Baths of Ashkelon

The winds swept over the city walls of Ashkelon, slicing between the stone buildings set out in city blocks like stalwart rows of Praetorians standing on parade before Imperator Talinus. Night was encroaching upon the sun as a silver Alpha Roma Imperator ground along the gravel-laced road of a narrow alleyway and slowly skittered to a halt behind a tall, three-story homestead.

From behind the wheel, a slender man climbed out, pulling his toga tight around him allowing him to walk unimpeded. He looked down the street in one direction, and then the other, and wasn’t surprised that not much had changed in the time he had been away in Roma. All the houses were just as he remembered.

Quickly, he proceeded up the long path circling the house and pounded on the door. After some moments, it opened and Satrinine peered out into the twilight. “Ah, you’ve finally arrived, Caulindrus.” Smiling broadly, he stepped back, allowing the visitor to enter. “Was it a troublesome flight?”

Tall Caulindrus shook his head as he looked down into his friend’s fat, beady face and then wiped the sweat off his brow with the purple edging of his white robes. “Not really. Some important matters had to be settled before I could depart Roma. I do apologize for the delay.”

“Well, come in… come in.” He motioned into the large room where there were several long couches covered with expensive linens from as far off as Eurybia. “Wine?”

“Please.” Caulindrus said, swooping into the house and settling down in an empty chair placed by a large green marble table. He sipped from the glass of wine offered by his host.

Satrinine sat across from his guest and cleared his throat. “I was actually surprised when I received your recent letter. It’s not often you come to visit these days, my friend.”

“Matters of state have kept me quite busy, I’m afraid.”

“Is the problem between Egypt and Nippon worse than we’ve been led to believe?”

“It’s not getting any better. The Senate is hoping to get all sides to talk to one another. Progress has been slow.” Caulindrus looked around at the murals on the stone walls — depictions of Bacchus, holding grapes, with Priapus, a newborn child, at his side — and nodded in appreciation. They were well chosen for his friend’s home. “I see you’ve done some decorating since last I came. Has business been well?”

“I can’t complain. I must confess I was not sure about the viability of this business when my father gave it to me. I never knew how he kept it going, but I’ve become enlightened with old age approaching.”

Both men laughed as they drank their wine. “And the family?”

“Fine. Away on holiday in Sicily.”

Caulindrus breathed in deeply and leaned back in his chair. “If I’d known, you could have contacted me — postponed my visit. I would have understood if you had wanted to spend time with them.”

Satrinine shook his head, waving his friend off. “No. No. I wouldn’t hear of such a thing. Business before family. Besides, Sicily isn’t my favorite place to go.”

“I understand completely.” He set his empty wine glass down and slid a large pile of gold coins toward his friend.

Satrinine placed his empty glass beside the other and slid a majority of the coins back toward his guest. “You’re being far too generous. It’s too much. This isn’t Roma, or Pompeii. Ashkelon has maintained the cheapest prices in the empire. And it shall remain so. I doubt others would appreciate your efforts to raise the standard. Foreigners have already done enough harm.”

He pushed the pile back. “I think you misunderstand kindness for cost. The rest is for something else, and even this is just a sample of what I’m willing to pay. I’d like to rent the place for a weekend sometime soon.”

Satrinine eyed his friend with cautious surprise. “Oh?”

Caulindrus stood. “Perhaps I should give you time to consider it.”

He waved his friend off with one hand, keeping his eyes fixated on the pile of gold coins. “Yes. By all means. You know the way.”

Caulindrus walked through the dining hall and kitchen to the back of the house. Going down a short hall, he entered a small building separated from the main house. Through the veiled doorway, he was instantly greeted by the welcome aroma of lavender scented air. It had been so long, he’d almost forgotten what it was like. Breathing deeply, he walked deeper into the apodyterium.

Along the side wall was a number of alcoves used for storing patrons’ clothes. He couldn’t help but notice that the majority of them were empty. Choosing one far from where most had placed their own clothes, he removed his robes, folded them neatly, and placed them in the very back. The remainder of his clothes followed, hiding his robes from view. All he kept in his possession when leaving the room was a money pouch.

He walked down a short corridor and into Satrinine’s bath, a fairly large one by private standards. There were several women there, bathing themselves. A few men sat around the water’s edge. Only one was not being entertained by a woman, but was probably waiting for someone more to his liking to become available. He moved along the wall through the steamy air and sat beside a woman on a dripping wet bench. “I’m looking for Allia.”

