Minotaur (29 page)

“Tell me,” I demanded.

“Guards have entered the labyrinth,” he said, his eyes wide with excitement. “Sons of maggots. I will send them all to Tartarus.”

“What?” At first, I didn’t think I’d heard him correctly. Why would guards be in the labyrinth? After our last confrontation, I didn’t think they’d dare. I was clearly wrong.

“They descended down the rope just as I was leading the last tribute away from the trapdoor. There were many of them,” said Theseus. “I thought about staying to fight, but I was unarmed, and I had to get the others to safety.”

“Are they out yet?” I asked, meaning the tributes. Thankfully, Theseus understood.

“That’s the other bad news,” said Theseus. The glint in his eye told me he was almost enjoying this. “The far end of the escape tunnel is blocked. It looks like someone has put a huge boulder against it. No one is getting out of there. There was no sign of Phaedra or your brothers.”

I shook my head in confusion. I didn’t understand what had gone wrong but it was clear that Minos had discovered our plot. He was not about to risk either myself or the tributes escaping, especially when he had Theseus in his grasp. Like most Kings of that age, Minos relied on one simple rule: when in doubt, kill everyone. From experience, King’s tend to rely on this type of plan all too often.

I thought quickly. “Did you wind up the thread?” If I understood correctly, all the tributes would now be gathered at the entrance to the escape tunnel. The thread would lead the guards directly to them.

I saw realization dawn on Theseus’s face. I almost felt sorry for him.

“No,” he said finally. “I must have dropped it when I saw the guards.”

“Then, I guess we’ll have to stop them,” I said.

A lesser man—or perhaps a wiser one—would have immediately argued against this plan. Theseus and I were heavily outnumbered. We couldn’t hope to defeat them all. But this was Theseus. He was a hero and not very bright to boot. He took this news in his stride.

“You haven’t got any weapons by chance?” he asked hopefully. “If I am going to feed some men to the crows today, I’ll need more than just my fists.”

“I think, my brother, that I can help you in that regard,” I answered, smiling grimly.

We crouched in the darkness, waiting. I gripped the handle of my club nervously. It had been a long time since I’d held a weapon in my hands. I began to fidget.

“Stop that,” hissed Theseus. “They’ll hear you.” Theseus, of course, was completely composed. In contrast to me, he was absolutely still. Like a statue. His sword rested lightly in his palm, as naturally as an extension of his arm.

The waiting was getting to me, but I could hear the guards getting closer. It wouldn’t be long now.

At least we were armed. The weapons I’d taken from the guards who had killed Glaucus had finally found a use. I’d stored them in my room on a whim. I didn’t think I’d actually get to use them, but I was comforted by their presence. It was fortunate that I had them at all.

Weeks after I’d killed the guards, I finally got around to disposing of their corpses. Although they didn’t decompose like a body would have in the open air, they were still starting to smell. Not only that, but I tripped over one of them once, falling onto the body. I guess I was so used to the labyrinth that I didn’t expect to encounter a foreign object. I’d almost forgotten they were there. For anyone who has ever touched a decaying corpse, you know how unpleasant the experience could be. I don’t recommend it.

I dragged the bodies into a recess far removed from the trapdoor or my own chamber. I threw them into an untidy heap, unwilling to give them any sort of dignified rest, especially after what they’d done to Glaucus. The body of the Athenian youth I put elsewhere, adjusting his arms and legs in a dignified manner so he appeared to be sleeping. I would’ve preferred to give him a proper burial, but I lacked the means. It was the best I could do.

I almost left the weapons of the guards with their bodies. Common sense prevailed, and I eventually put them in my bedchamber. Now I was glad I had.

Flickering yellow light appeared around the corner. I could clearly hear the voices of the guards now. They sounded scared, as well they should be. They had entered the labyrinth—in all likelihood unwillingly—to face the monster. And they got something else in the bargain. They had to contend with Theseus as well, and he was not to be taken lightly.

