The Laughing Gods

by Wilbur Arron

  Davos just looked at me for a moment, expressionless. “What I hear about your skills as a stratigos is correct I see,” Davos said.

  “Thank you,” I said with a slight bow. “I will also admit your master Zilar is a good stratigos with his placement of his supply bases. However, some of his tactics have been poor.”

  Davos looked puzzled for a moment before he understood what I meant. “Yes, I saw that in the remains of our army near the dam you built, as well as in the actions we took here in your forest. A certain degree of sloppiness is to be expected when you command poor and unwilling troops. They can barely move in a straight line, never mind form a phalanx.”

  I felt like saying the unwillingness of his conscripted troops was not the reason they were beaten, but I decided not to mention it. I just added a non-committal, “We shall see.”

  I decided to change the subject. “In any case, Dysiasty is not why you are here. They are a small force, and Zila is not that powerful of a mage. She is not a major threat to you. This visit is about seeing what I will do. Now, I know what Zila wants. What does Zilar and the rest of his horde want, except to take over the world?”

  Davos nodded and cleared his throat. “Very well, former Master Mage Sopholus, I will tell you what we want. We want to rule Argina and Lantia and bring order out of chaos. Only when there is order will there be peace in this land. For our plans to work, we need wise men to help us. In particular, we would like you to be ethnarch here. You have already proven you are more intelligent than the anoitios* (fools or idiots) who rule this land now. You would be a perfect ruler to support the divine will of Zilar. You could keep the poleis in line. Zilar tells me himself he seldom feels others have the capacity to rule, but you have proven your skill.”

  Now it was flattery he is using. They must want me badly. It was nice but useless to me. “Davos, if I wanted to be ethnarch here, I would already be ethnarch here, and there is little you, Zilar, or our so-called royal family could do to stop me. Our ethnarch, you, and maybe Zilar himself do not believe me when I say I have no desire to rule anyone. However, it is true. I want to control nothing because, in the end, all such control is futile. Yes, you can dominate the people for a time, but eventually, the control crumbles into dust. It would serve your master well to listen to his daughter. Her idea to control the people depends on getting them to accept you as rulers because of what you do for them. If they want you to rule them, then you can stay in power for a long time. One thing you all fail to see is that, in the end, people are governed only because they want to be governed. It is not because you hold a sword to their throats. What Zilar wants, total control, he will never have it without spending the rest of his life on campaign.”

  Davos just nodded his head. “I see your point, Mage. I also thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I will tell them to Zilar myself. Both he and I will likely not agree with them. But, I see offering someone power, when he is genuinely not interested in it, is an exercise in futility. Now that I understand you, my work here is done. I will leave in peace.”

  He went to get up on his horse. There was one thing I wanted to say. “Davos, if you say you understand me, I am content. However, I also want you and your master to understand I am very interested in keeping this place safe, and I will fight anyone I have to in order to protect it. Not just me, but my friends will fight also. You do not want to anger them.”

  Davos turned his horse around. “Of that part, Mage, you do not have to convince me nor Zilar. A pleasant day to you all,” he said and rode down the road.

  As soon as he was gone, both Melina and Lycos approached. Both looked at me.

  “What just happened here?” Melina asked.

  “Hopefully, at last, an understanding.”

  CHAPTER FIVE: TROUBLE

  Nothing happened for five days after Davos left. By now, it was warmer in the mornings and at nights, and we no longer required a blanket or fire to sleep inside. The green shoots of our wheat, barley, and rice had appeared. All the wildflowers were in full bloom, and the blossoms on the cherry trees were so thick that they looked as though they were covered with snow. Spring was here in full, and that meant the start of the season for military campaigns.

  I was expecting trouble when on the sixth day I heard from the Old Ones. “Alex, many men come to the fort by the North Pass.”

  I was weeding my fields with Melina and instinctively looked toward the hills. “How many have come?” I asked aloud.

  “Many more than we have seen before,” the Old One answered instantly. “There are rows and rows of ten men so that it is hard to count them.”

  “This is it then,” I realized. “The Zilar invasion has started. Have they gotten to the narrow part of the pass?”

  “Not for three suns at least,” he answered.

  “If they go that way, you will have to block the pass as we talked about before.”

  “We know, many of my kind are going there now,” he said.

  “Good, I will warn the others,” I said, and then the presence was gone.

  I turned toward my wife. “The invasion has started. We need to ride and tell your brother.”

  “We need to wash and get dressed first,” she said, showing me her mud-spattered, yet gorgeous body.

  I looked into the woods. “Keros and Kerina, bring two horses to my house. Both Melina and I need to ride quickly for Korpolis.”

  “We will bring them now,” Kerina replied.

  It only took us a little while for Melina and me to bath and get ready. As we were getting out of the pond to get dressed, Melina suddenly stopped. “What about those in Dysiasty?” she asked.

  I cursed myself for forgetting. I should warn them, but how? It was a three-day ride there and I would not put it past the Zilar to have scouts out watching the road. The answer suddenly hit me.

  “You have anything bright in color that is small?”

