“I apologize.” Penelope matched her aunt’s even tone. “I am sure my father could reimburse whatever financial value you feel has been lost—”
“Reimburse.” Leda laughed.
I had no idea what the word meant or why it was amusing to her.
“You speak so intelligently, Penelope, but your naivety gives you away. I do not wantreimbursement, child. I wish for something far more…valuable.” She paused, a smile creeping across her face. I did not like the look of it. “One day, you will become a wife, and you will be expected to run a household of your own. As such, you must learn how to handle your slaves properly and, most importantly, how to handle their punishment. Your mother should have taught you such things already, but perhaps she neglected these duties in her decliningstate. So now it is up to me.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from your wise counsel, Aunt Leda. As you say, this was my failure and mine alone. Melantho need not be here,” Penelope insisted. “I let her believe we were friends. It is my fault she is confused—”
“I’m not confused,” I snapped at her, but still Penelope refused to look at me.
Leda smirked. “Do you see what insolence you have cultivated? I agree, it is a pity the girl must suffer for your folly, but this is the way of it. Clytemnestra, the whip, please.”
Penelope’s face fell, and the sight twisted something in me.
“No,” she breathed.
“You made this mistake. Now it is your duty to correct it,” Leda said.
Clytemnestra approached Penelope, holding a long, dark rope. She then pressed the cord into Penelope’s hands, and I watched it hang there like a limp, dead snake. I had seen the boys in the stable use something similar on the horses, slapping it against their rumps to make them run faster.
Penelope’s hands gripped the cord. “I cannot—”
“You must,” Leda interrupted. “Clytemnestra, what do Spartans say of lessons?”
“A lesson cannot be learned without pain.”
Leda smiled at her daughter before turning back to Penelope. “I shall be lenient because she is only young. Tell me, how old are you, girl?”
It took me a moment to realize the queen was addressing me.
“N-nine…my queen.”
“Nine lashes then.” She directed this to Penelope. “That is more than fair.”
Understanding began to creep over me, an icy, clawing shadow.
She cannot mean…
Penelope shook her head. “No.”
Irritation sharpened Leda’s voice. “Let me make this simpler for you, Penelope. Either you carry out the punishment, or Clytemnestra will. And I assure you, Clytemnestra will be far less gentle.”
“Punish me instead.” Penelope held out the whip. “I am the one who deserves the lashes. Not her.”
“Is it not obvious? Thisisyour punishment, Penelope. The balance must be restored. This girl must understand you are her superior.”
Penelope’s face was tight as a fist. Her eyes finally returned to mine, and the keenness of her fear made the panic in my belly surge upward, coating the back of my tongue. Penelope looked as if she were about to say something, but then Leda motioned with her hands. A moment later, two guards appeared, thick fingers digging into my arms, making me yelp.
“What are you doing?” Penelope demanded.
The guards dragged me forward, while two more carried in a large wooden table. Deep grooves marred its surface, accompanied by dark red stains. I cried out as those rough hands pushed me down, forcing my arms out in front of me so my chest was now flush against the table. The wood bit against my cheek as a strangling panic spread through my body like wildfire. I thought I heard Penelope speak, but I could not make out her words over the roaring in my ears.
My fear was a living, writhing thing trying to burst out of my skin. I was drowning in it. Choking on it. I could not breathe. I could not think, save for the single question:Am I going to die?
I began to thrash violently, trying to tear myself away from the table, but it was no use; the guards held me in an iron grip. I began to pant like a dog.
Footsteps sounded behind me, and the next thing I felt were hands at the hem of my gown, pulling hard. I let out a cry as it ripped, cold air slipping across my bare back.
