by Wilbur Arron
Those were the titles Sysgros gave me and took away when he sentenced me almost two years ago. I wonder how they were going to let me take up my new titles since it required visits to the temples from which I was still barred until the fall equinox next year.
As by arrangement, the archiereas stepped up and addressed the daïs, “If I may also speak, Ethnarch Pallas.”
“I recognize our Chief Priest to speak,” Pallas said with a wave of his hand. He was getting this ethnarch business down quickly.
“Many of you know Alexio Sopholus was put under a three-year ban that prevents him from entering, offering sacrifice, or seeking sanctuary in any temple in Argina. However recent omens and other signs from the gods have indicated this punishment may have been too harsh. As Archiereas for Argina, I hereby pronounce that the ban on Alexio Sopholus is lifted, effective immediately. His full religious rights are restored.”
And the last of the odium placed upon me was gone. My position in this land was secure. Pallas would have never put anyone on his council that he was going to kill. That meant I was finally accepted by our rulers. That was nice of them considering I saved their hides on more than one occasion. If they thought this would please me, it did not, but I decided I would accept it. What was the point of further argument on now dead issues? I just bowed in gratitude and meekly accepted the honors Pallas had just given me. I looked upward at the dais and noticed that Sysgros was resting heavily on his chair. I waved my hand and got Diomedes’ attention and pointed to his father. His younger son went back and tried to talk to his father who looked pale and very weak. He called to his brother.
Pallas looked at his father and then addressed the crowd. “I ask you all to forgive me, but the strain seems to have been too much for my father,” the new ethnarch told the crowd. “We will have a banquet for all of you tonight at the second hour after sundown. The polis is yours until then.”
I went to the library for the rest of the day and read. At the banquet that night, there were the usual rounds of congratulations. While the other archons questioned Cleon about various topics, Iolaos was answering questions about his new status as an oligarch. His elevation would also make Philie a member of the nobility along with their children. That should prove interesting, especially with his daughter. I remained in the background of the banquet, not drinking or eating too much. I will not say people avoided me deliberately; instead, I would say most here did not know how to deal with me. Therefore, they left me alone.
Only the Megas Mage and I talked.
“Well, now you are fully restored, what will you do?” he asked.
“Not much different,” I said. “You know all I ever wanted to do was take Malcor’s place as guardian of the Forest of Allund. Instead, I end up fighting off an invasion, acting as an ambassador, being given titles in appreciation, had them removed in disgrace, and then restored again. I have learned much more than I wanted to know about the use of magik and political power. None of which ever interested me, yet the more I try to avoid them, the more tightly bound I become in the affairs of state.”
“You forgot your acquaintance of the gods and the power you have that no other mortal does,” the red-robed figured added. “Does that not scare you?”
“Of course,” I said. “The power does not scare me as much as how I use it. I think you need the wisdom of the gods to use the power of the gods. It is wisdom I know I do not have. All I have to fall back on is doing what I think is right and pray I am correct.”
“Well the gods seem to trust you with it,” Philocrates said. “Now, what are we to do about Zilar?”
“That I do not know,” I had to admit. “I agree with Laodamus that we need to chase the Zilar out of Lantia before they get too well established. I also agree with Pallas that if we send all the Lantian ships and troops back, I think Pytheas would just have Laodamus killed, make peace with the Zilar, and then they will all come back here. That would be a force we would have trouble stopping. I have also not forgotten that skata Pytheas killed our Megas Mage and destroyed at a whim over three hundred years of tradition among our Brotherhood. The ethnarch must be held accountable for that.”
That looked to shock the Megas Mage. “You are not thinking of making him pay, are you?”
“No!” I exclaimed holding up my hands to distance myself. Megas Mage Androdamos told me none of us can lay a hand on him. After what I did to Lycus, it would put the entire Brotherhood in a bad light. No, Pytheas will be dealt with by his own people. I may help bring him down, but I will not play executioner again.”
Philocrates took a deep breath in relief. I could not believe he actually thought I would do that. “That is good to know,” he said.
That was the high point of the evening for me. In times like this, I missed Melina. Not because she is my wife, but she is so much better at court etiquette than I. After a while of this, I called it an early evening and went to bed.
I knew there was going to be a State Council meeting the next day, but all that changed. In mid-morning there was a loud trumpet call, calling all of us back to the palace. I could imagine why. Both Pallas and Diomedes were there, both dressed in black. Our new ethnarch announced that the old man had died peacefully during the night. Although he would be cremated tomorrow evening in the palace courtyard, his funeral games would be postponed until late summer so we could deal with the invasion crises. There would be a funeral banquet right after the cremation. The populous would be allowed into the courtyard to watch the cremation but would not attend the private banquet. Their turn would come during the funeral games later on. I had the palace servants wash my best robe for my attendance.
Of the funeral, there was not much to say. A small army of workmen constructed a wooden pyre twice as tall as me. Sysgros’ body, in his full armor and weapons, was brought out, placed on top of the stack of wood, and then both Pallas and Diomedes lit the pyre. The Head of the Household read off the many titles of the late ethnarch while the fire burned. It did not take long for the fire to engulf the body. Afterward, the archiereas proclaimed Sysgros to be divine. Thus, the old man was consigned to the gods and history while we the living struggled on.
