Chapter 10:

Venice, days earlier:

"Another one," said one of Johan's men.

"Put him there," Johan ordered.

The mercenary wrestled the young looter, whose hands were bound, to the ground and propped him up next to the building's wall, alongside dozens of other looters. With Thomas and the others safely away from the coliseum, the mercenaries assisted the Italian soldiers in cleaning up the streets and restoring order.

"The riots have all but died down," began Johan, "And Cepheus is being re-united with the girl as we speak; remarkable job, men!"

As the mercenaries celebrated, two nearby Italian soldiers examined them with suspicion.

"It matters not that you aided us," spat one of the soldiers, "You still have a lot of explaining to do to the Doge when he returns."

"Oh?" said Johan.

"He's going to want to know why foreign mercenaries are operating in Venice without his knowledge," said the other soldier, "What is it you want here, scum?"

"My men and I are not planning to stick that long," began Johan, "But if you insist, then I'll be happy to stay and explain to the Doge how many of his soldiers took bribes from the cultists, allowing them to march through sections of the city unopposed."

The soldiers sneered at Johan, but ultimately backed down. Just then, another mercenary arrived onto the scene, dragging behind him a prisoner.

"Look who it is, sir," said the man, "Found him on the same island where that damned coliseum was."

Johan turned around to get a good look at the prisoner. He was the strange man they had encountered in the Doge's palace.

"Unglaublich," sighed Johan, "So, we allowed you to escape, yet you chose to hang around?"

"I 'ad no choice, sir," sobbed the man, "Dampierre needed me at the coliseum, 'e did. 'e assured me that the Fygul Cestemus would take care o' you mercenaries!"

"Clearly," began Johan, "That wasn't the case. Now, you are in big trouble."

"Oh God!" the man began bawling, "I don't wanna go to prison! Please, I'll tell you everythin' I know!"

"How did you manage to escape the coliseum so quickly without being spotted?"

"There was this secret tunnel. This one bloke wearin' a toga was leadin' the cultists through it and I followed 'em. I really wish I 'adn't…I 'ate the dark!"

"Who? What man in a toga?"

"I don't bloody know 'is name!"

Johan glanced around at his soldiers, puzzled.

"Sir," said one of the mercenaries, "He could be referring to Kyria's ally. I believe his name was Sarpedon."

"That can't be right," said Johan, "Sarpedon told us he was pursuing them through the tunnel…Are you sure he was leading them out?"

"I swears," pleaded the man, "They even discussed 'long the way, they did."

"Mein Gott!" exclaimed Johan, "If this is true, then Kyria's in danger! We have to go now!"

"Sir?" said one of the men.

"Don't you see?" demanded Johan, "Sarpedon is a traitor! We have to find Kyria and warn her!"

Johan pointed at the Italian soldiers.

"You two," said Johan, "We need a boat to cross the Adriatic immediately. This is an emergency!"

"You're pushing your luck, kid," growled one of the soldiers, "Why should we help you?"

"Because," said Johan, placing a hand on his scabbard, "I'll do more than 'push' if you refuse to help!"

The soldiers glanced at each other for a second then turned to face Johan again.

"You can have one of the caravels we seized from the coliseum," said the soldier, "Try to bring it back in one piece, yes?"

"Men," said Johan, "Let's go!"

-End Flashback-

"So," began Thomas, "What happened after you left Venice?"

"We sailed across the sea, hoping to find your boat," explained Johan, "When we found the wreckage, we nearly lost hope. By sunrise, we put our search on hold and headed to Durrës. It was at the port we encountered Kyria."

"Indeed," said Kyria, "I had gone there hoping to procure a new boat - Not an easy task to accomplish without cash. After encountering Johan and his men, we rented some horses and set off in search for you."

"After everything I said," began Thomas, "You still…"

"Thomas," said Kyria, "You are the last friend I've got. Your wife is still out there and I refuse to let you die alone without at least giving you one last shot to save her."

"I-I-I don't know what to say," said Thomas, "Er, other than 'Thank you', that is."

Kyria smiled at Thomas.

"I don't mean to break up the reunion," began Johan, "But I have to ask: What are Fygul cultists doing all the way out here?"

Kyria and Thomas turned to face Johan, who was inspecting the cultists' bodies.

"I can answer that," began Thomas, "Before you arrived, I overheard a meeting between Sarpedon and some Ottoman Janissaries."

"Janissaries?" asked Kyria.

"Yes. It is exactly as my wife theorized; the Fygul Cestemus have the Ottoman navy in their pockets. The Janissaries spoke of someone named 'Dragut', who is supplying the cult with weapons and manpower."

