Gods and Heroes

  Chapter 7: Equine Intervention

  They had been riding for an hour and the sun was high in the sky. Fotio had been unable to get the look of longing in Leni's eyes out of his mind since they had left the city. He wondered if anyone would ever crave him as much. 'Yeah, just before the meteor strikes,' he thought bitterly. Aloud, he said 'Leni told me three nights with you weren't enough. Why didn't she come back when she left the first time?'

  Akakion shrugged. 'She wouldn't tell me, but it doesn't matter. An immortal cannot and should not love a mortal.' He paused and subjected Fotio to a melodramatic moment of moody silence before continuing. 'It simply can't work. She hasn't changed a day in twenty years, while I have become older and greyer and far less optimistic. Even if I somehow manage to make it through this adventure alive, in another twenty years I will be even older and even greyer and approaching the end of my days, while she will be exactly as she is now.'

  'Like my mom,' Fotio said.

  'And like you, after you are called to the Mountain.'

  'Gods and immortals, immortals and Gods, it's all so confusing,' Fotio said. The two rode in silence for a while before Fotio, who had the air of someone mentally chewing on spiritual gristle, spat out a question. 'So how did Isiha become a God?'

  'I think it's because humanity has grown in power,' Akakion said. 'You see, Gods are the product of belief and all the Gods in all the lands are images of our Gods, because Helvenica is the most advanced of all the peoples and is always the first to build enough belief. As Helvenica became more civilized, people began to believe in themselves and their civilization. In essence, people began to believe in people, and that belief led to the creation of an immortal spirit, a new God. Learning that Monos was the first prophet lends weight to the theory because it was the power of the people that defied the Gods, and Isiha was the symbol of that power,' Akakion turned to Fotio. 'The first prophet has become a God, Fotio, and you are the second. Will you do the same?'

  'Yeah, most definitely,' Fotio said, darkly. 'I'm well on the way to becoming the God of Confused Buggers.'

  (ii)

  The country through which they rode was becoming more rugged by the hour, and a line of hills appeared in the south towards the end of the second day.

  'I told the King that we would ride through the Road Pass,' Akakion said as they broke their camp after breakfast, 'but I'm not sure it's such a good idea anymore.'

  'Why not?'

  'It's the path that Monos's armies must take when they march and I wouldn't be surprised if he's watching it.'

  'Is there another way?'

  'Yes, but it adds a day to our journey. Still, it may be worth losing the day to maintain some element of surprise.'

  'What if they're watching all the passes?'

  'Nah, they won't be watching this one,' Akakion said, 'very few people even know it exists.'

  The distant hills were upon them much sooner than Fotio had expected, and by the afternoon of the third day, their ragged and boulder-strewn slopes dominated the skyline. As far as he could see, there was no way across, but Akakion was unfazed. He led them to the east, parallel to the steep and impassable slopes, until they came to a small creek running down out of the hills and into a wood.

  'We may as well rest here,' he said, 'the pass is to the south. We just need to follow the creek and we'll find it.'

  But Fotio wasn't listening. The ride had been long, hot, and exhausting and he was keen to have a drink and a lie down in the shade.

  They settled down under the cover of the trees to a meal free of honey cakes. Fotio had been quite adamant when they were sorting their provisions, and refused to leave the kitchens until all the honey cakes had been removed and replaced with 'real food'. He was dismayed to find that this seemed to consist of what he had come to call 'blah-cakes', which were just like honey cakes, but without the pleasant taste, texture, or smell. They even looked unappetizing.

  Fotio was half way through his first, and definitely his last, blah cake, when Ormi threw up his head and pricked his ears. He whinnied softly, which must have meant something in horse because Akakion's mount also pricked its ears. Shortly after, even the humans could hear the sound of distant hooves. Lots and lots of hooves.

  The two men looked at one another and came to the same conclusion. They raced out from the cover of the trees, grabbed the reins of their horses and tried to drag them into the brush, but the horses refused to be led. Ormi bucked and carried on, whinnying and braying in a way that Fotio had never seen before. Plod was no better and even managed to knock the priest onto his backside. After a few minutes of futile struggle during which the hoof beats became louder and louder, they abandoned the horses and dove under cover.

  'What's up with them?' Akakion asked.

