by Wilbur Arron
The crew responded instantly to his command. Although we were speeding away at a fast clip, the white sail kept getting bigger and bigger. The trierse was closing. When they were still about two milio away, Chremon, Gyras, and Nomiki went back to the cabin and reappeared a little while later in full arms and armor. Melina came up carrying two fighting knives and her bow. I put on my crystal necklace and charged it to the maximum.
“When will they fire at us with bows?” I asked Nomiki.
“When they are a stadion away from us, at the most,” he said, studying the oncoming ship. “They will use fire arrows to light us on fire and use their other archers to prevent us from removing the fire arrows.”
Posides nodded his head in agreement. “Once we start burning, we will slow, and then they will either ram and sink us, or board us and capture us. Yea gods, their captain must be flogging his rowers to death to keep up that pace this long.”
That gave me an idea. If they wanted to play with fire, I could help them. First, I needed to stay alive until they closed. “Captain, do you have a large piece of wood I could hide behind so the arrows could not strike me?”
“Looking for protection?” the Captain sneered.
“No, looking to stay alive until that trierse is within one stadion. Then I have a surprise for them. The rest of you can take cover until I am done.”
Gyras had seen that surprise before and knew what I had planned. “Do it,” he ordered the captain. “Our lives depend on it.”
The crew took a hatch cover and leaned it up against the forward mast and secured it. I could easily hide behind it, and it was about half a doron thick.
“Can you steer the ship from below?” I asked Posides.
“It is tough because the steer board is on the deck. We can latch it and move it slightly, but we cannot maneuver.”
“That will be good enough,” I said.
“Keep us on this course,” I said. “If this works, we will be fine. If it does not work, then everyone will have to fight. My three guards are all excellent warriors. I doubt if that crew will be in much of a mood for a fight after rowing at speed this long.”
“The gods go with you and us, Ambassador,” Posides said, putting his hand on my shoulder. He turned and ordered his men below to arm themselves.
The trierse got closer, yet it seemed like it took all day for them to get into firing range. Finally, they fired one arrow at our ship. It fell into the ocean just short of our stern. A second shot stuck in the railing. They were getting in range. I could see them lighting fire arrows on the deck and a dozen archers looked ready to shoot.
“Loose,” I heard faintly in the distance, and a dozen fire arrows came at me. I ducked behind the hatch cover, and I heard several thumps as arrows hit the deck. I looked out and saw eight arrows lodged in the deck and one burning in the forward sail. I called upon the magik and pulled power from those small fires and stored it in my body. All the arrows went out like a wave had crashed over the ship. A second volley followed with the same results. I could see the archers and the commander staring at the ship, wondering what was going on. They fired one more volley that all landed on the forward deck, giving me more power to gather. They were now within my range. I concentrated behind the hatch cover, and once I was ready, cast the most impressive fireball I could.
“PYRA,” I shouted.
Without the Speaking Stone, I could not cast the size of a fireball I did before, but what came out was the length of my arm in size and hit the trierse just to the right of the bow. Instantly that part of the ship was covered in flame.
“Gods,” I heard from behind me, along with other curses.
I took a short while to recharge my power. In that time, the trierse veered away and presented its side to me.
“PYRA,” I shouted again.
This time the ball of flame landed near their mast. In moments, the deck, mast, and sail were ablaze, and three archers closest to the mast were also hit. I pulled more power from the realms, but I was getting tired. By now the trierse had come about and was moving away from us. I hit it with one more fireball at the stern. Now the trierse was burning in three different places. Everyone was running on deck trying to put out the fires.
“Veer to harbor-side,” I called down below.
The ship slowly turned, so we were putting the maximum distance between us and the trierse. They were not trying to fight now; they were busy trying to save their own lives. Posides came running up on deck to look.
“They will never put out those fires,” he said. “That ship is doomed.”
“I feel sorry for the rowers,” I said. “They were most likely slaves and wanted nothing to do with this fight.”
