Chasing Destiny [SYTYCW15]

Ephesus, 403BC

"Come away with me," Damianos whispered as he dropped kisses along the edge of her jaw.

"I can't," she said. "I belong to the temple." She wanted to go with him, but she knew her place. The temple had purchased her from her parents years ago and she could not simply run away. The gods would curse her and she would live her life in misery until she died.

"I love you, Akantha," he whispered in her ear. His warm breath brushing across her ear tickled and it sent a shiver down her spine. "I want you to come to Athens with me. We'll get married and have a family."

She pulled away from him and looked at him. "How would we do that? You have very little money and I cannot leave the temple."

"You can leave the temple," he insisted. "We'll leave and not look back. The money is just a small problem. Tyche and Aphrodite will smile upon us and we won't have to worry about money."

"You are a fool," she accused.

"Then I am a fool in love with a beautiful woman. Even one with thorns."

Heat touched her cheeks in a blush and she smiled as she turned her face away from his. It was a familiar reaction to his flowery words and compliments. She knew she shouldn't listen to his words, but it was as if she were under a spell when he spoke.

"See how she blushes," he chuckled. "Eros has wounded me with his golden arrows and I cannot bear to live without you. You are my moon, my stars, my sun. My world would be dark, cold and empty without you."

Her cheeks were aflame from embarrassment. "Such honeyed words fall from your lips and you urge me to take advice from a fool."

"Yet, they do not sway you to come with me. What can I say to convince you that I love you and cannot live without you? Maybe it is not words I need to use." He put a hand on her chin and turned her face to his. His lips pressed against hers for a brief moment and then he deepened the kiss, drawing her into his arms.

Akantha melted under the heat of his kiss and the feel of his body pressed against hers. It made her head swim and made her blood race in her veins. She returned the kiss, ignoring the persistent voice in the back of her mind that she shouldn't be doing this. Her life was not her own and she could not be with a man. She belonged to the temple and to Artemis. The path of her life had been set when her parents sold her to the temple to be a slave so many years ago.

Casting fortune to the wind, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself get lost in the moment.

"Come with me," he urged with a whisper when his mouth finally left hers.

She heard herself answer before she realized she spoke. "I will."

Two nights later she crept through the temple toward the altar. She avoided the small circles of yellow light cast by the oil lamps, staying in the dark recesses of the shadows. Sandals dangled from her hand and the marble floor chilled her feet. She didn't want to risk her sandals making noise to attract notice.

The hour was late and only a few slaves, hierodules, remained to sweep the floors. Akantha moved as quiet as a spirit among the columns until she reached the wooden statue of the goddess. Artemis, wearing a mural crown, looked outward, surveying her temple and all in it from her pedestal. Amber gourd-shaped drops adorned her chest and her legs tapered into a decorated term. One arm reached out and nestled in the palm of the hand was a pearl. It reminded Akantha of the full moon. It beckoned to her as the light from a nearby lamp swirled in a rainbow of color along the surface.

"Forgive me," she whispered to the goddess. Akantha swallowed past the lump in her throat and reached out. Her fingertips brushed over the smooth, polished wood and the cool surface of the pearl. Her fingers curled and lifted the pearl from its resting place. Her hand snatched back and the pearl was tucked into a small pouch fastened at her waist.

An eunuch priest, megabyzoi, appeared out of the shadows near the altar and Akantha ducked behind the statue. The breath caught in her chest and her heart raced. Surely she would be caught and punishment would follow. Not taking any chances, Akantha peeked out and watched the eunuch priest pass by.

The breath she held left her chest with explosive force and she inhaled deeply. Normally she would send a silent prayer to the gods to get her through this, but none would look favorably upon what she was about to do. Akantha inhaled deeply to steady herself and then moved to the front of the statue.

She looked at the baskets of offerings spread out in front of the statue. Akantha crouched down next to a basket and removed the purse from her belt. She loosened the strings and grabbed a handful of coins, quickly shoving them inside the leather pouch. She grabbed another handful and added them to the purse before standing up. She looked around for any signs that she had been noticed. Not seeing any, she continued with her mission.

The next basket held jewelry and she grabbed a few of the smaller pieces. Too large and they wouldn't fit in the small purse. She stuffed them in and stood up. With as much grace and control she could muster, she walked slowly toward the temple exit. The walk seemed endless and Akantha swore that with each step someone would cry out an alarm and she would be discovered. The cool night air greeted her as she neared the exit and her steps quickened. Once clear of the columns, she jogged down the marble steps and out into the night.

"A curse upon you," a priestess called from behind. Akantha glanced back to see a priestess standing on the top step. "A curse upon you until you return what you have stolen!" she cried out into the night.

Akantha ran faster as if she were trying to outrun the priestess' words.