Chapter ten: Into the Arms of He Whom Cares

Her heart nearly burst from her chest. He had given his life to ensure her protection, trying his hardest to steer her from a fate she was still doomed to follow. It was inevitable, but her mother refused to believe it could not change. She saw a light in her daughter; a goodness that she felt could never be extinguished and yet as Enyo stared at the body of her former father, that same light was attempting to burn her from the inside out. She had done things she was not proud of; actions she would take in regret to her grave and there was nothing she could do to change them.
He had heard her fall from his own bedchamber; heard her hit the pavement as soon as she had rolled from bed. Concerned, he ventured into her room and found her lying on the floor, sprawled upon her stomach, drenched in a blanket of cold sweat. He laid his hand on her back; her skin was warm to the touch. Gently, he slid his hands beneath her midsection and slowly lifted her into his arms. As he set her down upon the bed, she began to shiver and opened her mouth as if trying to speak; her eyes still remained closed. He was sure she had uttered something and leaned his ear closer to her mouth.
“Sicily” she muttered, seemingly with great difficulty as if it took every effort to utter the word.
And then she was still.
The morning air chilled Enyo’s shoulders as she stood out over the veranda. The sun had barely risen, casting a soft orange and yellow haze over the countryside. A few stars remained behind, refusing to join their companions for morning sleep. Enyo rubbed her temples, leaning her elbows upon the wall. Her dream, if she could even call it such, had deeply disturbed her. It was not the first time she had faced nightmares, but this “dream” felt more like a vision; a journey back into her childhood and she found difficulty in accepting that it was real. Yet there was a part of her that truly believed otherwise. As she looked up at the stars, she remembered her mother; felt her touch and warm embrace. She remembered sitting beneath the night sky, Adara holding her in her arms, giving her a protection that could only be received by a mother’s love. Each night she would point to a new constellation and tell her a story of how it came to be, and when at last they had all been told, she resorted to singing to lull her to sleep. And then everything changed. She had sent Enyo on a journey to those stars and forever promised her she would never leave until Enyo returned.
There was a part of Enyo that felt anger over it all. More than anything she felt lied to and deceived. Baris and Thaya had passed themselves off as her grandparents and she had believed them as any child would. But Adara was no more there daughter than Enyo was and she had never asked for their care. Her mother had become a distant memory, one that had disappeared to the deepest recesses of her mind for nearly seventeen years. She was always convinced she had had one, but there were times where she questioned if her mother were ever real, and if she were, why would she abandon her own daughter? The truth had come to light and Enyo realized she was loved far more than she ever knew. She rubbed her thumb; feeling the first scar she had ever received. Baris and Thaya had loved her, it was true, and she knew without a doubt that she loved them in return. But she did not love them like she loved Adara; a woman she spent only three years of life with, one whom she barely even knew, and yet she loved her more than anything in the world. Her heart began to ache.
“Am I mad?” she asked herself, burying her face in her hands.
“Problem?” Kain asked appearing out of nowhere, as he leaned his own arms upon the wall beside her.
“No. Just a rough night, but I’ll get over it.”
“Good. You’ll need a clear head in the days to come. Or you have forgotten already?”
She rubbed the back of her neck.
“Peace” she said sighed.
“Precisely. Organize it with the chancellor and assure him we are allies.”
“It will be done” she replied, leaving the wall; Kain continuing to stare out over the horizon.
She ventured to the stables figuring it would be beneficial to go ahead and arrive in Athens. The assembly would not be set until a few days, but Enyo preferred to bide her time in Athens rather than serve the bidding of Kain. The stable housed a horse for nearly every soldier living at the camp and though her former steed had been slain in battle, a new one had been provided for her. He was a black stallion, as bold and brash as he was beautiful; much like his rider in more respects he would ever know, and Enyo felt a connection with him she could not yet explain. His mane and tail were completely white and a white diamond nestled in the middle of his forehead. She ridden him only once; the first time she had come to acquire him, but there was a respect that was shared that was unequal to anything else. Further more, he had reminded her of something; something deep in the past she could not yet recall. She had named him Eton; the Greek term for lightning fast.
“Hello my friend” she smiled, picking up a brush and stroking Eton’s back, unbeknownst to the figure who had his back leaned against far wall and was watching her in amusement.
Eton neighed as if in reply.
“Never took you for a horse person” the figure said.
“I’m not. But then again, I’m not much of a people person either” she replied turning around.
Attis strolled over and began to pat Eton’s neck. He had not drastically over the years, but his face had become hardened with maturity and he had grown a few inches taller. There was an air about them that denounced humility and his bright blue eyes still held that same sense of equality. His hair had forever remained lightened by the sun and grown in length down to his shoulders, matching the fuzz on his chin almost perfectly.
“Are you aware that you talk in your sleep?” he asked jokingly, cocking his head to one side.
Enyo paused in her brushing.
“And what business of yours was it to pry into my bedchamber?” she asked angrily.
“I was concerned. I heard you fall” he said softly.
Her gaze softened as she turned her back and reached for her saddle.
“I have always held you in the highest respect, even as a child” he continued.
“You should respect yourself first” she replied, throwing the saddle over Eton’s back.
“You seem unwell. I can help you if you’ll let me” he proposed, strapping the saddle from his side.
“Don’t concern yourself in my affairs. I can handle them alone.”
Enyo stepped into the stirrups and pulled herself onto Eton.
“One day you’ll need help-everyone does at some point.”
She looked down at him.
“Well then I’ll know where to find you then won’t I?” she asked.
With a short “Yah” she was off and down the path to Athens, leaving Attis staring after her. She was his friend, it was true, and he had come to care for her in more ways than one, but she was stubborn and he both loved and hated that about her. Deep in his heart, he knew she was troubled. He could read it in her eyes; sense it in her heart and he debated on following her, but decided against it.