by Clare Smith
On the other hand Athena could be looking down on her from Olympus right now wondering why her acolyte was daydreaming instead of getting on with her work. Amalaya sighed to herself and began scrubbing at the stain on the table again, only looking up when someone came into the room. It was Sissinia and her heart dropped even further.
“Amalaya, you are to change into your temple robes and come with me.”
“Why?” As soon as she said it she could see the look on the Priestess’s face that she should have kept quiet. Acolytes were meant to do as they were told not ask questions.
“You have a visitor. Now hurry up, he’s not a man to be kept waiting.”
Amalaya dropped the cloth into the bucket and resisted the temptation to wipe her wet hands down her tunic. She had a visitor and a man as well, which was unheard of. As she returned her bucket and cloth to the cupboard she wondered who it could be. The only men she knew were her father and three brothers, but as they hadn’t visited her for six years it wasn’t likely to be them.
She hurried to the dormitory and changed her tunic for her temple robes. It was the same type of robe that all the acolytes wore; long and white and tied at the waist with a cord. This one was too short for her as she was the tallest acolyte at the temple and barely covered her knees but she was unlikely to get a better one until the choosing or this one fell to pieces.
Taking the time to tie her hair back with a piece of knotted wool which she had spun as a child, she presented herself to Priestess Sissinia who looked her up and down, made a sound like a choking cat and marched off. Amalaya followed behind, expecting to be led down the steps to the lower temple where supplicants came if they wanted to make an offering to the goddess. Instead the Priestess led her up the steps to the great temple, through the pillars and into the inner temple where Sissinia stopped and roughly pushed her forwards.
From where she stood she could see the High Priestess standing by the altar with a brazier lit by her side. There was a smell of herbs in the air and burnt flesh, so she guessed that the High Priestess had been making an offering to the goddess. There was nothing strange in that as offerings were made to Athena every day, although usually there would be at least one other priestess in attendance.
What was strange was that instead of a second priestess, there was a man standing on the other side of the brazier, who took the small, silver platter of meat which the High Priestess offered him. He was tall and well built, and had to be someone of importance as men were rarely allowed into the temple when an offering was being made to Athena. When he turned around and smiled at her she had a sudden surge of pleasure; her warning had been acted upon after all.
Dionostes said something to the High Priestess who turned and beckoned her forward. If she’d been a child she would have skipped the length of the temple, but young women didn’t do that sort of thing, so she walked as sedately as she could wishing that her temple robe was longer and cleaner and less ragged at the bottom. When she reached them she gave Dionostes a brief bow and kissed the high Priestesses finger tips as she’d been taught.
“Amalaya, this is Dionostes who would like to speak with you. You may stay here where the presence of the goddess will keep you both safe.” The High Priestess stepped away but not far enough that she couldn’t hear what was being said.
“So you are the young lady who saved my life. If it wasn’t for you I would be dead and Athens would have taken another step towards war with the Persians.”
Now that she had the great man in front of her, she didn’t know what to say. “It was nothing, only I don’t understand why you are still alive.”
Dionostes laughed at that. “The High Priestess sent a warning and we set a trap for the assassins. We captured them and their accomplices who were plotting other evil deeds, so not only did you save my life, but the lives of many other Athenians. For that I have come to thank you personally and to offer you a gift as a reward.”
A gift would be wonderful, but it would only be taken away from her and she would never see it again. “Thank you but it was nothing really.”
“It was to me and my family and friends. Now what would you like? A young woman like you must want something to compliment her beauty.”
Of course she wanted things, lots of things, all of which she couldn’t have, but if she asked for something useful which could later be given to the temple, then surely that would be allowed. “I would like a new temple robe, one that fits me.”
Dionostes laughed but before he could say anything the High Priestess stepped forward. “I regret, Sir that Amalaya is unable to accept your gift, but if you wish to honour Athena with gifts for the temple, then the goddess will smile upon you. Now I believe your escort are becoming anxious at the length of your absence, and it would be most unfortunate if they were to enter the sacred ground looking for you.”
Dionostes bowed. He knew a dismissal when he heard one. “Amalaya, if you ever need a service from me, then you only have to ask.” He bowed once more to the High Priestess and left.
Amalaya watched him go, feeling disappointed but not surprised. The High Priestess might be beautiful and had always been kind to her, but she was unlikely to forego a donation of gold and gems, just so an acolyte could have a new robe.
“Walk with me, Amalaya, I have something to tell you.” The High Priestess began walking down the length of the temple towards where Sissinia waited, and she walked by her side hoping that she wasn’t going to end up doing more scrubbing and cleaning just because she’d asked for a new robe.
“I have been thinking about your gift, Amalaya, and why it has only manifested itself twice in six years. I have come to the conclusion that there are too many distractions here for you, and your gift will only mature when you are away from the temptations of a worldly life. For that reason I am sending you to Delphi, to serve in the temple there.”
“To serve?” questioned Amalaya in a voice that shook slightly.
“Yes, you are to become a priestess of the Oracle.”
