CITY OF THE GODS: FORGOTTEN

by Verne, M. Scott

  Aavi was right. The harpy was carrying one of the urns that been on the deck of the Hektor. He caught up with Aavi and put his hand on her shoulder, partly to let her know he was there and partly to make sure she didn’t try to run any closer to the ship and the harpies. “You have to be careful. You don’t want to be carried off again, do you?” he chided her. Had she been anyone else he would have yelled at her, but he decided she’d been through enough already.

  Even if he had yelled, Aavi might not have noticed. She couldn’t turn her gaze away from the scene as one by one, the harpies each snatched an urn and flew off with it.

  “What would those bird women do with them?” she asked desperately.

  “I don’t know. My guess is that the harpies are under order from some god or goddess. Harpies don’t usually work together like that. And they don’t store things, so I can’t think they would need or want urns full of anything. They take what they want from the land. They’re scavengers.”

  “Can we follow them?” she asked hopefully.

  D’Molay put his arm round her shoulder, “Not until we find a way out of town. Let’s check in with that Hindu woman. We don’t want to miss out on a ride with her brother.”

  Back at the stall, they waited while the woman finished up with a local customer. D’Molay overheard a fragment of conversation between the two of them.

  “. . . and all that flapping! Well, at least they didn’t stay long. May Athena grant you good health.” The man left, carrying a small basket of assorted fruits. Seeing Aavi and D’Molay, the Hindu woman bowed slightly.

  “Hello again.”

  D’Molay suddenly realized they had been at Sophia’s stables longer than he had planned. “Yes. There were no horses today so we need your brother’s transport. We haven’t missed him, have we?”

  “No, no. He should be along shortly. He always stops here to bring me fresh fruits and vegetables and he hasn’t come yet.” She seemed frustrated with his tardiness as she glanced expectantly down the road.

  Aavi was looking at the fruits and picked up an apple. She was fairly certain she’d eaten one at the slaver’s Den with Es-huh and enjoyed it. “Can I have one of these?”

  D’Molay turned to see what she had chosen. “An apple? Of course.”

  The woman smiled as she took the coins D’Molay offered for the fruit. “You can’t miss my brother coming through here. His cart is being pulled by an elephant.”

  D’Molay raised an eyebrow, “An elephant? No, I guess we can’t miss that coming down the road.” A glance at the questioning look on Aavi’s face made him expect an immediate question about what an elephant was. But the girl had something else on her mind.

  “Do you get harpies here all the time?”

  “Only occasionally,” said the woman. “I think that is the third or fourth time they have come in the last year. They take things from ships and then fly off. Harpies will steal anything that isn’t nailed down, so be careful,” she added, half jokingly.

  “Did they tear down those stoneworks out by the shore?” D’Molay thought to ask.

  “The lighthouse? No, the workers just gave up on it a couple of years ago. There were stories . . . well, no time for that nonsense.”

  She dismissed D’Molay with a friendly wave as she turned to several new customers who had come up to the stall. “We’ll keep an eye out for the elephant,” he said in parting.

  Aavi’s persistent interest in the attack on the ship, as well as the time they had to kill waiting for the elephant cart, made D’Molay decide to investigate the harpy incident further. D’Molay ushered Aavi out from the cover of the market stall. “Let’s go look at the Hektor and see what happened,”

  “Mmm, all right,” Aavi mumbled, her mouth filled with apple chunks.

  A few moments later they were back on the Hektor talking to Pelagios, the old deck hand. “Aye, it was quite a mess with them harpies all over the ship. All we could do was duck and get out of the way while they took the cargo.”

  “We saw it from the shore. Did anyone get hurt?” D’Molay asked.

  “Oh, a few things got broken and a couple of us got knocked over. No one was hurt, nice a yer to ask though.”

  “D-did they just take the urns?” Aavi couldn’t help but ask.

  “Aye, lass, that’s all they were - ” But before Pelagios could finish his sentence he was interrupted by the first mate, who had just spotted D’Molay and Aavi and was obviously not too happy to see them again.

