HETAERA: Daughter of the Gods (33 page)

Still, I found myself unwilling to accept any
assignations. Which ones to answer first? Who would be insulted and who would
gain notoriety by my selections? Stacks of gifts piled up in my chambers, but I
felt too restless to answer any of them. My head ached with determining what
decorum dictated I must do, and from wondering if Amasis thought of me at all.

I’d heard news that the Persian king Kourosh had
captured Babylonia, taking the city by surprise. He was now master of an area
that stretched far to the east of Egypt. If public rumors were to be believed,
the Persian king crouched at our borders as if his gods promised him the world.
It truly seemed so, for the Persian threat was now without equal. The whole of
Egypt dithered with worry, and me doubly so, for last I’d heard my dearest
Aesop had been sent to attend King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. Without Amasis’
strength and experience to protect us, I feared what would become of us all.

Still, by season’s end, there was a new uproar in
the palace. The marketplace was abuzz with minor gossip. It seems Amasis had
installed a lovely new sculpture of Ra in an alcove of the palace rose garden. Many
of the minor noble families, craving approval or simply wishing to be thought
as such, had stopped to admire it, to kneel before it with offerings of food,
drink, and adulation. That is, until Amasis let it be known that the brass used
to smelt the god’s image had come from an unusual source.

His chamber pot.

“From humble origins, great things can come,” he
proclaimed.

I was so amused I could not help but laugh as I
went about my daily business. Especially when Mara rushed into my chambers with
a gift of precious lotus-infused wine from Amasis.

“What can it mean?” she asked. It was not the
typical offering of a lover. I shook my head, not wanting to explain for fear
that my pleasure at his tribute would cause Mara pain.

I understood the gift of the lotus wine. It stood
for clarity of thought. The Egyptians believed that to drink lotus wine gave
them the power to commune with the gods. The message within the gift was clear.
He valued my council. My heart soared.

Perhaps he did think of me, a little.

“I do not understand these people,” Mara said.

“I am sure it is nothing.” I patted her hand, but
she drew away from me with a scowl.

A frown marred her pretty face. “I think you like
him.”

How could I not?
“He is far
different than I thought he would be,” I admitted, feeling unaccountably
cautious.

“You used to fear him. How can you change your
feelings so quickly?”

“Oh, Mara.” I sighed. “You will find fault with
any man that interests me. Even the god-king of Egypt.” I wrapped my arms
around her to take the sting from my words. “You must admit there is much to
admire about him.” I tried to dispel the memory of his strong hands around my
waist.

“I hear he is a drunkard. He fritters away half
the day on drinking and games.”

“Mara! Where do you hear such things?”

“It’s true! He only holds session for part of the
morning and then spends his afternoon guzzling wine and exchanging jests with
commoners and royalty alike.”

“Perhaps he wishes to discover the thoughts of the
common people for himself. But, even if those stories were to be true, I should
like some time to indulge in drinking and pleasantries myself if I bore the
weight of a country on my shoulders. You cannot blame him for that.”

“I don’t. But the same could not be said for
others.” Mara pursed her lips.

“Mara!” I laughed, without meaning it. “What is
it? What do you know?”

She shook her head and slipped out of my arms. I
was half-tempted to call her back, to order her not to pay such heed to rumors
and gossip, but it occurred to me that perhaps I could use her ears and eyes to
Amasis’ advantage. If she communed with those who plotted against Amasis, her
insight could help strengthen his hold on the throne.

That I wanted to help him succeed surprised me
more than I can say.

*** ***

Two weeks passed in a blur of invitations to the
palace, temple rites, feasts and court celebrations. Mara was not at home that
morning. Her absence made me irritable as I was summoned to play
senet
with Amasis that afternoon and without Mara I could not dress my own hair.

I’d escorted poor Ladice around the city once
more, and accompanied her to the marketplace where she planned to try her newly
acquired Egyptian words. But Ladice was not impressed with the market. She
continued to compare everything to those of Cyrene, from the foodstuffs to the finery.
I wondered if the Libyan markets were truly that much superior, or if it was
only her lonely heart that made her so ungenerous. We left without making any
purchases, though it would’ve done the common people much good to have her
patronage.

