"Perhaps they didn’t know where she went. I’m sure word of this wedding has travelled like wildfire across Osteria. He may not look it, but Orpheus is one of the heroes who sailed on the Argoa." Himself being one of the men aboard the Argoa, Odysseus says this with mock drama. "Osterians thrive on any news regarding their heroes. Even the reclusive Dol would’ve heard of the event."
I sigh and toss the stained parchment onto my desk.
"We’ll worry about it when the time comes. There are bigger matters to deal with," I say pointing to the kingdom of Minoa on the map. Just then, the bells begin tolling, calling everyone to the arena.
"Yes," Odysseus says cheerily. "Like getting our skinny friend wed so this minotaur doesn’t waste its time eating such a scrawny snack. And before Eurydice changes her mind."
"Dear gods, don’t say anything like that to him. He’s already worried his marriage will be over before he’s even wed." I stand but the ache in my legs almost forces me back into the chair. The injuries when I was nearly ripped into four pieces at the command of Eury normally give me no trouble except for a mild limp. But when the pressures bear down on me, it seems they settle on the injured limbs and the pain can be staggering. If not for this I would volunteer to go to Minoa myself to face this monster. I hate that I’m unable to do more for my polis. I wince as I reluctantly grab my cane.
"Acting up again?" Odysseus asks with concern.
"No, I just need to carry something so I can defend you from all the satyrs that are going to be swarming to that ugly face of yours."
"With that pigs’ anus scent coming out of your mouth, all you’ll have to do is breathe on them to scare them off. Now, let’s go watch Orpheus tremble his way through his vows."
* * *
Orpheus does indeed tremble his way through his vows, but who can blame him? Half of Portaceae seems to be overflowing the seats in the arena hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the men who sailed with Jason and Perseus last fall on the Argoa and the lovely wood nymph who chose to be his bride. Thankfully, unless Hera is nearby, Maxinia is a woman who can radiate calm even in the most stress-filled times. She may not have numbed Orpheus’s nerves, but her commanding presence at least gives him something to focus on. His arm shakes as she wraps the marriage cloth around his and Eurydice’s hands, and Odysseus jokes that Orpheus might just rattle the band off as Maxinia recites the words that will bind the two together. I try to smile, and indeed it’s impossible not to be happy for the groom as a smile fills his thin face when he looks at his new wife, but the news of Minoa and an unsettled feeling about Orpheus’s long-term happiness keeps my own smile from fully forming.
When the words are said and the cloth is unwound, the arena shakes with cheers coming from the audience inside and from the people outside who couldn’t find a seat but still wait to toast the bride and groom. As Odysseus and I head through the dark tunnel underneath the arena on our way to join in the celebrations that have already begun along the Hera Way, someone crashes into us. I stagger back clumsily and swing my cane up to use as a weapon if necessary.
"Apologies, sirs." It’s the voice of a child and I can now vaguely make out the urchin’s diminutive silhouette.
"Damn you, idiot," Odysseus hisses. "Do you know how fast I am with a sword? Your head might be rolling into the arena sand this very moment. Would you like your gorgon of a face being kicked about like a ball?"
"It’s just a boy, Odysseus," I say as I lean back onto my cane.
"You said to bring you any news, sir," the boy’s voice shows no sign of fear, but even through noise of the crowd I can hear his nostrils huff as if he’s been running at full speed to get here.
"Well, what is it?" Odysseus snaps.
"Perhaps we can wait until we’re somewhere we speak more easily?" I suggest as people bustle by and jostle us as they push their way out of the arena.
"Yes, fine, the House of Hera or your home. There’s too much noise in the streets."
Once out of the tunnel and in full daylight, I see the messenger isn’t a boy, but a young girl dressed as a vigile. She’s quite small with large eyes and could easily pass for a child if dressed in the right clothes.
"Aias!" Odysseus says in joyful recognition. He claps the girl on her shoulder and I see her wince. "Iolalus, this is Aias, one of the few clever vigiles who serve under me," he says proudly.
