REPOST: MYTHOS, Chapter 14B
morga...@my-deja.com
by Beck McLaughlin
Chapter 14B
"Methos!" Amanda cried sharply, watching him stumble against a tree and
stand, dazed. Ever since the bridge, he'd been miles away. Only his
body trudged along before her.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm having a little trouble here."
"I can see that." Her impatience vanished at the raw edge in his voice.
"Maybe we should just rest a while. This is a big forest. We won't be
that easy to find."
"*We* are not the point. It's the Star Nergal wants. We have to get to
Elia before he does."
"Elia?"
"An's villa, his sanctuary. Many of -- my people died building it."
He stopped, scuffing his foot in the thick layer of fallen needles.
White gleamed up at her. "The road leads straight there."
He cleared away more of it, gaze miles away. "My younger brother was
murdered here, beaten to death. They said it was because he tried to
stop them from whipping our father."
It was just after noon, the sun almost direction overhead. It dappled
the forest floor in an ever changing pattern. A flash of scarlet made
Amanda start. It was a bird, vanishing swiftly into the branches
overhead.
"I don't think you're in much shape to go on," she said. "And it will
be dark soon."
"True enough on both counts." Methos forced a grin. "I need a beer."
"And *I* need something to eat," Amanda retorted. "I wish I knew if
those berries are poisonous."
He looked. "They're not."
"How do you know?"
"My foster mother used to make them into little pies." His smile was
sudden and real. It vanished almost at once, however. "Stuff your
face, Amanda, and then let's be on our way."
******
A year to the day Lord An arrived in the valley, his great villa, Elia,
was finished. In what had once been the village headman's cottage,
Kae'n was laying out his master's wet laundry when he heard An's voice
outside. Heart lurching painfully, he sank to his knees. A hand pulled
aside the leather sheet that served as a door. Trembling, the boy
pressed his forehead to the packed earth. An's presence fill the hut.
"On your feet, boy. It's time to leave this pig sty."
Kae'n rose at once, fixing his gaze on his bare feet. Dread tightened
his gut when his lord caressed his cheek, but it seemed An did not wish
for pleasure. "Gather my things," continued the man, releasing him and
turned back to the door.
The slave did as he was commanded, hastily gathering the warlord's
belongings, pushing them into big leather satchels. His hand hovered
on the weapons -- swords and an axe. For a moment, a vision rose in his
mind, of taking the sword and plunging it deep into An's heart.
Immediately terrified, certain An would know of it somehow, Kae'n
ordered his thoughts, fixing them on the river, the smell of fish drying
on the racks in the village's sunny center.
The last of his master's belongings were packed. Now came the worst
part. Kae'n picked up the bags, drew a deep breath, and stepped out
into the village street.
The narrow lane was filled with An's men. He saw Kisa emerge from the
hut that had once belonged to Rad'l, the village's best fisherman. Now
Rad'l was dead, crushed in the quarry when a large block of stone rolled
onto him.
Kisa carried the belongings of the soldier who had claimed her. She
would not look at Kae'n. He in turn tried not to see her swollen belly.
"Whore!"
Both Kae'n and Kisa flinched visibly at the shouts and laughter that
rose from among the assembled villagers. An turned, narrow gaze moving
over the men and women gathered nearby. There were only a dozen or so
present -- those of the Folk it pleased An to keep as domestic slaves.
Kae'n could not tell who had called out.
"Kill whoever said that," An said, "and everyone who laughed."
Turning, he nudged his ass down the path to the river. One of his men
gave the boy a hard shove. Numbly, turning his head to see behind,
Kae'n started on the long journey across the valley.
Behind them, men advanced on the huddled villagers, their weapons
glittering balefully in the bright sun. Quickly, he turned his gaze
back to the path ahead, but he could not shut out the screams, or the
sodden thud of axes sinking into flesh and bone. Tears flooded his
eyes, and he missed his step, falling to his knees. A soldier hauled
him up again and sent him staggering on.
Kae'n trudged doggedly beside his master's ass, bent under the weight of
the satchels, careful not to drop them. An was not forgiving. Keeping
his head down to hide his tears, the boy numbly crossed the bridge.
Even now, he couldn't help glancing at his Mark, half-finished and
likely to remain that way. Then they were past.
He walked and walked. Once in a while, he risked a look back. The
line of asses and slaves straggled out behind them. Kisa rode with her
master, his arm protectively around her.
As the days had dragged past, both of them shunned by his people, Kae'n
had comforted himself by thinking that Kisa's affection for the man was
an act, a defense against the misery of their slavery. Now, seeing her
relaxed against the young soldier, her head on that broad shoulder, the
youth knew himself for, yet again, a fool.
