The waves hit the beach in soothing shapes of pearly white. The few boats that were tied to the piers shook every time the ocean's heartbeat met them. Dim sunlight reflected off the waters and into the city's damaged walls, tracing long strands into the buildings and crowds beyond.
The much traveled dirt roads were winding their way along to the finest crafted buildings at the very center of the war wrought polis. With every shaking cart and stomping hoof the city took its weary breaths. This was a place where many feet had crossed their destinies.
Dripping trails of ocean salt were covering the path which had been taken by an unbelievable sight not too long ago. A miraculous moment that humbled the lives of those who had witnessed it. The tale of the mysterious woman would become part of the city's long tapestry soon enough.
And a tale of great consequence would soon begin within these old walls. The one at the center of such improbable events was rudely awakened just at this moment.
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Nothing was right. The young girl had awoken from what could only have been a feverish nightmare, yet even awake she found herself all alone. No sign of her companion. The window that she had flung open with great pain to her body was creaking somewhat while revealing that she was no longer on Sarpedon.
The noise of the bustling city outside her window made Eugenia all the more aware of the discrepancy in her personal world. She had gotten used to the quiet sounds of the breeze and the constant waves, the occasional flapping of tiny wings and the ever present slithering of scales across the ground. Now nothing of the sounds around her reminded her of that calm and comfortable world.
She was surrounded by life and civilization and yet she felt more isolated than ever before.
Pressing a hand on her stinging waist, she slowly moved her legs over the edge of the bedding and tried to stand up. The first attempt led to nothing, the second to a sudden backwards fall. Finally on her third try she managed to stand, albeit shaking and hunched over. Her arms were supported by the nightstand next to the bed. A mug with water was placed on it which meant someone had expected her to awaken soon. Otherwise it might have just been a hopeful precaution.
The details hardly mattered now as she was bound for the door at the edge of the room. The wooden floor creaked below her dainty bare feet and seemed to whisper complaints. She felt thirsty and exhausted after just a few steps already, but forced herself to push onward. She had to find her!
As if her feeble attempt at escaping had been noticed she could suddenly hear the noisy footsteps beyond the door get even louder. For a moment she wondered whether she should hide, but decided against it. She was not even sure if there was any hiding spot in this small room in the first place.
“I swear if this is just your overactive imagination again…” A man’s voice, numbed through the door, was getting closer.
“My ears are just fine. Unlike a certain old man’s.” A softer voice retorted.
The door burst open and two men came rushing in, but rather than focus on the girl in front of them, they had their heads turned towards each other.
“Age may have dulled my senses, but not my fist as I would be willing to demonstrate to any impudent apprentice. You would do well to remember your position.”
“As if your unprovoked daily reminders didn’t make it impossible to forget.” The younger man grunted and shrugged in exasperation.
“Where did you cultivate such a foolish penetrative personality? Truly, you will remain my greatest failure.” The older man sighed while stroking his lightly trimmed full beard.
“Hello?”
The silent and rather confused greeting from the until now unnoticed girl made them suddenly look ahead perplexedly. With a change that would shame the shapeshifting capabilities of most deities they were suddenly standing to each of her sides and grabbed her arms with deep concern.
“The young lady has awoken, Bion!” The older man called out to his apprentice.
“Told you so.” The younger man replied in his defiant manner, but his body moved with serious intent now. With their combined strength they easily dragged Eugenia back to the bed and forced her to lie down.
“Keep your breathing calm and regular and then look me in the eyes.” The older man addressed Eugenia with a careful and deliberate voice. Eugenia felt confusion tie her tongue, so at first she stayed quiet in face of such oppression.
“You know she is blind, right Master?” Bion squinted his eyes and sighed.
“O-Of course! This was merely a test to tell her level of cognizance!” The master replied with a cough and then put a hand on Eugenia’s forehead. “Can you hear me, young lady? Do you remember your name?” He retracted his hand and nodded towards Bion. “The fever has faded.”
