Gods and Heroes

  Chapter 5: Enorganon

  Their departure from Pethamenos did not go quite as well as Fotio had hoped. The problems began with the horses that the Pethamenosians gave them; they were the same ones that the Ogres had stolen from them the day before. Fotio was delighted to see Ormi again but Akakion was furious, and spent a full half hour berating Chimento - whom Psofios had chosen as the new King and High Priest - about ethics and morality.

  The second problem was the supplies, which consisted of half a dozen Peth honey cakes, which Chimento assured them contained whole grains and were very good for the digestion. There had also been some apples, but Fotio had fed them all to the horses before Akakion had finished berating Chimento about duty, honor, and moral fiber, and the need for an adequate supply of honey cakes. It was a full hour before the Pethamenosians could bake up another batch of honey cakes for their journey, by which time Akakion had also run out of things to chide Chimento about.

  They set off with the priest grumbling about people with tight purse strings and the value of gratitude.

  'How far is it to Enorganon?' Fotio asked, as they made their way down into the forest with the mountains at their back.

  'If all goes well, three days,' Akakion said, 'but we must proceed with caution. The enemy is far more cunning and powerful than we could ever have imagined.'

  'You're the expert,' Fotio said. 'Lead the way.'

  Travelling in the heart of summer is problematic for those with a serious task, and Fotio had always struggled to maintain a solemn demeanor. The day was warm, but with a gentle breeze that took the sting out of the heat. The trees of the forest sweetened the air; the birds sang and the bees buzzed busily. Fotio all but dozed in the saddle as the morning rolled past. Akakion, on the other hand, was thrumming with paranoia.

  'Did you see that?'

  'What,' Fotio replied, emerging from a daydream.

  'It looked like a glint of sun on steel on the slopes of that hill up ahead.'

  'Nah.'

  'I think we should investigate. We'll tie up the horses and scout ahead on foot.'

  'Do we have to? It's probably nothing.'

  'Yes we have to,' Akakion said as he dismounted. 'Follow me and keep quiet.' He looked up at the grumbling thief. 'On second thoughts, you stay here with the horses. I'll be back in a few minutes.'

  No sooner had Akakion vanished into the forest than Fotio got out three apples and gave one to each of the horses. So much had happened to him in such a short time that he was feeling a little overwhelmed. People were fickle, false, mad, and unpredictable, but a horse was a horse and the more apples you gave it, the happier it became. Fotio felt that that was the last undeniable truth in the complex web that his life had become. Gods and heroes. What he wouldn't give to be rid of them?

  'It's the right thing to do,' suggested the treacherous voice in his head that had stopped him tearing the wings off flies when he was a child.

  'Oh shut up,' he mumbled and sat down beneath a tree at the edge of the road. The horses, realizing that there were to be no more apples, went and found other things to eat. None of them strayed too far from Fotio, just in case the apples started to flow again.

  Akakion returned a few minutes later, looking grim. 'There are five armed men at the side of the road.'

  'Bandits?'

  'No, they are not armed like bandits. And they didn't look like any Helvenican I've ever met, and I've met plenty.'

  'Are we going to fight them?'

  'Look, it may be a complete coincidence. Maybe they're travelers or something,' Akakion said, but the tone of his voice made it clear he didn't believe a word he was saying. 'The bush is less dense on this side of the road. We can go around the hill and get back on the road a mile or so further on.'

  'Lead the way.'

  Their path took them to within fifty yards of the waiting men and Fotio saw why Akakion was convinced this was no ordinary band of thieves. Through the trees, he saw men, tall and angular, with skin so white that they seemed to glow in the sunlight. They all held spears as tall as they were, and were clothed in pale blue tunics with white leather armor on their chests and legs. What confused Fotio was that they were all looking the other way along the road from which the two travelers had been approaching. He was about to point this out to Akakion when a huge white man stepped out of the bushes ahead of him and struck him full in the chest with a spear, shattering the spear and knocking Fotio to the ground.

  The following seconds were a riot of sound and pain. The horses screamed and bolted, a horn began to sound a few yards away from him but stopped abruptly. Fotio recovered enough to see his assailant holding the spear haft above his head like a club, preparing to bring it down upon his skull. Reacting instinctively, he kicked out the man's legs from under him, vaulted to his feet, and unslung his mace in one fluid movement. The man had barely enough time to cower and register a look of terror before the Stone Mace crushed his skull.

