Gifts of the Greeks

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  “The way I see it is we have two choices, Sire,” said Habrok. “The high road, meaning we keep to the top of the hills, or the low road, keeping to the relatively flat ground between those mounds. The problem with the high road is time and visibility. It will take longer, and our outlines against the sky will be a concern. FInally, walking up and down those hills will be tiring.”

  “And the low road could be a faster route, but it weaves through the hills, and we will be more open to ambushes,” added Astrid.

  “Let me think,” answered Tyler. He let his affinity with the ambient energy again flow and search the area ahead for any concentration of magical power. Suddenly, he felt the presence of a group of clustered energy points. Upon thoroughly examining the phenomena, he counted twelve. But the energy signatures were small.

  “There’s a group of twelve magical beings ahead of us. Located on what you called the low road. Right behind the hill in front of us. If we take the high road, then they could come up behind us. What do you suggest?” he asked the two.

  “We leave it to you, Sire,” answered Astrid. Habrok nodded.

  Why did I even ask?

  “You know, I hate ambushes. Let’s meet them. But here’s what I am going to do. A wedge-shaped barrier to the front. It will shield us against frontal and side assaults. When I say “now,” then that means I have dropped the front barrier. That will enable you to use the bow, the throwing axes, and the javelins. I will assume that everything and everyone we meet on our way out is hostile. I am getting tired of this cat and mouse game. Furthermore, we are losing daylight.”

  With that, three went down the hill, leaving the forest cover. Tyler formed the wedge shield. The two walked in front of him but gave him enough space to fling his spells. They did make good time on the level ground which for Tyler was a relief to his aching leg muscles. Ever since the time he went with Dionysus to the cave of Hephaestus, he swore to avoid walking up and down hilly terrain.

  As they turned a curve in the meandering track, a series of white objects blocked their path. Astrid was the first to recognize the objects.

  “Spartoi!”

  As she cried out, the large white teeth-like objects started to change into fully armed warriors. Tyler immediately dropped the shield.

  “Now!”

  Astrid’s throwing axes flew one after the other, while Habrok was able to fire two shafts during the same period. One of the axes buried itself in the face of one of the morphing figures. The other one was deflected by a shield. Habrok’s arrows buried themselves in the throat and face of another warrior.

  As Tyler started to throw a fireball at the group, he saw another warrior thrown backward, a javelin in his torso. Astrid had coated the tip with Habrok’s oil. Two more shafts were fired by Habrok, but one was again deflected while the other arrow was stuck in a raised hoplon.

  The mage threw the fireball right in the middle of the group. As it exploded, it disintegrated the warrior who caught it in his torso. Another was flung into the air, while the others, still transforming, were covered in flames. As the airborne warrior hit the ground, Tyler saw that the angle of the head presaged a broken neck. By that time, the remaining seven had fully changed into armed and armored hoplites. Surprisingly, the fireball did little damage. Tyler assumed that the energy of transformation protected the morphing spartoi . They rushed to attack the three.

  As the hoplites were attacking, Tyler noted that they were fast for such big and heavily built men. Astrid’s javelin claimed another warrior while three arrows from Habrok finally got through to one bearded hoplite. The mage then cast five targeted blades against the five remaining warriors. He only got three. They were supernaturally agile fighters. Despite the speed of the blades, two were able to evade them in such a way that the projectiles buried themselves in the ground.

  As the two got closer, Astrid rushed them with her two swords. Habrok still had his bow with an arrow in it but couldn’t shoot for fear of hitting the Valkyrie. Tyler saw the two warriors close in on Astrid. Then in a series of movements, so fast that he couldn’t see what happened, one of the warriors was already missing a head while the other had his sword arm sliced off together with a piece of his leg. As the remaining spartoi slumped down on the ground, Astrid cut off the head.

  Tyler was dumbfounded.

  Man, that was awesome! I only wish I had a video camera! A slow-motion recap would be great! thought Tyler. Though the bracer did slow down the hostile actions of the spartoi , it didn’t affect the movements of Astrid.