  'I don't know. It's strange because they don't seem scared, just, I don't know, excited?'

  'Well, whatever's happened to them, it had better be all that happens to them. I don't want to walk all the way to the enemy's camp,' Akakion said. 'Let's hope that whoever is coming this way is on our side, because from the sound of it, there's a hell of a lot of them.'

  'It sounds like they're passing by on the other side of those trees over there,' Fotio said. 'Hey, where's Ormi going? Come back here you silly beast!'

  From their place of hiding in the scrub, Fotio and Akakion watched helplessly as Ormi raced across the grass and into a small wood several hundred feet away. A few minutes later, he re-emerged followed by a centaur.

  Akakion let out a 'woop' and sprung from his hiding place. The giant creature covered the ground at amazing speed and was upon them very quickly.

  'Lord Keeper, thank the Gods we have found you,' the centaur said in a surprisingly cultured voice.

  'It is a joy to see you, friend Alogo. The last I heard, you where enjoying the good life in the immortal lands.'

  Fotio stared, mouth agape. Of all the mythical creatures in Helvenica, the centaurs fascinated him the most. He had always wondered what it would be like to travel as fast as the wind. Not even the idea of flight could match the symbolism of freedom to Fotio as did the idea of being able to run faster than all other creatures, probably because he secretly thought that floating amongst the clouds could too easily lead to plummeting to the earth.

  The centaur was far more impressive than he had ever imagined. From the waist up, it had the body of a man who, if he had human legs, would probably have stood taller than Fotio. From the waist down, the centaur had the body of a horse. It was an immense creature, and the shoulders of its forelegs stood higher than Fotio's head.

  Judging from the arsenal of weapons hanging off the studded leather armor that covered much of his body, the centaur probably wasn't one to take a backward step. Two curved swords hung on a belt about his waist, and he had a spear strapped to his human-back. A long bow and several quivers of arrows hung down over his withers, and a huge double-handed sword ran along the length of his horse-back. It wasn't difficult to imagine the devastating effect that such a massive weapon would have on any number of enemies, especially when wielded by the mighty arms of such a beast.

  'We ride to join the Guardians of Eternity in their battle with the Mad God Monos,' Fotio heard the centaur say. 'But Mazi also asked us to aid you however we can. He sends word that the agent who infiltrated the enemy's camp has not been heard from for many days. If you wish to continue your mission, you will need to come up with another way of getting to the staff.'

  'It would be foolish to abandon our quest when we have come so far. The Gods chose a hero to accompany me,' Akakion said, and pointed at Fotio, 'and they chose wisely. Monos has named him the second prophet.'

  'The second prophet?' Alogo said, surprised. 'Is this bug eyed fellow the second prophet?' His face soured. 'I'm still recovering from the problems caused by the first prophet, and now there is another?'

  'Well, I have news for you, Monos is the first prophet,' Akakion said, and went on to explain what had happened to King P
rosoti.

  'That will make our victory all the sweeter,' Alogo said. 'But tell me, if you are making for the enemy camp, why are you here? This is many miles out of your way?'

  'Monos may be watching the Road Pass. I thought it prudent to cross the hills a different way.'

  'You humans are too cautious,' Alogo said, and took a horn from his back. He blew a mighty, ear-splitting note. A few minutes passed in which nothing happened, and then Fotio heard the sound of hooves.

  Out of the trees burst many, many centaurs - at least a hundred by Fotio's reckoning - thundering towards them. They weren't as big as Alogo, but neither were they much smaller. And all were armed and armored the same way.

  Alogo saw the wonder in Fotio's eyes and smiled approvingly. 'At least this prophet looks like he can fight,' he said. 'Not like that other wimp.'

  'That wimp has become the single most powerful entity in all the lands, mortal and immortal,' Akakion said.

  'We'll see about that,' the centaur said and drew his two swords. He raised them in the air and screamed something that sounded a lot like a horse's whiney to Fotio's ears. The charging centaurs broke into two groups and fanned out on either side of the small group of men and horses. When they had them encircled, each centaur reared onto his or her hind legs and whinnied. They came crashing down at the same time, causing the earth to tremble. Each centaur raised a right hand to the heavens, middle finger extended.

