by Ravek Hunter
Chapter 23
Shrine of Metis
Senjit arrived in Sesklo in the afternoon, and as usual, he set up in a busy tavern to troll their patrons for information. Almost immediately he heard the same story related to him as he’d heard in Foronikon Asty. As fortune would have it, this was the week each year when Sesklo honored the Fire-Bringers, and there was no bigger tale to tell than that of their most recent one, Akakios. Although the details were sketchy, from what Senjit could gather, the story involved the beautiful daughter of Kronos and Metis. Her name was Anesidora, and the Fire-Bringer Akakios made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Metis, high in the Othrys, to claim his love.
A love story.
Senjit was surprised. He still wasn’t sure what, if anything, it might have to do with the Chaos Demons, but it was the only interesting pursuit he had at the moment. Without further consideration, he decided to find this Shrine of Metis and investigate further. According to the story, it was located in the peaks above the village farthest to the east on the coast of the Sea of Waves. He calculated that it would take him only a little over an hour in flight to reach the coast, and with a bit of luck he would find the shrine without too much effort.
An hour later, Senjit was flying high over the east road, using it as a landmark to maintain his direction. He didn’t bother to cloak himself with invisibility, since most native to Hellas knew him by rumor and legend if not by sight. They called him Ladon, the golden serpent. Many would fear him just because he was a Dragon, and although he did not have a malevolent reputation, none of their leaders would be pleased with more than a passing presence. So he flew high, and if anyone did happen to look up and see him, they would have an incredible story to tell their friends.
He flew over three small villages before he found the one on the coast. There couldn’t be more than two or three hundred people living in the small village below him. He supposed that if he wanted isolation while still receiving the occasional convenience of a merchant, then this was the place to live. It had no port, just a few small fishing vessels dragged up on the shore, and he knew by the looks of the choppy Sea of Waves that it must be a challenging trade.
He gazed up at the outline of the Othrys overhead, but their peaks were obscured by swirling clouds that concealed what was beyond, even from his piercing vision. Senjit supposed they were always shrouded in darkness, even in the day, and he gathered his strength to navigate through the strong winds above. From below it looked like it would get rough at altitude; he hoped it was calmer above the clouds. Fortunately, the coastal winds were steady closer to the ground, and he rode the air currents in a zig-zag pattern without using too much energy most of the way.
As expected, the wind blew chaotically from one direction then another. Senjit skillfully maneuvered to avoid tumbling over and spiraling out of control, fighting his way through the clouds and up the side of the mountain. Then suddenly the tumultuous gusts subsided, and he was above it. Although the winds were still strong, at least they blew more consistently from the east, and he could begin searching for the shrine without too much distraction from the weather.
Senjit possessed keen vision, and it didn’t take him long to catch sight of the landing in front of a massive propylon that had to be the shrine. The elevation where the structure was built was far too high for any human construction, leaving only the gods capable of such a feat. He knew who they really were, or suspected, anyway, and felt a little shame because of it.
Drawing closer, his sharp eyes were able to make out the details of the columned propylon covered with magnificently sculpted reliefs depicting glorified images of the goddess Metis. Beyond the propylon stood a pair of high double doors set into the frame on the side of the mountain; he knew they must be made of solid bronze. One was slightly ajar, and yellow flame from elevated braziers reflected from the doors’ perfectly polished surfaces.
There didn’t appear to be any living thing on the landing or flying nearby that might challenge his presence. Still, Senjit remained cautious and diligent. He didn’t want to be caught by surprise. If the stories he heard about the Chimera and Pegasos were true, then there could be more. It was very windy and cold at this altitude; however, as soon as Senjit landed on the open terrace in front of the temple and transformed into human form, the wind slowed to a light breeze. And although the temperature was cold, it was not unbearable, and other than himself, there was no other living thing in sight.