  He went to the side of the path and sat down, waiting for the two to finish getting back their thrown weapons and arrows.

  I am beginning to see a pattern here though I may be wrong, he started thinking. So far, the obstacles appear to be delaying tactics. Whoever laid out the snakes and the spartoi should have known they really wouldn’t pose serious obstacles for us. But delaying us for what? For time to bring the Dorian army closer to Akrotiri? Or for time to bring in more dangerous opponents?

  “Sire, we have finished,” called out Habrok.

  Tyler stood up and joined them.

  “Same system. A barrier in front. But march movement with Habrok as the scout and Astrid as rearguard. Excellent work, you two. And that was some fantastic display, Astrid.”

  “Thank you, Sire,” replied Habrok as he took the point.

  “My thanks also, Sire, for the kind words. I have always been fast. I don’t know why but that trait had been with me since I was young. Honed by training and experience, I guess I became faster.”

  Tyler nodded. The three continued their way, following the winding route. For Tyler, every step meant a step closer to escaping the trap and going back to Akrotiri. From time to time, they took ten-minute breaks and ate. Water was drunk when needed. Though the low path they took made walking easier, it also increased the distance they had to travel. The rough road wound its way around the hills, doubling the miles they needed to cover.

  A few hours passed with no untoward incidents. Daylight was fading. Finally, he couldn’t resist asking the inevitable question.

  “Astrid, are we there yet?”

  “A few miles to go, Sire. The low route probably doubled the distance.”

  “Thanks.”

  The ground was gradually becoming steeper. Tyler surmised they were approaching a range of higher hills. He could see they were nearing another forest. As the companions got to higher ground, trees were all around them. Looking back, he could see the area of low mounds they had crossed. The forest was going to delay them further. The thick undergrowth greeting his eyes promised him that.

  Habrok stopped. The two went to him.

  “Habrok?” the mage asked.

  “It’s that forest, Sire. I’m trying to determine the best point of entry. Crossing the low hills added a few miles to the distance we need to cover. And I feel something off about this forest. As if somebody is watching us.”

  The mage scanned the surrounding area. He didn’t feel any concentration of energy, though the atmosphere still had a faint overlay of the preventive spell.

  Tyler was about to respond when Astrid suddenly fell to the ground. As he looked at the Valkyrie, metal shards were embedded in her back and her legs. He felt numerous impacts on the rear of his shield barrier. A lot of metal shards were on the ground behind him. Immediately, he expanded their shield to cover all sides. He heard Habrok grunt and fall to one knee. Two metal shards were buried in his left leg. A few were on the ground. To his amazement, they looked like bird feathers. Then he felt the AIs release a blast. Loud squawks reached his ears. He turned and looked up. There, in the sky behind them, was a mass of large birds. Though the swarm approached them silently from the back, the energy released by X had cut a wide swath among their ranks. Birds and feathers were falling from the sky.

  “Guys! Keep the birds at bay!” he instructed the AIs.

  He went to Astrid first. She lay prone on the grass, her blood starting to flow from the
wounds. Checking her condition, he found three shards in her right leg and one on the left. Two more shards broke through her armor and were embedded in her back. He quickly removed those in the armor as they appeared to have inflicted merely superficial wounds, the cuirass having absorbed most of their penetrating power. He cast a light healing spell. Turning his attention to the legs, he found the shards had deeply buried themselves in the muscles. But Astrid was still alive and conscious but in pain.

  “Astrid! I have removed those at your back but those buried in your legs need a healer with more knowledge than me!”

  “It’s alright, Sire. The shards will prevent more blood loss for now as long as they’re not removed. Habrok knows how to deal with them.”

  But that healer is also down! his mind screamed at him.

  “I’ll go see him. He appeared to have been hit too.”

  As Tyler went to the ranger, who was still on one knee and using his bow against the birds, he saw that the birds had regrouped some distance away though a few stragglers had attracted Habrok’s arrows. As the mage arrived, Habrok turned to him and gave a small laugh.