  'I don't know about the wisdom of your mission, Lord Keeper, but if it is truly your wish to enter the enemy's camp, then you should let us take you,' Alogo said. 'Even if you use our brother's speed,' he nodded towards the horses, 'your journey will take many days. I can't even imagine how long it will take upon your own, tiny little feet. But with us, you will be in sight of the enemy camp in two days.'

  Akakion looked at Fotio, who shrugged and then asked 'What about Ormi and Plod?'

  Ormi whinnied and snorted, and Alogo listened intently, replying in the horse tongue every so often.

  'No way,' Fotio exclaimed. 'He can't understand what I just said. Can he?'

  'He most definitely can, prophet,' Alogo said. 'Some of our equine brothers understand the words of men and Ormi is such a one. He was once a great leader who commanded the respect of many horses, but he is in his twilight years and would gladly allow us to carry his load.'

  To everyone's surprise, Fotio's eyes brimmed with tears and he went and put his arms around Ormi's neck.

  'It is decided then?' Alogo said.

  'I guess so,' Akakion said.

  Alogo whinnied a command and a centaur broke ranks. He trotted over to the two horses and knotted a banner to the saddle of each.

  Ormi pulled away from Fotio when the centaur had finished and both he and Plod reared onto their hind legs before galloping off in the direction of Plusia.

  'They will return to Plusia with their banners so that King Prosoti knows that you are now with the centaurs,' Alogo said, and turned to Fotio. 'Ormi spoke very highly of you, prophet. He would not leave until I swore to carry you myself.'

  'He was my friend when I thought myself alone,' Fotio said. 'I will miss him.'

  To Akakion and Fotio's delight, the centaurs had an ample supply of food so they left the blah cakes on the riverbanks, where even the ants avoided them. A passing crow pecked at one or two, gagged, and flew away.

  The herd moved off and was soon galloping over the landscape at an amazing speed. Fotio reveled in the swiftness of their travel; he let his cares fall behind him and concentrated on the thunder of the hooves, which filled his universe and drowned out all other sounds. It felt like Alogo, whom he was to learn had once been a God until the coming of the first prophet, was flying over the Earth with his hooves barely touching the ground.

  Fotio whooped and screamed at the blurred countryside as it sped past and, when his excitement grew too big to contain, he stood on Alogo's back and challenged the wind to knock him off. Around him, the centaurs whinnied their approval.

  Akakion, who was on the back of the centaur Epitaxi, called out to Alogo. 'Where are you going? The pass is to the south.'

  Alogo smiled at the Keeper. 'We run to the Road Pass. Centaurs are too big to hide!'

  To Fotio's surprise, the Keeper laughed.

  They centaurs ran until darkness forced them to stop, and if they were concerned about the war, they didn't show it when preparing their camp. Within minutes, there was a roaring fire and numerous wineskins were doing the rounds. The only consolation to the times were a couple of sentries who, rather grumpily, walked the perimeter of the camp while their peers ate, drank, and told tall tales of their exploits

  Akakion planted himself in the middle of it all. He seemed to be at his most comfortable when on the road amongst soldiers. Fotio, on the other hand, wasn't feeling particularly gregarious. He sat slightly apart from everyone else and wrote in his notebook.

  'The prophet is a man of letters,' Alogo said, when he spied Fotio sitting alone some way away, writing in his book.

  Akakion, who was telling the centaurs about the battle he and Fotio had been involved in a few days earlier, paused and looked towards the young man. 'The prophet is many things,' he said, 'but educated isn't one of them. Apparently, he kept hitting his teachers with bits of furniture.'

  The centaurs laughed. 'I had similar problems as a foul,' Epitaxi said.

  Despite himself, Akakion was curious. 'Hey Foti,' he called out, ' what are you doing?'

  Fotio jumped and hurriedly pushed the paper and quill into a fold in his clothing. 'Just, you know, writing stuff.'

  'I never pictured you as someone who kept a diary.'

  'I've just started,' Fotio said, and stood up. 'Never had anything to write about before.' He stretched and yawned theatrically. 'It's been a big day and I'm off to bed.'

  Akakion watched him retreat into the darkness. He did not share Fotio's semi-feigned fatigue. 'Troubled times, these,' he said.

  Alogo nodded. 'When the Lord of the Gods comes asking favors, you know that there is trouble brewing.'