Comfortable altered in his human form, he allowed himself to be represented by a gold tunic, trousers, and matching cloak with a rampaging Dragon emblazoned on the back—the attire he was so well-known for. Anyone that he met here would know who he was, so there was no need to hide it. Senjit glided through the opening between the bronze doors and entered the temple. Before him stood a long corridor framed by smooth white marble with occasional light globes set high on the wall for illumination. He walked down the hallway, confident and without fear, into a massive circular room with a tremendous domed ceiling decorated with historical images from Hellas’s ancient past. Spaced a roughly equal distance from one another in a circle around the perimeter of the room stood several white-marble statues of Metis in various dresses and poses. There were other statues of creatures from legend, as well as a life-size sculpture depicting a Pegasos and a Chimera locked in a violent struggle. None of these details mattered at all to Senjit. His attention was on the strange scene in the center of the room.
A raised dais of seven steps terminated at a circular platform two paces wide that held a waist-high marble pedestal. What was on display there at one time was no more. All that was left were hundreds of broken shards of glazed pottery scattered on the pedestal, around the platform, and on the steps. Senjit could only guess by the larger pieces that it was once a very large, decorated pithos. What it had held, he did not know. There was no evidence of wine or grain or anything else that would customarily be stored inside a pithos. Deep in thought, Senjit realized that he could easily hear his own calm breathing in the eerily dead silence of the chamber. As if the room itself were patiently waiting and expecting . . . something.
And then she was just there.
Senjit was surprised by the instant appearance of a beautiful woman standing near the dais. She was smiling wickedly and staring directly at him. In a silky, feminine voice she introduced herself, “Greetings, Revered Dragon. I am Anesidora, daughter of Metis.”
With some apprehension, Senjit replied politely, “Greetings, Anesidora, daughter of Metis.”
“You are on a heroic and brave expedition that will surely be legendary; your name will be sung in ballads, and your great deeds will be recorded for future generations.” She moved closer. Her revealing peplos without a strophion was very alluring when worn by the beautiful woman that she was.
Senjit felt a tingling at the edge of his consciousness and realized that this beautiful woman, Anesidora, was trying to distract him with seduction while using powerful magic to probe his mind for weakness. Senjit might have been a young Dragon, but he was very talented with his psionic ability, and he began to weave a counter-trap that would make her mind his if she pressed forward.
She continued to banter at him about how incredible he was and to move her sensuous body at perfect angles to reveal just enough to hold his unwavering attention. It was all a show. The real struggle was inside his head, and Senjit could sense Anesidora’s lack of experience in the way she tried to force her will upon him. A few more seconds, and he would spring the trap that would allow him to dominate her completely.
It was done. All he needed was for Anesidora to open herself again with a probe, and he would have her. Senjit, smiling all the while, felt her touch . . . and then nothing. He was utterly cut off from his own psionic power. How is this possible? Does she have me trapped? Anesidora stood silently with an expression of horror on her face. Someone else had them both . . . someone very powerful.
As if on cue, a second woman appeared next to Anesidora.
She fit the perfect image of the statues and reliefs. The goddess Metis herself stood before him.
Metis was beautiful, even with the expression of anger that she wore now. She turned her angry gaze upon Anesidora and scolded, “You are taunting a being that could destroy you easily if he wished.”
“Mother . . .” Anesidora began to protest, but Metis waved dismissively, and her daughter disappeared.
Senjit felt a little disappointed at Anesidora’s departure and relief that at the same time—Metis removed the barrier in his mind. He didn’t feel threatened by her, uneasily sure that if she wanted him dead, he would be so already. He knelt respectfully. “Revered Metis—” he began before she interrupted him.
“I know why you are here.” Her tone was cold, matter-of-fact.
Motioning for him to stand, Metis continued, “My daughter has acted like an impetuous child luring a Ta Hiera of Kronos to open a pithos in my sanctuary simply to satisfy her curiosity.”
Senjit could hear the anger in her voice.