  “What are you two doing back on board?” Meikos demanded. His arms were filled with tools and small objects that had been scattered as the harpies descended upon the ship.

  “Easy. We just wanted to make sure you were all right. It’s not every day you see a ship being attacked by harpies,” D’Molay said in an innocent tone of voice

  “We were not -” Meikos stopped himself and started anew, this time with a very firm and irritated attitude. “Everything here is fine. Now get off this ship.”

  D’Molay heard the unspoken threat in the first mate’s words. “Alright, fine. Let’s go then.” He turned to Aavi and motioned to her to follow him off the deck

  Aavi looked back at Pelagios as they walked to the gangplank. “I’m glad you’re safe. Bye.”

  Pelagios gave her a wan smile and waved self-consciously as the two of them crossed the gangplank and walked along the dock. D’Molay, his brow furrowed and his jaw set firmly, did not look back or speak. Aavi finally broke the silence.

  “So what did he mean? Were they attacked by the harpies or not?”

  “I think the harpies were picking the urns up for someone, but don’t ask me who. Based on the mess, I don’t think the crew knew that was going to happen. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the captain and first mate did. I’m only guessing though, Aavi. I could be wrong.”

  “But you’re usually right, aren’t you?”

  Despite his best effort to remain grim, he couldn’t help but smile.

  Chapter 31 - The Hamadryads’ Enclave

  The elephant slowly ambled up the road toward Aavi and D’Molay. As it drew closer, they could see the brightly colored cart it pulled and the man seated just behind its head. There was a young boy in the back of the cart as well. Inside the bars of the open-sided cart wooden crates filled with fruits, vegetables, sacks of rice, grains and beans were piled high. D’Molay also noticed a couple of urns, similar to the one they had seen on the Hektor, although they were smaller in size. He wondered if Aavi would see a glow from them, and even speculated the phenomena might be due to something in the clay.

  Aavi was almost jumping up and down as the large creature pulling the cart stopped in front of the market stall. “It’s so big, and . . . and big!” she exclaimed with her eyes wide open.

  D’Molay partly covered his mouth with his hand to stop from chuckling at her.

  The man on the elephant had deep olive skin and a large square face. He wore a turban and sported a bushy beard and mustache. As he turned to speak to the boy in the back of the cart, his saffron-colored sleeveless jacket shifted to expose the white, loosely fitted tunic and knee-length trousers he wore beneath it. Around his waist was a broad belt that held a money bag, and on one side hung an ornate brass sheath which held a curved dagger. He sat on a leather saddle that was strapped around the elephant’s broad neck, his feet clad in well-worn sandals. The saddle-seat seemed large enough to accommodate more than one person. At the moment, there were no passengers to be seen.

  The boy in the cart, who looked to be about twelve or thirteen, wore a very similar outfit, but had no shoes, turban or dagger. The elephant driver barked a few commands in a native tongue of the Hindu Realm then unrolled a rope ladder. He clambered down, a wooden staff about five feet long clutched surely in one hand. As he descended the ladder he gave the great beast a firm pat below the ear and he spoke to it reassuringly. He hopped off onto the ground, his sandaled feet raising a small puff of dust as he landed. The man walked briskly towards th
e market stall, swinging his staff in a casual manner.

  “Well, Shilpa, what do you need today, eh?” He smiled broadly, happy to see his sister again. D’Molay understood what he was saying now, as the man had started speaking the common tongue, Panthos. It was considered impolite to speak in a different language in front of customers, and there was a woman buying the last few carrots at the market stall.

  Shilpa quickly finished up with the woman and sent her on her way. Then she handed her brother a list. “Late again, I see. Here, give this to your son.” She noticed D’Molay and Aavi standing nearby. “Oh, and these two wish to travel with you.”

  Holding the note, Shilpa turned and saw the two of them. “Eh? You are needing passage?

  “Yes. We were waiting for the right time to ask. We need to go inland.”

  “One gold each. My route only takes me past Helena and as far as the Hamadryium. The wood nymphs there have great orchards where I get goods to bring back.” While he spoke, he continued walking, and took the note to the boy in the cart. “Here, get this ready for your aunt.”

