Death Ex Machina
Authors: Gary Corby
A
LSO BY
G
ARY
C
ORBY
The Pericles Commission
The Ionia Sanction
Sacred Games
The Marathon Conspiracy
Copyright © 2015 Gary Corby
All rights reserved.
First published in the United States by
Soho Press, Inc.
853 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Corby, Gary.
Death ex machina / Gary Corby.
1. Nicolaos (Fictitious character : Corby)—Fiction. 2. Diotima (Legendary character)—Fiction. 3. Private investigators—Fiction. 4. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. 5. Athens (Greece)—Fiction. 6. Greece—History—Athenian supremacy, 479-431 B.C.—Fiction. I. Title. PR9619.4.C665D43 2015 823’.92—dc23 2014042465
HC ISBN 978-1-61695-519-9
PB ISBN 978-1-61695-676-9
eISBN 978-1-61695-520-5
Interior design by Janine Agro, Soho Press, Inc.
v3.1
For Gweneth Mary Corby
because every writer has a Mum
Contents
Scene 2: The Psyche of the Great Dionysia
Scene 10: This is becoming a Habit
Scene 21: The Previous Day Dawns Again
Scene 24: Friends make the Worst Enemies
Scene 28: The Skeleton in the Family Closet
Scene 29: All is not as it Seems
Scene 31: The Hand of Sabazios
Scene 34: The Rites of Sabazios
Scene 35: Professional Indiscretions
THEATRICAL TERMS
M
ODERN THEATER COMES from the plays of classical Athens, including most of our theatrical terms. Many of the words haven’t changed their meaning in 2,500 years. A chorus is still a chorus. An amphitheater is still an amphitheater. There’s a certain magic in the idea that actors on stage today use the same words that you would have heard on stage in 458
BC
.
A few words have changed their meaning slightly. The wall at the back of the stage was called a
skene.
The latest innovation in Nico’s time was to paint the skene to match the subject of the play. That’s the origin of our words scene and scenery. In this book, Nico says skene to mean the wall, and scene to mean the action on stage.
In ancient Greek, the word orchestra means the place where the chorus stands. The classical Greek orchestra is the stage! To avoid confusion, Nico always uses the modern word stage where in his own tongue he would have said orchestra.
Greek plays were arranged in scenes, but they didn’t have acts. Scenes were interspersed with songs sung by the chorus, who commented on the plot, rather like a narrator.
There is one technical term in this book written in Latin, which is an odd thing in a mystery of classical Athens, but that’s how we know the term in modern English. I refer of course to the infamous plot technique, created by those dastardly Greeks, of
deus ex machina.
THE ACTORS
Every name in this book is a genuine one from the classical world. Some are still in use. To this day there are people named Nicolaos. It’s also the origin of our Nicholas.
Other names you might already know because they belong to famous people, such as Socrates and Pericles.
But some names from thousands of years ago are unusual to our modern eyes. I hope you’ll say each name however sounds happiest to you, and have fun reading the story.
For those who’d like a little more guidance, I’ve suggested a way to say each name in the character list. My suggestions do not match ancient pronunciation. They’re how I think the names will sound best in an English sentence.
That’s all you need to read the book!
Characters with an asterisk by their name were real historical people.
Nicolaos | Our protagonist | “How do you get a ghost out of a theater?” |
Pericles | A politician | “How in Hades should I know? That’s your job.” |
Diotima | A Priestess of Artemis | “There’s no such thing as ghosts. Of course, there might be a |
Socrates | An irritant Brother of Nico | “Have you ever wondered why dead bodies mummify?” |
Sophocles | A playwright Author of | “That’s the machine. We use it to lift actors into the air when they’re playing gods.” |
Aeschylus | A playwright | “Every writer in Athens is desperate to see his work at the Great Dionysia. It’s a wonder there isn’t a bloodbath every time the authors apply.” |
Chorilos | A playwright | “If only it were that simple.” |
Euripides | A wannabe | “My mother didn’t send you, did she?” |
Cleito | Euripides’s Mother | “You want to buy my onions?” |
Lakon | Lead actor (protagonist) of | “I’m not the monster you think I am.” |
Phellis | Second actor in | “It’s not my fault. There’s a slippery patch.” |
Romanos | Third actor in | “The fact is, if I’m to get ahead in my profession, then I must become a citizen.” |
Kebris | An old actor | “Death happens.” |
Kiron | Stage manager | “You probably think I’m a tough boss.” |
Akamas | Member of the stage crew | “If Thespis can be a ghost, and I saw a ghost, then it must be Thespis, right? That’s logic.” |
Stephanos of Vitale | Scene painter | “It’s the clients in this town that drive me crazy. You wouldn’t believe how many of them demand changes to perfectly good pictures.” |
Theokritos | High Priest of Dionysos | “Real men drink wine.” |
Euboulides and Pheidestratos | Two slaves of the Scythian Guard | “It don’t normally take only a cup of wine to knock me down, master. Normally it’s more like … uh … ten.” |
Melpon | A doctor with a machine | “If you must throw up, do it outside.” |
Kordax | Captain of | “I’ve become addicted to speed. Do you know I’ve traveled faster than any man who’s ever lived?” |
Lysanias | An elder statesman | “Is Athens in dire peril? Is our city on the verge of destruction?” |
Pythax | Chief of the city guard of Athens | “Sisyphus had it coming to him.” |
Sophroniscus | Father of Nicolaos | “Sometimes the best thing to do is accept a defeat and move on.” |
Phaenarete | Mother of Nicolaos | “Your father is right, Nico.” |
Euterpe | Mother of Diotima | “I think you should thank me for choosing you such an interesting husband.” |
Habron | The Eponymous Archon | “What’s the date today?” |
The Basileus | The city official in charge of religious affairs | “Gentlemen, this is a murder committed in the presence of the God.” |
The Polemarch | Official in charge of resident aliens in Athens | “That’s it, then. We’re doomed.” |
Andros | Assistant to the Polemarch | “Nobody ever reads government records. We just keep them.” |
Thodis | Choregos (producer) of the play | “They tell me that protagonists are important people.” |
Maia | A professional mourner | “Euoi saboi! Euoi saboi!” |
Petros | Husband of Maia | “Did you enjoy it?” |
Sisyphus | King of Corinth | A character in the play |
Thanatos | God of death | A character in the play |
Thespis | A ghost | The world’s first actor. He’s been dead for fifty years, but not even dead actors can resist an encore. |
The Chorus
Assorted guardsmen, sailors, drunken revelers, actors, stage crew, and believe it or not, a Greek chorus!