A quiet stillness lay over the village. The warm embrace of the sun had yet to grace the land, covering the houses in shadows. In the east, the orange glow of dusk colored the sky, slowly conquering the darkness, and making it slowly recede. At the edge of the village stood a house. The house was neither large nor small, yet despite its advanced age, it was well maintained. The wood and thatching used were fixed and repaired regularly. Next to the house sat a small coup, woven out of sticks and reinforced with mud. Within that coup sat many still forms, the last edges of sleep still keeping a firm grasp on them. Soon, however, they stirred, the male rooster ruffling its feathers, before opening its eyes. It scanned its surroundings, ensuring no predators were nearby. The rooster, seeing the first light of dawn, stretched its head towards the sky and screamed, ascertaining its dominance and territory to all nearby roosters. Soon crows from nearby roosters filled the air, as the usual morning ritual ensued. Each rooster was eagerly telling the other roosters to stay away from their flock.

From the house next to the coop emerged three men. One man was older, seemingly in his late thirties, while the other two were barely of age. They were at that age when they would start searching for a wife. The two younger men were carrying stone hoes with them, while the older man had a woven basket in his hands. "Alright, you boys go get started with preparing the fields, I will come soon after you." The elder addressed the younger two, before turning towards the chicken coop. Suddenly, he let out a violent cough, doubling over and supporting himself on his knees. The two young men rushed to him, concern marring their faces. One of them wanted to help him up, but the older man waved him off. He spit on the floor, before straightening his back. "Don't worry about me; worry instead about the field. You two go ahead and start preparing it, I'll be right there once I finish." The man's voice was steady and his gaze projected confidence. Seeing this, the two younger men showed relieved expressions.

"Alright, see you then. Come Herodotos, we've got work to do!" One of the younger men replied while flashing an energetic smile. The other young man, Herodotos, rubbed his eyes while shaking his head. He then waved to the older man, while answering. "See you. Really Telamon, how do you have so much energy so early in the morning? Can't you give me some since you have so much of it?" The first young man, Telamon, let out a boisterous laugh before clapping Herodotos on the shoulder. "If I could I would, but sadly I wouldn't know how to do that." The men made their way further from the house, approaching the rocky fields outside the village. Herodotos sent Telamon a sideways glance while smirking slightly. "You could always give me some of your food. That's one way to share energy." Telamon scowled before turning deadly serious. "Absolutely not! You'll have to fight me if you want my food." Herodotos, seeing Telamon acting this way, chuckled before punching his arm playfully. "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm only joking."

The two men arrived at their field and started to use their hoes to remove weeds from the field, preparing it to plant seeds. All around them, their neighbors tended to their own fields, their figures dotting the landscape. "You know, I heard that near the capital the farmers there use animals to help till the field." Telamon chimed up with a rumor he had heard. Herodotos shot a skeptical gaze. "Animals used for tilling fields? Like what, the chickens? How are they supposed to help till the field?" Telamon shrugged while bending down to rip out a weed by the roots. His course fingers wrapped around the base of the weed, gripping it firmly and he slowly pulled the plant out, ensuring not to rip the roots. "I don't think they would use chickens for that. Maybe they use the lizards that the lizard riders use. They are certainly big and strong enough to help till the fields." Telamon gave a self-assured nod, being certain he had found the correct answer. And yet, Herodotos arched an eyebrow. "Lizards are used solely for fighting purposes. Do you think the city lord would allow them to be used as tilling tools? And how would lizards even till the fields? I doubt that they can grip a hoe with their sharp claws. They would rather slice the wood apart than grip the hoe." Telamon furrowed his brows while pulling another weed out of the ground. "And how would you know what lizard claws look like? Have you ever seen a lizard rider?" Herodotos swung the hoe down, creating a shallow furrow in the ground. After removing the hoe, he took a small pinch of seeds from a pouch hung on his belt and sprinkled the seeds into the furrow. The surrounding area had been cleared of weeds by Telamon previously. "Well no, I haven't seen a lizard rider before, but I've heard of them plenty of times. They say just look at a regular lizard, make it a few times bigger, and you know what a lizard mount looks like. And again, how are lizards supposed to help in tilling the soil?" Telamon let out a thoughtful hum while his hands kept moving. After a brief pause, his expression shifted to one of realization. "I've got it! You know how those travelers at the tavern describe how massive their tails are? How they can hit three men with one sweep using those? Well with tails as powerful as those, I bet a lizard could certainly use it to till the land." It seemed as if Herodotos was going to rebuke him, but he changed his mind after thinking over it for a few seconds longer. Finally, he let out a thoughtful hum and nodded his head slightly. "I guess that could actually be the case. It certainly sounds plausible at least. Better than chickens plowing the fields." Telamon flashed a triumphant smile while eagerly nodding his head. "See? I told you so." Herodotos waved him. "Yeah, yeah, whatever makes you happy." The two resumed their work in silence, each sinking into their own thoughts.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Telamon paused his work and looked skywards, shielding his eyes from the sun's rays. The midday sun was hanging above the ring covering parts of the horizon. "Say, Herodotos, shouldn't Father already be here? It's almost noon." Herodotos lay down his hoe and looked upwards as well. The cloudless sky left an unobstructed view of the sun. "Yeah, it is strange. I should fly over the house and check up on him." Telamon scowled while answering Herodotos. "Father said never to use your powers. What if someone sees you? We should just walk. It's time for lunch anyway." Herodotos grumbled but didn't say anything else. They picked up their tools and made their way home. Where they would usually keep a leisurely pace while chatting about this and that, they walked with a greater speed in silence. Finally, their house came into view, next to which the chicken coop stood. Within the woven fence, they saw the figure of the older man. "Father!" Herodotos suddenly lifted slightly off the ground and rushed towards the chicken coop. Telamon cursed before running after him.

