by Wilbur Arron
“I am here to render my decision on the matter brought to us by our brother Ethnarch Sysgros of Argina to use our fleet to fight the Zilar who have invaded their country. My state minister, my polemarch, and navarch have all heard Ambassador Sopholus’ plea for aid to fight the Zilar. I have considered their report carefully and consulted others of this court. I have decided not to allow our fleet to travel to Argina. The fleet will stay in home waters to protect Lantia.”
I could just walk away, but the others would expect me to argue, so I bowed and approach the daïs. “May I have permission to speak?”
“You may speak,” the loud voice resounded.
I let my voice rise with a little help of magik. “You must understand that to deny us the use of the fleet will certainly mean an invasion of Argina shortly. The result of that invasion may mean thousands of deaths and the conquest of Argina. Once the Zilar are finished with us, they will certainly come after you as recent events have shown.”
The ethnarch looked impassive, almost godlike in stature. “We must disagree with you that the Zilar are sure to invade. That is likely, but not certain. That such an invasion will mean the end of Argina, we also disagree with. Even so, that is a local problem for Argina to solve. Our concern is with Lantia. Finally, we completely agree with the Ambassador that any conquest of Argina is but a prelude to an attack on Lantia. That is why we also say that we will continue to monitor the events in Argina. If the situation changes over time, we will reconsider our decision.”
He was throwing a bone to me like you throw one to a dog at a dinner table, but it was a bone with no meat on it. “Is that the ethnarch’s final decision?” I bellowed.
“Yes,” he commanded.
“So be it then,” I said loudly. “In such a case, my companions and I need to return to Argina with the news as soon as possible.”
“I understand completely,” Pytheas said, still standing aloof. “I have ordered my State Minister Thessalon to arrange transport back to Crenae where a naval ship will transport you back to Aegae. You and your party will have a suitable escort on your journey.”
“For that, I thank you,” I said, letting my distaste show through. That wasn’t much of an act.
“Very well, we have other matters of State to attend. I will not delay the Ambassador or his party in their preparations for departure.”
The six of us left the hall quickly and walked back toward the building where we were staying. On the way, one of the guards asked us to halt before we entered the courtyard—I started to wonder if Pytheas had gone back on his word, when Thessalon walked out of the hall and approached me. He motioned me aside to talk in private. He looked at me, smiled broadly and spoke in a hushed voice.
“I am sorry about what has happened, but we do not see the threat to us now. I am sure if the Zilar invades, then the ethnarch’s mind will change.”
I fought back to urge to turn him into an ash pile on the spot. No doubt he was concerned about the sour look on my face. “You did not run out of a state meeting to tell me this,” I said in a hushed voice.
Thessalon bowed slightly. “Indeed, you are as clever as they say you are. I wanted to say I have arranged an escort to Portanus where another guard will take you to Crenae. You will leave the day after tomorrow.”
“AND?” I said.
“And, I wanted to ask you about your meeting with the Megas Mage the other night,” Thessalon continued in a sweet soothing voice. “I was curious if he said anything to you.”
I took a deep breath, trying not to look angry but failing. “You understand that such conversations between a Master Mage and the Megas Mage are private, much like the discussions between you and Ethnarch Pytheas. They are not for outsiders.”
“I understand, Master Mage, but my master was curious.”
“I will tell you both this,” I answered flatly. “The discussions partly concerned what happened to Archon Lycus. The Megas Mage told me of the Brotherhood’s position on these events. I was also made aware of comments made by some people in this polis and the court here that did not please me. People should hold their tongues until they know all the facts.”
I saw a sigh of relief on Thessalon. He was a worse actor than I was, or he was trying to show himself to be one. “A thousand apologies to you, Master Mage. I must admit, when we learned of your actions against your archon, some decided that you should be executed by torture. When later we learned of Archon Lycus’ treachery, those opinions changed. I think I can say for my master that no one in this court holds anything against you for this. It was a violent yet necessary action you took to protect your citizens. As such you deserve praise and not scorn. I do not want you to leave here thinking we hold ill against you.”
“Thank you,” I said and took the hand Thessalon offered.
With that, I went back to my friends. We had to prepare for our journey back home. The first thing I did, however, was wash my hands thoroughly.
Packing took us the rest of the day. The next morning, I allowed all my companions to go into Lantis to buy anything they wished. I bought a pretty necklace for Melina as well as rings for my other four friends. That night we discussed what we would do when we reached home. I deliberately steered the conversation away from any topics relating to magik. Bright and early on the following day, three new wagons appeared, and house servants loaded our trunks into the wagons. Melina and Zila rode in one wagon with some of the luggage, the rest of the luggage was in a second wagon, and the third held supplies for horses and people. The ethnarch provided four strong warhorses for the men in our party to ride on. Both Melina and Zila had their fighting knives and bows with them. Gyras, Nomiki, and Chremon rode in armor with swords and shields on their backs.
For our journey as far as Portanus, we had a guard of ten heavy cavalrymen, all heavily armored, carrying spears, bows, and swords. They wore the red and black livery of the Vasíleio of Lantia signifying they were household troops. I felt safe. Pytheas may want us dead, but not along with ten of his elite household troops. As long as they were with us, I did not think they would try anything funny.
