Chapter Twenty: Alive Again

The camp had erupted into chaos as Ithius made his way hurriedly back to the centre where he had left the others earlier. Arkus followed close on his heels, glancing uncomfortably toward shadowed forest all around, only to suddenly stop as the first Spartans began to appear.

"By the Gods!" he gasped. "There's so many of them."

Ithius glanced back over his shoulder at him, and then to the the troops beyond. He felt his heartbeet quicken in his chest, and a familiar surge of adrenaline wash over him. To the east and west the Spartans were emerging from the trees like flood waters after the first spring rains. They moved as one, a long line of bronze and boiled leather, almost inhuman in appearance beneath their flared helms as they marched forward in perfect lock step while their spears drummed rhythmically against their shields.

"We need to hurry," he said. "The longer we wait, the smaller the chances are of us making it through this."

"Like they weren't small enough already," Arkus said, his voice taking on a distant, detached quality that Ithius did not like.

"Hey!" he said, stepping up to the other man and placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. Arkus span to stare at him, his eyes taking longer to focus than was normal.

"We will make it through this," Ithis said, then nodded his head with as much conviction as he could muster. "We will. But first I need you to calm down. In battle, Arkus, the most people are lost during the route. When one side turns tail and runs like we're about to, all it takes is for one of them – just one – to crack, and the resulting panic will spread like wild fire. There's be no coming back from it when it happens. Understand?"

The other man swallowed and nodded, cold sweat beading on his brow.

"I understand."

"Good," Ithius said firmly. "Now this isn't your first time going through something like this today. You handled yourself well last time. Just remember then. How did you feel?"

"Terrified," Arkus replied, and Ithius gave him a grim smile.

"Me too," he said. "But we're still here. Now come on. We've got work to do."

With that, the two of them turned and started off again, Ithius shouting out commands to various milling crowds of people as he made his way back through the camp. Arkus broke off before they reached the wagons in an attempt wrangle a group of families bordering on the edge of panic over toward the rest of the Helots.

"So what's the plan then?" Athelis said, emerging out of the crowd as Ithius drew close to the wagons. Ithius fixed him with a level look.

"You're happy to let me be in charge again?"

Athelis shrugged.

"Even I'm not crazy enough to think we can beat that," he said, and pointed toward the approaching Spartans.

"I have to say..." came Themistocles' voice, and Ithius turned to see him appearing from the opposite direction "...now hardly seems like the time to be having that particular conversation."

Adrasteia was walking at his side, and Ithius could not help but notice the wary glances she shot Athelis' way. Her brother, for his part, did not so much as look at her.

"Still," Themistocles continued with that half amused tone he had that Ithius was already finding grating, "you do have a plan, don't you?"

"We head south," he said. "It's not perfect, but if we can stay ahead of the Spartan line, maybe some of the wagons can slip the net and getaway...

"While those that can't will be driven straight into the lion's mouth," Athelis snorted. "Some plan."

Ithius shot him a dark look, doing his best not to rise to the bait. Adrasteia did not manage so well, and was opening her mouth to chastise her brother when she was cut off by a distant, hundred throated roar, followed by the sounds of battle. The entire Helot crowd froze, turning as one to stare off west toward the sounds of fighting.

"What on earth..." Themistocles said, turning with the crowd and squinting against the gloom. With so many torches now gathered tightly together as the Helots clustered around the wagons, it was difficult to see exactly what was taking place out beyond the flickering circle of orange light. "...what's happening out there?"

"I can't see anything," Athelis replied, also having turned to peer out into the darkness. After a moment, he gave a frustrated grunt. "Anyone out there able to see what's going on?" he shouted.

The distant sounds of battle to the west were beginning to grow stronger when a second roar went up, and more battle cries sounded, this time over to the east.

"Something's wrong," Ithius heard Adrasteia say. Like the rest of them she was staring out into the darkness, but her gaze seemed keener than the rest. "Someone else is out there," she continued. "I can see... men, I think. Men attacking the Spartans..." she paused and frowned. "That can't be right..."

"What is it?" Themistocles asked. "What do you see?"

