Part I
Tanglewood Origins
Chapter One
Alexandria, Egypt, 30 BC
“Unhand me. I demand to know what this is about!” Alena grunted as the guard’s palm rudely connected with the center of her back and thrust her into the stone cell with no regard for her ongoing protests.
This morning had gone from bad to worse. At the crack of dawn, a team of Egyptian soldiers had hauled her out of her meager lodgings and dragged her to Cleopatra’s palace. The soldiers had offered no explanation for her arrest. That was bad.
But if the experience had warranted the label of worst day since she’d come to Egypt, her current situation trumped that epithet. She found herself in a crowded room that smelled of limestone and dark spices, and judging by her company, the guards had made a terrible mistake.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and took in the others around her. It wasn’t just her tattered, filthy garments that made her stand out like Zeus’s lightning bolt; she was the only woman in the group, and based on appearances, these men were important.Saupriests if the leopard skins draped over their shoulders was any indication. Powerful magicians. Each was completely shaven of all body hair, as was the custom. Dressed in light linen, they sparkled from their bald heads to their bare toenails. She’d never been that clean in her life.
Suddenly she realized the source of the scent she’d noticed when she arrived. Not dark spices but anointing oils. The priests gave her a disapproving look, and she moved away from them to huddle on the far side of the room.
She did not belong here. Not only was she not a priest, she wasn’t even Egyptian. Alena hailed from Crete, Greece, a commoner who had taken to the healing arts. She’d only made the perilous journey to Egypt to study in the library of Alexandria. Herbs and pharmacopoeia were her passion, and she wished to learn what knowledge the books and scrolls there contained. The library had almost burned down once. It was her life’s dream to investigate what it had to offer before some other disaster challenged its stacks.
Her father had begged her not to go. He’d become dependent on her in many ways, the least of which was to fill the hole that had been left when her mother died. But two seasons ago she’d realized she would never leave Crete or realize her potential as a healer if she didn’t seek passage to the greatest source of knowledge her generation had ever known.
Thank the gods her talents had proven lucrative. Quickly she had taken to tending the sick and acting as a midwife. News of her competence had traveled far and wide and earned her the sobriquet of Healer of the Nile. And although it was dirty work and she was rarely paid in coin, her calling had provided a suitable dwelling and a full belly.
At least the presence of the priests in this stone room meant she wasn’t in any real danger. Why would Cleopatra imprison her own sorcerers? This was either a misunderstanding or some sort of royal request for services. Perhaps the pharaoh was in need of healing. She tried to remain calm and take comfort in the fact that she was in the company of important men, not criminals.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Healer of the Nile,” a man said from behind her.
Her spine stiffened. She knew that voice. She hated that voice. She closed her eyes and sighed before turning to face him.
“Orpheus, the louse charmer.” She shot the man a slanted glance. Like her, Orpheus stood out from the others in the room, although his clothing was also of far better quality than hers. His thick black hair and short beard contradicted the clean-shaven heads of the others, and he was certainlynota priest. A smooth-talking charlatan maybe, but not a priest.
By profession, he was a popular barber, one who claimed the rare distinction of successfully ridding heads of vermin without having to shave them. The skill was all but unheard of, and people came from everywhere for his services. Truly, it was a shame a man of such talent and wealth had the personality of a pimple on the ass of a diseased rat.
“Why the hostility, Alena? You’re not still mad about what happened between us?” He flashed his most disarming smile.
She silently cursed as her insides reacted with a reflexive rush of lightning. The man was devastatingly handsome with the tawny glow of one blessed by the gods. In other circumstances, she would feel quite honored to have garnered his attention, she’d give him that. Dark-haired and blue-eyed, he had a mouth that seemed locked in a permanent smirk. She’d made the mistake of kissing that mouth, an act akin to drinking sweet poison.
An exasperated sigh tore from her lips. “Didyouhave something to do with this? You did something stupid, didn’t you, and then likely threw outmyname as an alibi!”
“No!” He scoffed.
She spread her hands and gestured toward the priests, who were doing their best to ignore them properly. “Then why arewehere?”
“No idea, but we are the only ones in this room not employed by Cleopatra. These men are magicians, sorcerers, priests. They tend to the gods. It seems odd they’ve summoned us as well.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Alena hated to agree with Orpheus about anything, but she was hard-pressed to come up with any explanation.
Their conversation was interrupted by the heavy grinding of stone on stone. Alena whirled to find soldiers sliding a heavy slab into the doorway, completely sealing off the exit. With no windows or alternate ways out of the tiny room, Alena instantly felt choked off.
“Stop! What are you doing?” She lurched toward the door, but Orpheus caught her by the arms.
“Those swords aren’t for show, Alena. Whatever they have in store for us, you won’t avoid it that way.”
“But… but… we’re trapped in here.” Pain flared in her chest, and her breath came in ragged pants.
“Easy.” Orpheus rubbed her shoulders. Her wild eyes found his and he guided her through some deep breaths. “Keep your wits about you. We’re going to need them.”
Slowly her panic abated. Despite being a rake and a scoundrel, Orpheus was an important man in Alexandria. Surely she was safe here among the priests and him. A half dozen torches mounted above their heads bathed them in flickering shadows.