  Fotio turned back towards the road to see that Akakion had skewered a second man with his spear, but not before he had sounded a horn, which was still in his mouth. He looked up expecting to see the ambushers rushing towards them. Instead, their bodies littered the road and a dozen mounted soldiers, obviously Helvenican, were riding towards them with bloodied swords in hand. Fotio collapsed onto the ground and started to weep.

  Akakion knelt beside him and looked at the wound on his chest. The skin was broken and there was a bloody bruise at the point of impact. He turned and picked up what was left of the spear that had struck the young thief. It looked as if someone had hit the point, very hard, with an iron hammer. He looked back at Fotio and realized that all the scratches he had gotten in their trip through the scrub yesterday were gone. The boy had complained bitterly about them last night after dinner, laying the blame squarely at Akakion's feet for picking a poor path. He had also suffered a deep cut on his right shoulder in the battle against the Harpies that should have left a mark if Akakion was any judge, and his battle-scarred hide was testament to his experience. But it, too, had vanished. 'It's no longer a question of who you are, lad,' he said. 'It's now a question of what you are.' He cast the broken spear aside and turned to greet the soldiers.

  'Lord Akakion,' the first soldier said and dismounted. He gave the traditional Helvenican salute before continuing. 'The Queen sent us to find you. She had a vision that you and your companion were in need of aid.'

  'You arrived just in time, Sergeant Cotos,' Akakion said. 'My young friend is not a soldier and seems to have had about as much death and violence as he can take.'

  Sergeant Cotos looked down sympathetically at Fotio. 'The first kill is always the most difficult. I'm still haunted by mine, even though he was a murderous bastard who will spend eternity in torment. You just have to remind yourself that what you did was for the good of Helvenica.'

  Fotio stopped crying and stood up. Sergeant Cotos took a step back. 'Somehow, I don't think it will be your last,' he said.

  Red eyed and with blood dripping down his torso, Fotio looked huge and menacing. He picked up the Stone Mace and glared at the soldier. 'I killed the King of Pethamenos yesterday,' he said, 'but he was mad and dangerous. This was just a man, someone I had never met, who tried to kill me and for what? Nothing. There was no reason. He tried to kill me because his God commanded it.'

  'Religion is bloody work, young Fotio,' Akakion said. 'Sergeant, help us gather the horses and we can be on our way. I don't know how the Queen managed to time your arrival so well, but thank The Twelve that she did.'

  (ii)

  The soldiers accompanied them on the ride to Enorganon and to everyone surprise but Akakion's, Fotio's wound had completely healed by the time they arrived. During the ride, Fotio saw why soldiers in Helvenica had so much respect for Akakion. He made it his business to learn the name and story of each of the soldiers they rode with; he gave encouragement where required, and advice when needed. Fotio wasn't much of a people person and had never led anyone an
ywhere, but even he recognized that as a management style, Akakion's approach was practically unique. Who would have thought that treating one's underlings with dignity and respect could be so productive?

  The city of Enorganon wasn't quite what Fotio had expected. It had been his experience up until now that people made city walls using stone and mud. This had been the first time he had encountered a wall created by encouraging trees to huddle together. He'd initially thought it was made of logs hammered into the earth, but Akakion pointed out the canopy.

  'They're called Sklirathendra and they are amazing. Their roots go deep into the earth, they won't burn, and are as hard as steel. If every city in Helvenica had such a wall, we would be far safer from the invaders.'

  The soldiers, who had been their companions for the past few days, became their escorts and formed a row on either side of Akakion and Fotio as they rode through the cobbled streets. It was early in the evening and the light of the setting sun highlighted the red and brown hues that dominated the city. Even the people who stood aside and watched them pass were a ruddy brown color.

  The soldiers led them to a three storey building in the city's heart. Only the fact that it was slightly higher distinguished it from the surrounding structures.

  'Queen Filia awaits you in the palace, Lord,' Sergeant Cotos said, and dismounted. 'Come, I will show you the way.'

  'This is a palace?' Fotio said, getting off Ormi and reluctantly handing the reins to a soldier.

  'The palace is where the Queen has her residence, friend Fotio. We are an earthy folk and do not value excess.'

  Sergeant Cotos pushed open the doors and led them into a large room, at the far end of which a beautiful young woman crowned with a garland of leaves sat on a simple wooden throne. Fotio thought she looked vaguely familiar. He took a moment to take in the room and was disappointed to see that it followed the convention of all Helvenican temples. Red and brown paintings of the God Homatos going about her divine duties, Helvenican style, covered the walls. There was considerably more red than brown because there was more blood than Earth. He sighed. It seemed that religious iconography in Helvenica couldn't get past the smiting.

