by Mike Rogers
And that was that. He pushed the torch into my hands and pushed me into the tunnel in front of him.
Chapter 16
For hours we walked through the narrow tunnel. It wasn't until the night was nearly over that we reached the end of the tunnel. A strange reddish glow came from the outside of the tunnel, and Anaxis and I drew our blades. We suspected an ambush, but the truth revealed something far more horrid.
When we neared the exit of the tunnel, we noticed the red glow wasn't coming from a campfire, as we had suspected. No, it came from Corinth. We turned around as we left the underground and watched Corinth burn. Sunders came flying on the winds towards us and gave the sky a horrid blood-red appearance. And despite the fact that we were many leagues away from the city, we could see it burn with our own eyes. Every house, every temple, even the walls were on fire. The enormous city was one giant fireball. Just outside the city stood the Roman standards and underneath them gathered the massive Roman army, swollen to even greater numbers by the many captured slaves. The older and diseased were all put to the blade—seventy thousand in total—and thrown off the mountain into the deep ravines. Mummius made no difference if they were man, woman or child. The men had their way with the women and then dragged their loot off to the encampment. The destruction was complete, the defeat total and the guilt all-devouring. I looked at Anaxis, who was letting the image burn in his mind, and I quivered. The Spartan had returned, I could see it now. That determination to take down Mummius and Rome was all that kept him from breaking, from dying even. Blood poured out of his wounds and I wondered how much blood he had lost that night. Minerva had begun ripping parts from her clothes and dressing the wounds, but Anaxis didn't even notice. He kept staring at the dying city, and I could hear him mutter silent words from under his breath. They were a curse.
A curse upon Rome, he said. That she may fall under the feet of foreign armies, that she may burn as Corinth and that she may be forgotten by all forever. And to prove he meant it he took his own sword and cut in his hand, allowing the blood to touch the soil. Anaxis had made a blood-sacrifice to the gods. They had no other choice than to fulfill the curse.
But when?
After his wounds were taken care off we set on our way to Athens. Anaxis knew the mountainous area around Corinth a bit, for he had gone hunting in the hills once or twice before. He led us towards a goat path, which was in bad shape and not often used. It ran along the deepest ravine I had ever seen, and I asked Anaxis if there wasn't a safer road.
He shook his head no.
“The priests knew what they did when they put the exit of the secret tunnel here. The goat path is the only way in and out, so no one in his right mind would think of going up it. It will lessen the chance of detection and no army can travel on it. But do not worry, if we can get to the other side of this mountain we'll find a small inn on the road to Athens. We can get horses there.”
“What about Minerva?” I asked.
Anaxis merely walked on and said, “She’ll follow. If we can travel on the path then so can she.”
“But she has Alexander to carry.”
Anaxis stopped, turned around and took Alexander from her. He tied the child to his own chest and gave his flare to Minerva. Even in the dark he could still see the pathway, which surprised me.
Again we walked for hours. Minerva tripped or stumbled a lot and had a hard time keeping her balance. I had to lag behind to keep her from falling into the ravine and the distance between us and Anaxis grew. He made good speed on the rocks whereas I had to care for Minerva, who was more clumsy. As the hours went by I grew more and more frustrated, and as I saw Anaxis nearly disappear out of my eyesight I shouted, “Anaxis! Wait for us! We're not as fast as you!”
It proved to be a grave mistake.
The rocks above us became destabilized by my shouting and the echo. One boulder started rolling and dragged two others with him and soon we had an entire avalanche heading for us. As I heard the rumbling sound I immediately drew my sword and planted it into the ground. I grabbed Minerva with my other hand and told her to hold on, no matter what happened. I thanked the gods the avalanche wasn't comprised of big boulders, but the debris that was coming down on us was still a great mass.
