Chapter Three

Otis the Spy

-oOo-

It seemed a relief to finally throw the apron aside as it was time to collect Adelpha from school. Somehow flour had gotten everywhere, in her hair and in her face, but they had managed to make good progress and with the extra help the following day, they would have enough food to feed an entire army.

Haidee was still cursing when Damalis excused herself and hurried down the dusty streets to greet her ward at the school entrance. Adelpha looked exhausted and disappointed, Damalis was quite surprised to find when she came to Sparta, that girls were taught very much the same syllabus as boys, save for combat. Adelpha was not particularly athletic; she preferred arts and crafts and often came back home with little trinkets she had made. She had even crafted a pendant out of wood shaped as a wolf, the very wolf King Leonidas had fought and killed to prove his worth. It hung from a leather thread and was always drape around Damalis' neck as a reminder of the unique bond both servant and master had.

"I suppose you had a bad day," Damalis asked, taking the girls hand in her own as they began to meander back towards home.

"We were wrestling this afternoon, I was put against a girl who bullies me a lot and she's quite big. She pinned me before we'd even started" she replied glumly.

"You know, a persons worth isn't dependant on brute strength alone. You are the most mature fourteen-year-old I have ever encountered, in most; intelligence is more rewarding then brawn. Besides, when will a women need to wrestle in her lifetime? You will always need a sharp mind"

This brought a smile to the young girls face, which in turn pleased Damalis. She hated to see her ward so glum and hated it still to hear she was being bullied. She would try to find a way to teach Adelpha what she had learnt from the soldiers.

Both girls returned home to find Captain Artemis in the middle of a heated discussion with his wife. Enora seemed only vaguely aware of the conversation subject as she went about showing the servants where tomorrow's decorations would be put.

"That barbarous son of a whore had the audacity to accuse the King of spending the taxes to bribe the Ephors. As if he needs their approval to send more troops to protect Sparta's border" The Captain growled, reclined once again on his chair but with one leg resting on the table, he clenched the cup he was holding so tightly that his knuckles turned bone white.

"I know dear," Enora mumbled as she ruffled the petals of a vase of flowers. Enora was very much the older version of her daughter. They both had the same deliciously dark and silky hair that was so tameable, but hers was braided around her head and a tasteful golden thread had been weaved into it. She saw her daughter and Damalis enter the lobby and smiled, taking her daughter in her arms to give her a motherly hug. Damalis felt another twinge as she remembered her own mother doing the same for her when she fell and skinned her knee. However the older lady looked over at the servant girl and gave her a piteous smile, the same one she had given Damalis when she had found her wandering the streets.

"Are you even listening to me, Enora?" Captain Artemis growled, reaching for the goblet of wine again that sat on the table in front of him.

"Of course, dear husband" Enora smiled, letting her daughter go so she might look over at the Captain, "You were saying how awful that politician Theron is" she replied.

Captain Artemis growled at the mention of his name, "'Awful' hardly covers his character, he is a snake straight from Medusa's ugly head! It's no secret that he is disloyal to the King; it's a wonder why Leonidas does not see through his façade"

Enora smiled sympathetically at her husband before looking back at the servant girl, "Damalis, please take Adelpha and clean her up for dinner, then you can go assist Haidee in the kitchens, I believe she needs as many hands as possible for the feast tomorrow"

Damalis gave a polite curtsy and took a gentle hold of Adelpha's shoulders to lead her back to her bedchamber.

Adelpha was fidgeting excitedly on her stool so it made redoing her hair almost an impossibility, "Oh I am so excited to see my brother! I wonder if he will bring some of his friends" she blushed.

"Sit still, Miss Adelpha!" Damalis laughed, "You'll look a fright if you keep moving"

"I'm sure he'll bring some friends" the young girl giggles, "I imagine they'll be big and strong with beautiful faces"

Damalis smiled, pulling the bone comb through the girl's locks and twisting them about at the back of her head, but then Adelpha gasped and looked horrified.

"Oh Hades! I do not have a dress wear for the feast!" She exclaimed.

Damalis looked over at the wardrobe, which was literally straining to keep in the mass amount of frocks, "I'm sure we can find one in that great pile. And don't curse"

Adelpha looked at Damalis through the mirror incredulously, "Damalis! I can't wear an old dress, I'll ask father tomorrow to get some materials" she settled down after that and allowed her maid to finished pinning up her hair and changed into a simple light blue robe that fashionably hung off her shoulders.

Once her charge was all dressed she allowed her to go and join her family for the evening, reluctantly she entered the kitchen and found it buzzing with activity. The new kitchen staff were already there, Haidee was shouting orders from the cauldron and wiped sweat off her brow as she stirred the contents. She caught sight of Damalis and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank the Gods you are here! It's like trying to organise a flock of wild hens! I asked for experienced girls and this is what I get!" she exclaimed hysterically.

