There were gasps from the crowd.
“You dare to accuse the head of the Megabyzoi of lying?” said Theotimus. “Here in the very sanctuary of Artemis?”
Eutropius was flummoxed. He clenched his fists and his face turned bright red. “No, Megabyzus, of course not,” he finally muttered. “But my daughter is innocent, I tell you. She is a virgin. There must be a test — ”
“Of course there will be a test,” said Theotimus, “just as Artemis decrees in such a terrible circumstance as this. My fellow Megabyzoi, remove this girl from the temple at once, before her presence can pollute it further.”
Priests moved forward to seize Anthea, who shivered and cried out for her father. Eutropius followed after them, ashen-faced. More Megabyzoi picked up the body of Chloe and bore it away, followed by her distraught father. The dancers dispersed, looking for their families. The musicians stared at one another, dumbfounded.
I turned to Antipater, and saw tears in his eyes. He shook his head. “How I looked forward to this day, when I might stand once again in the Temple of Artemis. And how I looked forward to showing it to you, Gordianus. But not like this. What a terrible day! What a disaster!”
I felt someone’s eyes on me and turned to see, some distance away, amid the dwindling, dazed crowd that remained in the sanctuary, the slave girl, Amestris. Her gaze was so intense, it seemed to me that she must have something she wanted to tell me, or to ask. But for the first time that day, it was she who looked away first, as she turned and hurriedly left the temple.
The atmosphere was gloomy in the house of Eutropius that night. I imagine the mood was little better in all the other households of Ephesus, for the death in the temple and the accusation against Anthea had put an end to the feasting and celebration. The Megabyzoi had instructed the people to return to their homes and to pray for the guidance of Artemis.
In the garden, Amestris served a frugal meal to Eutropius, Mnason, Antipater and me — though I was the only one who seemed to have any appetite.
“A youth of your age will eat, no matter what the circumstances,” said Antipater with a sigh. He passed his untouched bowl of millet and lentils to me.
“No one will ever convince me that it was the will of Artemis that Chloe should die,” muttered Mnason, staring into space with a blank expression. “Our enemies are behind this, Eutropius. You know whom I mean.”
Eutropius looked not at his friend, but at me. I felt like an intruder.
“If the rest of you don’t mind, I’ll finish this in my room,” I said, picking up my bowl.
“I’ll go with you,” said Antipater.
“No, Teacher — stay. We could use your advice,” said Eutropius. He issued no such request to me, and avoided meeting my eyes. I took my leave.
Alone in my room, once the bowl was empty, I found it impossible to simply sit on the bed. I paced for a while, then took off my shoes and walked quietly down the hallway to the top of the stairs; the conversation from the garden carried quite well to that spot. I stood and listened.
“Everyone knows that Theotimus is completely in the grip of the Roman governor,” Mnason was saying. “He’s determined to bring down all who oppose him — those of us who believe that Ephesus should be free of the Romans.”
“But surely you’re not saying the Megabyzus had something to do with Chloe’s death,” said Antipater.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” cried Mnason, with a sob in his voice.
After a long silence, Eutropius spoke. “It does seem to me that his accusation against Anthea was too well- timed to have been spontaneous. As unthinkable as it sounds, I have to wonder if Theotimus played some part in your daughter’s death, and then used it as an excuse to make his foul accusation against Anthea — an accusation that will destroy me as well, if the test goes against her.”
“This test — I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never witnessed it,” said Antipater.
“It’s seldom used, Teacher. I can count on the fingers of one hand the occasions it’s been performed in my lifetime.”
“I seem to recall it involves a cave in the sacred grove of Ortygia,” said Antipater.
“Yes. Until the test takes place, the accused girl is kept by the hierodules, the female acolytes who serve under the Megabyzoi. On the day of the test, they escort the girl to the grove of Ortygia, which is full of wonders and manifestations of divine will. One of the most sacred spots is a cave near the stream where Leto gave birth to Artemis and her twin brother, Apollo. In that cave, hanging by a chain from the ceiling, are some Pan pipes; there’s a story that explains how they came to be there, but I won’t recount it now. Long ago, an iron door was put in place across the opening of the cave, and only the Megabyzoi have the key. This is the test: if a maiden is accused of having lost her virginity, the truth of the matter can be determined by shutting her up in the cave, alone. If she is truly a virgin, the Pan pipes play a melody — whether Pan himself performs on the pipes, or a divine wind blows through them, no one knows — and the door opens of its accord, allowing the virgin to emerge with her reputation for purity intact.”
“And if the girl is not a virgin?”
“Then the pipes are silent, and the girl is never seen again.”
“She dies in the cave?” said Antipater with gasp.
“The door is opened the next day, and the Megabyzoi enter, but no body is ever found. As I said, the girl is simply … never seen again.” Eutropius spoke with a quaver in his voice.
“So the sacred cave is exclusively in the keeping of the Megabyzoi?” said Antipater.
“Of course, as are all the sacred places of Artemis.”
“But if you suspect Theotimus to be capable of murder — indeed, of profaning the very Temple of Artemis with such a crime — then might he not contrive to somehow falsify the virgin test, as well? You must protest, Eutropius. You must come forward with your suspicions.”
“Without proof? With no evidence at all, except for Theotimus’s animus towards Mnason and myself, because we hate the Romans? The Roman governor certainly won’t help us, and if we dare to impugn the validity of the virgin test, the people will turn against us as well. We’ll be accused of sacrilege and put on trial ourselves.”
“And subjected to some other supernatural test equally under the control of Theotimus, no doubt.” Antipater sighed. “You find yourselves in a terrible situation.”
“It’s the Romans who’ve turned the priests against their own people,” muttered Mnason. “The Megabyzoi should be the champions of the people, not their enemy.”
“To be fair,” said Eutropius, “there are divisions within the Megabyzoi. Most are as loyal to Ephesus and to the Greek way of life as you and I, Mnason. Theotimus is the exception, but he also happens to be the head priest. He always takes the side of the Romans, and he does all he can to silence those of us who oppose them. That sorry state of affairs will all change when Mithridates comes.”
Mithridates! No wonder they dared not speak openly in front of me, a Roman. Mithridates was the King of Pontus, which bordered Rome’s territories in the East. For years he had been positioning himself as the rival of Rome, offering his rule to the Greek-speaking peoples of Asia Minor as an alternative to the Romans. Everyone in Rome said that an all-out war with Mithridates was inevitable. It was clear which side Eutropius and his friends would take. Perhaps they were even agents for the king.
“Mithridates may indeed drive the Romans out of Ephesus someday,” said Antipater quietly, “but that is of no use to us here and now. What can we do to save Anthea?”
“We must pray that Artemis is more powerful than the corrupt priest who speaks in her name,” said Eutropius quietly. “I must pray that the virgin test will give a true answer, and that Anthea will be vindicated.”
There followed a long silence from the garden. I suddenly felt that I was being watched, and turned to see Amestris behind me.
“Did you need something, Roman?” she said.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“About as long as you have.” She flashed a crooked smile.
I swallowed hard. “Then you heard everything that I heard.”
“Yes.”
“This grove called Ortygia — where is it?”
“Not far from the city. You take the Sacred Way, but you go in the opposite direction from the Temple of
