by Simon Hawke
The rooms set aside for them within the palace had been carefully chosen. They were in the right wing, at the end of a long and narrow corridor with no other doors or hallways leading off from it. At the end of the corridor was the largest room, the one set aside for Jason, with two smaller rooms on either side of it through connecting doors. The palace was situated on the heights over the city and the only windows in their rooms looked out over a deep ravine.
"They have us well in hand here," Theseus said. "We cannot climb down and the only other way out is down that narrow corridor, which affords no shelter and little room to move. We will not be in a good position if it comes to fighting our way out. The guards posted at the corridor's end would see us coming in enough time to give alarm and two or three archers could easily dispatch us before we had a chance to reach them."
"Perhaps not," said Jason. He walked over to a large oval table standing in the center of the room. "This would make a useful shield against archers or spearmen if we carried it before us."
"It would if it were not wider than the corridor," said Idmon, looking down at it.
"How could it be wider than the corridor?" asked Jason. "If it were, how could they have brought it in here?"
"Lengthwise," Idmon said, wryly, "carried by each end. It would not make much of a shield that way."
Jason frowned. "We could hack the ends off with our swords until it was of a right size to carry before us."
"And make such a racket that they would be upon us before we were half finished with the task," said Idmon. "Observe its thickness. We should give less thought to carpentry and more to planning what to do when morning comes. There is little doubt that Aietes' soldiers are even now searching for our ship. Aietes will wish to be certain that we did not leave other men outside the city. I would not expect him to take you at your word. If they find the ship and discover it to be unmanned, they will no doubt burn it to the waterline and then attend to us."
"It is fortunate that we have hidden it," said Theseus. "They will look first to see it anchored just offshore and it may escape their notice. There will not be time to make a careful search of the entire coastline in one night."
"You three have been silent," Jason said to the agents. "Have you no thoughts to add? Fabius, you acted well and quickly in the storm. Do you agree with Idmon?"
"I think Idmon is right," Delaney said. "Aietes has nothing to gain by allowing us to leave. What would prevent us from returning with more men, enough to meet his army on more equal terms? If his soldiers do not find the ship tonight, he can have us lead them to it when we are forced to leave tomorrow. Once we are well away from the city and caught with the sea at our backs, his soldiers will attack."
"Those would be sound tactics," Theseus said. "It means that we must somehow act tonight."
"Only there seems to be no course of action open to us," Jason said. He glanced at Idmon. "Where is this unexpected help your intuition told you of?"
Idmon shook his head. "I cannot say. I can only repeat that I have the certain feeling that it will arrive. As to when or what form it may take, that I cannot tell you."
"For a soothsayer, you do not reveal much," Theseus said, sourly.
"Nor do I embellish," Idmon said. "I reveal only what I know. I do not embroider upon my revelations, as do other soothsayers, who cloak their revelations with imponderables meant to reassure the gullible."
"This quarreling serves no purpose," Jason said. "We have not come all this way for nothing. Thus far, the gods have seen us through and they will see us through it to the end. Aietes cannot defy the gods. Nor can we anticipate them. When the time is right, they will show us what must be done."
"It may not be wise to depend too much upon the gods," said Theseus. "I have always found that the gods help those who help themselves. We should never have allowed ourselves to be separated from the others. With us here as his hostages, Aietes may try to force our friends to reveal the location of our ship."
"I do not think that Hercules would be an easy man to force," said Idmon. "Have faith, Theseus. And patience. Both are kingly virtues. We have not yet-" he stopped, abruptly. "Listen!"
"I hear nothing," Theseus said.
But a moment later, they all heard it, a distinct, low scraping sound like that of large stones grinding against one another. A portion of the wall began to swing out slowly, revealing a secret passageway that had been concealed by the mortared cracks between the stones.
Theseus unsheathed his sword and moved to stand concealed behind the hidden door as it opened slowly. Jason stood where he was, so that whoever was behind the door would see him clearly, but he too unsheathed his sword.
"Our benefactor has arrived," said Idmon and Medea came into the room.
Theseus quickly looked to see if anyone was coming through behind her, but she said, "I am alone. I have come to help you."
"Why would Aietes' daughter wish to help us?" Theseus said. "Take care, Jason, this is some sort of trick."
"No trick," Medea said. She came up close to Jason and placed her hands upon his chest. "Look into my eyes and say if you see trickery."
"What man has ever discerned trickery in a woman's eyes?" said Theseus, but his words did not stop Jason from gazing long and not at all hard into Medea's eyes.
"From the first moment that I saw you," Medea said, "I knew that you were not like other men. It took great courage to have come so far and to have marched so boldly to the palace and spoken so plainly to my father's face. I have never met another who would dare such things!"
"Would you have us believe," said Theseus, "that you would turn against your father merely because Jason has impressed you with his daring and his courage?"
"When you went to Crete to slay the Minotaur, did not Ariadne turn against her father because she was impressed with yours?" said Jason. "Is that not how I heard it from your own lips when you told the tale?"
"Well, perhaps that was not quite the same," said Theseus, uneasily.
