Truth and Sparta (21 page)

Chara didn’t
regret the things she’d done; it had given her life meaning and it
had given many people the future that she was now foregoing. The
more she accepted her fate, the less fear she had. She would be
with Doros soon; she was just afraid of the pain that would be
inflicted in the process. She couldn’t quite decide what to pray
for, but a pain free death would be preferred.

It would take
days of walking to get back to Sparta. She was certain that the
Spartans would take no complaint from her; if she couldn’t or
wouldn’t walk, she would be dragged behind them leaving her skin
and flesh behind as they went along. The slow walk to her eventual
demise gave her nothing but time to think about her
accomplishments, her daughter and the man she had been taken from.
She’d seen the anger in his eyes, there was also hurt there. She
could well imagine what he was thinking and he likely hated her.
She wished he would know that she really did care for him despite
how things looked.

Nicias felt
shock. His sweet girl had turned into a vile creature in front of
his eyes. The scale of her deception was just dawning on him. He’d
been such a fool and she’d manipulated him in every conceivable
way. She’d used her body in pursuit of the gains she wanted, and
had toyed with him—probably laughing behind his back. His father
had asked him angrily what secrets he’d been departing to her in
his bed. It was what they were all wondering, he could see it.

He’d been out
searching for the Helot leader and it turned out to be the whore
warming his bed. He felt bitterness fill his insides. Whatever she
hoped to gain for her deception, he hoped she didn’t find it. It
pulled their whole interaction into question. He wondered if she’d
somehow manipulated her way into his bed, but he couldn’t quite see
how, unless she was superbly good at it, which might be the case
for all he knew. He accepted that the girl he knew had been a
delusion concocted to deceive him. The girl he’d found comfort and
release in had been something else entirely and it made him feel
sick with revulsion.

She hadn’t
even fought; she had just accepted that she’d been caught. It only
added to the fact that it wasn’t a mistake. She’d been the one they
were looking for and she had been under his nose the entire
time.

All those
warnings that Helots were untrustworthy rang through his mind. He
hated them, all of them and her the most. She’d smiled to his face
and attacked his country when he’d had his back turned. He was
surprised she hadn’t attacked him personally when his back was
unprotected. Perhaps she had plans in that direction, a dagger in
the back when he wasn’t looking—trusting her implicitly.

He couldn’t
even begin to grapple with the embarrassment of being that one that
had been duped by her. His loyalty would be called into question as
would his intelligence for not having seen through her ruse. This
was a devastating blow on every level. He hated her and he’d now
come to realize he’d never really hated anyone before.

She would
suffer for her deception; he knew they would show her no mercy. He
couldn’t even imagine how she thought she would get out of this.
Her pleas would fall on deaf ears, no matter how many tears she
fell. Maybe she thought the people would come to her rescue.
Actually there may be a danger of revolt now, he conceded. They
would have to keep tight control now that the Helots had lost
their... He didn’t know what she was to them.

She posed a
threat even chained and disabled. The dangerous mood amongst the
Helots would only be squashed when they gave up hope. She had to
died and the sooner, the better. He was surprised they hadn’t
killed her on the spot. They should have asked him to do it, he
would happily have complied.

Crossing the
mountains was difficult for Chara and she was getting tired and
thirsty. They hadn’t offered her any water the previous day and she
was starting to feel the effects of it now. The bruise on her cheek
where one of the men had hit her ached, but as it was the only
thing they’d done to her—she counted herself lucky.

She could see
the city now that they were on the other side of the mountain pass.
It lay in the valley below, where she saw the expanse of the city
and the acropolis that oversaw it. This was the center of the
brutal state that had ruled over them for so long. It looked
nothing like she’d imagined as she’d always expected it to be a
dark and desolate place.

They crossed a
river as they approached and she could see large buildings, temples
and houses along the well-kept streets. The city was teeming with
life, including soldiers, Spartan women and freemen. There were
also Helots, but no one paid her no regard.

They took her
to the center of town past tree lined streets where young men were
training—likely in the same fashion that Nicias would have done.
She knew that Nicias lived here somewhere amongst the multitude of
barracks. Sparta was a much nicer place than she’d expected. It was
clean and well kept, its wealth on display in the buildings. Marble
statues and bronze reliefs decorated many of them. Sparta’s wars
had gained them wealth and their city showed it.

They took her
to the Agora, the large space at the center of the city, full of
people buying and selling food and all manner of things. People
were not paying any attention to her while the men yanked her chain
along to a large building at the edge of the marketplace. It had
imposing columns, similar to the administrative parts of Athens.
They took her inside the building and chained her to the wall in an
alcove before leaving her. Every noise was amplified by the marble
walls.

She didn’t
know where she was but the building was quiet. She could hear the
activity in the marketplace outside as she sat down in the corner
of the space with her knees tucked in under her chin. She was
exhausted and every part of her ached for water. Her feet were
blistered and her knee scraped where she’d fallen over.

She still
couldn’t quite believe that this had happened—she known it would
one day. The activities she’d started would draw their attention
sooner or later, but the results had been worth it. She didn’t
regret anything she’d done and would die with pride in what she’d
achieved. Her daughter would know of her exploits and be proud of
her, she was sure. The Spartans might take her life, but she had
won the battle. She knew she’d hurt them, hurt their capacity. It
wasn’t her intention, but it was a fairly substantial bonus. She
had taken on Sparta and she had won, and they would never be able
to erase that, no matter what they did to her.