I’d seen Amasis few times in those weeks, though
we were never alone. We passed a few moments of polite conversation, or a
shared smile. I watched for him everywhere, and kept my ears trained for any
word of him, telling myself that I was only being a loyal citizen of Egypt.

Still, I found myself staring at his lips on more
than one occasion, wondering what they would feel like on my skin. But he did
not try to kiss me. He seemed content to merely watch me from across the room. He
did not request I attend him in his private chambers again.

If my patrons’ gifts were any indication, I was by
far the most desirable woman in the realm. I’d received a stack of precious
animal furs from Nubia, frankincense from Babylonia, and a reed cage of doves. Kyky,
my monkey, screeched and taunted the poor birds, so I gave them to Mara to send
to Ladice. My servants, commoners, and tradesmen on the streets stopped and
made obeisance when I passed them in my litter. So why did Amasis not wish me
to please him? Was he a lover of men, then, for all that Egypt rumored him to
be a great womanizer? Perhaps that is why he did not wish to lie with me.

I worried that his lack of ardor would hurt my
business, but it did not. Offers poured in, invitations to large feasts and
quiet dinners. Still, I put off responding to any of them, for what if Pharaoh
should request my company? My coffers were quite full. I could well afford to
wait.

I busied myself by penning an Egyptian harpist’s lay
I’d heard at the palace.

...Revel in pleasure while your life endures
And deck your head with myrrh. Be richly clad
In white and perfumed linen; like the gods
Anointed be; and never weary grow
In eager quest of what your heart desires
Do as it prompts you...

It reminded me of my promise to the goddess--to
follow love all of my days. A noble endeavor, but difficult to hold to.

“Dori!” Mara rushed into the room.

I fumbled with my hollow reed, splattering red ink
across the page.

“Where have you been, Mara?” I forced my tone to
be even. “I came back from the temple and you were gone.”

“I was at the market shopping for hair combs. Princess
Ladice admired yours, so…never mind that. Dori, you must listen to me. I
delivered the combs to the palace.” She paused and bit her lip.

“Mara, what is it? What about the palace? Has something
happened?” My heart leapt into my throat. “I can see from your face something
is wrong!”

“It’s not
him
.” Mara answered my
unspoken question without rancor. “It’s Aesop.”

“Aesop?” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Is he here?
Quickly, get my
peplos
. Oh, I cannot wait to see him. I have so
much to tell him…and you must meet him, of course….”

Mara did not move. “He is not here, Dori. He’s
gone.”

The plea in her voice stopped me when her words
would not. “What do you mean,
gone
?” I asked.

She would not look me in the eye. “He’s dead,
Dori. Murdered at Delphi.”

Mara went with me to see Ladice. If my near-sister
had heard of Aesop’s death at the palace, then no doubt Ladice, who was much
prone to gossip, would have ferreted out the entire story by now. I followed
hard on the heels of our escort through the maze of garden courtyards, past the
pools of blue lotus and tamarisk trees to Ladice’s chambers.

“Oh…oh! It is such a loss for Greece.” She wailed
and threw herself into my arms. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her cheeks
streaked with tears. For once I did not mind her heavy theatrics. I felt like
crying, myself.

“How did it happen?” I stifled my own tears. “Was
there some dread accident with King Nebuchadnezzar?” Anger clutched at my chest
like a falcon’s claw.

“Had you not heard, Rhodopis? Aesop left Babylonia
long ago. He was sent with an embassy to Delphi by Croesus, King of Lydia.”

“Lydia? I thought he was in Babylonia.” He’d made
himself indispensable to two kings in short time. “Why did Croesus send him to
Delphi?”

“To give out one hundred gold ducats to whoever
proved himself worthy. But Aesop was so disgusted with the Delphinians that he
lashed them with cruel sarcasms until Delphi was in a fury.”

