Читать книгу Valeria's Cross - Kathi Macias - Страница 6

Accompanied by a fleet of a dozen ships, the royal ship was extravagantly fitted for the empress and her daughter’s comfort on their journey to the island of Elephantine in Upper Egypt.

Valeria spent most of her time on deck, basking in the sun and viewing the picturesque Greek Isles along the route. One moonlit night after dinner the ship’s captain stopped to exchange pleasantries with Valeria and Prisca. The women marveled at the stars that twinkled across the black velvet landscape of the sky.

The captain pointed upward. “See the brightness of the North Star tonight? That same star has led ships to their destinations for centuries. It is the star that led the wise men to the Christ child.” After his explanation, the captain tucked his chin in what Valeria imagined to be embarrassment over his mention of Jesus. It was no secret that Diocletian was a devout pagan with little tolerance for the Christian religion.

Prisca quickly reassured the captain. “My husband employs many Christians for their loyalty and integrity.”

The captain lifted his eyebrows, appearing surprised.

Valeria understood that her mother was trying to put the captain at ease, so she added, “Father speaks highly of the Christian soldiers in his army too. He says they are honest and loyal.”

The captain’s jaw relaxed, and he smiled. “It is God’s command . . . to do everything with excellence, as if unto our Lord.”

“An intriguing impetus,” Prisca observed. “I should like to learn more about your faith and this Jesus you worship.”

“Then you are traveling to the perfect place,” the captain assured her. “The Coptic monks in Aswan are considered the greatest biblical scholars and teachers in all the Roman Empire. Madame could perhaps arrange a meeting with them.”

Prisca smiled. “Perhaps I shall,” she said, turning to Valeria. “Are you ready to go below? I am tired, and it is time for me to begin my bedtime beauty rituals.”

“Oh, Mother, could I please stay and stargaze awhile longer?”

Prisca hesitated and then spoke to Valeria’s lady-in-waiting, Eugenia, who was seated nearby. “Valeria is behind in her studies. She has my permission to stay if you will give her a Roman astronomy lesson.”

“I am sorry,” Eugenia answered, “but I am not qualified to teach astronomy.”

Prisca raised her eyebrows.

“What I mean is . . . I am hardly the person to do so, Madame. I do not believe—”

Prisca’s eyes narrowed, and her reprimand was sharp and to the point. “Were you not taught astronomy as a child?”

“Of course, but I cannot—”

“What you are really trying to say is that you object to our method of teaching astronomy. Is that it?”

Eugenia hung her head.

“I will not tolerate your religious beliefs interfering with the education her father and I have chosen for our daughter.”

“Forgive me, Empress.” Eugenia bowed before her mistress, her eyes lowered in obvious embarrassment. “I will gladly provide Valeria’s lesson.”

Prisca, still stiff with anger, nodded before turning to her daughter. “Good night, love,” she whispered before she went below, her entourage of servants following.

When they were gone, Valeria reached over and touched Eugenia’s hand. “By morning, Mother will have forgotten this little altercation.”

Eugenia, only a few years older than Valeria, bit her quivering lip and blinked back her tears, but forged ahead with the lesson. First she fetched some papyrus and sketched two constellations before pointing to the sky. “You see the North Star, the one the captain pointed out earlier? It is actually the tail of Lesser Bear, Ursa Minor.”

“Son of Jupiter,” Valeria interjected. She looked up at the sky and then ran her fingers over the illustration Eugenia had sketched for her.

“Very good.” Eugenia smiled at her eager pupil. “Across from it is Larger Bear, Ursa Major—the boy’s mother, Callisto.”

“Stop.” Valeria held up her hand. “Jupiter’s wife is Juno. Where does Callisto fit?”

“Let it suffice to say that Callisto was Jupiter’s ‘wife on the side.’ ”

“You mean his mistress? Are you insinuating that Jupiter was an adulterer?”

Eugenia’s eyes opened wide. “How do you know the meaning of the word?”

“Stop treating me like a child. I am fourteen years old!” Valeria flung her head to one side, and her copper-colored hair cascaded like a waterfall down one shoulder.

Eugenia rolled her eyes and continued. “Callisto was not always a bear. An insanely jealous Juno turned her into one.”

“Can you blame Juno? If Jupiter were your husband, would you not do the same?”

“Me?” Eugenia grinned. “I would have turned Jupiter into a bear myself.”

Valeria laughed. “What happened next?”

“Juno tricked Callisto’s son into killing the bear—his own mother.”

“I suppose that is one way to get rid of the other woman, but the poor boy must have been devastated.”

“Yes, but Jupiter took pity on his grieving son. He placed the boy and his mother in the sky so they could live together forever.” Eugenia paused and concluded Valeria’s lesson. “From the North Star we can always know the direction we are facing. It will help us find our way. The North Star never sinks below the horizon, so you can always locate it.”

Leaning closer, Valeria whispered, “You do not believe a word of the lesson, do you?”

Eugenia lowered her lashes. “My Father in heaven created the moon, the stars, and the sky—not Jupiter.”

“My father believes he is Jupiter.” Valeria laughed nervously. “At least, the embodiment of the god upon earth. Do you believe he is?”

“I would rather not discuss it,” Eugenia said, standing to her feet. “It is late.”

“Now I understand why you preferred not to teach an astronomy lesson.” Valeria grinned. “In honor of your god.”

Eugenia appeared distressed. “I have failed my God. My Christian friends will die before they deny him, but I . . . I do not even have the strength to refuse to fill a young girl’s head with the lies of pagan gods.”

“But how can you be so sure they are lies?”

“With your mother’s permission, one day I shall tell you.” Eugenia dried her tears with her handkerchief and reached for Valeria’s hand. “For now,” she said, as she kissed the girl’s fingertips, “it is bedtime.”

Once their traveling expedition reached the river, their luxurious cruising boat was dry-docked, and they stepped aboard the feluccas, the sailing vessels of the Nile.

As the hours slipped by, mother and daughter stood in awe, craning their necks to see the pyramids, the temples, and the palaces on the riverbanks. They marveled at the ancient mastery of engineering and perfection in design against a backdrop of sand dune cliffs and the lush green banks that gave way to russet mountains, set afire by glowing sunsets.

The women were fascinated by the wildlife, especially the vast herds of camels bunched at the shore. They were fearful of hungry crocodiles and enormous hippopotami that swam close to the boat and had to be coaxed away by the sailors. Valeria screamed every time she spotted a menacing snake the length of a small boat slither off the riverbanks and into the water.

On the final day of their journey, Valeria sensed a change in her heart. “Something is coming,” she told her mother.

Prisca raised an eyebrow. “Not another herd of hippos, I hope.”

Valeria laughed. “I am not sure what it is, but I feel a great sense of adventure awaiting us at Father’s palace on Elephantine.”

“I must write to your father with this news. It will truly make him smile.”

Before they could continue their conversation, the boat reached the city of Aswan, and the women gasped as one of the sailors pointed to the Island of Elephantine in the distance. They beheld the magnificence of Diocletian’s fortress rising up like a jewel out of the banks of the island. Fringed by palm trees, the palace glittered in the sunlight like a priceless diamond.