Black Salt

Black Salt - Chapter 09

 He'd intended to go to the temple of Athena, to give thanks for her aid in the fight with his attacker. Her bronze shield bore a deep gouge, where it had stopped the blade that would have plunged deep into his heart. He had meant to give her an oblation of new wine, and ask for her guidance. Her temple was to the north east, on the shores of the Eleusinian sea, but his feet had carried him south, across the canal. The new bracers chafed his wounds, and they felt heavy, but as he walked on, he forgot they were there. He strode past the theatre, to the house of the silk swan. From the street it looked like a house of brown bricks, overgrown with winding green ivy. The dark red door gleamed with the inlaid image of a flying swan. He gave the knock, answered the questions, and then it seemed he walked into an earthly paradise.

Like the palace, the house of the silk swan was built on a Babylonian plan: thick walls on the outside, and an open square within. Here grew a lush green garden, blooming with hanging baskets of red and yellow roses, brilliant orchids, and long trails of blue and purple morning glory. Silk curtains hung from the baskets, and glowed from fires within. They made the garden into a colourful maze. Scents of lavender and spring flowers filled the air, and the beautiful music of the lyre sounded in his ears, as well as the soft voices and sweet laughter of women.

He greeted the slender Ethiopian girl who tended the door, and grinned at the barbarian warrior who guarded her. He walked through the maze, and went to the familiar green curtain, but paused on the threshold, his eyes crinkled and moist. He looked back, but the door to the city was lost in a maze of glowing colours. He faced the curtain, and touched the silk. It felt like living skin. He traced a face on it, and stroked it like a woman's hair. His eyes took on a faraway look.

The green curtain parted, and a hand, slender and pale, reached out, brushed his wrist, and took his hand in a gentle grasp. His heart thudded, and he held his ground long enough to wipe away his tears with his free hand, and then he allowed the hand to draw him into the chamber on the other side of the curtain.

She always wore the dress of a free Athenian woman; today she wore a long, loose himation, the cloth of the robe blue as the skies of Hellas. On her brow she wore a glittering silver ampyx, and she had her long golden hair braided and bound up in a black net attached to the metal circlet. He didn't know if she wore Athenian dress for his sake; she had plenty of beautiful Persian dresses, and the other girls in the house of the silk swan favoured the Egyptian skirt, with a loose, coloured blouse.

She stopped him just inside the curtain, her hand on his chest. Her warm, gentle touch sent thrills through his skin, and made his heart beat faster. "Again?" she said.

"I couldn't stay away."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You come here every day."

"If I lived to be a thousand, I would never tire of these visits."

He began to step forwards, but she pushed him back. She looked up him, her big dark eyes shining and moist. Her face, no longer young, still had the same beauty. "You come here too often."

He pressed his teeth together, until his jaw felt like a solid rock. The heat in his chest spread to his heart, and then it spread through his entire body. He took her wrist in his left hand, and wrapped his right arm around her body. She tensed to fight, but he lifted her off her feet, and crushed her body to his in a sweltering embrace. She resisted at first, and then her muscles relaxed, her lips brushed his face; she kissed his brow, his eyes, and then his mouth. He carried her into her chamber, and lowered her down onto the apple green couch. Her clever hands slipped off his leather harness and Egyptian skirt. He unwrapped the blue folds of her himation, and threw it aside. They lay together on her couch, caught in the heat of mutual need.

Later, he lay on her couch, and she rested her head on his chest. She mixed sweet wine, and they ate good bread and succulent lamb, and listened to the music of the lyre, muffled by the many curtained rooms and passages. She laughed. "What would your wife think?"

He twisted his lips, and winced. "I hope she would be pleased that I have you."

"To have you take your pleasures with a woman in a house of this kind? If she were in her grave, she'd claw her way out of the earth, cry out to Nemesis, and lead a band of screaming furies to eat your eyes, your heart, and your-"

"Nemesis and the furies can wait. I'm busy enough with mortal foes."

She rolled over, and leaned her elbows on his chest. "Show me. Come on, let me see."

She peeled away a corner of the bandage on his left arm, and gasped when she saw the long cut.

"It doesn't hurt," he said.

"You think that impresses me? Tell me what happened."

He reddened, and bit his lip. He tried to tell her a simple, bloodless tale of his day, but she wheedled and dug until he told her the whole story.

"More enemies you don't need," she said.

"The king's enemies," he said. "I'm just the king's sword."

"And you'll run with blood and rust. Why won't you leave?" She shook her head, and stroked his face. "Why won't you leave that fat idiot to his fate, and go?"

He pictured it. He could take a ship to Hellas, buy land, raise sheep...

"You've told me many times how you dream of going back."

"I dream of it still," he said. His face hardened. "But I've already lost my wife. The only safety for the king's sword is to remain the king's sword. I keep him safe, and he keeps me safe. Once I left him, my enemies would increase beyond number."

"You're afraid?"

"I do not fear for myself, but my girl... Leaina."

She drew breath to argue, and then she caught herself, and nodded. "Leaina." She rubbed her brow. "Athens' star has fallen, and Alexandria outshines the sun. She could have a great future here. A better life than her mother's."

The breath caught in his throat. He looked at her, and she shimmered through his tears. He took her in his arms. "I mourn my wife every day, but I will come to you every night."