  D’Molay and Aavi kept pace with the elephant handler, D’Molay fishing the required coins out of his bag. “All right, two gold. Here.” As he tied the bag back onto his belt, he realized that he had already spent a fair amount of the money he had brought with him.

  The man took the coins. “Very good. I am Jamir, and that is my son, Samda. And this big girl is Tondum,” he said, petting the elephant on the side of her back leg.

  “She looks like she’s smiling at us,” Aavi interjected, caught up in the excitement of meeting an elephant. It was the largest living thing she had ever seen. As she stood there, she got up enough courage to reach out her hand and gently stroke its leg. Tondum gave no immediate reaction, but she shifted her weight and took a small step forward. Aavi quickly withdrew her hand and rushed to D’Molay’s side as he stifled a laugh.

  Jamir smiled at Aavi too. “Of course she is smiling at you. She likes to meet people, especially passengers. Now, do you want to ride in the cart, or up top?” he asked Aavi as he pointed to her two choices.

  She looked to D’Molay for guidance. “Can we go up top?” she asked.

  D’Molay shrugged, “Sure, if you’d like.”

  Samda came up beside his father. “Aunt Shilpa has everything she wanted, except for the pineapples. We didn’t get any today.” He handed his father payment for the things on the list then walked back to cart and hopped in.

  “Very good, then. Time to leave. We have other stops to make. You two follow me up and then we’ll be on our way.” Pocketing his earnings, Jamir grabbed hold of the rungs on the rope ladder hanging on the side of the elephant and quickly climbed up.

  D’Molay took Aavi’s hand and led her to the ladder. “I’ll help you keep steady. Just grab hold of the rope and put your feet in the rungs and climb up.”

  “I’ll try.” Aavi struggled with the ropes, trying to drag herself up. If it hadn’t been for Jamir pulling her by the arms and D’Molay pushing her from behind, she would probably have never made it. Climbing was something new, and she didn’t find it easy, but eventually everyone was settled in the special elephant saddle. Jamir sat at the front, then D’Molay, and finally Aavi, who hugged D’Molay from behind. Despite her difficulty in getting on the elephant, she was very happy. “I can’t believe we’re riding up here!” she excitedly said.

  “Just hold on tight, so you don’t fall off,” he whispered back

  “Theek Hai, Tondum!” Jamir said in his booming voice. Taking the long reins tied to either side of the elephant’s ears, he gave them a vertical shake. Tondum started to walk forward as Aavi giggled.

  Riding atop Tondum the elephant, D’Molay and Aavi traveled along the ancient roadway. Built by Grecian slaves over a thousand years ago and still maintained by their descendants, the road passed by rolling green hills and through peaceful valleys, home to local temples to gods like Athena, Artemis and Bacchus. Roman-style villas watched over vineyards and orchards in the pastoral landscape. At one point they even saw a few centaurs and wood nymphs in a grove of trees off in the distance. D’Molay would point out many of these details to Aavi who found it all very fascinating, though much of it she still didn’t really understand.

  Every so often Jamir would stop at a small village or tavern to sell his goods. A few buyers were Hindus like himself, but almost all were Greeks, who enjoyed the variety of produce from another realm. At one stop, D’Molay bought a leather bag filled with water so he and Aavi would have something to drink. Otherwise, they stayed on top of Tondum and watched the people and scenery pass by.

  It took a while for Aavi to get used to riding atop such a huge beast. The swaying motion the elephant made as it walked reminded her of how she felt when they had traveled on board the Hektor. She liked the whole idea of riding on an elephant. “It’s higher up here, so everything looks different,” she exclaimed from their perch, over ten feet above the ground.

  D’Molay smiled, once again experiencing the world as Aavi discovered it. He had ridden in so many vehicles and on so many creatures, from horses to elephants and even a dragon or two, that he hadn’t really given much thought to what it must feel like for someone to ride an elephant for the first time. “Good. I’m glad you’re enjoying this part of the journey. I know it hasn’t been easy,” he said, remembering the day he had killed the Mayan in the dock house and Aavi’s panic afterwards.