Naturally, everyone left us alone.
As we left the polis, I looked back and felt a pain above the heart. I would miss Lantis. While I would gladly drown both Pytheas and Thessalon together, I also knew there were mages in the polis I would never see again. My only hope was our ruse had bought many of my brothers time to escape, and that they would appreciate how much others would pay for that time. As I rode, I kept thinking about maybe the two hundred or more Master Mages, mages, and acolytes on the run. As I rode, a plan started to form in my mind. Those mages would need someplace to go. They could not stay in Lantia. What if they all traveled to Korpolis. Zila was building a polis south of Korpolis. Could I turn that polis into the new Academy? It was an idea that I was eager to try, assuming any of us were left alive at the end of this conflict.
We continued on for three days at a good pace, but not brisk enough to tire the horses. We were going into summer, and the sun was hot in Lantia. We stopped for a couple of hours at midday to rest from the hottest rays of the sun, and then continued until dark, not stopping in the small cities. Instead, we rested outside in a camp that the house guardsmen closely patrolled. They were bright, alert, and tolerated no intrusion. When a road beggar came close to our camp just after dark, one of our guards came close to killing him.
On the fourth day, we came within sight of our destination. The gleaming marble buildings of Portanus shone like a white beacon of light in the reflected sunlight. Our guards wasted no time in taking us through the front gate to the palace beyond. There, Amphidamos stood in a formal white gown and gold diadem. I got off my horse and approached him, bowing low.
“Archon Amphidamos, I am afraid we must again call upon your hospitality,” I said.
“It is no trouble,” he said with a jovial grin. “I am always pleased to have such guests. I am sorry, but I only had two days’ notice of your arrival. I could
not prepare a formal dinner.”
“It does not matter,” I said. “We will only be here until my guard arrives for the trip to Crenae.”
“I expect them late tomorrow,” he said. “I will give them a day to rest, and you will leave in two days. For that time, you will be my guests.”
I took a deep breath of relief. For now, at least, I felt safe.
CHAPTER TWELVE: COMPANIONS
That feeling of safety came to an abrupt halt the following day when I saw our escort arrive. In rode twelve mounted soldiers, each around eighteen years old. Even a novice rider like myself could see that as mounted troops, they were only half trained. They had problems riding their mounts, and their arms and armor were far from new. Both Nomiki and Chremon could not believe it. Both told me, in no uncertain terms, these boys could not protect us from anything more ferocious than a flock of geese. Gyras told me flatly we would be better off on our own. I went to Amphidamos to complain.
“I am sorry, but this is the best I have,” he said, looking insulted. “My other troops are on maneuvers and will not return for some time. I do not foresee any problems with your trip to Crenae. You will leave the day after tomorrow.”
That told me all I needed to know. Amphidamos was no fool; he was a military man long before I was born. That meant he was in on this with Pytheas. It was time to have a long talk with the others.
The palace was out of the question for this conversation. I had no doubts that every word we spoke would be overheard. That afternoon, I arranged for us all to have a walk around the palace. We came to a large garden that was mostly open. I lead them into its center, and there we sat down. It was open where I could see fifty podi in every direction. It was there I told them what the Megas Mage told me. It was an effort to contain their anger.
“One thing for sure, they want us dead. Why give us an escort that could not protect us from my gray-hair mother?” Chremon growled.
“We go with them, and we are just as good as dead,” Nomiki added. “And that story about no other troops being available is just so much cow skata.”
“I cannot believe that the Ethnarch of Lantia is just as awful as my father,” Zila said, almost weeping. “What is the point of trying to make a better world filled with rulers like them?”
“Not everyone is that bad,” Melina said forcefully. “My father was better than that, and so is my brother.”
“Yes, but what do we do now?” Chremon lamented. “If we try to run away, they will catch us and kill us. If we go with that bunch, we are just as dead.”
“Our best hope is in what the Megas Mage told me; someone will contact us here,” I added. “So, let us wait to be contacted.”
“I hope he is right,” Nomiki said.
“And if we are not contacted before we have to leave?” Gyras asked pointedly.
“Then we wait until we are out of sight of this polis and take off to the north,” I said.
“No,” Nomiki said. “The moment we leave those kids, they will run back here, and we will have half the royal guard after us.”
“We cannot leave the kids,” Chremon said.
“We take them with us?” Gyras asked with indignation.
“No,” Chremon said. “We have to eliminate them. It is the only way we can have enough time to make our escape. We abandon our luggage, take only our weapons and some food and run.”
Everyone went dead quiet. I was going to protest, but what Chremon said was correct. All it would take is one of them getting back to the polis or to a way station to sound the alarm. It would not take a logic instructor to deduce we knew about Pytheas’ plan. The ethnarch would send his whole army after us.
“Murder them?” Melina asked in disbelief.
“Them or us,” Chremon said.
Nomiki took a deep breath and nodded his head. “Chremon is right, them or us.”
“No,” I said. “I have killed enough people during this war. I will not kill anyone else unless it is absolutely necessary.”
