"Gabrielle," Lila said sternly as she poked at the slice of bread on her
plate. "You really need to keep your mind on your chores! Look how this
bread turned out. There's dry flour in it because you didn't mix it enough,
it's too hard and the center is a gooey mass! Why, I'm not sure how you
even managed to create such a horrible mess."
"Oh, sister, you act as if it's the end of the world!" Gabrielle shrugged off the complaint. She had spent her time kneading bread wisely and had decided to go see the Old Hag. Everyone in the town was scared of her, for they said she had powers of a witch. She supposedly lived in a haunted shack out in the woods somewhere. Gabrielle herself had never been there, but she was sure she could find it. It was rumored that sometimes certain town lads went to her for love spells ... or so the lads claimed. Gabrielle thought it could just be boasting on their part to show they had courage. Of course, she would be sensible and go during the day. She would make an appropriate excuse, like picking apples. "It's only bread!"
"Gabrielle, you're going to be married soon." Her mother said as she struggled to slice another piece from the loaf. Hard bits fell onto the table from the outermost layer. But when the knife reached the center, it was like trying to cut thick tree sap. The sticky goo clung to the metal blade, gumming up the teeth. Frustrated, her mother yanked the knife out. Long sticky strands stretched from the bread up to the knife. The farther away she pulled the knife, the longer the strands grew. "Oh, this is impossible! What did you put in here, cheese?"
"I wanted to try something new. That's how things are invented!" Gabrielle replied smoothly. She didn't see what the big fuss was about. If they wanted her to learn to cook, why couldn't she experiment as well? Did her mother think people were created with a recipe for bread? That Zeus came down and said "Here, this is how you make bread and this is how you make wine and this is how you make cheese"? Of course not! People invented it by themselves, sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose. "Just tear hunks off and it'll do fine."
Her father waved his hand, dismissing the subject. "I heard some important news in town today. Now Gabrielle, I want you to pay attention to what I have to say!"
"Yes, Father." Gabrielle picked up the loaf of her newly created cheese bread and tore off a big hunk. She smiled at the look of horror on her sister's face. In a way, she felt sorry for Lila. Her sister thought everything had to be done just so, like bread being neatly cut with straight edges. But that meant never really enjoying it. Many a time Gabrielle had bought freshly baked bread from the baker in town, eating it on the green hill overlooking town by tearing off chunks.
"A dangerous time has come and you all must be certain to be inside before dusk." Her father said in a serious voice.
"Were warlords spotted in the area?" her mother asked, her spoon dropping out of her hand, forgotten. It clinked as it hit the plate, then bouncing off onto the wooden table. "How will we ever defend ourselves? We are just simple people!"
"No, nothing like that." Her father soothed, a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Several of the men spotted a bad omen last night, in the sky. The red evening star."
Her mother blinked, surprised. "Are you sure? That hasn't been seen for ... decades! No, longer than that. Why, it must be over a hundred years. I remember my elders talking about it years ago."
"Well, it was there last night." Her father assured.
"Wait! I don't understand." Gabrielle leaned forward, the cheese bread and the rest of the food on her plate forgotten. When her father had mentioned red, she immediately thought of her dream. Was it possible the red moon in her dream represented this red star? Surely it couldn't be a coincidence! "Why is this red star bad news? I mean, it IS just a star, right? What harm could it do to us?"
"There will be blood sacrifices to the Gods." Her father informed her, his face grave. "Of course, they will only want the blood of the innocent, of virgins. Since no one wants to willingly sacrifice their young daughters, they will be taken by force. You must be on guard, Gabrielle. Stay near the house and don't wonder off! If warlords take you, I won't be able to save you."
"But don't we worship the Gods? I know we attend the temples and leave gifts for them. Why would they harm us?" Gabrielle's mind was whirling with the new information. She had always been curious about the Greek Gods, studying their statues in the temples they visited. Often she annoyed the priests who worked there by asking too many questions. She wanted to see the Gods and Goddesses, to know where Ambrosia came from and what it really was. And if the Gods were descendants of the Titans, why weren't they Titans, too? And where had the Titans come from? She just had SO many questions!
"Yes, we worship some of the Greek Gods," Her father shook his head sadly. Gabrielle could be very naive at times, think everything and everyone was good. He hated to pop her bubble. "But as you know, there are some we don't. Like the God of War. The blood sacrifice would be to him, to make him stronger. He is a cruel, heartless creature, Gabrielle. And now that the red star is here, his cold-blooded soldiers will be searching the countryside for the perfect sacrifice."
"I'll promise to be careful, Father." Gabrielle told her parents. And she meant it, too. But this War God, whoever he was, wasn't going to interfere in her search for her soulmate! It was clear from his dress that he was a nobleman, perhaps a young prince of one of the kingdoms. Whoever he was, it was clear the time to go to him was near. She would just have to be more careful, is all. Gabrielle allowed a faint smile to turn her lips. This was turning out to be the adventure she always wanted!
A mysterious handsome lover, danger lurking in every shadow, strange omens in the night sky....
