The Laughing Gods

by Wilbur Arron

  “That was wise of Carenos,” I said. “Is he here?”

  “No, he is putting together a settlement in the mountains to the south. He has sent word to all the surviving mages that escaped Lantis to meet us there.”

  “Can you have someone take care of our horses?” I asked him. “We need to go inside and make plans.”

  Kimon showed us into the commandant’s office where we all sat down at a long table. Some acolytes had prepared a simple meal of beans, rice, and boiled lamb along with bread and well-watered wine.

  “Sorry, this is all we have,” Kimon apologized at the meal.

  “It is good enough,” Nomiki said and looked at Kimon. “Does anyone know we are here? I hate to get caught in this place. It is good for keeping out hill people, but a determined army could knock this place down in half a day.”

  “No one knows,” Kimon answered. “No one has left since we arrived. Only one rode in this morning, and that was a messenger from Lantis. We used a force ball to knock him off his horse. He is also tied up in the storeroom. He was carrying a message to the next outpost about twenty milio west of here. You need to read this message.”

  With that, Kimon walked over to a desk with a small saddlebag on the top, took out a sealed message and handed it to me. The message seal had already been broken.

  “Ambassador Sopholus will leave Portanus today and will arrive tomorrow night. You must be ready by then. You must kill the mage quickly and by surprise or he will kill all of you. The others, you can take your time with. It must be made to look like the hill people caused this. No hint of guilt must ever fall on our divine Ethnarch or me because of this. Make sure none of the escort or the local guards at the way station are left alive.”

  A

  I read over the message and handed it to Melina who read it and handed to the others. The content of the message was no surprise, but it did send a chill up my spine that so many people wanted to see me dead.

  Chremon spoke up, gritting his teeth and glaring at me. “I think I will follow your precedent, Master Mage, and kill me an archon.”

  “I agree,” Nomiki said.

  “First, we have to get out of here,” I told them. “We take care of the archon later.”

  I looked over the message again. “If we do not show up at the next way station by tomorrow night, they will know something is up. It would take a full day to get the message back to Portanus. That gives us two days of peace to run before they even know about us.”

  Nomiki cleared his throat. “We can be far away in two days. The mountains are little more than a day’s ride from here. Once in those hills, it will be hard to find us.”

  “I was planning to leave tonight out the back gate,” Kimon said.

  “Do all the acolytes have horses?” I asked.

  “Yes, if we take the horses from your escort. The wagons will be a problem.”

  “Leave the wagons,” Chremon said. “They will only slow us down. We take a few clothes, some food, and our weapons. The rest we leave.”

  “Chermon is right,” Nomiki said. “If we run, we run as light as possible. The baggage will only slow us down.”

  I looked at the others who nodded agreement, and I bowed my head. “I am sorry I have gotten you all into this mess,” I said. “I did not expect this to happen.”

  It does not matter now,” Zila answered. “None of us were forced to come along.”

  “If we live through this, we will have a tale to tell,” Gyras said.

  We finished our meals and then unloaded the trunks. We took heavy-duty clothes and left the royal garb behind. We waited until all three hundred forty-two stars were out and bright and then we collected our sleeping escort and tied them up too. We put them in the same storeroom as the eight surviving guards. We gave the guards a choice, drink the drugged wine, or be turned to ash. They all drank the wine. They would sleep it off until late tomorrow. I left a knife in plain view. It would take an effort, but they could cut themselves loose after a while. On foot, they could escape here and get a message to Portanus about the same time the message rider from the next way station would get there.

  We took every horse, which was enough for all of us plus four extra. We packed food and some extra clothing on the spare animals and led them on. We left out the back gate quietly.

  Kimon knew where we were going, so we followed him. The land was flat which was good for riding at night. By morning, we were into the lower hills. We rode quietly with no unnecessary talking. Twice, Nomiki stopped us and made us walk on foot to keep from tiring out the mounts. Soon after dawn, we were in the forest that started in the foothills and became denser as we got into the high hills. It was late morning when we stopped.

