Lion of Macedon

'Who else, my dear, but his father?'

'And how can Parmenion travel to the Underworld?'

'By dying, Derae,' said Cassandra simply.

The Temple, Spring, 356 BC

For weeks the words of Cassandra returned to haunt and torment Derae, but no matter how hard she tried she could not summon the fire woman again.

'Perhaps she was a demon,' offered Leucion, after Derae had finally confided in him.

'Would that she were,' said Derae, 'for then I would be able to dismiss her words. No, Leucion, she was no demon. I would have sensed any evil. What am I to do?'

The warrior shrugged. 'All the world's problems are not yours, Derae. Let others take up the battle. I know very little of the ways of the gods. They do not — thankfully — take too much interest in me, and for my part I avoid them utterly. But surely it is they who must concern themselves with the coming of this. . Chaos Spirit?'

'You do not know the whole story — nor will I tell it,' answered Derae, 'but Tamis and I are in large part responsible for the coming evil. Cassandra gave me advice similar to yours. But, do you not see why I cannot take it? I live to heal. I serve the power of Harmony. How could I live the rest of my life in the knowledge that I had brought such horror into the world?'

Leucion shook his head. 'Some mistakes cannot be rectified. But even so, lady, why should you blame yourself? You did not set out to do the work of Darkness.'

'No, I did not,' she agreed. 'But I was raised in Sparta, Leucion, and no Spartan would consider leaving the fight until it was won — or he lay dead upon his shield. The babe must have a chance at life. Cassandra says that if the soul is still alive when the child is born, then Kadmilos will be forced to share the body. That would give us a chance to work on the child, to hold the Chaos Spirit at bay.'

'But for this the man you love must die,' pointed out Leucion. Derae closed her eyes, saying nothing. 'I do not envy you,' said the warrior, 'but it seems there is a contradiction here.

Cassandra tells you there must be no killing, or else you serve the Darkness. Yet in order to win -

albeit temporarily — you must kill Parmenion. There is no sense in it.'

Turning away from him Derae moved to the window, staring out over the hills and the distant sea beyond. Leucion left her there and wandered out into the gardens. The roses were growing wild now, the blooms crisscrossing each other in a profusion of colours, the pathways becoming choked.

Leucion strolled up to the ramparts of the eastern wall, sitting on the parapet and gazing over the fields. Suddenly he blinked.

A man had appeared in the centre of the meadow and was walking towards the gate. Casting his eyes beyond the newcomer, Leucion scanned the ground for any dips or hollows. Surely he would have seen him when first he looked east? The stranger's tunic was bright yellow, almost gold, his hair short and grey, his beard curled in the Persian fashion. He could not have just stepped from the air, Leucion assured himself. Unless. . the warrior's mouth was suddenly dry.

Unless he was a god — or a demon.

Cursing himself for leaving his dagger in his room, Leucion ran to the parapet steps and down to the eastern gate which lay open to the fields. Stepping out, he waited for the newcomer.

'May the blessings of Olympus be upon your home,' said the stranger cheerfully.

'You cannot enter,' said Leucion. 'Be on your way.'

Sweat dripped to his eyes and he blinked it away. The man did not seem to be armed, but this was small comfort to the warrior. If this stranger was a demon, he would need no sword to despatch a human opponent.

'I come seeking the Healer,' the man said. 'Is she here?'

'There is no one here but me. Now go — or work your sorcery and be damned to you!'

'Ah,' said the man, smiling, 'I see you observed my arrival. I am no threat to you or the lady who dwells here. You could say I am a friend. An ally.'

Leucion's face darkened. 'Friend, you are hard of hearing. If you do not turn away, I will be forced to fight you.'

The stranger backed off a step. 'How can I convince you? Wait! I have it.' Lifting his hand to his breast, he closed his eyes. Leucion felt a weight in his right hand, and glancing down saw that he now held a gleaming short sword. 'There,' said the man. 'Is that more comfortable?'

'Who are you?'

'My name is Aristotle. And think on this, friend, had I wished to harm you I could have made the sword appear — not in your hand — but in your heart. Yes? And another point to consider, the last time someone came here intent on bringing harm to the Healer, she needed no help, did she, Leucion? When you and your friends sought to rape and kill her? You remember?'

Leucion dropped the sword and staggered back. 'I… I have tried to atone for that day.'

'And you have done well,' the man said, walking through the gateway. 'Now show me to her, there's a good fellow. Ah, I see there is no need.'

Leucion swung to see Derae standing on the pathway. Wearing a new gown of glimmering green, her hair shining gold and silver in the sunlight, she looked to Leucion indescribably beautiful.

'What do you want here?' she asked the stranger.

'I wish to talk of times of peril, my dear.'

'You are not of the Source,' she said, her voice cold.

'Neither am I of Chaos. I am my own man.'

'That is not possible,' she told him.

'All things are possible, but let us say that I dwell upon the borders of both lands, serving neither. Yet we have a common purpose, Derae. I have no wish to see Kadmilos take on the mantle of flesh.'

'Why come to me?'

Aristotle chuckled. 'Enough of games, Healer! An old friend asked me to visit you, to help where I could. Her name is… was?. . Cassandra. Now may we go inside? I am hot and thirsty and my journey has been long.'

Derae was silent for a moment. Closing her eyes her spirit leapt free, merging instantaneously with the soul of the stranger. Yet, fast as she was, the man was faster still, closing vast areas of memory, locking them away from her, allowing her only to glimpse bright fragments of his life.

She withdrew from him and turned to Leucion.

'Aristotle is to be our guest for a little while, my friend. I would be grateful if you would treat him with courtesy.'

Leucion bowed. 'As you wish, lady. I will prepare a room for him.'

After Leucion had gone Derae moved to stand by the sword Aristotle had created. 'A small though clever example of power,' he said.

'Not small,' she told him, 'and let us see it for what it is.' Kneeling, she held her hand over the blade, which shimmered and changed, becoming a long black snake, its head hooded. 'Had he tried to stab you with this, the snake would have reared back and killed him.'

'But he did not,' said Aristotle lamely.

'Understand this, and understand it well. Had he died I would have sent your soul screaming into Hades.'

'The point is well taken,' he assured her.

'See that it is.'

Pella, Macedonia

'I will build him an empire," said Philip as they lay on the broad bed, his hand resting gently on Olympias' distended belly. 'He will have everything he needs.'

'You were magnificent on that first night,' she said.

'I remember nothing of it, more's the pity. But I remember the morning after. You have been a fire in my blood for two years — ever since the dream. Only the gods will know how I have missed you these last seven months. Why did you have to spend so long in Epirus?'

'I suffered problems with the pregnancy. To have travelled might have meant losing your son.'