“…I am Eugenia.” She replied after an uncomfortable bit of silence. These strange men acted incomprehensibly, but they seemed to be worried about her. Was it alright to assume that they were versed in medicine? She sure hoped so, because otherwise the man’s touch was far from appropriate.
“Master, the throat is much higher.” Bion said in a rather disparaging tone.
“I was checking her heartbeat you simpleton.” The master responded stoically and then felt Eugenia’s wrist. Her pulse was slow, all things considered. “Lady Eugenia, is it? You seem to have recovered exceptionally fast – no doubt a result of our superior workmanship!” He puffed out his chest and crossed his arms in self-satisfaction.
“Your soul was barely hanging on to your body when you arrived at our Medicoriam.” Bion added and handed her the water mug. His insistent hand made her accept it gratefully and she emptied it in haste.
“I was… hurt…” A red-hot sting in her side reminded her of the injury. Pieces of the previous events were starting to come back to her. In her overwhelming concern for the one that was missing she had forgotten almost everything.
“More so than the shoddy stitch work it was that vile poison that destroyed your body.” The master explained with a raised index finger and one hand in his chiton. “Indeed, if you had been brought to any other place in town there would have been no salvation for your mortal coil!”
“We just happened to have the antidote in our collection. It was pure coincidence.” Bion said matter of factly, much to his master’s dismay.
“You saved me from the poison?” She muttered as she set down the earthen cup next to her. “Poison…” Her hazy mind flashed white and she suddenly had to hold her head from dizziness. The poison… on the dagger… Typhos… expedition…. “MEDUSA!”
Her unexpected shout made both men jerk back in surprise. Eugenia’s face turned hot as the gears of her mind started to spin. Medusa had taken her through the barrier of storms. She had carried her all the way to this distant human city. Where was she? Why was she not at her side despite all this? Fear was starting to bite into her heart.
“Where is Medusa? Did the town guards attack her?!” She grabbed the master by his clothes and tried to force an answer out of him.
“M-Medusa? My d-deepest apologies, I have no i-inkling as to that person’s wh-wherabouts-” The words were basically shaken out of his mouth.
“The old man isn’t lying.” Bion suddenly put a hand on her shoulder and softly pressed her down. She let go of the master’s chiton and turned towards the apprentice. “You have to calm down and explain it to us. We know almost nothing about your circumstances.” His words were sensible, yet Eugenia was out of it. She couldn’t contain herself.
“She should have been with me, she is the one who carried me here! She-she-she is tall and prideful and strong and selfish and…”
Bion and his master exchanged glances and then shrugged.
“I am not certain whether this will help, but before you were brought to us by the fishermen, we were told a peculiar story.”
“The guards and sailors confirmed the claims.” Bion continued. “It’s fantastical to be honest. A woman with white wings walked across the very ocean itself, accompanied by a giant white stallion. This supreme being carried a single human girl in her arms and brought her to our shore. She spoke with an unearthly voice to the fishermen and demanded that the girl be saved. Eretria is a city of many legends, but none as confounding as this.”
Eugenia’s heart began to pump irregularly. Her stomach contracted violently. She was scared.
“T-The winged woman brought me here? Where is she now?” She asked with a dry throat.
“The guards said that she put you down on the sand because the frightened men would not approach her and then the stallion turned around to return to the sea. The winged woman followed it into the depth without another word.”
The white stallion. Medusa. Barrier. The gods. Exile.
Words streamed through her head and created a deep panic inside her. It took her limbs and forced her into action outside of her conscious control. The men were again taken aback by her sudden movement and too slow to stop her. A sickly girl with a freshly healed wound should not have been able to push ahead so frantically, but she managed to run downstairs before the others could even react. The dusty and creaky wooden steps were screaming in pain that seemed to mirror her own.