"These men," she replied, still not taking her eyes off the distant trees. "I think they're-"

"ITHIUS!" It was Arkus' voice, calling over the nervous chatter all about them and cutting of Adrasteia mid-sentence. "ITHIUS!" Ithius scanned the crowd, only for Arkus to come bursting through it into the small circle of space that surrounded them. Like before, there was a nervousness to him, but there was also a strange look of release behind his eyes too, as if he had seen something remarkable.

"What have you got for me Arkus?" Ithius asked.

"A Spartan," Arkus breathed excitedly. "Alone and coming toward us on horseback." He paused. "And Ithius?"

"Yes?"

A small smile split the other man's face.

"He's wearing Leonidas' colours."

That was enough for Ithius. Without a word he started forward again, pushing his way hurriedly through the crowd of his people, Themistocles and the rest trailing behind him until he reached it's edge just in time to see this Spartan drawing his horse up before the crowd.

The Spartan was not as tall as him, but he was broader, with a thick barrel chest that lent him a sense of power solidity. His helmet was on, making it difficult to make out his features, but Ithius would have recognised that physique anywhere.

"Captain Sentos!" Adrasteia gasped beside him. "What are you doing here?"

The Spartan's head turned, his eyes immediately sharpening against the fire light as he picked her out of the crowd. It took him less than a moment to spot Ithius too.

"Not a Captain anymore I think," he said, removing his helmet and hanging it from the pommel of his saddle, before dismounting and making his way hurriedly over to them; or at least as hurriedly as a limp Ithius did not remember him having had before would allow him at any rate. "Not in the eyes of Sparta's current ruler anyway."

He glanced between Adrasteia and Themistocles.

"Your friends didn't make it?" he asked.

Adrasteia swallowed and shook her head. Sentos responded with respectful tilt of his head.

"I'm... sorry for that." he said, pausing mid sentence to think of how best to continue. "But it is something of a relief to see that at least the two of you made it."

Adrasteia said nothing. Her attention seemed far away.

Turning away from them, Sentos switched his attention to Ithius.

"It's been a long time," he said.

"I thought it wouldn't be ever again," Ithius replied. "Didn't you die at Thermopylae."

"No thanks to you and your people, but almost, yes," Sentos replied, looking about him at the cowering crowd of Helots. "I might not see out the rest of this night either, especially if your people continue to sit around like frightened cattle."

"Does that mean..." Adrasteia began and Sentos glanced at her and nodded.

"We've engaged Demosthenes' forces and are holding the way north open for you," he said. "Out beyond Demosthenes' line, there is a rearguard waiting that have orders to escort you as far as you need. The rest of my men and myself will continue to hold Demosthenes at bay for as long as we can..."

"But that won't be for long, will it?" Ithius said, noting the tightness in the other man's voice.

Sentos shook his head.

"No. We had the element of surprise, which has given us a temporary advantage but that won't last, and soon, Demosthenes' sheer numbers will begin to overwhelm us. I plan to order a withdrawal before that happens." He fixed Ithius with a steady gaze. "There's much blood on your hands Ithius. Thermopylae foremost among it. I don't blame you for trying to protect your people, but I will not blindly throw my mens lives away entirely for the sake of yours."

"Then why help at all?" Ithius asked, trying not to think about what Sentos was driving at.

"For the Sparta that I was raised to defend," Sentos said, quicker than Ithius would have expected. "And for the memory of a man who was the best of friends to both of us."

With that he turned and swung back up to his saddle, resetting his helmet on his head as she did so.

"Your people need to move now," he said, "and move fast. Demosthenes will be merciless once he sets himself to your pursuit. You are heading for Tryxis I assume?"

Ithius nodded. "It seemed the most logical place to head for."

"Agreed," Sentos said. "After we withdraw and regroup, I will order my men to rendezvous with you there. If I can figure out where you're heading, Demosthenes can too, and I get the feeling you'll be needing our help once you get there."

"I would imagine we will," Ithius said grimly. "Oh and Sentos?"

