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uncle. At the moment, all I wanted was to sleep.

    I felt Acheron in front of me.

    Opening my eyes, I saw him naked again save for his bands.

    I frowned at him. "What are you doing?"

    "I owe you for my food and clothes, my lady." He knelt down at my feet and lifted the hem of my himation.

    I bolted upright and grabbed his hand. "You don't touch family like that, Acheron. It's wrong."

    Confusion creased his brow.

    And then I knew the most horrid of truths. "Estes . . . does he . . . Do you . . ." I couldn't bring myself to say the words.

    "I pay him every night for being kind enough to shelter me."

    I'd never wanted to cry so much in my life and yet I found my eyes strangely dry—even as anger and disgust welled inside me over what had been done to my brother. Oh, if I could only lay hands to my uncle . . . "Put your clothes on, Acheron. I have no need of you to pay me for anything."

    He left me and did as I asked.

    For the rest of the evening, I watched him while he sat silently in the corner without moving even a single muscle. Obviously he'd been trained to do that, too. I walked my mind through the horrors of the day's revelations.

    Through the horror that must have been his life.

    My poor Acheron.

    I told him how glad father would be to welcome him home. How happy mother would be to see him again.

    I told him stories of our palace and of how grand his room would be.

    He listened silently while his eyes told me he didn't believe a single word I spoke.

    Whores don't live in palaces.

    I could hear his thoughts plainly.

    And honestly, I was beginning to doubt those words myself.

November 4, 9532 BC

    Acheron remained so silent for the rest of our journey to the docks that I began to worry. He didn't look well. In fact, he was prone to break into a sweat and shake for no apparent reason. There was an awful ashen cast to his skin.

    Whenever I asked if something was the matter, he would only say that it sometimes happened to him.

    As we were around more people, he became more nervous.

    "Estes won't find you," I told him, hoping to alleviate his fear.

    It didn't work. If anything, he grew more apprehensive.

    Boraxis returned with our tokens for the journey across the Aegean that would take us home to Didymos. I knew I wouldn't truly stop being scared until the boat sailed.

    At any moment, I was afraid my uncle would find us and take Acheron back.

    It was just after midday that they allowed us to board the ship. Boraxis led the way with me in the middle and Acheron following.

    The first mate took the tokens from Boraxis and gave him directions for our quarters, but as we walked past, he stopped Acheron.

    "Lower your cowl."

    I saw the panic in Acheron's eyes before he complied. As soon as the material was lowered, I felt a strange almost wave-like sensation sweep through those who were near us. All eyes turned toward my brother.

    The first mate shook his head and tsked at me. "My lady, we don't allow slaves to travel on the main decks."

    I gave him a withering stare. "He's not a slave."

    The first mate actually laughed at that. He reached to the band around Acheron's throat and pulled at his pendant that held the symbol of a fiery sun.

    Acheron didn't move or speak. He merely kept his gaze lowered.

    The first mate looked back at me. "I can appreciate your wanting to keep your tsoulus with you, my lady, but he'll have to travel below deck with the other slaves."

    It'd never occurred to me to have Acheron's bands removed. In Greece, our slaves wore no gold whatsoever, so it hadn't dawned on me that his would betray him.

    "Nexus," the first mate called to another sailor. "Escort this one below deck."

    Acheron's panicked gaze held mine. "Please, Idika, don't send me there. Alone. You can't."

    "I'll pay more," I told the sailor.

    "I'm sorry, my lady. It's our strictest policy. The other passengers would be extremely upset if we broke the rules for you."

    I felt horrible for him. "It'll be all