides of the chariot.

  With a shout from the stable hands, we were off. At the first rushing jolt, I abandoned my hold on the wooden chariot and flung my arms around Amasis’ midsection.

  “Are you sure this is safe?” I called, over the rushing wind.

  He laughed and called for the horses to go faster. I leaned against the strength of his broad shoulders, and let go my inhibitions. If he thought it safe, I would not gainsay him. The wind whipped through my hair, and my heart pounded in my chest in time to the beat of the horses’ hooves. Once I’d let go of my fear, the sensation was indescribable.

  We were flying!

  We pounded down the sandy track, away from the city. I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw the white plaster buildings of Sais grow smaller. The wind whistled in my ears and I could not help but laugh. I felt as free as the falcons circling overhead. The sun blazed and turned the dunes to gold.

  He tossed me a grin, and for a moment I saw the boy he must have been, eyes twinkling with delight and his tanned face creased with joy. No more the heavy cares of the throne of Egypt.

  We turned a corner and he pulled back on the reins slowing the chariot. Gravel spewed from the horses hooves and we rolled to a stop.

  “Well,” he said. “What say you? Did you enjoy the ride?”

  What could I say? That it was frightening and thrilling all at once? That the sensation mimicked the feeling in my stomach when he drew near?

  “It...it was the most precious of your gifts to me,” I smiled. I pushed the unkempt locks of my hair out of my eyes, not even caring that I looked a mess.

  His expression grew serious and he pulled me close to him. His eyes fixed on my mouth. “Not many women of the court would share your enthusiasm for such coarse pastimes, Rhodopis.”

  I was dizzy from the speed of our ride and the nearness of his body. A wave of desire engulfed me; every inch of my flesh was attuned to him. Oh, why did I seem to go into heat every time he was near? Me, who’d never needed a man’s touch!

  “I was raised a soldier’s daughter,” I said. “I am not afraid.”

  His lips quirked. “And yet I feel your body trembling like a palm frond.” He shifted his weight so that the length of him touched me from foot to chest. The hard muscles of his body pressed through my fine linen as if we were alone and naked before the sight of the gods.

  “Only from the nearness of you, Nesu.” I confessed.

  His brow rose. “Rhodopis…” he murmured.

  Now, I thought. Surely now he will kiss me. I felt my lids droop in anticipation. His lips were inches away. I felt his fingers grasp at my hands.

  “Here.” His voice was more a sigh against my lips, than speech.

  “What?” I looked down and found he’d slipped the leather reins into my sweating palm.

  He smirked. “Let us see how a soldier’s daughter handles herself.”

  My nerves were a jangled mess by the time we reached the palace. My back and legs ached from bracing myself against the bouncing chariot and the surging horses. All the while, he balanced easily behind me with his hands resting lightly around my waist. He directed me through his words and his touch, showing me the easiest way to grip the leather reins, so that I afforded the horses enough room for the proud arch of their necks, while not allowing them too much freedom.

  By the time we arrived, half the royals had departed for more interesting company. I was grateful, for my hair was a tangled mess, and my gown sodden with sweat. When Amasis gave me leave to depart, I limped to a litter. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon soaking my sore muscles in my courtyard pool, but the feel of his body against mine did not leave me.

  *** ***

  When Ladice summoned me yet again that week, I am ashamed to say I sent Mara instead. Though I pitied Ladice, I could not stand the thought of listening to her mindless babble after I’d spent long lovely hours reveling in her husband’s company. Besides, my coffers were in need of replenishing, and Mara did not seem to mind the Princess’ company, so I was content to let her go in my stead.

  Still, I found myself unwilling to accept any assignations. Which ones to answer first? Who would be insulted and who would gain notoriety by my selections? Stacks of gifts piled up in my chambers, but I felt too restless to answer any of them. My head ached with determining what decorum dictated I must do, and from wondering if Amasis thought of me at all.

  I’d heard news that the Persian king Kourosh had captured Babylonia, taking the city by surprise. He was now master of an area that stretched far to the east of Egypt. If public rumors were to be believed, the Persian king crouched at our borders as if his gods promised him the world. It truly seemed so, for the Persian threat was now without equal. The whole of Egypt dithered with worry, and me doubly so, for last I’d heard my dearest Aesop had been sent to attend King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. Without Amasis’ strength and experience to protect us, I feared what would become of us all.