The Spartan Captain had been turning his horse, preparing to gallop back to his men, only to pause when he heard Ithius speak.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Sentos did not seem to know what to say to that. He simply sat there for a moment, his horse shifting beneath him. Finally he nodded, then, with a loud cry and a kick to its flanks, his mount shot forward, its long legs eating the distance as it sped out of the camp.

"Alright," Ithius said, turning to address the crowd of Helots. "You all heard what he said. We head north, and we go now, while we still have time."

For a moment everyone stood in silence, milling about uncertainly. It was frustrating, but Ithius could understand why. His people had already been betrayed by Spartan promises before, and the result had been almost total devastation. It was hardly surprising that they were reluctant to trust in Spartan help now. At the same time, none of them knew Sentos. Ithius did, and the man was without any true guile. He was a soldier, plain and simple, but an honourable one, and he would never knowingly involve himself in a scheme like this. Of that Ithius was almost certain. He was about to speak up again when Themistocles beat him to the punch.

"Well?" The Athenian shouted, stepping forward, his voice ringing with vexation. "What are you all waiting for? Someone to pull out a chair for you? Or a gilded invitation perhaps? In case none of you have realised it yet, Demosthenes wants you dead. All of you. Right down to the very last. Going anywhere but north will all but guarantee he gets it too. But, if you all want to just sit here and debate some more, then I won't stop you. I and my associate here..." he nodded to Adrasteia "...will just strike out for Tryxis on our own. We have better things to do this night than die, and its time we were about them." He began to turn, then paused before adding, almost as an aside, "I doubt we'll even bother to look back when the killing starts."

And with that said, he span on his heel and flashed Ithius a wink before striding off past him.

"Give it ten seconds," he said as he passed by.

It only took five.

The crowd all but erupted into commotion, people running for the last spaces in the wagons while others began hefting their travelling packs and starting forward. Not quite as quickly as Ithius would have hoped, but still faster than he had imagined, a lumpy column of people and possessions began to form, with the many loaded wagons forming its spine while those healthy enough to walk crowded in bunches around them. A few of the Helots carrying weapons took up positions along the length of the column, glancing nervously all around as they finally began to file northward out of the camp.

Ithius could only look on wearied disbelief as they began to shuffle past him, the pace slow at first, but gradually quickening as they found their walking rhythm.

"Clever bastard," Ithius muttered to himself, shaking his head and looking over at Themistocles' shrinking figure.

"I know," Adrasteia said, walking up beside him and giving him the same tired smile he imagined was plastered across his own face right now. "And isn't it just infuriating?"

"How did you put up with it?" he said, and Adrasteia shrugged.

"I'd like to say I learned to appreciate him," she said. "But it wouldn't really be the truth. I didn't learn to put up with it." She started walking back toward the column. "He learned to put up with me." she shouted back to him.

Ithius stood, watching her as she walked up to the column, pulling a dagger free from her belt and falling in beside Dion. There was fear in her step, but determination in her eyes. It was the same determination he saw in her brother, and even at times that he had seen in Callisto too, but Adrasteia's was purer, without raging taint to it that marked the other two.

The thought of Callisto made his eyes narrow, and he scanned the length of the column. Where was she? He could see no sign of her. Feeling his chest tighten suddenly, he started down the hill, jogging quickly for the head of the column where Athelis and a few of those Helots still loyal to him had formed up as a kind of vanguard. The column was just beginning to pass into the gap opened up by Sentos' soldiers, and all around them the sound of battle was intensifying as Demosthenes' troops began to understand what was happening, and started to bring their full force to bare in an attempt to break through Sentos' lines to the vulnerable Helots beyond. The tension in the air was practically electric, and Ithius could feel all eyes on him as he ran up to the vanguard.

"Athelis!" he shouted.

The younger man turned glanced back to see him approaching, then tapped on of the men behind him on the shoulder. The man stepped up to take his place in the formation, and Athelis walked clear of the column to meet Ithius on its flank.

"Fearless leader," he nodded, a cutting edge to his tone. "How may I be of assistance?"

Normally, Ithius would have dressed him down for his sarcasm, but there was no time for that now. Indeed, he was almost thankful that for the first time, Athelis was being even remotely deferential.

"Callisto," he said, not even bothering with preamble. "Have you seen her?"