“I do not doubt it was so.” I nodded. Aesop had a
terrible temper.

Ladice agreed. “It was no more than they deserved.
Everyone knows that Delphi is a den of liars and cheats. Only a barbarian would
send them gifts, but I am certain Aesop did as he was bid by Croesus. He
brought the ducats but could find no man worthy, so he vowed to pass out none
and threw them into the sea, instead.”

No man, I thought. But perhaps he should have
searched instead for a woman. In Greece, that was sure to never happen.

“At this, the Delphinians became enraged. They
chased him to Hyampeia, the tallest cliff, near the Oracle’s Temple. Then they
threw him to his death onto the rocks below the Castalian Spring.”

“Oh!” Tears sprang to my eyes. I pictured the bulk
of his body broken on the jagged rocks and covered my mouth with a shaking
hand. “What a horrid end to such a great man.”

“True…true,” Ladice said. “And I feel his loss,
keenly. He was a kinsman of mine, of course.”

I wanted to smack her. She did not know Aesop;
she’d never even met him! My fingers clenched and Mara must have guessed what I
was feeling because she pressed a cup of wine into my palms an instant later. I
calmed myself whilst Mara poured one for Ladice, as well.

“So,” the Princess continued. “Reports from Delphi
say the city is cursed. They’d left his corpse to rot beneath the sun, those
impious fools. Aesop was in the right, after all, for the gods have rained fire,
famine, and death upon its denizens. There is hardly a soul who survived. Why,
I have heard that the ground rumbles and shakes and great flames spew out of
the streets until half the city has fallen to rubble! Can you imagine?”

I should never have let Aesop go to
Nebuchadnezzar. I should have agreed to marry him…perhaps if I had, he would
not have died in such a wicked manner. I could not stand to be in Ladice’s
chambers another moment. I desperately needed time to be alone in my grief, but
Amasis expected me some time ago.

“Excuse me, Princess.” I forced my voice to be
calm. “I am late for an assignation that I fear I cannot refuse.” Though I did
not feel at all well, it would not do to insult either of them with an unexplained
absence from a summons.

“Oh…oh!” Ladice’s cheeks flushed. “I cannot bear
to be alone in my sorrow. Can you not stay with me?”

“I am sorry, Princess.” I tried to be gentle, to
spare her feelings. “Pharaoh has summoned.”

Ladice ducked her head and shot a wistful glance
at my near sister.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “Stay, Mara, if you
wish. You can escort me home later.”

Mara gave Ladice a shy smile, and I slipped
gratefully away from the Princess’ cloying presence, feeling only a little
guilty at offering my near sister as a substitute. It was my fault that Aesop
perished. My skin prickled all over, as if I were about to weep. I willed my
eyes to stay dry until after I’d met Amasis.

After following my escort through the palace, I
found him in his outer chambers. He was dressed casually, without his headdress
or wig. His cropped hair gleamed as if it had just been oiled and the scent of
sweet almond and exotic sandalwood hung in the air. I hesitated, for thus far I
had only seen the formal side of Pharaoh. Here was little more than a common
man before me, and yet I found myself breathing deeply as if I could ingest the
very sight of him.

“You are late,” he observed, taking the draughts
from the tiny drawer of the game box. “I expected you much earlier.” His smile
glinted at me from the dark copper of his skin, taking the sting from his
rebuke. “Now, you will have to work twice as hard to please me.”

“I…I am sorry.” My nerves were a jangled mess. I
did not make a proper obeisance.

For though my heart lurched at the sight of him, I
could not withstand the guilt of Aesop’s death. I needed to make an offering to
the gods on behalf of Aesop’s shade so that he could travel to the Underworld
in peace. It was my fault he’d died, my burden to bear across the cold seas to
Delphi.

Amasis set down the draughts and strode towards
me. “You are troubled. I can see it in your face and the set of your shoulders.
What is it?”