An spoke to him. Kae'n forced himself to listen, to nod in appropriate
places. An was telling Kae'n of his plans, how he intended to teach the
boy weapons so that someday Kae'n would serve him not only in the valley
but outside it. The boy murmured his delight at the prospect and tried
to look as if he cared.
They were near the quarry now. Ahead, a group of slaves trudged toward
them along the road, on their way to the wretched pens where they slept.
Exhausted, filthy, they were herded to the side without resistance.
Kae'n gave them a quick glance and felt his heart jump. Among them, was
one he recognized. The filthy, bearded face lifted. Eyes met. Kae'n
stopped, ignoring the annoyed soldier behind him.
He had not seen his elder brother for almost a year. The joy in his
heart, however, was quickly dashed. The youth who had taught him to
skip stones, to swim, to fight with staves -- now stared at him with a
face twisted by fear and hatred.
"Whore!" his brother spat. "Traitor!"
"Ab'l . . ." Kae'n pleaded. "Please . . ."
"Catamite!"
Unable to speak, Kae'n backed away blindly, shifting the weight of his
burdens, intending to walk on. Unexpectedly, An raised a hand.
Everything stopped. Turning, the tyrant motioned to one of his
soldiers. The man came and took the satchels from Kae'n. "Here," An
said.
Mutely, not understanding, Kae'n took the sword. Motioning the caravan
back, An said something to another of his men. Grinning, the soldier
gave *his* weapon to Ab'l.
"You would have your freedom?" An asked Kae'n's eldest -- and now his
only -- brother.
"Yes!" replied the young man fiercely.
"Would you kill your brother to buy it?"
"That --- that *thing* is not my brother!" Bruised lips curled into a
ferocious grin. "It is a demon, left by the dark gods to bring ruin
upon my people." Ab'l spat at the boy's feet. "I would kill him, and
gladly."
Kae'n drew a deep breath. He dropped the sword. "I will not fight
you."
"Than you will die." Sword gripped in dirty hands, his brother lunged
forward. Realizing belatedly that Ab'l was in deadly earnest, Kae'n
threw himself to one side. He rolled frantically away as his foster
brother spun clumsily, hacking after him.
Through the grief and fear came a new feeling. It was small, at first,
a faint niggling of resentment. Did Ab'l really think Kae'n's captivity
was a pleasure? Did he think Kae'n had *any* choice in his service?
Didn't he know that Kae'n would gladly have exchanged An's brutal
affections to join Ab'l in the quarry?
He dodged another thrust. A part of Kae'n realized that his brother was
exhausted from his labors, that it was hatred alone that kept Ab'l on
his feet, Kae'n's death foremost in his heart. Even so, the boy's
fingers closed tightly around the fallen sword.
Again Ab'l struck and this time, distracted, Kae'n saw him too late.
Frantically, he leapt aside, but the edge of his brother's blade caught
his forearm, leaving a deep gash along it. Pain rattled Kae'n's teeth
and the resentment grew.
"How do you like that, harlot?"
Kae'n was sick of it all -- sick of the hard body that pressed down on
his in the stuffy dark of the cottage, sick of the jeers and the
contempt he saw in the faces of his own people, sick of being spat upon,
reviled and cursed. The anger curled into something hard and dark,
wrapping around his heart and squeezing it tight. His fingers, slick
with his own blood, gripped the hilt of the blade tightly, lifted it to
parry Ab'l's next blow. His brother was grey with fatigue now. The
sword shook in his hands. It was simple to evade it.
Then Kae'n lunged, taking Ab'l completely by surprise. Frantically, his
brother parried, but his strength was almost gone. Easily, Kae'n
knocked aside the blade, but even then, he hesitated.
Perhaps if Ab'l had admitted he was wrong, if his brother had apologized
and shown any sign of forgiveness or understanding, Kae'n may have
stayed his hand. Even in his rage, he could remember the love he had
shared with his brothers.
But Ab'l only spat curses at him and swung again. The dark thing
snarled and lifted the heavy blade.
"Then *you* will die," Kae'n shouted, and brought the weapon down with
all his strength, cleaving Ab'l's skull, spattering his blood and brains
all over An's new road.
In the sudden, shattering silence that followed, Kae'n's harsh breathing
was the only sound. He saw the shock and horror in the faces of those
who had been his people. Part of him was filled with like horror, but
the dark thing pushed that part back and buried it. Kae'n handed the
blade back to An and, without a word, retrieved his burden. The
conqueror stared at him for a long time. When they resumed their
journey, An was smiling.
****
end of chapter 14
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