"She's in a coma," Athelis said. "People like that don't tend to get about much."

Ithius rolled his eyes.

"Would you just listen to me for once," he said, doing his best to keep his voice calm. "I mean she's not in the wagons. Did no one to put her in one?"

"I..." Athelis began then paused, the disdainful look disappearing from his face to be replaced by a confused frown. "I'm not sure," he finished and took a step back so that he could see further down the line.

Ithius followed the other man's gaze as it travelled the length of the line, settling on each wagon in turn. There was no sign of her in any of them.

"I have to go back for her," Athelis said, his face suddenly pale. Before he could take a step however, Ithius had him by the arm.

"I'll go back for her," he said, but Athelis was already shaking his head.

"You don't understand," he said. "I need her. She's the only one who can..." his voice trailed off as he caught sight of Ithius eyeing him steadily.

"Can what?" Ithius said.

"It's nothing."

Ithius folded his arms.

"Can what?" he repeated.

Athelis straightened, giving him a defiant glare, but saying nothing.

"We don't have time for a debate on this," Ithius said. "I made a promise, to Leonidas and to her, that I'd do whatever I could to help her. I'm going back."

"Then we go back together," Athelis said. "You'll need my help to carry her anyway."

Ithius raised an eyebrow at him.

"She's been in a coma for the better part of a month, and she was hardly the bulkiest of individuals before that. I think I'll be able to handle her just fine on my own. Besides, I need you to lead the vanguard out of here."

"I'm not-" Athelis began, but Ithius cut him off sharply.

"No more arguments," he snapped. "No more discussions. You're doing as I say. You've been leading these people into danger for weeks now. You owe it to them to lead them out of it now. There's also the matter of your sister..."

Athelis' jaw tensed at that, but Ithius pressed on regardless.

"...I don't know what bad blood lies between you both, but are you seriously telling me you'd abandon her to the mercy of the Spartans, just so you could get another shot at this revenge you so desperately want?"

Athelis looked from Ithius, toward Adrasteia, then over to the old woodsman's cottage, then back to Adrasteia again, before finally turning back to Ithius, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Alright," he said miserably. "You win."

He turned to trot off after the column, then paused and glanced back at Ithius one last time.

"Just one thing," he said.

"What?" Ithius replied impatiently. Already he could hear the shouts of the battle turning and his people were barely past the Spartan line. Time was running short and he needed to get moving.

"Get her out alive," Athelis said, then turned and jogged off back up the column.

Ithius did not waste any more time. Heading in the opposite direction, he started back between scattered remnants of the camp at a run, his legs swallowing the distance in under a minute. The next minute, he was vaulting the dry stone wall that ran around the cottage's yard, and then sprinting toward its front door. The door itself had been left standing ajar, and it let out a loud bang as Ithius hammered through it, swinging it back hard on its hinges. He was standing in the single hallway that ran up the centre of the cottage, and gloom and shadows were everywhere. A strange feeling began to rise in the pit of his stomach. Something was not right here. Outside he could still hear the distant strains of battle, but in the cottage, even with the door open at his back, they seemed oddly muted somehow, almost as if he were listening to them from underwater.

He took a step forward, then froze again almost immediately. Had the shadows just... moved? He shook his head, as if making the denial physical would reduce the possibility of something that strange happening even more. Even as he did so though, a memory stirred in the back of his mind of Athelis' tale of what had happened deep underground in the Tomb of Lycurgus. A monster had come for he and Callisto, he'd said; one that could move like a snake and bend the shadows to its will. Ithius had thought he was addled, remembering what had happened as a result of blow to the head he had sustained in the same fight that had landed Callisto face down in a lake of Pneuma.

From outside, there came the sound of a horn blast echoing over the shouts of battle. Ithius had fought enough battles beside Spartans to know their various signals. This one was the signal for retreat. Sentos was falling back.

Jarred into action by the sudden realisation that his time was all but up, he started forward again, doing his best to ignore the creeping feeling of unease that was still clawing its way up his spine. The door to Callisto's room was at the end of the hall. As he neared it, he paused. There were sounds coming from within, dry rustlings that were barely there at all, but were still just about audible from his position outside. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and pushed the door gently open.