I shake her slim hand before we start pushing our way through the crowd to get to my home. "Are you old enough to be a vigile?" I ask. To become a vigile requires two years of training beginning at sixteen. This girl looks like she’s barely twelve.
"Yes, sir. I’m nineteen. Been serving a full year now," she says with pride. It’s rare for women to join the vigiles, but not unheard of, although I do still cringe at the thought of them fighting in a full-fledged battle.
"When I saw her on her first day of vigile training I wondered what idiot thought she was qualified for a career in our forces, but she’s dead quick with the sword and, as you can see, can be made into an excellent spy. It’s why I sent her out to search for news of Medea. No one notices children lurking around, do they?"
We finally make our way through what seems like the entire population of Portaceae City, and after a few turns we reach the house my grandfather lived in when he was Solon. My first few weeks as Portaceae’s new ruler at the end of last summer were tense ones, but it was always a relief to come back to this familiar home each night and work on its restoration. Once we pass through the foyer and into the small courtyard at the back of the house, the spy doesn’t hesitate to relate her news.
"She’s in Athenos. I’m certain it’s the woman you described. She tells of a false accusation of murdering her two children, of fleeing from her home, and of trying to start her life again. She’s also incredibly clever with potions."
Odysseus rolls his eyes. "Many women make potions. Nearly every Osterian female knows how to make tea to relieve coughs, to ease their monthly pains, and to rid themselves of any unwanted pregnancies. I can’t go to Athenos just on that—"
"No," Aias interrupts. "Sorry, sir, but I nearly forgot. She’s pregnant."
"Yet another thing many Osterian woman are capable of," Odysseus remarks.
"But this woman, she goes by the name Aegea, only met Aegeus a few months ago and she is already clearly showing her pregnancy."
Odysseus perks up. In any other circumstance, this could simply be a woman making a rich and powerful man give his name to another man’s moment of pleasure, but Medea, the Colchian princess Jason married last fall, sped up her pregnancy. Or rather, her Aunt Circe the sorceress sped it up for her. If this Aegea is doing the same, it could mean that she either knows of similar spells, that she knows Circe, or that she truly is Medea who Odysseus has sworn revenge on for the pain she caused his cousin. Just as I think Odysseus is about to congratulate Aias for her news, he slumps down into a seat.
"Medea wouldn’t be so stupid as to try that trick again. Whoever this Aegea is, she’s just a woman playing Aegeus for a fool."
"If you say so, sir, but the timing of her arrival, her dark hair, and her preference for maroon, all match your description of what you told me to watch for," Aias says as snappily as a cook whose master recipe has been insulted. I hand her a cup of wine to dull the sting of Odysseus’s words.
"I think it’s worth checking out, Odysseus," I say.
He looks to me. His face is a mix of knowing I’m right and not wanting to hear what I have to say. I know that after he delivered Jason to Chiron, he had expected Penelope to arrive in Portaceae. When she didn’t show, he hid his disappointment by boasting that as soon as Orpheus’s wedding was over he would head to Salemnos where his wife would surely be heading any day now. I am unsure what is going on with her, but Odysseus hasn’t seen Penelope since, soon after their wedding, he came last year to serve a short stint in the Portaceae vigiles. Then, with his uncanny ability to rally and organize troops, he ended up saving my polis from the Areans last
summer. About the same time, Penelope left with her parents on a tour of Osteria and hasn’t returned. Despite her abandonment of him, Odysseus has been a remarkably faithful husband, pining for the moment he sees his love again. I know he wants to confront Medea, but he also wants to get to his wife. Unfortunately, he cannot get both things at this very moment.
"You would have to say that, wouldn’t you? Is this a feeling you have," he flutters his fingers at my hair, "or are you just trying to bolster Aias’s spirit?"
"It’s no feeling; it’s trusting the word of the person you just described as clever. Athenos is only a few days’ ride from here, the weather is supposed to hold through next Herasday, and Aias has given enough evidence to warrant missing Penelope for little longer. Besides, she hasn’t sent word so she probably hasn’t returned to Salemnos anyway." I can see my words sting Odysseus, but he’s not fool enough to deny them.
