Hi! I finally managed to finish chapter eleven. It was slightly harder than usual, because I was tapping it on my iPad instead of typing. Still, portable internet is one of the best things invented in twenty first century, and so I was able to deliver this chapter to you from the middle of nowhere. I hope you enjoy reading it, I had a lot of fun writing the Crete part. Please review, I simply love to get reviews ( and who doesn't ;-))
Ciao and see you soon – I hope I'll be able to finish the next chapter in August.
All Twilight characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.
2. I-kno-you-want-me, thanks for spending your summer break editing my story!
11. Family bonds
Athenodora opens her eyes around one. The air feels slightly too cool and wet for her taste, and she immediately covers her head and arms with her blanket She had been too tired to object when Cai and Aro started building the tent close to a wall of some old, stone building. Actually, placing the tent where it rests now wasn't such a bad idea in the middle of the night, because the remains of the house kept them protected from the wind. In the middle of the day, however, it kept sunlight from filtering in.
Not wanting to wake up her brother or their guide, she quietly escapes her simple bedding and later slips out of the tent. Carrying fresh peplos and a long shawl, Dora starts looking for a stream or a spring where she could bathe and change her clothes. A hot spring would be perfect, but she doubts she will be that lucky. Instead, she starts running, hoping she could warm up enough where she wouldn't be as traumatized with a cold bath.
After a few minutes of running, she finds a still working aqueduct, quickly freshens up, changes clothes with a speed she has not seen even watching sport competitions, and runs back. The peplos is slightly too long for such an activity, and her hands are busy keeping the shawl on her arms; she has enough balance not to fall, however.
When she reaches the tent, Bion and Chrysantos are already awake, and Aro and Cai are back from wherever they were. The fair-haired man smiles when he sees her.
"Are you hungry?" he asks, handing her half of a pomegranate.
"Thank you." She gladly accepts the fruit, finally noticing how hungry she is. "Do you want some?" she asks, after swallowing the first few seeds.
"No, I've already eaten."
Dora is absolutely positive both Cai and Aro have some kind of an issue with food, but she doesn't feel like asking about it in front of the others.
"Where were you this morning?"
"We just went on a walk to see the remains of the city."
She nods, still unconvinced. She's almost certain that both Cai and Aro are something else than they claim to be, but she cannot figure out what exactly. Gods? Sometimes, during the day, she can see a very delicate shimmer on their skin, and the way they move is much more graceful than the way of acrobats, but otherwise, they don't posses any superpowers she's ever heard of. Or they hide it well. Maybe they are heroes? It would explain their knowledge about the human world. She finishes the pomegranate and finds a few dry, meat scraps inside the tent.
"We will need to visit a village nearby and buy some food," she notices. "I had no idea we would run out so soon."
"Your brother was hungry during the night."
"He always is," she says, partially teasing but the love for her sibling is obvious in the statement, and Cai knows Dora and Chrysantos are a package deal. He doesn't really care about that lazy, hypochondriac brother of hers. In fact, he wouldn't mind getting rid of him right away, if doing so is painless for everyone involved; but Dora cares about her brother too much to accept a mysterious death for his disappearance. Which means, should he decide to change her, he will have to change him, too. Aro also told him the girl is very close with her parents. Will he be forced to turn them and take them to Velathri? He doesn't plan to, but he cannot see her happy any other way.
At that moment, Bion finally remembers that he has been paid to be the guide and starts planning their trip for today. He immediately decides they need to see the palace, so after a few more minutes of packing they start walking. Aro and Cai are always in front of the group, like they know their way even better than the guide, and Dora starts wondering why their strange guests decided to bring them along. It's not like they need the Creatans to find anything; they could find what they are looking for by themselves in less time. She also doubts they mean her and her brother harm. If they planned to hurt them, surely they wouldn't think about things like the tent or food and water supplies. She cannot find any good reason for her and Chrysantos' presence here and decides not to worry about it for now. Instead, she tries to enjoy their trip.
There is definitely lots to see in Knossos. The red columns, slightly different than those she had seen in her town, are smaller at the bottom and wider at the top. She notices Cai teasing Aro about them, but their words are too low for her to hear much. Later, Bion shows them the frescoes with all kind of scenes, marine life, animals' hunting, gods and people. They visit some old storerooms, still reeking of too much oil and fish. Their strange friends are probably even more eager to leave that place than Chrysantos is. But, in general, Dora is glad her father allowed her to accept the invitation.
After they finish visiting the town, Bion starts leading them in the direction of the palace.