At first the room appeared as it always did. Largely empty save for a single bed push up against the back wall with a table beside it, and on that table, a single guttering candle. Callisto was laid out in the bed, clad in her plain grey shift, the same as always.

At least at first glance.

It took Ithius only a moment to see the difference. A large amulet, mostly plain but with a large set stone of polished obsidian, had been placed around her neck. Callisto herself was different too. Normally immobile and passive save for eyes darting back and forth beneath their lids, she had now thrown off the sheet that covered her, and her fingers and toes were clawing desperately at the bed. Her breathing was short and laboured, coming in rasping pants from between teeth gritted as if in agony, and her wild blonde hair was lank and soaked through with the sweat that streaming off her.

At the sight of her, Ithius crossed the room in two steps, crouching cautiously at the bedside.

"Callisto?" he said, doing his best to keep his tone calm and measured. "Callisto? Can you hear me? If you can, then just listen to the sound of my voice, and follow it back, okay? Just follow it back..." Gently, he reached out to check her temperature by placing his hand on her forehead. At his merest touch, she redoubled her crazed straining. Her arms and legs' wild thrashing almost doubled in intensity, and her teeth ground across each other so tightly he could practically hear the scraping of enamel. Then, suddenly, her spine snapped up into a rigid arch, as if someone had inserted a curved iron brace along the length of it. Her neck craned back so far back that she was almost entirely balanced on the balls of her feet and the crown of her head, and her arms stretched up toward the ceiling, her fingers working at the air an almost desperate rapture. Her jaw cracked open, yawning wide, and she let out an ear piercing screech like nothing Ithius had ever heard before. Equal parts rage, misery and absolute despair, it hung in the air long after her muscles had relaxed and she collapsed exhausted back to the mattress.

Staring at her in astonishment, Ithius released his hand from her forehead. Her whole demeanour had changed completely. Whereas before she had always seemed strangely pensive, even in her unconscious state, now, to Ithius at least, she looked almost as if she were sound asleep. Her breathing was all of a sudden much more normal, her chest rising and falling in deep and steady rhythm, and beneath her lids, her eyes had ceased their relentless backward and forward darting.

Watching her silently, Ithius pondered what exactly had just taken place. Callisto had only spoken to him once since her Pneuma dunking, and that had been only shortly it had happened. Since then she had been practically insensate; completely unresponsive. She had certainly never given a performance like the one he had just seen, of that he was certain. The only thing to have changed in that time was the amulet. He did not recall ever having seen it before, which only begged the question, where in all of Tartarus had it appeared from?

As he eyed it suspiciously, he felt a strange feeling deep within the recesses of his thoughts. Something cold and dreadful stirred, as if the mere sight of the amulet were enough to pull it to the surface. Before he could stop himself, he reached out toward the black obsidian stone, and attempted to lift from where it was nestled against Callisto's chest. The moment his fingers brushed across its surface, he hissed and withdrew them sharply. The thing was scalding hot to the touch, almost as if it were a lump of coal pulled from the heart of a roaring fire. Strangely enough though, despite the heat of it, it did not seem to be harming Callisto in the slightest. On her, to all intents and purposes, it was just a regular, if somewhat morbid, piece of jewelry.

Another horn blast sounded from outside, this one more distant than the first. Leaving Callisto where she lay, and doing his best to ignore the pain in his singed figures, Ithius straightened again and crossed hurriedly to the single window that looked out across the camp. Despite the gloom of deepening night outside, and the relative brightness of the room itself, he could still just about make out movement from the beyond the edge of the camp. Sentos' troops had definitely pulled back now. That much was evident simply from the relative quiet out there now. The quiet also meant that they probably had the majority of Demosthenes' troops behind them. He wondered briefly how much longer Sentos would try to defend his people as they marched north before he cut his losses and called a full retreat. He could have already done it, and if he had that meant that...

He shook his head. He did not have time to worry about any of that now. If Ithius knew Demosthenes as well as he thought he did, then the camp would not simply be left unsecured. There would be at least one patrol sent in to check for stragglers. Demosthenes was nothing if not thorough – some might say obsessive – in his dedication to a plan. Fortunately, so was Ithius, and he did not plan on being present when they came.