It would make a fabulous story to tell in Athens at a Bard Convention.
Yes, her days in Poteidaia were nearing an end. Soon all her dreams would come true!
"Oh, sister, you act as if it's the end of the world!" Gabrielle shrugged off the complaint. She had spent her time kneading bread wisely and had decided to go see the Old Hag. Everyone in the town was scared of her, for they said she had powers of a witch. She supposedly lived in a haunted shack out in the woods somewhere. Gabrielle herself had never been there, but she was sure she could find it. It was rumored that sometimes certain town lads went to her for love spells ... or so the lads claimed. Gabrielle thought it could just be boasting on their part to show they had courage. Of course, she would be sensible and go during the day. She would make an appropriate excuse, like picking apples. "It's only bread!"
"Gabrielle, you're going to be married soon." Her mother said as she struggled to slice another piece from the loaf. Hard bits fell onto the table from the outermost layer. But when the knife reached the center, it was like trying to cut thick tree sap. The sticky goo clung to the metal blade, gumming up the teeth. Frustrated, her mother yanked the knife out. Long sticky strands stretched from the bread up to the knife. The farther away she pulled the knife, the longer the strands grew. "Oh, this is impossible! What did you put in here, cheese?"
"I wanted to try something new. That's how things are invented!" Gabrielle replied smoothly. She didn't see what the big fuss was about. If they wanted her to learn to cook, why couldn't she experiment as well? Did her mother think people were created with a recipe for bread? That Zeus came down and said "Here, this is how you make bread and this is how you make wine and this is how you make cheese"? Of course not! People invented it by themselves, sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose. "Just tear hunks off and it'll do fine."
Her father waved his hand, dismissing the subject. "I heard some important news in town today. Now Gabrielle, I want you to pay attention to what I have to say!"
"Yes, Father." Gabrielle picked up the loaf of her newly created cheese bread and tore off a big hunk. She smiled at the look of horror on her sister's face. In a way, she felt sorry for Lila. Her sister thought everything had to be done just so, like bread being neatly cut with straight edges. But that meant never really enjoying it. Many a time Gabrielle had bought freshly baked bread from the baker in town, eating it on the green hill overlooking town by tearing off chunks.
"A dangerous time has come and you all must be certain to be inside before dusk." Her father said in a serious voice.
"Were warlords spotted in the area?" her mother asked, her spoon dropping out of her hand, forgotten. It clinked as it hit the plate, then bouncing off onto the wooden table. "How will we ever defend ourselves? We are just simple people!"
"No, nothing like that." Her father soothed, a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Several of the men spotted a bad omen last night, in the sky. The red evening star."
Her mother blinked, surprised. "Are you sure? That hasn't been seen for ... decades! No, longer than that. Why, it must be over a hundred years. I remember my elders talking about it years ago."
"Well, it was there last night." Her father assured.
"Wait! I don't understand." Gabrielle leaned forward, the cheese bread and the rest of the food on her plate forgotten. When her father had mentioned red, she immediately thought of her dream. Was it possible the red moon in her dream represented this red star? Surely it couldn't be a coincidence! "Why is this red star bad news? I mean, it IS just a star, right? What harm could it do to us?"
"There will be blood sacrifices to the Gods." Her father informed her, his face grave. "Of course, they will only want the blood of the innocent, of virgins. Since no one wants to willingly sacrifice their young daughters, they will be taken by force. You must be on guard, Gabrielle. Stay near the house and don't wonder off! If warlords take you, I won't be able to save you."
"But don't we worship the Gods? I know we attend the temples and leave gifts for them. Why would they harm us?" Gabrielle's mind was whirling with the new information. She had always been curious about the Greek Gods, studying their statues in the temples they visited. Often she annoyed the priests who worked there by asking too many questions. She wanted to see the Gods and Goddesses, to know where Ambrosia came from and what it really was. And if the Gods were descendants of the Titans, why weren't they Titans, too? And where had the Titans come from? She just had SO many questions!
"Yes, we worship some of the Greek Gods," Her father shook his head sadly. Gabrielle could be very naive at times, think everything and everyone was good. He hated to pop her bubble. "But as you know, there are some we don't. Like the God of War. The blood sacrifice would be to him, to make him stronger. He is a cruel, heartless creature, Gabrielle. And now that the red star is here, his cold-blooded soldiers will be searching the countryside for the perfect sacrifice."
"I'll promise to be careful, Father." Gabrielle told her parents. And she meant it, too. But this War God, whoever he was, wasn't going to interfere in her search for her soulmate! It was clear from his dress that he was a nobleman, perhaps a young prince of one of the kingdoms. Whoever he was, it was clear the time to go to him was near. She would just have to be more careful, is all. Gabrielle allowed a faint smile to turn her lips. This was turning out to be the adventure she always wanted!
A mysterious handsome lover, danger lurking in every shadow, strange omens in the night sky....
It would make a fabulous story to tell in Athens at a Bard Convention.
Yes, her days in Poteidaia were nearing an end. Soon all her dreams would come true!