the-song-books.yossr

Up close I saw how dark her eyyes were, brown as richest earth, and large
in her almond-shaped face. Her gaze flickered from the blade to me. I
thought of frightened dogs I had seen, backed small and sharp into corners.
“No, no,” I said quicklyy. “We will not hurt yyou. I am going to free yyou.”
She looked at us in horror. The gods knew what she thought I was sayying.
She was an Anatolian farm-girl, with no reason to have ever heard Greek
before. I stepped forward to put a hand her arm, to reassure. She flinched as
if expecting a blow. I saw the fear in her eyyes, of rape and worse.
I could not bear it. There was onlyy one thing I could think of. I turned to
Achilles and seized the front of his tunic. I kissed him.
When I let go again, she was staring at us. Staring and staring.
I gestured to her bonds and back to the knife. “All right?”
She hesitated a moment. Then slowlyy offered her hands.
ACHILLES LEFT TO SPEAK to Phoinix about procuring another tent. I took her
to the grass-sided hill and had her sit while I made a compress for her
bruised face. Gingerlyy, eyyes downcast, she took it. I pointed to her leg—it
was torn open, a long cut along her shin.
“Mayy I see?” I asked, gesturing. She made no response, but reluctantlyy
let me take her leg, dress the wound, and tie it closed with bandages. She
followed everyy movement of myy hands and never met myy gaze.
After, I took her to her new-pitched tent. She seemed startled byy it,
almost afraid to enter. I threw open the flap and gestured— food, blankets,
an ewer of water, and some clean cast-off clothes. Hesitating, she stepped
inside, and I left her there, eyyes wide, staring at it all.
THE NEXT DAY Achilles went raiding again. I trailed around the camp,
collecting driftwood, cooling myy feet in the surf. All the time I was aware
of the new tent in the camp’s corner. We had seen nothing of her yyet; the
flap was shut tight as Troyy. A dozen times I almost went to call through the
fabric.
At last, at middayy, I saw her in the doorwayy. She was watching me, halfhidden
behind the folds. When she saw that I had noticed her, she turned
quicklyy and went to leave.
“Wait!” I said.
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