Truth and Sparta (16 page)

“
If I were to believe you in what you are proposing—and I am
not saying that I do—it would undermine the Spartan harvest and
food supply,” he said. She knew this man was intelligent, she could
see it in how he approached things and the conclusions he
drew.

“
If sufficient families chose to come, it will do
so.”

“
If families do defect to a large degree and you are
responsible, you will undermine their capabilities in this war. You
will be viewed as an enemy to the state.”

“
They have acted like an enemy to my people for a very long
time; we’re just changing the stage of combat.”

He narrowed
his eyes and looked her over again. She could tell that he saw her
differently. “A declaration of war then. This is a fantastical
tale,” he said. “I would be foolhardy to place belief in such
undertakings by a young, ignorant girl—a slave no less.”

“
I am not a slave,” she said. “I am a free resident of
Attica.”

He chuckled.
“And our gain to have such a dreamer.”

“
A dream I want to turn into reality—one in which you have
nothing to lose, and only gain.”

“
If they get any notion of what you are doing, they will hunt
you down,” he said with more seriousness.

“
I know, they already go my brother.”

“
You would be wise to not tell anyone of this, there are spies
everywhere.”

She nodded. “I
will bring people.”

“
As you please. I fear your life will be short,
girl.”

“
Perhaps, but if I succeed, then others’ will be longer. There
will be a place for families I bring over?” she pressed. She needed
his explicit approval before she went back and touted to all and
sundry that there was a place for them in the North.

He arched an
eyebrow, then made a succinct single nod.

“
I must to return quickly,” she added, feeling light with
relief and joy. “The Spartans are marching back, I
believe.”

“
They are,” he confirmed.

“
Then I should be there when they get back.”

“
They will notice your absence?”

“
One will.”

“
You are playing a foolhardy game.”

“
But a much better game than revolting.”

“
It is much more cunning, I admit.”

“
Any chance you could give me some funds for passage back? I
have better chances of being back in time if I sail,” she said him
bluntly. She knew she was pressing her luck, but she had no choice.
If the Spartans were marching back from their confrontation in
Megara, then she needed to hurry. His arched eyebrow confirmed
it.

“
I must fund this venture now?” he asked with mocking
tones.

“
It is not that you must, you will just increase the chances of
success. I am only asking for funds to sail to Epidaurus—Nauplia if
the funds extend so far. An act of charity if you will.”

He leaned back
in his chair. She expected that the answer was not going to be in
her favor, which meant that she needed to rush. She wasn’t ready to
give up the game with Nicias yet by letting him know something was
afoot. It would be better in the meantime if he noticed nothing out
of the ordinary.

“
I will give you a ship,” he said finally. “You can use it as
you please, but if you lose it, I will be seriously
displeased.”

Chara hitched
her breath, the implications of having an actual ship at her
disposal reverberated through her mind. It meant that they didn’t
have to work through the towns where there were soldiers, spies and
other persons they needed to worry about. Chara thanked him
succinctly. Although she wasn’t all that worried about losing the
ship as it was more likely she would be dead if anything went
wrong, but she wasn’t about to say that in case he changed his
mind.

The
administrator waved her away after giving her yet another note.
“Show it to the clerk, he will arrange your passage to the port.”
For the second time, she clasped on tightly to a note from this man
that provided her with a means of success and of implementing her
mad plan.

Chara sailed
from Piraeus on the next tide. The ship she’d been given was not
large, but it was fast, or so the sailors told her. She had nothing
to judge by. It was a merchant ship, but built for speed. Chara
suspected it was a naval ship built to look like a merchant ship,
but she wasn’t about to argue.

The winds were
in her favor as she sailed back. She hated the idea of travelling
further away from Elphia and her new home in Archernae, but it gave
her comfort knowing that none of her family were in danger—they
were all safe and would remain so no matter how this turned
out.

She couldn’t
believe her own success. She had a ship and it was hers to
direct—she could ferry people back and forth as she needed to.
There was still danger and the coming and going of a ship could be
noticeable, but there were many deserted places along the coastline
that they could utilize—away from prying eyes. She had so much
planning to do, she had to get control of her mind.

They sailed
her to the closest piece of coast to her village. It would still be
a day’s walk or more to get back, but she was less worried now. She
could manage to explain short absences to Nicias if she had to, but
she hoped she would make it back in advance of his arrival. Surely
they wouldn’t have left Megara the moment the Athenians
withdrew.

There was a
part of her that was excited to see him again. She knew it was a
paradoxical notion, but she both wanted and feared him at the same
time. She’d tried to convince herself that it was only for the
purpose of keeping appearances, but she also knew it went deeper
than that and it was not a good thing because it would end badly in
one way or another.

Chara felt
ridiculous telling a crew of sailors what to do, but she managed to
communicate that they were to meet up in a week along a specific
part of the coast. Then they rowed her into shore and she walked
home from there.

Her house was
cold when she got there; it had that cold feeling like there hadn’t
been a person there for a while—like it knew it had been abandoned.
She went out and sat by Doros’ grave and prayed to the gods to
support her in this venture. She wished she could talk to Della at
the moment, but she was managing things back in Archernae. She
would have to send a message to Della to deal with Klenias when the
ship sailed in a week. The whole week seemed to stretch out before
her.

She had no
idea if Nicias was back. He might have sent someone for her already
and they would have found the house empty. She could still explain
that, so she wasn’t overly worried.

