The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier

Author:Anne Fortier [Fortier, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION
ISBN: urn|ean|9780345536228
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine
Published: 2014-03-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-five

The Aegean Sea

Lilli woke up as soon as they were in open waters. Stretching and yawning, she sat up and felt around her with curious fingers. The soft couch with the woven cover … the fabric wall bulging inward from the pressure of the sea air: The room in the stern of the Trojan ship was clearly so different from what she had expected that she became quite frightened. “Klito?” she called. “Are you up yet?”

“Indeed I am.” Klito kissed the girl on the hair.

“Are we sailing again?” asked Lilli, frowning. “There was a man—a man who smelled like Myrina—”

“I have a surprise for you,” said Klito, tears of happiness running down her cheeks. “A surprise that will make you very happy.”

Unable to wait any longer, Myrina pushed forward and enfolded Lilli in a firm embrace. The others had insisted on breaking the news gently, so as not to shock the girl, but Myrina understood the extent of her sister’s toughness better than anyone and knew this was a shock she would relish.

“Our prayers have been met,” said one of the freed priestesses, whose name was Pylla. “Clearly it was Lilli’s jackal bracelet that bought our freedom. Let us thank the gods—”

“Maybe you should start by thanking Myrina,” said Pitana. “She has not rested, has barely even sat down since you were taken away.”

“Might I suggest we are all thanked?” interjected Egee. “Let not Myrina carry the burden of your gratitude all by herself—”

No one else cared to argue. After spending the morning hours wrestling with a hysterical Kara—who was now, thankfully, collapsed in sleep—none of the other women had the stomach for more drama. Nor did they attempt to question the new girl they had picked up in Mycenae; she had told them her name was Helena, and for now that was all anyone wanted to know.

After spending the morning in the stern room, unable to take her eyes off Lilli, Myrina eventually went in search of Paris. She found him in the bow of the ship, deep in conversation with Aeneas and Dares.

Not one of the three had a smile for her upon her approach; nodding grimly at Paris, the two other men quickly excused themselves and left. Nor did Paris seem ready to have words with her; turning his back and looking out over the ocean ahead, he gave the impression of being unaware of her presence.

Despite the hostile reception, Myrina stayed where she was and said, “Will you at least allow me to apologize?”

When Paris finally replied, his voice was tense with anger. “What I allow—or do not allow—seems to have little effect on you.”

“But still—”

He turned to face her, flushed with exasperation. “Myrina, I am not someone who cares for fine words and intentions—especially not when your actions so blatantly undermine them. If you must apologize, apologize to my countrymen. They will be the victims of my lunatic faith in you. Never again will a Greek trust the word of a Trojan sailor—” Too upset to finish the thought, Paris turned his back to her once more, shaking his head.

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.