  The two sat by the fire and talked long into the night. Akakion was feeling pressed; his focus had always been on getting to the enemy's camp, with scant thought on what they would do when they got there. Now that he had the means to end the journey, it was time to think about what they would need to do at its culmination. He was also interested in news on how the rest of Helvenica was preparing for war, which Alogo shared with him.

  Akakion was overjoyed to learn that Mazi, at Aquina's beckoning, had asked the centaurs to help the Guardians of Eternity stop the enemy at the Road Pass. He was even happier when he learned that the ogres were also on their way. Mazi had promised them re-entry into the immortal lands if they joined the war.

  'At least now the Guardians have a chance,' he said, 'and they'll probably do more good this way.'

  'They are still several days away, Lord Keeper,' Alogo said, 'and Gods know where the ogres are. I have a proposal for you. We will take you to the enemy's camp. When we arrive, we will feign an attack.' Akakion made to protest, but Alogo lifted a hand and stopped him. 'Nothing major, he continued, 'just enough so that you and the prophet can get inside unnoticed and do your business. If you succeed, the war will never happen because the Gods will rip the place apart. If you fail, then we will return to the pass and join the Guardians.'

  (iii)

 

  Breakfast the following morning was rushed because Akakion insisted they set off at first light. Now that he had the speed of the centaurs at his disposal, he was keen to bring their adventure to an end. The same two centaurs carried them as the day before - Fotio on Alogo and Akakion on Epitaxi.

  'We will be at the Road Pass in an hour unless we are delayed,' Alogo said as they ran. They weren't travelling as fast as the day before, which led Fotio to suspect that the extra speed had been a show to impress Akakion and himself. 'What's so important about this pass?' he asked.

  'Passages through the h
ills are few and far between, and most are narrow paths that could accommodate no more than two centaurs abreast,' Alogo explained. 'All but the Road Pass, which is nearly a quarter mile wide.'

  'You know these lands well?'

  'I roamed the plains beyond the hills with my herd before the coming of the first prophet. In those days, the thunder of centaur hooves could be heard all over Helvenica, but the prophet changed everything. Men no longer welcomed us as friends, and we retreated to the immortal lands. Many of my herd refuse to return, but I have come back several times. The Keeper and I fought side by side to help King Prosoti drive the bandits from these lands many years ago. It was a sad day when he left for The Temple of All Gods. I returned to the immortal lands not long after.'

  During his previous ride, Fotio had formed the opinion that the centaurs had no order when they ran, but now he could see that he was wrong. Looking back over his shoulder, he could see that the herd maintained a diamond formation, with Alogo leading and Epitaxi at the far end of the line to the left. The centaur explained that there was a leader at each of the points of the diamond so that they could change direction almost instantly - even turn completely around - and still have a leader to focus the herd.

  It wasn't long before the hills to their left fell away and they could see Prosoti's famous road ahead, but the centaurs turned south ahead of the massive tower that straddled it. What they saw beyond the hills drew a cry of dismay from Akakion.

  About a mile away, two lines of soldiers were facing each other and about to engage in combat. Nearest to them were the Helvenicans, obvious by the gleam of their bronze armor. They numbered about two hundred in a line four deep, carried large round shields on their left arm and huge ash spears in their right. Fotio was gladdened to see that the ogres had arrived before them. He estimated there were about sixty marching in a line three deep, and were armed with spears at least three times as long as those carried by their human brothers in arms.

  Facing them, but still several hundred yards away, were at least ten ranks of Monos soldiers in their familiar white leather armor. They were also armed with spears, though much shorter than those carried by the Helvenicans and many appeared to be carrying bows. There were far too many for Fotio to estimate their numbers, which did not bode well for his compatriots.

  Alogo gave a high-pitched whinny and the centaurs charged. They ran at an incredible speed to the left of the Helvenican line, and the pounding of their hooves on the rocky earth echoed like thunder across the field of battle. The Helvenican troops gave a cheer at the approach of the horse-men and, even through the pounding hooves, Fotio heard a clear voice issue a command:

  'AT THEM!'

  The Helvenican line picked up speed. By the time they were within bowshot of the Monos worshipers, they were travelling at a run. The missiles of the followers of the God of Men filled the air, but many went over the rapidly advancing Helvenican lines, or bounced harmlessly off shields or metal breastplates. What the soldiers of Monos had expected to be a volley of death had little effect on the charging lines of soldiers.