At the front door she almost tackled a visitor out of the way and then burst through the main entrance. Her feet tapped across a dusty road full of pebbles and sharp stones, but she did not even notice the pain. Her steps should have been aimless, but through her superior hearing and the smell of the salty breeze she could find her way.
Why did she do this? Why would she break her promise - her vow? The gods would not forgive her! The white stallion was the symbol and preferred form of the great and angry Poseidon. To pass his barrier Medusa must have bargained with him, but what could she possibly offer? Rather did she even offer anything? It seemed that she was simply treated as a prisoner that was escorted back to her cell.
These chaotic thoughts barely penetrated the outer layer of her mind as she simply kept pushing aside citizens and dodged the hooves of neighing horses. Her body was now acting on its own and sought out the destination with mad fervor. The yelling and loud cracking around her did not even register.
“Medusa… Medusa…!” She kept frantically chanting her name as she passed the districts and finally reached the familiar sound of waves clashing against carved stone. The harbor was just as loud as the rest of the city, but the noise was of a different nature. The creaking of boats and the clenching of rope were becoming the central theme even if the occasional cart was still rolling through.
Out of breath and patience, Eugenia ran down the dock and along the rippling waters. Each step took her farther from the main harbor and towards the edge of the city limits. There was a city wall as expected, but the gate was permanently opened. If Eugenia had not been so desperate, she might have realized that there were rather large holes in the formidable wall and that the gate was unhinged. She had no mind for such things however and just ran past the confused guards checking on the incoming merchants.
Once outside the city bounds, she finally slowed down as her throat was burning up something fierce. Her legs were numb and her hair soaked in sweat. With a more erratic pace she made her way past the fishing huts and piers towards the mostly empty beach beyond. The words of the medico still rang in her ears. She was brought to the shore by the woman who then returned into the sea. Eugenia collapsed and her knees sank into the rough sand.
“Medusaaaaa!!” She shouted into the uncaring sea. Again and again she shouted her name until it did not resemble a word anymore and just drowned in sobs.
Her hands dug into the sand and felt its cold mass reform with each twist of her fingers. Her happiness was as fleeting as the shapes she could form with a handful of sand.
The silence around her drove home just how pointless her outbursts and struggles truly were. What had she hoped to find here? Who did she believe to come running at her pathetic calls? It was so incredibly foolish.
“You... jerk…” She said between sniffles and pressed knees against her face. She could only blame herself and yet she felt unexpected rage inside her chest. “Even though I didn’t want any of this…”
‘What a selfish… kind… monster…’
Thoughts would not form for quite a while afterwards. She just shed her tears until everything was dry inside and out. After releasing all of her emotions a profound emptiness set in and she felt quite numb to it all. What was she getting so worked up for anyway? Her life had been over the moment Typhos had stabbed her. Anything afterwards was merely fate delaying its hand.
Her strong hands had merely given the illusion of freedom.
No better than the husk of a cicada the priestess of Athena was left all alone once again.
“You’ve made it quite far for someone of your fragile constitution.”
She did not react to Bion’s slightly breathless voice. Her milky eyes were directed at her knees and her ears only accepted the rhythm of the ocean. Bion put his hand on his hips and watched her with half closed eyes. Then without asking for her approval he just sat down next to her and crossed his legs. His hemp and leather clothes were not that of a standard citizen. Eugenia could not help but notice their unique rustling.
“The ocean’s beautiful.” He proclaimed in an unenthused tone. “Or so the poets say. The ocean’s like a woman, sometimes furious, sometimes calm. That’s what the sailors tell us.” He snorted. “To me it looks all the same. Just a blue rug stretched across the horizon. That’s why Master Agapetos calls me a simpleton and dilettante. He believes anything he reads in the library’s scrolls.”
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“Hm.” Eugenia didn’t feel like making small talk.
“But I can’t help it, I just want to know what the girl that was birthed from the ocean thinks of her cradle.” He turned his face to her and smiled vaguely.
