Ariadne
It had been eight days. Eight long, painful days since she’d left Thalos. Her heart broke afresh each morning when she awoke from a restless sleep. But as much as she hated feeling this way, she knew it would only be worse if she’d stayed for longer. Because then she’d have fallen even more deeply in love with Thalos, and now she knew…he wasn’t a good male. She needed to let her head rule her heart. The evidence was there for her to see, but she’d been blind to it. The man drank, had sex with lots of women; he’d admitted as much. Then they’d arrived back at the villa to see his friend taking drugs, lying with many women. And those two horrible females who said they’d been with Thalos, their crude words and the things they said he’d done to them. Gods.
Tears burned her eyes, and she brushed them away with the back of her hand. Her aunt’s herd wasn’t anything like hers. Yes, they believed in many of the same things. That to decorate yourself was a sin. To lie with anyone outside of your mate was a sin. But instead of the way her people lived, mostly in horse form, where they ran and enjoyed their days outside, her aunt’s herd lived in their human form and only changed twice a week. But in their human form, their lives were strict.
They ate a simple diet. The females wore plain clothing, long skirts, white cotton shirts with high necks and full-length sleeves. Some wore head coverings, and others pulled their hair back into tight buns. The males wore baggy trousers and loose linen shirts. Every day they prayed to the gods, putting out offerings for them. There were regular feast days to celebrate the lives of so many different gods, she’d been told. But after experiencing one, she’d hardly call it a feast. Dry bread and watery vegetables.
Ariadne’s mind drifted back to Thalos, and she wrenched her thoughts away from him. No doubt, he’d be carousing with those fae right now. He would have forgotten all about her and gone back to his rich life of excess. But…he had said he didn’t do those things anymore. And he had started to sell some of his properties to release the money.
In his dealings with her, he’d been a good male. Honorable. He’d walked away when she’d been too drunk to know what she truly wanted. When they made love, it had been gentle and caring. He didn’t treat her like a body to use. And he didn’t believe two people using one another was wrong anyway. So long as they both wanted it, why was it a sin, he’d said. And she could see his point of view. But then her mind would go back to his friend, so dissolute in his behavior…and those women, and she felt sick all over again.
Was it jealousy that had her so upset? Or revulsion at their behavior? She no longer knew.
The male who’d come to claim her no longer wanted her. She was sullied, he said. Her aunt claimed she’d found a male in the herd who would be willing to take Ariadne, despite her no longer being pure. But the idea of another male touching her made her retch.
A loud banging at the door made her jump. Aunty Carolyn walked in. “Morning, Ariadne. I hope you slept well. Today we will introduce you to the male who will be your mate. Try to make a good impression on him, child. He’s being a good male, taking you on as his, despite your…indiscretions.”
Ariadne bit back a sigh and nodded. “Of course, Aunty.”
Her aunt looked at her and pursed her lips. “This won’t do, Ariadne. Your hair is far too much of a glory to be left down in this way. Only the goddesses should show their hair thus. Be sure to pull it back into a bun before you come down to the meeting room. Be there in ten minutes.”
Then she left without another word, and Ariadne looked down at her feet, clad in sensible flat, black shoes. She thought of the beautiful emerald sandals Thalos bought her, and tears filled her eyes. She had been reading a lot since she’d been with Thalos. Books on philosophy and history. The sort of history she didn’t get to read when schooled as a young female. And she’d read about morality. About different religions and their beliefs. Basically, humans also had strict religions that adhered to demanding rules about how someone should live their life. But they also had much more relaxed versions of those religions too. As she read about the difference between a rigid Buddhist, for example, and a Western-style Buddhist, she began to see how one could still hold a belief system but also live a rich life.
And at least humans believed if they lived well on this earth, then they would go to the heavens in the afterlife. Her people did not. They knew they would never reach the home of the gods, but they believed that by being good and moral in this life, they would reincarnate. Thalos had given her a book written by a famous wolfen holy female. And it explained the wolf shifters’ beliefs. They did not believe in the same gods as her people; their gods were wood gods and water goddesses. They still prayed to them and believed in them, but they didn’t have to live an ascetic life here on earth. And the dragons, wow. They had their own heaven, and it sounded amazing.
Trust her luck to be born into one of two horse shifter herds who went the strictest route possible and allowed no bending of the rules.
Feeling sick to her stomach at the thought of meeting this male who’d been picked for her, she stood and smoothed her clothes. She had little choice. Where else could she go? Thalos would have forgotten her already, she was sure of it. And she couldn’t live among humans. At least here, she could change form and enjoy some time as her horse. And it might not be so bad. He may be a kind and good male. And if they had young, she’d surely love them, even if she didn’t love their father. And she’d be a good wife. Dutiful.