  'Your Majesty, I bring you Lord Akakion, the Keeper of the Order, and Fotio of Aquina.'

  'Thank you Sergeant,' the Queen said, 'but introductions are not necessary. I know both these men quite well.'

  The soldier bowed his head and withdrew to stand by the door.

  'It has been too long since you have graced our city, Lord Akakion. I welcome you both in the name of Homatos, the God of the Earth and all that it contains.'

  'My only regret is that we cannot linger, Your Majesty,' Akakion said, and bowed deeply.

  'And you, dear nephew, have never visited us at all!'

  'What?' Fotio said.

  The Queen laughed. 'That's not generally an accepted greeting for a queen or an aunty,' she said, 'but I will forgive you this time.'

  'Why are you mocking me? I have no relatives. It's just my mother and me,' Fotio said.

  'I'm not mocking you. Your mother is my sister. I was there at your birth and you've grown to be quite an impressive young man, just like your father.'

  Feeling as if he was in a dream from which he could wake at any moment, Fotio fought against a sudden lightheadedness and an urge to cry. He had wept once in the recent past and fainting or bursting into tears right now probably wouldn't do his man-credibility any favors. Instead, he said 'You knew my father?' in a cracked voice.

  'Yes, I knew him well.'

  'What was he like?'

  Filia smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. 'How can I describe a father to the son who has never known him? Nothing I can tell you will fill the void, but know that he was no ordinary man. Have you not wondered about your life? Did it not feel as if there was someone looking over you, shielding you from harm?'

  'No, not really. As far as I can tell, my life has been a series of disasters that have culminated in an insane quest to defeat a mad god.'

  'Those doing the shielding may have been a little, uh, overzealous,' the Queen conceded.

  'Overzealous?' Akakion burst out. 'Incompetent more like it. They couldn't even arrange a rudimentary education.'

  'And yet the hopes of all Helvenica rest upon his shoulders,' the Queen said. 'As you've probably realized, Lord Keeper, Fotio is no ordinary man. He is an immortal; the son of my sister, Neoleia, an Earth spirit. His father, also a powerful spirit, feared for his safety for reasons I won't go into, and decided it would be best that Fotio be raised as a commoner, away from those who may seek to harm him.' She paused and looked at the sweating young man. 'All that is in your past, Fotio, but it is with your future that we are all concerned. Now is your time. You are destined to decide the fate of Helvenica. Succeed in your mission and we will continue. Fail, and Helvenica will wither and die.'

  'That's a heavy burden to place on the shoulders of any man,' Akakion said, 'but it is especially difficult for one so young.'

  'That is why you are accompanying him, Lord Akakion. I can see that you have shaken off the influence of Monos and are now once again your true self. Monos is a most powerful being that can impress his will upon others even from a great distance. You have felt his influence upon you, and you saw how he affected King Petrakefalo. But even someone as powerful as Monos cannot control everything. He can press down upon us with all his might, but there will always be those upon whom his power will have no influence.'

  Akakion looked at Fotio, who was sweating heavily. 'But your Majesty, look at him. He is struggling with all that has happened to him in such a short space of time. If it is just a matter of infiltrating the camp and destroying the artifact, then wouldn't it be wiser for me to go on my own?'

  'Fate has told us that only Fotio stands a chance of victory.'

  'Why must we fight a war at all?' Fotio said. 'Wouldn't it be wiser to just surrender our Gods?'

  Akakion's jaw dropped and he turned to look at the young man.

  Queen Filia smiled, but it looked forced. 'Something that you wouldn't have learnt in school, even if you were paying attention, is that the Gods are the bridge between this world and the next. If Monos drives out our Gods, then the link will be broken and Helvenica will disappear. People will continue to live in this land, that is true, but they will no longer be Helvenican. They won't go to Psofios's domain when they die. The immortals will slowly disappear because the source of their immortality, Mount Polipsilo, will be just a big hill. We will fade away to little more than stories and legends. Our ancestors, our customs, everything about us, will wither and die.'

  Fotio shook his head. 'You are wrong. Helvenica is not a product of her Gods. Helvenica is the sum of her people. The Gods may shape us, but that doesn't mean that we will die if they cease to exist. A war in which many of our people die will do far more damage to Helvenica than replacing a bunch of selfish halfwits with a solitary selfish halfwit,' Fotio said. The thought that Helvenica was just an extension of her Gods had raised his hackles somewhat and shaken him out of his light-headedness.

