A/N Hello again (finally!). Well here we are at Chapter 17. There's been a delay with the production of this chapter but at least we're here now. Unfortunately real life hasn't exactly been conducive to writing of late - and, unfortunately, I can see that continuing at the beginning of next year. There will be a bit of a delay with the next chapter anyway because I have two minimum ten thousand word stories to produce by the end of January (there's a deadline on them). I wanted to get this chapter out before Christmas though and to let you know that I am still here and am still writing!
Anyway, on with this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.
Dawn broke, pale and wan, as the group rode slowly and cautiously through the woods, trying to keep all noise to a minimum in case any stray enemy soldiers might be nearby. Not that that seemed likely to be honest. There had been no sign whatsoever of any Amphigeneian activity in the vicinity since they left Athanos some six or seven hours earlier.
Still, it didn't hurt to be careful. With Jason taking the lead and Hercules bringing up the rear, the group moved on. They were all tired – that much was obvious. The stress of their escape from Athanos followed by a night spent travelling was catching up with them. Young Iollas was drooping in his saddle, clearly having difficulty staying awake, and the rest of them weren't much better.
Pythagoras gently kicked his horse forwards to bring himself level with his younger friend.
"Jason," he said quietly once he was alongside. "Perhaps we should stop for a time."
Jason glanced back over his shoulder at the party.
"I was planning on stopping fairly soon," he answered equally quietly. "I was thinking that we could get a couple of hours' rest now and then carry on until nightfall. We need to find somewhere suitable and safe… tucked out of the way… just in case."
Pythagoras nodded.
"That's a good plan," he approved.
"Glad you like it," Jason replied with a sudden grin.
They continued in silence for a few minutes, both looking around for an appropriate place to rest for a few hours. Glancing off to one side, Jason's eyes narrowed as he spotted what might be a good place through the trees. He pulled up on the reins of his horse, bringing it to a gradual stop. Pythagoras stopped alongside him, aware that behind them everyone else was doing the same thing.
Jason slipped down from the saddle and grabbed his sword.
"I think I might have just seen a good spot. Wait here," he said to Pythagoras before slipping off through the trees on silent feet.
"What's going on?" Hercules demanded tensely, coming to join Pythagoras. "And where is he going?" He pointed after Jason.
"We need to find somewhere to rest for a while," Pythagoras explained, casting a quick glance at their weary companions. "We have ridden all night and would all benefit from sleep, even if it is only for a short while. Both Jason and I have been looking out for a suitably secluded and safe spot to stop for a time. He believes he had seen somewhere suitable and has gone to see."
Hercules nodded tightly.
"Fair enough," he replied.
Before anyone could say anything else, Jason slipped back through the trees and joined them.
"Right," he said. "There's a little gully over there where we can rest for a few hours. It's tucked out of sight so we should be safe enough and there's a small stream at the far end where we can refill our water skins." He turned to look at Lord Herodion. "We'll get a couple of hours sleep now and then ride until nightfall."
"That is a good plan," Herodion approved, glancing briefly at his wife and son.
Despite his opposition to the children's presence, the small boy who had been rescued from Athanos was sat in front of him in his saddle, his cloak wrapped around the child for warmth. The boy appeared to be sleeping. Since leaving Athanos he hadn't made a sound; just stared about himself with those wide, frightened eyes.
Lord Herodion pulled his cloak a little tighter around the child.
Jason managed to restrain himself from smiling openly – this was, after all, the man who had suggested that it was impractical and imprudent to bring the children along just a few hours before. Turning, he grabbed the reins of his horse and led the small party through the trees and into the gully he had found.
It was peaceful here, especially after the chaos of last night. The gully was small and easily defensible. As Jason had said, there was a small trickling stream at the far end which seemed to have fruit bushes nearby. The sides of the gully were steep and there was an undercut at the bottom of them which would allow them to shelter out of sight of anyone who might stand at the top.
Lord Herodion looked around and nodded his approval.
"This is a good place for us to rest," he observed.
He waited until most of the others had dismounted before handing the little boy down to Jason. The child woke up as he was being moved and looked around himself in sleepy confusion, thumb finding its way into his mouth as he rubbed at his eyes with one clenched fist. All of the adults in the group found themselves smiling automatically at the sight.
As the boy woke up properly, he wriggled to get down and dropped his head to look at the floor, his eyes still betraying his fear, showing no real interest in his surroundings. So far he had made no attempt to speak since he had been found.
"We must find out his name," Lord Herodion rumbled softly, taking the baby from his wife and helping her down from the back of her horse. "Surely the child must know it. He is more than old enough to tell us a little about himself and about the baby. If nothing else, we must ascertain that he is capable of speech. Much as I hesitate to suggest it, there are few who would take on a child with an obvious defect and surely our aim in removing him and the baby from Athanos must be to find a suitable home for both children."
Pythagoras saw both Jason and Hercules start to bristle and moved quickly to head off the situation. It would be surprising to anyone outside their trio, he suspected, to learn that Hercules felt so strongly about this sort of thing and went so much against conventional wisdom, but what they had been through with both baby Oedipus and Jason himself just three months or so ago had changed the bulky wrestler's perspective on such things – and, if he were being completely honest, his own perspective too.
"I am sure that the child will speak when he is ready, My Lord," he moved to assure Herodion. "He has been through a traumatic experience and he is very young. We should make allowances for that. With everything he has seen and all the sudden changes he is likely to be very much afraid of everyone. Logic suggests that as he becomes less afraid of us he will return to normal and will begin to speak."