"Aren't you tired?" Cai asks her. She shakes her head no; they still have over two hours to nightfall, and she woke up past noon. There is no way she could be tired, and he has to know that. "And you?" Cai asks her brother.
Of course, Chrysantos is tired. He always is. He gives Aro and Cai the perfect excuse to go back to their camp. On their way back Dora wonders if they could continue their trip if she were to strangle her brother, but her anger is long gone when they reach their destination. She sits down on a blanket, watching the clouds getting darker and the sun moving closer to the horizon past them.
Their new friends don't plan to rest.
"We'll find some food and water and join you later." Cai smiles at her.
"I can go with you," she immediately offers, back on her feet.
"There's no need to. We will come back in less then an hour," Aro says coolly and she knows, wherever they are going, she is unwelcomed.
"There is an aqueduct down the street!" She points west, but at that time, the two strange travelers disappear, moving in the direction of the palace.
The rest of the afternoon passes lazily, with their two strange companions bringing them food, then fetching some water, and later going on a walk at dusk. The three humans sitting close to the tent are not welcomed to join. It doesn't bother Bion - he was already paid. If the travelers don't require his service, he will gladly just sit and watch the clouds. It's absolutely not a problem for Chrysantos, who is tired and claims that too much walking hurts his right knee. However, Dora is bored. If she knew they would be spending so much time simply resting, she would have brought a board game with her.
"I'm going to find some open space to watch the sunset," she finally says.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Bion may not be as existed as the rest, but at least he takes his job seriously.
"No, thank you. I don't plan on going far. I'm just tired of sitting here."
"You shouldn't have any problems finding us. It's full moon," Bion shrugs. Dora almost runs out of the tent, eager to go anywhere and do anything besides sitting on the ground and waiting for something to happen.
It is one of those random warm winter evenings. The air seems to be extremely stuffy, even outside, and she can see large purple clouds coming from the west. There is definitely a storm coming, and a large one at that, but Dora suspect it won't reach the capital for another half hour. She still has time.
Wandering alone is much more boring than their afternoon trip. At that time, Bion and Aro would talk about the ruins, sometimes arguing about the Mycean civilization, or simply trying to prove who knows the story of Knossos better. She couldn't compete with them, but they were fun to watch. She sighs and finds a broken column to sit on and watch the sky. It looks magical, with the moon being almost red and the huge storm moving in. Dora lies down for a moment, watching as the clouds slowly eat the remaining stars and cover the moon.
The first drops of rain wake her up. Unfortunately for her, the drizzle doesn't last. After a few seconds it's raining buckets and the girl runs for shelter, completely soaked.
Most of the buildings collapsed years ago, so they can hardly offer her any protection against the rain; the palace is the only one still standing. She makes a run for it, hoping she won't attract lightning by doing so. The gate offers shelter, but Dora is still soaked and cold. She slowly starts walking inside, careful not to lose the sight of the entrance.
Suddenly, the creature inside the labyrinth catches a new scent – the one of a wet human. It is something new, the beast has never smelled anything like this while being locked here. Finding the entrance was almost impossible just following the fresh air, but this smell is different, exquisite, and mouthwatering. The beast follows the human's scent and soon hears the sound of a heartbeat. Somewhere inside the beast's mind the teenage boy is screaming that this is wrong, that the beast should go back to its lair and let the woman live, but the moon is full and the animal's mind is stronger. Somewhere inside the labyrinth, the werewolf's howl declares the hunt on.
"Grandmother…" Didyme stares at the woman in front of her with wide eyes, while Marce notices some resemblance between those two. Didyme is much shorter, but she had been changed at fifteen; she would have grown more had she been left human. His wife's skin is also a few shades fairer, partially due of her immortal status, and partially due to the addition of Kemet's blood from her father's line. As well, Didyme's hair is straight and very long; however, he cannot tell much about the stranger's hair, because it is shaved.
Otherwise, he can see a lot similarities between the two. They are both very skinny - to the point of being bony - with absolutely no curves. There is something in their features and mimic that look the same: he can see a lot of wrinkles between the older woman's eyes and on the top of her nose, suggesting it wrinkled every time she starts to laugh or cry. Yes, the two could definitely be grandmother and grandchild.
Suddenly, the tension disappears, and he feels happier and more relaxed – Didyme may still be shocked, but using her aura is her natural reaction.
"Nice to meet you, too," the girl says with one of her most charming smiles. "I haven't heard about you much. Father just said he had met my mom in Gebel Barkal. Did Net tell you…" she stops, not sure if the older woman knows that her daughter died years ago.
"Yes, she did. I know that Hebony is not with us anymore."
Both women continue to stare at each other, wondering what should be said next in such a moment.