When Herodotos arrived, he knelt on the ground and embraced his father, shaking him gently. "Father, what's wrong? Come on, wake up." The older man, however, didn't reply. His face was red and scrunched slightly. His eyes were shut and his breathing was shallow. He was sweating heavily, and when Herodotos placed his hand on the father's forehead, he gasped as he felt how hot the man's head was. "What's going on? How is he?" Telamon's voice came in between gasps, as he too finally arrived. Herodotos turned to Telamon and showed an anxious expression. "Father is sick. What do we do?" Telamon knelt down next to him, before also placing his hand on the man's forehead. He showed a grim yet determined expression. He turned to his brother, who was now looking to him for answers. "Ok, we first need to bring him inside. Use your powers to gently lift him up." Herodotos did as Telamon told him, and together they escorted the sick man to the interior of the house. They lay him down gently unto his bed and tucked him in. They then placed a wet rag on the man's head.

After that was done, Telamon turned to Herodotos. "I will need to go to the southern city and find a medicine man. With a fever as bad as that, things look bad for Father if we don't do something." Herodotos shook his head seriously. "I will go. With my powers, I can be there many times faster than you just by walking." Telamon shook his head. "No, you can not. Father has said time and time again, that were you to go to the southern city, then the city lord would discover you and you would be hunted down. We can not risk that." Herodotos furrowed his brows and gestured at the man passed out on the bed. "You said yourself how bad it is. Father doesn't have the time to wait half a day for you to go there on foot. He is burning up and if we don't do something now, then it could end up really badly." A hint of desperation crept into his voice the longer Herodotos talked. Telamon's expression softened as he followed the outstretched arm of Herodotos to have his gaze finally land on the sickly man. Telamon bit his lip, before finally sighing and returning his gaze to Herodolos. "Alright, but make sure no one sees you. Father said that if you suppress your powers then you should be fine. As soon as you can see the city, don't use any of your powers. Walk from there. It'll take longer, but it's safer that way." Herodotos nodded his head eagerly, a slight smile creeping onto his face, despite the serious nature of the situation. "Understood, I won't disappoint you, or Father." He said the last part with a more subdued voice, as his gaze landed on the man burning up under the blankets. Telamon nodded grimly, before turning away.

In one of the corners of the house stood a small furnace made of clay bricks. He removed one of the bricks in the bottom row, revealing a large hollow compartment. This compartment was dug into the ground, creating more space than one would expect. Within lay several stone tablets with various complex inscriptions and diagrams, a bronze sword, and a small pouch containing a few coins. Telamon removed the pouch, before closing the compartment once more. "Here take these coins and go buy some medicine. You must make haste but travel cautiously. Stay away from the roads and only use your powers when you are certain no one sees you." Herodotos nodded and took his cloak. He pulled the hood over his face, hiding it from view. "Take care of father. I will be right back." With those parting words, Herodotos left the cabin. Telamon was now alone together with the sick man lying in his bed. Telamon sighed and sat down next to him. He took the wet cloth from his forehead and dipped it into a nearby bucket filled with water. He then wrung it out and placed it once more unto the man's forehead. Great worry was etched into Telamon's face, as he sat there and watched vigilantly over the sleeping man.