"It is not the only reason," said Medea. "I do this for my poor grieving sister as much as for myself. She, too, has dreamed of Phrixus since he died and took it to be an omen that his spirit cannot rest. After you had gone, Chalciope came to me, weeping because her husband's spirit was tormented and heartbroken that brave men had to die because our father will not part with the golden fleece.
"He believes it to be the source of all the wealth and good fortune in our kingdom," she continued. "He wishes to keep it because it brings him fame. He has commissioned poets to compose works about it which increase his fame and bring many here to pay him tribute, yet these works also bring pirates and thieves to Colchis."
"You mean men such as ourselves," said Theseus.
"No," said Medea. "You are different. It was clear at once, even to my father, that you were not brigands. Jason came openly, in the full light of day, and spoke to my father as one ruler to another. We in Colchis have also heard the tale of Theseus, who killed the Minotaur and became the king of Athens. And who has not heard of Hercules? Among our soldiers are men who came from Thebes and know him. Aietes knows that such men do not join with pirates."
"Perhaps not," said Theseus, a bit less antagonistic now that his vanity had been appealed to. "Yet that still does not tell us why you would wish to help us."
"You do not know what it is like here," she said. "Since the golden fleece came into his possession, my father has become obsessed with it. To him, it is a token from the gods in recognition of his power. He has employed men such as Kovalos to protect it, but what protection is there from Kovalos? The mercenaries who make up the palace guard place Kovalos first, before my father, who will do anything to keep his favor. Kovalos does whatever pleases him and I fear that it would please him to have me for his wife. Chalciope has sent her sons away, fearing for their lives, yet in doing so has only made the way clear for Kovalos, who has convinced my father that they have gone away to raise an army so that they might come back and seize the throne. M
y father became frightened and gave him permission to recruit even more soldiers, mercenaries who came from some foreign land and care more for gold than for our kingdom. You can guess to whom those men will give their loyalty. There is only one more thing Kovalos needs to make his place secure and that is me. With the sons of Phrixus gone and Aietes' daughter as his wife, no one could dispute his right to rule in Colchis. My father knows I loathe Kovalos, but he fears him and has already promised me to him, thinking to gain his favor. You are my only chance. Tonight, while the soldiers are kept occupied watching your men and searching for your ship, Chalciope plans to escape and join her sons. I can help you get the golden fleece. All I ask in return is that you take me with you."
"How would we escape the palace?" Jason asked. "And what of my men?"
"This passageway leads to others that will take us from the palace," said Medea, "but you will need me to show the way. Chalciope can arrange to have your friends escape. There are still some soldiers in our army who remember Phrixus and will help us, but we must not waste time. I heard my father tell Kovalos to send soldiers in here through this very secret passage while you slept tonight, to put you in chains."
Jason shook his head. "It does not sit well with me, to sneak off in the middle of the night like someone running from a fight."
"Yet there is no fight to run from," Idmon said. "Under the pretext of hospitality, we have been taken prisoner. True, we have been allowed to keep our weapons, but that was only to strengthen the pretext. If an effort had been made to take our arms, or if we had been asked to give them up, we would have suspected trickery and had a chance to fight, but as it turned out that chance was denied us. We have acted honorably, no one would dispute that. It was Aietes who tricked us into this position, so that we are now his prisoners. And as prisoners, it is our honorable duty to attempt escape."
Jason pursed his lips and nodded, "Yes, that is true. I see that now. Escaping from imprisonment is not the same as running from a fight."
"Nicely done," Delaney whispered to Idmon.
"Yes, I thought so too," the soothsayer whispered back.
"But stealing the fleece like a common thief does not seem right," said Jason. "I would much rather win it in fair combat."
"But how could it be fair when my father's men outnumber you so greatly?" asked Medea.
"That is beside the point," said Jason. "A brave man does not reckon odds before he goes into a battle."
"Quite right, on both counts," Idmon said. "A brave man does not reckon odds, indeed, and that is beside the point. You yourself said that it would not be stealing if you were only carrying out the wishes of the gods. And it cannot be called stealing if you were to take from Aietes that which does not belong to him so that you might return it to its proper owner."
Jason frowned. "You confound me, Idmon. Explain what you mean."
Idmon raised his eyebrows and shrugged elaborately. "I should think it would be obvious," he said. "Does not the golden fleece rightfully belong in Iolchos? Did not the gods themselves reveal to you that it was so? And was not the ram itself, from which the fleece came, given to Nephele? As I recall the story, she sent the ram to carry Phrixus and Helle out of danger, but the story makes no mention of her giving the ram to them. For all we know, she must have told it to return to her so that she would know that Phrixus and Helle had reached safety. How was she to know the ram would die? With Nephele's own death, her possessions would have passed on to her children, but with both her children dead now, it is clear that the next of kin stand to inherit and that would have been your father, Aeson. But now, with your father gone, you are the next of kin, so the golden fleece rightfully belongs to you. Surely, a man cannot steal that which already belongs to him!"
Steiger stared at Idmon. "Good God," he said softly, so that only Andre and Delaney heard. "Now I know what happened to the soothsaying profession. They all became attorneys."