  She thought about it for a second before answering, “I have an old piece of red cloth I can cut into ribbons.”

  “Good, I will wrap a message in it,” I said and went into my study to write a short note. As I went, I thought aloud, “Aetos, come to my home, please.”

  “I will come,” I heard shortly.

  In the note, I wrote to Zila about what I knew and told her to be on guard. I wrote her name on the outside and wrapped the parchment in the red cloth. I went outside and found a small rock and tied it to the message. By the time Melina and I were dressed, two horses were outside. As we were putting on the saddles, the big eagle arrived.

  “Take this message and fly to Dysiasty at night. Drop it where someone can find it, but do not be seen. I am afraid if the guards see you, they may shoot at you. Melina and I must go to Korpolis with important news. If you see anyone in the desert, please let us know.”

  “I hear, and I will do,” the big bird said and took the message in his claw and flew away.

  Satisfied I had done all that I could, Melina and I rode for Korpolis.

  I was disappointed to find only Theresa and Philie there. Both Cleon and Iolaos had ridden to Cos with 500 men to bolster the army. Because they were both pregnant, neither woman had gone. Philie was put in charge of the 50 men in the garrison. When she heard my news, she dispatched a rider for Cos at once and ordered the garrison on full alert. Three scouts were sent as lookouts to the top of the tallest hill near the polis. Then Philie posted an order requiring the local militia of male citizens to turn out in rotation to aid in guarding the polis. All others were to be alert. If the alarm gong rang, everyone was to turn out.

  We stayed for two days to help organize things and help prepare the polis for possible siege. By then I wanted to get back to the forest and my friends.

  “That is a good idea, but I am staying here for now,” Melina told me bluntly.

  “Why?” was all I could ask.

  “Philie is an experienced warrior, but Theresa has no experience and has no idea what to do if we are attacked. I have some experi
ence, and I can help Philie. You need to go back. I can be of best help here. Philie agrees with me, so I am staying.”

  I knew better than to argue with my wife once she makes up her mind. “Very well, that is your choice. If something happens and you need my help, light a big fire on the watchtower. I will have Aetos looking for it, and he will tell me if he sees it. I will then come.”

  With that, I had a servant saddle my horse, and shortly before noon, I left. I was uneasy about leaving Melina there, but next to my forest, she was in the safest place possible.

  I had not traveled far from the polis. I was past the farmlands and into the fringes of the forest. This was the location many of the farmers and others gathered wood from. Hunters come here for game but do not go into the deep woods. No one disappears in this part of the forest, unlike the deeper woods five milio down the overgrown road. Many of my animal friends do not like hunters and those who went into the dense forest too deep often had the most severe—and final—shock of their lives.

  As I was riding, I noted a red doe leap out of the cover of the forest and flee toward me. That was unusual. Deer ran away from people and not toward them—something must be chasing it. My animal friends were not the only dangerous predators in the forest; others were just as lethal. That put me on my guard. I projected my aura out looking for something unusual. As I approached the spot where the deer ran out, I started to feel a presence in my mind—a human presence. I saw the bushes move and I leaped off the other side of my horse. I hit the ground just as my horse cried out in pain and reared up on its hind legs. I rolled to my right and off the road. My horse bolted back toward the polis. I could make out a darkened silhouette moving in the foliage.

  “Kervano,” I called out.

  A lightning bolt leaped from my hand into the trees with a thunderous crash. I did not have time to focus, so the bolt had defused before it hit.

  “Baaaa,” I heard someone cry out.

  After that, nothing moved. I spent time gathering energy from the realms. I did not have the Speaking Stone with me but my necklace gave me all the power I needed. As soon as I was ready, I cast force in front of me and walked across the road, readying another bolt. I almost reached the far end when I heard branches break back on the other side of the road. A man in green and brown clothes ran out and fired an arrow directly at me. I ducked away by instinct, but the arrow still hit the top of my force projection and veered off. I spun and let loose my lightning bolt at the second man, striking him full in the chest. He flew back as if hit by a titan and lay sprawled on the ground, not moving.

  He was no threat now, so I walked on into the woods. As I searched for the first attacker, I smelled the burnt branches and leaves. I found him lying on the ground, armed with a bow and a short sword and wearing a similar brown and green shirt and pants, a green hood, and brown cloak. It was the same as my other attacker. I could smell the cloth burning as I got near. I pulled some more energy out of the realms and prepared to fry him if he moved. He didn’t. I felt at his throat and found a beating heart. I quickly undid his clothes and used them as binding to tie him up. Knowing there may be others, I called out to my friends.

  “Can any of you hear me? I need help. Two men have tried to kill me.”

  “I hear you,” I heard Alkos in my head. “Where are you?”

  “Off the road, just as you get close to the farms. One man is lying in the road. I think he is dead. I have the other one tied up.”

  “I will get Lycos and Kypos. We will be there soon,” the big deer said.

  It was not soon. It was almost nightfall before they all came. Fortunately, no one else came looking. By now the crows and other carrion eaters were already starting to feed on the other body. It would not last long out there in the open. I had used Life Magik to pull some power out of my sleeping assassin, and I knew he would not wake up for a while. I waited until my friends arrived and then started to explain.

