Timothy Boggs - Hercules Legendary Joureneys 02 (9 page)

The cave was at the base of a low grassy hill. Ranged in front were a number of stunted trees, and beneath one were a half-dozen horses. Iolaus made straight for them, leaping over an arrow that thudded into the ground just ahead of him. Another hummed past Hercules' left ear, but he didn't turn; that would only delay him, and make him an easier target.

Moments later Iolaus leaped nimbly onto the back of a roan, grabbed her mane, and was gone.

Hercules, who wasn't all that fond of horses except when they were pulling things he was riding in, found a larger animal, a black, and threw himself onto its back. Then he scattered the other animals before racing off after his friend.

The last he saw of the rebels, they had reached the trees, some trying futilely to catch the remaining horses, the others impotently shouting their anger while shaking their fists and weapons. It was clear there was no way they'd be able to catch him before he reached Themon.

He should have been relieved.

What he was, was puzzled.

By then, Iolaus had slowed his mount to a canter. His face was red with laughter and excitement, and when Hercules joined him, he reached out to slap his arm.

"Amazing!" he said with a self-congratulatory grin. "Wasn't that amazing?"

Hercules scowled. "1 thought you had a plan."

"That
was
the plan."

" 'Run!' was the plan?"

"Sure."

Hercules couldn't believe it. "What kind of a plan is that? Run? That's a plan?"

"What are you complaining about? It worked, didn't it? We're free, aren't we?"

Refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reply, Hercules held out his left arm and pointed to a small scratch at the top of the arm guard. "An arrow, Iolaus. One more inch and I would have been hit."

A nod conceded the point. "But it didn't, Herc. It didn't."

"Yes, but—"

Iolaus laughed, whooped, and urged the roan on to a faster gallop, waving over his shoulder. "Come on, Herc, we only have a couple of hours before sunset, and the ladies await!"

All right, Hercules admitted, so it didn't get me. So we got away. So it worked. But. .. run? He calls that a plan?

Yet he couldn't help a brief smile of his own, at his friend's exuberance, and at the day itself.

Under a flawless blue sky the plain rolled gently southward, the expanse of short rich grass broken only by the farms and pastures that could be seen in the distance, east and west. Wildflowers added spots of vivid color. Here and there, a full-crowned tree or two loomed over streams or ponds, providing shade and shelter to grazing cattle. With the hills now behind them, the salt air was sharp, energizing, and Hercules spotted a number of gulls wheeling slowly overhead; and higher still, a pair of hawks.

He inhaled deeply, and his headache finally vanished. Maybe, he thought with mental fingers firmly crossed, this journey wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Iolaus waved to him from the top of a rise. He waved back and rode on, ignoring the thumps the horse's spine gave to his rump.

"There!" Iolaus declared when Hercules joined him. "Themon, Herc! Our destiny awaits!"

Below them was a wide, well-traveled road. Although not crowded, there were plenty of riders, walkers, and carts and wagons, all streaming toward the city in the middle distance. It wasn't the largest city Hercules had ever visited, but it was refreshing to see such a place unmarred by confining walls, or army camps on the outskirts. Red-tile roofs caught the sun brightly; building walls of varying soft colors glowed; and where the sky curved down to the horizon, he could just make out the glint of the sea.

He looked at Iolaus and smiled warmly. "I have to admit—this was a good idea."

Iolaus preened. "Of course it was. Did you ever doubt me—and don't spoil it by answering."

Hercules didn't, with a laugh.

According to the invitation, the next step, Iolaus explained as they joined the others on the road, was to go straight to a place called the plaza. There they would find the council chambers, meet with Councillor Titus, receive their instructions, and bask in the adulation of the townfolk.

Hercules looked at him askance. ' 'Bask in the adulation'? Is that in the scroll, too?"

"No. I made that up myself. Not bad, huh?"

"Don't tell me—you're practicing to be a judge."

Iolaus nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. 1 don't want them to think I'm some kind of lout, you know."

Hercules wiped a hand over his face. "In case they want to invite you back?"

Iolaus lifted a shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe. Frankly, it never occurred to me."

Right, Hercules thought.

Abruptly the plain gave way to the city, and they found themselves riding down stone-paved streets somewhat wider than those they were used to. Decorations were everywhere, and merchants hawked their wares from stands in front of their shops; the air was thick with the aromas of cooking food, and despite the noise of pedestrians and sellers, music could be heard escaping from the open doors of taverns and inns. The din and the sheer numbers of people made the horses nervous, and it was all Hercules and Iolaus could do to keep them from bolting.

Their pace grew slower as they neared the city's center, where, since Themon had evidently been laid out in a grid, the intersections were particularly crowded.

Not so crowded, however, that Hercules wasn't able to spot the occasional pair of soldiers stationed at the corners. At first he figured they were there to look for rebels; then, after witnessing a brief struggle with a trio of men who had obviously been testing each other's wine-tasting capacities, he realized the soldiers were there primarily to keep the peace.

Evidently Themon was determined that its citizens and visitors would enjoy a festival unmarred by violence.

Suddenly a child darted in front of Iolaus, who had to fight to keep his horse from rearing. It was one thing to escape from their captors without saddle or reins, quite another to keep the animals under control without such aids under conditions like this.

"That's it," Hercules said, sliding to the ground. "We're getting rid of these beasts before they kill someone. Like me."