"Perhaps you are right," Herodion acknowledged. He sighed. "I did not mean to suggest that we should allow any harm to come to the boy," he added softly, "merely that it might take longer for us to find him a suitable home if there is a problem of this nature and that it would be better to know now so that we might be better prepared." He looked shrewdly at Pythagoras. "But you seem to know more than I would expect about such things."
Pythagoras shifted uncomfortably.
"We have a certain amount of experience with a similar situation," he admitted.
Jason shot him a sharp look, clearly not wanting him to say any more. Pythagoras twitched his lips into a reassuring smile. He had no intention of giving any secrets away to these strangers – particularly his friend's secrets. Perhaps fortunately, Lord Herodion seemed to miss the look that the two young men exchanged.
"Then I bow to your… superior knowledge," he said smoothly.
"I don't see the point in setting up camp properly," Jason murmured. "We're only going to be here for a couple of hours. Then we need to get moving. I'd like to get you to Pagenia as quickly as we can. We can stop properly and set up camp at nightfall."
"That would seem to be the wisest course," Herodion replied. He looked over to where his wife, still carrying the baby, was speaking softly with their son, his expression growing gentle. "I would wish to spare them as much hardship as possible," he admitted. "The sooner we can get to the comforts of Pagenia the better. Now if you will excuse me."
He inclined his head and moved to join his wife and son, grabbing what blankets he had from his saddle as he went.
Jason turned back to his two friends, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger as he did. Hercules smiled softly at him, his eyes knowing.
"When did you last get some proper sleep?" the burly wrestler asked quietly. "I know you haven't been sleeping all that well lately."
"I am tired," Jason acknowledged. "Can't actually remember the last time I had a full night's sleep… not since Atlantis fell anyway."
Hercules pursed his lips and nodded.
"You should get some rest while you have the chance," he said, patting his young friend on the arm gently. "That goes for both of you," he added, turning to look at Pythagoras. "If we're to make it back to Pagenia safely we need that big brain of yours."
"What about you?" Pythagoras asked.
"Someone needs to stay on guard," Hercules declared. "Sleep is for women, babies and men like you. Old warriors like myself… we don't need sleep." He caught the incredulous look his friends exchanged. "You are both young," he stated. "You need more sleep than I do."
"You sleep more than any man I've ever known," Pythagoras retorted.
"Maybe that's what I want you to think," Hercules replied.
"Why?"
"Just shut up and go to sleep Pythagoras," Hercules growled, making his way back to the head of the gully and sitting down with his back to them.
Pythagoras looked at his retreating back and then turned towards Jason with some amusement. Jason shrugged, eyes dancing and a smile flickering across his lips. Both young men grabbed their blankets from their horses. Having made sure that the animals were secure, they made their way further into the gully to try to get what rest they could, leaving Hercules to his solitary vigil.
"You have failed me," King Anaxandros' voice was even harsher than ever.
He was sitting in the Council Chamber of the Atlantian Palace. His advisors had left a few moments earlier. In front of him, General Ceyx knelt to await his King's pleasure – or displeasure as the case may be. Given Anaxandros' temper, it was almost certain to be the latter. Ceyx swallowed hard, remembering the fate of his predecessor, and hoping that he wasn't about to meet the same end.
"My Lord," he began stiffly.
"I gave you one simple job," Anaxandros almost purred. "All I asked was that you delivered the Princess, the Oracle and Aeson's brat to me here… and you could not even do that. The city was sealed, yet still they escaped."
"They must have had help, Your Majesty," Ceyx replied. "Someone must have sheltered them and aided their passage out of the city."
"Indeed," Anaxandros agreed with a humourless laugh. "Yet you have been unable to find out who that person might have been and how they managed to spirit away such easily recognisable women as the Oracle and the Princess."
He stood up and began to pace back and forth before the kneeling Ceyx.
"And still they defy me!" he declared. "Every day more and more traitors escape our justice. Every day more of them escape from the city… Yet you cannot tell me how and seem unable to prevent it!"
He paused in front of the General.
"I have tried to be merciful," he stated. "I have offered rewards for information to no avail. I ordered you to scourge a portion of your men as a warning to the others not to neglect their duties, yet I have not punished them in any other way… and how have they repaid me for my kindness? With failure! With incompetence and laxity!"
He resumed his pacing before turning sharply back towards Ceyx and levelling his finger at the man.
"Well no more!" he roared. "You, General, will personally oversee the search for these traitors… and for every person that escapes this city you will execute a prisoner… and a guard. I will not be made a laughing stock by the negligence of my troops. Your men will learn to do their duty or face my wrath! You will find whoever is behind this rebellion and you will bring them here to face justice. Do I make myself clear?"
Ceyx gulped.
"Yes, My Lord," he mumbled.
"Good," Anaxandros replied. "And let me make something else abundantly clear, General Ceyx… you have failed to bring me the Princess and Aeson's son… do not fail to find these traitors… or suffer the consequences. If you should fail, you will suffer the same fate as your men."
"Yes, My Lord," Ceyx murmured, trembling slightly.
Anaxandros smiled. It was not a pleasant smile.