They certainly hadn’t expected us to be armed. Whether they’d forgotten about the demise of the last guards to enter or had just overlooked that fact, it certainly gave us an advantage. There were other factors in our favor too. The corridors of the maze were relatively narrow—only the width of an average sized man stretched end to end, just enough room for two men to stand abreast. That meant they could only attack two at a time. Not only that, but I knew the labyrinth intimately. They did not. Fear also had a hand to play. Their fears threatened to unman them.

Theseus and I had just enough time to come up with a strategy of sorts. It wasn’t much of one, but it was all we had. The guards thought that the ball of thread would lead them to where the tributes would be huddling in fear. That was no longer the case.

Theseus and I had returned to the secret passage. Cries of terror from the tributes had welcomed me, but the presence of Theseus and his hurried explanation managed to settle them to a degree. They still eyed me with a combination of fear, loathing, and disgust, but I was used to that by then.

Quickly, we gathered up the thread and laid a path far removed from the Athenians. And there we lay in wait.

The first two guards, carrying torches and spears, appeared from behind a wall. Theseus and I leapt up and were onto them before they realized what was happening. Their cries and screams must have unnerved those behind because the corridor was suddenly filled with confused shouting.

Normally, their spears would’ve been a problem. They had a much longer reach than the sword and club wielded by Theseus and I. With the first two, it didn’t matter. It was over so quickly, they didn’t have time to utilize their advantage.

Even now, I was reluctant to kill. These guards were only guilty of obeying orders. Unlike the others, they had not killed my pet rat. I was not motivated by vengeance. I blocked the clumsy spear thrust and brained the guard in front of me without using unnecessary force. It was enough to knock him out, but I felt confident that I hadn’t killed him.

Theseus had no such compulsion. Unhampered by conscience, he attacked with a will, yelling and swearing, intending to kill with each thrust. He skewered the first guard and then knelt down to finish off the one I had incapacitated.

“Don’t,” I warned, knowing what he was about to do. Theseus ignored me and slit the guard’s throat.

“Go feed the crows, maggot eyes,” he said with something approaching glee.

I had no time to contemplate this though, the next two guards were upon us, and I was busy trying to save my own life.

Theseus fought with the same fury I remembered. If anything, he was a better swordsman than ever. He dispatched both guards while all I could do was keep their spears at bay. His eyes had taken on that familiar cold, furious glint. I knew better than to get in his way.

The rest of the guards retreated in confusion that was part real and part ruse. They needed to give themselves some space. I saw what the next two guards were carrying.

“Bows!” I warned.

Theseus charged anyway. His blood was up, and there was no way he was about to retreat. You have to admire that in a man.

“Come join me in Tartarus!” he roared, brandishing his sword. “You calf brained sons of dogs!”

The first arrow struck him in the lower leg. It didn’t slow him down at all. In the time it takes me to say this, two more guards were down. The rest retreated in disarray.

“Theseus!” I was shouting now. When Theseus was like this, he became almost impossible to control. “Theseus,” I said again, grabbing him by the arm.

He turned to me and raised his sword. I saw death in his eyes.

“Theseus, it’s me, Asterion. We’ll retreat and set another ambush for them.”

He narrowed his eyes and then realized what was happening. I finally saw recognition there. He nodded curtly.

I helped him down the corridor, following the thread. He was limping slightly. I heard the twang of bows behind me and felt a hot surge of pain as an arrow penetrated my back. I grunted and gritted my teeth, trying to ignore it. I had suffered worse.

I knew the other guards would be more wary now. They would not pursue us in haste. It gave us time and advantage. But we were both wounded, and there were many more guards to deal with. The labyrinth was probably filling up with more guards even as we retreated. For everyone we killed, two more joined them.

It was hopeless, but Theseus and I were both committed to fighting to our last breath. We had to protect the innocent tributes. I began to question my reluctance to kill. If I left the guards alive, they would only return to try and kill me again. I didn’t really have an option.

This place, as I had long suspected, would become my tomb. It saddened me to think it would be Theseus’s too. There was no way out of the labyrinth now. Or was there? Of course there was—the trapdoor! We just had to reach it. I felt a sudden surge of hope. If the guards were spread throughout the labyrinth looking for us and the other tributes, then perhaps the trapdoor wouldn’t be well guarded. But how to lead all the tributes there without being discovered? I gritted my teeth in frustration.

