Chapter 40 - Psyche

Mother must've known she couldn't convince me to stay at home, so while I bathed, she had the servants prepare bags of food and fill flasks with water for my journey. When I emerged from my room refreshed and dressed, I found my favorite horse, Xanthippe, loaded and ready.

I stood frozen in the doorway to the palace. Mother and Father were behind me, pulling me back with their concern. But Xanthippe stood before me, pulling me forward with the allure of regaining Eros's love. I was on a precipice, torn between the safety I knew and the love I had lost. It was like being sent off to the cliffs again, feeling I might never see my mother and father and home again. But this time I knew the end destination and who would be waiting for me -- if luck was with me.

"Are you sure you won't let us send a guard with you?" Father asked from behind me. "The roads aren't safe for a woman alone."

I turned to look at him. His eyes were moist, welled with concern. Taking his hand in mine, I said, "I'm sure, Father. I've made my offerings to Hermes. If he can't protect me, there's nothing a guard could do."

Mother and Father exchanged pained looks, but they didn't force the issue.

"Just remember, Psyche," Mother added. "You're a powerful young woman. The gods will watch over you."

I gulped. What kind of crazy send off was that? "Well, I guess this is goodbye then," I said. "Again."

After kissing each of my parents on the cheek, I secured the lantern From my former palace to one of the packs and checked to be sure my lagger was securely tucked at my hip. A guard helped hoist me onto Kanthy's back and with a gentle kick, my mare headed away from the palace. I wouldn't look back; couldn't look back. If I was ever going to redeem myself, this was the only way.

There was really only one direction to go: toward Mount Olympus.

I stopped holding Xanthy back once I was sure no one could see us any more and we settled into a comfortable canter down the dusty, broken roads. I let Xanthy continue until she decided on her own to slow her pace. Her sweat-soaked sides heaved beneath my legs. When we came to a stream, ve stopped and drank. After refilling my flasks with fresh water, I sat on a rock and watched Xanthy nibble at some weeds, uprooting the little flowers and leaves and devouring them in greedy bites.

Watching her, I was suddenly overcome with gratitude for the beautiful area. Olympus was so far away; I would never make it without her. Not in his lifetime anyway. And she was oblivious to the danger I was dragging her into with me. If I failed in this journey, she would likely die with me.

Slowly I padded to the horse and wrapped my arms around her neck. We should ride a little more. I think we can reach Corinth before sun down." I patted her mane and she nodded her head in what seemed like approval. I led her over the rock I'd been sitting on so I'd have an easier time nounting, but I was still glad no one was watching me as I fumbled onto her back.

Once there, my legs immediately protested. They already ached from our earlier ride and I realized I'd been foolish to try to cover so much ground in one day. Thanks to the crowds, it'd been forever since I'd ridden. My muscles were painfully sore and the insides of my legs were chaffed from rubbing against Xanthy's coarse hair.

"On second thought," I said, "maybe we better call it quits for today."

Looking around the deserted stretch of road, I wasn't sure the best place for us to camp. Would it be better to leave ourselves exposed to the animals of the woods or to human strangers who might come across us by the road? In the end, I figured Xanthy would be more likely to sense danger and wake us from an animal, so I led her from the road into the cover of dense pines.

After brushing Xanthy down and making sure she had plenty to drink, I ate some of the food my parents packed and then gathered pine needles to make a bed, rough and pointy as it was. Although the sun was only beginning to set, I was ready to sleep. The ride had taken its toll and I easily drifted off, knowing Xanthippe would stand guard.

Some time later, and I had no way to gauge how much later since the sky was midnight black, I woke to the sound of Xanthy huffing and pacing uneasily near the tree where I had tied her.

My fog of sleep immediately parted as fear took over.

I lay quietly for a moment, holding my breath, listening for sounds of an intruder. And then I heard what Xanthy's sensitive ears had picked up long before mine: footsteps shuffling through pine needles. The steps were coming closer.

I clambered to my feet and pulled out my knife as I protectively rushed to Xanthy's side. Whatever was coming, I wouldn't let it hurt my horse.

Perhaps because we were in the woods, it never occurred to me that the footfalls might belong to something other than an animal. Until I heard the voice call to me.

"There you are. I was starting to think I'd never find you."

Chapter end