"Very well," he said. "Go… and make sure you do not fail me again. I want these traitors found… and while you are at it, I want to know what has happened to dear Minos and his family. Someone somewhere knows something. I want Minos brought back here and made an example of so that the people will know that I am their King now."
He dismissed his General with a flip of his hand and turned his back on the man, moving towards a hidden doorway.
The corridor outside was deserted as the Amphigeneian King stalked down it.
"Father."
Anaxandros paused, barely managing to control a growl. He had sent for his son Anaxos as soon as he had been certain of taking Atlantis – earlier than he had initially intended but with so many problems cropping up he had felt the need to have his heir where he could see him – although he certainly took little pleasure in his company.
Anaxos was, not to put too fine a point on it, an idiot. He had inherited all of his father's brutality with none of his intelligence. As a young man, Anaxandros had outwardly been everything a prince should be; handsome, well-spoken and clever. He had never been charming but had made up for that deficit in other ways.
Anaxos, however, was none of those things. His features were coarse and unattractive, his skin sallow, pock-marked and pimply, and his muddy brown hair was limp, greasy and already beginning to thin. His mouth hung open slackly as he stared at his father and his clothes were none too clean. The whole effect might have been a little better if he had bathed a little more regularly. As it was he smelled something akin to a dung heap.
Anaxandros barely managed to conceal his contempt.
"What?" he demanded.
Anaxos' mouth worked as he tried to work out his next sentence. His father hid a shudder at his vacant expression.
"I need a new serving girl," he mumbled eventually.
"Why?" Anaxandros asked suspiciously.
He caught sight of the blood on his son's hands, streaking up the sleeves of his tunic, and decided that he didn't need to know the details.
"Never mind," he growled. "Pick whoever you want from the servants but do not bother me with it."
"The last one was defective," Anaxos muttered defensively. "She would not stop screaming."
"Then get another," Anaxandros replied, uncaringly. "Servants are easily replaced… Just try not to get a child on one this time. I have enough to deal with without having to get rid of another of your bastards."
Anaxos stood there with that vacant, slack-mouthed expression that drove his father mad.
"Go and do whatever it is you wanted to do," Anaxandros instructed with a growl.
What had he done to offend the Gods so much that they cursed him with such a son? He wondered about it as he made his way back to his private chambers.
The chambers he had taken were deep in the heart of the Palace. They were not the chambers that Minos had occupied, although they were large and opulent. Anaxandros suspected they had been used as guest chambers for visiting royalty. Somewhere deep inside a memory stirred. He had a vague recollection of being housed in these chambers when he had visited Atlantis with his father so many years ago.
The advantage that these rooms had, as far as Anaxandros could see, was that they were easily defensible. They were so far into the heart of the Palace that any intruder would have to fight their way past most of the other chambers first and the small window in the bedroom overlooked a sheer drop, making it virtually impossible for anyone to attack from that direction.
He strode across the room and reached for a wine jug and a cup. As he did his shoulder pulled and he hissed, bringing his other hand up to cover the point where it ached the most.
He ground his teeth. Aeson's brat had done his work well. The wound which had festered for days after Atlantis had fallen had largely healed but the shoulder was still far weaker than it should be.
Would that he could have found both the Princess and the boy. He had envisioned such exquisite tortures for Aeson's son; the young man would have regretted the day he ever dared to cross Anaxandros right up to the moment when the Amphigeneian King cut his still beating heart from his chest. If only his incompetent soldiers had done their duty as they should, none of the accursed Atlantian royal family would have escaped the fall of the city.
Still, what was done was done.
Anaxandros still hoped, however, that his patrols and spies might learn where Minos and his family were skulking. They surely could not have gone far after all – the injury to the Queen would have seen to that. If he could just catch them...
A thought occurred to him now. From the start, he had been intending to marry off his imbecilic son to Minos' daughter. The Gods know that the boy was virile enough and the Princess would prove an eminently suitable brood mare to provide Anaxos with a gaggle of heirs. But perhaps he had not been thinking clearly enough.
Why should he give the girl to his son when he could take her as a wife himself? He was long widowed after all (the frail and dull-witted girl he had married for the wealth she had brought to his impoverished kingdom had been gone for many years). So what if he was far from young? He was still fit enough to father a brood of mewling brats; a better heir than he had right now.
Anaxandros smiled maliciously. Yes, a new son; a new heir. More than one if he was lucky. Then he could arrange for Anaxos to have an 'accident'. Surely the Gods would be merciful and grant him the heir that he deserved? A son that he could look at without wanting to shudder?
That would be the ideal outcome of course. But if Princess Ariadne could not be found? Or if she should be killed alongside her father? Well, no matter. Now that Anaxandros ruled here as well as Amphigeneia and had the wealth of Atlantis behind him he should have no trouble in persuading one of his fellow kings to part with a daughter.
That was for the future though.
For now he had to concentrate on making his own position here secure. His forces had begun to move out into the countryside to subdue it in the same way the city had been subdued. It would not be long until the entire kingdom was subjugated to his will. Then he would be able to begin to strip it of its resources for the glorification of Amphigeneia.
The only blot on the horizon was the so far complete and utter failure to identify the conspirators who were helping those suspected of remaining loyal to Minos to escape. Anaxandros was not about to accept any rebellion under any circumstances. No. They would be caught and then they would be made an example of.
He sat down in a chair and toyed with his cup of wine, brooding darkly over the fate he had planned for these traitors.
