| Subject: Barbarians |
Author:
emeral_sea
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Date Posted: 08:15:43 11/23/03 Sun
Diana stared out to the horizon. For miles and miles, there was nothing but the emerald sea. Several playful dolphins showed off their talents in the vastness of the ocean to anyone who watched. Their bodies were but dark shadows against the burning sunset.
Such calm and peacefulness. Something Diana hadn't seen since leaving the burning of her home. A salty drop silently trickled down her cheek.
A gust of wind caressed it and took it away. The chill on her bare skin made Diana pulled her cloak tighter for warmth.
"Thank the god, we'll reach land soon," a voice broke her solitude.
"They abandoned us." A note of bitterness pasted itself onto Diana's voice.
"We wouldn't still be here if it weren't for Athena!"
"If it weren't for the gods, we wouldn't have lost our sacred home!" Diana snapped. Annoyed at her sister's blindness to the gods and her stolen solitude, Diana stalked back to the boat cabin with out a second thought.
Diana's stomach rumbled. She ignored the empty pain and planted her foot harder with each movement. Somehow she could still hear the growl above the stomping of her footsteps.
She yanked open the cabin door. The sight before her made her stomach turned. There stood her sisters in a semi circle around her mother. No, her queen, she corrected herself. What ever of the mother she once knew was gone now. Only the face of the Amazon queen remained.
The altar for the gods stood in the middle. Foods, or what ever they still have left, piled on top. With arms raised, the queen lifted her head to the ceiling. Mumbling beneath her throat. Snatches of the Old Tongue could be audible through her voice.
Her hands flew out over the trays of food. They shook with concentration. Slowly, the foods melted into thin air. The altar now completely emptied saved the piece of silk.
Diana squeezed her eyes and tried to swallow the sour taste in her mouth. How could her mother be so ignorant? Hasn't she seen how Menellippe's life shrank and failed from lack of nourishment? All that food could have been use to save her sister's life. But here her mother had to offer it to the same gods that had let the Tharnanian savaged and burned their home.
Fire flames swept through her. Diana stalked away. She'd had enough of this now.
~*~
"How's Menellippe?"
Harloa felt the dark headed girl tensed beside her. Nothing. Not a word. Only a tightly strung thread could be felt in the atmosphere around them. She pursed her lips. The girl's silence nagged at her mind. This was unusual, especially the child she watched for over the years.
The girl yanked harder at the sail rope. A little too much than necessary. Harloa's body swayed as the uneasiness heightened. She sighed. Perhaps it was a bad topic at the moment.
Her mind raced for some safe subject. There must be something on this boat she could use. Her head surveyed the ship. All around them, their sisters were busy preparing. The sail had almost completely pulled down. The deck was being cleared. Women raced here and there, their mind set on some preset task. Not one paid them any heed.
The wind blew a knot of hair into her face. Harloa gently tucked it behind her ear. Her vision traveled back to her niece. This will probably be the only time she will have with Diana alone. She might as well bring it up now. Harloa sighed.
"I know it's hard Sweet. But you have to keep it hidden."
Diana whirled around. Her eyes darted and said in an icy voice, "How could you expect me to act any different? Look at her! She's hurting everyone."
Harloa bit her lips. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had known this was coming. Her mouth open, readied to defend the queen. Not a word came out. Had the tension really accelerated this far?
She turned her head to cover up her brimmed eyes. Through the salty drops she could see the massive charcoaled sky trying to swallow the ship whole. A bolt of light flashed in the distant, forewarning the fate of doom. The winds whipped and lashed at her cheek. How odd that this storm is the least of her worries. But the storm on the ship.
Harloa dared a glance toward the cabin. The queen was nowhere in sight. She sighed.
An arm gently tugged at her waist. "I'm sorry," came the muffled sound.
As suddenly, all her inner battles melted into a warm smile. She pulled Diana and held her tighter. Harloa buried her face in the mass of ink hair, afraid that this precious moment would lose. The hunger, the battles, the tensions. All forgotten. This was the first wave of peace she had had in weeks.
"She's changed."
"Yes Sweet. That's why you must never openly object her. Do you understand?"
Came a reluctant nod.
Harloa squeezed the girl's shoulder. "Her loyalty to the gods is very fierce."
The boat gave a jerk. Harloa almost lost her footing. She hung onto Diana to keep her balance. Her head wildly looked about. The waves had increased its violence. The wind lashed harder with each passing moan.
"We're heading in the storm's direction," she tried to yell over the howling. "I'm going to see what's the matter. Be sure that you go back into the cabin."
"I will. Don't worry."
Droplets of water poured down from the sky. Each one determined to peck at her skin. The wind laughed and pushed the droplets to head for her face. Diana put her hand up to held off the attack. She watched as Harloa gave a nod and disappeared behind the curtain of rain.
~*~
"Where's Harloa?" Diana asked. Her hand shoved the people aside, trying to squeeze through the massive crowd. The women resisted the shove and shot glares in her direction.
Ignoring the grumbles of complaint, Diana grabbed the nearest person, "Have you seen Harloa?" The woman shook her head.
"She's…" someone from the mass of crowd voiced.
"What?" "She's still out there," a louder voice returned.
For a moment, Diana couldn't comprehend the phrase. Panic raced through her body as the knowledge sank in. Her body shook. She swirled back the way she came. Forcing the people to make way, she heard nothing of the continuous grumbles, nor was she aware of the swaying of the ship. Her feet dashed harder with each step.
Someone yanked her sleeve. "Don't you dare open that door," a threat dangerously menaced. Diana ignored. She shook the offender off and forced her door open.
The wind blew against her face. With heavy pails of raindrops followed its current, hitting her face as hard as they might, forcing her blind. She turned her head to the side, trying to regain her sight. Her feet slowly trudge forward against the heavy weight of the blowing force.
For a fleeting moment, the thought of turning back crossed her mind. She turned it a way, feeling a bit of guilt tagged at her. The screams and the yelling behind her stopped with a sound of wood slamming against wood. The bolting of iron confirmed her decision. It was now that she was alone. There was no way she could turn back.
"Harloa!!!" she yelled. The howling of the wind rose, as if trying to oppose her. She yelled again, this time louder than before. All she could hear of her voice was a distant echo. Her eyes stung. How could Harloa hear her voice if she couldn't hear it herself?
She tried yelling louder and louder, determined to find the woman that had been a mother to her for the past 15 years. Her effort was feeble. The only thing she managed to do was racking her throat dry.
The rains covered her sight. As hard as she could squint her eyes, the only thing saw was the raindrops felling on her, pecking her with all its might. Combining its effort with the wind, the rain sent an icy chill down her spine. Diana feebly wrapped her cloak tighter. Realizing it was too soaking wet, she fumbled with the knots, trying to shake off the heavy weight.
The cloak dropped heavily onto the deck.
Relieved of the weight, she again tried to yell into the pouring current. But only a despairing sound escaped her throat. Her body slowly gave way to the tiredness and hunger she had endured so long. Water poured down her cheek. How much of it was her tears, she didn't care. She collapsed onto the ship deck. What if she finds Harloa's dead body? There was no way Harloa could have survive this, much less than herself. She was too tired. The images of Harloa's dead body and hers slowly formed.
Huddling her head between her knees, she thought of the comfort of death.
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