Chara woke by
being shoved into the wall. She was disorientated, but started to
notice that there were men in the little room she was being kept
in. She couldn’t really see them clearly as it is dark in the room.
She looked up to the window high up on the wall and could see soft
pink light. It was dawn; she’d slept through the entire night. She
tried to swallow, but her throat was parched.

They undid the
chain that kept her linked to the wall and marched her out into the
larger space meant to keep many men, but appeared huge relative to
the small group of men waiting, and she could see Nicias behind
them. He kept his eyes averted from her and she could tell by the
drawn expression on his face that he was still very angry and
hostile.

“
So this is her,” one of the older men said looking around the
others for confirmation. “Not more than a girl.”

One of the men
kept hold of her elbow and she tried to get him off, but he only
gripped her arm tighter until it hurt. She stopped fighting it
because he wasn’t going to let go and she wasn’t entirely sure her
knees would hold her if he did. Not only was she stiff from
sleeping on the cold stone floor, fear was clasping her insides
even though she tried to hide it.

“
All this trouble from a mere slip of a girl.”

“
An Athenian spy,” another man said and spat at her. She tried
to dodge it, but the chains around her wrists restricted her
movement.

“
Where is the ship?” yet another demanded. He was younger and
more forceful. His eyes were hard as iron and there was no mercy to
be had from him.

Chara didn’t
say anything.

“
Speak or I will cut out your tongue,” he said menacingly.
Chara forced her lips together and refused. He grabbed her jaw,
clasping it hard enough that Chara wondered if her bones would
break under the pressure. Chara shook visibly with fear as he
brought up the bronze sword to her mouth.

“
I don’t know,” she finally said. “I’ve missed the meeting
point, they know something is wrong and they will have
gone.”

“
And where is the next meeting point?”

“
I don’t know, we only plan one at a time,” she
said.

“
I don’t believe you.”

“
We actually had this scenario in mind,” she said tartly and he
hit her across the cheek for her show of impertinence. Impact and
pain reverberated through her head. She closed her eyes and wished
this would be over. She knew there would be more pain to come, then
release from this world. She just had to hang in there and
endure.

“
Where did you get the ship?” the elder asked and the younger
more forceful man put his sword up to her throat. Chara had trouble
speaking as whatever moisture she had in her throat had gone. She
felt the sharp blade against her throat and she closed her eyes,
not wanted to see what happened next. “Where did you get the ship?”
he repeated.

“
Athens.”

“
I knew it, she’s a spy.”

“
She has grown up here, I have seen her,” Nicias said from
behind them. Chara opened her eyes. She’d forgotten that he was
here, having been too distracted by the shiny sword at her throat.
There was no kindness or empathy in his eyes. Whatever had made him
confirm that, it wasn’t for her benefit.

“
Then how has she an Athenian ship?” the younger man
demanded.

“
Calm yourself, General, the girl will tell us,” the elder
said.

“
Talk girl,” the General said.

“
I asked and they gave me one.”

“
You asked and they gave you one?” a man who had been quiet
said with incredulity.

“
Yes.”

“
And why would the Athenians give you a ship?”

“
Because they saw benefit in what I wanted to do.”

“
Decimate our harvest,” the elder filled in.

“
No, it wasn’t my aim; I just wanted to get my people away from
here. The impact on your harvest was a mere
consequence.”

“
I doubt the Athenians would see it that way,” the elder
said.

“
No doubt,” she confirmed.

“
And what was your aim?” he continued his questioning. Chara
saw no reason to hide it.

“
To get as many Helots away to a better life as I
could.”

“
And where is that?”

“
Wherever would take them,” she said.

“
Attica,” the man filled in.

She didn’t
answer, but she could see it in his eyes that he knew. She had
hoped to keep that fact secret, but the elder had drawn the
conclusion.

“
What have you told her?” the General asked Nicias
sharply.

“
Nothing,” Nicias replied.

“
Then what did she want from you?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
You were giving her all the information she needed while she
spread her legs for you,” the man stated with anger. Nicias
remained stoic, but Chara could see the recrimination and shame in
his eyes.

Chara couldn’t
help feeling sorry for Nicias. He’d unwittingly been caught in this
and it would no doubt be devastating for him and his future. He
might even be exiled and banned from Spartan territory for the rest
of his life, sent out to make his own way in the world. She knew
that he would never forgive her. She had tarnished his name, his
honor and that of his family’s.

“
What were you after?” the man said turning back to her, his
sword pressing on the soft skin of her neck just by the juggler. He
was a life-long soldier and when he struck, it would be fatal. He
would know all the places to kill someone.

“
He was just a cover—a distraction,” she said. She didn’t want
to make things worse for him. If she could exonerate him, she
would. It also happened to be the truth.

“
Just like the whore you are,” the General said stepping
closer. Chara refused to look at him as he stood close to her with
the express purpose of intimidating her. He stepped back and raised
his sword. He was going to kill her; she could see it in his eyes.
His face contorted as he prepared the swing. She closed her eyes
and held her breath.

“
Don’t be rash,” the elderly man said, cutting off his
intentions.

“
She deserves to die,” the General responded.

“
She does, but this must be considered,” the elder said. “The
elders must be informed.”

“
For what purpose?” the General challenged.

“
Not everything is solved by the sword!” the elder roared back
so even Chara was surprised at his forcefulness.

The General
was not happy with the order, but he would obviously not act
against this man. Whoever the man was, he had more power than the
General. She suspected he was a member of the elders that he’d
spoken of. She almost wished the General had his way—a swift end,
while now another awaited her along with the uncertainty that went
with it.