Jason rolled over and sat up, stretching. The couple of hours' rest had done wonders for his stamina, although he had to admit that sleeping on the rocky ground had made his back a little stiff. It was nothing that he wouldn't be able to walk off quickly though.
He looked around. None of his companions appeared to have stirred yet and, much as they would need to move on soon, Jason was content to let them have these last few minutes of sleep undisturbed. He went to push himself up from the ground but stopped as he saw Lady Ianthe. She had gone to sleep with the baby clutched protectively in one arm and the small boy nestled in the other.
Jason smiled a little wistfully. No matter how close he became to his mother, part of him would always regret the lost years.
Moving slowly and silently, Jason got up, grabbed a wine skin and picked his way out from among his companions, making his way to the entrance to the gully where Hercules was on guard. The burly wrestler didn't move as he approached; in fact, he gave no indication that he knew Jason was there at all. Jason frowned and crept closer. Up close he could see that Hercules' eyes were closed.
Part of Jason felt that he should be angry that Hercules was sleeping when he was meant to be on guard, and yet there was no real harm done on this occasion. He tiptoed up to his older friend, placed the wine skin he was carrying down on a rock and bent forwards at the waist, resting his hands behind his knees for balance.
"Hercules," he called softly. "Hercules."
Hercules gave a particularly loud snore but made no other response. Jason grinned to himself.
"I have wine," he said.
Hercules snorted awake.
"What? Where? What's going on?" he mumbled.
"I thought you said that sleep was for women and babies?" Jason teased, eyes full of mirth.
"I wasn't sleeping… I was just resting my eyes," Hercules protested.
"Why were you snoring then?"
"Er… that was to lure any enemies into a false sense of security," Hercules spluttered. "Then when they got close I'd have been on them like a…"
"Tortoise?" Jason unhelpfully supplied.
"A lion," Hercules proclaimed.
"A lion?" Jason repeated with amusement.
"Yes," Hercules answered.
"So you were just pretending to be asleep then?" Jason asked, his tone light and teasing.
"Shut up, Jason," Hercules mumbled.
His young companion chuckled.
"No harm done," he said, "and I won't tell Pythagoras that you were asleep on the job… I did bring wine too."
"Wine?" Hercules said. "All is forgiven. You are a prince amongst men."
"So I am told," Jason retorted, eyes still dancing.
Hercules cast a worried glance over his shoulder to where their other companions were still sleeping.
"I thought we were keeping that a secret," he said quietly.
"We are," Jason replied, equally softly but still grinning openly. "I was just teasing."
It felt like an age since he'd been relaxed enough to banter with his friends; it felt good to tease Hercules now.
Hercules relaxed into his own smile and took a long swig from the wine skin.
"We need to be moving soon," he pointed out. "They'll need to be woken up." He nodded towards their travelling companions.
"Leave them for now," Jason said. "It won't hurt to give them a few more minutes."
He looked up to gauge the position of the sun.
"I'm going to go and refill the water skins," he suggested, "and maybe see if I can rustle up a bit of fruit to top up our supplies."
Hercules nodded. He took another long swig from the wine skin and turned back to keep watch on the head of the gully.
Jason smiled to himself as he retrieved the water skins and a bowl from the packs still attached to the horses. He made his way over to the small stream and put everything he was carrying down on the bank. He unstoppered the first skin and held it down under the water, waiting for it to fill and then putting the stopper back into place and laying it down on the bank. The water was cold and very fresh.
Jason couldn't resist drinking a couple of handfuls or splashing some water on his face to freshen himself up a little. He ran his damp hands through his hair and stretched again before returning to the task at hand.
It was as he filled the third skin, working quickly and methodically, that he realised someone had come to join him and was hovering just on the edge of his peripheral vision. He looked up.
"My father sent me to help you." Iollas looked nervous for some reason.
Jason smiled affably and gestured towards the skins that were still empty.
"The more the merrier," he said.
Iollas came and crouched next to him, hand hovering over the empty water skins.
"At home we have servants to do this sort of thing," he muttered. "I am not entirely sure how to…"
Jason smiled kindly at him.
"Just take the stopper out, put the skin under the water, take it out when it's full and put the stopper back in," he advised.
"This is still servant's work," Iollas muttered under his breath. "But then I suppose that is all I am good for."
He was speaking to himself – so quietly that Jason almost didn't hear him.
Jason frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked softly.
Iollas ignored him for a moment. He was staring down into the water, cheeks flaming with apparent embarrassment.
"I am a coward," he said, almost inaudibly. "I am no real use whatsoever."
Jason sighed and moved from a crouch to sit next to the boy on the bank of the stream.
"You're not a coward," he said firmly.
"Yes I am," the boy retorted. "I have been trained in the art of sword play for as long as I can remember – trained to be a warrior from childhood – and yet I froze as soon as I was in a real fight. I would have been killed if you had not been there."
"I'm guessing you'd never been in a real battle before?" Jason asked quietly.
"No," Iollas answered. "It was not as I expected it to be."
Jason watched him steadily.
"I'd never actually been in a full battle until the night Atlantis fell a few weeks ago now," he admitted. "Skirmishes, yes… but not a full pitched battle. I'm not sure there's anything that could prepare you for that. The noise and the smoke… and the fear. Well… you saw it last night."
"But you wouldn't have been afraid," Iollas protested. "And you would never have frozen like that… or got knocked down so easily."
Jason snorted.
