Several of Hathor’s daughters were born with cow’s heads and they are absolutely beloved in Egypt, and considered to be very desirable…”
She gulped a deep breath. “Let’s discuss this later. There may be nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right.” His fingertips lightly stroked the sides of her face. “With your help and love, I can fully become a man and live above in the sunlight. I want that more than anything.”
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Darron smiled at her with a sweet, slightly crooked grin. “You don’t like my tail, do you?”
She shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to say.
“Please be honest,” He glanced over his shoulder at the offending appendage.
She gazed at his strong profile lit by flickering torchlight. There was plenty to appreciate about him. His face was ruggedly handsome and his solid warrior’s body made her feel wonderful. Even his ivory horns had an air of majesty. Why did he have to bring up the one thing that troubled her? “It’s not that I dislike it…” She hesitated. “It’s just so—animal.”
He stood and offered his hand. “Come with me.”
She grasped his hand and rose, smoothing her rumpled tunic with her other palm. “Where are we going?”
“Deeper into the heart of the labyrinth.”
“Why?”
“For me, the only way out is by going inward. On Asteria, a labyrinth is considered the ideal safe place to begin life on Earth. Some visiting Asterions never fully attained human form, or even left the labyrinth. I want more. I want to live above as a man, but to do that I must have the permission of the Asterion council and a specific purpose to fulfill on Earth. Perhaps we can find that purpose together.” He glanced over his shoulder at his flicking tail then smiled. “Don’t worry—it will be gone soon.”
He reached for the torch with his free hand, removing it from a niche in the wall. “Follow me.”
They left the small chamber and walked into a passageway that split into three narrower paths. Darron chose one that barely accommodated the width of his horns. “I hope I picked the right passageway,” he mumbled. “It’s a lot easier navigating a labyrinth as a formless spirit. I usually just floated through obstacles, instead of walking around them.”
“You don’t know your way around down here? You said you were here for years.”
“I was, but being in a physical body makes it an entirely new experience. Now five physical senses are involved. There are features to the labyrinth that simply did not register with my spirit-self, such as textures and smells…even shadows, if you can image, were something I never had to cope with.” The tip of one horn scraped the wall and he winced and pulled away. “See? I’m still learning. Before, I simply followed a thought and the thought would take me directly where I wanted to go. It was much easier.”
He glanced at her. “But I have no regrets about taking a physical body. This is the best adventure I’ve ever had.”
“What exactly were you?”
“Light, is the easiest answer. I had far less substance than the priest you met upon your arrival.”
“Is the priest an Asterion too?”
“No, he’s from another race of beings who are also interested in the denser physical realms, but they have yet to master the art of taking on any sort of physical form. These beings, like the Asterions, are in awe of Earth and all that is possible here. They’re here simply to assist our work and observe.”
“Why did you wait so long to take form?”
“I had no choice. I had to be physically initiated into your realm. I couldn’t simply will myself through the portal, though I did try.” He laughed quietly. “Someone had to come to the labyrinth and offer a few drops of blood in order for me to take physical form.”
Larisa became disoriented as they negotiated the many twisting turns, and was convinced they were wandering in circles. At every corner she expected to see the straw mattress and half-eaten platter of food, but eventually they came to a rounded chamber with a large, sparkling silver mirror embedded in the wall.
As they approached the mirror, it rippled to life as if it were the calm surface of a pool.
“Go ahead,” Darron encouraged. “Look into the mirror; it’s the past made clear. Of course you can’t go back, but you can see it for what it was.”
A chill skittered over her skin. “What will I see?”
“I don’t know.” Darron released Larisa’s hand and allowed her to approach the mirror alone. “It’s not my past.”
She cautiously stood before the mirror, at first seeing only her reflection of long curls and large brown eyes —then the surface rippled and the image of her dead fiance Alecto shimmered into form.
Alecto looked back at her in death as he had in life, with restless fire burning is his dark eyes. He was a man of action and quick temper who was always ready to fight. At the slightest hint of battle, he was the first to gather his weapons and sound the call. A great warrior, inspiring and brave, Alecto was the son her father never had, and he had been her father’s first choice of a husband. Larisa’s father had arranged her marriage to Alecto shortly before their deaths.
Alecto had clearly been the right man to follow in her father’s footsteps as warrior chief, but had he been the right man to provide a loving household for Larisa? That question had never been broached.
Alecto continued to stare back at her with narrowed eyes. His stern expression almost dared her to entertain warm thoughts about him. He was from another tribe, and he and Larisa had known very little about each other, a fact that didn’t matter to Alecto. She was a chief’s daughter and therefore a worthy prize. That was all he required in a wife. She had only been alone with him on the rare occasion. All she truly knew about Alecto was what she had gathered with her eyes or overheard while they were in the company of others. Alecto and her father had mostly shared detailed conversations about weapons and battle strategies.
In the mirror, beyond Alecto, the faint image of a flickering campfire crackled and she was reminded of the single sweet thing they had shared. One night, beside a campfire when no one was looking, he’d grabbed her wrist, pulled her onto his lap and kissed her deliriously.
Larisa had loved it. The kiss had left her breathless and proved to be an exciting invitation to a new world of desire. She’d instantly wanted to experience more, but aside from the stolen kiss by the fire, they’d been strangers. She’d been left wondering about all the things she didn’t know about Alecto and never would.
The mirror darkened and Alecto’s image faded. Larisa had wanted love, a home and children of her own, and Alecto had been the one chosen to provide those things. But she realized Alecto would never have been happy staying home with a wife and children. He’d been forever on the march. When he died, she’d felt great sorrow for his unlived life—but she now felt deeper sorrow for the narrowness of that life.
“What are you thinking?” Darron whispered.
“I was thinking how tragic it is that the people of my village spend all their energy and lives fighting with our neighbors and achieving so little. When our boat washed ashore, I was awestruck by the Palace of Asterion. I never dreamed such splendor existed. My village is made of mud thatch and each cottage is so tiny you can barely spread your arms without striking a wall. When I saw what the Minoans could build, I wanted to shout, ‘Why can’t we achieve that? Why must we spend all our time fighting?’
“My father and Alecto were obsessed with battle. They were brave men. I respect them both but what a waste it all was. They left little of value behind. During their lives, not a moment was spent on making the future better or more beautiful.”
Darron gazed at her. “Do you think the people of your village would be interested in learning new ways?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I would hope so. I want to learn to paint the images I saw on the Minoan palace walls…”
He picked up the torch, took her hand and led her out of the mirror chamber. They walked another twisting passageway, this time coming upon a dripping grotto. The air was warm and humid. Steam rose from a natural hot spring.
Darron set the torch into the wall and waded into the spring. He motioned for Larisa to follow. “Bathe with me.” He walked to the middle of the clear spring until the water reached his shoulders.
She stood nervously at the edge. “I can’t swim.”