“That cannot be helped,” Posides said. “That is one of the horrible things about fighting at sea.” He looked wide-eyed at me. “By Zeus, who are you?”
It was pointless to hide my identity any longer. “I am Master Mage Alexio Sopholus,” I said.
“The Zilar Slayer,” the captain gasped.
I had not heard that one before. “Yes, and now Ambassador to Lantia.”
“I did not know,” he said. “I would have acted…” he trailed off.
“Never mind,” I said. “The less said about this, the better.”
“I understand, Great Mage, but I doubt it will matter,” he said, looking at the now fully engulfed trierse. “They will see that smoke for several milio on the open sea. When that trierse does not report in, others will come looking.”
“Is there any chance of another trierse investigating the smoke and finding us?” I asked.
“I doubt it, with night coming on,” Posides said, looking at the setting orange ball. “Tonight, I am keeping every bit of sail on so we will be as far away from here as possible by morning.”
By now the rest of the crew was on deck, watching the burning ship and thanking the gods it was not them. I walked down the steps, and all the crew moved to clear a path for me.
“That was amazing,” Chremon said. “I did not know a mortal could wield such power.”
“No mage I have ever seen could do that, not even my uncle,” Zila added. “The Syrina mages pale in comparison.”
“I find it amusing that we are protecting you,” Nomiki said.
“I know,” I said, sitting on my blanket, “But it does take a lot out of you.” I closed my eyes and slept through till morning.
Nothing happened the next day, nor did we see another sail. The following day, a large brown and green mass seemed to rise up out of the sea. It was Lantia. We came close to shore, and Posides looked the coast over.
“Not bad,” he said. “We are about half a day’s sail from Crenae. We will be there by morning.”
The captain may have been a pirate, but he was an excellent navigator. We came upon the port at night and then dropped sail and drifted until morning. Only when he could see, did Posides sail us into port. The port was not busy, maybe a dozen fishing boats and two or three merchant ships were there. There was plenty of open space. As soon as we docked, we were met by three armed guards and an official.
“Well, Posides, you pirate, what have you brought us this time?” the official said with a wide grin.
“Aeimnestos,” our captain said and embraced the official. “This time, I bring human cargo. I bring the Ambassador from Argina and his party to see Ethnarch Pytheas.”
I walked out from below and came on deck. Melina taught me that since this port guard was an underling, I was to walk upright, showing no familiarity, and speak to him with reserve but not contempt. There was no point in hiding my true identity. “I am Master Mage Alexio Sopholus, Ambassador from Ethnarch Sysgros of Argina on a mission to see Ethnarch Pytheas of Lantia. I wish to be taken to your oligarch to present my credentials and arrange transport for my party to travel to Lantis.”
Aeimnestos and the three guards looked surprised and bowed deeply. I acknowledged them with a nod of my head. “I will have an escort accompany you to the palace
immediately,” he said. “I will have my men take your baggage there presently.”
“That is acceptable,” I said.
One of the three guards went running toward the main port building while Posides and his crew brought out our baggage and put it on the wharf. By the time they finished, a troop of ten heavily armed men was back with two carts. At that point I reached into my red robe and took out a sealed scroll and gave it to Posides. In it, I explained to Diomedes what happened and that we had been treated fairly by Posides and his crew, and I suggested he release their families.
“Captain Posides,” I said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I thank you and your crew for a safe, yet interesting voyage to Crenae. When you return, please give this scroll to Archon Diomedes. Do not open it. Perhaps at some other time we will sail again.”
Posides took the scroll and bowed. “Thank you, Ambassador Sopholus. It was an honor to have you on my ship.”
The guards loaded the luggage onto the cart. As I walked off, Nomiki handed Posides a purse filled with drachma since it was considered beneath the dignity of an ambassador to concern himself with such trivial things as commerce.