Already trying to think of the best way to get Callisto out of here, he span back toward the bed then froze in mid step.

The bed was empty.

A floorboard beside him creaked and he turned just in time to catch her angling in at him from his right. Before he could even finish coming around to face her, she was on him. He tried to raise his arms to defend himself, but she was already inside his guard, her left hand lashing out to catch him across the windpipe. Choking as the blow struck home, his breath caught in his throat and he fell back against the wall of the cottage, desperately trying to fend her off as she closed in again. The element of surprise was serving her well however, and in the next moment her knee came up, taking him hard in the stomach and causing him to double over in pain.

He did not get very far.

In the same instant he doubled over, she seized him by the shoulder and hauled him back upright, slamming back against the wall and pressing her right arm in tightly across his throat once more. This close he could see the fury shining in her eyes at the sight of him, and her top lip curled upward in a cruel grin.

"Well, well," she sneered darkly at him. "I can't say yours was the first face I wanted to see when I woke up, but I've been a long time without a plaything, and I did promise to disembowel you if we ever met again." she reached up with her free left hand and trailed a finger playfully across the length of his exposed collar bone. "But first things first. I have questions, and if you manage to answer them to my satisfaction, maybe – just maybe mind – I might not have to slice your throat here and now for everything you did." She tilted her head and smiled at him. It was an expression that never reached her eyes. "Are you ready?"

Ithius tried to speak but her arm was still pressed too tightly across his windpipe and small sparks of light were beginning to dance at the edges of his vision. In the end he could only manage a slight nod.

"Leonidas," Callisto said, the smile disappearing from her face as quickly as it had come. "Where is he?"

He felt the pressure on throat ease slightly allowing him to gulp in a fresh lungful of air that chased away the dancing lights.

"I..." he began hoarsely, then seized and coughed, before managing to start again. "I don't know."

The snarl returned to Callisto's face.

"You don't know!?" she snapped

Ithius shook his head.

"How could I? The Persians... they... they took his body. I don't know what they did with it after that."

"His body?" Callisto said, and suddenly she did not seem to be looking at him anymore, but instead through him, and on toward something he did not even want to try and imagine. Slowly her gaze refocused, and she locked eyes with him once more. "He's dead?"

Ithius could only nod sadly. Her teeth gritted together hard.

"Then so are you!" she hissed, and back-stepped, yanking him clear of the wall so unexpectedly that as he stumbled forward, he was barely able to see her leg sweep in and take his own out from under him. He went down hard, his head bouncing off the wooden floorboards so viciously that it made the room spin. There was not time to regain his composure. Callisto was astride him almost as soon as he was down, sitting across his stomach, her knees pinning his arms tightly at his side.

Gritting his teeth, he strained to pull his arms free, but Callisto just squeezed her knees tighter and tutted at him scoldingly.

"Now, now," she said, all trace of her fury from moments before seemingly having vanished to be replaced by a casual, almost conversational tone. "Fighting against me is all well and good, but really, it'll just make what's coming next hurt all the more."

"And what is coming next?" Ithius growled at her, finally able to draw a bit more breath now that she was not clutching him by the throat anymore.

"You don't remember our little chat?" she said, pressing her hand to her chest in a mock wounded fashion. "Why, I'd almost be offended if I wasn't about to enjoy this so much."

She leaned in close once more, her face now only inches from his own.

"I promised you I'd take your heart," she hissed, her tone now low and sibilant. Her eyes slid back and forth around the room and she straightened again.

"Unfortunately I don't have anything sharp to do this with, but, well..." she cracked her knuckles and grinned devilishly at him "...improvisation always was one of my strong suits."

She began to lean forward again, her fingers hooking into claws as she reached out for him. Ithius redoubled his efforts to get free, muscles straining against hers while his legs thrashed desperately against the floorboards but all to no avail. She had him held tight and there was nothing he could do about it. Her hooked fingers were now only centimetres from his eyes.

"Greeks killing Greeks!" he shouted. He did not know why. It was just the first thing that popped inot his head. It seemed to work however.

