“The blood of a hundred thousand fuels the child’s destiny,” a gruff voice said.
Sylia opened his eyes and he found himself surrounded by thick fog. He was back in the field where veiled entities gathered at a round table and there they were. He could see, with some difficulty, from behind them and out of view. He was, after all, tiny compared to the five veiled behemoths in front of him.
“It is his fate to end Blarnar’s reign over the Gaia. The Miorai cannot be denied,” an old and scratchy sounding feminine voice said.
“Blarnar will not accept it. Each day he goes into the mortal realm defying natural law,” the gruff voice replied.
“You can stop him father and save all those lives,” the feminine voice said.
“My child, I am an observer bound by the natural laws,” the gruff voice continued, “Blood must spill and the child must meet his fate.”
“Is there no other way?” the feminine voice inquired to no reply.
“Danger from within and danger from without. I pray he find his way,” the gruff voice said.
From behind him, a breeze carried the soft feminine voice which said, “do what you must to protect him no matter how unforgivable...”
***
Thunder and Rain
Sylia woke up to a loud thunder. What was that strange dream – a vision; and who was the lady?
Where is Akhilia? In his hand, he felt him and saw he was sleeping peacefully. Sylia looked around and saw that the healer, Pallas, was tending to the wounded.
Many had found their way here; looked like 50 at least. But what happened to Lady Andromida?
There was no more screaming save the groaning of injured men. He put the prince back into the makeshift crib and asked Pallas, “What of the lady?”
“She is inside,” the healer said, “and the children are safe.”
“Children?” Sylia asked with a concern look.
Pallas replied, “the lady lost consciousness before they could come out. I had to reach in and yank them both out one by one. A boy and a girl, she had. They were healthy but the lady lost a lot of blood. She might awake by sunrise or tomorrow or never; it’s hard to say. But for now, she holds on to life.”
As Sylia went deeper inside the cave, Pallas said, “Don’t scare the children please my lord. They just stopped crying.”
Sylia went inside and saw Andromida on a makeshift table, which was just a large flat piece of rock with some bedding, with some rags to cover her. Surprisingly, the room was cleaner than outside. The blood and afterbirth was taken care of and a lamp, scented with incense, was dimly lighting the room. Beside Andromida, in the crib made of saddles and fur, were two glowing children looking at the world with wide eyes – eyes that were green and blue.
“Children touched by Athena?” Sylia said out loud to which the healer, who had come in as well, nodded.
“Their father would be jumping with excitement if he knew. Thank you Pallas. Your services will be greatly rewarded if we survive,” Sylia continued and the healer nodded again.
“They are also destined for greatness it seems, my lord. But for now it is time to feed them. Leave the children here. I believe you have work outside,” she said.
“They are here!” echoed throughout the cave as someone screamed outside.
Sylia, hesitated for a moment, but then he put the prince on the crib with his new companions. The prince began to cry and Pallas took him and started feeding him milk from a pouch.
“Go now,” she said.
---
From beyond the sanctuary of the cave, men still trapped at the forest were fighting and screaming as howls and grunts filled the night. Sylia went outside to the cave entrance, cold wind blowing in his face, and stood beside Pilio and the men who had shields planted on the ground and spears ready for a final battle.
Soon the screaming of men stopped and howls were the only thing left – but then suddenly everything went quiet. Sylia could see terror manifest in the faces of the men.
But then, through the darkness, barely visible was a beautiful visage along the treeline and an enchanting female voice sang from the dark:
Men of Athena, remember your home
Leave me the child, return to your own
Heed close my warning, from heavens above
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Follows him Doom, and death his beloved
Divine is he from, not of this world
Leave him to me, to care of the gods
The thousand things in Sylia’s mind suddenly went silent. The dread of the night was gone and he left peaceful. Life had been a painful dream but this was the soothing arms of eternity. “Finally, peace,” Sylia thought. But then he heatrd something. His nephew’s crying pierced the veil and the voice rang inside his head again, “Protect the child...”
Sylia snapped out of the trance and saw everyone around him enchanted by the witch. He looked around and saw Pilio was beside him. Sylia grabbed him and shook him to no avail. He looked around and, amongst Pallas’ chest, he saw a pouch of black powder. Sylia grabbed a handful and threw it at Pilio’s face who started coughing!
“Pepper? Why are you throwing it at me?” Pilio yelled at Sylia who gestured Pilio towards the rest of his men who were still entranced.
“The god damned witch!” Pilio said in surprise. He took out his horn, coughed a few more times, inhaled deeply and blew into it – the horn of Athena.
As the deep blare of the horn pierced the witch’s cry, the men regained their composure one at a time. The haunting song stopped and snarls and growls once again filled the darkness. Some of the men looked disappointed at being disillusioned. Some spat on the ground in attempts to avert the witch’s magic.
