015: Promises
Five hundred and twenty-one years after Helena
Helena is full of temples to the five gods who bless the heleny, most not only serve as houses of prayer, but also as teaching points, teachers and scholars share their discoveries with the population, if you are lucky sometimes you can even find an archon playing petteia(1) with his polemarches, the latter are always masked with the animal symbol of their archon and play as a team against their leader as a single unit. The ram-masked polemarches talked among themselves to decide the next move except for one, Asterion did not enjoy the debate very much.
Hours passed and the polemarches did not achieve a single victory, Jason crushed every strategy they planned together time and time again, although they all took it with humor and humility, after all the dream of every polemarch of the archon of light is to beat him in a game of petteia. Night fell over the temple and what was once a group was now just two heleny thinking and fighting to defeat the archon, meanwhile the beggars arrived at the house of their gods to take shelter from the cold, Asterion still did not participate in the game. Another undefeated day for Jason, the strategy in games will not be the same as on the battlefield, but it seemed that the archon was an unbeatable master in both scenarios, when the last polemarch left for his home Asterion sat in front of the demigod.
-Young Asterion, I've been waiting all day for this game.
-... Come on.
Asterion always played defensive games with a serious face, he was well known in the circle of players by the nickname "The shield of Helena", he took care of each piece with his life, Jason on the other hand was an expert in setting traps, it seemed that he read his opponents mind, "The smiling assassin" they call him for his habit of laughing before a good move.
-Once again.
Jason said these words while looking at the polemarch, both were at a stalemate, looking for a counterattack would be risky for both, the archon seemed nervous, he stopped smiling and grabbed his head while Asterion just silently observed the board.
-Always defensive, I would like to see you on the offensive once.
The archon of light tried to attack, but more and more pieces fell before Asterion wall, the game seemed won by the polemarch.
-Always taking care of your pieces, you always seem unperturbed.
Asterion finished moving his piece and immediately realized his mistake.
-You can't win if you don't sacrifice some pieces.
The game turned around, with just one fall into a trap the archon offensive escalated until it completely dismantled the polemarch defense.
-Victory.
Asterion board suffered defeat, more than a hundred games between the two and not a single victory for the polemarch, he could only grab his neck in frustration.
-Aah, thanks for playing with me Asterion, I always enjoy our games. What do you want in return?
Asterion raised his gaze, seeing this the archon fleece lit up slightly, creating a kind of sphere where the sound could not escape.
-… You recruited me eight years ago to overthrow that man, you promised me that you would give me a chance.
-And you have done very well, I still can't believe that you got that bestiary, you did half of my work.
-Maybe you can't perceive it anymore, but time passes quickly for us, archon.
-That's true... I'm sorry, I thought the cynocephali would rebel in four years, but it seems I underestimated their fear of us. Sooner or later an intelligent leader will emerge from their ranks, I'll keep sending you to places where I suspect one will appear.
-Then we still depend on luck…
-Come on, cheer up, I've already gathered almost fifty thousand slaves under my name, protected and ready to be free.
-They're all cynocephali.
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-… You know I can't help the minotaurs.
-Why?
-You know why.
-…
-The time will come, Asterion, patience is your greatest strength when playing.
-If only everything were a game, I'm useless at everything else.
-Polemarch, I don't regret my decision, you're the most appropriate for this job.
-Kill an archon, betray Helena?
-Win this war.
-Releasing minotaurs and winning the war against them sounds like a fantasy.
-These minotaurs were abandoned by their own brothers, none of them are minoans, some of them will seek retaliation against us no doubt, but we just have to redirect their hatred against their brothers, after all they betrayed them first.
-I know, I know.
The memory of Theseus came to Asterion's mind, minotaurs are tribal and follow strong leaders, the weak are sold or abandoned, but Theseus is not like his colleagues, he accepts everyone in his tribe, for this he is loved and feared, defending the weak requires twice as much strength as fighting for oneself alone, but this was information that he preferred to omit from the archon, in order to free the minotaurs.
-We cannot win the favor of the minotaurs, only divert their attention; But of the cynocephali, gain the trust of their leader and help them kill the dioskouroi, just this once, I need you on the offensive.