"What did you say?" Callisto snarled, pausing with her arms still outstretched.

"Greeks killing Greeks," Ithius repeated, a little calmer this time. "You were right Callisto; you and Monocles both. Right about the Followers, the war with Persia, the conspiracy in Sparta, all of it. There was only one little detail you got wrong."

He stared up at her, trying to judge what thoughts must be running through her mind right now. She had that far away look again, as if she could not quite decide how to feel about what was going on around her. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she fixed him with a wary stare for a moment, then, without any warning, she released him.

"Alright," she said, straightening. "You've got my attention. I'll give you a minute to explain what exactly it is you're ranting about."

Ithius rolled clear of her and pushed himself upright, taking the opportunity to rub gingerly at his throat now that his hands were free. He could already feel what would no doubt be a livid purple bruise forming.

"We've got even less time than that," he said, and tried to make for the nearby door. Callisto moved to block him, and for the first time, he realised how unsteady she seemed. Whatever adrenaline rush had given her the strength to come at him the way she had seemed to be wearing off. She was blinking hard too, as if she were trying with all her might to stay focused on the here and now.

"I didn't say you could leave," she hissed, . "Try that again and I'll crack both you kneecaps before you can take another step."

"Callisto," Ithius said warningly, "we don't have time for this." He pointed toward the bedroom window. "Threaten me all you want. It won't change the fact that at this very moment, outside this house, there's a Spartan army bearing down on us, and if we don't leave this instant, then it won't matter which of us gets the upper hand the next time you go all homicidal lunatic. They'll make sure that neither of us get out of here alive."

"Why Ithius," Callisto said. "Did you just call me insane? I'm flattered-"

From the front hall came the sound of voices as the front door slammed back on its hinges. Callisto immediately lifted a finger to her lips indicating for him to be quiet and backed carefully toward the bedroom door that still stood open. Ithius watched as she peaked out silently into the gloom. Immediately there came angry shouts from out in the corridor and Callisto ducked back inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Well what do you know," she grinned wickedly at him as she rammed the door's single wooden dead bolt into place. "Looks like you were right."

Ithius moved hurriedly to the bed, dragging it across the room with a loud scraping sound only to up end it over the doorway. Even as he did so, there came a loud series of bangs from outside as the Spartans began to hammer on the rotting wood from the other side.

"That should hold them for a little while at least," he said turning only to pause when he saw that Callisto had already crossed to the window and was trying to force the latch.

"What do they make these things out of?" she grunted. "Hephaestus' own steel?"

Shaking his head ruefully, Ithius crossed to the small bedside table and the stool that sat beside it. In one hand he grabbed Callisto's black leather battle gear, and in the other he grabbed the stool itself.

"What are you doing with that?" Callisto asked.

"Making us a way out," Ithius replied. "Stand aside please."

For once, Callisto was obliging, taking a step back from the window as Ithius hoisted the stool and swung it with all his might. The window practically exploded from the impact, shards of grimy glass scattering in the mud outside.

He turned to face Callisto with a triumphant look in his eye.

"I meant that," Callisto said nodding, toward the gear in his other hand, as she stepped back up to the window and began to climb out.

"It's yours isn't it?" Ithius said, jogging over and following her through into the chill night air beyond. "Won't you be needing it?"

Behind them, the hammering on the door had increased in intensity at the sound of shattering glass, and already Ithius could hear footsteps pounding back down the corridor and out of the front door.

"I don't want it," Callisto snapped as Ithius dropped to the ground beside her. "Any of it. Understand?"

Ithius frowned. She had collapsed to all fours as she had landed on the other side of the window, and her shoulders were shaking with exhaustion as she tried to hold herself upright. He reached out a hand toward her.

"Are you al-" he began, but she slapped his hand aside.

"Don't touch me!" she snarled. "I don't need help, and even if I did, I'd rather push a boulder up a hill in Tartarus with hungry buzzards pecking out my eyes than accept it from you!"

With seemingly great effort, she managed to compose herself and force her body back to standing. Even then, her steps were still tottering and unsteady, but they seemed to be getting surer firmer the further she went. Ithius watched her for a moment, almost in awe of her sheer strength of will, before clambering back to his own feet and jogging over to her.

