Kirra's Journey

Episode 3 Prelude

"Of Scribes and Heroes"

Chapter 6

Embers glowed like tiny golden stars within the pyramid of the fire's gathered sticks and twigs. It had only begun to crackle, giving toasty warmth to the two travelers' hands and feet. The sun had long since dipped behind the mountaintops and with it came the chill of night.

A pity neither of them were hunters. A hot meal would have ended the night well. Yet, they had the jerky and bread Alcmene packed as well as the olives and fruit Katrina carried in her satchel. It was a simple supper; one Kirra would have appreciated in Endor. Too many months of Alcmene's fine cooking and Corinthian delicacies had softened her. It was good to get back to her roots. She wasn't cut out for an opulent lifestyle.

Perhaps this getting-back-to-her-roots experience had changed her opinion of Katrina. When she wasn't being a scribe, Katrina was actually a nice person. She was open and honest about her opinions on certain subjects, particularly the subject of scribes, and if something angered her, she wasn't shy about pointing it out. On the whole, her demeanor was impeccable, and her attitude about life and family was surprisingly similar to many of the things Kirra learned from her mother. Where had the audacious person who asked such horrid questions of Alcmene come from?

For this reason, Kirra had yet to work up the nerve to question Katrina further. She had let her prattle on about this, that and the other. News worthy items, to be sure! And she had, once or twice, thrown in her two dinars on whatever subject they discussed, but truth be told, she had no interest in Katrina's work as a scribe. She kept her talking only in the hopes of hearing Hercules' name on her lips. What was her real reason for going to Nesimus? Why was Katrina so desperate to find Hercules?

Kirra took a nonchalant bite of jerky. "So, what's in Nesimus for you? Is it the opportunity for a story or do you have family there, as well?"

Katrina had been laying her bedding down when the question came. She paused and eyed Kirra carefully. Not too keen on sharing your plans, are you? Kirra thought. Katrina took a seat near the fire, making a show of neatly tucking her legs and her skirts beneath her. A slow and teasing smile spread across her face.

Having sat cross-legged on her own bedding, Kirra skirts were bunched up between her legs as she used to at home. She'd grown far too comfortable 'getting back to her roots,' and now her cheeks were hot with embarrassment. How Alcmene would have balked if she had seen her sitting cross-legged as men do.

Ignoring her glowing cheeks, Kirra corrected her posture and straightened her dirt-stained skirts, but there was no unseeing her backward villager's ways. She went back to the matter at hand, to coax an answer from the scribe.

"Sorry, I don't mean to pry. Just curious, is all."

Katrina nibbled on a bit of bread, feigning ignorance, but her teasing smile had not faded. "Well, it's not exactly a secret, I guess. And since you're clearly not a scribe, I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I don't want anyone getting the scoop over me, you understand?"

"Absolutely."

"Actually, I'm headed for a city a little farther west of Nesimus."

"Oh?"

That was unexpected. Did she know something more about Hercules' whereabouts than his own mother?

"I'm heading for Chalcis. Do you know of it?"

Kirra's first inclination was to say 'no.' A bad choice. For someone claiming to be from Nesimus, she would have appeared dunce, to say the least. Or lying. Chalcis was the capital city of an island named Euboea that cradled the eastern side of Greece. The village of Nesimus was but a half-day's travel from Chalcis. What an unwelcome stumble that would have been. Kirra began to wonder if Katrina were testing her.

"Yes," she answered as one familiar with the area. "I've not been to the capital city myself, but I have heard of it."

"I'm going there to meet a man named Daedalus."

"Daedalus? The inventor?" Now that name rang a bell! Kirra couldn't hide her excitement.

She had read much about the famous inventor during her study into Hercules' early life. There was some talk he had created the Labyrinth of the Minotaur, the Minotaur Hercules defeated in Crete*, but at some later point in time, he and Hercules crossed paths and became friends. It was the only thing she had ever learned of him. Information trickled into Endor at a snail's pace, but it was the name—Daedalus. There was none other like it. It had to be him!

"I see you've heard of him."

"Yes, I've heard of him. He's only of the most famous inventor ever ... except, of course, for the god Hephaestus."

"Well, his fame will soon be infamy," Katrina said with the overeager smugness of a busybody.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because his son is dead, and Daedalus is the one who killed him."

Kirra's face fell. The friend of Hercules a murderer? Impossible!

"How do you know this?"

"The story came to me as stories often do, through word of mouth."

"Then, how do you not doubt it?"

"Believe it or not, Kirra, people generally speak the truth. We are at our most candid when it comes to idle talk. It's when we deal with others on a personal basis that we tend to deceive one another. So, why should I doubt it?"

"Because … this is Daedalus we're talking about here. An inventor. A father! Not a murderer."

Katrina gave her a dubious smile. "You're acting like I maligned a close friend. Do you even know the man?"

"No, but … it's no different than speaking ill of someone like … like Jason of the Argonauts or Achilles."

With a sigh, Katrina's expression went from defensive to conciliatory. "Look, just because I say he killed him, doesn't mean he murdered him. Seems Daedalus used his son to test some sort of flying device. From what I gather, something went terribly wrong and his son Icarus fell to his death."

"How terrible," she said, both relieved and saddened. "He must feel awful."

"You would think so," Katrina said, a smirk forming up on her lips. The eager scribe had returned.

"What do you mean?"

"According to the people, he's holed up in the Euboean King's castle creating weapons so deadly they destroy entire villages."

"That cannot be true."

"I would hope not, but from the stories coming out of Euboea, Daedalus doesn't sound like a man grieving the loss of his only son."