Amalaya stopped. She couldn’t help it, as the blood was draining out of her feet and pounding in her ears at the same time. “Does that mean that, that…..”
“Yes, a Priestess of the Oracle must only see what will be not what is. It is what the goddess has chosen for you.” The High Priestess waved Sissinia forward. “Take Amalaya to a room in the small temple so that she may pray to the goddess and thank Athena for her choosing whilst arrangements are made.”
She couldn’t move for the shock and the fear, but the Priestess took her by the arm and pulled her out of the great temple. She didn’t remember crossing to the small temple, but she heard every word the priestess said as she pushed her into a tiny room.
“You should be happy with what the goddess has chosen for you, it is a great honour to be a Priestess of the Oracle, and don’t worry about losing those blue eyes of yours, it won’t hurt after the pain has gone.” The Priestess gave a bitter laugh, closed the door and left her on her own.
*
She tried to pray and thank the goddess for the honour Athena had bestowed on her, but it was impossible. Every time she tried to say the litany she’d been taught, the thought of what was going to happen to her sprang into her mind and the words disappeared. All she could think of was the hot needle piercing her eyes, and then spending the rest of her life in darkness. The High Priestess had said it was an honour to be chosen, but as far as she was concerned it was a nightmare.
The problem was what to do about it. The easiest thing was to accept her fate as an acolyte should and get on with it, after all, life as a priestess in Delphi couldn’t be that bad, even if she did have to live in darkness for the rest of her life. It was a terrifying thought though, never to see the sun rise again or watch the birds fly in the sky. There were so many things she would miss that she had to find a way to escape her fate.
Eventually the solution came to her. The only way out was to lose her virginity which would ensure that she never had
another foretelling and was sent away from the temple. Being with a man for the first time didn’t bother her that much, but fending for herself afterwards certainly did. For a woman living on the streets there was only one occupation open to her, and she’d heard enough horror stories about that type of life not to want to end up there.
Perhaps she could find a wealthy man who would take her body and then keep her as his mistress. Now that wouldn’t be too bad, and might work as she wasn’t unpleasant to look at even if she was too tall. Of course the problem with that was she didn’t know anyone who fitted the bill, and she couldn’t just walk up to a rich man and offer him her maidenhood.
Amalaya gave a deep sigh of frustration and then stopped as a thought struck her. Of course she knew someone who was both rich and powerful and hadn’t he said that if she was ever in need of a service she only had to ask? The solution was simple then. All she had to do was find Dionostes and claim the reward he’d promised.
The first thing was to get out of the temple, but that turned out to be easier than she’d expected. She thought the door to her room might be guarded, but it wasn’t, and as no one was inside the small temple, all she did was leave by the side door. The side door opened onto a little used pathway, and the only people who were around were two of the old men who tended the grounds. They both saw her pass and bowed to her, but neither made a move to stop her.
Once she was out of view she left the path and began the decent of the steep hill down to the city. It was difficult going through the trees, but she’d decided it was better than going down the roadway where there might be people about who would prevent her leaving. She needed to hurry as well before Sissinia found her missing, or the gardeners reported that they had seen her.
The thick mat of needles which had fallen from the fir trees was loose beneath her feet and she slipped twice, so by the time she reached the bottom of the hill her feet and legs were dusty and scratched. Several muddy streaks marred the pale skin on her arms and some briars had attached themselves to her robe. She thought she looked more like a beggar than a future priestess, so she tore the bottom of the robe off to complete the effect and used the rag to cover her unusual hair.
Now all she had to do was find Dionostes. She’d no idea where he lived, but the man was a great orator, so if she could find her way to where such people spoke to the crowds he was bound to appear. That was easier said than done. Athens was a large city and she’d only been there half a dozen times to visit the temple of Artemis. She wandered around for hours becoming hot, tired and more and more anxious that she would be missed from the temple and they would send people after her.
When she finally found Dionostes it was purely by accident. She was sitting on a low wall at the edge of a busy market place wondering where to go next, when there was a commotion at the far end. At first she thought that someone had caught a thief or there was a fight, as a lot of shouting was going on and a crowd had gathered. Out of curiosity she stood on the wall and with the advantage of extra height was able to see Dionostes enter the market place.
He was quite a distance away and moving as fast as the crowd allowed, so she tried to work her way across the market place, squeezing between people and dodging between the stalls to get to him. That was impossible because the crowd was too thick and he was surrounded by guards, so instead of approaching him then and there, she followed behind until the crowd dispersed. She thought that this would be her chance, but as the last people moved away, she could see they had stopped outside a villa surrounded by a high wall and wooden gates, and Dionostes had gone inside.
For a moment she thought about asking the guard to let her in, but guessed he was likely to send her away with a flea in her ear. Instead she walked casually away and when she was out of the guard’s sight she slipped around the side wall and followed it along until she found what she was looking for. One of the advantages of having three older brothers was that you learnt to do things which other girls didn’t, like climbing trees.
