Snakehead by Ann Halam Read Free Book Online

shaken now that she might tell us the truth at last, but a direct question would be no use; she’d just disappear off to her room. I knew what Moumi was trying to do. Trade one painful story for another …
    “I was a princess. I was Danae of Argos; it’s a kingdom on the Mainland. My father had been told that his grandson, his rightful heir, would kill him. I was the only legitimate child, his only child born of a noble mother. When I was nine years old, he locked me in a tower, and swore I would spend my life there. Never see the sky, never touch the earth. I was allowed one nurse to look after me. I cried a lot at first, but she told me I was lucky to be alive, and I had the sense to know it was true. My father was a hard man. So I learned to be happy in my prison. Unfortunately, tale-tellers spread it about that the princess in the tower was astoundingly beautiful and wise.”
    “Absolutely true,” I put in.
    Moumi laughed. “Well, anyway. There was a night, which I remember vividly, when I had a thrilling, frightening, golden dream, and that’s all I’ve ever known of my son’s father. I’m sure the Supernatural Person involved didn’t mean any harm.”
    No matter what they do to you, it’s bad luck to criticize the Supernaturals.
    “But of course I was in a lot of trouble. My nurse
knew
that no mortal man had been near me. I was like a child; I didn’t understand. I thought it was lovely when she told me I was going to have a baby, because I would have somebody to play with. Well, Perseus was born, and my father found out. He had my nurse killed when she told him the truth. He didn’t kill us, just in case she was right. He had us nailed into a wooden crate, and the crate was taken out to sea, and dumped in the ocean. I was about fourteen. Perseus was three months old.”
    “Great Mother,” breathed Kore. She flashed a glance at me, and resumed staring at the ground. I knew she was thinking of that time on board the
Afroditi
, when she’d seen me flinch at the sight of a wooden box bobbing on the sea.
    “I
hate
my father.” The words burst out. I couldn’t possibly remember, but the fear that baby had felt was part of me, right at the heart of me, and I hated it. “My grandfather was a cowardly idiot. Doesn’t he know you
never
do yourself any good trying to fool an oracle? I don’t careabout him. But my so-called holy immortal father has no excuse. He knew exactly what he was doing to Moumi. I hate him!”
    “Luckily
he
does not hate
you
,” said my mother sharply. “Not yet, at least. He has left us in peace, for which I thank him. Don’t talk like that, Perseus.”
    “Sorry.”
    Moumi got to the point of the story. “You see, Kore, Perseus and I were condemned to certain death, but we lived. The crate was found on the shore of this island by a fishing-boat owner called Dicty, who opened it up because he heard sounds from inside. My baby and I were alive. Papa Dicty nursed us back to health, and we’ve been with him ever since. We have lived happily, we have lived well.
That’s
why I helped the refugees, if you need a reason. I know that fate can be changed, that good can come from evil. I know that there’s always hope.”
    There was a long silence. We were sure Kore was on the brink of speech. But she didn’t say a word, just went on staring at the ground.
    “Well, I
do
blame your grandfather, Perseus,” growled Anthe, tugging off her cook’s head cloth and giving her hair a fierce shake. “Achaeans are all the same. They’re convinced every woman born is a messenger from the Great All, and they’re afraid of us seeing their wickedness. So they lock girls up like criminals, and invent reasons to kill them.”
    Anthe had used the old name
Great All
, from before theDisaster, which people don’t use anymore. We only speak of the Great Mother. I saw Kore give a start, as if she’d suddenly heard someone speaking her own, lost language, which nobody on Serifos knew. Anthe