“…if you want to mock me go ahead.” Eugenia replied hollowly and just kept her head down.
“You hurt me ’Lady Eugenia’.” He stressed the title with a dry smile. “I am genuinely curious. I have never seen anyone cry in front of the ocean for so long. Mayhaps you wish to increase its size with your tears?”
“Idiot.” She actually felt irritation creep up her back.
“Right you are. I am called a fool, a useless assistant and a bad cook on a daily basis. There is nothing you could call me that Agapetos has not already made his own pet name.” Despite his wry tone he seemed far from bitter. “But even a fool can see that you are not well.”
“What does it matter to you?” She asked with creased brows.
“For one, my Master will certainly give me the riding crop if I do not retrieve you by noon.” He said with one arm leaned over his angled leg. He did not seem to be joking. Such harsh punishments were not completely uncommon for apprentices, but it seemed extreme even then. “Which would not be so bad if he used it in our bedstead, but I do not quite enjoy it as much when I am tied to the stable next to the horses.”
Eugenia almost choked on her own tongue.
“Oh, did I say that out loud?” He said in a carefree tone.
“Y-You fool…” She repeated as she hid her blush.
“So you can still make an expression like that. Guess my worries are laid to rest then.” He said lazily and stretched his arms. “If you don’t wish to starve and would prefer to sleep in a hay bed rather than on the beach, you can come to the Medicoriam. That’s what Master calls our workshop.” He added for clarification.
Eugenia felt listless and empty, but she still understood that this boy was showing her compassion in his own way. His crude approach was not something she was used to, it might even have irritated her, yet… despite her mental state she still had been trained to be grateful and polite. “Thank you Bion.” She said with a sore throat hurt from all the crying.
“Just doing my job.” He said with a smirk unbefitting of his dull eyes.
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They had walked back to the city walls and entered without being held up, although the guards were staring at her for some reason. When they walked across the cobblestone and dirt Bion suddenly stopped her and pulled off his sandals.
“What?” Eugenia had no idea what went through his mind.
“I thought your feet might feel lonely being the only ones bare.” He said and hung the sandals over his shoulder. His exposed feet were covered in dirt in no time and resembled the priestess’ splendidly.
She did not call him an idiot this time, because he could easily read it from her expression.
Thinking that they would return to the house, she was quite surprised to end up at the pier. Bion sat down at the edge of the wooden planks and let his feet dangle above the water. He didn’t ask her to sit down, but she felt uncomfortable standing behind him. After pushing her legs over the edge as well she felt the breeze against her hot feet. Her toes touched the cool water.
“Did you come to Eretria with purpose?” He asked casually while taking care of the strings on his sandals.
Eugenia tried to remember. She must have mentioned the city in delirium when Medusa panicked and asked for a place to heal her. Why had she chosen this city again?
“Is it because of the stories that people get cured by our rare herbs and skilled medicos?”
“I think so.” She replied sluggishly.
“Master will be ecstatic.” He said sardonically. “He and his compatriots have been working hard to create that rumor. So many letters were exchanged, my feet really hurt from the deliveries. I still got some new blisters on top of my old blisters.” He rubbed his feet carefully.
“But you did heal me.” She protested.
“As I said, a mere coincidence. Master was testing out poisons and mixed a few herb based potions. It was not very effective. When we saw your wound, he was certain that it was the poison of a northern snake and simply took the antidote assigned by the old parchments we bought in Thebes. It had a slight chance of working.”
Eugenia held her sewed side with reservation and a pale face. Typhos would definitely have chosen a rare poison, so a rare antidote would have had a higher chance of working. Her life had been saved by the eccentricity of this Agapetos. If Medusa had found out about this, how would she have reacted?
“How foolish.” She said while holding her head.
“Fate makes a fool out of anyone, beggar or king alike.” He said apathetically. “We are still the most respected medicos in Eretria thanks to such lucky coincidences.”