“Upstairs, signor,” she answered, looking toward him, though her eyes reached not his face, but his hand as he slid several asses from his pouch and placed them on the bench between them. She took the copper coins into her hand as he stood and moved to the other side of the room. At the very end, obscured from view, was a set of stairs.

There were many cubicles set along the walls of the upper floor. Some were occupied, with strained noises coming from within indicating well satisfied customers. Looking around, he spied her sitting in the common area, her brown hair pulled back and her waist covered by a mere slip of beige cloth. He saw, as he approached, a newborn suckling upon one bare breast. She looked up at him, no emotion in her face. When he set a gold coin down on the bench beside her, she pulled the child away and handed it over to the younger girl sitting beside her. “Take her, Lucretia.” The young girl said nothing as she exposed her own breast and allowed the child to feed. Allia took the coin and silently led him into a cubicle.

Allia sat on a concrete slab covered only by a thin mattress and pillow and removed the cloth wrapped around her waist while Caulindrus, stroking himself to get hard, looked at the stone walls. There were a number of inscriptions on them. Many were names, while others listed prices for any number of services. He didn’t look at them––he knew them by heart and could afford them all. He looked at inscriptions carved into the stone wall that gave testimonials to how good the services were.

Ea tanta erat!

Optima quam mihi uxorem era!

He knew the truth to these — Satrinine’s women were well bred in the sexual arts required for the trade. They were better than women of proper upbringings. Allia was certainly better at satisfying his needs than his own wife. Finally, he turned to her, now naked, lying on her back waiting for him. “Is that your daughter out there?”

“They both are, signor.”

He set a few more gold coins down on the bed beside her. “I only have an hour. What can I get for that?”

She glanced at the glimmering coins. “Everything you desire.”

   *

The hour passed pleasantly, and Caulindrus rose to his feet. In the doorway, Lucretia stood watching him. How long she had been there, he didn’t know, nor did it really matter. She had watched her mother work many times over. He stopped in the doorway beside her and gazed down, appreciating her youthful beauty, before plucking a gold coin from his pouch. “Lucretia, care for your sister while your mother rests. It seems I tired her out.”

“You always do, signor,” she commented, taking the offered coin.

“True enough.” Caulindrus laughed and went down stairs to wash up. After a short dip in the bath, he returned to the dressing room and slipped on his robes. He found Satrinine lounging in the main house being waited upon by a slave girl who was not yet old enough to join those living on the upper floors of the bathhouse.

The short man took a sip of wine and pointed to the empty cup sitting across the table from him. She quickly filled it and was gone. Satrinine motioned to the empty seat. “Join me, please.” Once Caulindrus was seated, he continued. “I trust all was satisfactory?”

“Of course. Though I did notice you’re not as busy as usual.”

The man sighed tiredly. “It’s been a slow season, I admit. I’m not talking about myself, really, but in general. When the Imperator opened the walls to foreigners, the locals thought it would be a good business venture. After all, where in, say, Eurybia can you get women for an hour as cheaply as here? But Eurybians are not… they don’t have the same respect as we do.”

Caulindrus shook his head, disappointed. “Yes, I’ve seen that in Roma — the tourists who come over are quite rude.”

“Poor Petris down the road. He tried to open his doors to several Eurybians. They beat one of his slaves when she didn’t give them what they thought they’d paid for. And then they raped her when she was unconscious.”

“Barbarians. Just like their brethren.” Caulindrus cleared his throat. “Caesar was right, you know. Keep our gains in Gaul and cut off the Britannians. Let them have the north. And the west, even.” He appraised his friend. “You’ve never been to the Roman Wall, have you? I’ve looked into Germannia. Rather unimpressive. But the wall itself… even greater than the one on the north-western border of the Nippon mainland.”

“Still didn’t stop them. Eventually the Westerners found a way in… with commerce, no less.”

“So what did Petris do?”

“Held them up on charges and demanded restitution for his property, of course. When they didn’t pay, they had to be forced — by the Praetorian Guard, no less, since they were foreigners. They might still be in chains.” They laughed as Satrinine set his glass down. “Now, what’s with this request? You want to rent the place?”

“Oh, yes.” He looked around before clearing his throat. “Well, I was hoping… you see, Terence is graduating from the Academy at the end of the month.”

“My! Already? Congratulations!”