Present
The doe that would have previously drawn her bow to aim at the polemarch face instantly for even thinking of such an obvious lie, this time decided to trust the man.
-Why would the archon of light kill his fellow?
-The seal of slavery is eternal unless removed for your race, but for the mycenaeans it only lasts five years, having minotaur slaves has been a time bomb for disaster time and time again, just a few days ago we lost a city because mycenaean slaves broke free and a group of minotaurs retaliated against the city, it will continue to happen.
-Stopping having slaves is not a solution?
-The dioskouroi hates minotaurs the most, enslaving and torturing them is their first priority, and the heleny have another problem, a minotaur reaches physical maturity enough to fight at ten years old, a heleny at sixteen, the mycenaeans outnumber us, we need more infantry.
-Slave soldiers. But then they still need slavery.
-Not if we turn the minotaurs against themselves, the mycenaean slaves are from tribes abandoned for being considered weak, the archon seeks to pit them against their own kind.
-They would still have the infantry they seek and no more time bombs in each city. Why don't the dioskouroi opt for this plan?
-His hatred blinds him and the rest of the archons support him, a headache for me and Jason.
-But an opportunity for us.
Lita stood up, grabbed Asterion's hand and shook it up and down vigorously.
-We have a deal.
Asterion couldn't help but smile.
-I only have one last question. Who else knows about this plan?
-… You, me, the bestiary with the sword that follows me Laconia and Jason.
-The boy I fight against, right?
-No… I'll tell him that we will travel with you to Helena to buy and free the rest of your companions using my contact with Jason, nothing more.
-Don't you think it's cruel? By getting involved with you, he may end up being branded a traitor.
-… Maybe he needs to sacrifice some pieces to win.
-You piece of shit, you heleny treat everyone like pieces in a game, but I have no other choice, invite your group to rest, tomorrow we will leave.
Asterion stood up, but before turning around the cynocephalus grabbed his tunic.
-One last thing, if you betray me heleny, I promise you that in this life or the next, I will kill you and your loved ones in the most painful way you can imagine.
Lita face conveyed more fear than fury.
-I understand.
The polemarch left the tent to receive his phalanx, who as soon as they saw their leader stood up to greet him.
-Captain!
-You took long enough.
-Come in, I'm starving.
The group ate in silence inside Lita tent, who informed them of her plans.
-The heleny and I have made a deal, to free the rest of my people in exchange for information.
Asterion, who was sitting in the middle of his companions, raised a slight smile.
-The four of us will travel to Helena to negotiate the agreement.
The phalanx was surprised and at the same time accustomed, they fully trusted Asterion.
-That's incredible news, captain, an alliance with the cynocephali, I would never have imagined it.
The doe tried to hide her face of displeasure as best she could.
-It will be just a deal and nothing more, then we will leave your lands.
Laconia watched Asterion with a slight tone of disappointment, she knew perfectly well what the plan was now that her polemarch had allied himself with a cynocephali and although she perfectly understood why she could not reveal the plan to Niko, lying to your companions never feels right.
-Then I should apologize for attacking you before, I'm very sorry.
Niko lowered his head while showing his wrists, a common gesture to reflect a sincere apology. The thracian thought that the polemarch objective was that seeing that some of the cynocephali would be born with five fingers, the best thing would be to immediately forge an alliance with them against the minotaurs, an understandable thought lacking empathy and knowledge of the treatment that the heleny have inflicted on the cynocephali, an idea born more out of innocence and ignorance than out of evil.
-Even if you don't ally with us, I promise that we will help you and I hope that we leave yesterday's hatred behind.
An air of sadness invaded the atmosphere and like a cloud of memories, Lita mind was filled with all the horrible moments suffered because of the heleny, the cold, the hunger, the sorrow, the fear, the rage, the pain and the loss, a set of emotions encapsulated in a young being, with a load dozens of times more than he can bear, Asterion noticed and was afraid that the cynocephalus would react violently, but she only continued eating, perhaps wanting to drown these feelings.
-Yes...
That single word prompted the polemarch to make a bad strategic decision, a mistake that could easily cost him the game, but that he could not avoid if he wanted to do the right thing, at least for himself.
-Niko.
-Captain...
-I have something to tell you about our true plan.
Petteia(1): Game similar to chess or checkers.