  “These two tried to kill me but failed,” I said “I want to find out who they work for and I would like your help. After I am done with him, he is all yours. I know he is not much. You can have the other one too.”

  I used Life Magik again, only this time I pumped power into the man and brought him back to consciousness. He woke up and realized he was bound tight. He glared up at me. “Release me or I will have your guts out,” he growled.

  “Doubtful,” I told him. “I suggest you turn around and see the rest of my friends.”

  He turned around and went white. There, not more than ten podia from him, stood three very large creatures that towered over him.

  “Alkos, Lycos, Kypos, greet my friend here,” I said.

  Lycos started to bark, and Kypos let out a squeal that made my ears ring. Alkos just brought his huge head down to glare at the man.

  “GODS!” he screamed aloud and tried to squirm away. But my bonds held him tight.

  “I am going to ask you some questions,” I told him from behind. “If you do not answer, or I think you are lying, guess what my friends are having for dinner tonight.”

  I let that sink in before I started.

  “Who are you?” I started.

  Nothing; he said nothing. I smiled, got up and started to walk away. “Very well, I will get it from your partner,” I lied. “Maybe he will be more reasonable.” I turned to my friends. “Have a pleasant meal,” I said and walked away. Both Kypos and Lycos started to get close and opened their mouths, which looked like the entrances to huge caves.

  “NO, WAIT!” he yelled out. “I am Belos of Cos.”

  That was a start. “Very well, who has hired you to kill me?”

  “Melanthios hired us,” he squealed.

  “And he works for Krateros who works for Pallas, the ethnarch’s older son,” I said. “I have heard his name before.”

  Belos looked shocked that I knew so much about his leader. “And what were you to do after you killed me?”

  Kypos opened his mouth again, revealing tusks that were more than a podi long. That was all the encouragement my prisoner needed. “I was to meet him at an abandoned nearby farmhouse tomorrow at dawn. He would pay me the rest of my thousand drachmae.”

  “Moros,” I told him. “The only thing Melanthios was going to do was slit your throat to cover his tracks.” I took his short sword and slit the bonds holding his feet together.

  “What about your friend out there?” I asked.

  “Just another person Melanthios hired,” he said. “I do not know him well.”

  “Well, you are going to know him less, because I killed him,” I told him.

  “But you said—” Belos blurted out.

  “I say many things,” I said with a smile. “Now you are going to show me this farmhouse. If you try to run or hurt me, guess what happens,” I said with a grin.

  Further explanation was not needed.

  As we went down the road, I found my horse a short distance away, dead. There was an arrow through its neck, and it had bled out. I took the saddle and hid it in the woods for later. My friends had horsemeat for dinner, except for Alkos, who ate his usual grass.

  We found the old farmhouse. It was run down, almost a ruin. I cut the rest of the bonds for Belos and told him to wait inside and not to leave the house. If he did, he would be breakfast instead of dinner for my friends. I placed the rest of my friends around the farmhouse to wait. I stayed well away. My friends had better eyes, ears, and noses than me. They could more easily find Melanthios, and I wanted him alive.

  I spent the night hungry, thirsty, and cold, but the night finally gave way to Apollo’s chariot. Both Lykina and Kapria joined us before dawn. I spread out my friends so there was little chance Melanthois could approach without one of them seeing him. Just before dawn, I heard Alkos, “Someone comes through the woods. He is quiet, but he has a large smell.”

  I waited. I could not see the farmhouse from where I was, and I did not want the visitor to see me. As the red sun peaked over the east, I heard back. “He g
oes into the farmhouse now,” Lycos told me.

  It seemed only a moment later, Lycos called out. “Someone has cried out, and the man is running away.”

  “Bring him down, but do not kill him,” I called out to all of my friends.

  I left my hiding place and ran toward the farmhouse. It took me a little while to get there, but once inside, I saw Belos lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Just as I predicted, Melanthios had slit his throat neatly and tried to flee. I dragged the body outside. At least I had not killed him.

  “Where are you?” I called out to my friends.

  “We are all in the forest behind the farmhouse,” Alkos told me. “We have the man. He is alive, mostly.”

  I wondered what that meant until I found them all in a small clearing. There, I assumed, was Melanthios lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding from a slight head wound. I used Life Magik on him and found he was not badly injured. I took enough energy out of him so he would sleep for a while.

  “I need you all to watch him. I am going to get help from the polis guard,” I told the others.

  “He will not leave,” Lycos said.

  I ran for the abandoned well, maybe a milion from the farmhouse. It is one of the secret entrances to the palace. I climbed down the well on the carved-out steps and then went as fast as I could through the tunnel. A while later, I came out in Cleon’s study. Fortunately, there was no one around. I found a guard who knew me and told him to send Philie to meet me inside here and to be quiet about it. I wanted as few people as possible to know I was back. I did not know if Melanthios had any other help in the polis.

  I waited, and a while later Philie came back looking for me.

  “What happened?” she asked.