“Thank you, my friend. I was hoping my son and his fellow friends might celebrate.”

Satrinine smiled. “Ah. How long has it been since we held a real party here?”

“Far too long, my friend. I was thinking of something quite extraordinary.”

“Of course. I think I could make accommodations for such an event. My only concern is these friends of his. Certainly, I don’t mind Terence — he’s practically family! It’s these other boys. I wouldn’t want my business here widely known. I’d have too many people pounding at my door, and wouldn’t be able to accommodate them all. I have a very select clientele. I know them all, and their privacy is assured. This has been, and always shall be, very exclusive. I’ve seen what happens to those who do go public, and in these times, it simply doesn’t work. I’m sure you understand my concern.”

“By Jove, I do,” Caulindrus said assertively. “And I wasn’t thinking we should advertise the fact, which is why I wanted to bring this up before anything occurred… the issue of payment. I want to make sure everyone is compensated — you for your time and property, and them for all services rendered. Certainly, the boys won’t ask questions if all their needs are tended to. If your women don’t ask for money, the boys won’t know, and everyone will leave having had a good time.”

“It seems like you’ve thought about this a great deal.” Satrinine paused before finally nodding his head. “Very well. I’ll make arrangements. The only question is when you want to do this.”

“Give me time to write my son.” Caulindrus sighed. “I suppose I reveal everything so he knows not to raise the issue while his friends are here.”

Satrinine looked at his friend, surprised. “He doesn’t know yet?”

Caulindrus shook his head solemnly. “No. I didn’t want anything to… interfere with his studies. He’s my only son, after all. I wanted to make sure he would succeed.”

“And so he has.”

“Yes.” He smiled proudly. “I’ll be in touch and we’ll have this party — say, in less than a month?”

“That should be fine.”

Standing, Caulindrus reached his hand out toward his friend, who took it warmly and led him to the door.

   *

Terence scuffed his way down the dark hall towards his room. In one hand was his lamp, its flame flickering. Clutched weakly in the fingers of the other was a small letter. The molded red wax signet sealing the parchment was direct from his father’s offices — official for anyone but him. He entered the room, slipped off his slippers, and sat on the empty bed. Across from him, his roommate, Marcus, pulled back his covers and looked over at him. “Oh, it’s you. Bit late for a stroll, isn’t it?”

Terence did not speak, only nodded.

Another head popped up behind Marcus and looked toward Terence. “Who?”

“Just Terence. He’s probably got some bad news.”

“Why’s that?” Victor perched his head on Marcus’ shoulder. “Oh. A letter. Not good. Is it good news, Terrie?”

“I haven’t opened it.”

“Probably afraid to.” Marcus reached back and ran his fingers through his friend’s hair. “Wouldn’t you say, Vic?”

“Well, he probably doesn’t want to read it.”

“Say, Terence, you want to join us? Take your mind of that?”

Terence looked at them both. “No.”

Marcus sighed. “Probably saving himself for that party his father’s planning. Hey! Your father isn’t rescinding, is he?”

“No.” Terence opened the letter and stared at it in the orange light. “But he wants us all to go to Ashkelon.”

“Isn’t that your home city, Terrie?” Victor asked.

“We have a home there. Apparently he’s made final arrangements.” Terence said nothing else as he kept reading.

Marcus grinned widely. “Senators hold the best parties… no expense spared. Well, that’s what I’ve heard, anyway. So you’d better save yourself, Terrie.” He looked at Victor as he rested on his back, running his hand across Victor’s cheek. “Me? I can’t wait that long.” Terence stopped reading and watched as Victor disappeared under the covers. Marcus grinned, his eyes closed, as the covers began to bob up and down. He glanced at Terence, licking his lips. “You sure I can’t help take your mind off things?”

“No. Don’t mind me.”

“Suit yourself. Always pining for that girl. Of course, you want to make a good impression… if she’s there.” Crossing his arms behind his head, he grit his teeth and breathed roughly. Victor’s motions quickened. Terence finished the letter, folding it carefully before lifting the lamp shade and setting it to the fire. As it charred and seared down to a halo of smoke, Marcus groaned and Victor, coughing, pulled himself out, resting his head on Marcus’ bare chest.

