LYSSANDRA

We kept silent until we returned to the temple. Alexios and Myrto rushed to my side, telling me things that I could not listen to. My eyes were on my crimson hands, shaking.

They kept letting their hands rest on my shoulders. I could read their lips, telling me, asking me what happened there. But I could think of how cold I was from the rain.

Immediately I rushed back to my room.

It wasn't the first time I was killed. That was the truth. But never humans. Wrong. Never with a knife before. Not when I could see the light of their eyes fading, their mouth gasping for air, the cold red blood being dropped to the flowers down to the altar.

For a moment I thought of myself in that position. Wondered if he would burn me to a crisp and feed me to people as a sacrifice.

But I was not dead. I was still alive. I broke into a laugh of relief again and again with my hands now moving on my neck.

‘’I can’t believe it’’I said.

A shadow covered the room and turned to see Adamantious with a terrifying look on his face.

‘’We need to leave’’He ordered.’’We can still run and…’’His hand tried to reach me.

He already put me in the position to meet him. People were expecting me to meet the king. And now he wanted to give it up?

‘’What? No,’’ I moved back.’’I will see the king tomorrow and…’’

‘’Lyssandra you killed a man.’’He said.’’You…’’His body stiffen.’’Killed…’’

I arched my brow but then I understood what he meant.’’I am not him.’’

‘’I know that you are not’’Adamantious tried to smile. ‘’But it doesn’t change the fact that…’’

‘’A storm came in with thunder’’I explained the excuse. ‘’A lightning bolt fell on his house and caught fire. No survivors.’’

‘’What about the girl?’’He asked, moving his head up.

I saw her earlier, watching me from an angle as her eyes looked tired. The light of hers was gone with her bruise now being treated by one of my waxes.

‘’I will take care of it’’I explained.

‘’Lyssandra’’He slowly rasped.

‘’I won’t kill her’’I laughed, moving my hands up. His light eyes turned on my wounded palm and I swear I could see him almost cry.

Adamantious and I grew up in the same house after the fire of the temple I once was. He and his sister tried to be nice to me as I was petrified of their leader’s actions.

A temple of Ares it was. Except for offering and praying, the people there were being trained like actual soldiers. And other times they would destroy temples like it was nothing.

I never asked the archpriest why he took me in. But he never made me fight. Not like Thais and Adamantious. I was not disappointed considering how deadly the training was. The archpriest managed to take every scroll of every temple of Apollo he had destroyed and gathered it in one room. To make it feel like home. He said to me,

I never managed to read any of the scrolls back in the temple but this gave me a glimpse of hope. Reading the stories of Apollo, about information of temples and botanology. Not just that. Poisons, herbs, anatomy. Everything.

I grew close to Thais and her brother. She was longing for a conquest like she was a king, an adventurer. She was craving adventure like a hero. Adamantious was stiff, and cold at first as he was trying to ignore his sister’s talking as she was swinging a wooden sword.

But he had a charming smile, something that could win anyone. He was balanced, he knew the way of the world better than me.

One day after his heavy training he entered my room with blood on his hands and shoulders. I rushed to him and prepared every herb that the cold temple had and fabric so I could help him.

He was breathing slowly as he was explaining what happened.

‘’The arch hiereus said.. ‘’He gasped speaking once more formally about his superior.’’We are low on food and water.’’

I took a deep breath as I was holding a sharp needle against his skin.

‘’The sacrifices of animals seem to be not enough for Ares so he decided that for the next attack we…’’

I pinched the needle on his skin and held his shouting.

My cheeks flushed.’’I am sorry’’I cried but I could not believe those words.

At that moment I could see the scenery again the fire the smoke the voices and the way the statues were burning.

‘’Lyssandra’’ Adamantious woke me up from a dark memory. His face was drawn with concern and pain. With almost doubt.

I looked up to him and forced a smile.’’We are close now, so close to taking everything from them’’

I will reveal the truth. I will reveal the gods do not exist. That the kings and priests were taking everything by using fear. I do not care what consequences they will have on me. If I go down I will take them with me.

I walked on his side closer.’’We cannot run away now.’’ I rested my head on his chest.’’I cannot run on it.’’

I could listen to his heartbeat becoming faster. But his arms now wrapped all around me.

‘’I love you’’He whispered, kissing the top of my head so lightly. I could smell the harsh scent of rain showers exploding from him.’’And I will follow but please promise me something’’Once again, his words had the sound of a command.

‘’Do not do something like this ever again.’’

What could have I done differently? But I understood. Or I wish I could understand. I was not him. I did not want to be him.

But still, I could feel the blood on my hands, the thread of line that I could hold. So much power at my fingertips and he was at my mercy. And yet he never even recognizes me.