  “Birds with metal feathers! Used like arrows! Abominable accuracy though!”

  “I think they focused most of their attention on me. Didn’t penetrate my shields though. Astrid’s wounded. Can’t get up. They got her in both legs. How about you?”

  “Left leg. Hurts like hell. But I can still shoot them down. This land really has a lot of strange creatures! I wonder how Jorund could stand it?”

  “I don’t think Jorund ran into those beasts. Do you have anything for healing?”

  “Back left pouch, Sire. The one that looks like a small box attached to my belt. I snagged two vials of healing potions back at the inn. They’re supposed to be wiped on the wound.”

  “I’ll fix you up first and then cover me when I attend to Astrid. I can’t have one of those birds scratching my face while I’m treating her.”

  Tyler got one of the two small vials. It contained a green liquid. Turning his attention to Habrok’s leg, he quickly pulled out the two metal shards and wiped some of the potion on the wounds. Upon application, he saw the blood stop flowing. He cast a light healing spell on the man.

  “Done!” he said. “I have to go to Astrid.”

  As he was crouching on his way to the Valkyrie, he felt the release of another energy blast from X. The targeting was accurate. It squarely hit the swarm right in the middle, where it was the thickest. Birds and feathers again started falling from the sky. The birds retreated.

  Reaching Astrid, he held up the vial for the Valkyrie to see. She nodded. Tyler started pulling out the shards and pouring some of the contents on the open wounds. Unlike Habrok’s injuries, Astrid’s were bigger and deeper. Finishing his impromptu healing, he again cast another light healing spell. As he waited for its curative effects, he turned his attention to the birds. Habrok had moved beside him.

  “I wonder what kind of birds are those?” mused Habrok.

  “ Ornithes Areioi . The Birds of Ares,” came the answer from Astrid. Her voice was weak but Tyler figured that her answering meant she was on the mend.

  “Well, it had to be his birds,” said Tyler. But these birds were quiet. No raucous cries. Their silence only added to the atmosphere of menace they projected.

  “I thought he only had one bird,” replied Habrok with a laugh.

  “A poor joke, my friend. Something to do with the way it was phrased,” said Tyler with a chuckle of his own.

  “I think I better come up with a song about that. Here they come again!”

  Habrok was firing shaft after shaft. Birds were falling, but there were too many.

  Despite the jokes, Tyler was angry at the ambush. He guessed it was supposed to finish him off. Though the mage couldn’t understand how they expected to penetrate his shields. Unless they thought he only had one shield.

  “X? Did those metal shards destroy any shield?”

  “Only one, Elder. The outer shield. Hal’s barrier and the one generated by your staff remain intact. But your staff shield’s integrity had been compromised by twenty percent.”

  “Thanks, X.”

  Well, that answers my question, he thought. He looked at the swarm. Or is it a flock or a host of birds? But the way these birds were acting, they’re more like a swarm. As in a swarm of bees. On a hunch, he let his affinity ability flow towards the birds. He could feel them. Each had a minute energy point. But unless you were looking for it, it would appear as part of the natural energy field in an area. An idea came to his mind. An experiment, he thought. No better time than now.

  He extended his search field in the form of two concentrated waves, one on each side of the swarm. He quickly solidified the two questing tendrils in the shape of huge hands, enough to encompass the gathering mass of deadly birds. And clapped.

  The mass was swiftly squashed between the two gigantic hands. Tyler then infused them with fiery energy and detonated it. Again, the resulting massive explosion rattled the birds in the nearby forest. Habrok stopped shooting. Tyler noticed Astrid was already up and crouching behind them. A few birds had escaped and were winging their way out of the area.

  “That’s done then,” said Tyler. He was glad his experiment worked. He knew he would find a lot of uses for it in the future. Especially against flying foes. Before, he didn’t have any defense against such enemies except for his AIs’ energy blast. He didn’t trust himself to be that accurate. In truth, he believed he would be wasting energy trying to hit airborne targets.

  “How’s your leg, Astrid?”