"You’re right. Of course you’re right. It’s really annoying that you’re always right given how much you resemble a goose’s twat." He drinks his wine in a single gulp then refills his cup. "Aias, what’s the best way to get in to see Aegeus?"
"Well, they have only recently been married. You could say you were delayed from the wedding, but are now paying your respects. Even his own son Theseus only just arrived a few weeks ago to congratulate his father."
"Theseus is there?" Odysseus asks hopefully.
"Wouldn’t he have sent word about Medea?" Theseus had been aboard the Argoa with Jason and Odysseus; he would have met Medea. If he hasn’t alerted Odysseus to her presence then perhaps my friend can indeed forget this trip and get to his wife.
"Theseus and several others went roaming with Perseus after dropping us off. Only the Twelve know if Theseus has even received word of what happened between Medea and Jason. No, I think your original instinct is right. I have to go to Athenos and see who this woman is for myself."
"Then I’ll go with you," I offer. I surprise myself with the words, but the moment they’re out, they feel right. I want to go. I need to go. Athenos is next to face the minotaur and something tells me I could be of use there. Besides, I can’t sit here staring at lists of familiar names wondering how long my own friends have to live. It feels a little like running away from responsibility, but I know I will carry the weight of the choices I have to make with me. Sitting here idly will not make the decisions any easier.
"Don’t you have Solonian stuff to see to?" Odysseus asks with a mocking tone of condescension. He takes great joy in teasing me about my duties and my devotion to those duties, but after my cousin Eury nearly drove Portaceae out of existence with his lack of attention to the polis, I have been determined to be everything he was not.
"I was serious about what I said earlier. I cannot allow what Minos is doing to continue. Things are quite stable at the moment. So stable, may I remind you, that your own polis is getting aid from me," I tease and enjoy seeing Odysseus’s grimace. "With Maxinia’s level of efficiency and organization she’ll probably be able to run this place in her sleep. I want to go with you, to help you find Medea, but I also want to speak with Aegeus. He’s got a strong army. If I can make my case to Aegeus and encourage him to fight with my forces against Minoa when the time comes, we’ll stand a better chance. If Minos wants a war, we’ll bring it to him, not wait for him to peck us away piece by piece."
A loud cheer erupts from outside the door.
"I think the wedding party has found us," Odysseus says.
"Then shall we see the happy couple to their home before we pack our travel bags?"
Odysseus nods and forces a smile to his lips then pulls himself from his chair as if burdened with a heavy weight. I put my arm around his shoulder and gesture for Aias to join us.
"Don’t worry, Penelope will wait for you." I pause. Just as Odysseus is about to say something, I add, "After all, it’s hard for a woman to find such a hideous specimen as you. She is starting a freak show when she gets back, isn’t she?"
Aias gives a laugh that is far heartier than I would have expected from her tiny frame.
"Horse’s twat," Odysseus says with a grin as we head out to join in the celebrations that have taken over the streets of my city.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Minos
I STARE OUT the window from my room at the upper floor of the palace. The bright green of newly sprouted plants signals that spring is truly here. I pull a blanket tighter around my shoulders. The morning holds a slight chill, but the clear skies promise a pleasantly warm afternoon. Still, no one is out enjoying the weather. No one is enjoying much of anything in Minoa lately.
"Twelve more are coming. Astorians." The voice startles me into dropping the blanket. I jerk around. The motion makes my head swoon with hunger. I relax when I see it is only Ariadne, one of the few people in Minoa who still has kind words for me. "And you need a smaller tunic."
I look down at myself, or what’s left of me. Ever since that first group of twelve was led to the minotaur’s maze, I can barely keep food down. I eat little, seeing no point in it. What will the Minoans think of a skinny leader when they have always prided themselves on being led by a bull of a man? Although it’s not my sudden weight loss that has them scowling at me on the days I do dare to leave the palace walls. I shudder.
"Will you greet them?" Ariadne asks gently.
I cannot speak. I only nod, feeling tears burn my eyes as she takes me by the hand and leads me to the station. I owe it to them to be there.