Many would say Sysgros got the better part of that bargain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: RESOLUTION
After the funeral, there was a State Council meeting during which little new was discussed. I went home with now Archon Cleon and Oligarch Iolaos. Pallas gave Cleon a troop of heavy cavalry to replace the one stationed at Cos which would return soon. The Mage Council and Megas Mage rode with us as far as their new polis. Needless to say, with this force on the road, there was no hint of trouble. Unfortunately, with this size force, there was no replenishment of horses, so our trip was longer going back. It took a full eight days to get to Korpolis. I was sick of the road by then.
Whereas Cleon and Iolaos may have known of their promotions beforehand, it was apparent their wives did not. I could tell this came as a huge shock to both of them. That made me wonder just how open both men were with their wives, but that was their problem. Melina and I stayed the night and returned the next day. My wife told me while she loved being with the children, the role of the nanny was wearing as thin with her as the road was with me. Both of us were more than ready to sleep in our own bed again.
After tending our fields, we rode around the forest on horses looking things over and watching for signs of Zilar intrusion. There were none. That is the way it continued for the rest of the spring and into the summer. I like late spring to mid-fall. It means I can bathe in the settling pond or in the pool by the falls in the upper hills. I also got to spend time with my animal friends and went back to doing what I love the most, being the caretaker of the forest.
I happened on another discovery of magik while I was walking through the woods. I found I could project my aura out powerfully if I had both the Power and Life Stones with me. If I put my mind at peace, I found I could approach most wild animals easily. Many of them would actually ap
proach me. The fact that I had Melina with me did not seem to matter as long as she stood close to me.
It was getting towards mid-summer when my friends again alerted me of a rider approaching. To my surprise, it was Philie. I asked all my friends to meet us, and we met her in the open space by the house. Even Aetos and Aerra came down as Philie got off her horse and hugged both of us and then embraced my friends.
“What bring you here?” I asked. “I thought you are a full-time mother.”
“I have to get away once in a while,” she said and turned and started petting all of my animal friends. “Besides I missed seeing all of you,” she said to my friends.
Kerina nuzzled her. “We miss Philie too. We like to see your folds.”
The big woman smiled. “That will have to wait a while, they are still too young to travel, but I will gladly bring them when they are old enough.”
She turned and became serious. “There has been a problem in Lantia. A message came by ship to Aegae five days ago. We received it last night.”
“Is it bad?” Melina asked.
“Very bad,” she said. “All of Lantia is in turmoil. Pytheas sent a message to his younger son Hippolytos offering to make peace and fight the Zilar together. When his son arrived, he had him seized and beheaded for treason before anyone could do anything. The ethnarch troops then attacked Hippolytos’ companions. There was a small battle, and Hippolytos’ followers were wiped out, but not before one of them threw a spear through Pytheas. Many of the leaders on both sides were killed. This leaves Lantia with no rulers at all. So, now there is nothing but chaos there and no force to fight the Zilar.”
“Gods,” I cursed. “How stupid can you get?”
“Has Laodamus found out?” Melina asked.
Philie nodded, “Yes and he is eager to go back, but Cleon is under orders from the ethnarch not to let them go without his permission. Cleon has dispatched riders south to Diomedes who is with the army near Peles, and to Pallas in Arginnia.”
“It will be ten to twelve days for his answer to get back here,” I knew.
Philie went on. “Cleon is going to call a meeting in Korpolis since it is closer to Diomedes and he has invited Laodamus. He has also asked the Megas Mage to attend. He would like you to come.”
I knew it would be three or four days before Diomedes could get there. “Very well, we will both come. Have Iolaos keep a close watch on the polis. The Zilar would love an opportunity to try and do the same thing to us if they have any of their people still around. In the meantime, tell this to as few people as possible. Melina and I will leave tomorrow morning for Korpolis.”
“I agree,” Philie said. “That is why I came. No one knows about this. I have to get back. The babies and the polis keep me very busy.”
Melina kissed her, and I did the same. She got up on her horse and went back.
“I wish she could have stayed longer,” Keros said.
“So do I,” I said out loud.
Melina and I packed for several days away from home, and once again went off to Korpolis leaving my friends to guard the forest. As we rode, I started thinking how odd it was that the more magik I learned, the less time I got to spend with my friends and the forest. Now that I was on the Council of State, there was no telling how often I would be away. I started wondering if this was all worth it. I was never made to play these political games, but there was no way I could leave now. There was no returning to the simple life of forest caretaker. I was involved, and on no account would I leave the world to Zilar. I had to accept it for now and hope for better days later.
We arrived in Korpolis and took our usual room in the palace. Archon Cleon, Laodamus, and Polemarch Xanphos arrived the next day. Diomedes, the Megas Mage, and an escort arrived the day after. I knew the messenger bringing the news to Pallas would be arriving in Arginnia soon. We could expect a reply in seven or eight days. That gave me an opportunity to look at some maps in the library. My wife helped Philie with the twins since she had other duties to perform. Diomedes called for a meeting as soon as he had washed away the dirt of a three-day hard ride.
