Something.Not someone. Hecate’s patience pulled impossibly tighter. The second man spoke up, seemingly agitated once more.
“Come on, we’ve got to get to town before midday. Just grab her—” Hecate heard him, and her patience snapped. She whipped her gaze to the man sitting in the cart, raising one hand in the air. Immediately, dark, red sparks began flickering all over her skin. She tightened her fingers, and the man began clawing at his own throat, as if he was being choked, sputtering as he tried to breathe. Power was flying off Hecate in waves, sending ripples through the dirt road like it was the surface of water. Her eyes flickered purple and red, her full lips turned up in a sneer.
“Whoa, what the hell?” The man standing next to her raised his hands up in surprise, taking a few steps back. His eyes got wide as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. “Stop that!”
He made a lunge for Hecate, as if he could throw her off balance, but she threw her other hand up in his direction. As soon as she did, he fell to his knees and began fighting for air like his companion.
“How many women have you accosted on your travels?” Hecate spit the words out, her gaze snapping back and forth between the two offenders. They writhed in the dirt and on the cart’s bench. The horses were shockingly calm, as if they knew Hecate’s magic would bring them no harm. The men did not answer.
“How many?” she growled the words, twisting her wrists and sending both of the men to their knees. The one in the cart tumbled off the bench, landing face down in the dirt. The second tried to answer but couldn’t, only mottled attempts at words sputtering out. Hecate hissed.
“Too many, I’m sure.” She dropped her hands and the men gasped, sucking air into their lungs and shakily attempting to stand. Hecate shook her head, undulating her fingers and they fell back to the dirt. Her lips barely moved, but her power rippled through the atmosphere. It circled the men’s bodies and wrapped around them like ropes, tightening slowly in dark, red bands. Their expressions were frozen in looks of horror as they realized that they couldn’t move.
“If you’re so insistent that women should not walk into town, then you shouldn’t walk either.”
Hecate’s words were final as she waved a hand through the air, her magic dissolving over the men’s bodies. When the clouds of dirt and red power faded, there were only two snakes in their wake. Hecate smiled, a deep sense of satisfaction spreading over her as she picked up the edge of her himation and stepped over them.
She walked over and ran her hands over the horses, slowly removing them of their trappings and letting them run off. They would either go wild or find their way back home, both of which were likely preferable to spending another day as beasts of burden for such wretched men. Hecate turned around and saw the snakes sliding off the road and into the grass, hissing at one another, as if they were arguing whose fault it was.
I can’t say that I’ve missed the mortal world too terribly, but I’ll be damned if I don’t get to have a little bit of fun.Hecate picked up her pace and began walking once more towards Heraklion, the sun approaching midday. While there was always some joy in vengeance the way that she executed it, that slow burning hole in her chest was still there. Witchcraft and healing was something that Hecate was known for, and she realized as she approached the city that she was embarrassed. There was a pain—her pain, a woman’s pain—that she couldn’t heal. She couldn’t even diagnose it.
? ? ?
Once Hecate wasin the city, it was a short walk to find her temple. She had seen it in her mind’s eye many times before but had never visited personally. The streets got quieter the more she wove inward, ducking under archways and slipping behind corners. The doorway cried out to Hecate like a song, echoing remnants of her power back to her. When she finally landed on the same block, it was peaceful, but still busy. Unlike some of her Underworld counterparts, like Nyx, Hecate was popular in the pantheon, and her temples were well known.
The front door to the temple was open, and Hecate could smell cinnamon incense and hear a soft lyre coming from within. She took a few cautious steps inside, pausing at the doorframe as a spark of insecurity ran through her. It was rare, for her, to be concerned about the affections of others, but these were women,herwomen, and their support mattered. Their kinship mattered.
Hecate was only there for a moment until a priestess walked by, freezing on the spot and dropping a hood from her head. Her eyes got wide as she took in Hecate’s form, her head beginning to shake back and forth in a gentle shock.
“Goddess!” she gasped, still unable to move. Hecate could only offer up a bashful smile, nodding her head and finally stepping all the way into the temple. The woman’s exclamation got the attention of a few others, and within seconds, there was a small gathering in the front atrium. There were six women who lived at the temple, and all of them were now staring, their expressions ranging from shock to smiles as they ran out.
“Goddess!” another one repeated.
“Hecate!” a younger woman called her by her name, and one of the matrons threw her a disapproving look. Hecate caught it and shook her head.
“Let there be no formality between us,” Hecate smiled and took another step forward, grabbing the hands of the young priestess. “What is your name, child?”
“Thekla.” The girl could be no older than nineteen and barely able to contain her own excitement. Hecate pulled her into a hug, her arms tightening around the woman as she buried her head in Hecate’s shoulder and cried. Every time someone touched Hecate, she could hear their prayers, each and every one, past, present, and future, ringing out in her mind. She could hear the struggles and their praises, and it helped to get a picture of the women who stood in front of her.
As Thekla tossed her arms around Hecate, she heard the cries of a broken-hearted woman, still so young, who had been lied to. Hecate kissed the woman’s brow and eased her mental anguish. They all lost track of time as Hecate went to each woman, taking their name and bringing them into her embrace. She began to cry, overwhelmed with the look of love and support in their eyes. There was something in the air that was rare, impossible to capture, and more valuable than any riches in the moral or immortal realm—women, without pretense, recognizing the warmth in each other and giving into the support. Sisterhood.
Hecate smiled as the women led her further into the temple, proud and excited to show the goddess her sacred space.This.Hecate’s heart was warm, and her cheeks hurt from smiling.This is all I could ever need.
But she didn’t think about what she might want.
5
Hecate had informed the priestesses that she would be spending some time with them at the temple. The women were overjoyed at the announcement, almost to the point of tears, and immediately began preparing space for her to stay. Hecate insisted that they not put themselves out too terribly, that it wasn’t worth the trouble, but the women only scoffed.
“Goddess, you are inyourtemple. The very point is that it is a welcoming for you.”
Hecate could only chuckle and acquiesce, allowing the women to make up one of the bedrooms in the dormitories attached. The rest of the night passed easily, with all of the women gathered around the hearth and enjoying each other’s company until well into the morning. Hecate had flicked her wrist and supplied the wine and bread, regaling the group with stories of Dionysus. It was nearly dawn by the time that Hecate retired, making the priestesses promise that they would not wake up early for their prayers.
“You have made me happier than I have been in years, sisters,” Hecate had smiled. “Respectfully, I will not even hear your prayers if you do them terribly early tomorrow.”
The women laughed and everyone departed, filing off to their rooms and chambers to sleep off the wine.
The room that they had given to Hecate was beautifully put together, but sleep was far off for her. She didn’t need sleep like the acolytes did and had mainly excused herself for their benefit. It was one of the happiest evenings that Hecate had had in years, but she wasn’t entirely at peace. There was still an uneasy feeling in her chest that she hoped would settle.Maybe I’m being unfair…Hecate’s thoughts were gentle.I’ve hardly been away from the Underworld for a day.