* * *
The first time, when it was the Demosians, I watched. I watched the whole horrible thing. Once the guards had placed the beast in the very center of the maze, they kept his cage locked as they installed cameras throughout the underground corridors. I laughed at them, taunted them for their stupidity. The maze is dark, fully dark except at the gates that stand at the two entrances—one at the palace and one at the agora. I don’t understand much about technology, but it doesn’t take an engineer to know that cameras need light to pick up their images. The Areans returned my scorn tenfold by telling me these cameras could somehow see in the dark, the latest in Athenian innovation stolen from an Athenian engineer they had captured and tortured.
The cameras would watch and would send their gruesome images to my office. But they weren’t installed to keep an eye on the monster. No, the feed to my office was just an added torment. Pasiphae informed me that the main feed was going to the Council. If I made any attempt to harm the minotaur, if I refused to deliver any of the young people into the deadly depths, they would take it as an act of aggression and my kingdom would be at an end. But Ariadne was on her toes.
"If they escape or if the minotaur is killed, then will you call off this ridiculous decree?" she had asked Pasiphae.
Pasiphae smirked in a way that only those who know they can’t be beat will. She knew this monster. She knew no one could escape from him. I thought Ariadne had found a loophole. Surely one of these youths would fight his or her way to freedom. That’s what I had thought, what I had hoped. Until I saw what this monster was capable of. His speed. His hunger. Even a man’s worst nightmare couldn’t conjure such horror.
"They won’t escape," Pasiphae said derisively. "And how would they kill an enemy they cannot see?"
"But if they do," Ariadne insisted.
"Minos," she said so sharply I winced. "Why don’t you read the rules the Council has set forth so all can hear."
And so I read.
"Every twelve days, a polis will be selected to send twelve youths to Minoa. The twelve will be in the prime of their lives and unwed." Bile churned its way from my gut to burn my throat and coat my mouth with acidic bitterness. I swallowed hard and continued, my hands trembling with so much anger that I could barely make out the words. "Once placed in the maze at the palace entrance, they will have until sunset of that day to reach the agora side. All twelve must reach the other gate in the allotted time or none will be set free. If the minotaur is killed by one of the twelve, t
he Council will cancel this decree and Minoa will be free." At this, a glimmer of hope washed over me. The monster was not immortal. There could be an easy end to this. The young people were surely strong and brave. Minoa and the poli would be free of the Council’s madness in little time.
Pasiphae, possibly seeing my smile of relief urged me to keep reading. My hope died at the next line: No weapons are allowed in the maze. I couldn’t even say it. I threw down the parchment. "You can’t be serious."
"The minotaur fights with only his hands and teeth. It would be unfair for anyone to attack him with sword, mace, or other weapon. They enter the maze wearing only the clothes they are given. Nothing more. Guards will check each one. Give in now, Minos. Can’t you see that Minoa will be destroyed before Osteria digs up the hero that can beat my son?"
"So if the minotaur dies at the hand of one of the twelve who your guards will have inspected for weapons, Minoa is free." Ariadne made the statement plainly as if she was new to our language and wanted to clarify each word in her head before she uttered it. She stood tall with such certainty I wondered if she knew something I didn’t. "Agreed?" Ariadne held out her hand. Three Arean guards and two of my own servants were there to witness Pasiphae shaking my priestess’s hand to seal this agreement.
Oh, the hope that had filled my heart at that handshake. The hope even filled me with the need to walk with those young people, offering them encouraging words the entire time, showing them Yerni’s shop where we would go have a meal when this was over with. I was certain they had the wit and cunning to get away from this monstrosity. They would stop the curse the Council had thrown over Osteria. A few of them even looked emboldened by the words, most seemed skeptical but hopeful, and some wept as they were led down the stairs to the maze. Ignoring Pasiphae’s confident grin, Ariadne and I left her behind and went to my office to watch the screen that had been set up there.
It was a disaster and I immediately regretted giving any of them hope, of misleading them. Once the entryway had been locked, the screen showed nothing but black for a moment then dozens of images from throughout the maze appeared on the screen. It looked as if all below was bathed in a green light.
The Maze of Minos Page 12