‘’I promise’’I said with a tight pain in my chest and let my hands rest around him.

The dreams were not pleasant. I could see the fire growing all over me with a strange voice whispering in my ear. The fire's screams could return until the flames began to take the form of a tall great crimson snake. Have I seen the snake before?

‘’You are all mine, prophet’’ The snake echoed before it swallowed me up to the flames.

Waking up from the nightmare I let out a giant scream. But none was there. None was to see me like it. My head was rushing from the memories with tears falling on my face. I held my whines as I knew it was pointless. Why was I sad?

After a moment of finally stopping crying,I looked up to my wounded wrist only to find absolutely nothing. There was no wound as the beeswax and fabric had been gone. I touched my neck and found no pain on it. No swollen as I tried to hum. My voice was not ruined. I could not help but laugh. It was all nothing.

As if everything I felt was a bad dream. But looking at my pillar I found one of my dresses shed in red.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I gulped. It was not a dream. It was a nightmare coming to life.

It did not matter. My wounds were gone and I did not look as bad as before. I did not look completely broken.

Looking now to the window I could see the clear sky with the sun almost ready to shine.

But I could not stay there. I picked one of my plain green dresses. I dressed myself without even fixing my hair, letting it go free. I took a bag with scrolls and tried to walk away in silence by jumping from the window.

I kept walking and walking until I found myself in the forest on one of the valleys that had a big lake. A lake that was gifted with apples tried all around it. Always alone, I was coming to see this view before the sunrise. I slowly undressed myself, revealing every inch of mine to nature and animals, the only ones that could see me like this

For that time I was no prophet, I was no priestess, I was not a murderer was not a thief. It was just me, a woman who had nothing and craved everything.

My skin tingled against the cold water but that was enough as I kept swimming to the lake more and more with the cold hitting my wounds and scars on my face. I could not help but smile at the sun falling on my skin as it was the sudden warmth of a kiss on my cheeks.

Near me now a white dove was flying and resting on the water. Pale like snow, clean as it was plump and with a heart-shaped mark on its chest.

‘’Hello’’I said laughing and swimming on its side. Surprisingly, the dove came closer to me. Taking a look at it I almost could imagine its eyes had a shade of rose on them. Like petals.

‘’Are you lost?’’I asked. The dove kept looking at me, tilting its head to the right. Then it moved even closer to me, resting near my neck, chirping joyfully.

‘’Ha’’I gasped as I could feel a sudden warmth from it. My lashes started trembling as my wet hand tried to reach for it, to pet it. But then, the dove flew away, moving to the place where I had my bag and dress as it vanished between the trees. And then I could see something that I had not seen it before because of the darkness. Or I could not remember they were never there. The entire valley was filled with hemlock flowers.

I got out fast and dressed myself while still soaking as I was but it did not matter. I started taking out the hemlock with a wide smile on my face and giggles coming out from my lips.

‘’They are so beautiful’’I said out loud as they were so pale and blossoming all so slightly. As if spring came in today to cherish them all by blossoming.

After it, I sat down near the hemlock and I tried to pick as much as I could open one of the scrolls. If I had to impress the king I had to be well educated.

I started reading out loud.

‘’The first father, the ancestral was the ruler of the sky’’I said with a deep breath.’’He married his mother and they created creatures such as Titans.’’

‘’Then, the father of the titans’’A voice interrupted me. I gulped but it kept continued.’’Found a prophecy that it would destroy him.’’

I moved my eyes to the scroll, realizing that was the exact same words it had.

I laughed and kept reading where the interesting voice had left. ‘’The ruler of the skies mastered to trap his children into Tartarus.’’

‘’But one managed to escape, making the prophecy of his father come true’’The voice sounded soothing and cheerful. As if the one who was talking was almost enjoying himself. It belonged to a man near the same age as me possibly. It had a clear tone with a heavy accent as if it was from.

‘’Did you miss a sentence?’’The voice woke me up from my imagination.

I blinked and scoffed.’’I thought that I was alone.’’ I admitted with confidence. Truly I was afraid at the thought that it might be one of Dion’s men. Finding me here all vulnerable with no weapon. But if it was that case, I wouldn’t be alive so long. Or untouched.

‘’So?’’The man asked.

I nodded as if he could see me. The sound was coming from above the trees.

‘’His son became the ruler of the world and he married his sister. The first child of them was born, a woman made of amber…’’

‘’Then, a dream came to the son who was now ‘Father’. The same dream his father had long before him.’’ The man sounded now as if he was mocking the story.

‘’He swallowed the first girl. And when the next one arrived he ate it too. And the next and the next and the next…’’

‘’Until his sister and now ‘Mother’ were with the last one. A pearly white babe.’’

And with a sudden sync we both said the last words of that scroll.