Damalis heaved a sigh and clapped her hands together, remembering why she hated being a servant.

-oOo-

Despite how hard she had worked that evening in the kitchens, sleep was not willing to come easily to Damalis. She had crawled into bed with tired arms and sore throat from ordering the girls in the kitchen about. Haidee had been right; they were not trained at all in the kitchens, if anything they were more of a hindrance then a help.

However, something unbeknownst to Damalis was pushing on her mind. It frustrated her almost to a scream when she recalled the conversation that Captain Artemis had had with his wife. Hadn't he mentioned the politician Theron? Damalis had heard his name around the city. He was a man both loved or hated by the people, some of his ideas were controversial and he even had questioned the King's decisions within the Council meetings. Damalis could have kicked herself for overlooking the man as a candidate for suspects; she had foolishly believed that the person responsible would be hiding in the shadows, not a member of the council.

Damalis rolled quietly out of her bed and slung a robe on over her nightgown, she passed the snoring figure of Hesper and quiet as a mouse she tiptoed out of the bedroom and through the lobby, being careful not to stumble into anything. The moonlight spilled into the open windows, showing her path to the front door, it creaked as she pulled one of the doors open, causing the maid to freeze on the spot, her eyes scanning the lobby, but after a minute she slipped through the door and hurried across the courtyard towards the stables.

A horse nickered loudly as she approached the barn and she could already smell the stench of manure. Wrinkling her nose, Damalis stumbled into the dark barn and using the light from the moon she walked down the small corridor, feeling the straw and hay under her feet until she reached the ladder and carefully climbed the steps until she sees a boys sleeping form under a blanket next to bales of straw.

Damalis hauled herself up and crawled over to the boy, "Otis!" she hissed into his ear.

The boy rolled over, his eyes still closed and swatted an invisible fly.

Damalis rolled her eyes and shook the boys shoulders, he snorted and sat up straight, almost knocking Damalis over where she knelt. He blinked several times before he finally processed that he was not alone and then he huffed.

"Damalis! I was asleep!" he moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, but I've got another job for you" she explained. This seemed to only frustrated Otis further.

"You woke me from the best sleep in ages to…" he asked incredulously.

"Sorry, but it can't wait. I need you to find out information about Theron," she asked.

Otis' eyes widen in alarm, "Theron? The councilman? You want me to spy on him?!"

"Yes and I'll double your pay" Damalis offered. Otis rolled his eyes.

"Listen, I don't mind following some drunkard or some soldier, but you're asking me to follow one of the most well known politicians of Sparta. He'll have guards watching him all day and night and you want me to risk my life for two loaves of bread?" he asked.

Damalis sighed, "I'll get you three loaves and some honey?" she offered again realising how rubbish it was not to have any money and having to rely simply on what she could smuggle out of the kitchen as a form of payment. However Otis seemed to be pondering the deal.

"Throw in some cheese and you have a deal"

Damalis bit the side of her mouth, it would be hard to get all those items from the kitchen without Haidee noticing, but then the feast had her in such a tizzy and there would be so much food being prepared, there might be a chance she could get away with it. Besides, it was worth it if it got her information.

"Alright" she replied, shaking hands with the boy to confirm their deal, "But you'll need to do it soon"

"Well the feast will have everyone busy, I'll go then" he nodded, "Now, can I please go back to sleep?" he asked. Damalis nodded sheepishly and wished the boy a good night before returning to her own bed. However sleep still refused to come to her, Damalis laid away feeling apprehensive, a little afraid even. Something that Otis had said had alarmed her a little.

'Listen, I don't mind following some drunkard or some soldier, but you're asking me to follow one of the most well known politicians of Sparta'

He was right of course. The worrying thing was, that if the instigator of the attack on Kalamata had been Theron, how in the name of the Gods could she get near the man to do any damage. She had fantasized for years about slaying the person responsible, but they had always been a faceless enemy in her dreams. Damalis knew that if she somehow got to Theron and killed him, it would not end there for her. There would be a massive search for his murderer, there would be a ransom for information and in turn there would be citizens turning in their neighbours for a chance to make a little cash. She would not be safe in the city of Sparta and she would probably have to flee, but was she prepared to leave the House of Artemis when the family had been nothing but kind to her? But she reminded herself that she had made this vow a long time ago, before she had met Enora and her family and she owed it to her own father, mother and brother to avenge their deaths.

-oOo-

Raging Raven - Hey, thanks for being my first reviewer. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

A/N: Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions. I read them all.