  Still, by season’s end, there was a new uproar in the palace. The marketplace was abuzz with minor gossip. It seems Amasis had installed a lovely new sculpture of Ra in an alcove of the palace rose garden. Many of the minor noble families, craving approval or simply wishi
ng to be thought as such, had stopped to admire it, to kneel before it with offerings of food, drink, and adulation. That is, until Amasis let it be known that the brass used to smelt the god’s image had come from an unusual source.

  His chamber pot.

  “From humble origins, great things can come,” he proclaimed.

  I was so amused I could not help but laugh as I went about my daily business. Especially when Mara rushed into my chambers with a gift of precious lotus-infused wine from Amasis.

  “What can it mean?” she asked. It was not the typical offering of a lover. I shook my head, not wanting to explain for fear that my pleasure at his tribute would cause Mara pain.

  I understood the gift of the lotus wine. It stood for clarity of thought. The Egyptians believed that to drink lotus wine gave them the power to commune with the gods. The message within the gift was clear. He valued my council. My heart soared.

  Perhaps he did think of me, a little.

  “I do not understand these people,” Mara said.

  “I am sure it is nothing.” I patted her hand, but she drew away from me with a scowl.

  A frown marred her pretty face. “I think you like him.”

  How could I not? “He is far different than I thought he would be,” I admitted, feeling unaccountably cautious.

  “You used to fear him. How can you change your feelings so quickly?”

  “Oh, Mara.” I sighed. “You will find fault with any man that interests me. Even the god-king of Egypt.” I wrapped my arms around her to take the sting from my words. “You must admit there is much to admire about him.” I tried to dispel the memory of his strong hands around my waist.

  “I hear he is a drunkard. He fritters away half the day on drinking and games.”

  “Mara! Where do you hear such things?”

  “It’s true! He only holds session for part of the morning and then spends his afternoon guzzling wine and exchanging jests with commoners and royalty alike.”

  “Perhaps he wishes to discover the thoughts of the common people for himself. But, even if those stories were to be true, I should like some time to indulge in drinking and pleasantries myself if I bore the weight of a country on my shoulders. You cannot blame him for that.”

  “I don’t. But the same could not be said for others.” Mara pursed her lips.

  “Mara!” I laughed, without meaning it. “What is it? What do you know?”

  She shook her head and slipped out of my arms. I was half-tempted to call her back, to order her not to pay such heed to rumors and gossip, but it occurred to me that perhaps I could use her ears and eyes to Amasis’ advantage. If she communed with those who plotted against Amasis, her insight could help strengthen his hold on the throne.

  That I wanted to help him succeed surprised me more than I can say.

  *** ***

  Two weeks passed in a blur of invitations to the palace, temple rites, feasts and court celebrations. Mara was not at home that morning. Her absence made me irritable as I was summoned to play senet with Amasis that afternoon and without Mara I could not dress my own hair.

  I’d escorted poor Ladice around the city once more, and accompanied her to the marketplace where she planned to try her newly acquired Egyptian words. But Ladice was not impressed with the market. She continued to compare everything to those of Cyrene, from the foodstuffs to the finery. I wondered if the Libyan markets were truly that much superior, or if it was only her lonely heart that made her so ungenerous. We left without making any purchases, though it would’ve done the common people much good to have her patronage.

  I’d seen Amasis few times in those weeks, though we were never alone. We passed a few moments of polite conversation, or a shared smile. I watched for him everywhere, and kept my ears trained for any word of him, telling myself that I was only being a loyal citizen of Egypt.

  Still, I found myself staring at his lips on more than one occasion, wondering what they would feel like on my skin. But he did not try to kiss me. He seemed content to merely watch me from across the room. He did not request I attend him in his private chambers again.

  If my patrons’ gifts were any indication, I was by far the most desirable woman in the realm. I’d received a stack of precious animal furs from Nubia, frankincense from Babylonia, and a reed cage of doves. Kyky, my monkey, screeched and taunted the poor birds, so I gave them to Mara to send to Ladice. My servants, commoners, and tradesmen on the streets stopped and made obeisance when I passed them in my litter. So why did Amasis not wish me to please him? Was he a lover of men, then, for all that Egypt rumored him to be a great womanizer? Perhaps that is why he did not wish to lie with me.

  I worried that his lack of ardor would hurt my business, but it did not. Offers poured in, invitations to large feasts and quiet dinners. Still, I put off responding to any of them, for what if Pharaoh should request my company? My coffers were quite full. I could well afford to wait.

  I busied myself by penning an Egyptian harpist’s lay I’d heard at the palace.