She walked
into the village and spoke to Panos. She told him about the empty
farms in Attica and that her parents were very happy with theirs.
She could see that he was thinking about it. She also saw some of
the boys that she’d left behind. A few had returned to their farms,
while others had taken her at her word and stayed. She tasked a few
of them with informing the other boys that they were meeting along
the coast early in the morning in a week’s time.

She returned
home and slept for a little while. She’d slept on the ship, but
badly. The relentless movement of the vessel woke her
constantly.

A knock on her
door woke her. She saw one of the Menares servants when she opened
it.

“
He wishes to see you,” the man said haughtily.

Chara felt
like telling the man off for thinking he was better than her, but
she bit her tongue. In the scheme of things this man was not
important; in fact he was probably more of a threat than anyone.
There was a good chance that someone might tell one of these
treasonous Helots about her activities and he would then run and
tell his master. Men like him were loyal to the Spartans in the
hope that they would be freed one day. It was the shining hope they
used to control this class of people.

Although she
knew that the demarcation between her class and his was large—which
was the thing that would hopefully keep him from understanding her
activities and plans. He saw himself as too good to mingle with the
common slaves. Still she had no idea how far news had travelled
about her; it was what she wanted, she wanted as many people as
possible to know and to decide to come, but it also presented
danger. She needed to protect her name, she needed a name that
people could refer to, but that didn’t highlight her identity. She
would think of something.

Nicias was
sitting watching the fire as she arrived. He looked over and smiled
when she walked in the room. He held out his hand and she walked
over to him, sitting down on his lap. He placed his arms around her
and held her for a moment. She closed her eyes and just relaxed in
his embrace.

He smelled
lovely, musky, clean and male. He’d bathed away all the dirt and
sweat from his activities, she noted. She placed her head at the
crook of his neck. She couldn’t help but feel all the tension from
her own activities slowly drain away. Whatever they were outside of
this room—or however this thing started—while they were here, they
could just be two people who needed the comfort of the other. She’d
never intended for feel comforted by his presence, it was something
that had snuck up on her.

His hand was
stroking her thigh, sending heat through her body.

“
How have you been?” he asked.

“
Not the best.”

“
Oh? What has happened?” he asked, stiffening. Chara noted that
he wasn’t aware of what had happened to her brother.

“
My brother was killed.”

“
How?”

“
By sword.”

Nicias was
quiet, watching her. Her words would have told him exactly who had
killed him.

“
I am sorry,” he said and held her tighter. “You must be very
upset.”

“
My father is distraught. He has left—sought out his
brother,”—partially it was true. Chara felt a twinge of guilt lying
to him, but then equally she didn’t for her brother.

“
You are alone?”

“
Yes, but let’s leave the world and its trouble outside this
room. I don’t wish to talk of troubles I’d sooner
forget.”

“
Then we shall forget,” he said and kissed her. Chara let
herself yield to him as he kissed her slowly and sweetly. Chara
sighed as she let the sweetness of it suffuse her mind. His hand
travelled up to her neck stroking down it, furthering the
sensations that lulled any unpleasant tension out of
her.

She had been
thrust into the position of being the strong one, the one who
constantly fought to enact this impossible plan, who constantly
analysed what needed to be done. That fact that she had made it
this far meant she could not stop now. It was scary and it was
taxing and she desperately needed to lay that burden to the side
for a minute and just breathe without its constant pressure.

She knew
things weren’t perfect, that she shouldn’t take comfort from him,
but it was comfort desperately needed. There was no use wishing he
was a Helot and they could share this burden; it was just not how
things were. As it happened, they were enemies, and she was
deceiving him, but for a short time while they were here, they
could just put that to aside for a little while and just be in each
other’s’ company.

His hand
travelled down further and cupped her breast. She felt the
sensation of it shoot lower, filling her with heat as his kiss grew
deeper and more demanding. Chara moved around until she straddled
him and could feel his strong, powerful body along her own. She
wanted him—needed him to make her feel the way only he seemed to be
able to. She ran her hands along the hard muscles along the sides
of his abdomen and hips.

When the kiss
broke, she explored further the skin along his jaw and down his
neck. His tunic wouldn’t let her explore as she wanted. She wanted
to roam her hands over his warm skin—feel every contour. Instead
she just seemed to get caught in his eyes. They drew her and held
her there. They were blue like the sky after rain.

There was a
voice of alarm somewhere in the back of her head, but she wasn’t
listening. His eyes were just mesmerising and she couldn’t tear
herself away. He smiled and she felt her heart constrict. She moved
her body closer and placed her head on his shoulder, closing her
eyes and tried to get control of the situation.

“
Are you alright?” he asked and she nodded. He stroked her
along her back and she felt the touches radiating throughout her
body.

He rose
gently, bringing her with him. She knew he was taking her to the
bed and she looked forward to being free of the confines of the
chair, maybe even the confines of her thoughts. Something had
changed, she felt things more keenly. She also started to realize
how badly she’d wanted to see him again. She hadn’t quite
understood until now. The idea of never seeing him again actually
hurt.

He laid her
back and stood back, stripping himself off his tunic and she
watched as he did—revealing his magnificent body. She still
couldn’t understand that someone like him wanted her as much as he
did. He just watched her intently for a moment before moving onto
the bed placing his knee by her thigh, weighing the mattress
down.

Chara sat up
and pulled her own tunic over her head, she wanted nothing between
them. She wanted to feel all of him and she was awarded when he lay
down on her and she could feel his skin touching hers with no
barriers at all. It sent delicious shivers down her entire body,
pooling in her center. She wasn’t going to rush tonight, she was
going to explore. Her hands started on his back and she ran her
hands over the muscles, felt them move as he leant down and kissed
her again.