Free Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn Page A

her. "It's similar to our Pan, and the other centaurs."
    "I heard that they worshipped cats. I have recently been given an African wildcat," she
    mentioned. "My father received it from a merchant sailor who brought it on a ship from
    Egypt. I've named it Baby and love it so much."
    "Herodotus mentions the wildcats," Artem told her, finding it in his text. "The first ones were brought here when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt."
    Herodotus described so much: the clothing, the ceremonies, the daily life of the average
    Egyptian, as well as the ways of the pharaohs. Artem paused in his reading and looked up
    from the scroll. "He writes so well. Somehow I can just see it all so clearly."
    Hyacinth nodded enthusiastically. "I feel as if I am right there."
    "It's true," he agreed.
    "You read well," she added. "Do you really aspire to no position in life?"
    "Maybe one thing, though it sounds so foolish, you'll laugh."
    "Tell," she urged. She enjoyed seeing him less than sure about something.
    "I have started a few poems," he admitted sheepishly.
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    "Not an epic like that told by Homer, telling of war and heroism, gods and monsters. My
    poems are about nature and its beauty. Sometimes I write about Artemis, the goddess of
    the hunt, whom I was named for."
    "Who named you?" she asked.
    "I was found with a note pinned to me," he revealed. "A slave woman who had been freed by her dead master found me and raised me until she died five years later. I don't mind
    being named for the goddess, since she was the greatest archer."
    "Just like you," Hyacinth noted.
    "I've always had skill with a bow," he admitted.
    His upper lip quirked into the slightest smile. It reminded her of the way he'd smiled at her
    that day in the fish market. She could see he was pleased that she'd remarked on his skill.
    He seemed proud of it, which meant something mattered to him, at least. So she continued.
    "You could compete in the Olympic Games with skill such as yours. I believe there's some
    sort of prize. It might improve your ... situation."
    "Archery seems a blessing Artemis has bestowed on me as her namesake," he mused aloud.
    "I have been able to shoot with great accuracy since I was quite small and have never really
    had an instructor. You've given me an interesting idea, though. Perhaps the Olympic Games
    are something I should look into. After all, they give honor to the gods of Olympus and it
    might please Artemis."
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    "Plus, you could use the prize to better your station in life," she repeated. "You must want some comforts."
    He laughed. "The Spartans don't believe in comforts. They think it weakens the mind and
    soul."
    "Yes, but we are not Spartans," she replied.
    "No, and nor would I want to be. You're right. I wouldn't mind the funds to buy a few of
    life's good things," he admitted. He looked up at her, realizing something. "What's your name? You haven't told me."
    "Hyacinth."
    "Ah, a lovely flower," he said softly, looking at her hard as if trying to really see her. She wanted him to see her, longed to reveal to him all that was beneath her surface. And in
    the same way, she wanted to dig behind his exterior to the person she could sense was
    there beneath.
    She felt engulfed by his gaze and was seized with the idea that their faces, their skins, were
    disguises. If they could only pull them off somehow, the real people inside would be
    revealed and these two souls would recognize each other instantly and love each other
    deeply.
    It was crazy, maybe, but she was sure it was true.
    The scroll rolled from his lap, breaking the tension of their gazes.
    "Once you have learned to read," he said, bending to retrieve the scroll, "they'll all wonder how you know so much. I'd love to see their astonished faces when you know
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    everything books can teach you." He laughed at the idea, and his eyes shone. "Don't worry.
    I'll make sure you learn."
    His promise had been to teach her to read but she felt that it meant so much more. "I'll
    teach you