  Everyone in the room but Fotio looked up at the heavens as his words tumbled out, expecting divine retribution.

  'They won't do anything,' Fotio said, noticing their discomfort. 'I'm their only hope and they know it. I will go and destroy the staff, but not because I want to save the Gods. I will go because to not go will mean war, and war will cause great sadness and pain for the people of Helvenica.'

  'You said those words to me in a vision the day you were born,' the Queen said. 'I did not understand them then, and I do not understand them now. The people of Helvenica and their Gods are one and the same. You cannot have one without the other.'

  'As an ordinary Helvenican, Your Majesty, I beg to differ,' Fotio said. 'Until Lord Akakion summoned me for this task, the Gods meant nothing to me. Even now, if I were asked to choose between going to war to save the Gods, or abandoning them for peace, then I would opt for peace.'


  'You are no ordinary Helvenican, nor is this the time to debate philosophy, nephew. You are willingly to fight for Helvenica, and that is all that matters.' The Queen turned to Sergeant Cotos. 'See that these men are properly quartered until they want to leave.'

  The soldier saluted and opened the door. 'Please follow me, my Lords,' he said.

  'Good luck,' the Queen said as Akakion and Fotio filed out of the room, 'and remember to trust your instincts, young Fotio. You see far more than you realize.'

  (iii)

  Fotio and Akakion lingered in Enorganon for two days, mainly because Fotio was feeling tired and ill at ease, but also because Akakion wanted to question Filia about any visions she may have had about Monos.

  'She can tell us nothing more than what we already know,' he said upon returning from yet another meeting with the Queen. It was the third morning since their arrival and Akakion was becoming restless. 'He can reach over great distances to affect those who have doubt in their hearts and minds, and he's got a thing about being the one true god.'

  'That doesn't sound right,' Fotio said, who'd taken to wandering the city while Akakion was talking with the Queen and had found the earthiness of the place soothing. 'If there are no other Gods, who is he fighting?'

  'Demons and devils, apparently.'

  'I'm glad he can tell the difference between Gods and demons,' Fotio said, 'because I certainly can't.'

  'Enough of your blasphemy, there is no need to alienate the Gods further,' Akakion said, and dropped heavily onto a chair apposite Fotio. The remnants of Fotio's breakfast covered the table between them, and it was obvious the malaise had not affected the young man's appetite. 'But she did warn me that all is not well in the land of the free marketeers, and that King Prosoti may have become corrupted.'

  'We should avoid it then. Is there another way?'

  'There is another way, but I want to see what is happening in Episkeros for myself. Prosoti and I are old friends, and he is a son of Mazi. Can someone with divine blood in their veins be corrupted?'

  'When do we set out?'

  'As soon as Sergeant Cotos readies our supplies.'

  Fotio went to his room and buckled on the copper breastplate his aunty had insisted he wear on his journey. She had spent as much time with him as her schedule would allow, and this morning's breakfast had been the first meal they had not shared since Fotio's arrival. 'The times are hazardous and your enemies powerful. You will leave armed and armored from my city. I insist upon it,' she said at dinner last night. A leather skirt and bronze greaves completed his protection. He'd refused the helmet because the plumes kept falling into his face whenever he turned his head.

  The Queen also provided them both with razor sharp short swords to wear on their hips. 'I know you have your preferred weapons,' she had said, 'but these blades have been made by the finest sword smith in all of Helvenica. The God Homatos herself!'

  Feeling a little self-conscious in his shiny outfit, Fotio made his way to the stables where Akakion was waiting for him. He had not been expecting Queen Filia to see them off, but she was there beside the priest, her gaggle of flunkies a few yards behind her. Sergeant Cotos stood to one side, his weather-beaten and battle-scarred face a stark contrast to the manicured courtiers.

  'You are a most formidable sight, nephew,' Queen Filia said as Fotio approached. 'But you are not quite complete.' She motioned to a courtier behind her, who handed her a large golden shield that featured, at its center, a stylized hand with the middle finger extended skyward - the symbol of Helvenica. She took the shield and offered it to Fotio. 'I've polished it so that it will reflect the true nature of those whose image it captures. It will tear away all illusion to show the reality underneath.'

  'A God's mace, a sword sharpened by divine labor, and now a magic shield,' Akakion said. 'Any more magic and you'll glow in the dark.'