At the thought of young, she frowned. She’d never really wanted young of her own. It was dangerous for a female horse shifter to be pregnant and give birth, and the chances of something going wrong were high. She’d never wanted to risk the heartbreak of losing a young. Instead, she’d wanted to work as an educator for her herd, teaching the fillies and colts all about their way of life. She doubted she could do that now, not now that her head had been filled with all sorts of other ideas and beliefs. Because, truthfully, she no longer really believed you had to live an austere life to be right with the gods. And Thalos might well be correct when he questioned if they even existed in the first place, or if they were simply powerful preternatural beings.
Sick of her mind going over the subject, she went to the door and stepped outside. She headed to the meeting room. People stared at her as she walked, and she hated their stares and whispers. The door to the meeting room stood open, so she entered. A handsome young male sat at the table with what were presumably his parents on either side. Aunt Carolyn stood at the head of the table with a short, stocky man who had a kind, round face.
Her aunt looked her way, and her brows drew down. She marched over to Ariadne and yanked her hair back so hard it made her eyes water. Oh gods. She’d forgotten to pull it back. Her aunt pulled it high on her head, wrapped it around a few times, and fastened it with a band she took from her pocket.
“Master Blake, may I present Mistress Ariadne.”
The handsome young man stood. He was tall, maybe six feet, and broad, with dark hair and a short beard. His eyes were dark brown and kind. But she didn’t want kind brown eyes. She wanted sparkling, amused, green eyes. And she wanted wavy, golden hair. And skin that looked as if it had been gilded.
The meeting took forever, and for most of it, she switched off. They didn’t ask for her input anyway. What with her merely being a female and all. She rolled her eyes at one point when her aunt thanked Blake and his family for giving a sinner like Ariadne a chance. Carolyn caught the action and gave her a nasty glare.
Once the meeting was over, Ariadne left with an invitation to dinner with Blake and his parents the following week. She stomped back to her small room and grabbed her bag. She needed some space. On the edge of the compound was a small pond, and it was a nice place to sit on a warm afternoon like today. She took her book, one she was sure wouldn’t be approved of here. It was a romance novel Marina had given her. One of several, but she’d been really into this one and didn’t want to leave the story unfinished.
Once she reached the pond, she looked around to make sure she was alone and then spread her thin blanket on the ground and lay down. She took out her book and let her hair loose from the damned band constricting it. She shook her hair out around her shoulders and smiled to herself. Then she began reading. After about half an hour, she felt sleepy. And hot. She took off her long shirt, leaving her in a plain, strappy tank and long skirt. She laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes.
“Wake up, whore.”
Her dream about Thalos changed as the pinched face of her aunt entered the equation. Thalos turned to her aunt and sneered at her, his lip curling. But Carolyn ignored him and repeated the words. Then the ground began to shake, and Ariadne cried out at the impending earthquake.
Ariadne’s eyes shot open, and she blinked twice. A tight pain in her left shoulder got worse.
“Wake up, you disgusting creature.”
She lifted her head and saw Aunt Carolyn looming over her, shaking her shoulder. The female hurt her, and Ariadne turned over to sit up so she could escape the cruel grasp.
“What is this?” Her aunt plucked the book from the blanket, and Ariadne’s stomach went sour. She’d really be in for it now. If she were a whore for lying here with her hair down, in a camisole, enjoying the sun, then what would she be viewed as for reading this book?
As her aunt’s eyes skimmed the rather steamy passage she’d reached, Ariadne’s cheeks flushed with color. Carolyn looked at her, and her face turned to cold stone.
“I brought you here because of your mother, my sister. I thought you’d be able to fit in, despite your fall from grace. We don’t ask for much here. Simple clothes, hair pulled back, nourishing, wholesome food, and prayers to the gods and goddesses. Yet you defy us at every turn. And now this?” She brandished the book and then dropped it as if it were on fire.
“You need a lesson, young female. This isn’t going to be pleasant, but it is for your own good. Come with me.”
Ariadne stood and followed her aunt, leaving her precious book in the grass, not daring to pick it up. What would they do to her? Not let her change form for a few weeks? Her own herd hadn’t believed in harsh punishments, thank the gods. So even when she’d broken the rules, she’d been asked to do extra duties or to help out more as a way to learn the righteous path.
Here, though…they were harsher. Much stricter.
They reached the main settlement, and her aunt began to knock on doors. As people answered, Aunty told them to get ready for a shearing.
