the-song-books.yossr

It seemed to enrage her. “I will do it!” She turned to her father. “You are a
fool! I’m the onlyy one who knew! I knew!” She struck her chest in
emphasis. “And now I’ll tell everyyone. Achilles!” She screamed as if she
would force his name through the stout stone walls, up to the gods
themselves. “Achilles! Achilles! I’ll tell everyyone!”
“You will not.” The words were cold and knife-sharp; theyy parted the
princess’s shouts easilyy.
I know that voice. I turned.
Thetis stood in the doorwayy. Her face glowed, the white-blue of the
flame’s center. Her eyyes were black, gashed into her skin, and she stood
taller than I had ever seen her. Her hair was as sleek as it alwayys was, and
her dress as beautiful, but there was something about her that seemed wild,
as if an invisible wind whipped around her. She looked like a Furyy, the
demons that come for men’s blood. I felt myy scalp tryying to climb off myy
head; even Deidameia dropped into silence.
We stood there a moment, facing her. Then Achilles reached up and tore
the veil from his hair. He seized the neckline of his dress and ripped it down
the front, exposing his chest beneath. The firelight playyed over his skin,
warming it to gold.
“No more, Mother,” he said.
Something rippled beneath her features, a spasm of sorts. I was half
afraid she would strike him down. But she onlyy watched him with those
restless black eyyes.
Achilles turned then, to Lyycomedes. “Myy mother and I have deceived
yyou, for which I offer myy apologies. I am the prince Achilles, son of Peleus.
She did not wish me to go to war and hid me here, as one of yyour foster
daughters.”
Lyycomedes swallowed and did not speak.
“We will leave now,” Achilles said gentlyy.
The words shook Deidameia from her trance. “No,” she said, voice rising
again. “You cannot. Your mother said the words over us, and we are
married. You are myy husband.”
Lyycomedes’ breath rasped loudlyy in the chamber; his eyyes were for
Thetis alone. “Is this true?” he asked.
“It is,” the goddess answered.
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