We walked along the half-empty wharf, past long wooden buildings that I assumed were warehouses. We went through a gate in the walls and into the polis. The streets were moderately crowded with mostly businessmen and shop keepers. Many stared at my party as we walked by, but the guards kept everyone away. We walked half a milion into the center of the town where we came upon another thick wooden gate that led into the local palace grounds. I noticed the walls here were much thicker than the walls surrounding the port. The palace reminded me of both Korpolis and Arginnia with its shops, tenements, and open markets.
A guard ran ahead and talked to the leader of the detail at the front gate. The guards from the port stopped at the front gate, and four others escorted us to the entrance where a man in a blue gown and wearing a chain of office met us. He was not wearing either a white gown or the golden diadem of an oligarch, so he was not the ruler.
“I am Teutamos of Aegae, Master of Oligarch Euphenes’ Household. I welcome the Master Mage to our humble house. Your fame has preceded you. The oligarch is out of the polis on business and did not know of your coming. In his name, I welcome you and your party. I will arrange for rooms in the palace along with food and a bath. My oligarch will return tomorrow. I have already sent a runner to tell him of your arrival.”
“Thank you, Housemaster Teutamos,” I said, remembering to use his title. “We ask only for your lord’s hospitality and to arrange transport for my wife, secretary, and three associates to Lantis as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Master Mage Sopholus,” he said and bowed. “I will start making the arrangements myself.”
They escorted us to a suite of rooms. Melina and I had a large room to ourselves while the others had single rooms much like the room I used when staying in Korpolis. I wondered how many secret doors were in these rooms. We were all given a bath, with the men and women bathing separately. Toward evening, a nice meal of rice and beef was served to us along with bread and wine that I still took well-watered. Servants were placed at our call both during the day and night, and I spent a comfortable evening with Melina resting on a real bed. During the night, I heard several four-man guard patrols walking through the palace.
The next day passed in ease. Teutamos arranged for a tour of the shops for Melina and Zila. Gyras went with them. I sent Nomiki and Chremon with two of the guards on a tour of the polis. I spent my day in the library of my host reading up. Oligarch Euphenes returned after noon and joined me in some pleasant small talk, and later he threw a dinner for us as guests of honor. The dinner was small, just a few of the oligarch’s family and some of the local dignitaries were present, but there was one familiar face I saw. It was Ponteus, a fellow student at the Mage Academy. He graduated two years before I did, and as I remembered, he was good with Nature and Metal Magik but had no skill in Life Magik. I greeted him not only as a fellow mage but as an acquaintance. I noticed his limp–he staggered on his left leg and used a cane to support himself. That was not all. At the Academy, Ponteus was always much healthier than I was; now he looked slightly bent over and ragged. The oligarch introduced him as the mage for the polis and one of his advisors.
During dinner, I was asked to relate my account of the destruction of the Zilar army. I told them the same story I told the gathering at the Winter Festival, well over a year ago. I included my discovery about the duplicity of the mages of Syrina and finished with the Zilar invasion of Vorepolis. I noted Ponteus seemed not to enjoy my tale. After some wine and more small talk, I asked Euphenes if he would mind if I could talk alone with Ponteus as an old friend. He did not seem to care; his attention was on Melina and Zila, and I knew both women could easily take care of themselves.
Ponteus and I walked out into the garden and sat down on a cold marble bench. “I am happy to see you again, and I congratulate you on your position as polis mage.”
“I am glad to see you,” he answered. Even his voice sounded weak. “We have all heard about you and what you have done. A Master Mage and so soon out of the Academy. You have done well.”
“What happened?” I asked, dropping the diplomatic pretense.
“It was your warning about the Syrina mages,” he told me. “The Megas Mage sent Theodoros to investigate to see if any were in Lantia. He asked me and ten other mages to help him. We found a few low-level mages acting as spies, but then we found their messenger, and from him, we learned that ten senior mages from Syrina were gathered together at the polis of Pellana to the northwest of here. They were lying low and forming a group that could eventually attack the Brotherhood and the ethnarch. We attacked them first with the support of a full 1,000 horsemen from the ethnarch’s personal guard.”