“I did not expect this,” Laodamus said. “I thought my brother was smarter, but I did not think my father had become so treacherous.”
“This makes you Ethnarch of Lantia,” Diomedes said. There was a short silence from the meeting. The Megas Archon was right, but none of us that fully grasped that fact beforehand.
“As ethnarch, your place is with your people,” Diomedes said.
“I agree, but Cleon will not release my ships or the arms of the troops that invaded here,” Laodamus complained.
Cleon confirmed, “I also have written orders from our ethnarch not to do either without his direct permission.”
“I am aware of those orders,” Diomedes said. “I have the same ones, but we cannot let Lantia sink into chaos. We are handing it to the Zilar.”
“As I see it, we have no choice,” Xanphos argued. “I cannot release those arms and ships either.”
“Then we are powerless until word arrives from Arginnia,” Laodamus lamented.
“Not so,” I said.
They all turned and looked at me. I continued. “The orders say you cannot sail or rearm your troops. It says nothing on preparing your troop and ships to sail. How long would it take your fleet to prepare to sail?”
“Hmmm,” Laodamus muttered thinking hard. “I would say we could sail maybe five or six days from now.”
“The arms and armor we took from the invasion force, where did we store those?” I asked next.
“In the Citadel at Erinia,” Cleon answered.
“He is my suggestion,” I said. “Prepare your ships to sail. Get supplies on board, get the water jars filled and get the crews ready. You then march all your captured troops to Erinia. I think our ethnarch will approve your leaving. Once word does get here, you rearm your troops, march them immediately to Aegae, and board your ships that are ready to go. This way we are ready but violate no orders.”
“Another fine plan,” Xanphos said, nodding his head in approval.
“What if my brother says no?” Diomedes said.
“He would be an idiot to do that,” Xanphos said.
“Then we just unload the ships,” I suggested. “However, I do agree with our polemarch. Besides there might be a way I can get a quicker reply from the ethnarch if we are lucky.
The Megas Mage looked at me, knowing what I was thinking. “The distance is a bit extreme.”
Without help, the Megas Mage was right, but I had talked to the arch-mage in Arginnia before using only the Power Stone. “I will have help,” I told him and then spoke to the others. “In the meantime, I would prepare to leave.”
“There is one thing,” Xanphos added. “If the Zilar know about your father’s death and I assume they do, then they know you are on your way to Lantia. If I were them, I would send every ship I had to Aegae to burn the fleet to keep you trapped here.”
“You are right,” Diomedes said. “I left Nomiki there with about three thousand of our troops nearby.”
“They will not invade,” I said. “They will just burn the ships and leave. Why repeat Pytheas’ mistake.”
Laodamus hit the table hard with his fist. “Our Master Mage is right. I need to get to Aegae to get the ships ready to fight; if it is not too late already.”
“I will order the troops into Aegae to oppose any landing,” Diomedes said. “But we need to hurry.”
I decided on the spot to let the others ride hard for Aegae. I was not interested in having my backside tortured again. For once I was going to stay here. I excused myself and went over to a quiet place in the garden and started to pull power from the realms into my crystals. I concentrated on Theodoros and the pantheon at Arginnia.
“Arch-Mage Theodoros, hear me,” I mentally called out.
Nothing came back. I knew he had to hold the stone to hear me from this distance, even with the help of my crystals.
“Arch-Mage
Theodoros, it is important,” I told him.
There was still nothing. I could only hope he would call to me later. To prepare, Diomedes sent fast riders out both north and south to carry the news. All I could do is sit back and wait.
I did have some fun playing uncle to the children. All were half a year old, and they were starting to move about on their own, but they still could not crawl. I would lay on the carpet and let the children squirm on top of me which they enjoyed. I also amused them using my magik to do simple trips. I kept a close watch on Diana. She could feel me, and I could feel her, but I did nothing that might strain her head.
The next day I tried to reach Theodoros and again failed, but late in the day near dinner, I felt a disturbance in my crystal. I went outside and concentrated.
“I am here Arch-Mage Theodoros,” I said.
“I heard your call, what is it?” the strong image came back. I quickly told him what had happened and how Laodamus wanted to rearm his troops and sail home. I told him, “Ask the Ethnarch and get back to me quickly.”
“This is the first time I have heard about this,” he said. “Ye gods, it never stops. I will ask the Ethnarch. I will try and contact you again tonight.
Theodoros was as good as his word, he called out to me after sunset and told me Pallas had approved of both rearming the Lantian troops and for new Ethnarch Laodamus to go to Lantia. I relayed that message to Iolaos who immediately sent a rider out. I told Theodoros to have Pallas send a formal order just to keep things legal. The only thing that bothered me was no one had heard this from the rider Iolaos sent. He should have had plenty of time to get there.
Two days later, Carenos showed up at Korpolis with a pack horse and looking ready to travel.