They fell asleep while Terence sat on the edge of his bed, trying to accept the news — Satrinine’s home. Only now did he understand why… why his father had taken him there so many times in his youth. What he was doing while he played with Satrinine’s children. There were always many girls at the house… only they weren’t his own. And then there was her. He didn’t even know her name, but they played games he never forgot. Terence felt himself stiffening at the thought as he turned out the lamp and collapsed back on the bed.

   *

There were fifteen boys in Terence’s graduating class who joined him for the party. Relaxing on a private airship commissioned by Terence’s father, they flew casually across the Mediterranean. He sat by the window watching land and sea blur by while his friends had already begun the festivities. He did not join them, thinking about his return to Ashkelon. He had not been home in over five years, and already he saw things differently.

Around him, his friends drank and sang. Marcus and Victor entertained themselves in their usual manner. Sometimes slipping into the lavatorium with each other. Others, pulling in one of the many servas his father had arranged to see their trip was enjoyable. He watched one serva stumble out, face flushed, with several wet splotches on her robes, while fingering a few gold coins. When Marcus emerged moments later, he grinned sheepishly and plopped in the seat beside Terence. “What’s wrong, Terence? You act like someone’s died.”

“It’s nothing. Really.”

“Are you worried that you won’t see her?”

“Who?” he asked, trying to look innocent.

Marcus eyed his friend in amazement. “That girl you’ve mentioned only about a dozen times. Are you worried you won’t be able to ask her?”

Terence shook his head. “Actually, I’m not worried about that at all.”

“Then what are you so worried about?” Marcus reached out as another serva approached, snatching her wrist as she walked by.

She stopped and looked down at him. “Signor?”

“Lavatorium. Five minutes.” She nodded faintly and he let her go on her way before looking at Terence. “See, that easy.” He sighed. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves… on your father’s coin no less. I’ll be quite upset if you don’t get yourself laid out by the end of it.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Satisfied, Marcus nodded before leaping out of his seat and heading after the serva.

   *

Terence was the first off the airship upon its landing, and he saw Satrinine waiting for them. He put on a broad smile as he climbed down the gantry and walked over to meet the host for the party. “It was kind of you to meet us.”

“Nonesense!” Satrinine slapped the young man’s shoulder. “It’s been far too long. Welcome home, Terence.”

“Yes. It has, hasn’t it?” He tried his best to look enthused.

“Your father’s at the house.” Satrinine waved to his friends. “And to the rest of you, welcome to our home. It’s good to see you all.”

They all climbed into the sedans that Satrinine had hired. It was a liesurely tour through the city, ending at Satrinine’s home. Terence followed his friends as they enthusiastically surged through the wide-open doorway. On a long table, drinks had already been poured, the food set out. They dug in with a vigor.

Terence did not join them, but found his father in the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, watching him give the orders for the meal. The servas worked diligently even when his father’s attention grew distracted. “Ah. Terence. You’ve arrived.”

“Hello, father.”

Caulindrus smiled warmly as he moved toward his son. “It’s good to see you.” He stopped when Terence shifted uncomfortably. “Yes. Well...”

Terence looked around. “You were true to your word, at least. I see you spared no expense.”

“None.” His father shook his head faintly. “Not for my son. I’m proud of the work you’ve done.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” He paused. “Were you planning on staying?”

“Oh! No!” Caulindrus laughed faintly. “The last thing you want is two old watchdogs. We’ll leave in a few minutes, and then the place is yours for the weekend… if you wish.”

Terence looked around at his friends. “They will wish. Especially with the entertainment waiting for them.”

Caulindrus cleared his throat. “It’s more for you than them. You’ve become a fine man, deserving of every privilege that position offers.” He put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You’ll get used to this. Just as I did. In time, you’ll understand. And when you’re married, you’ll even find that it keeps the union fresh.”

“And what about mother?”

Caulindrus looked at his son and sighed heavily. “Do you think it’s just me? It’s the same for her.”

“So she knows about this?”

“Of course she does. And what do you think those servuses of hers do? Just keep her cup full? It’ll be the same for your sisters when they come of age.”

“So, this is the life of a senator?”

“It’s a privileged existence for all the hard work we do for the citizens. You’ll get used to it. But for now… I’ll leave you to enjoy yourself.” Terence stared after the two men as Caulindrus left with Satrinine.

“So much for love, right?” Shaking his head, he closed the door and scuffed his way to the bathhouse. Some of his friends had already found their way there, their clothes haphazardly littering the dressing-room floor. Terence stripped, leaving on only his underwear, before going into the bath. The room was immersed in steam, and the faint smell of lavender lingered in the air. There were splashes in the water as women motioned for the newcomers to join them. Others sitting along the walls giggled as his friends propositioned them.

