I could not protect them with swords or strength or wealth, but this…thiswas a weapon I knew how to wield.
So I smiled and nodded. “Lead the way.”
***
Unsurprisingly, Eurymachus had claimed the largest guest chamber.
I drew in a steadying breath as I walked inside. To my left was a large bed, its furs and blankets tangled in an angry heap. To my right was a table laden with dirty plates and empty wine jugs, fat flies buzzing lazily between them.
“Penelope never sends slaves to clean,” Eurymachus said as he followed my gaze. “The bitch expects us to live in our filth.”
“She does not treat you with the respect you deserve,” I replied as Eurymachus kicked off his sandals. “Shall I fetch you some wine?”
I took his grunt as a yes and approached the table.
“If Queen Penelope were your wife, I’m sure you would teach herto behave,” I said as I chose one of the ornate jugs and began filling a cup.
“She has spent too long without the guidance of a man,” Eurymachus agreed. “It has made her obstinate and arrogant.”
As he spoke, I slipped the small vial of Penelope’s sleeping draught from my gown and tipped the contents into the cup. It would not be enough to send Eurymachus straight to sleep, but it should make him drowsy, enhancing the effects of the copious amounts of wine he had already consumed.
I turned back to him with a smile.
“Here, my lord.” Slinking forward, I placed the laced wine into his waiting hand.
Eurymachus brought the cup to his lips, and my blood crackled with fear as I watched him hesitate, seeming to sniff the contents.
“Is it not to your liking?” I asked, feigning indifference.
Instead of replying, Eurymachus tipped back his head, downing the wine in two large gulps. Relief flooded through me, sharp and short-lived.
“Take your gown off.”
“Do you not wish to talk a little, my lord?” I purred. “I am sure you have many interesting tales to tell.”
Eurymachus set his empty cup aside. “I will not repeat myself, slave.”
My smile stiffened. I was not naive enough to believe the sleeping potion would let me avoid the inevitable. I had known the price I would have to pay the moment I walked into the banquet hall.
For Penelope, I reminded myself.
For Telemachus, Skaris, Hippodamia, Autonoë, Actoris, Eurynome…
For every slave beneath this roof.
Slowly, I unclasped the fastenings at my shoulders, letting my gown fall to the floor. Eurymachus stared at me, his tongue running slowly over his wine-stained teeth. Guilt shifted inside me. It felt so wrong to offer my body up to someone else. This body that Penelopehad blessed with so much care and affection. This flesh wasours, sanctified by our love, and now here I was baring it to another…
You’re doing this forher.
“On the bed.”
I obeyed, forcing myself to shut out all thoughts of Penelope. I pushed her far, far away to a place this ugliness could never reach.
I felt Eurymachus behind me then, his body hot against my spine. He grabbed the back of my neck and pushed me down onto the furs. For a moment, I just lay there, frozen. It was as if my soul were seeping out, leaving an empty vessel behind.
A part of me wanted to stay like this, dead beneath his touch, until it was all over.
No.Somewhere, in the hollow depths of me, a spark ignited.Not like this.
