by Wilbur Arron
THE LAUGHING GODS
By
WILBUR ARRON
The Laughing Gods is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at publication time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
Copyright © 2020 by Wilbur Arron. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author at the email address below: [email protected] or at his website www.wilburarron.com.
Dedication
This work is dedicated to Andrea, who was my companion, my instructor, my colleague, my reviewer, my best critic, and my greatest supporter. May you forever rest in Elysium.
I also wish to credit both Professors Kenneth W. Harl and Robert Garland through the Great Courses library for educating me on some of the nuances of Ancient Greek life.
Author’s Notes to His Readers
This novel is set in a world similar to Hellenistic Greece. That is the period from the death of Alexander the Great to the Roman conquest (about 325 BC to 70 BC). The characters, settings, religion, morality, and politics in this text reflect this period. As such, they do not have our contemporary ways of thinking and acting. To add flavor to the story, I am also including certain Greek words as part of the text. These words are marked by an asterisk*, and short one to three word definitions will follow in parentheses. These translations are only for words new to this book. For those words introduced in The Forest of Allund, please refer to the glossary at the back of the book.
This book is the second in a series of three. The first book, The Forest of Allund, is available through Kindle. If The Laughing Gods is the first book in the series you have read, then you may not understand some of the background. I suggest you read the first book before starting this one. If you do not want to do this, here is a bare-bones synopsis of the story to date that will not ruin reading the first book later.
Young mage Alexio Sopholus returns to his home Korpolis after a decade at the Mage Academy. He reunites with old friends and takes up his position of caretaker in the Forest of Allund. Almost immediately, the Zilar Horde attacks his home, throwing the kingdom into chaos. Alexio is forced to combat the Zilar and his own leaders to survive. In the process, he realizes his Academy teachings did not prepare him for anything like what he faces now. He finds he must use whatever means necessary to protect himself and his friends.
Enjoy!
WA
March 2020
CHAPTER ONE: HOMESTEAD
The work was done.
The workers were putting their tools in the wagons, along with any spare wood and clay tiles not used during the construction. It had taken nearly the entire months of Gamelion and Anthesterion* (late winter/early spring months) to complete it. The two-room wooden shack that Malcor had built, and I helped maintain, was gone. Ptolemy and his men had burned the hut and everything around it to the ground when they came to the Forest of Allund looking to kill me. Not satisfied with that, they also destroyed my workshop, smokehouse, gardens, mill, and even the outhouse. They left nothing and then celebrated their triumph with festivities next to the burned-out ruins. My animal friends told me the men laughed loudly about their victory. Their laughter was short-lived, however. My forest friends paid them a visit later. Ptolemy and his men disappeared from the face of our world; not even their horses came back. At least their mounts survived and now ran with the increasingly large horse herd in the open grasslands.
I had given Kriton, the master builder, about ten minae of gold dust to complete the work. At first, none of the builders would take it since I had saved the polis when the Zilar had invaded. Cleon, the oligarch, now tetrarch, had also offered to pay for the work, but I felt it was wrong to accept their gifts. Although I was no longer bound by the Mage Code, I still felt uneasy about taking rewards for stopping the Zilar.
In place of the two-room shack made of wood and thatch, there stood a six-room house made of stone with a wall around it. There were two bedrooms, a workshop, a bathroom, a study, and a dining room with kitchen. I had used lead pipes to direct some of the running water from the nearby stream to flow into and under the house. It was similar to the system in Korpolis that drained wastewater and sewage from the palace and major buildings. The water flowed first into a basin for drinking and cooking and then through the bathroom to the kampínes* (toilet) to flush any waste downstream. I could also direct the flow to a copper bathtub I had put on a stand, where I had the workmen dig a firebox underneath to warm the bathwater in winter. The smoke from the fire flowed through a duct and into the main fireplace in the kitchen. Beneath the tub, a ladder led down to the cool underground cellar where I would store provisions. The thick clay covering the heavy stonewalls prevented any water from seeping into it.
Beside my house, they had rebuilt my mill exactly the way Malcor had designed it, as well as the smokehouse and another storeroom on the outside of the main wall. A few men had even readied the ground to replant my herbal and vegetable gardens along with the rice, barley, and wheat fields. To cover the top of the buildings, we used red clay roof tiles. It was a small palace when compared to what was here before. Melina would be happier here.
Once they were gone, I stood by the heavy wooden gate. Reinforcing the thick wooden doors were iron strips, iron hinges, and heavy iron bolts to lock it closed. It would not be easy to break down these doors. The windows had similar reinforced wood shutters; the workmen had covered the wood with whitewash mixed with clay so that setting fire to it would be very difficult.
I waited until the builders were far down the road before I walked out into the open space between my house and the forest. Looking into the forest, I called out.
“They are gone,” I said mentally. “You can come by if you wish.”