What she’d found wasn’t a tree, but a thick vine which appeared to be fairly well attached to the wall and gave good foot and hand holds. Within minutes she’d scrambled up it and had let herself down the other side. All she had to do now was to get into the villa and find someone who would take her to Dionostes.
For that she needed to find an open door into the atrium, so she set off creeping down the side of the villa and keeping to the shadows. When she came to the corner of the villa she peered around the edge just as one of the patrolling guards turned the corner at the same time. For a moment they were both so surprised that neither of them moved, but then Amalaya tried to run and broke the spell. The guard, who had just come on duty, was fresh and far too quick for her.
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him. “What in Zeus’s name are you doing in ‘ere yer little beggar?”
“I’m not a beggar,” she said indignantly, “I’m an acolyte from the great temple.”
“And I’m the bloody King of Persia. Now I’ll tell yer what I’m goin’ ter do with yer. I’m goin’ ter tan yer arse so yer can’t sit down fer a week an’ then I’m goin’ ter chuck yer back over the wall with the other beggars an’ thieves. An’ don’t think to complain as yer lucky that I don’t ‘and yer over to the city watch ter ‘ave yer thieving ‘and cut off.”
“You can’t do that, I’m a friend of Dionostes.”
“Yer a bloody liar too.” He whacked Amalaya around the head making her ears ring and knocking her head covering off so her long hair came loose. “Well, what we got ‘ere? A female beggar. Now don’t that change things? I tell yer what, I ain’t goin’ ter tan yer arse after all, I’m goin’ ter fuck it instead.”
The guard pulled her tightly to him and ran his hand up her thigh and in between her legs. Amalaya did the only thing she could think of and screamed.
Within moments another man had arrived, only this one was dressed in white instead of muddy brown and didn’t look at all pleased about the disturbance. “What’s going on here?”
The guard removed his hand from beneath Amalaya’s dress but didn’t let her go. “I found this beggar skulking around ‘ere and was just showing ‘er what ‘appens to those who go where they shouldna be.”
“I’m not a beggar,” said Amalaya with a quaver in her voice. “I’m a servant of Athena and a friend of Dionostes.”
The man in white looked her up and down before making a decision. “This is a matter for the master to decide. You, get back to your patrol and you, girl or whatever you are, come with me, and if you try to make a run for it, I’ll hand you over to the guards and let all twenty of them have a go at you.”
She nodded meekly and followed behind until they entered the villa by a side entrance and the man left her in a small room. If it had been possible she would have liked to have had some water to clean her hands and face before meeting with Dionostes, but as there wasn’t any, she settled on combing her hair with her fingers and picking the briars off her torn and grubby robe. When the door opened again she expected it to be Dionostes, but it was only the man in white.
“Follow me.”
She followed him through the villa to the atrium in the centre which was cool and pleasant. There were chairs and couches scattered around and a pool with a statue of Aphrodite in the middle. Dionostes sat in one corner of the atrium under the shade of some hanging vines and stood when the man led her forwards.
“Amalaya, my dear, what are you doing here?” He took her by the hand and led her to a chair on the other side of the table from where he’d been sitting, dismissing his steward with a wave of his hand.
Now that she’d made it through to the great man she wasn’t sure what she was going to say. “I’ve left the temple.”
“Have you, and why is that?”
“The goddess has chosen me to be a priestess, but that’s not what I want to be. I want to be a courtesan and be kept by a man in exchange for my favours.” She stopped there hoping that sh
e didn’t sound stupid and wishing she’d rehearsed what she was going to say beforehand.
Dionostes didn’t say anything but just raised his eyebrows in question, so she went on. “I’m young and not unpleasant to look at, and I’m a virgin too which makes me more desirable. As you said that you would provide me with any service I wished, I thought you would take me and make me your mistress.”
An amused smile crossed Dionostes face. “Yes, I did promise that any service you wished would be yours, and it would be a pleasure for any man to take your virginity, but are you sure this is what you want? I could return you to the temple and make things right with the High Priestess if you’ve changed your mind.”
“No, I want to be a real woman and know what it’s like to be loved by a man.”
“Very well then, but let’s drink to that to seal our arrangement.”
He stood and moved to a dresser and poured two goblets of wine. It took him some time, but when he turned back he smiled at her and she was relieved that he looked so pleased. She took the goblet from him and sipped the dark, red liquid. In all her life she’d only ever drunk watered wine, but this was heavy and full bodied and tasted bitter. If it wouldn’t have been rude, she would have liked to have left it or asked for some water, but she supposed that if she was going to be a sophisticated woman, she would have to get used to drinking wine like this.
“Is the wine not to your taste?” he asked with concern.
“Oh yes, it’s lovely.” She took a gulp and felt it burn her throat and stomach.
“Then let’s toast to your future.” He raised his goblet and took a drink.
She raised her goblet too and gulped down another mouthful. Now her head was starting to spin and she was having difficulty focusing on him.
“And here’s to your beauty and your virginity.” he raised his goblet again, emptied it and placed it on the table.