  ...Revel in pleasure while your life endures

  And deck your head with myrrh. Be richly clad

  In white and perfumed linen; like the gods

  Anointed be; and never weary grow

  In eager quest of what your heart desires

  Do as it prompts you...

  It reminded me of my promise to the goddess--to follow love all of my days. A noble endeavor, but difficult to hold to.

  “Dori!” Mara rushed into the room.

  I fumbled with my hollow reed, splattering red ink across the page.

  “Where have you been, Mara?” I forced my tone to be even. “I came back from the temple and you were gone.”

  “I was at the market shopping for hair combs. Princess Ladice admired yours, so…never mind that. Dori, you must listen to me. I delivered the combs to the palace.” She paused and bit her lip.

  “Mara, what is it? What about the palace? Has something happened?” My heart leapt into my throat. “I can see from your face something is wrong!”

  “It’s not him.” Mara answered my unspoken question without rancor. “It’s Aesop.”

  “Aesop?” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Is he here? Quickly, get my peplos. Oh, I cannot wait to see him. I have so much to tell him…and you must meet him, of course….”

  Mara did not move. “He is not here, Dori. He’s gone.”

  The plea in her voice stopped me when her words would not. “What do you mean, gone?” I asked.

  She would not look me in the eye. “He’s dead, Dori. Murdered at Delphi.”

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Mara went with me to see Ladice. If my near-sister had heard of Aesop’s death at the palace, then no doubt Ladice, who was much prone to gossip, would have ferreted out the entire story by now. I followed hard on the heels of our escort through the maze of garden courtyards, past the pools of blue lotus and tamarisk trees to Ladice’s chambers.

  “Oh…oh! It is such a loss for Greece.” She wailed and threw herself into my arms. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her cheeks streaked with tears. For once I did not mind her heavy theatrics. I felt like crying, myself.

  “How did it happen?” I stifled my own tears. “Was there some dread accident with King Nebuchadnezzar?” Anger clutched at my chest like a falcon’s claw.

  “Had you not heard, Rhodopis? Aesop left Babylonia long ago. He was sent with an embassy to Delphi by Croesus, King of Lydia.”

  “Lydia? I thought he was in Babylonia.” He’d made himself indispensable to two kings in short time. “Why did Croesus send him to Delphi?”

  “To give out one hundred gold ducats to whoever proved himself worthy. But Aesop was so disgusted with the Delphinians that he lashed them with cruel sarcasms until Delphi was in a fury.”

  “I do not doubt it was so.” I nodded. Aesop had a terrible temper.

  Ladice agreed. “It was no more than they deserved. Everyone knows that Delphi is a den of liars and cheats. Onl
y a barbarian would send them gifts, but I am certain Aesop did as he was bid by Croesus. He brought the ducats but could find no man worthy, so he vowed to pass out none and threw them into the sea, instead.”

  No man, I thought. But perhaps he should have searched instead for a woman. In Greece, that was sure to never happen.

  “At this, the Delphinians became enraged. They chased him to Hyampeia, the tallest cliff, near the Oracle’s Temple. Then they threw him to his death onto the rocks below the Castalian Spring.”

  “Oh!” Tears sprang to my eyes. I pictured the bulk of his body broken on the jagged rocks and covered my mouth with a shaking hand. “What a horrid end to such a great man.”

  “True…true,” Ladice said. “And I feel his loss, keenly. He was a kinsman of mine, of course.”

  I wanted to smack her. She did not know Aesop; she’d never even met him! My fingers clenched and Mara must have guessed what I was feeling because she pressed a cup of wine into my palms an instant later. I calmed myself whilst Mara poured one for Ladice, as well.

  “So,” the Princess continued. “Reports from Delphi say the city is cursed. They’d left his corpse to rot beneath the sun, those impious fools. Aesop was in the right, after all, for the gods have rained fire, famine, and death upon its denizens. There is hardly a soul who survived. Why, I have heard that the ground rumbles and shakes and great flames spew out of the streets until half the city has fallen to rubble! Can you imagine?”

  I should never have let Aesop go to Nebuchadnezzar. I should have agreed to marry him…perhaps if I had, he would not have died in such a wicked manner. I could not stand to be in Ladice’s chambers another moment. I desperately needed time to be alone in my grief, but Amasis expected me some time ago.

  “Excuse me, Princess.” I forced my voice to be calm. “I am late for an assignation that I fear I cannot refuse.” Though I did not feel at all well, it would not do to insult either of them with an unexplained absence from a summons.