 “Aesop the Fabulist is dead.” I withered inside,
just speaking the words aloud. I’d always thought my dear friend would return
to me someday.

“Ah, I have heard of him.” Amasis said. He stared
at the ground for a long moment. “You knew him? Loved him?”

If only I had! “As a brother. He was a true friend
to me when I needed him and now Delphi has killed him.” If only I hadn’t chased
Aesop out of Egypt.

Amasis put a warm hand on my shoulder. “I am sorry
for you, Rhodopis.” He called a servant. “Let me send an offering to Delphi on
your behalf. He was a great man.”

Aesop
was
a great man, the best of
them. Custom bade someone to make an offering to the gods--to appease the shade
of Aesop’s murdered soul. And he had no family to speak of, save for me, his Little
Crab.

“No, please, Great One.” I walked a few steps away
from him. “I wish to do this myself.” I expected him to insist on his own way,
but he let me slip from his touch without comment. “I…I beg you to dismiss me
from Sais, if only for a short time. I must appease Aesop’s spirit.”

He paused, and then nodded once. “You must go, of
course. Will you return in time for the Planting Festival? There is something I
would discuss with you…well, I cannot say it now when your heart is heavy with
the loss of your friend. Will you come back to Sais for the Festival?”

The Planting Festival was only a few weeks away. I
intended to sail to Delphi myself, to make peace with Aesop’s memory, even if
the Delphinians would not.

“I will try.” I managed a weak smile.

“Then
I
will try to be patient until
I see you next.” He scooped the draughts and dumped them back into their
drawer. “Not so easy a task, I assure you.” And he leaned in and pressed a soft
kiss to my mouth.

I was so startled I did not think to play the
flirt with him as I ought.

How strange to think that even in my grief, I
could be unsettled by him. Feeling somewhat dazed, I followed my escort to Mara
and told her of my plan to sail for Delphi.

I did not tell her Amasis kissed me.

Instead, I listened to Mara prattle on about
Ladice’s menagerie of animals, her gazelles, her exotic birds and her fine spotted
cats.

“You are very quiet,” Mara commented as we left
the palace. “Amasis took your news well? He was not angry with you for asking
to leave Sais?”

“As well as he could. No, he was not angry.” I
thought of the feel of his lips on my skin and my legs trembled all the way
home.

I would sail to Naukratis without my near sister
by the week’s end. Amasis would never consent to me leaving my Saisian home
completely, so I asked her to watch over my affairs until my return. Mara
protested at being left behind, but when Ladice sent a messenger inviting her
to visit at the palace, she ceased her dogged arguments and acquiesced.

As our flat reed skiff caught the current
upstream, I tried to think of a worthy tribute to Aesop’s memory. There were
the usual offerings of animals or grain. Perhaps I could send some spices? No…though
costly and rare, none of that seemed appropriate for my friend and mentor. I
needed a tribute that would placate his shade and appease the wrath of the gods
or he would not be free to walk the Elysian Fields. I wanted him to find a
place in the highest level of the Underworld. But what to give? There was a
temple to Athena in Delphi, the goddess of wisdom…well, something for the
temple, perhaps….

Once we landed in Naukratis, I had my answer. A
pair of sacred cows was unloaded onto the quay while I waited and watched from
my barge. They were magnificent creatures, each as high as the shoulder of the
herder leading them to the temple for sacrifice. I would not send cows, but the
very implement to offer their flesh to the gods. The sun’s rays gleamed on
their immense bodies as if Ra approved of my decision. I would give Athena the
means to accept the finest sacred beasts Delphi could secure.

When my boat docked, I procured a litter to bear
me home, surprised at the number of people who stopped their work and bowed as
I passed. I’d been gone almost half a year, how could they still know me? I
suppose my finery led them to believe that I was royalty. I was curious to know
what had happened in Naukratis while I was away. More faces bore Grecian
features than I remembered. The sight of them made me homesick.