Be it a strange sense of justice or a tendency to believe without question anything she heard through word of mouth, Katrina was intent on vilifying the man. Only Hercules, and Daedalus himself, would know if the claims were true. Kirra's own sense of justice demanded she defend someone she knew to be a friend of Hercules, but she had another job to do and it didn't involve proving the scribe wrong.

"So, you're not really going to Nesimus then, are you?"

Katrina gazed upward, her eyes catching nothing but the underside of trees and their leafy branches lit by the waning fire. She was thinking, debating.

"Yes and no," she said, finally returning her gaze to Kirra. "I am going to Nesimus, but for another reason. I have it on good authority the mighty Hercules ... you know, son of Zeus and all that ... is in Nesimus attempting to reroute the very river you spoke of to keep the village from flooding."

This was her chance. The scribe had finally made mention of Hercules. Now, she had to decide how to react. Should she show excitement, as she had when Katrina mentioned Daedalus? Or should she be coy? Perhaps this was the right time to think about how she was going to steer her onto another path.

Kirra chose to feign an awkward surprise. "Oh really. Hercules?"

This would pique the scribe's interest and give Kirra time to think. She deliberately scratched at her nose and turned her gaze away to avoid eye contact. Katrina picked up on her body language as any good scribe would.

"What is it?" the scribed frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Oh, no. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

Katrina's frown told Kirra she had the scribe right where she wanted her. For a fleeting moment, she questioned whether she should be underhanded with someone who had shown her kindness. The truth was, with a simple flip of a coin, Katrina's kindness could turn into cruelty when she wanted answers. She could not forget the questions the scribe had flung at Alcmene, or the way it made her feel. What sort of questions would she lash at Hercules if she had her way? She couldn't bear the thought of the scribe bringing up with Hercules the subject of his wife and children in as cold a manner as she had with Alcmene. Kindhearted traveling scribe aside, Kirra would go on the defensive were she to overhear such a conversation. She wouldn't hesitate to lash back as she had with Prince Pervia of Attilas.

Feelings of guilt appropriately shelved, Kirra began a new ruse. "Do you remember the overprotective Aunt and Uncle I told you about?"

"Yes," Katrina said, unsure where the conversation was going.

"Well..." Kirra leaned in, casting secretive glances to her left and to her right, as if someone else in the night might hear. "My Aunt's name happens to be Alcmene."

Kirra watched Katrina's jaw drop. Pride washed over her and she fought to keep from smiling with mischievous glee.

"Alcmene? Hercules' mother?"

"Yes, my only and favorite Aunt," Kirra told her with smile and a nod, then let her face drop. "Though, she seemed out of sorts yesterday afternoon when she returned home from her shopping trip. She said a woman had asked her many questions about her past and wanted to know where her son was." Kirra looked pointedly at the scribe. "I take it that was you."

The scribe raised her chin. "Do you have any idea what a female scribe has to do to get a story these days? Male scribes put forth little effort on their stories and yet they're the ones who get all the glory. While the 'lesser sex' ... that means us ... work our rear ends off. And what do we get? Smirks, raised eyebrows and the oft-asked question: 'You're a scribe?' So, yes, it was me. If I have to get a little crude at times to get the answers I want, then so be it. It's harsh out there for a woman trying to make it in a man's world. You're young yet. Wait 'til you get older. You'll learn soon enough."

Kirra hadn't expected such a tirade, neither had she expected for Katrina to try so hard to justify her actions. It was time to placate her.

"I absolutely agree with you. Far be it for me to chastise you, considering what you had to go through to become the scribe you are. I guess my Aunt does tend to overreact a bit. She certainly did this morning. And now, after hearing about the inventor Daedalus, I can understand your reasons for trying to find Hercules. You did tell my Aunt about Daedalus, didn't you?"

"Well..." Katrina paused, fumbling with her words. "...not actually." She cleared her throat. "No, I didn't."

"There, you see. If you had told her about your reasons for looking for her son, instead of embarrassing her about her past, I'm certain she would have told you exactly where he is."

Katrina's frown deepened. "You mean Hercules isn't in Nesimus rerouting the river?"

Kirra snickered at the scribe. "Rerouting a river—how preposterous! Even for Hercules, it would be some feat. Lelas River floods frequently in Nesimus. Don't you think by now we'd know how to deal with it?"

Watching Katrina's expressions change from proud to hesitant to insecure, Kirra was sure a well-placed laugh at her expense would surely reel her in to the finale of her little ploy.

Katrina's lips were terse and her tone curt. "If he's not in Nesimus, then where is he?"

Kirra quelled her laughter. "Forgive me. Perhaps if you had told me your real reason for going to Nesimus a long time ago, I could've told you ... well, according to Alcmene ... Hercules is in Thebes."

Katrina's face fell so low she could have held it in her lap. "Thebes?! We passed the road to Thebes hours ago!"

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry."

Kirra didn't have to work to appear genuinely apologetic. The scribe's frustration brought back a pang of guilt for deceiving her. Going back on her plan, though, was out of the question.

"Oh Katrina, I certainly hope this doesn't put a damper on your big story. I'm certain once Hercules hears of what happened to his friend he'll want to help you. I'm sure of it."

Katrina said nothing. She stewed in her anger, which glowed as brightly as the embers in the fire between them.

Kirra added, "If you'd like for me to come with you, I'd be more than—"

"No, no!" the scribe quickly said, holding up her hands. She turned from Kirra and slipped into her bedroll. "I'm sure I can manage on my own, now. Goodnight. You've been more than helpful."

Kirra understood her perfectly. Feigning ignorance, she smiled sweetly.

"I'm glad I could help."

* - The Minotaur was actually defeated by the mythological hero named Theseus. However, for the sake of the alternate history of HTLJ (and XWP), as well as the movie "Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur", I made a few changes to mythology.

I'll post the final chapter to "Of Scribes and Heroes" tomorrow.