Helen of Sparta (36 page)

“You are not often on the wall,” I said. Surely he would have sent for me if it were Theseus. “Has some n
ews come?”

He met my gaze, his mouth a thin line, and I knew it was not good. “A runner came late with news of an army marching from the Isth
mus road.”

“Is that not the way Theseus meant t
o travel?”

A jerk of his chin made space for me at the stonework beside him, crowded by broad-shouldered men. The sky was deep purple still with night, and darkness fought against false dawn. Demophon pointed to a smudge on th
e horizon.

“How long?
” I asked.

“An army is slow, weighted by armor, swords, and shields, but they will be here before midday if they do not change d
irection.”

My stomach sank. “Who le
ads them?”

“The runner did not know for certain.” Demophon glanced at me again and dropped his voice. “If it is Mycenae, I will not give them more proof by asking. Why should I expect the brothers Atrides if I have nothing they mi
ght seek?”

“Wise.”

“At least they will not glean much from the fields. Any attack on Athens means a siege, but if we cannot plant come spring, it will be a bad year for
everyone.”

“Perhaps they do not mean to march o
n Athens?”

“We’ll find out by midmorning. I cannot bring those below behind the palace walls before I’m sure. There is no reason why anyone should want to attack us, even with Fat
her gone.”

“But for me,” I sa
id softly.

Demophon nodded, stiff, his gaze fastened on the threat below. “Even rumor does not travel so swiftly with
out help.”

“Who?”

He shook his head. “The youngest of the nobles are too enamored of you, even if they had suspicions. The oldest are wise enough not to wish for war on any count, and of those who know the truth for certain, none would benefit from a siege, and all are too loyal to Father, re
gardless.”

Politics and court maneuvers. Had I only opened the queen’s megaron when Theseus suggested it, I would have known more. Wives often spoke more freely among themselves than their husbands might wish. A second chance was unlikely now. If Demophon doubted who marched, I did not. They ca
me for me.

“Have you woke
n Aethra?”

“Perhaps you might do me that service?” Demophon frowned at the smudge. “Better, I think, if you are not seen on the walls if any scouts
are sent.”

I wrapped the cloak more tightly around my shoulders, suddenly chilled. In the dark, we would not see a single man on foot, but with the torches lit, he would see us. “I’ll be in Theseus
’s rooms.”

Demophon did not even look up when I left him. I called to Korina, and though I wanted nothing more than to run to Aethra, I forced mysel
f to walk.

Meryet, princess of Egypt, need not worry about an army that would break against the Rock, from Mycenae or elsewhere. Departing from that role now would only cause more trouble for Demophon. If someone had betrayed us, we might still deny it. As long as I remained out of sight, they had no proof. And if they did see me, even Pollux would look twice under the right circ
umstances.

I had stopped painting my face in the Egyptian style long ago, taking up the Athenian fashions instead. No longer. The people of Athens needed a reminder before any messengers arrived looking for a Spartan
princess.

“Wake Aethra and tell her I have need of her, if she would be so kind as to attend me. Ask her to bring her supplies from my wedding feast. I will want to look my best to reassure ou
r people.”

Korina bowed and ran off down the hall as I slipped into These
us’s room.

Alone at last, I sagged against the door. The Rock had never fallen, I reminded myself. There was no safer city in all of Achaea. If Demophon could only hold them off until spring, Theseus wou
ld return.

I had to b
elieve it.

C
HAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

S
partans!” Acamas gasped, catching himself on the door frame of the king’s rooms before he fell over. “Castor and Pollux l
ead them!”

“And their demands?” Aethra poured him a cup of watered wine and beckoned him inside. She had brought me bread and cold meats along with the paints, and made me eat though my stomac
h churned.

I shut the door, unsure of my own feelings. Castor and Pollux were sure to be more reasonable, but they would not be turned away until they were satisfied. If keeping my secret meant their deaths, what then? I did not know if I could let Demophon hurt my brothers. Or allow my brothers to harm
Demophon.

Acamas collapsed onto a stool. “They wish to see the queen. They say if we do not allow it peaceably, they will lay siege. Demophon does not think it is an idl
e threat.”

“After they’ve come all this way with an army, of course it isn’t,” Aethra said. “What does Demopho
n intend?”

“I’m to bring Helen to the wall, in all her finery. He hopes that
will do.”

They both looked at me, Aethra’s sharp eyes taking in my appearance. She had dusted my skin with ocher and painted my eyes with kohl and the blue
malachite.

“Well?”
she asked.

“From a distance it should be easy to fool them for a time. But if I speak to them for too long, Pollux is bound to know me, and if I reply in Egyptian, feigning ignorance, those inside the walls will kn
ow I lie.”