The goddess continued on, “This childlike, innocent action has set into motion events and influences that will change the world forever.”
She bent and picked up a shard of the once beautiful pithos. The glossy blue pigment on the piece she held reflected the ambient light of the room. Senjit wished he could have seen the beautiful container when it was in one piece.
Shaking her head sadly, Metis effortlessly crushed the pottery to dust and let it fall slowly from her delicate hand. “The Ta Hiera knew the truth in the end. He prayed.” Metis threw back her head and laughed. “How he prayed! Not for himself, but for the world. And he made promises to right what he had done. But it was too late.”
“What happened to him?” Senjit was aggravated by the lack of sympathy he felt from Metis. A great man had died, the Fire-Bringer, and evil was let loose upon the earth. For what? A god-child’s curiosity? The gods were overindulged and immodest in their appreciation of the adoration they received from the multitudes that scraped out their meager lives below them. As far as he was concerned, the world would be better without them.
If Metis knew what he was thinking, she didn’t let on. Instead she continued, “We trapped these Demons in the pithos after it was discovered that they had escaped through a rift between this world and the Infernal Planes, or what most humans call the Underworld. How the rift came to be is a long story in itself. Needless to say, the gods repaired the rift and captured all of the Demons that escaped through it. In doing so, this world was nearly ripped apart. Now, those same Demons are free to sow chaos throughout the world again. The gods have no will to intervene this time, and it will take extraordinary efforts to return them to the Underworld.”
Metis walked up close to Senjit and twirled one of his long golden locks around her finger. “But know this: even the gods are vulnerable to prophecy, and breaking the seal of the pithos not only released this dangerous scourge across the land, but also corruption that could alter the destinies of the gods themselves. Although the Demons can be returned to the Underworld, the corruption cannot. That is why the Ta Hiera of Kronos was allowed to die; he had been touched by the corruption and would have eventually been used as a tool against us. Prophecy has been altered and riddled for the gods, and not even we can see the ramifications this will have on our future.”
“What about your daughter?” Senjit asked bluntly. “Is she also affected by the corruption?”
An expression of profound sadness crossed the goddess’s face. “She has also been touched by the corruption and will spread it if allowed to stay among the gods or the peoples of this world. She is not a god, but a demi-god, meaning that she will have to face her mortality. However, her father, Kronos, and I will not allow our child to die so easily as we did the priest. Instead, she will be sent to Edin to live her life in happiness among the Enlightened Ones.”
“Will she not corrupt Edin as she would anyplace else?” Senjit countered.
Metis patiently shook her head. “Edin is the only place within the planes of gods or man where the corruption cannot exist. Not even the gods know why this is.”
Senjit remained silent. Apparently, the gods loved their children as much as mortals did, and he could imagine how heartsick he would be if he had to send Alseid away. The thought tempered his anger with the goddess, and he felt sorry for Metis. The corruption was beyond even her divine powers.
Metis spoke again. “It is no accident that you are here. Your father altered the path of the Chaos Demon so it would eventually send you to us. You are the only Golden Dragon in existence, and you have a very important role to play in the future of both gods and mortals. For now, you must do your best to help humanity track down the freed Demons and return them to their own realm.”
The goddess paced back to the steps that led up to the dais where the pithos once stood, and she sat down. Incredibly, Senjit could almost see a weariness about her. “How can they be destroyed?” he asked. “Or, at the very least, driven back to the Infernal Planes?”
She raised her downcast gaze and fixed him with intense brown eyes. “The Chaos Demons are more nuisance than a threat. They can be killed by your breath or the fires of the Ourea. They can also be exorcised by certain holy people. It’s the Greater Demons that will require expulsion through exorcism or banishment, and only with the knowledge of their True Name. Even now, the Demon of Anger has managed to possess a powerful, ancient Black Dragon and is rampaging through the lands of the Tarre people causing death and destruction.”