No sooner had Minerva clutched onto me that the avalanche reached us. I felt my legs slipping away, and the ground disappeared from under my feet. Several rocks hit me in the head, and I could feel blood running into my eyes from the wounds. I held the handle of my Falcata so tight that my fingers started to hurt, and I could feel my shoulder muscles being strained to their limit.
On my other arm I had to hold on to Minerva, who was screaming in fear. The avalanche that hit us couldn't have lasted longer than a few seconds, but they felt to me like an eternity. When it passed us I found it had only been the beginning of my torment. My head dazzled, and when I tried to open my eyes I could feel the sting of my salty blood running into them. I was short on breath, and every part of my body was bruised and aching.
I had no more strength left in my limbs, but still desperately held onto the sword and to Minerva.
Minerva screamed in my left ear.
“Trimidites! Wake up! Don't let me fall down! Wake up!”
I still felt groggy but could answer nonetheless. “Huh…I'm here. I'm back. Are you all right?”
“No!” she cried, “we’re hanging over the edge of the ravine! Your sword is still stuck in the rock but the path is gone!”
Suddenly I could hear a familiar voice from above. It was Anaxis.
“Trimidites! Listen carefully to me. Bite through the pain and stay with me! Try to lift Minerva higher so I can take her from you! Lift your left arm! Do it!”
I tried. I swear to all that is holy, I tried! But I couldn't. I had broken my left arm… I tried to lift it, but I screamed out in pain. Minerva started crying, Anaxis shouted at me, and all the time I could not think straight.
My right arm started hurting even more, and I knew I couldn't hold on for much longer.
Anaxis shouted, “Just hold on! I'll lower my cloak to Minerva, so I can pull her up! Hold on Trimidites!”
I felt something touch my face, something made of wool, and I could feel the weight on my left arm gradually become lighter. Then Minerva let go of my left hand, and I could hear Anaxis say, “That’s it! Just hold on, I'm pulling you up, Minerva!”
And then I heard something rip…
The sound of tearing fabric was undeniable and despite the sting it caused I opened my eyes…
…to watch Minerva fall down in front of me into the ravine. It was as if time stood still.
I watched the fear on her face as she fell towards the black depth and heard her scream, “Trimidites!”
And then nothing for a long time. When finally Anaxis and I heard the muffled sound of Minima’s body impacting on the rocks below I closed my eyes again and felt tears well up in my bloody eyes.
From above me I heard Anaxis shout, “Minerva! No!”
I cried out loud and suddenly felt the weight of the world fall from my shoulders. I had truly nothing anymore now. No home, no child, no wife…
I let go of the sword. I wanted to die, I really did. I wanted to plunge to my death, to lay aside your mother in a hidden grave somewhere in the mountainous area of Corinth.
But the gods are cruel…
For no sooner had I let go that I felt two strong hands grab ahold of my arm and drag me up the small path.
I cried out in pain, anger and sorrow and with my powerless right fist slammed into Anaxis' chest.
“You son of a bitch! You should have let me fall! Why live on? What do I have left to live for?!”
Anaxis cried as well, I could hear it. He took what was left of his torn cloak and wiped the blood out of my eyes. He nursed my wounds and said, “You have Alexander to live for. We both know what the Romans would do to him if they ever found out the truth. I need you to be a father, Trimi.”
He hadn't called me Tri
mi since we had been children. I looked up at him and saw his tears. The sorrow was written all over his face but so was his determination. He still had a mission to complete. And a curse to see fulfilled.
“I will not have her die for nothing, Trimi. I will not have all this for nothing! We must liberate Greece! Even if it is the last thing we do! We must!”
And with that he helped me up and we set on our way to Athens again. But as we walked there were questions that haunted my mind, why had she called out my name and not that of Anaxis?
Was it possible she did love me after all and that she had merely seduced Anaxis so that he would buy her, so that she could be near me? And were you, Alexander, not my son after all? Could it be…that she had lied to Anaxis? Could it be…that she did love me?