“Then we will let Demophon answer for you as much as possible.” Aethra nodded to Acamas. “Run ahead and tell your brother. It is not unheard of for men to order their women not to speak. It should not be qu
estioned.”

Acamas wasted no time and left his cup half-full on the table. I barely had time to open the door for him on hi
s way out.

“We’ll wait.” Aethra poured me a cup of wine, and I noticed she did not add any water at all. “The queen should not come running at the least demand of a stra
nge army.”

My hands shook when I took it from her. It was Theseus’s cup, embossed with the depiction of his battle against the Minotaur. “They are my
brothers.”

“They are not Meryet’s brothers,” she said, pressing my hands to the cup when my fingers slipped. “You are a princess of Egypt, now. Remem
ber that.”

“They would not have come without a purpose, Aethra, even if they are not certain I am Meryet. If I can speak to Pollux, tell him I am happy here, perhaps he will se
e reason.”

“Demophon has decided how we will begin. If seeing you on the wall is not enough, there is time to discuss our other options. And one way or another, Theseus will return with th
e spring.”

The warmth of the wine steadied my hands, but my mind found no comfort in it. I held the cup out for more, and Aethra refilled it without comment. By the time I had finished the second cup, she judged our delay effective and walked me to
the wall.

“Keep your chin held high, my dear, and glare at them as if they were nothing but desert sand.” She smiled and squeezed my hand. “It’s been nearly two years since you came to us, you know. Even without the paint on your face, you’ve
changed.”

I took a deep breath and climbed the stone stairs, Aethra following a few steps behind. A guard announced my approach, and Demophon met me at the top, his expression impassive. He guided me forward. From the height of the wall, it was easy to look down my nose at those assembled below. I stared diffidently at the army beyond the outer walls first, most of the men armored in leather, hide shields strapped to their backs. Sunlight flashed off bronze swords and spear tips, and those wealthy enough for bronze armor stood behind impatient horses in their chariots. I could not see their faces from the palace, but I had no doubt I would recognize most of them. After a moment to survey the others, I deigned to glance at the men waiting at the pa
lace gate.

Pollux met Theseus in height now, and Castor was not far behind him. They stood in full armor, flashing bronze beside matching white horses. Another man remained mounted, flying a flag of truce. Seeing my brothers again sent a stab of longing through my heart, but I could not let them know it, and if I looked too long, I feared it w
ould show.

“Queen Meryet of Athens, princess of Egypt,” Demo
phon said.

Pollux studied me, and I affected a sniff of irritation, dismissing him with a lift o
f my chin.

“If she is as you say, then you will have no reason not to invite us in as your guests,” Pollux called. “We have no interest in anything that is
not ours.”

My jaw tightened at his phrasing. It sounded too much like something Menelaus would say. I swept my gaze over the army again, looking for the telltale red of his hair. Boar’s tusk, leather, and bronze helmets covered their heads, obscurin
g my view.

“Athens does not turn away its friends, so long as they come in peace, but in winter I cannot entertain all your men.” Demophon nodded to the guards manning the main gate in order to prove
his words.

Pollux frowned, still staring at me. I met his gaze, hoping he saw only irritation and not
my worry.

Castor smiled. “We would not ask it of you. Give my brother and me beds for the night, and in the morning we will march on, once we are satisfied, o
f course.”

“Of course,” Demophon said, his tone light, though he spoke through grit
ted teeth.

He turned from them, and I took my cue, giving my brothers one more contemptuous look before leaving th
em behind.

“Let us hope that Athena is with us tonight,” Demophon murmured in my ear. “If you would not mind returning to your rooms, I will see our guests welcomed with all due ceremony. Once the formalities are observed, they can hardly make off with you, whether they recognize yo
u or not.”

“If they catch us in the lie, hospitality will no longer bind them,” I said. In my hurry, I nearly tripped down the steps, but Demophon caught my elbow before I lost my balance. “Let me speak with them p
rivately.”

He shook his head. “As a last resort only, my lady. The more people who know, the greater the risk. A siege now will hurt no one, as long as it ends before spring. A siege in full summer will see the fields razed and a lea
n winter.”

“Theseus will be back long bef
ore then.”

“If Mycenae comes, I am to send you to Egypt by my father’s orders. Whether he is returne
d or not.”

“Egypt!” That time I did lose my balance, but fortunately we had already made it to the ground, and Acamas steadied me. I had not even realized he
was there.

Demophon hushed me, glancing to see if anyone heard. The guards had remained on the wall, and the gate had only just begun to open, the heavy panels
groaning.

“Acamas, see the queen to her rooms.
Quickly.”

We had just made it into the shadows of the main porch when I heard Pollux’s greeting. “I had hoped to give the queen my thanks for her t
olerance.”

“My lady will join us for the meal, but she does not care to socialize much in my father’s
absence.”