"So, are you following your sister's expedition, or did you plan to visit?"
"Actually, I had no idea I had family this far out. We're trying to find Net and Mshai. Oh, this is my husband, Marce. He was born in Rasenna - it's a country up north; you need to follow the river then travel northwest by sea." She finally stops chattering and looks up, waiting for the other's reaction.
"I see. It seems women in this family have a lot in common," the older woman smiles. "Let's go inside. One of you could get sick with all this sunlight. Come," she gestures at the couple, inviting them to the biggest hut. The heat is absolutely harmless to the immortals, but Didyme is aware how her skin sparkles. People have already seen it, though; they didn't bother acting humane when they entered the clearing.
She sees now this was a mistake. Ten minutes earlier, she would not have minded disposing of the whole village once they had told her everything she needed to know. Now, things are more complicated. She is positive she would never be able to kill anyone from her family. Pretending to be gods or demons is also out of the question; these people knew her parents, or at least her mother. They wouldn't be fooled easily. Maybe she could pretend she and Marce possess some kind of magic? It could work.
She enters the house thinking, that for the first time, she has to agree with Aro; pretending to be human makes things much easier.
The air inside the hut is stiff, which is probably why so many are spending time outside. There is no floor - only sand. It shimmers gently, lighted by rays entering through various holes in the roof. It's not a windy day, but the grains start floating in the air with every movement made. Didyme can immediately feel them in her throat and eyes. Fortunately for her, it doesn't cause her any pain - the venom burns the grains out in only a moment. For a human, it must feel like a torture, but her grandmother seems to be far too used to it to mind. She simply blinks, like having hot sand in her eyes is nothing and sits down on a small dusted carpet in the middle of the house.
Didyme follows her, still glancing around the place. It is obvious that this house is a meeting place, not inhabited by any particular family. The only furniture inside is the carpet. She can also see some painted baskets hanging from the ceiling and a few decorative bows, like the ones she had seen in Gebel Barkal. She wonders if these people actually use them to hunt or in a fight.
A young woman enters the house carrying a pot of cold water. Refusing it would be impolite, so both immortals force a few sips. Didyme can feel when the fluid starts moving around in her stomach, desperately trying to get out of her system. Why do humans always think their guests are hungry or thirsty?
"I imagine you want me to tell you about you sister," the older woman starts. "Eighteen years ago, one of the village guards reported a large group on the Nile shore attempting to climb the waterfall. It was obvious they weren't traders from Kush, traders rarely come this far and always travel by boats. These people, however, were traveling on foot. We approached them; one attempted an attack and was killed. It almost ended in a serious fight, but your sister started speaking our language. Well, wasn't as fluent as you, but it was enough to convince us the attack was a misunderstanding and no harm was meant. I asked them who they were and what they were looking for, and soon I realized the girl must have known my daughter. When she confirmed it, I decided the group could be trusted and invited them here. Net and Mshai spent almost a month in the village. I tried to talk them out of going further south, but they were both very stubborn about it. So I contacted some other tribes farther up the river and told them the expedition had my full support. We also supplied them with food and taught them how to survive in the jungle. I kept sending letters down the river, hoping someone in Kemet would find them and deliver them to Nebit. That was all I could do for your sister. Unfortunately, I don't think I can help you with finding them."
"Thank you. Did she tell you what they planned to do once they found the source?"
"Actually, I told her the source of the Great River. It is a lake, but there are at least three other rivers that end their lives in it; they could have followed one of them. However, they only had a few people left at the time of their departure, so I advised them to turn southeast by the lake, go to the sea shore and try to find a large island not far from the coast. Your sister promised she would think about it, and they left."
Didyme nods. "The news about the island reached Nebit. Have you heard from them since?"
"No, I haven't."
"Do you think they could still be there?"
"No, I don't. Didyme, your sister and brother-in-law entered the forest eighteen years ago, and no one has heard from them since. They haven't sent any messages. No other tribes I know of have reported seeing them. The jungle takes lives, young one. You're looking for two ghosts."
"Well, maybe I am. But I guess there is a small possibility I am not entirely human myself."
Marce looks at his wife, surprised. Didyme doesn't often challenge people openly. She just broke her brother's most sacred law but he has to admit he has never seen her resemble Aro as much as she does now.
"There is no reason for you to attack. She knows nothing more," he whispers too low for the woman to hear.
"I know," his wife whispers back. Suddenly, she is back on her feet. "We will go now, then."
"Stay. You won't have another chance to see this woman again. Give her a few days. Then we will continue searching for Net and Mshai," her husband breathes.
"Fine."