"Of course I was afraid," he retorted. "Look… there are a lot of people who'll tell you that courage is about not being afraid. It isn't and they're talking rubbish. Courage is about doing what needs to be done – about getting the job done – even if you are afraid. A battle's a scary thing. Don't ever think that you're a coward for feeling fear. It makes you human… and as for getting knocked down – you lost your footing that's all. It happens to all of us at times. Besides… you did better that I did the first time I was in any sort of skirmish – I dropped my sword the first time I faced anyone."
Iollas looked at him, his disbelief written in his eyes.
"Please do not patronise me," he said sharply. "I am hardly likely to believe that. I have seen your skill."
"It's true," Jason insisted. "Ask Hercules, my older friend. He teased me about it for months. You see Hercules obviously thought I knew what I was doing because he threw me a sword… only my opponent knocked it straight out of my hand. Hercules is fond of saying that he'd seen four-year-old girls with a stronger grip than I had… I didn't have a clue what I was doing with a sword then, but I learned."
"Really? You are not just trying to make me feel better?"
Jason hesitated for a moment.
"I am trying to make you feel better," he admitted, "but that doesn't make the story any less true. Talk to Hercules if you don't believe me. He'll be more than happy to tell you about it."
"It must have been years ago though," Iollas said despondently.
"About a year ago actually," Jason answered with a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "It was two days after I arrived in Atlantis."
Iollas stared at him in disbelief.
"Now I know you are not telling the truth," he declared. "My tutors told me that it takes years to learn the art of sword play properly. No-one could become so skilled so quickly."
"I give you my word that everything I've told you is true," Jason replied earnestly. "You can ask either one of my friends about it… although Hercules would probably get more enjoyment out of telling you the story than Pythagoras would. The point I'm trying to make though," he added, "is that you're being much too hard on yourself. You're what? Fifteen? Sixteen?"
"Fourteen," Iollas answered, looking down at the ground.
"There's no way I could have done what you did last night when I was fourteen," Jason stated. "So you got shoved over by an enemy soldier? You're still here to tell the tale, aren't you? We all are. That's got to be a good thing. You need to learn to take what victories you can… even if they're little ones. You fought in your first proper battle and survived… and you did fight. That's not something a coward would have done. You need to stop being so hard on yourself. It'll all be alright."
Iollas looked back up at him, biting his lip.
"Do you really believe that?" he asked.
Jason smiled.
"Yes I do," he answered earnestly.
He shoved the stopper back into the last water skin and put it down on the pile.
"Could you do me a favour and take these back while I go and see what fruit is on the bushes?" he asked, gesturing towards the skins.
"Of course," Iollas answered, standing up and picking up the skins.
He hesitated for a moment before looking back at Jason.
"Thank you," he said.
Jason watched him make his way back to the rest of the party with a soft smile.
"That was good advice." Pythagoras' voice was gentle, although it still made Jason jump. He hadn't heard his friend approach.
"Sorry?" Jason asked, standing and moving to join Pythagoras.
"Telling Iollas not to be so hard on himself," Pythagoras clarified, his voice still soft. "It was good advice." He glanced at Jason, his gaze shrewd. "Although I do have to ask whether you plan on taking it yourself?"
"I don't know what you mean," Jason responded slowly.
"Yes, you do," Pythagoras replied. "For as long as I have known you, you have always been too hard on yourself… taking the blame for things that are not your fault… taking too much weight onto your own shoulders. Perhaps it is time you took your own advice."
He smiled and clapped his friend on the shoulder before wandering back towards the horses and leaving Jason staring after him in surprise.
Near to where they had slept, Lady Ianthe was sitting with the baby on her lap. She was attempting to feed the child with a sort of watery paste she had crushed up from some of the supplies in one of the saddlebags. Pythagoras wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know what was in it; it hardly looked appetising.
"Is the baby well, My Lady?" the young mathematician asked.
"Yes," the woman responded. "She is very well."
"It's a girl then," Pythagoras murmured.
"She is," Lady Ianthe confirmed. "She is a very beautiful little girl. I always wanted a daughter," she added, half to herself. "But it was not to be. After Iollas, we were told there could be no more children. Sometimes I wish…" she broke off suddenly, leaving what it was that she wished unspoken.
Pythagoras hesitated, not entirely sure how he should respond; not sure any response he might make would be welcome.
"There," the woman said softly, finishing off what she was doing and smiling gently at the baby girl in her arms.
The smile lit up her entire face, making her seem much younger. When she looked up, however, all trace of softness had gone and her apparently more usual haughty expression had returned.
"Fetch me some water and a cloth," she commanded, in the tone of one who does not expect their wishes to be disobeyed.
Pythagoras rolled his eyes as he turned away and stifled a sigh. He supposed it was too much to expect that such a highborn lady might be polite.
"Wait." Lady Ianthe's imperious instruction stopped him in his tracks. "What is your name?"
Pythagoras turned back to face her.
"Pythagoras, My Lady," he replied softly.
"Pythagoras," Ianthe repeated slowly, as though she was committing it to memory.
She looked up into the young genius' face.
"What you and your friends did last night…" she began quietly. "You have my thanks… and my apologies. You saved my family despite my poor behaviour towards you all. I am in your debt… and I will not forget." She looked from the baby in her arms to the sleeping little boy at her side.
"It was nothing, My Lady," Pythagoras responded gently. "The King instructed us to ensure your safety. We were simply fulfilling our duty."