  The speed of the centaurs saw them pass the Helvenican line well before the last arrow dropped. It was then that Alogo gave another whinny and the herd, as one, turned to their left and Epitaxi became the leader, with Akakion grown to giant proportions, astride his back.

  The Helvenican soldiers and the centaurs struck the Monos lines at almost exactly the same time. Fotio, his blood boiling in his veins, leapt from Alogo's back into the middle of the enemy's massed ranks. His spinning form crushed and smashed its way across the lines, leaving broken bodies in its wake. The giant Akakion, who had already felled half a dozen enemies before Fotio had even leapt and who was covered head to toe in blood and gore, stood behind the young prophet and made sure that no one was able to take him unawares.

  At the same time, the ogres smashed into the other side of the enemy line with such force that some of their spears skewered three or four men in one thrust. The initial push was devastating, but nowhere near as terrifying as the savage swords they unsheathed after abandoning their spears. The irresistible and wickedly sharp blades, wielded with amazing skill and strength, severed limbs and rent skulls, and sometimes even cut men in two.

  The soldiers of Monos, caught between two savage forces, cried out in fear and turned to run. Unfortunately, no man can run fast enough to escape a centaur. Most died to the arrows and spears of the galloping horse-men. The few who escaped only did so because Alogo wanted news of the victory to reach the main body of the enemy army.

  Eventually, Alogo led the centaurs back to the battleground, by which time Akakion had returned to his normal size and was tending to the wounded.

  'I like this new prophet,' the centaur bellowed, 'he fights like a centaur.'

  'Yes, which is why he would have been sent back to the Mountain a dozen times if I had not watched his back,' Akakion replied, then turned to Fotio. 'If you are to be a soldier, lad, you're going to have to learn the meaning of defense.'

  Fotio, with breastplate unbuckled, was sitting on the ground beside his mace and his shield and writing furiously in his notepad. 'What?' he said.

  Akakion sighed. 'I said, if you want to be a soldier, you're going to have to learn to defend yourself.'

  'I'm not going to be a soldier, and the best defense is a dead enemy.'

  Alogo laughed. 'He even thinks like a centaur.'

  'Look you fellows, it's the Keeper,' said a familiar voice. Fotio looked up to see the three ogres that had waylaid them on the road to Pethamenos. He didn't have particularly fond memories of the three so he returned to his writing.

  'Well, well, well,' Akakion said, 'it's good to see you three have finally become respectable citizens.'

  'Where's the pretty little fellow you were with,' Simon asked.

  'You mean the second prophet? He's over there writing in his diary.'

  'He's the second prophet? We should have eaten him when we had the chance.'

  Fotio looked up from his notes. 'I'd have given you indigestion to go with your poor taste in fashion,' he said.

  This drew a hysterical response from the other two ogres, who laughed so hard they almost choked.

  'Laughter is not appropriate on a battle ground,' Akakion said, sternly, 'even for ogres. I have heard that Mazi is going to allow you back into the immortal lands.'

  'Most definitely,' Douglas said, 'but we have to help in the war. It's a win-win as far as we're concerned. We get to crack some skulls and go home as well.'

  'Mazi came and asked us himself,' Benny said. 'He just popped into our camp while we were at dinner.'

  'You know, I think we had him wrong all this time. He was quite charming,' Simon said. 'When he told us that Monos was God of Men, we thought we'd better pitch in for the old ways. You just never know what sort of nasty habits this new fellow will have.'

  Akakion sighed and looked despondent. 'There are men that need help to make it to camp,' he said, 'and others need help to dig the graves for the fallen.'

  'We'll take the injured to the infirmary,' Douglas said and the three ogres shuffled off.

  Fotio put away his notebook and stood up. He hadn't allowed himself to think about the recent bloodshed, nor his part in it, but the bloody battlefield was a stark reminder. 'This is horrible,' he said.

  'Yes it is. And it's also a glorious victory,' Akakion said. He had given the last of the wounded a mouthful of blessed stiporo and allowed the ogres to carry them away. Fotio was amazed at just how gentle and strong the ogres were. They had built a platform out of broken spears and shields harvested from the battlefield and had placed all the wounded who could not walk upon it. With barely a grunt of effort, the three lifted the stretcher and over a dozen men into the air and shuffled off towards the camp, a tail of walking wounded followed along behind them.