  They rode along for another hour looking at the peaceful scenery when suddenly Aavi cried out. “Look! Over there on the ground!” She pointed to the left into the nearby field.

  “What? What do you see?” D’Molay asked looking in the general direction she was pointing.

  “One of the urns! See it over there not far from those trees?” she said excitedly.

  D’Molay scanned the grassy area that Aavi was pointing at and saw what might be an urn lying on its side near the edge of the field. “Ah, yes. I do now.”

  “Can we go see it? I have to know what was inside. Please?” she begged, grasping the upper sleeve of his shirt.

  “I don’t think we can make Jamir stop,” D’Molay cautioned.

  “Please? I - I need to know,” she persisted, although she couldn’t put in words why it was so important.

  D’Molay had never heard her plead so desperately to do anything before. Leaning forward, he called out to Jamir. “We need to stop for a moment. Can you do that?”

  “If the lady is going to be sick, just lean her over the edge and let her do what she needs to. I cannot just stop every time someone wants to,” he said.

  “Please - I’ll pay you extra. It will only take a moment or two.”

  Jamir twisted around to stare at them. “Why is it you need to stop? I am already behind schedule.”

  “We just need to look at something in that field over there. It will only take a minute.” D’Molay pointed off to the side now, as they had passed where the urn lay. Aavi was frantic and he could feel the tension in her hands as she grasped his arm.

  “I’ll stop for ten silvers, but don’t dally long or I’ll leave you here.”

  D’Molay nodded, and Jamir pulled on the long reins bringing Tondum to a slow halt. With his foot, he kicked free a leather restraint and the rope ladder unrolled down her side.

  “You have two minutes.”

  Taking him at his word, D’Molay clambered quickly down the rope then reached up for Aavi. Her feet kept slipping off the ropes and she almost lost her grip on the rungs. If it hadn’t been for D’Molay steadying her as she went down, Aavi would have fallen to the ground in a most undignified manner. Once they were both down, Jamir called out again for them to hurry. D’Molay took her hand in his and they ran together across the green foot tall grass and weeds that grew in the field. As they approached the urn, they could see that it was broken. A dark patch of liquid surrounded the shattered shards of clay, staining the grass. D’Molay was pretty sure what was.

  “Blood. Don�
�t touch it.”

  Aavi stopped well away from the mess, where several dark feathers littered the ground.

  “Blood? From what, the harpies?” Aavi said as she picked one up.

  “I can’t say. Is the urn or the blood glowing for you now?”

  She stared intensely at the urn for a moment. “No, not at all. I keep trying to see a glow, but there isn’t one. Could this be a different urn than the ones on the ship?” Aavi looked closely at the feather she had picked up. There was blood on it. She quickly dropped it.

  “This has to be from the ship. It hasn’t been here more than a few hours or the blood would have dried. I can’t think there are many urns being flown this way. It has to be from the Hektor, but whatever caused the glow before is gone now.”

  Suddenly they heard a sound that could only be an elephant trumpeting. They looked back to see the man waving at them. D’Molay reacted first. He grabbed Aavi’s hand and they ran back through the tall grass to the road and their impatient transport.

  “You’re lucky I didn’t just go - now get back up here! I don’t have all day.”

  As they retook their seats, Jamir looked slightly annoyed, but said nothing else to them.

  As they sat back on top of Tondum, Aavi held on to D’Molay tighter and closer then she had before. He could tell she felt insecure again. Then she whispered in his ear. “I don’t understand why I saw the urn glow before and now I don’t. If the blood and the urn are still there, where’s the glow?”

  He turned slightly towards her as he answered. “The urns were sealed. Maybe once it broke, whatever made it glow leaked out.” D’Molay had another more sinister guess, but he didn’t want to worry Aavi any further.

  “You mean it soaked into the ground too, like the blood?” she whispered back as her hair blew across D’Molay’s face.

  He tucked a few strands back into her hood. “Yes, something like that, but there’s nothing we can do about it at the moment.” He gave her hand a squeeze.