She could only hope that they were more professional on conventional ailments.
“Speaking of fate, you certainly are loved by it. A wound like yours has killed sturdy men before and that’s when lacking the evil coalition with poison. Someone really must have wanted to see you perish. A jealous wench? Some spurned aristocrat?”
Eugenia lowered her head.
“Maybe not.” He relented. “No matter who it was, they were powerless in front of the gods watching over you. I doubted the talks of Poseidon sending a messenger, but now I am inclined to believe it.”
“It wasn’t the gods.” She denied him with twisted lips. “The gods didn’t save me. My life and happiness all were in her hands…”
“Medusa. That’s what you called her?”
When he spoke her name a burning echo inside her chest seemed to devour itself and made her clutch it painfully. She nodded weakly.
“I can see it plain as the water in front of me, that one means a lot to you.” He was not trying to patronize her; his voice was even. Yet those simple words voiced in an uncaring, disconnected tone were hitting her harder than any of her own desperate screams.
“Yes… so… much….” She said as a new wave of tears spilled from her eyes. She had thought them all dried up, but below the first well was another reservoir.
He put a hand through his shoulder length hair and sighed. He let her relief those emotions for a while before finally picking up the conversation again.
“Your 'master’ is just as unfair as mine, huh?” His sympathy was a bit forced, but he clearly tried his best. “Did she abandon you because she wanted to cut ties?”
“I don’t know.” Eugenia had thought about it so much, but she could not tell. Back on Sarpedon Medusa had told her that she needed her… and yet she had not said anything when she left. No message for her and not a single hint as to what would happen to her now. “She broke a promise for my sake and now she will be punished for it.”
“How noble.” He mused.
“Yes… No! She is-” Her thoughts would not align.
“Unfair?” He suggested.
“Yes!”
“Told you.” He smirked. “Those closest to us always think they know what is best. Often they won’t acknowledge our own will. We are beneath them after all and their kindness is a gift we cannot refuse.” He spoke, content with his lot apparently.
But Eugenia wanted to refuse it. She had never wanted Medusa to suffer for her. All along she had only wanted them to get closer and understand each other. Her awkward and twisted kindness was so… unfair. One-sided and overpowering, just like her personality and legend. Eugenia hated being special. And the way Medusa had treated her was the worst kind of special.
“Does it make you mad?” Bion asked with a set smile.
Eugenia held her face and nodded.
“Then the answer to your problem is simple.” He said as if they just ended a long debate between friends. “You will have to tell her off.”
“Huh?” Eugenia dipped her feet in the cold water and jerked back.
“All those pent-up emotions won’t go away. They will just eat you up like lions do a slab of meat. If your thickheaded ‘master’ does not understand your feelings then you gotta shove them in her face!” He slammed his fist against his open palm.
Eugenia’s heart seemed to resonate with the punching sound. The next moment she was standing tall at the pier and balled her fists. Then she inhaled deeply.
“MEDUSA YOU JERK! I won’t let you get rid of me! If you think you can cut me off you have something else coming!” Her shouts were loud enough to make the entire harbor stop in their tracks for a moment and stare at her. She huffed a few times and wiped sweat from her brow, but the void inside her seemed to disperse alongside the salty droplets. She turned to Bion and smiled. “That felt good.”
“Er… glad to hear it.” He had actually backed away from her and was holding an arm raised as if to shield himself. His shock was apparent.
“Now the first thing I will need is a boat. Do you think I can rent one around here?” She cupped her chin and moved her head around to listen for information.
“You want to sail back to that Medusa right away?” Sweat pearled down his face and forehead as the sun bored down on their heated exchange.
“You have no idea how lonely she gets. I also promised her a new chiton, so I will need some fabric and sewing tools.” She muttered to herself and then walked across the dock.
“Hey hey, why don’t you take it a little slower? You haven’t even recovered yet and-”
“I am fine. Compared to what Medusa must be going through right now I am in Elysium.”