  “We have ridden these mounts enough for today,” Nomiki said to us all, after examining several of the horses. “We need to let them rest or some of them may go lame. Are we very far from the settlement?”

  “About half a day’s ride up near the hilltops. It used to be a settlement of the hill people until Archon Amphidamos got tired of their raids on the caravans and led a major force up here and wiped the tribe out. Carenos and one of the acolytes are from near here. The hill people leave us alone.”

  “What about food?” I asked.

  “There are farms south of the hills that are on land near the sea. With all the trouble on the coast, most have left their farms for the safety of one of the coastal cities. We sent out parties to get what food we can from the fields and livestock. So far it has been enough.”

  I noted Nomiki looking around, “Any of your acolytes good at tree-climbing?” he asked.

  “A couple, I guess, why?” Kimon asked.

  “I want to put at least one person high up in a tall tree. We can see nothing approaching from the ground. From the trees, it will be easier to see anyone nearby.”

  That sounded like a good idea. Nomiki called the others together and started speaking like the commander of forces he is.

  “I do not have to tell you that the ethnarch here wants us all dead. He has the forces to search these hills thoroughly. Our best chance of staying alive is to see them before they see us. I want as many of you as possible to get some rest. Come nightfall, I will split us up into three teams. Team one under me will take the first watch, team two will be under Chremon will take the second watch, and team three, under Gyras will take the third watch. Come morning, we will finish our journey. I do not expect trouble, but that does not mean we are safe. Are there any questions?”

  Normally I would be in charge of this party since I was the senior mage and highest ranking noble. However, Nomiki had more experience than me in these types of activities, so I kept my mouth shut. Most of us rested. A few led the horses around to let them feed on the grass. There was a small stream nearby where we watered the mounts. We may have looked like a band of wanderers, but we were not. Toward evening I took many of the acolytes and started teaching them basic defensive magik just in case we were attacked. Two dozen or so small fireballs would make up for one big one. Whoever did come after us was in for a surprise.

  That night no one bothered us and early the next morning we all followed Kimon up the increasingly steep hills. They were heavily wooded all the way to the top. In late morning a large black cloud came over the top of the hill and completely soaked us with rain. In a way I was glad; that rain would wash away any tracks we left.

  It was past noon when the forest ended suddenly. In front of us rose a solid cliff of dark gray rock. Cresting a small hill revealed to us the opening of a large cave in the cliffside. As we approached, I saw movement in the hills around us, and a horn blew loudly from near the cave opening. A party of at least ten hooded figures exited the cave, one hood was red: the symbol of a Mage Council member or an arch-mage. I rode up to Carenos, dismounted, and bowed.

  “Master Mage Carenos, I am happy to find you well,” I said. Although he was a Mage Council member, his rank was the same as mine, Master Mage, although; his position on the counci
l made him superior to me.

  Carenos removed his hood and bowed slightly. “Alexio, I am glad to see you are well.” He looked closely at Zila. I could imagine what he was thinking.

  “I will explain Zila in a moment,” I told him in a lower voice. I introduced my other companions.

  “You are all welcomed here,” Carenos said with open arms. “We can definitely use the services of well-trained military men. Rest yourselves,” he said and turned to three senior acolytes.

  “Take care of their horses,” he ordered. Five young men jumped into action. “I must speak with Master Mage Sopholus in private for a few minutes.”

  He motioned me to follow him and led me into the cave. There was an open space in the front where I saw two cooking pits and other stores present. That cave entrance extended about a hundred and fifty podia back and then branched into four passageways that led off in different directions. We took the one to the left and followed it. It was dimly lit by oil lamps on the walls, but we went further until we came to a small alcove. Inside was a straw pile, a blanket, a chest, and two stools.

  “My humble abode,” he said and sat on one stool. I sat on the other.