  That left only the dead to deal with.

  'This is why we must stop the war,' Akakion said, looking out over the carnage.

/>   'What do we do now?'

  'We bury them. Not many of our own have fallen, but the enemy died by the score,' Akakion said. 'Our soldiers will have individual graves and we'll need to dig a pit for all the others.'

  'No, Lord Keeper, the soldiers will dig,' Alogo said. 'You and the prophet will eat and rest a while before we continue on.'

  Akakion reluctantly followed Alogo off the battlefield, and Fotio tagged along behind. He led them to the central fire of the camp the Helvenican soldiers had erected not far from the road. The three ogres joined them soon after, along with the senior commanders of the soldiers. Akakion was overjoyed to see that Sergeant Cotos and Toll Master Psila where amongst them.

  'The ogres came to our city the day after you left,' Cotos explained while Fotio and Akakion munched on honey cakes. It was a warm day, but they found the fire comforting. 'The Queen ordered me to organize a battalion and join them in defense of the Pass. On the way we met Toll Master Psila and his men, who volunteered to join us.'

  'Like a fool I followed,' Psila interjected. 'It was nice and safe at the bridge.'

  'Safe and exceedingly dull,' Cotos said.

  'Better crazy than dead,' Psila said, but there was a smile on his face.

  'Anyway, we had barely gotten comfortable here when the white bastards showed up. I reckon we could have beaten them even without the centaurs,' Cotos said, with a touch of pride, 'but your intervention meant we came through with very few casualties, and for that, you have our thanks.'

  'Don't be too cocky, Sergeant Cotos,' Akakion said. 'That was just a tiny portion of Monos's strength. He probably wanted to hold the pass against any reinforcements that might come to help Graphion. Helvenica is fortunate we met them before they got entrenched in the tower. They would have been tough to dislodge if they got fortified.'

  'When do you think he will move?'

  Akakion considered the question. 'This was probably a sign that he is almost ready to launch his invasion. From what others have told me, I gather his army is huge and will require much in the way of food and supplies to march across Helvenica. Perhaps he has gathered enough, or perhaps the emergence of the second prophet has forced his hand. Either way, he won't stay in his camp for much longer.'

  'Why is Monos attacking us?' Psila said. 'Invasion isn't exactly a great way to win friends and influence people.'

  'He's not at war with the people,' Akakion said, 'he's at war with the Gods.'

  'It's always the way, isn't it? The Gods fight and the people get it in the neck.'

  'I hear that Monos has a better organized eternity,' Cotos said, cautiously dipping his metaphoric toe into the theological waters and hoping that the piranhas of dogma don't bite it off. 'I hear you are judged by other people, those who have already served their penance, and you only have to pay penance until you say that you're sorry.'

  Everyone considered this for a while.

  'I don't know what's so good about having people judge you rather than Gods,' Douglas the ogre said.

  'It's because immortals don't know what it's like to die,' Psila said, 'but I certainly wouldn't want to be judged by other people. My father in law would have me spend eternity with a red hot poker up my backside.'

  The other soldiers laughed, except for the ones who winced.

  'And I don't know about this penance-till-you're-sorry business,' Psila continued. 'I mean, if my penance is to have my liver pecked out by a chicken every day, then I'd be sorry before the bugger had taken a second beak full. No one would ever do any penance if that was the case.'

  'His worshipers only eat meat on Wednesdays and only have, ah, intimate relations during a full moon,' Fotio said.

  All those assembled gave this their consideration.

  'Really? Only during the full moon?' Cotos asked, looking concerned.

  'That's what I was told by someone who was going to convert. And you've got to go a year without either when you first become a worshiper.'

  'No wonder those buggers in white were such easy pickings. Weak from hunger and unable to concentrate on what they're doing because of more pressing concerns upon their mind,' Cotos said.

  'I think I might just stay with what I know,' Psila said. The other soldiers murmured in agreement.

  'He's a bit selfish for mine,' Simon said. 'I mean, why does he have to get rid of all the other Gods? Can't they all just get along?'