I slowed my step, ignoring Acamas’s hiss. They would not see me here
, not yet.

“We had heard that King Theseus met trouble on his journey.” My blood ran cold at Castor’s words. “On the way here, we were told he passed through to the Underworld at Eleusis, mo
nths ago.”

“A delay only, I’m sure.” Demophon spoke with more confidence than I might have had in his place. “We expect Theseus and Pirithous with the first days o
f spring.”

“My lady,” Acamas whispered. “Please. You cannot
be seen.”

I picked up my skirts and let him pull me away, but the news made it difficult for me to breathe. Just a few more weeks, I told myself as Acamas pushed open the door to These
us’s room.

But why would Theseus want me sent
to Egypt?

Aethra fussed over my appearance, touching up every line of kohl and tucking every strand of my hair into its place until I lost patience and waved
her away.

“There is nothing more to do, Aethra, except smudge what you’ve alrea
dy fixed.”

She scowled at me, but stepped back. “I’m not sure you should wear that circlet. It brings out y
our eyes.”

“No matter what I wear, my eyes will not be well enough hidden if Pollux is seated beside me at t
he table.”

“He won’t be. You’ll be at Demophon’s right, and Acamas will sit on your other side. Pollux and Castor will have to crane around Demophon to see you at all. I’ve already seen to it. Theseus would never allow guests in his hall for the sole purpose of ogling his wife, and under the circumstances, I have no intention of making it easy for them
to do so.”

I sighed, caressing the emerald in its golden setting. I tried not to think of the Trojan marketplace of my dream. “If Demophon hadn’t let them in, Pollux would have seen the lie, and we’d be preparing f
or a war.”

“That brother of yours is too sly
by half.”

“Not my brother.” I raised the circlet and let Aethra settle it on my head. “I’m Meryet
of Egypt.”

“Just so.” Aeth
ra smiled.

A persistent knock brought me to my feet. I smoothed my skirt. Aethra and I had debated for some time over the gown, but in the end she had decided the greater temptation of baring my painted breasts to the young nobles of Athens would be too much, and we had both dressed conse
rvatively.

“That will be Acamas, no doubt,” Aethra said, waiting for my nod before she opened
the door.

Menestheus stood in the corridor, his dark eyes darting about the room before stopping on me. He bowed. “My queen, I beg the honor of your company. It would not do for you to be escorted by
a child.”

Aethra sniffed. “I’m not certain it’s any greater honor for her to be brought in on your arm, Menestheus, but if that is Demophon’s wish, I suppose it is too
late now.”

The man stiffened, but surely I only imagined the curl of his lip as he glanced at Aethra. I forced myself to smile at him, though taking his arm made my skin crawl. I hadn’t been able to look at him without thinking of Menelaus’s words in my dream. But perhaps this was for the best. If trouble came, it would be good to know where Menestheus’s loyalties lay, and Theseus would have the proof of it, one way or
the other.

“You are the jewel of Athens,” Menestheus said, sweeping me away from Aethra. “Theseus is a most fortu
nate man.”

“I am most fortunate in Theseus,” I replied. “He is practically Egyptian in his sensi
bilities.”

Menestheus snorted, and his arm pinned mine to his side. “Pretty phrases. Was it Pirithous who taught you, or Theseus
himself?”

I looked up, startled by the savagery of his words. His fingers dug into my arm when I tried to pull away. That was when I noticed the guards were dressed in bronze, not leather, and I recognized none of them as Athenians. I tore at his fingers, jerking harder against him, but he only twisted my finger
s cruelly.

“Get the old woman,” he barked to one, but he did not wait to see the order carried out, lengthening his stride. I set my heels, clawing at his arm, his hand, his face. He growled, tightening
his grip.

His hand slipped on my forearm when I moved to bite him. Enough for me to break free, and I spun, running back toward These
us’s room.

“Aethra!”

Armed men already stood in the doorway, blocking it from view. Menestheus tackled me from behind, sending me sprawling on the floor. My wrist twisted beneath me, and my palms skidded against the polished stone
, burning.

Aethra’s shriek echoed down the corridor, and Menestheus cursed, hauling me back to my feet and dragging me down the hallway again, this time with a knife pressed against my ribs. The blade stilled me, the bronze digging harder into my side with eve
ry breath.

“You!” I gasped the wo
rd. “How—”

“How did I know?” He jerked me forward, faster, harder. “All that dye Theseus kept trading for, and that Spartan ritual in the megaron, to say nothing of the stories that came back with him from Sparta. Perhaps others might have been fooled by his Egyptian ruse, but if Theseus was so in love with Helen of Sparta that he set guards beneath her window and bargained for her hand in marriage, he would never give her up so easily for some Egyptian princess he had never met. Nor would he be so
devoted.”