The first to show were Alkos and Alkina, the red deer. Swift and silent, they resembled any other red deer except for the fact they were twice as large as any forest deer seen by men. Their brown coats shimmered in the broken light that filtered through the trees. I walked up and petted them on their huge flanks. Alkina rubbed her large head against my side. Alkos just rubbed me with his side. His antlers could cut me to ribbons if he rubbed me with his head.
“It is much bigger than Malcor’s old house,” Alkos said. I was not sure if the big deer approved or not.
“I know,” I said aloud. “However, I want Melina to be happy here. I have moved the workshop and the study inside. It is also better protected than the old house.”
“You may need that,” a familiar voice called in my head. “There are many now who would not mind harming you if what I hear is correct.”
I looked up and saw two pure white unicorns walking into the field. They looked like large statues of horses, if you did not notice the cubit-long horn growing from each of their heads. Like the deer, they too were about twice normal size. Keros and Kerina walked in softly and stood next to me.
“I agree with you,” I told them. “There
are enough people around who would like to kill me.”
While my forest friends can understand human speech, they do not have the body parts to speak it. I can only hear their words in my mind when I talk directly to them. Besides me, only my Amazon friend Philie can hear them directly along with any other sensitive.
There was no mistaking the pounding of hooves of our next arrivals. These animals were neither light on their feet nor quiet. Two large grey boars came into the clearing. From their cavernous mouths grew tusks that resembled swords and a head that was as hard as a battering ram. They were large enough that even one of the gods could ride them into battle. Kypos and Kapria are two more of those who help me protect this forest and guard its many secrets.
“Let them come,” Kypos growled in my head. “I just hope they taste as good as the others that came.”
“So do I,” a voice called out. “That last group that came fed the pack for several days.”
From behind came two wolves, huge like the others, quiet like the deer, and if anything, more ferocious looking than even the boars. Silver fur and black manes, they look like they could swallow a whole cow at one gulp. Lycos and Lykina were two more of my friends. As a boy, they would let me ride on their backs. I would pretend I was a cavalryman riding into battle. However, because of my childhood illness that stunted my growth and made me slight of size and build, I knew that joining the cavalry would never happen. I was useless with a sword, hoplon, and spear.
“Is your new den finished?” Lykina asked.
“Yes,” I said. “All I need now is the furniture to go inside, and then Melina and I will move in. All that will be here tomorrow. I want to finish quickly. Planting time will be here soon. I want to replace the gardens Malcor planted and those barbarians destroyed.”
I looked around and saw two of my friends were missing. Aetos and Aerra were not here. They mostly stayed in the high parts of the Central Mountains. They were golden eagles that stood taller than I was. With their sharp eyes and stealthy movements, they often spotted trouble before anyone else. My other friends could smell or hear anyone trying to sneak through the forest, and the eagles could see anyone approaching the forest from many milio away.
“Are you going back to the polis tonight?” Kerina asked.
I looked up to the sky; it was late afternoon. With a fast horse, I could get to Korpolis by late night. I did not like to ride through the forest in the dark. I was tired, plus my friends were not the only threats here.
“No, I will stay here and wait for the others to come tomorrow. They will bring the furniture and supplies. I can spend one more night sleeping in Malcor’s cave. If you want, you can look at the house. The doors are not big enough to let you inside, but you can look through the windows.”
My friends took turns looking inside. It was a nice place. It was a little fancy to me, but Melina was the daughter and sister of oligarchs and required some comforts. I knew she did not like the old shack but stayed mostly out of love for me and my friends, even though she could not hear them.
I had enough food with me for a light meal and spent the night reading in Malcor’s old cave. Once all three hundred forty-two stars came out, I went to sleep on the straw-covered rock bench Malcor had cut into the cave wall; hopefully, I was sleeping there for the last time.
The next morning, I awoke early and bathed in the pond. It was cool. I dressed in a new mage robe and waited. My friends would watch at a distance when the workers or anyone else came into the forest. I finished my food and waited for my wife and my human friends to arrive.
I waited and waited until Apollo had driven his chariot halfway to its zenith, and still, no one came. Something must have gone wrong. I would wait out the day here and if no one came, I would sneak into the palace tonight through one of the secret passageways. It was close to noon when I heard Alkos call to me.
“Four men and a woman are riding down the road. The woman and one man are Philie and Iolaos. Another man is the one you brought here after the others burned your house. The other two men I do not know their scents.”
That put me on guard because the only other person I brought here after Ptolemy burned my shack was Diomedes, younger son of Ethnarch Sysgros of Argina. His father, his elder brother the Megas Archon, along with the arch-mage and the archiereas, had tried to punish me for killing the former archon, who was in league with the Zilar invaders. They tried to banish me to this forest for three years. In reality, the banishment had nothing to do with me killing that traitor, but instead, they wanted to isolate me because they feared my power and my influence with many of the people of Argina. When I found out, my reply was not pleasing to any of them.
“Get the others and watch from nearby,” I answered. “If I call you, come in and attack them, but do not hurt Philie and Iolaos.”