Jason slapped his hand down on the table. "Of course!" he said. "What could I have been thinking of? Rather than being a thief, I am the victim of a theft! How could a man steal what rightfully belongs to him? What nonsense! The golden fleece belongs to me by rights of inheritance! Lead on, Medea! Take us to the Sacred Grove of Ares! I must reclaim my property!"
Medea looked at Idmon with obvious relief and the agents looked at him with new respect.
"Maybe we can take him back with us," Delaney said to Steiger as they followed the others through the secret doorway. "Can you imagine an attorney with precognitive abilities?"
"That's too scary even to think about," said Steiger.
They followed Medea down the passageway, which ran parallel to the corridor beyond the wall and then around the hall to the opposite wing of the palace.
"We must first tell Chalciope to send men to help your friends and prepare her own escape. She has had it arranged for quite some time now, but was only awaiting the opportunity. Now will be her chance to go and join her sons. Then they can indeed gather an army to march against our father and Kovalos, but by then, I will be with you in Iolchos." She gave Jason such a look that he almost grabbed her on the spot, but she held him off and said there would be time enough for them during the voyage back to Iolchos. "For now, we must arrange to set your friends free so they can make your ship ready to depart the moment we come back with the golden fleece."
"It would be best for one of us to accompany the men Chalciope will send to help our friends," said Idmon. "That way, they will not think it may be a trap. Theseus, perhaps you should be the one to go. There may be fighting if anything goes wrong and you would be sorely needed. The rest of us will remain behind with Jason and Medea."
"Yes, that would be wise," said Jason. "Go, Theseus, and tell Hercules our plan. We will all meet at the ship before dawn."
They met Chalciope and left Theseus with her and several of the soldiers who had served under Phrixus. Their plan called for disguising Theseus as one of the soldiers and then marching together in a group to the barracks where the Argonauts were being kept, with "orders from Kovalos" to release them so that they could be escorted to their ship and sent back home with a ransom demand for Jason and Theseus. Holding kings for ransom was something the mercenaries would understand. Meanwhile, Theseus would warn Hercules and the others to go along with the ruse. Once they were free, their only danger would be running into Kovalos and the soldiers who were out searching for the Argo. Theseus was to tell them to stay hidden unless Kovalos found the Argo, in which case their only choice would be to fight, though they would stand a better chance at night, out in the open.
Medea then led the others back down the same passageway they had come from, making many different turnings which led downward until they were out of the bowels of the palace and within the caverns which honeycombed the mountain. Steiger remained close to Idmon, watching him every moment.
Medea used a torch to light their way through the damp stone caves until they came out into the open, far below the palace and the city. They were in the thickly wooded foothills and the full moon hung in a cloudless sky above them. Just below them was a trail which led into the woods.
"That path leads to the Sacred Grove of Ares," said Medea. "The only way to reach it is through the caverns, as we came. Only my father and the high priests and priestesses know the way, as it is they who bring the golden fleece into the palace for occasions of importance and then return it to the Sacred Grove."
"Yet you knew the way," said Jason.
"Because I am the High Priestess of Hecate," said Medea. "In bringing you here, I have profaned against the goddess. If we are caught, it means my death."
"Are there guards posted at the Sacred Grove?" asked Jason. "Or is it watched only by priests?"
"There are no guards and there are no priests," Medea said, "but the golden fleece is watched over by a dragon."
"A dragon!" Jason said. "You did not mention this before!"
"No?" said Medea, a touch uncomfortably. "Well, perhaps I had forgott
en."
"How could you forget a dragon?"
"I–I don't know. I suppose that in all my concern for your safety and for the safety of my sister and your men, it must have simply slipped my mind."
"By the gods," said Jason, "a dragon! This changes things!"
"It is too late for things to change," Medea said. "There can be no turning back, Jason. For better or for worse, I have cast my lot with you. The only way out is through the caverns. You would not find your way without me and I cannot return now. The only way to go is forward, down that trail. It is the only way. To reach your ship, you will have to take that trail to the river at the bottom of the ravine and the trail passes through the Sacred Grove of Ares."
"I see," said Jason. "So there is no going back and there is no way to avoid the dragon. I think, Medea, you did not forget about the dragon. I think you never meant to tell us until now."
"Very well," Medea said, looking down at the ground, "I was afraid to tell you." She looked up at him beseechingly. "I know it was wrong, but I was afraid that your courage may have failed you. Where would that have left me? I would have been forced to remain here and marry that detestable Kovalos! I have risked everything for you! The golden fleece will make you a great king in Iolchos and you shall have me in the bargain. Losing it will serve my father right for promising me to that common mercenary!"
"There is nothing to do but to go on," said Jason. "I will not return to Iolchos without the golden fleece. It is only that news of this dragon comes unexpectedly to me. I have heard tales of dragons, but I have yet to see one for myself."
"Then you will see one soon," Medea said. "To a man such as yourself, a dragon is no obstacle! Come, we must go quickly if we are to meet your friends by dawn." She grabbed Jason by the arm and started pulling him toward the trail.
"I fear that Jason will have two dragons to contend with," Idmon said. "If he can slay the first, the second will take him for a husband."
"Have you ever seen a dragon, Idmon?" asked Delaney.