With one hand still gripping the black's thick mane, he spotted a stable down a narrow, nearly empty side street and made straight for it, not bothering to check to see if Iolaus was following. As he approached, a young man stepped out of the dark interior, wiping his hands on a towel tucked into his belt.

"There's no room," he said regretfully. "We're all boarded up."

"I don't want to board him," Hercules said. "You can have him."

The stable boy blinked his bewilderment. "You . .. I..."

"Can have him," Hercules repeated. And as Iolaus rode up he added, "That one, too." Without waiting for permission, he guided the black inside, grabbed a rope from a hook on the wall, and looped it loosely around the animal's neck. "He's been ridden hard, by the way, so take care of him, all right?'

The young man was too flustered to object when Iolaus did the same with his mount.

Hercules smiled and shook his hand. "Thanks. And tell your boss he can do whatever he likes with them, except treat them badly." He leaned forward and deepened his voice. "I'll know if he does."

The young man stepped back with a nervous nod, nearly yelped when Iolaus poked him in the back.

"We have to get to the plaza. Can you tell us how?"

The stable boy nodded again, rattled off directions that made Iolaus blink in confusion, then stopped, excused himself, and repeated the directions more slowly.

"You got that, Herc?" Iolaus asked when the stable boy had finished.

Hercules nodded. He was fairly sure he had understood, but the smell of the stable was a little over-powering, and what he wanted was fresh air. Even the fresh air of the city street. If he made a mistake and got lost, they could always ask someone else. He thanked the stable boy and hurried outside. They were the only pedestrians.

"Left," Iolaus said when he joined him.

"Right," Hercules said.

"No. Left."

"Right."

Iolaus grinned. "See?" And took a step to the left before Hercules grabbed him.

"I said right, not left."

"But I said left, and you said right."

"That's right."

Iolaus made a noise deep in his throat. "I said—"

Hercules stopped him by taking hold of his vest and pulling him close. "Don't start, Iolaus, or we'll be at it all night."

"But what did I say?"

"Too much. Just follow me."

Iolaus started to argue, stopped, and looked over his shoulder.

Hercules did the same.

The stable boy stood in the wide doorway, staring.

"Yes?" Iolaus said warily.

The young man pointed. ' 'Are you . .. Hercules?'' he asked hesitantly.

"Nope. I'm Iolaus. Judge Iolaus, that is." He slapped Hercules' arm lightly. "This is Hercules."

The boy gaped. 'T
he
Hercules?"

Hercules didn't know how to respond to the boy's tone of awe, so he simply nodded. After all this time on the road, he knew he should be used to people's reactions when they met him, but it still made him uncomfortable. Very often stories of his exploits were, to say the least, considerably embellished by the time he caught up with them, and nothing he could say could convince people otherwise. They believed what they wanted to.

"Wow," the young man said.

Iolaus chuckled under his breath and gave Hercules a nudge. "What did I tell you?" he whispered. "Famous."

The stable boy frowned as he scratched through his thick brown hair. "So you're going to decide who's the summer queen?"

"Right again," Iolaus said proudly. "Now look, we'd love to stay and chat, but we—"

"You're going to kill her," the young man accused quietly. Then loudly: "You're going to kill her!"

Hercules and Iolaus exchanged confused looks, but their questions went unasked when the young man vanished into the stable's dark interior.

Iolaus scratched his head. "City people are weird," he concluded.

He might have said more, but an angry shout interrupted him.

It was the stable boy, charging them with a pitchfork in his hands.

Iolaus barely managed to sidestep the tines, and Hercules didn't have time to think—he stepped to his left as he grabbed the shaft and pulled it to yank the young man off his feet. The stable boy's momentum carried him headfirst into the wall across the street.

The wall didn't give.

"Ouch," Iolaus said with a sympathetic wince.

Stunned, the stable boy looked at him, blinked once very slowly, and began a slow collapse.

In two quick strides, Hercules was beside him. He scooped him up in his arms and carried him into the stable, where he placed him on a bed of straw.

"What was that all about?" Iolaus asked.

"1 don't know. Get some water."

Iolaus searched until he found a bucket and a ladle. When he gazed down at the unconscious boy, he looked at the ladle and simply tossed it over his shoulder before emptying the bucket on the boy's head.

The boy sat up instantly, sputtering and yelling.

Hercules put him down again with a firm hand against his chest, waiting patiently until the young man grumbled into a sullen silence.

"Explain," Hercules demanded gently.

The stable boy glared.

Iolaus stood at the young man's feet, one hand grasping his still-sheathed sword. "You heard him.

What's going on?"

A long moment passed before the young man said, "My name is Holix, and you're going to kill the woman I love."

Shadows began to drift into the streets.

Lanterns on posts and overhanging roofs kept the major streets alight while side streets and alleys slipped into dusk.

Hercules and Iolaus strode purposefully toward the center of the city, not speaking, ignoring the pedestrians who drifted from shop to shop, inn to inn. Their numbers were fewer now, mostly latecomers searching for a place to sleep. In preparation for the next day's festival, the city had grown quiet, as if gathering its energy for the celebrations to come.

The plaza was nearly deserted.

A few workmen still scrambled over the stands that had been constructed on the open square's east and west ends, making sure the seats wouldn't collapse under the weight of those who'd be privileged enough to use them. Strands of blossoms, from orchids to daisies, had been festooned between the pillars. The tiles and paving stones were being scrubbed one last time. More torches, more lanterns were lit, their glow brightening as the sun neared the horizon.

The two men paused as they left the boulevard.