Theseus and I retreated into the darkness. After several minutes, we stopped to catch our breath and examine our wounds. The arrow had only grazed Theseus, but the wound was bleeding heavily. He staunched the bleeding with a strip torn from his loincloth. The wound on my back was a different story. The arrow was wedged firmly below my shoulder blade. I knew it hadn’t penetrated my lung or any other organ. If it had, I would have been unable to breathe. Or just plain dead.

“I have to take it out,” said Theseus, examining the wound.

“No, leave it,” I said. It hurt, but Theseus would only make it worse if he took it out. There was a chance he could cause more damage as it exited the wound. Not only that, but there was another consideration. I doubted a puncture like that would be easy to plug. I ran the risk of bleeding to death.

“Break it off instead,” I said.

“You have changed, Asterion,” said Theseus laughing happily, grabbing the arrow shaft and snapping it with a quick twist of his hands. “You have become as soft as a hag’s breasts,” He threw the arrow shaft away. If it had been him, Theseus would have insisted I take the arrow out. But that was Theseus. I, at least, tried to consider consequences. I also suspected that Theseus liked pain.

“We’ll move further into the labyrinth and ambush the sons of brainless goats again,” said Theseus firmly.

“It’s pointless,” I said wearily. “We won’t be able to defeat them all.”

“Then we will sacrifice our lives at great cost to them. We will take many to Hades with us. The crows will feast on their eyes tonight!”

Typical Theseus. You couldn’t help but admire his enthusiasm, and I certainly didn’t blame him for it. Theseus really took the expression
charmei gethosunoi
—Greek for “rejoicing in battle”—quite literally. I didn’t have the heart to point out that there were no crows down here either. He was a hero after all and a product of his own legend. He firmly believed that a hero should die in battle, taking as many enemies with him as possible. I had a more pragmatic approach—one that wouldn’t result in my own untimely and unnecessary death. I knew we were unlikely to escape the labyrinth alive, but I wasn’t prepared to throw my life away. Not when a tiny hope remained.

“There is another way,” I said.

Theseus shook his head. “No, there’s not, brother.” He touched me on the arm. “Be brave. This is our time to die. I am with you. Let’s embrace our fates together.” He laughed.

And I thought I was the crazy one.

I shook his hand off. I was beginning to get a little frustrated with Theseus’s battle lust. “The guards will follow the thread, right?” Theseus nodded. “Then,” I continued, “we won’t. We go back to the tributes and lead them to the trapdoor. They won’t be expecting that.” Or would they? Probably, but it was the only plan I had. The labyrinth, you have to remember, was huge. Even with tens or even hundreds of guards, it was unlikely we would be discovered. Until we reached the trapdoor, that is.

Grudgingly, Theseus agreed, reluctantly putting his suicide attempt on hold for the moment.

We left the path of the thread and headed back to where the tributes waited. Unfortunately, a group of guards had already found the tributes. Theseus and I knew something was wrong as soon as we neared the escape tunnel. Voices lifted in fear. Confused shouting.

We ran into the corridor where we had left the tributes. A palace guard loomed in front of us. Theseus cut him down without hesitation. Another sprang up to replace him and received the point of Theseus’s sword as his reward.

The corridor was a claustrophobic mess of bodies. Most of the tributes were kneeling. Several guards were down the far end carrying torches. Some had bows. I could see a few dead bodies lying on the ground. One of the Athenian youths was wrestling with the guards.

I was at a momentary loss as to what to do. Theseus, much more a man of action than myself, felt no such confusion.

“Go,” he commanded. “Take as many as you can and get to the trapdoor. I will hold the guards off.”

I didn’t have time to argue. I wanted to stay and help, but this was the only option. Theseus couldn’t lead them to the trapdoor. He didn’t know the way.

Using shouts and kicks, Theseus urged the nearby tributes to stand and told them to follow me. Under normal circumstances, I doubt they would have, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance.

He pushed his way through them, and I lost him in the chaotic corridor clogged with human bodies. I heard the twang of bowstrings and cries of pain.