"No," Ianthe disagreed. "It was more than that. Much more. My behaviour and my words were inexcusable… yet not one of you reacted. You were far more courteous than I deserved… more courteous than I was… and I am ashamed of my conduct… Besides, I do not think that what your friends did in saving these children was out of duty."
"Perhaps not," Pythagoras acknowledged. "Hercules has a soft spot for babies and young children – whether he will admit it or not… and Jason has very strong opinions about right and wrong… and about what's fair. He could never abandon an innocent to such a horrible fate without at least trying to intervene."
"Hmm," Lady Ianthe said. "I suspect that all three of you are good men… and I will make sure that my husband informs the King of your conduct when we get to Pagenia. If it is in my power, I will see that you are suitably rewarded."
"We have to get to Pagenia first," Lord Herodion's deep voice rumbled. "And the sooner we set off the better it will be."
"Of course," his wife responded, moving to wake the little boy beside her. "Give me a few moments to prepare the children and I will be ready."
Pythagoras caught the loving look Lord Herodion gave his wife and moved away quickly to give them as much privacy as he could, making his way to his horse to prepare for the journey ahead.
Everything about Atlantis seemed bleak, Meriones decided morosely. A pall of suspicion and fear hung in the air. The merchants had begun to trade with each other once more and the city gates had been reopened to a trickle of traffic under the watchful and accusatory gaze of the Amphigeneian guards. It had been inevitable, Meriones knew, since even Anaxandros could not fail to realise that the city would starve without goods being brought in from the countryside. The queues to get through the gates in either direction were long and more were turned away than actually let through; everyone attempting a journey was heavily scrutinised to make sure that anyone who was suspected of not being loyal to the new King did not manage to slip through.
Anaxandros was a monster. Every day more and more citizens went to the cells or to their deaths, and the number of bodies left hanging in the streets increased. Meriones was doing what he could to try to get as many people out of the city as possible and know that there were others around the city doing the same thing, but it was really just a drop in the ocean. Sooner or later he would be betrayed – he had accepted that at the outset – but he hoped that he could do some good first – and that he would not take his friends and associates down with him.
"You need to eat."
The giant turned away from the window to face Orithyia. The motherly servant was standing looking at him with a stern expression on her face and her hands on her hips. Her position as Meriones' housekeeper was a temporary one; a ruse to keep the Amphigeneians from realising her connection to the Palace and to the Princess' escape. Meriones had had no intention of actually making her do the job.
Orithyia, however, had apparently had other ideas. She had taken over the management of his household completely and insisted on being allowed to do what she saw as her duty – informing the enormous merchant that she was going to help him no matter what; that this was her way of helping the resistance to Anaxandros.
"I have little appetite at present," Meriones rumbled. He turned back to stare moodily out of the window.
Orithyia raised an eyebrow.
"You still need to eat," she asserted firmly. "Even if you don't feel like it. You'll do no-one any good if you let yourself waste away."
Meriones gave a startled laugh.
"I hardly think that will be likely," he said with some amusement, gesturing at his vast frame.
"That's as may be," Orithyia said, "but you won't be able to help anyone else if you don't look after yourself. Now go and sit yourself down and I'll get you something."
Meriones sighed but did as he was told. He had learned early on that it did no good to argue with Orithyia when she made up her mind about something.
"You do not have to keep doing this," he said gently as he sat at the table in the kitchen. "I do not expect to be waited on."
"Yes I do," his female companion replied, filling a bowl from a pan over the fire. "Oh I know you only took me on so that that sweet young man and the Princess wouldn't worry about leaving me behind… but it is my job now. I can't help you to rescue anyone but I can help by making sure that you're looked after so that you can rescue them that need it."
She put the bowl she was holding down on the table in front of Meriones almost aggressively, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
Meriones nodded, smiling internally. Jason's ability to inspire loyalty on what was essentially very short acquaintance was apparent once again – the only one who never seemed able to see it (or to believe it anyway) was Jason himself.
To please the motherly lady, the giant picked up his spoon and took a mouthful of stew. It was very good; hot and flavourful.
Orithyia watched him for a moment before turning away to begin to tidy up.
Meriones frowned.
"Are you not eating?" he asked.
"It wouldn't be right," Orithyia answered, not looking up from her task. "At the Palace, servants eat when they can and never at the same time as their masters."
Meriones' frown deepened.
"You are not my servant," he stated firmly. "I am glad of your company and thankful of your help but I am not your master. Please… join me. I am a social creature and I prefer not to eat alone… Come, sit, eat."
Orithyia looked at him curiously, clearly trying to gauge how serious he was. Meriones looked steadily back with a raised eyebrow, gesturing expansively at the seat opposite him. Finally, Orithyia swallowed hard and nodded. She moved back to the fire and helped herself to a bowl of the stew she had cooked, bringing it back to the table and sitting down on the opposite side from the enormous merchant. Meriones smiled and reached across to pour her a cup of wine.
"Thank you," Orithyia said softly. She smiled and gestured to the table and the wine. "I am not used to this. As a servant at the Palace I have learned to eat at odd times. My husband has been gone these many years past – rest his soul – and my children are all grown. Most of the time I eat alone."
"As do I… when I am at home that is. In normal times I spend much of my time in the tavern. I enjoy the company of others and conduct much of my business there."
"Legal or otherwise?"