“You will really end up in Elysium if you don’t take care of yourself.” He pointed out and sighed.
“I am not that frail-” She said with a pout, but then a loud rumbling sound interrupted her. Those blubbering noises came from her belly.
“People get irrational on an empty stomach.” Bion said with a shrug and cracked his neck. “Let me show you my mediocre cooking skills at least.”
“Thanks.” Eugenia whispered with a flushed face.
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“If I had known that you would awaken today I would naturally have hired a great chef for the occasion. This does not reflect well on our great Medicoriam at all!” Agapetos lamented as he took the grilled chicken and cut off a rather large slice for himself.
“If it bothers you so much stop stuffing your wrinkly face.” Bion said without any sympathy.
“A great philosopher once said: Beggars cannot be choosers. Now of course a renowned gentleman like me is far from a beggar, but the essence of the idiom-”
“Do you want some more herbs Eugenia?” Bion turned towards the quiet priestess. Since she had sat down at the table the back and forth between master and assistant had not stopped.
“Y-Yes please.” She said quietly and took them from his extended hands. “I think you made this quite well. When I roast animals, I always burn them a bit.” She admitted sheepishly.
“Do you hear that? Even a refined woman like Eugenia is satisfied with my grub.” Bion pointed at his master.
“Hah! She is simply indulging you.”
“So you call it grub as well.” Eugenia muttered as she took a small bite out of the meat. It wasn’t bad at all. Her appetite was lacking and this meal was a bit too intense for her nostrils and taste buds, but she needed strength as soon as possible, so she forcefully dug in.
“I tire of the dull conversations with that boorish assistant.” Agapetos said and moved closer to her. “If you would kindly indulge an old man with some answers to keep up his good cheer.” He made a humble, yet somehow dignified expression.
His hairline was receding, but one could still tell that it must have been wild in his youth. Eugenia could not see his hair color naturally, but she guessed that it must have been silver-white already. A man like him could have even been around for up to forty-five summers or more.
“I-If it pleases you.” After her embarrassing exit from before she was quite self-conscious, especially because Agapetos seemed to be of noble blood.
“Don’t be fooled. This man has not a drop of aristocratic blood in his veins.” Bion commented from the other end of the table while rubbing his chicken slice in a strange paste.
“Tsk, simpleton. Nobility comes not from the blood, but from the mind. The wisdom imparted to me makes me someone that even the Archons in Athens respect!”
“You trade with Athens?” Eugenia wondered.
“Oh, you assume that we are not so amicable with our brothers down south? As Ionians we simply must hold strong together. There is no question about it at all.”
“Even though Athens ignored our plea for support during the war? I suppose some blood bonds only flow one way.” Bion said sarcastically.
“Do not mind his ignorant mouth. He is a slave from the eastern isles. He has no understanding of the bonds between Ionians or Atticans.”
“Ah haha…” Eugenia had never given much thought to tribal unity and certainly never considered herself Ionian. In Dankana and even Lamia such things rarely came up. So this was what the cultured elite thought about? She wondered how Typhos would have seen things here. He was a supporter of humanity rather than specific groups. Or perhaps that too had been just a lie to get to his goal of reclaiming the throne…
“My, I am so sorry to have bored you with politics. That is not a topic a young lady would put much mind to.” He clasped his hands together in apology. “What kind of occupation did you follow before you were brought here? Did you serve someone or are you perhaps aristocratic yourself?” He was careful in his presumptions no doubt.
“I was… am a priestess of Athena.” She said and put the food down. Suddenly her mouth tasted like ash and dirt.
“A woman of the faith! That explains how a blind girl could have been treated so well by fate.” He said joyfully. Bion gave her a concerned glance, but she did not care to notice. “Then the stories are true and you were guided by one of Athena’s servants alongside a messenger of Poseidon. I feel so honored to have treated a chosen one in my Medicoriam!”