He stopped for a moment and shook his head. “It was bad because they all fought hard. We had to kill all of them, but in the fight, I was grazed by a fireball. It burned the whole left side of my body and destroyed my left leg. It took a lot of Life Magik to even allow me to walk again. The damage is still great, and no amount of magik will ever cure it. Do you remember Siculus and Gelon?” he asked.
I remembered them. “Yes, Fat and Thin, we called them. Siculus looked like a tent post, he was so narrow, and Gelon was as big as a hippo.”
“They were both killed in the fight, along with about two hundred horsemen,” Ponteus went on. “Most of the center of Pellana was destroyed, and I do not know how many of its people died.”
“Oh,” I said and started wondering about the wisdom of my warning. Still, if nothing was said, things could have been much worse. “I know some of the pain. I had to kill a Syrina mage along with our traitor archon. How any mages can be in league with the Zilar is beyond me. They stand for everything we despise. May the gods curse all of them.”
“The Megas Mage sent me here after they healed me the best they could,” Ponteus went on. “The duties here are not demanding, and the oligarch treats me well.”
“Good,” I said. “Do they say anything about me?”
“Yes, and some of it is not flattering,” he said, lowering his voice. “Many do not like what happened with Archon Lycus. Some wanted you removed from the Brotherhood and forbidden to practice magik. Others thought you did the best you could in an impossible situation. Many of the citizens thought you should be strangled. About the Zilar, no one cared at first, but this attitude is changing. Since they look to be starting a mage war with the Syrian mages, the people are taking notice. However, many in our Brotherhood still do not like you. I think some of that dislike is because of the power you have managed to master. Even the story about the trierse is making the rounds. Many people think you are a hero. Many think you may be a demigod. Some think you are a demon.”
“I am certainly none of those,” I said sheepishly. “I am a mage who had a great deal of power thrust upon him—power that I never wanted, but I was forced to accept. My own ethnar
ch is afraid of me.”
“And so is ours,” Ponteus said, looking around. “I hate to say this, but so is our Mage Council. You telling them to jump into the sea did not help any. You have friends and enemies there in equal numbers. At least Arch-Mage Theodoros is not like Herion, who was scared shitless of you and took every chance to tell the Megas Mage and the Mage Council so. I would be careful in Lantia.”
“I will watch myself,” I assured him. “But we have to do something about the Zilar. They slaughter people like cutting wheat. We have to get rid of them, or they will get rid of us.”
“Good luck there,” Ponteus said. “Our ethnarch has become cold and calculating. Whatever you want, you will not get easily or cheaply.”
I looked around and saw several people standing around at the edge of the garden looking at us. We were drawing attention.
“Time to go back in,” I told Ponteus.
He nodded, and we both walked back into the dining room. There was more small talk and wine, some not so watered. All were happy, yet all stared at me. They had a troop of jugglers entertain us, and the party slowly broke up. I was leaving with Melina when Euphenes approached me.
“May I speak with you for a moment about your journey to Lantis?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said, and Melina and I followed him to a side room.
“May I speak honestly with you, Master Mage Sopholus?” he said in a hushed voice.
“In private, you may call me Alex,” I said, “And yes, please be honest with me.”
“Very well,” he said. “Your arrival was unexpected, so there was no time to organize a formal escort to Lantis. The best I can do is request that you and your party accompany a troop of horsemen going to Tetrarch Hippasus’ capital in Sycion, a three days ride from here. From there, I am sure a better escort can be arranged. There is one other thing. Although you are a hero to most of the people of Lantia, there is a certain polis where your name might start a riot.”
“Pellana,” I answered. “Ponteus told me what happened. I understand.”
“I will order my patrol to go around that polis, so you will need to sleep out in the open on the second night of your travel. I have sent word to Sycion and Lantis of your arrival. For your own safety, Alex, I would keep a low profile until you get to Sycion. That patrol will leave the day after tomorrow at sunup.”