Dark Prince

Gorgon surged to his feet, the snakes of his hair hissing and thrashing. 'You came here to tell me what I already know? You are no longer amusing, Human.'

'I came to offer the answer to your dreams,' Parmenion told him.

'And what is my dream?'

'Be careful, Parmenion,' came the voice of Thena in his mind. 'I cannot read him.'

'You have many dreams,' said Parmenion. 'You dream of revenge, you nurse your hatreds. But the one dream, the one great dream, is to see the Enchantment restored, to be free of Man.'

Gorgon sank back on to the throne of skulls. 'And this you can give me?' he asked, his cavernous mouth stretching into an obscene smile.

'Iskander can bring the dream to life.'

For a moment the King was silent, then he leaned forward, his pale eyes glittering. 'You speak of the child Philippos seeks. He has offered much for this child — many women, not plain like the one with you, but beautiful, soft and sweet. He promises to accept my sovereignty over the forest. I think his is the offer I will accept.'

'Why does he want the child so desperately?' countered Parmenion.

'For immortality.'

'An immortal Human? Is that to be desired? And what else?'

'What else is there?'

The death of Enchantment. Without Iskander you have no hope. You will all wither and die. That is the ultimate aim of Philippos — it has to be.'

'And the child is Iskander?'

'He is,' Parmenion replied.

'And he can lift the curse from me and my people?'

'He can.'

'I do not believe it. Now it is time to die, Human.'

'Is this all that you want?' asked Parmenion, his arm sweeping out to encompass the clearing, 'or have you lived so long as a monstrosity that you can no longer remember what it was like to live as a god? I pity you.'

'Save your pity!' thundered the King. 'Save it for yourself and the bony woman beside you!'

'What was your name?' asked Thena suddenly, her voice clear and sweet.

'My name? I am Gorgon.'

'What was your name before, in the bright golden days?'

'I… I… what has this to do with anything?'

'Can you not remember?' she asked, moving forward to stand before him.

'I remember,' he answered. 'I was Dionius.' The King sagged back on the throne, the taut muscles of his shoulders relaxing. 'I will think more on what you say. You and your man may stay with us tonight; you will be safe while I consider your words.'

Thena bowed and walked to Parmenion, leading him away to the edge of the clearing.

'What was that about his name?' asked the Spartan.

'His mind was too powerful to read, but one image kept flickering in his thoughts when you spoke of the return of the Enchantment. It was of a handsome man with clear blue eyes. I guessed it must be him.'

'You are a good companion to have,' he told her, taking her hand and kissing it. 'Wise and intuitive.'

'And bony and plain,' she replied, with a smile.

'Not at all,' he whispered. 'You are beautiful.'

Snatching her hand from his, she pulled back. 'Do not mock me, Spartan.'

'I spoke only the truth. Beauty is more than skin, flesh and bone. You have courage and spirit. And, if you doubt my words, then read my mind.'

'No. I know what is there.'

'Then why are you angry?'

'I had a lover long ago,' she said, turning away from him. 'He was young, as was I. We did not have long together, and I have missed him for many years.'

'What happened?'

'I was taken from him, across the sea, and held captive in a temple until I agreed to become a priestess.'

'And he made no attempt to find you? His love could not have been as great as yours.'

'He thought me dead.'

'I am sorry,' said Parmenion, taking her hand once more. 'I know the scars you carry; I have them too.'

'But you are married now, with three children. Surely you have forgotten your first love?'

'Never,' he replied, his voice so soft the word was barely a sigh.

The Forest of Gorgon

For much of the night the creatures of the forest sat around the campfires. There was no laughter or song and they huddled together in grim silence as Gorgon sat upon the throne of skulls. Thena was asleep, her head resting on Parmenion's shoulder, but the Spartan stayed awake. The silence was unnatural; he sensed the creatures were waiting for something and he remained tense and watchful as the hours passed.

Towards dawn the creatures climbed to their feet, moving to left and right of the throne in two lines. Easing Thena to the ground, Parmenion rose. His limbs were stiff and he stretched the muscles of his back. Tension hung in the air as Gorgon rose from the throne and stared to the east.

A dozen weird beasts emerged from the trees, dragging a prisoner, roped and tied. There was blood upon the prisoner's body and the marks of many wounds. Parmenion cursed softly.

The prisoner was Brontes.

His captors — part-reptile, part-cat, their limbs covered in fur, their faces scaled — pulled Brontes between the waiting lines. Jagged knives and swords hissed into the air.

'Wait!' called Parmenion, striding out to stand above the bound minotaur. Brontes looked up at him, his expression unreadable. Swiftly Parmenion drew his dagger, slicing the razor-sharp blade through the thongs binding him. 'Stay down,' ordered the Spartan, then rose to face the Forest King.

'This is my friend — and my ally,' he said. 'He is under my protection.'

'Your protection? And who protects you, Human?'

'You do, sire — until you have reached a decision.'

'So,' hissed Gorgon, pacing forward to stand over the minotaur, 'you have a human friend now, Brontes. Do you remember the last one? You don't learn, do you?'

The minotaur said nothing but he lowered his head, avoiding Gorgon's gaze. Then a sound came from the Forest King that could have been laughter. 'He was a prisoner on Greta,' he told Parmenion. 'The King penned him in a labyrinth below his city, feeding him on the entrails of pigs and other vile meats. One day the King threw a hero into the labyrinth. But Brontes did not kill him, did you, brother? No, he befriended him and together they escaped.

Imagine Brontes' surprise when the hero returned home to brag of his battle with the deadly, man-eating minotaur.

Did he become King, Brontes? Yes, I believe that he did. And spent his days — as all kings do — hunting down the people of the Enchantment. Thus do they build their legends.'

'Kill me,' said Brontes, 'but pray do not bore me to death.'

'Ah, but how can I kill you, Brontes? You are under the protection of the Human. How fortunate for you.' Suddenly Gorgon's foot lashed out, cracking against Brontes' jaw and hurling him to the ground.

'How many enemies do you need, sire?' asked Parmenion.

'Do not try my patience, Human! This is my realm.'

'I do not question that, sire. But when the Enchantment is restored, it will be restored for all the children of the Titans. All… including my friend Brontes.'

'And if I kill him?'

'Then you will need to kill me. For I will surely strike you down.'

Gorgon shook his head, the snakes convulsively rising, then he knelt by Brontes. 'What are we to make of this, brother?' he asked. 'A Human is prepared to die for you. How far have we fallen that we should earn their pity?'

Glancing up at Parmenion he shook his head once more. 'You will have my answer come the dawn. Enjoy the moments before then.'

Parmenion moved to Brontes, helping the minotaur to his feet. His chest and back showed a score of shallow cuts and he was bleeding freely.

'What happened?' asked Parmenion as he led the minotaur back to where Thena slept.