“We all hear,” Lycos said.
I went in and opened a secret compartment in the cave. I removed a box and took out a purple crystal about half a cubit long. It was glowing with a dull light. I concentrated, and my surroundings vanished from my eyes and were replaced by a myriad of lights representing the different realms of this universe. I reached up, took power from some of the brightest lights, and let it flow through my body and into the crystal I held. Soon it glowed with a bright purple light. Using the crystal increases my magik power many times. After I put all the energy I could into this gem, I put power into the small crystal I wore around my neck that acted as my anchor to this place. When I finished, I walked out of the cave and sat on one of the steps leading up to the entrance. All I could do now was wait.
It was not long before a small party rode up to my new house. I looked over the two strangers and stopped cold. One of them I knew. It was the Master Mage Theodoros. He was one of my teachers at the Mage Academy on Lantia. What was he doing here? He did not work for the local arch-mage. I walked down the stairs slowly, and when I approached to within ten paces of them, I bowed slightly as a token of respect, mostly for Theodoros’ sake.
“Greetings,” I said with a fake smile and looked at both Diomedes and Theodoros. “I never expected to see you two again.”
“Mage Sopholus,” Diomedes said respectfully. “I have come at the behest of my father to see you. Master Mage Theodoros, you already know, represents the Megas Mage and the Mage Council.”
I stood there at least curious about why they both came here, but I was not very happy about it. “So, speak,” I told them tersely.
“Alexio,” Theodoros said, vaulting off his horse. He walked up to me, his face looking like he had drunk sour wine. “The Mage Council and the Megas Mage have sent me to talk to you. They want you to know there is no resentment between them and you. They are well aware of what happened here and the judgment against you. They understand the conditions you faced, and the pressures placed upon you. No mage in recent times had to contend with those pressures, and you chose the best course of action you could. Despite that, the Mage Council agrees that they can allow no mage to kill outright as you did. The Council concluded what you did was wrong.”
That was nothing new. “You think I do not know that?” I said. “Do you think I just decided to kill hundreds of people on a whim? There was no one else here. There was no magistrate to ask, no court to plead to, no presence of the Brotherhood nearby. I was on my own. I took the course of action that saved the most people. If I could have asked for permission or guidance from anyone, I would have.”
Theodoros ignored me and continued like reading from a prepared speech. “I am sorry, Alexio, but your actions set a horrible precedent that the Brotherhood cannot allow. There would be chaos if other mages took your course of action. That is why we agreed with the punishment the Arch-Mage Herion imposed on you. What we did not agree to was that he punished you out of his fear of your power and not out of any sense of justice. That was wrong. This is one reason why Arch-Mage Herion is retiring, and I am taking his place.”
That was a shock. Arch-mages held their positions for l
ife since they were also Mage Council members. Not that it mattered. “Then it is still the opinion of the Mage Council that my punishment was just?”
“Yes,” he said emphatically. “I agree for no other reason than I do not want to set the example that mages are free to act on their own without recourse.”
“And if there is no recourse?” I added.
Theodoros did not hesitate in his answer. “Then the mage must do what he thinks is best with the knowledge that his superiors will review his judgment.”
“Who are not there,” I jumped in. “Who have no idea what is happening or understand the situation the mage may find himself in. In short, a mage is judged by those who know nothing of what he is doing and why. That is something I will not accept and why I sent my Master Mage ring back to the now former arch-mage.”
I held up my right hand, clearly showing all of them the empty finger my master mage ring would sit on. “I told Herion I no longer consider myself bound under the Mage Code, or the authority of the Megas Mage, or the Mage Council. I prevented a bloodbath twice with no help from either the Mage Brotherhood or the Ethnarch.”
I went on, feeling my anger rising in me. “You wear my sandals first, and then you can tell me how wrong I am. You face the Zilar alone; you get attacked by their raiding parties; you learn about the slaughter of thousands with more thousands to come—all thanks to our traitorous archon. You do all that, and then you can judge me.”
Theodoros took a step back and ran his right hand through his hair. “We understand you are angry at the Brotherhood and maybe with just cause. We still want you back. We still intend to reinstate your rank in three years. You are a powerful mage, and we agree your actions saved countless people. You also alerted us to the Syrina Brotherhood’s alliance with the Zilar. You have done all these things and done them well, but no one is above the law, not even you.”
They were not going to listen. I turned and walked away for a few moments to calm down. When I felt in control again, I returned to remind them: “I did accept just punishment for my actions. What I will not accept is punishment because some perceive me as a political threat while others fear the power I discovered. I never wanted that power and cringed when conditions forced me to use it. You have not seen the hundreds I have killed. Maybe Diomedes should show them to you. Their bones still litter the desert near here. Do you know how that makes me feel? Most of all, I never wanted political power despite what the ethnarch thinks. Yet, that did not stop him from punishing me for being a threat. That is why I want nothing to do with any of you.”