Zahouri greeted me with marked enthusiasm, eager
to show off how well he’d kept my home and chattel. He’d done more than a
decent job. Everything was as tidy and well-kept as if I’d still lived there. Even
Kyky, my monkey, was content to perch on my shoulder and chatter and scold me
until I kissed his head and fed him honeyed dates.

Before I unpacked my satchel, I ordered Zahouri to
send a tenth of my wealth to the forges. I wished to finance a group of rare
beef spits--huge iron rods capable of spearing the carcass of an entire cow--to
send to the Temple of Athena. They were both expensive and unusual. I did not
know how many of them there were, nor did I care. It was enough that they would
be a remarkable offering to honor a remarkable man.

Zahouri bowed and swore that all would be done to
my specifications. I asked him to send in a servant with some wine before he
left, while I reviewed my accounts. Sometime after the wine arrived, I looked
up to find Zahouri had returned and skulked outside in the late afternoon
shadows of the hall. I’d worked much later than I’d intended.

“Yes, Zahouri? What is it?” I blotted the ink on
my papyrus scroll. My eyes strayed out the window to the curling leaves on my
white climbing rose. He’d done a fair job running my household while I was
away, but my garden was sorely in need of my attention.

“Naukratis has mourned your absence, great
Mistress. There has been speculation that you would not return to us.”

“Ridiculous. Who would make such a false
statement?” I reached for the cap to my ink pot. “This will always be my home.”

Zahouri licked his lips. “There have been many
ships coming in, now that the Nile swells its banks and Nesu Ahmose has given
Naukratis over to the Greeks for settlement. Ships that report Persia prepares
for invasion.”

So, he’d followed my advice, and allowed the
Greeks dominion over that which they already held. I wondered what Neferenatu,
the Grand Vizier, had thought of that.

“What does this have to do with me? Nesu is a
skilled soldier. His troops are loyal.” War was a bad business, even for
courtesans to the king.

“It is said in the streets that Nesu must make a
strong show to the barbarians. He must choose a Great Wife and forge an
alliance that will unify our defenses against this Kourosh of Persia. The royal
houses must be united to withstand.” Zahouri stroked his chin.

“True. But such is outside of my concerns just
now. I do not have the heart to set your mind at ease over which of the royal princesses
will be suitable.”

Zahouri huffed through his lips, clearly agitated
that I did not agree. He waited for me to finish, with a patience that only a
former slave could have. Still, Zahouri was a loyal servant. He seemed so
earnest; I could not bring myself to insult his reasoning.

“Here.” I gave him my mark to secure passage to
Delphi. “Find me a ship. I promised Nesu I would try to return by the Planting
Festival.”

Zahouri shook his head, but took the papyrus from
me. “It is good that you follow the will of Nesu Ahmose. But it will take you
almost that long just to sail to Delphi, to say nothing of the wait for the
iron spits. You will not make it there and back in time, unless the gods themselves
fly you there.”

“Then you’d best make haste, Zahouri. I do not
know if Ra’s arms can stretch all the way to Delphi, but we’d best try.”

*** ***

As soon as the iron spits were forged and ready, I
sailed from Naukratis to Delphi--to the temple of Athena that stood there. The
journey took us almost twelve days. The seas were rough and wicked. I must
admit that I did not live up to my reputation as a famed temptress on that
journey. When I was not sicking up my bread and beer over the side, I was huddled
morosely at the mast, feeling cold and miserable. I wondered, quite
uncharitably, if Mara enjoyed herself at Ladice’s palace in my absence.

Love is a complicated and demanding mistress. Each
time I thought I’d earned her notice, she saw fit to toss me to the wolves. Charaxus
and Aesop had loved me, but Hori had not. I’d thought Mara loved me well, but
she seemed distant as of late and determined to mother me as she had in the
temple. Well, I was not a naive girl anymore. I had no illusions that Amasis might
love me. He’d done no more than ask advice on matters which I’m sure he could
have reasoned out for himself and offer me a chaste kiss. I rested my face in
my arms and wondered when my life had become such a tangled skein of emotions.