Horses of Fire by A. D. Rhine

Author:A. D. Rhine [Rhine, A. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-07-18T00:00:00+00:00

21

ANDROMACHE

The storm rests for a few breaths before it returns with the ire of Tarhunt.

It batters the brick floor of the terrace outside, causing the tapestry in the doorway to flap without ceasing. But that isn’t the sound that wakes me.

I lift my aching head from the bed and move toward the chamber door.

“Andromache? I must speak with you.”

Helen.

My apathy intensifies with each of her knocks. I turn back to the bed, intending to nurse my throbbing head. A punishment following Hector’s outburst and Rhea’s flight. As well as all the bitter thoughts I have spent the morning ruminating on.

It’s as if all these years of fighting have turned my very being into an arena of war. One where I am a battler not just of men but of everyone. Including myself—if I even know who that is anymore.

It must be close to midday. Hours since Hector left with Aeneas to deal with the flooding of the system of levees that surrounds the city. The lack of light makes it difficult to tell. When I step to the doorway of my balcony, all I see is a bluish-green wall. The dark clouds that swirled above the sea at dawn have regathered over the Ilium plain, blotting out the sun.

“Why aren’t they back yet?”

My voice is lost in the wail of the east wind. If Rhea were here, she would give me an answer. Come up with a sensible reason for their delayed return.

But Rhea is not here. Neither is Hector.

And it is all my doing.

Pressing my ear to the bedchamber door, I listen for footsteps. Hearing none, I open the door and make my way down the narrow staircase, pausing when I land on the creakiest step. There is a distinct lack of commotion coming from the kitchen.

One face and one face only greets me when I enter it. The one I least wish to see.

“Andromache.” Helen’s hands fly under her robes. She stands before Bodecca’s workstation, a long table lined with clay pots of spices, jugs of oil, and a mortar and pestle. I push past Paris’s harlot without speaking and grab the bag that contains my tea.

Why do I bother?

When I glance up, Helen is watching me. Her gemlike eyes flit between my hands and a hardened face that has more battle lines than hers ever will.

“I hope now is a better time to talk. Surely you have questions.”

“The only question I have is why you are still here—”

Before I can finish, my vision blurs. The shock of a pain so intense, I can’t help but grip my head in one hand while the other holds the table. A streak of light from Tarhunt flashes outside the window. Another similar bolt strikes me behind the temples.

“Are you all right?”

Nothing is right. Helenus and Laocoon have their signs for the imminent arrival of blood, and I have my own. Headaches are the most prominent.

“There is water on the fire,” Helen notes, taking a seat across from me as I ease into a chair.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.