Those questions and more taunted me for a long time. But now I am old, and it makes no great difference to know the answer. For despite my grief and the doubts, despite the love and the hate I felt for my master, there was still one more task to be done.
There was still the defeating of the Romans…
Chapter 17
Three sets of horses we rode to death in just as many days. We stopped twice a day to get food, water, to let the horses drink, and then we continued our desperate race to Athens, killing the horses en route. One tripped and broke a leg. Anaxis killed it with a single blow of his sword. The other five horses simply collapsed under us as they died of fatigue. Foaming and grunting, the animals went through their legs and quietly died. We paid through the nose for new horses, but neither of us cared. We had to get to Athens before word of the fall of Corinth reached the city. Because if it did and Anaxis was not there, it would surely mean the end of the rebellion. The army would scatter, and the Romans would push through Greece unhindered.
On the fourth day, we finally reached Athens, a day before the fleet with the army.
Anaxis stood on the docks as the fleet pulled into the harbor. He was cleaned up and wearing a new Spartan armor and cloak. As Deopus and the other generals stepped off Mistra's boat they turned pale and stared at their general.
Deopus was the first to speak.
“By the balls of Hades! Am I seeing ghosts or is it Anaxis after all?”
My master nodded. “It is I.”
Deopus let out a hurl of joy and lifted Anaxis in the air.
“Damn you, son of a bitch! We thought you'd been killed in Corinth! When we wanted to land there we could still see the smoke and flames drifting out to sea, and we figured the city had fallen!”
“It has, old friend,” Anaxis said, “but not in vain. It has weakened Mummius and slowed him down. He lost many men and even more are wounded. Trimidites and I barely managed to escape, but I doubt there are any other refugees. The Romans put everyone to the sword who was wounded or too old. They enslaved the rest.”
Deopus looked grim again and put Anaxis down.
“Then it will be all the more important to defeat the Roman bastards. We have to free those people.”
Anaxis nodded, “Aye. Get your men off the boats, we're going to meet the Romans head on.”
It took three days to unship the men and another two to get them moving. An army of this size was a pain to get going and an even bigger pain to keep going.
But whereas the army marched towards the Romans, our fleet too had a role to fulfill. The fleet had to carry supplies and protect us from naval landings by the Romans. Anaxis could find no better man for this than Mistra and promoted him to admiral of the entire Greek fleet on the condition the fleet managed to sail out in two days, which was nigh impossible. The old toothless pirate didn't know what happened to him at first, but quickly recovered his usual wit and asked, “I only got two questions for ya, how many broads do I get and how much beer?”
Anaxis ordered an entire brothel to be delivered to Mistra before he shipped out and half the beer in Athens. The next sunrise the entire fleet sailed out, a full day ahead of schedule.
About five days later we got a report that one of our smaller scouting vessels had spotted the Roman fleet. Anaxis ordered the army to set up camp and then headed for the coast to view the sea battle that was certain to ensue. On that bright morning somewhere in the last days of the war we watched two thousand ships, half of those Roman and the other half Greek, take in their positions and set themselves ready for a sea battle the world had not seen since the days of Leonidas, when the Greeks defeated the Persians.
Anaxis sat immobile on his horse while the other higher officers and generals shouted and rooted to our sailors. At first I wondered if my master was so silent because of the recent events, but now I understand he knew…
Again, he alone knew what the outcome of this battle would be. How did he do it? What Gods instilled him with the gift to see the end of battle, I do not know, but it must be a burden to carry. Because as the men cheered on and on and boasted to see the Romans flee already I looked at Anaxis and heard him silently mutter, “We’ve lost already.”
If I had any fatigue or sleep covering my mind in mist it was now gone. I stared at him with my eyes wide open and asked, “What? How do you know?”
Anaxis sighed and said, “The Romans are luring our men out into the open sea and Mistra will be so stupid to follow them. I warned him not to do it and yet the old bastard does not listen. His foolishness will have killed them all.”