Meriones gave a booming laugh, his thick black beard wagging.
"I am a legitimate businessman," he protested, his eyes dancing merrily. He paused for a moment. "I am also a thief, a swindler, a smuggler, a liar and a rogue… although I think that that holds true to a greater or lesser extent for all businessmen," he added. "I am, perhaps, simply a little more honest about it than most."
Orithyia laughed.
"Honest about being dishonest," she said. "That is a strange thing to admit."
"I do not lie to my friends," Meriones stated seriously.
He paused as Isosceles jumped up onto the seat next to him and reached down with one huge hand to pet the little creature.
"She misses them," Orithyia observed.
"Yes," Meriones replied. "She does… Jason in particular I think. She loves him."
"And he loves her." Orithyia hesitated for a moment. "You must think me a fool for stopping in the midst of disaster to rescue a cat."
"No. I do not think you a fool." Meriones' voice was soft and sincere.
"He was kind to me… did not take offence at the gabbling of an old woman. I did not like to think of him returning from battle and finding the little cat he and his friends seemed so attached to missing."
Meriones sighed.
"Jason is by nature a kind young man," he said. "He and Pythagoras… well… they are both too kind and selfless for their own good. In many ways they are as alike as two puppies from the same litter… even if they are not related by blood." He sighed again. "I am glad they managed to get out of Atlantis. It would be too dangerous for them here at present. King Anaxandros would kill Jason along with the rest of his family if he found him."
"You know who his family is then?" Orithyia asked, with a startled look at the giant merchant. "Who he is?"
"I do," Meriones confirmed. "Although I did not know it when I first got to know Jason… but then I do not believe that Jason knew it back then either… I am a little surprised that you know, however… I understood it to be a secret."
"As far as I know it is," Orithyia confirmed. "I was just a young girl when I first went to work at the Palace. In my time, I have seen many things and met many people. I remember the Prince as a baby in arms. From the moment I saw him again there was something familiar about him – he has the look of several members of his family about him but especially his grandmother – but I couldn't quite place him… until I saw him with the Queen and then there could be no doubt. The only person I have ever seen Her Majesty look at with such affection was the child she lost."
Meriones nodded thoughtfully, still stroking the kitten at his side. The conversation lapsed into a silence that was not uncomfortable.
"What were you thinking about before?" Orithyia asked finally. "When you were in the window… You looked so grim that I feared you had received bad news."
Meriones started, startled out of his thoughts by the motherly woman's words. He sighed.
"I fear the future," he said morosely. "These are dark days… yet I fear that what is to come may be darker still. Anaxandros will not stop until we are bled dry… and I fear that we are waiting for a rescue that will never come."
"But King Minos won't give up that easily, surely? I heard you saying to Gelo that you thought he was gathering troops."
"Mmm," the giant responded. "But I do not know if it will be enough. The Amphigeneian army will vastly outnumber any survivors of our own army that the King might gather. I hope and pray that any attempt to retake the city will succeed but I fear that it may be futile."
"Then we must pray to the Gods that they will deliver us," Orithyia said softly. "They surely cannot abandon us now."
"I hope that you are right," Meriones replied.
"But you don't believe it."
Meriones sighed.
"Forgive me," he said. "I am simply in a dark mood today. It will pass. I hope that the Gods will deliver us. I hope that the King will return and regain the throne. I hope that someone will come to save us… a hero who the people will rally to. Yet I know that we cannot expect help unless we are willing to help ourselves."
"Which is why you are risking your life to help others to escape," Orithyia murmured.
"It is one of the reasons," Meriones agreed. "I do not like bullies… I believe that they must be stood up to… eradicated – and Anaxandros is a bully." He sighed. "I will undoubtedly be caught in the end," he admitted. "There is always someone who will betray you out of fear or greed. I just hope I will have done enough before that happens."
"I pray that we will all come through this safely," his companion said quietly.
"I hope that all my friends will." Meriones sighed but gave Orithyia a half-smile. "I have made sure that there is no evidence that can connect my friends to any of my less than legitimate activities – especially to my assistance of escapees. I only ever put my legitimate business in writing."
"Our new rulers seem a paranoid lot," Orithyia snorted. "If they can arrest someone simply for complaining that they couldn't get as much bread as normal then they would certainly have no problem in arresting all your friends simply for knowing you."
"What's this?" Meriones asked with a frown.
Orithyia sighed.
"I was at the agora this morning – you were out of milk. There was a young woman at the next stall. She was saying that she was worried about feeding her family since the bread supply was so low. There were soldiers nearby and they overheard her. The next thing you know she was being arrested and the soldier in charge was announcing that it was for 'spreading seditious rumours'. They've been rounding up whole families ever since the city fell just because they've said they were unhappy."
"I know," Meriones confirmed. "And they will no doubt continue until they are stopped." He squared his shoulders. "I must not allow my fears to overcome me," he announced. "Not when there is still work to be done."
Orithyia looked at him steadily.
"What can I do to help?" she asked.
"I cannot ask that of you," Meriones replied. "You do enough here."
"You have not asked it," his motherly companion answered firmly. "I have offered. I am a servant and I have served the King and Queen for years – ever since I was a girl. King Minos has not been a bad king by any means… so anything I can do to help I will… and as for doing enough already – I hardly think a bit of tidying and cooking amount to all that much."
Meriones sighed softly.
"Very well," he said. "There is a task you can complete for me."