A shearing? Ariadne had no clue what that meant, and she didn’t like the sound of it. Panicking now, she began to plead with her aunt, but Carolyn held up her hand. “Child, you will make the punishment worse. Part of being true to the gods and goddesses is accepting when we have crossed the line and taking our punishment in good faith. This won’t hurt. We aren’t cruel people, and we don’t believe in physical punishment or beatings. But it will teach you a lesson. Not to be sinful and lustful.”
An elderly female came toward them, brandishing a wicked big pair of scissors, and two strong men came and took hold of each of Ariadne’s arms. They held her firmly in place as the female grabbed a thick lock of hair and cut it off. Ariadne cried out. Her hair was the same as her mother’s, and it reminded her of the woman she’d loved so much and lost.
“No. Don’t do this. You can’t. Let me go.” She began to struggle, but the males only gripped her tighter.
“If you make this worse, child, we will shave it off completely,” the old female said.
Ariadne stilled at that. Maybe they were going to cut it, but at least she’d have some hair left if she gave in. “We’d take your eyebrows too,” the female added.
That sealed the deal. Utterly terrified, Ariadne stayed stock-still while the female cut her hair off, until nothing but a short, messy-feeling crop remained. The whole herd seemed to be watching, and hot tears of shame ran down her cheeks.
When it was over, Aunty took her arm and marched her back to the room. “Stay here for twenty-four hours without food, only water for sustenance, and think about why we had to do this. You can have a life here, child. You can be a part of our herd, but you have to forget the sinful weeks you spent with that male.”
Then her aunt shocked her by kissing her gently on the forehead before she left the room.
Ariadne sat on the bed and cried her heart out. She broke completely. And as she sobbed, she didn’t know what she cried for. There had been too much loss and pain in her life, and it all came to a head as she wept and wept. She missed her mother, her herd, her family. She missed Thalos, and she hated it here. She couldn’t stay. She knew as much now. No matter what, she couldn’t stay.
But where to go? Thalos wouldn’t want her back with her hair like this, even if he hadn’t already moved on and found someone else to occupy his time. She cried for hours, so much so her whole face was swollen and blotchy when she went to the small bathroom and looked in the dull, tiny mirror in one corner of the room. Oh gods, her hair! Her hands went to her head in horror. It looked as if the female had hacked into her with garden shears. It stuck up all over the place, and the gorgeous warm colors and highlights in it had all disappeared with the length. Now she had a brown, messy cut, drab and ugly.
Suddenly, something burned bright within her, and it felt better than the tears. Anger. Pure adrenaline-fueled rage. “Fuck them.” She said the forbidden word under her breath on a hiss, but then she said it again. Louder. Stronger. “Fuck them.”
She was leaving. There would be somewhere she could find to go. She still had the earrings and ring Thalos had bought her, hidden away in her things. Marina had insisted she take them. They were worth a lot of money, she knew as much. If she sold them, it would cover her rent for a few months somewhere, while she considered what to do. She’d go and live among the humans.
No way would her aunt and the herd chase her down to some busy town or tourist resort. Ariadne could think about what to do next as she pulled herself together and got over this horrible experience. She’d leave tonight. The compound was guarded, but she could easily slip back toward the pond under the cover of night. No one guarded the far northern end of the territory. A long electric fence ran to the end of it, but she could throw her bags over the fence and change. In her horse form, she was sure she could jump the fence. If not, she’d get a nasty shock was all. It was worth the risk to get away from this place.
Ariadne waited patiently until three in the morning, and then she snuck out of her room. If anyone stopped her, she planned on saying she was going say prayers at the statue to the goddess of virtue. Atone for her sinful ways. She’d had to leave everything behind in the end because taking a bag was too big a risk. She’d left all of her remaining few possessions in the room, except for a picture of her family, tucked into her pocket, and the jewelry from Thalos, hidden in her bra.
Luckily for her, no one was around as she slipped out the door and to the back of the buildings. The statue to the goddess of virtue lay in the general direction of the pond, and once she reached it, she planned on making a run for it. Because she didn’t have a bag, she couldn’t change form until she reached the fence. She’d have to take her clothes off and throw them over. Change and take a good run at the damn thing, then change back and get dressed. It was risky, but she’d rather die than stay here.
An hour later, and Ariadne was walking along a highway, cutting through the strange and magical landscape. Huge, mountainous rocks jutted straight up from the earth, and atop them sat monasteries, perched precariously on the narrow bits of stone they called home.
As a female, she shouldn’t even be on this land. It would have been safer to travel in her horse form, but then she couldn’t carry the picture and the jewelry. She was terrified, but she told herself it would be okay. She was finally doing something for herself.