‘’And the sky and earth met up once more the thunder connecting them to a line.’’

I laughed and tried to look up to see the sun ready to fully rise in the valley.

‘’Seems you know your studies’’I admitted.

‘’Seems that you do not. For a prophet that is…’’

My heart sank. I didn't even try to look. How did he…

‘’Where are your followers? They must be worried about you.’’

It was not from Dion. It could not be from him. If it was, I would be…

I closed my legs tight and moved my fingers near the hemlock but I kept smiling. I kept acting. I returned as a liar.

‘’As I expected,’’I said with a grin. ‘’You are here.’’

There was a quick laugh from him, making the world spin faster.’’I knew that you won’t be in any danger so I came alone.’’

‘’I am not..…’’He chuckled.’’Now I have a question for you, only a priestess could probably know.’’

Was he testing me? Was one of the king's men? No, his words were not formal and with the accent he had. Every pitchy tone he had at the end of the sentence as if…

‘’Have you ever seen your God?’’

Was it a test?

‘’He often visits me’’I lied.’’In my prophecies as a gentle bird. The only thing I have close to him is a statue but it is not even the real design of him.’’

‘’Oh,’’The man pouted.’’How so?’’

I could remember the scroll I found to Ares' temple, a stolen one from one of the Athena’s who was holding the knowledge of the true form of the Gods.

‘’Gaia and Uranus were born from celestial rain. Their children were made by it too as for the Gods, the celestial rain gave them the form of gemstones.’’

‘’Ha’’The man chuckled.

‘’The King of the Gods is made from Fulgurite, the Queen from smaragds…’’

‘’Hmm…aren't some of their children made from a type of metal? Hermes is being formed from mercury, and Athena from silver…’’

Seems that he knew stories like that himself.

‘’What about Apollo?’’ I asked with a smile.

There was a drop of two pairs of feet. I stood up away from the tree, still holding the hemlock tight.

‘’Isn’t it obvious?’’

I turned back to see none else but an endless forest. Turning back on the river then I saw him with the sun bathing his body.

He was as tall as me with a warrior’s physique. Not a swordsman like Adamantious though no he did not seem to carry a sword like that. He had golden long curls while the end of them had a reddish tone. with a skin of light bronze, his face seemed sharp as if it was sculpted by an actual artist. His eyes painted in the shade of amber looking at me with such an interest, watching me, studying every detail of mine. He was not a priest or a prophet. He had the aura and gaze of someone who had everything and wanted more. Someone who will charm you with one breath and make you his.

‘’Critine’’He said then with a smile.

I kept looking at his eyes and then looked down to see that he was holding a crimson apple.

‘’You can put the poison away now my dear prophet.’’He chuckled.’’I am not here to cause harm.’’

‘’So you know who I am’’I laughed.

‘’I have been in this village for a few days’’He explained with a smile.’’A prophet of Apollo. I just wanted to see it with my own eyes.’’ There was that smile of his.

He kept offering me the apple. If he wanted me dead he would. I took it slowly and thanked him.

‘’You know about herbs,’’ I said, walking away with my things from him as he kept following me calmly with his yellow tunic shifting to the grass.

‘’I was a healer back in my village. I quite enjoyed it.’’He admitted. ‘’I like reading too sometimes, stories, legends to keep me awake.’’

I looked at the apple he offered me once more before taking a slow bite. I could feel my cheeks getting warmer.

‘’It’s so good'' I held my moan from the sour sweet taste of it. Hard like ice against my teeth as it also had a cold feel around my tongue.

‘’Seems that I know how to pick apples too?’’The man kept moving closer to me.

‘’Yes’’ I stopped walking and turned on him.’’And see, I had a vision now’’

His brow arched as he kept smiling showing his dimples.’’Oh? ‘’He sighed.’’Tell me.’’

‘’You were about to tell me your name.’’

His grin grew wider with a sudden bright light coming from his eyes.

As he opened his lips a familiar voice echoed near us.

‘’Lyssandra’’Adamantnious shouted, rushing to my side. As was carrying his sword, he pulled me away from that strange man. I could see his light eyes growing tired now as he was aiming with his blade at the man right in front of us who was grinning flirtatiously.

‘’Is this one of your followers?’’He asked, looking at him from the top of his head at the bottom of his sandals.’’Seems worried for you.’’

‘’Lyss…Prophet’’He corrected himself.’’Who is this?’’

‘’A friend’’I admitted. Both of them seemed to look like stuntmen. The man replied with a laugh.

‘’A friend?’’Adamantoise brow twitched ‘’but’’He cleared his throat.’’Who are you.’’

‘’Of course’’The man clapped his hands and moved left hand near his chest.’’My name is Paris.’’