“Master.” Bion tried to shut him up, but Eugenia stopped him with one hand.
“It is true that I was saved by Athena. I will never be able to repay her.” Those feelings had not changed after all this time. Somehow even after finding out all the things she never wanted to know she could still not change them. Did she even want to?
Her heart was clouded in this regard. This overwhelming desire to see Medusa again was pushing everything else aside, just so she could keep going. Yet she knew that eventually, maybe soon, she would have to confront this new reality.
“We are all indebted to the gods. In Eretria we are especially fond of Poseidon and Dionysus.”
“Dionysus?” She was surprised to heart hat. Port towns tended to mostly follow Poseidon and Hermes. The seas and trade were their domain after all.
“We are a cultural people. The wisdoms of the grape are not to be underestimated.” Agapetos said proudly.
“Wine is cheap after the war. The fields were the only thing not destroyed, so compared to lumber and ore, wine is easy to trade.” Bion explained.
“Hush you.”
“Incidentally, the wine in our cellar is all cheap stuff bought in bulk. Master wanted to gather a great collection to sell once the prices return to normal.” The assistant enjoyed revealing his master’s secrets far too much. Before Agapetos could get his riding crop, Eugenia replied.
“How many owls would a bottle make?”
“Owls? I am not certain about the purity and exchange rates. Our coins are marked with the octopus.”
“Ohh, I have never heard of such coins.” Eugenia’s face lit up.
“Here, you can have this one.” Bion threw a coin her way and she caught it with ease. The two medicos exchanged gazes, thinking the same thing apparently.
Eugenia rubbed the coin and followed its pattern with her fingers. There really was an octopus engraved on it. The coin was a bit smaller than an Attican owl. Less metal contents meant they were worth less of course.
“How many octopi do I need to rent a boat?” She asked casually.
“What? Rent?” Agapetos was shocked.
“Sorry, we don’t really do that around here. Eretria is the ‘city of rowers’. We only supply ships and man them with sailors and rowers. We didn’t make any ourselves ever since the war destroyed the shipyard.” Bion explained.
“The acropolis has decided that we will invest into better land routes to the other towns of this island first. Gaining passage on foreign vessels is a delicate matter as of right now.” By that he meant the aristocrats governing the city above were weary of such practices.
“So nobody can buy a ship here?” She could not believe it.
“If you find a captain who will settle down in this city with all of his crew and is not afraid of getting into trouble with the owner, he might sell it, but probably not.” Bion shrugged.
“Indeed, the only men who own boats themselves are fishermen after all.” The master said as he gulped down an entire cup of wine. “Pwhaah. But no sane person would wish to ride on those self-made water coffins.” For once both of them laughed in unison.
Eugenia did not laugh.
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It was late at night, the moon was already gracing the city, when Eugenia rose from her bed. The hay was somewhat itchy, but that was not the reason she left. The clothes given to her were far more practical than the dress she had worn before. Typhos had not thought about her mobility when he gave it to her, but thanks to his dagger it had been ruined completely anyway. The new outfit probably made her look like an average city girl. At least they felt like they would.
According to the medicos the payment for her treatment and stay here was arranged by the acropolis after they heard the news of her arrival. They would no doubt want to interrogate her after she fully recovered. And even if they did not, Eugenia had no reason to stay, but every reason to leave. She would find a way back to Sarpedon no matter what!
As she sneaked down the stairwell and to the exit she was not stopped by anyone. Her hearing was too good to get surprised. Despite having made up her mind she still felt somewhat bad for leaving without a word, so she left a small note on the table. A goodbye and thank you and a blessing on top. Maybe one day they would meet again and then she would properly repay them.
Her next destination was the small fishing village outside the city!
With newfound determination the priestess pressed for a new goal. The unknown pain of the Gorgon was fueling her every move. Soon she would come to find that her decision was leading her to great resistance instead.