Terence watched the performance and wondered just how much his father had paid. Might it manage to hasten their freedom with the extra funds? He knew there were ways around the system that Roman society had implemented a thousand years before — making them pay for the care of old mothers and newborns gave them little chance to save any money.

While he watched, he noticed that Marcus needed no pretext to get a woman. He walked over to one of the younger servas, took her wrist in one hand, and led her to the shallow end of the bath. They were already entwined when Victor slipped into the heated water and positioned himself behind her. The three continued on for quite some time before resting and swapping positions.

He left them all to their own interests as he searched intently from the doorway. Finally, he spied a young woman about his own age sitting beside another who was nursing a child. She looked familiar, leaving him to wonder in hope. Her black hair shimmered in the light, framing her slender face, the thin blue gown covering her slender body, yet not concealing her as the dampness in the air made it cling tightly to her olive skin. He headed toward her, but hesitated when her companion stood and padded off for another part of the room. Finally, he sat down beside her on the sweating bench. “Did I interrupt something between… ?”

“No. She just didn’t want to be… near… if you desired me.”

“Oh. So she’s you mother. And the child… your…”

“Sister.”

“Oh.” He laughed nervously. “I wondered if it might be yours.”

She shook her head. “No. I haven't seen mine in some time. He's… with his cousins.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It's for the best.” She sniffed. Cleared her throat. “You did desire me?”

“I…” He laughed nervously. “I never learned your name.”

She hesitated before answering. “Lucretia.”

“It's lovely. Terence.”

“I know.”

He let out a quivering breath. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to—”

“Just tell me what you desire. I’ll do it.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve—”

“The body doesn’t forget.” She slid closer to him on the wet wooden bench. “See. You’re already hard.” She began reaching out toward the wrap covering his waist.

“Wait. Ca-can we do this somewhere else?”

“There’s only… there’s no place else to do it,” she answered. He stood, taking her delicate hand in his and led her out of the bath. She resisted. “We’re not—”

“I insist.” After retrieving his clothes, he guided her down the hall, through the house, and up the stairs to one of the empty guest rooms.

Lucretia shook her head. “We’re not allowed here.”

Terence closed the door. “I’m giving you permission. For the weekend.” He moved to the bed and sat. “Come over here.” She looked at the soft bed with fluffy pillows. He watched her eyes widen, glittering as she began to approach, hesitantly at first. Cautiously, she ran her fingers over the cloth covering the bed. It was soft. Terence smiled as he reclined. “This is what I desire. To be alone with you.”

“This isn't right.” She climbed onto the bed, kneeling beside him. “Even if only for a weekend.”

“I don’t care.” He reached up and slid the gown off her shoulders, letting it fall around her waist. “I just didn’t want to do this out there.” He pulled her close, kissing her gently. “I want something… normal.” Removing her clothes entirely, Terence ran his hands over her damp skin. “Even if it’s just for a weekend.”

  *

Lucretia woke up early Sunday morning bathed in sunlight. She pulled the covers away from her naked body and glanced over at Terence, still sleeping. She rolled over and ran her fingers down his flat belly, through the curls of coarse hair. He was hard. Again. She knew best how to satisfy him.

Terence awoke, his vision flickering with stars, and slid his fingers through her hair. “Good morning.”

She swallowed and sighed. “The last. By tonight, you’ll be gone.” She rested her head on his heaving chest. “You shouldn’t have done this to me. Allowing me to sleep on a real bed — giving me… such a taste for freedom — it was cruel.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I did it because I —”

“Don’t. Please don’t say it.”

“You won’t be a slave forever.”

“Liar. Unless you're seeing my mother and sister freed too.” He didn't answer. “I didn't think so.” She rolled onto her back. “You’re too gentle — treating me like a lover. Why don’t you come to my bed, and I’ll show you what it’s really like.”

Terence shook his head. “No.” She pulled away from him, rolling her back to him. He pressed himself against her. “I want to remember you like this… want you to remember what this is like.”

“I won’t forget, even if I wanted. It’s still not right.”

“Lucretia…” She noticed his breath began to quicken against the back of her neck. He wanted her so badly that he was hard again. “Do you remember when we played together when we were young?”

She couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “Oh. You never forgot about that, did you?”

“How could I?” He reached around her waist, pulling her against him. “I didn’t know about your life then. What you were.”

“You were too young. You couldn’t understand.”

“And you were already experienced in playing these games.”

“Hardly. I was still learning when we played together.”

“It didn’t feel like it.” Terence kissed the back of her neck. “And you left me with these feelings for you.”

“I’m sorry for that.”

“Don’t be.” He sighed. “When my father wrote me… I didn’t know what to think. There’s not supposed to be love in this, is there?”

“None. We’re just servas.” She looked out the window bitterly. “Men come to us for pleasure.”

“And what about you?”

“Just pain. And loss.”

“Can you see yourself doing this your entire life?”

“I don’t see anything else.” Lucretia sighed when she felt him pull away. Terence reached to his pants hanging off the edge of the nightstand and pulled something from one pocket. Lucretia watched him reach to the dresser in front of her and pour a pile of gold coins onto it. She stared at the gold shimmering in the sun. “We’re not to ask for money.”

He kissed the nape of her neck. “You didn’t ask.”

“I can’t take it.”

“You will because you don’t know any other life.”

“Shut up.”

“There’s more money —”

“Stop it.”

“— I want to give you. Not now, but the next time I visit.”

Lucretia glanced over her shoulder. “So you’ll be my first regular?”

“I don’t want anyone else,” he responded as she rolled on top of him, the pile of gold coins glittered in the edges of her eyes.

  *

Lucretia bore down hard, her forehead drenched in sweat. Allia, sitting beside her, held her hand tightly. Hoping. Just hoping. Her face strained red through several heavy, labored breaths. Rapid. She whimpered with the pain. Her mother looked from her flush-cheeked daughter to the woman crouched between Lucretia’s legs. “Nina?”

The older woman ignored her, focusing on her duty. She had delivered many children above Satrinine’s bath, but this was more difficult than most. “The head is crowning. Push again.” Nina nodded. “One more should do it.” The baby squeezed out into her hands, but she did not smack it. She held it up toward Allia and Lucretia, shaking her head solemnly. “This one will be another boy.” Allia looked at her daughter sadly as Nina quickly cut the umbilical cord and placed the child in a blanket before handing it to Allia. “Keep it quiet.”

Allia departed her daughter’s side and scooped the newborn into her arms. She hesitated for a moment before placing a rag over its mouth, while Nina was intent on finishing her duty. They suspected for some months, when Lucretia grew larger than expected, that her womb held more than one. Nina waited as Lucretia bore down once again, pushing with each contraction until a second baby spilled from her womb into the world.

This one came much easier than the first, and Nina held it up as soon as she had it. A sigh escaped her lips. “A girl.” She smacked it to induce breathing and cut the umbilical cord. As she moved to wash the newborn in the basin, she paused beside Allia. “It was a difficult birth. She’s in no position to do what needs to be done now. Will you take the responsibility?”

Allia nodded. “I will.”

“Then go. Hurry! It will be day soon.”

Leaving the rag in the baby’s mouth to keep it muffled, Allia rushed from the room and left the house through the rear, following the alley in the darkness towards the city’s edge. She traced her way along the back sides of stone walls, rushing more quickly when crossing the roads to avoid any early morning traffic. Finally, she reached a large brick building that led to the city’s sewers. The door was never locked, as Allia knew.

She disappeared inside before anyone could see her and hurried into the deeper recesses of the building where there were two gated doors. One led to the sewers. The second led elsewhere. She wrenched open the second gate and was assailed by the musty air that spewed out. It was discomfortingly familiar.

She pressed forward into the darkness along the wide, stone corridor to its end and descended a long series of winding steps. When water seeped through the cracks in the stone wall and the ground grew moldy and slick, she knew she was close. She reached the bottom and collapsed to her knees by a shallow pool.

In it, she set the newborn face down. She held it there rigidly for some time until the struggling stopped and its breath had left it. It was finally silent and still. Working fast, she clawed at the moist earth, going down until she struck bone. Sighing, she looked into the darkness. “You won’t be sold and sent away. Join your brother and cousins. At least you’ll remain with our family this way.” Setting the dead newborn down, she buried it, washed the dirt from her stained fingers, and retraced her steps to the outside world. As she hurried back to Satrinine’s bath, the sun flared over the horizon, casting golden streaks along the homes of Ashkelon.