  “Well, it is not the Academy,” I joked.

  “No,” he said, “And it will never be again. I have received a final message from the Megas Mage.”

  “Final,” I repeated, not liking what I heard.

  “Final, I am afraid,” he said and walked over to his chest and opened it. He reached in and took out a purple crystal. “I assume you have seen these before.”

  I nodded and showed him my necklace.

  “Malcor sent us several of these crystals before you were born. They have the same power as your Speaking Stone. However, they do not seem to work if the distance between the speakers is more than three hundred milio. The range depends on the power of the mage. The Megas Mage told me yesterday that the Ethnarch had sent word to him two days after you left that he was to turn the entire order over to him for use in his army. Naturally, the Megas Mage refused. The polemarch brought up the stone-throwers and yesterday started knocking down the walls of the Academy. It was an easy task since the Megas Mage sent everyone else away so only he was left in the Academy. He was telling me they had destroyed the sleeping quarters and the lecture rooms when suddenly we were cut off in mid-sentence. Since then, I have heard nothing. I am afraid the Megas Mage is dead.”

  I clenched my fist. “May Pytheas be dammed to Tartarus.”

  “Agreed,” he said, “But no matter. The situation is what it is, and we have to live with it.”

  “How many are here?” I wanted to know.

  “I have the senior classes of acolytes, thirty in all, along with three new mages, Kimon, you and me.”

  “The other mages and Mage Council members?” I asked.

  “The Megas Mage sent most of them north to Kyropius to be with the ethnarch’s oldest son,” Carenose went on. “There are rumors that resistance to this mad scheme is being formulated by the oldest son. The junior and middle-level acolytes, he sent back to their families. They are of no use to Pytheas. The regular mages he told to scatter in any direction they could. He advised them to leave Lantia and go to Argina.”

  “Bad idea,” I said. “The ethnarch there doesn’t trust mages either. He tried to have me killed after I destroyed the Zilar invasion and killed Archon Lycus.”

  Carenos took a deep breath. “I wish I would have known that before. Well, nothing I can do about it now.” Then he looked at me. “While we are talking about Archon Lycus, I need to talk to you about that,” he said and then almost glared at me.

  Another person who was not there giving an opinion on things he knows nothing about. I accepted the inevitable. “If you must,” I said coldly.

  “I was not happy about what you did. In fact, I wanted you thrown out of the Brotherhood. You acted in a way totally unacceptable to the Mage Code.” He leaned back against the cave wall. “Then I read your account and the account that Chronos sent us and my opinion changed somewhat. I can see you were put in a situation no one could have foreseen, and you made the best of it that you could. I still think you should have not done it, but it is far too late now to worry about it. We have too many other things to worry about.”

  That was at best a lukewarm approval of my actions. It was the most likely the best I was going to get. “Thank you,” I said. “Now, here is my question: are you ready to do what I did to get us out of this predicament?”

  “I am not sure I understand you,” Carenos said, looking at me strangely.

  “You know we may have to fight to get out of this alive,” I said bluntly. “That means using our skills to protect ourselves. I am no advocate of using magik to hurt or kill, no matter what you heard, but at the same time it may come down to kill or be killed. Can you accept that?”

  “You mean use magik on our own people?” he asked.

  “No, I mean using magik to protect our own lives which the Mage Code allows us to do. I have seen what such power can do with an army. It is not something I wanted to do, but I have found it necessary with the Zilar. We may find it necessary with Pytheas—unless you want to serve in his army doing the same thing in Argina. Most likely he would then kill you all when you are no longer needed, just a Sysgros tried to do with me.”

  Carenos looked shocked. He leaned over and buried his head in his hands. “Has it come to this?” he sobbed.

  “Yes, it has,” I said harshly. “What are you prepared to do about it?”

