Free HETAERA: Daughter of the Gods by J.A. Coffey

and why had I never noticed
before now? My nose tickled, and I resisted the urge to scratch it, whilst
Suvra went inside to announce me. Then the narrow wooden door opened a crack.
    “Enter, Doricha.”
    I was startled by the pleasant timbre of Aidne’s
customary gruff voice. I swayed as gracefully as I could into the chamber,
conscious of my gait under her scrutiny. Whatever I had done to merit her
unwelcome attention, I would not provoke her further if I could help it.
    “Are you unhappy here at the temple, Doricha?” Aidne
asked after a moment. Her breath was very warm on the back of my neck. She was
very close indeed, and the hairs of my arms stood on end.
    “Unhappy? No! I am content here.” I tried to sound
like a proper devotee.
    “Even with the loss of your beloved father? What a
strange girl you must be.” Aidne’s voice was mild, but as treacherous as a
hidden snake. I would have to take care that she did not twist my words.
    “To lose a parent to death or slavery is a risk
all Thracian children must face at one time or another.” I raised my eyes then
and did nothing to mask the pride in my gaze. “I have learned to be content.”
    “ Content ? ” Aidne’s voice hardened.
    “Yes.”
    I focused my eyes on the twin lines running down
her cheeks and watched as they deepened. She pursed her lips a little, giving me
a glimpse of what Suvra’s face would be in the years to come. Then Aidne spoke
again.
    “And how fare your lessons with the priest
Merikos?”
    “I am pleased to learn of our sacred myths,
Aidne.”
    “Pleased? Pleased ! I think that a
very odd choice for you, girl.”
    I couldn’t think of why she should say such a
thing to me. “Odd? Not at all! I am happy to learn the mysteries of the temple
with Merikos.”
    “Are you, indeed?” Her eyes slid like oil to where
Suvra stood. “Then you are very like your mother. She too visited Merikos’
chambers, both as a girl and now.” She paused.
    I tried to follow her line of reason, but it was
beyond me. “I…I am flattered by your compliment.”
    “Pah, you are more stupid then I imagined.” Aidne
put her hands on her hips and glared at me.
    I tried not to shift my weight from hip to hip,
nor fidget beneath her reptilian gaze. And all the while, my mind raced over
the portent of her words.
     “Go,” she said brusquely. Her lips turned sour in
an expression I guessed to be disappointment. “I have finished with you, for
now.”
    I confess that I ran back to my chambers, as fast
as the crowded passageways would allow, and not at all with the decorum of a
temple devotee.
    *** ***
    That night I visited my mother’s chambers, as was
my customary habit. She looked pale and more weary than usual. I should have
guessed something was amiss.
    “You work too much,” I grumbled and pressed my
cheek to her soul.
    My mother made a noncommittal sound. She lay on
her side on the stiff straw pallet. I buried my face into the folds of her
skirt, inhaling the soft scent of her skin. My nose tickled, and I wiped it
with the back of my hand as my mother reached for a goblet of herbed wine.
    “What is that?” I asked, sniffing it. The scent
made my nose itch again, so I handed it back before I dropped it. The odor
reminded me of the musty scent of herbs in Aidne’s chamber.
    “For my back. It eases away the pains from the
babe.” She put her hand over her swollen middle.
    “Does he disturb you often?” I stroked her hair
away from her cheek
    “A little,” she admitted. Her eyes brightened. “It
will not be long now.”
    “How soon?” I said.
    “We have a few weeks left before my waters spill. Time
enough for you to begin your patterns.”
    Oh, how my joy overflowed!
    Each Bacchae bore a tattooed pattern across the
back of their hands. My hands would be inked in cobalt, not intricate yet, but
a symbol of my devotion to the temple. And best of all, my brother would soon
arrive. I was so caught up in anticipation that I put the encounter