"If that's the case," he said, "then by all means, keep doing what you're doing. Demosthenes will make sure you're pushing that rock in Tartarus before sunrise."

"Demosthenes?" Callisto said shooting him a quizzical look. "What's he got to do with any of this?"

Ithius proffered his arm to her.

"You want those answers?" he said. "Then let me help you."

Callisto glanced irritatedly from his face to his outstretched hand and back again, before letting out a frustrated grunt.

"Okay then," she said stepping forward and wrapping one arm around his shoulders so that he could in turn wrap his own around her back, supporting her as they reached the dry stone wall of the courtyard and ducked behind it just in time as the Spartans rounded the corner of the cottage. "But if you tell anyone I was such a push over, then I'll strangle you in your sleep."

"I can think of worse ways to go," Ithius said with a smile. "Better too, but definitely worse. Either way, you secret's safe with me."

With that, the two of them started moving again, keeping low behind the wall, and then using the cover of darkness to creep out among what was left of the camp's tents. They paused once or twice as they went, listening to the voices of the Spartans calling out to one another in the dark. The majority of Demosthenes' forces seemed to have moved, most likely in pursuit of the rest of the Helots as Ithius had predicted. Only the patrol sent back to search the camp remained, and they had apparently fanned out following Callisto and Ithius' disappearance at the cottage and were now attempting to cover as wide a search area as possible. The moon being shrouded by an overcast sky was hindering their efforts, however, cloaking the camp in an almost impenetrable darkness save for the few embers of campfires that still glowed weakly here and there about the place. The fact that only a few of their number appeared to have torches also seemed to help too.

Pausing to catch their breaths for a moment to the rear of one of the large food tents that had been left behind, Ithius saw Callisto glancing around them, seemingly taking in her surroundings for the first time. She was barely visible in the gloom beyond a vague human shaped outline, although her blonde hair did make her a little more visible, but Ithius could still the read the confusion coming off her in waves.

"What is this place?" she whispered.

"It's where we've been hiding for the past month," Ithius replied.

"Who's 'we'?" Callisto hissed, and Ithius shrugged, although he wasn't sure if she even noticed the gesture in the dark.

"Me," he said. "Athelis, what's left of my people."

"What's left of your-" Callisto began questioningly only to stop short as something occurred to her. "Hey, wait a minute! Did you just say 'month'!?"

"Yes."

"I was out for a month?"

"Maybe closer to four weeks, but yeah, something like that."

Callisto fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"You know what?" she said.

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

Ithius did his best to stifle a chuckle.

"I'll make sure to get you something to eat as soon as he don't have two dozen or more angry Spartans chasing after us." He leaned out around the corner of the tent, straining his eyes hard against the gloom. There was no sign of movement, but there were no more tents across the eighty or so yards of open ground between them and the tree line. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. The darkness would probably cover them if they went now, but there was always the chance of being seen. Still, they could not stay here and a dash for the tree line was the only option left to them.

"Come on," he said, helping Callisto up into a hunched position. "Coast is clear and its now or never."

Beside him, Callisto nodded grimly, and the two of them started forward in a hunched run, darting quickly across the open ground and into the night shrouded forest beyond.

Neither of them noticed the tall, hooded figure trailing silently in their wake.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello again! A slightly quicker turn around this time, mainly because this was a shorter chapter than a lot of the previous ones. I know what I said last time about the chapter title, but I decided it would make more sense a little further down the line. Still, she's BACK! I cannot begin to describe how glad I am to have finally put the Pnuema portion of the story behind me. It was a fantastic challenge writing wise, but I am happy to have Callisto back among the land of the living (again). She lends life to the whole proceedings just by being there and I'm having a great time getting her interacting with people again. It may be quite a while before the next update. The story is close enough to being finished that I may just batten down the hatches and ride this storm out until I get all the remaining chapters done. Depending on how I break things up, there's probably only another two or three plus a short epilogue to get through before I can put this story to bed and think about moving on to part 4.

Anyway, read on, and I hope you all enjoy!