“The witch’s magic has no bearing on us men. Hold your ground!” Pilio said ferociously as the men formed up to brace against whatever was coming from the darkness. Then Pilio grabbed Sylia and went inside the cave.
Under the dim lights inside the cave, Pilio looked at the children and then to Sylia and told him, “The witch wants the prince. This boy will be the death of all of us.”
Sylia, looking concerned, replied sternly, “The boy is your prince!”
Pilio said, “And the prince is one soul against a hundred? My men have wives and children. Who are you to damn them to suffer; to become orphans and perish of starvation. A thousand princes like him will come and go and I wouldn’t even know. Every one of these men lived with me and would die for me. Why would I command them to die for you? A make-believe soldier trying to protect a boy by sacrificing everyone and everything around him. You who think blue blood flows darker than red know not the value of life; sacrificing people without a second thought. Trying to cling on to royalty you already lost! Only the gods know why Strategus values you and the prince so.”
Sylia was stunned into silence and could not even meet Pilio’s gaze. But Pallas, the healer, spoke up, and said “And what is the lives of a soldier worth my lord? Would it be enough justification to fight if you filled your own coffers? Is principle so rare, to you Thebans, that you have forgotten your sacred charge – to protect the innocent women and children of these lands, which includes your city of Thebia, from those barbarians who seek to harm them. You, who consider yourself the master of the fates of your men, in your arrogance ignore that fate comes from powers beyond your comprehension and forge into the world with no ethics or morality to guide you.
Does being a soldier not mean to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and, if need be, to sacrifice for the sake of that charge, lest your own wives and children be cursed to live in fear for the men of Thebes care not for the plight of the innocents and when the barbarians come, they will all suffer into slavery or death for the cowardice of the men of Thebes condemns them and none shall come to the aid of those Thebans who abandoned their charge.”
Pilio grit his teeth at the insult yet Pallas continued, “If it is not so then I beg you, my lord, to take charge and do what must be done, at all costs, to save at least the children.”
Pilio was struck by her words and could not reply.
Meanwhile Sylia, who gained some confidence due to Palla, started speaking, “The boy is my sister’s son; the last of her essence and the only blood I have left. And the newborns are your own blood commander. As soldiers, even if we must die, we must give them a chance to live, grow, and have a chance at life. They do not deserve to die. Please hear me out commander.”
Pilio replied, “Fine. The wolves, the witch, the darkness, and eastern barbarians who will surely come hunt us now – how do we overcome this and get to Thebia?”
Noticing the silence between the two, Pallas spoke up, “We must distract the witch and her wolves while another party takes the children through the forest. There will be ambushes along the way so an advanced party should be sent to scout the road ahead while the rescue party follows behind.”
Sylia, with a look of hopeful surprise cried out, “Take the children commander! I shall stay here with the men and charge into the wolves. On Thebia, the Athenian reinforcements should arrive soon.”
Pilio replied, “1-day trek through the forest roads, 2-day march through the plains beyond, and you will arrive at the city gates. It’s all due west of here. I will stay here with my men and if it is to be their end, I plan to go together and I won’t hear a word of it. I shall send 2 men to scout for ambushes while you take my sister and the children. But there are three, so I shall send another man. Strap two of them to you and ride hard. The man I send you is strong. He will hold onto Andromida and one of the children and ride with you. If you don’t save the children and my sister, you shall have to answer to me before the gates of Hades.”
Sylia, with watery eyes, spoke up through sobs and said, “Right commander. Thank you!”
While Sylia and Pilio were looking at each other, Pallas interjected and said, “And when you charge into certain death, I shall run through the forest and escape.”
Everyone laughed inside the cave.
Sylia and Pilio, both walked out of the cave and mounted their horses. The men, some limping, some with ripped arms, and bloody armor, all stood up instinctively. Those who could, mounted horses until there were none left. Those who were unscathed got on foot for the commander had emerged and reckoning was near.
“Men of Athena! Men of Thebes! (1) The witch lies with every breath! Break her curse upon you for today we die! We die for our sacred charge! We die so innocents may live! We die in the name of our wives and children for the brave men of Thebes shall continue our lineage and protect them. Today we die destroying the evils of this world so our children may be spared from it. Rejoice for today we die to join our fallen brothers in the realm of Hades! Eu Thanatos brothers!!”
“Eu Thanatos!”
With a cry to echo through the forest the 55 or so men, some injured, some not, charged into the darkness into death itself while Sylia’s escape party escaped behind them.
---Note---
(Thebia is a tributary city of Athena and the Thebans identify as Athenians. Think of Samnites being integrated into Roman identity even though Rome was a different city)
---Preview of Next Chapter---
Only blood, misery, and death awaits the darkness, or so it seems. Either way, Sylia has to make a break and with so many to save and so many to perish, who will survive and who will die? Find out on from Fire and Blood Ch17 - Escape from the Lake Artermis !
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