  “Tender but I can walk. Slowly.”

  “You can lean on me,” volunteered Habrok. “That would enable us to make faster time.”

  Astrid hesitated. Tyler let her be and kept his silence. For him, this was a test for Astrid. Finally, Astrid nodded.

  “Thanks, Habrok.”

  She passed that test, thought Tyler.

  “It appears that forest is a bit difficult compared to the last one,” commented Tyler. “And as we are in a hurry, let me do this.”

  Tyler concentrated and formed the basis for a lesser Elder energy blast, but he widened the radius of the wave. It may not work against armor, but it would make a perfect brush cutter, he thought. He fired the spell at an area between two trees. The energy blasted through the bushes and beyond. He could hear trees falling deep in the forest. The harsh cries and din of fleeing birds filled the air again.

  Well, that was brilliant. I just blocked our path, he said to himself. He let loose another blast in the same direction, hoping it would clear a way through fallen trees.

  “Let me go first,” he told the two. “I don’t think you’re both in the condition for surprises.”

  The straight path he blazed through the forest helped enormously in easing their passage. Despite Habrok’s bravado, Tyler knew the man’s injury was still not fully healed and every step he took on that wounded leg would hurt a lot. The blast had burned a straight path through the forest. After more than an hour of walking and frequent breaks, he could already see the end of the track. Ahead was another series of low hills. Finally, they reached the edge of the forest. Hilly terrain similar to what they went through earlier waited for them.

  “Habrok, you think we’re at the ten-mile limit?”

  “Yes, Sire. A little more than that.”

  “I guess it’s time then.”

  He produced the pouch and distributed the stones. Suddenly, a bright glow appeared about ten feet from them. As he prepared himself, taking care to cover Habrok and Astrid, the shimmering light coalesced to a gigantic form. It was the size of a house, and it was a sphinx.

  He looked at the creature, which was standing on its four legs. It seemed like the classical sphinx portrayed back on Earth. The body of a lion and a male human head. Though this one had a Greek hoplite’s helmet and had a beard. It did have wings. Though for the moment, they were folded against its body.

  �
��Greetings, young mage! My Lords have sent me against you,” loudly proclaimed the being.

  “Sire, they’re known to be merciless. And treacherous. Though this is the first time I’ve heard of a male sphinx,” whispered Astrid.

  “Thanks, Astrid,” he whispered back.

  “I won’t ask your name,” said Tyler. “Nor do have I the time to play your guessing games.”

  “An impudent mage!” exclaimed the being.

  “I am tired, in a hurry, and my companions are wounded,” calmly said Tyler. “But I do have a question for you.”

  Suddenly the air around the sphinx was filled with energy blades of varying sizes. All pointed at the being.

  “Answer me this, sphinx. What happens when a sphinx pisses off a tired and irritable High Mage?”

  “I get your points, High Mage. Deem my questions answered.”

  Then he disappeared.

  Chapter Lore:

  Spartoi - Greek. Mythological beings. Ferocious warriors which transform from dragon's teeth.

  Sphinx - Greek/Egyptian. The myth of the sphinx appear in both Greek and Egyptian mythology. The Egyptian version is usually a male and a benevolent being. The Greek version, as exemplified by the story of the Riddle of the Sphinx, is usually portayed as a female and looked upon as a treacherous and malevolent being. The myth of the Riddle of the Sphinx revolved around the story of a sphinx blocking the road to Thebes, devouring all those who failed to answer her riddle. It took Oedipus to solve the riddle and clear the way to the city.

  Chapter XVII

  Spoiling A Siege

  The three materialized back in the inn, in front of the bar, and right in the middle of a full tavern. Astrid was still leaning on Habrok’s shoulder while the ranger was favoring his good leg. Tyler faced the crowd and immediately cast a spell of befuddlement. The one taught to him by Dionysus.

  He turned and looked Danay, who apparently got a permanent station as the barkeep. The man looked didn’t seem surprised. Or even shocked by the casting of the spell. In fact, he continued wiping the mugs he was cleaning.