And sure enough, the next moment I heard the terrible clap of two ships impacting and watched the first Greek ship sinking. A Roman trireme had rammed it to the depths of Poseidon's domain.
Our fleet tried desperately to take the Romans on, but to no avail. One ship after another sank or was boarded and the men slain. Those unfortunate to fall or jump into the water were killed by Roman archers. The bodies came floating to the shore and as they beached at our feet our generals turned quiet.
And then I watched Mistra cursing out loud at his men to fight harder and, I knew he'd be next. His vessel shot forwards through the water, aiming for a bireme, but it was struck in the side by another Roman vessel and went down with every soul aboard, including Mistra.
Cursing with every breath had left we watched him cling to the bow and finally going under, never to return. He was Poseidon's now and Poseidon never gave back what he took.
Watching their admiral go down was the breaking point of our fleet and the remaining ships fled, only to be chased down by the Romans and to be driven onto the rocks.
At the end of the day we had barely a hundred ships left. The Romans had lost very few.
The death of Mistra seemed to strike my master like a dagger. It was clear it was becoming too much for his heart and soul. First Krateros, then Minerva and now Mistra.
It was as if this war was killing everyone Anaxis had ever held dear. That night around the campfires I heard some drunken generals claim there was a curse upon Anaxis. All he had ever closed into his heart had to die. It was the price he had to pay to the gods for his genius in battle.
I think they were right, but wisely kept that thought to myself.
When I arrived at the central tent where Anaxis and the generals were holding their war council I could see that we were in grave trouble. The generals were fighting amongst each other, gesturing wildly and shouting.
As I entered a grave silence fell over the room for a brief moment. Anaxis barely noticed me and the other generals looked at me as if I was insignificant and continued their row.
But then Anaxis scraped his throat and the silence returned. They all looked at him and waited for him to speak. After a few agonizing minutes of silence Deopus finally broke the silence and said, “My lord, we cannot win the war without our fleet!”
Anaxis merely grinned and said, “The fleet is insignificant. The war will be won on land, not on water. Forget the fleet.”
The generals were dumbfounded. They all looked at each other to find confirmation that they had heard the words right and then looked at me.
“I bring news,” I said, “that might make
this entire discussion unnecessary. The Romans are but a day's march from us. We will meet them tomorrow on the field of battle.”
Anaxis nodded. “There is a valley near Leucopetra. We will go there tomorrow and set up the army for the decisive battle. It is ideal for the deployment of our forces.”
The Greek generals held their tongue and thought the situation through. It was clear they were thinking about their odds, and it was even more clear that some of them wanted out.
Anaxis rose from his chair and walked to the general of the Arcadian forces who was called Sylvander. He stopped in front of the man and said, “I am aware that some of you are in contact with the Romans. It was to be expected. They undoubtedly offered you money, your freedom, peace and prosperity to your homelands and perhaps even a high rank in the administration or military.”
Nobody moved or said a thing, but their eyes betrayed the truth.
“I am well aware that the Romans asked some amongst you to do all you can to drive a wedge in the army. Divide et Impere or so the Romans say.”
The men nodded. Anaxis turned his back to Sylvander and faced me now.
“And then there are the slaves. The Romans promised them their freedom if they opposed us. But we need not worry about the slaves. They are not so foolish to think the Romans will keep their word. Unlike you, Sylvander.”
Even before anyone could react Anaxis drew his Falcata and slashed it into Sylvander's neck, decapitating the head within a single fluid movement. The blood splattered across the surprised generals and the severed head rolled towards them. The lifeless body went limp and fell down with a muffled thud.
Anaxis pointed his blade at the remaining generals and as the blood dripped onto the floor he said, “If anyone of you bastards thinks he can stab a knife in my back, then he'd better think again! I am your leader and you will obey me! Back in Corinth you have all taken sacred vows to follow me wherever I went, and I will hold you to them! Make no mistake; tomorrow we will crush the Romans!”