Senjit felt heat rising again, an instinct from the Dragon side of him that ran through his ancient blood. “You said my father sent a Demon to threaten my child in an effort to lure me here? I do not even know my father. He probably doesn’t know about me either.”
Metis replied, unmoved, “He did not send it. He manipulated its path. Originally, he expected it to attempt to control your wife. It might have succeeded. Fortunately, it was drawn to your daughter, who is much more capable of defending herself from this kind of attack.”
Now, Senjit was angry. “Who is this man that can manipulate Demons that you call my father? And what evil is in him that he would put my family at risk just to get my attention?”
“You don’t know?” Metis was genuinely surprised. “Your father was produced from a union of love between the divine Nyx with Erebus; he is Aether, god of light. And he is not evil; he is a god. Your wife is a mere Nymph, queen of them though she might be. The gods have no evil intent; our view of the universe is simply much larger than yours. Besides, your daughter was likely in no danger anyway. She has much larger prophecy to fulfill.”
“My father is a god? And what prophecy of the gods will my daughter be mixed up in?” Senjit demanded. His calm demeanor was giving way to the seething he felt inside. He wanted nothing more than to transform and roar his displeasure.
“That is not a discussion for now,” replied Metis. “Your task is what is important now, and you will not be alone. Many heroes around the world will rise to combat the evil the Demons spread. It is our hope that the good of humanity will prevail, for hope is all that remains from the Breaking that will soon enough be upon us all.”
Metis was gone as abruptly as she appeared, and Senjit was alone in her shrine once again. Another Breaking? he thought. She sounded like a Tuatha De. He knew that what she spoke of was the truth, but also a lie. What were the gods up to that they would allow such evil to be released upon the earth?
Senjit left the shrine and flew south and west. He had a date with a Dragon, and the sooner he found it, the fewer people would die. Along the way, he had much to think about. If it were true what Metis said about his father being the god Aether, then that would make Senjit a demi-god like Anesidora. And what effect might his own divinity have upon his child born by his Nymph wife, Lysithea?
He thought about her then, and his lovely Alseid. His mate was probably worried about him, knowing that he was going into harm’s way. Now it seemed inevitable
. With a little concentration, he used his psionic ability to send a message, or more like an impression, to Lysithea. He sent messages to her in this manner often when he was away, so he knew she would recognize the thought when she received it.
The cruel goddess Metis had told him things that night with little or no explanation, as if he were incapable of understanding their purpose. What greater prophecy could his daughter have to fulfill? Now or a hundred years or more from now? He was determined to protect her from anything that would threaten her, even the gods. It would be a struggle to decide whether or not he should say anything to Lysithea about what Metis said. She deserved to know, but did he have the heart to tell her?
Chapter 24
Confrontation
SY5490
Senjit crossed the Great Sea in the direction of the Sican coast, fishing for shallow-swimming fish and other sea creatures to fill his belly. The Golden Dragon enjoyed a rare proficiency that few Dragons were able to master—the ability to spot large fish beneath the water while cruising over the surface and pluck them from the sea with claw and maw for a quick meal. He mastered this talent over the centuries while living in his island lair, watching the majestic cormorants dive to depths twice his length in the Primal Sea. Senjit chuckled to himself. He was quite an ardent young Dragon back then, willing to test his skills against almost any challenge, mainly when he was hungry and without other Dragons nearby to emulate. He followed his instincts and the conditions of his environment to develop unique skills that would benefit him for his entire lifetime.
Flying mostly at night and resting during the day to avoid causing a stir to any population he might fly near, Senjit searched for the rampaging Black Dragon. He had never fought another Dragon before and could only guess at this one’s capability. Without actual combat experience, he would need to rely more on his natural competence rather than brute force. The one thing Senjit knew about Black Dragons was that they grew quite large, and as far as Dragons went, he was on the small side of the scale. He hoped he could observe the Dragon unseen for a while and find some advantage to exploit before it was time to confront him.