At first, the naiad was content to swim in her little pool. However, she soon realized that she was too confined, too restricted for this one tiny space. She longed for more, to see the world beyond.
The goddess had put a spell on the shore for her protection so that every time the naiad tried to cross the rocks, she would experience pain to force her back into the pond where she belonged.
The first day, the pebbles were fiery hot and burned the tender soles of the naiad’s feet. She jumped back into the safety of her pond right away.
The second day, the pebbles turned into freezing ice needles. The naiad could hear the sea birds and the waves crashing so she walked a little farther. But then the freezing pain became too much so she turned back again.
The third day, the pebbles turned into shards of glass so that every step the naiad took, the glass stabbed and cut her tender feet. Even so, she made it farther than the last time. She could even smell the salt of the sea before she finally turned back.
It was the fourth day when she awoke to a promise on the wind that any pain she endured would be bearable. The salty air carried a song ofthe sirens that pierced the naiad’s heart so deeply that she knew she could endure anything to reach the sea.
So she did. Step after step, she endured the pain of all three—the ice needles, the fiery coals, and the shards of glass. By the time she reached the sea, her feet were damaged beyond repair. But it didn’t matter. She entered the water and swam with the sirens, no longer needing her feet, comforted by the serenity of the water and the deep oblivion. And because she endured more pain than any small naiad should be able to, the goddess Diana anointed her the Queen of the Abyss, the maid of the deep fathoms of the ocean.
The tale was short, but it had hit home. I internalized it by imagining myself swimming the deep blues of the ocean whenever Valerius summoned me. I could endure anything if I tapped into the cold depths of the icy waters living inside me.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, abhorring the sight of the golden muzzle. Voiceless yet again. My pulse quickened, my hands trembling as I reached for the parchment from the noblewoman. My gaze landed on the wordsthe secret to freedom is courage.
My chest rose and fell swiftly. I didn’t want to be the Queen of the Abyss. I wanted to be the Queen of Fury.
“The Mother Song” wove into my mind. The melody kept haunting me lately. I was singing it two nights ago in the temple when I met Trajan, when I cut myself and bled yet again. For what? For a release to this constant pain. It would never be enough until I poured out every drop of blood from my body.
I stared into my own eyes, hardly recognizing the fiery blue, the furious creature staring back at me. Since I’d been here, I’d been compliant, submissive, obedient.
No more.
I could take it not one… moment… more.
I opened my vanity drawer and hid the noblewoman’s letterin the secret compartment at the back where I kept my herbs from Euphemia.
Lifting an oil lamp by the handle, I made my way along the passages toward Valerius’s bedchamber. The house was dark, most everyone asleep. The flickering fire from the lamp lit my way. I wished for it to go out. I wished for everything to burn out—my sight, this life, this entire world.
I hummed the melody of “The Mother Song,” hearing Bunica singing in my mind. I could see her wrinkled face by the crackling fire as she sang to me and my sisters.
“A daughter walks home, through the woods all alone. She longs for her mother, and the warmth of the hearthstone. She never sees the wolf, who stalks through the trees. She never hears his steps, only wind in the leaves.”
Perhaps it was because it had been months since I’d had to endure Valerius’s attentions. Perhaps it was that secret missive with cryptic quotes about freedom. Or maybe Grigor’s pitying looks, knowing Valerius would not be gentle this night. No. I don’t think it was any of those reasons.
Bunica walked with me tonight. I could feel her spirit in my bones, willing me to awaken, to come out of the dark. The subtle hum of magic prickled along my skin as her voice sang to me while I walked through the shadowed halls.
“He pulls her off the path, and drags her to his lair. She screams for her mother, and dies in the darkness there. Her mother comes running, hearing her daughter’s cries. She rushes through the woods to where her daughter lies.”
The house was silent as I walked past the atrium. The only sound was the trickle of the fountain. The water flowed like blood, the blood pumping thicker through my veins, singing a new song. One of vengeance. One that would finally free my chained spirit from my master. And this abhorrent world.
“She sees the vicious beast, eating her precious girl. It awakens the mother’s wrath, for her daughter was her world.”
I walked away from Valerius’s bedchamber, down the long corridor and out into the courtyard, toward Diana’s temple. Once inside, I lowered to my knees to offer a prayer. I stared up at Diana, the fierce protectress, goddess of the hunt, as she drew her arrow back, pointing at some unseen prey. Her wings were spread wide, her horns curling in a feminine sweep, her tail whipping and her dress pressed against her strong, womanly form.
Setting the oil lamp down, still shaking, I placed both palms on the cool stone and pressed my forehead to it, recalling the warm memory of Trajan kneeling beside me in this very spot, comforting me.
Then his deep, masculine voice echoed in my mind.
You are stronger than him… You are better than him.
This spark of rage and desire for vengeance was also because ofhim. The handsome tribune who’d offered me some small hope had buoyed me up, igniting a fire that burned inside my chest.
My body had been used countless times without my permission. It hadn’t seemed to matter when I was able to lose myself in my mind, in the abyss. But Trajan had stirred me from my deep emotional slumber, and I couldn’t seem to find that place of deadness inside me. That realm of peace. Of pretense.
I remembered how I’d touched my blood to his skin, sensing, recognizing a good man beneath. It was surprising. Even more so was the whisper in my heart that made me tell him,You are going to protect me.