“Then what do we do?” Chremon asked.
“We do nothing for now,” I said. “We wait and hope we are contacted. If we are not, we ride out of the polis like nothing is wrong. There are farms and other settlements half a day’s ride from Portanus. They will not do anything to us that close to any potential witnesses; we will be safe for the first day. They will not do anything to us in a way station; too many eyes and ears to keep silent. That means they will likely try and kill us on the road the second or third day. Once out of sight from the way station on our second day, then we leave them.”
“And our guard?” Chremon asked.
“I will make that decision when the time comes,” I told the others. “For now, nothing has happened. We need to get back before we raise suspicions. Besides, I have some research to do.”
We all got up, and after a while we went back to the palace. The others packed. I went to the palace library and looked over some books about Lantia. To my dismay, I found no route of escape to the north. It was all open and flat. I looked elsewhere, particularly to the area to the west and south of Portanus. To the south were the mountains and heavy forest along the coast. I drew a few map sketches and made some notes, then joined the others for our last dinner at the palace. The next morning the palace servants helped pack our bags and load them into the wagon. By mid-morning, we were off. I thanked Amphidamos for his hospitality as we left. The palace guard saw us to the front gate, and then our guard escorted us out on the great east-west road back to Sycion.
Outside the inner walls, there were buildings, warehouses, and many shops. Past them, came the polis wall and beyond that, the land filled with farms growing a variety of grains. Once we traveled half a day away from the polis, the great irrigation canals stopped, and the land was given over to grazing cattle. Off toward the hills to the south were little white dots that I assumed were sheep. The road traffic was heavy enough where I doubted anyone could do anything against us, and there were farmers and their families in their fields weeding.
Our escort traveled along with us. They tried to look professional, but they rode poorly and did not look like they could handle their weapons properly. The idea that I might have to kill these kids bothered me. They were not attacking us; they were no part of an invading army; they were not traitors causing harm to others. They were just a bunch of kids trying to serve their ethnarch who had deliberately condemned them to death. It took no wise man to realize there could be no witnesses to our deaths. It was late when we passed the last herdsman driving his cattle along the road. Beyond that, we had the road to ourselves.
The large orange ball was low in the sky before we saw the stone walls of a small compound. It was the way station. As we got closer, I saw a large caravan had camped outside against the way station walls, as we did on our way to Lantis. There were twenty-five wagons and at least twenty guards: far too big of a group to camp inside. As I approached the walls, one of the station guards shouted down to us.
“Who are you?”
“Ambassador Sopholus and his party,” one of our guards called up.
“It is Ambassador Sopholus, open the gate,” he called back down inside the compound.
The big wooden gate opened up, and our escort, two wagons, and four riders entered. As soon as the last of us were in, I heard the gate close. As I looked around, I saw a large scorch mark near the door to the barracks and smaller burn marks near the stables. Then, I picked up a sensation in my head. It was a similar sensation I get when I am near a sensitive but it was not Zila. These impulses were stronger and came from all around me—the place was full of mages. I shot a glance over to Zila who was feeling their presence too. I put my finger up to my mouth to tell her to keep quiet.
One of the men dressed in a guard’s uniform approached and started to collect the horses of our wagons.
“Bring your horses over to the stables,” he said to the leader of our escort. “We have some wine to cut the dust of the road.”
; “Go with him,” I ordered the escort.
Both Nomiki and Chremon shot a hard glance at me. I gave them the sign all was alright. As soon as the escort was at the stables, I called out mentally. “Who is in charge here?”
“Easy Alex,” a voice called back to me. “It is Kimon, from the Academy.”
I dismounted my horse and motioned for the others to do the same, and led them, toward the commandant’s office. A thin, rather frail-looking guard came out of the barracks dressed in a poorly fitting suit of leather armor. I recognized the face at once. Kimon was in the same class I was and graduated at the same time I did. He was good with Nature Magik, mediocre in Metal Magik, and had no skill in Life Magik. I walked over and embraced him. That put the others at ease.
“How did you do this?” I asked my former friend.
“After the last caravan left this morning, twenty acolytes and I dressed as pilgrims and asked for entry. Once they let us in, we surprised the guards. We had to kill two, but the others surrendered, and we tied them up in the storeroom under guard.”
“My escort?” I wanted to know.
“We are giving them wine now for their journey,” he explained with a smile. “We put a sleeping potion in it. They will be out until morning.”
“Good,” I said. “I was afraid I would have to hurt them when we ran away tomorrow. I take it you are the ones the Megas Mage told me about?”
Kimon nodded. “Yes, we left the Academy at the same time the others did. It was the day before you arrived at Lantis. The Megas Mage told Mage Council member Carenos to take the senior acolytes and me to Portanus and escape from there. We were going to meet you in the polis, but Amphidamos has spies throughout the polis. The surveillance was far too heavy. Carenos decided it be best to contact you here, away from so many eyes.”
I had known Carenos since I came to the Academy but seldom got to meet with him. He conducted my exams at my graduation. Carenos was the youngest of the Mage Council members. Like me, he had a first-degree diploma in all three schools. Some even talked of him becoming the future Megas Mage.