Jason woke up with a start and sat up, eyes darting around the clearing where they had made their camp. Something had woken him up and he wasn't entirely sure what that something was. He was fairly certain that he hadn't been dreaming this time – neither nightmares of the past or apparent visions of the future – so what had disturbed him? He scrubbed a hand across his face in annoyance. Was it really too much to ask to have one night of uninterrupted sleep?
He sat still for a moment, listening. The night was still and peaceful, broken only by Hercules' stentorian snoring.
On the far side of the clearing, Lord Herodion was sitting with his back to the rest of the group, taking his turn on guard. It had come as a pleasant surprise when he had insisted that the task of keeping watch would not just fall to Jason and his friends; that he and Iollas would take their turns too.
Knowing that sleep would not return easily, Jason silently pushed himself to his feet in one fluid motion, deciding that he may as well have a scout around to see if he could work out what had woken him – or at least reassure himself that all was well so that he could attempt to get back to sleep.
Without even thinking about it, he slid the strap for his sword up over his head and collected his cloak from in amongst the blankets, fastening it around his shoulders and pulling the hood up to cover his head. The dark green colour would help him to blend in with his surroundings.
At the edge of the clearing, Jason paused and dropped down into a crouch beside Lord Herodion. The other man looked at him with a deep frown.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"No," Jason answered. "Can't sleep. I thought I'd go for a little walk… Just to make sure that everything's alright. I won't go far or be too long."
"Very well," Herodion answered. "If you are not back before the moon drops below the top of that tree I will come looking for you, however."
Jason looked up with narrowed eyes. By his estimation (which he would be the first to admit might not be terribly accurate) he would have at least an hour – more than enough time to have a quick look around, especially as he had no intention of being away from the camp for that long. He nodded tightly and stood up.
They were two days out from Athanos now and well on their way back to Pagenia. So far there had been no sign of anything that might threaten their party and they had all begun to relax a little – although they had not let their guard down.
This was silly, Jason decided as he walked. There was nothing obvious that had woken him – nothing more than a faint sense of foreboding that kept tickling at the edge of his mind. Everything was going so well that it almost seemed too good to be true. He was on edge that was all; his mind was playing tricks on him and he should really head straight back to camp and try to get back to sleep.
Still, what would it hurt to make absolutely certain? And besides, he knew from past experience that when he was struggling to sleep a short walk sometimes helped. Decision made, he moved on.
The deeper he wandered into the woods, the more serene his surroundings seemed. Jason smiled softly to himself as he allowed the peace of the night to seep into him.
He wandered on a little further.
Ahead of him a doe stalked out from between the trees with her fawn in tow. She stopped dead, sniffing the air, and turned her head to look at Jason before racing off through the trees with the fawn scampering after her. In the undergrowth some sort of smallish creature snuffled and out of the corner of his eye, Jason thought he saw a fox off in the distance. Overhead an owl screeched.
Having grown up in a town (albeit a small, sleepy one) Jason had never really been exposed to the true wonders of nature until he'd come to Atlantis. If he hadn't still been a little on edge – hadn't still been trying to work out what had woken him up – it would have been enchanting out here tonight. One day, he promised himself, he would spend a few days travelling just for the pleasure of seeing the land he was now living in rather than for a job or because disaster was about to strike (or indeed had already struck).
He must have been walking for about half an hour (although without a watch it was a bit hard to tell – and that was something he did miss from his former life). Gradually all sounds had died away until the only thing he could hear was his own breathing.
Jason stopped, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. It almost felt like he was in one of those cheesy horror movies he'd watched as a teenager and in college.
Then he heard it: the sound of feet rustling through the leaves somewhere ahead of him; the faint rattling of weaponry.
Jason crept forwards, moving with almost no sound. Faint voices began to come to him on the breeze, allowing him to pinpoint their location more accurately. Using the trees for cover, he moved forwards until he could see who was out here.
It was an Amphigeneian detachment; their distinctive helmets gleaming faintly in the moonlight and giving them away. Jason ducked back behind the tree he was currently hiding behind and swallowed hard, before peering around the trunk to gauge exactly what they were facing.
There must have been at least thirty soldiers in the party – possibly even forty. Certainly far too many for his own little group to take on. They were led by a grim faced officer. As Jason watched, a junior officer approached him.
"Sir, we must make camp for the night," the younger officer said formally. "The men are exhausted."
"My orders are to march on the town of Thera with all haste," his superior growled. "I am not about to risk punishment because the men wish to dawdle."
"It is not a matter of dawdling, Sir. They simply cannot go much further. Surely we are making good enough time?"
The officer in charge grunted.
"Perhaps you are correct," he said. "We are further than I would have expected us to be." He sighed. "Very well. We will make camp at the next clearing we come across."
Jason's eyes narrowed as he listened to their talk. If the Amphigeneians carried on in the direction they were going, the next clearing they came across would be the one where he and his friends had set up their camp. He couldn't allow them to be caught like that; wasn't sure what the Amphigeneian soldiers would do if they came across his group but suspected it would be nothing good based on his experiences of the enemy so far.
Moving silently but as swiftly as he dared, he melted back into the trees. Once he was a safe enough distance away that he hoped he wouldn't be heard (or at least taken for an animal if he was), Jason picked up his pace and broke into a run, heading back towards his friends as quickly as he could, intent on warning them of the danger they were facing.