"I know that name," said Johan, "It is the nickname of Turgut Reis, an Ottoman Navy admiral and privateer responsible for a number of invasions across Europe. If he is taking bribes from the cult, then this conspiracy is far greater than I thought!"

"Thomas," began Kyria, "Did they say exactly how they will be getting to Lemnos?"

"Yes," continued Thomas, "The Turks are providing Sarpedon ships in some town named Stagira. But I should warn you that there will likely be a heavy military presence as well."

"Well then," boomed Johan, "What are we waiting for? Sarpedon may have gotten a head start, but if we leave now, we can still catch him!"

"Johan," said Kyria, "This is not your fight. You've done so much already. You still have those artefacts to…"

"Bah!" scoffed Johan, "Those can wait. We have a far more pressing issue at hand, don't we, men?"

Johan's men all nodded in agreement. Kyria smiled.

"Ready to go then, Thomas?" she asked, while holding out her hand to Thomas.

Thomas nodded and took her hand, allowing her to hoist him up onto her horse.

"I know these lands like the back of my hand," she said, "There's a shortcut to Stagira that not even Sarpedon knows about. It will take us primarily through Macedonia. We will avoid most of the Ottoman patrols and arrive in about a week."

"Alright," said Thomas, "I trust your judgement, Kyria."

"So," Kyria smirked, "You trust me now? What changed?"

"Call it a, er, 'revelation'."

And so, for the next few days, the group pressed onward, passing mainly through the mountainous region of Macedonia. Thomas remained determined to save Christine, though doubts and concerns plagued him at every rest stop.

On one night, the group had stopped to rest atop a large hill. Johan and his men slept in tents, sheltering them from the cold and dry air, while Kyria stayed awake to keep watch over the group. She sat under a small shelter occasionally poking at a dying pyre with a small stick. Over the horizon, the first few rays of the morning sun poked through the darkness.

Thomas, unable to sleep, stepped out of his tent and made his way over to Kyria, taking a seat next to her.

"Thomas," she said, "Can't sleep?"

"It's hasn't been easy," the young man replied, "How can I rest knowing Christine is in their hands?"

"You need not worry," said Kyria, "The Fygul Cestemus cannot harm her until the ritual is complete."

"I know. It's just – I cannot imagine what she is going through right now."

Kyria poked the dying fire some more, though it was nothing but embers at this point.

"I'm sorry, by the way," said Thomas, "About all that I said before. I was being incredibly selfish."

"It's alright," said Kyria, "You weren't entirely wrong. It was my duty to keep your wife safe and I failed you. It's a miracle you trusted me as long as you did."

"I spoke to him, you know."

"Who?"

"Hephaestus. Back in Albania, he appeared before me and…"

"What did he say?"

"He told me to stay strong and to have faith in you. He told me of all his regrets and how my destruction of Soul Edge was inspiring to him. Granted, I was exhausted and heat-stricken at the time, so I cannot be entirely sure that my vision was real, but…God, you must think me mad, huh?"

"I'd never think that. I am a woman of faith. I care not if your vision was real, only what you got from it."

"Well, I'm not a man of faith...Er, at least I wasn't until recently. Now, I don't know what to think anymore!"

Kyria tossed away the stick and allowed the fire to die. With the morning sun rising, the fire was no longer needed.

"Allow me to tell you a story," she began, "The night before the birth of their daughter, an Athenian couple received an oracle from the goddess Athena. She told the couple that their child was special; the last descendant of an Amazonian princess who would grow up to achieve greatness. When the child turned five years of age, the couple gave her up to a secret order of priests to be trained in combat and serve the gods as a Holy Warrior."

"I suppose that child is you?"

"I cannot imagine how painful it must have been for them to give me up like that, knowing they'd never see me again. That, Thomas, is faith; the defiance of all your inner beliefs and wants for the greater good. The decision my parents made that day is probably the best one they've ever made…But they will never see why."

"So there really is no answer for what I saw?"

"All I know is: Everything happens for a reason. To have faith means to ignore that reason and continue moving forward."

Thomas rubbed his chin and contemplated for a moment.

"Come," Kyria stood up, "It's morning now. We should resume our journey."

"Of course," said Thomas, "Just one last question: When Hephaestus spoke to me, he mentioned something about an orange pillar and a golden pedestal. Do you have any idea what he was referring to?"

"It's hard to say," said Kyria, "Perhaps it is an oracle for you. We shall see when the time comes."

Thomas nodded and followed Kyria as she went to wake up the others up.