Chapter 138
[Just keep talking, about anything. I’m looking for you right now.]
[Mother said I can’t answer anyone but her while I’m here. I shouldn’t make any sound…]
[[But you’ve already talked to me, silly.]
[Leuce’s not silly…]
[You just called yourself silly a little while ago.]
[…]
The child fell silent again, then suddenly, as if struck by a realization, asked:
[How did you hear me, anyway? I didn’t make a sound. I was just thinking to myself!]
[I was teasing you a bit. No one else can hear your voice, even now.]
[But you can hear me! How do you do that? Who are you? Where are you? Are you a daemon?]
[It just suddenly came through. I’m your mother’s friend. I don’t even know exactly where I am.]
[A daemon! You’re a daemon!]
[No, I’m not.]
[Then… are you a ghost?]
[I’m not a ghost, either.]
[Then what are you? I can’t hear any sound at all. Nobody’s come in here… There’s no one in the sanctuary…]
[So, you’re in the sanctuary.]
[…Leuce got caught. Leuce really is silly…]
Atalanta let the child’s frustrated self-reproach wash over her, raising her head to scan the rooftops. Her gaze lingered on the sky, burning red beyond the walls, before turning straight ahead again.
[You’re a liar!]
[What did I lie about?]
[Mother doesn’t have any friends!]
The child’s triumphant tone was clear, like someone who’s just caught a thief. The lioness gave a light shake of her head, almost like a human sigh.
[What in the world has your mother been saying in front of you…?]
[Mother has no friends. But Leuce has lots.]
[…]
[So I feel sorry for her.]
[…]
[That’s why I have to play with Mom.]
[Does your mother know you feel so sorry for her?]
[She doesn’t smile much. But sometimes she does. When she smiles, she’s really pretty. I like it when she smiles.]
She ignored the question and went on with her own thoughts. Well, like mother, like daughter—never answering the question, just saying what she wants… Atalanta thought, amused.
As the lioness reached the sanctuary, she pawed at the tightly closed door, trying the handle with her teeth.
[Someone’s here. I heard a sound from above. I’m scared…]
[Don’t be afraid. It’s just me coming in. But did you say ‘above’?]
[Why do you keep eavesdropping on my thoughts?!]
[Then don’t think so loud. It’s not my fault you take after your mother.]
Of course, Pherenike had known the difference between ‘thought’ and ‘voice’ since her first meeting with Atalanta. But Leuce, so much younger than her mother had been, didn’t know how to sort out her thoughts yet. In a way, she’d awakened to her own powers even earlier and more sharply than her mother.
[You won’t find me even if you come in! I can’t find anyone, and no one can find me.]
[But you’re right here.]
The lioness stomped on the spot where the voice was clearest. Her sensitive animal ears caught the faintest hint of a movement, undetectable to any human.
She could almost see the small, startled face of the child curled up below. Deucalion had always said the girl was like a little Pherenike.
[…How did you know?]
[I just did.]
[Your footsteps sound weird. Not like other people’s.]
[That’s because I’m not a person.]
[Then what are you? A monster?]
[I’m a lion.]
[Wowww!]
The child’s cry rang so loud in Atalanta’s mind it made her lion ears twitch in pain, as if she’d heard it out loud.
[Me too! I Me too! want to be a lion too! Who are you?]
[I just told you, I’m a lion.]
[Your name! I want to know your name!]
[I’m Atalanta. Your mother named me.]
[So lucky! I wish my mother gave me a name too!]
[Leuce is a lovely name.]
The lioness tapped the stone floor here and there. How did she get down below, anyway?
[You’re lucky—you’re a lion! They say the goddess loves lions most.]
[That’s true.]
[Then come wolves, and after that, eagles.]
[Hmm.]
[That’s why Pelagon’s blood is greater than Argos’s Linus—wolves are above eagles. Leuce learned that.]
[Well, that’s how people in Evdokia like to see it. I’m not so sure the people of Argos would agree.]
[I’m descended from wolves. I wish I were a wolf! Then we could be friends.]
[Ever since humans appeared on earth, no matter how much the gods love an animal, beasts usually lead unhappy lives. So, you’re better off as a human.]
[Does that mean humans are never unhappy?]
[Of course, people are sometimes unhappy too. But the goddess loves you very much, so you’ll be happy for a long, long time.]
[Okay.]
[And you can still be my friend, even as a human. Just like your mother.]
Atalanta, realizing there was no way into the underground chamber, gave up her search. Which was probably for the best.
She flopped down on the stone floor, and with her big paw, gave the child a gentle tap on the head, as if to ruffle her hair.
[I wish I could run with your legs. Like Seirios.]
[Seirios?]
[Humans only have two legs. Humans are slow. It’s frustrating.]
[Leuce, how do you know Seirios?]
[Seirios is my dog! He’s yellow, and one ear flops down. The maids say he’s ugly, but he’s very cute. I found him in the woods.]
[Oh, I see. Just the same name.]
[You know a Seirios too?]
[My Seirios is different. He’s a wolf-dog. As big as a lion.]
[Wowww…]
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