  I almost felt like Philie when she gave me the same talk two years ago. This was becoming more and more like when I fought the Zilar. I had finally understood our Mage Code did you no good when you are at the point of a spear. Then your only options are to fight, run, or die. I was not going to let Pytheas kill my wife, companions, or these acolytes. I would try to run, but if that were impossible, I would fight. Carenos had to see it the same way I did.

  Carenos sat there for a while, then raised his head. The sodden face was replaced by a look of grim determination. “The Megas Mage gave me these acolytes to look after. If our ethnarch tries to hurt them or use them as soldiers, then yes I will fight.”

  “Good,” I said. “I hope it does not come down to that. I have another plan. Zila is a mage from Syrina. She and her followers left the Zilar horde because they did not want to fight in his war. Our ethnarch is allowing her to set up a new polis south of Korpolis. I am thinking we try to get there and build a new Academy.”

  But you just said your ethnarch was no better than our own,” he protested.

  “You are correct,” I said. “However, our ethnarch does not have the strength to fight us like Pytheas has. Our odds of survival there are better than here. Zila also has a new idea about using our Brotherhood to form a league of experts that go out and try to advise the poleis and help solve their problems. Their goal is to win the poleis over with sound advice and not just with swords at their throats. In short, maybe build a better world where men like Zilar, Pytheas, and Sysgros do not get an opportunity to do their evil.”

  “Are you mad?” Carenos said, looking at me like I was some apparition. “Such a thing has never been done before.”

  “Then maybe it is time to re-evaluate the Brotherhood and our purpose. This idea of Zila’s is not so different from what we do now.”

  “I would not even know how to start,” Carenos said.

  I smiled, “The first step is to get out of here and back to Argina. As long as Zilar and Pytheas are on the loose, all we have to look forward to is enslavement or death. Once we get everyone together, we can continue.”

  Carenos sat back on his stool quietly for a while and seemed lost in thought. “I just do not know,” he said. “One thing for sure, we cannot say here forever. Someone is bound to find us. We would need a huge ship to take all of us to Argina.”

  He was right, of course. “We have to steal a large hoklas or a trierse to do that,” I said. “We would also have to sail it, a
nd I am no sailor.”

  Carneros thought for a moment longer. “Two of the acolytes are sons of fishermen; they might have some idea how to sail.”

  “You will also need to send word to the others of our plan,” I realized.

  Carenos smiled for the first time. “That is easy to do,” he said and held up the purple crystal again. “I wasn’t the only one the Megas Mage gave one of these to.”

  “Then I suggest you use it,” I told him.

  “I will tonight,” he said. “We made an agreement to use the crystal only at specific times. We use it when the apex star of the Northern Triangle rises.”

  Well, that was something. All I had to do now was figure a way out of this place.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN: TRANSVERSE

  The next morning Carenos came out of his cave, and we all ate hot porridge laced with wild honey that one of the acolytes found. After we finished, Carenos called us all together outside, except for three acolytes he left standing guard.

  “I have had more bad news,” he told us grimly. “I have heard from Mage Council member Aclepiades. He and about a dozen other mages from central Lantia are hiding outside Melitaea. They are passing themselves off as merchants, and so far, they have not been spotted. He received a message from the Megas Archon in Kyropius. They have learned that Ethnarch Pytheas is assembling a great army to take that polis. The Ethnarch has learned Mage Council Member Pentheus, at least six Master Mages, along with several senior and junior mages have taken refuge there. He has sent a letter demanding his son release all the mages to him. The Megas Archon has refused. The Ethnarch’s army is large enough to take the polis easily. The defenders do not think they can hold out and besides, that would start a civil war that no one wants.”

  “It is either that, surrender, or die,” Chremon said with a scowl. “I did not want to fight the Zilar, but we were given no choice.”

  “They can always run,” Carenos said. “They are going to take ship and sail to Argina. They plan to sail around the northern and western coasts of Lantia then land in Crenae, take supply and sail to Argina.”