  'I remember him when he was a prophet,' Alogo said. 'I was a God at the time, and the plains of Helvenica and all the beasts that roamed upon them fell under my domain. Then he came along and said there were too many Gods and that there weren't enough worshipers to go around, so a whole lot of us had to stop being Gods. I'm not surprised the greedy bugger wants all the worshipers to himself.'

  Alogo stared moodily into the fire.

  'I didn't know Monos was the first prophet. Didn't he die hundreds of years ago?' Psila said.

  'Yeah, he was emperor for a while as well,' Akakion said.

  'Really? You have to admire his ambition,' Cotos said. 'Did he have humble origins? I've always thought that humble origins are a great driver of ambition.'

  Fotio stood up abruptly. 'Let's go,' he said, looking at Akakion. 'We're still one night away so we can rest when the herd stops. Let's just go.'

  'The prophet is right. Running is far better than stewing by a fire,' Alogo said. 'I will muster the herd.'

  (iv)

  The herd ran on for several hours before the sun began to sink in the west. Alogo, who had looked down upon the land from Mount Polipsilo, brought them to rest a little before darkness fell. 'We should rest here tonight and prepare for our assault tomorrow.'

  The camp was a far more somber affair than that of the previous night. They lit only a small fire and the sentries were far more numerous and alert. Predictably, the conversations turned to the shape that the war would take in the days to come.

  'The thinking at Polipsilo is that Monos will try and take the cities so that he can destroy the temples,' Alogo said. He, Fotio, and Akakion were alone around the fire. All the other centaurs who did not have sentry duty, including Epitaxi, had taken to their bedrolls for the night. Fotio found it strange that centaurs slept lying down, like men, and each carried their bed with them, strapped across their rump.

  'The generals have been advised by the Gods to not meet him in open battle because our numbers are too small,' Alogo continued. 'As you already know, the centaurs, along with the Guardians of Eternity and the ogres, are to buy enough time for the armies to muster and the cities to finish their fortifications. Sadly, we will have to abandon Graphion to the invaders.'

  'What of the people? How is the mood amongst the common folk?' Akakion asked.

  'Not good, from what I have been told. There are converts to Monos springing up all over Helvenica, and they preach intolerance to all who are not human. The Gods fear that should the armies of Monos begin their march, the people of Helvenica may start smashing the Temples themselves rather than fight a war.'

  Fotio had been staring into the fire while the other two debated tactics and strategy. His journey had been long and difficult, and most of it could not be measured in miles. There was still much to do and he wished the road had not tired him as much as it had. 'All the blood and battle will gain us nothing,' he said quietly. 'If the Gods cannot earn the love and devotion of their worshipers, then they will never truly defeat Monos.'

  'We can worry about keeping Monos away after we have driven off his army,' Akakion said. 'What must concern us here and now is how we are going to get to the staff.'

  'When Mazi summoned me, he took me to the Mountain and showed me the enemy's camp. It sits like a scar in the forest and is more a citadel than a camp,' the centaur said, and used a stick that had escaped the fire to draw a rough rectangle in the soft earth. 'It's about a mile wide and two miles deep and surrounded by a high timber wall. There's a river on the western side and the only entrance, in the northern wall, is heavily guarded. The interesting
thing is that there are only four sentry towers.' Alogo drew four crosses on his rough sketch in the earth. 'One overlooking the entrance, another about mid way along the western wall overlooking the river, a third midway along the eastern wall, and a fourth on the eastern wall but near the intersection with the southern wall at the back of the camp.'

  'Either Monos's generals are unversed in the art of war, or they aren't all that concerned about being attacked,' Akakion said.

  'There are more soldiers in that camp than I could possibly count, so I don't think Monos considers a pre-emptive attack at all likely,' the centaur said. 'We can surprise him with a feint on the gate. We will set you two down to the east of the camp and then attack the front gate with our bows from the riverbank to the northwest. While the enemy chases shadows in the dark, you two can slip into the camp just behind the front watchtower.'

  'How will we get through the wall?' Fotio asked.

  'The short swords your aunty gave us would cut through timber as if it were butter,' Akakion said. 'We'll need to be a fair way down along the east wall to be sure the tower guards don't see us, maybe a hundred yards or so.'

  'Most of the camp is tents, but there is one permanent structure at its center,' Alogo said. 'That is probably where the staff will be.'