The Gift From Poseidon: When Gods Walked Among Us (Volume 2) (30 page)

Adamarcus quickly stumbled up and joined Taharqa and Persepolis at the open window.  Luckily, every scratch and cut was on Adamarcus’ much tougher horsehide.  There was a good bit of blood smeared on him, but he felt barely any pain from his wounds.

“WHOA!” Taharqa shouted.  “It must be five pike lengths down, yet the monster made the leap as if skipping down a few steps!”

As if it wished to watch until the dawn commanded it not to, the moon was now out in its fullest glory.  The monster still held Evagoria and now scampered further west atop the rooftops below.

“Oh no!” Adamarcus gasped.  “Why is Evagoria not moving?”

“When you rushed the monster,” Persepolis said quickly, “I saw her head get knocked against the stone side of the window.  I think she is just unconscious.”

“I hope so,” Adamarcus begged.  A sudden urge to continue the chase coursed through him.  “Its continuing west – come on, we can’t give up now!”

With just a couple of leaps and bounds, they landed at the bottom of the western ramp and now bolted into the bowels of the palace.  And what they saw was pure chaos.  Comings and goings of Mermaids and Gryphons in every direction – they seemed to possess no direction at all!  They were leaderless, but Adamarcus would fix this.  He pushed Taharqa one way while he and Persepolis leaned to go the other.

“Taharqa – find Perseos or Theodoric,” Adamarcus shouted over the clatter of the others around them.  “Let them know what direction the monster is headed.  Tell them,” he gulped harder than a Yeturi is nasty, “tell them it has Evagoria, but that she is alive.”  Taharqa nodded and peeled off to find his target.

Adamarcus and Persepolis exited the main palace hall in a mad sprint.

“Although brave, lunging at a Yeturi is really not all that brilliant!  Maybe I should be the one to do so next time?”

Although he would usually smile at this quip, Adamarcus could not muster one.

“Careful what you wish for, my friend!” he shot back through gritted teeth.  Adamarcus was no longer fearful, but angry that the monster dared steal Evagoria.  “Many years left to live, you might someday get your chance to be beaten up by not just one Yeturi, but a whole troop of them!”

A towering glacier of filth that now grips my beloved twin sapphires and countless ropes of gold in its greedy claws; wretched head raised to the sky – “SMILE YOU SON OF THE DEVIL!”

– Adamarcus, Aeropid Centaur

– Mid-Fall, Year 4,253 KT
[30]

A shadowy form from high above blocked out the fading moonlight.  The marble avenue where Adamarcus and Persepolis ran suddenly turning as black as pitch – both looked up and saw a stunning sight.  Many dozens of Mermaids mounted on Gryphons soared through the air in search of their treasured princess.  Armed with far more knowledge of the city’s layout than the brute they chased, Adamarcus knew it would not be long before they cornered the beast.

“THEY FOUND HER!  THEY FOUND HER!” Persepolis shouted as Gryphon screeches tore about the sky.  “Come on, Centaur!  FASTER!  FASTER!”  The soaring Mermaids and Gryphons soon far ahead of them, Adamarcus galloped as swiftly as he could, but felt as if a sloth compared to Persepolis.

Eight legs better than four at least on this day – a breeze to help push him along or at least dry the sweat dripping from his body would be nice!

As they drew closer to the screams, screeches, and growls no longer trying to outrun them, Atagartis grew uglier.  Despite the terror dead ahead, Adamarcus immediately noticed and found strange this city blight; he had never seen a part of the Mermaid capital that was neither polished nor gleaming.  As he and Persepolis arrived at the crowded scene, he refocused on Evagoria and pushed this quirky thought out of his mind.

The Yeturi now found itself backed into the deepest part of an emptied pool.  This pool was at least three pike lengths deep and owned a filthy, sloping bottom that looked as if drained ages ago.  Adamarcus watched Diedrika and Theodoric arrive on one end of the pool; right after, he noticed Perseos and Xavier land on the opposite side.

Evagoria still draped over its shoulder, the hunted looked up with pleading eyes.  The many hunters who now formed a tight circle above and around the monster glared back.  Every Mermaid atop his or her Gryphon holding a drawn bow, twitching fingers begged Diedrika to order them to slay the wicked thug clutching their gift from Poseidon.

“Give the word, my queen, and I will carve up the monster myself!” Xavier screamed as he thrust a claw skyward, its talons outstretched.  From the lip on other side of the pool, Judiascar’s roar ending in a piercing screech shredded the air around them.

Trapped and Evagoria its only bargaining chip, the begging eyes of the monster turned to that of pure fury.  It shifted the princess and now draped her across its front.  She moaned as it did this, but then turned silent once more.

Thank the gods – she was still alive!

Evagoria’s back across one arm and body curved downward, her flukes scraped along the pool bottom’s scruffy surface.  The troll then pushed the sharpened nails of its free claw against Evagoria’s graceful neckline.

The air suddenly turned colder.  Connecting clouds of frost now following every heaving breath out of the monster’s mouth ––

Were the greedy, grimy fingers of the Grim closing in on the crumbling pool?

“Lower your weapons my archers,” Diedrika commanded in a trembling voice.  “Look closely at the thick crown atop the beast’s head.  There is no ‘kill shot’ from above and I do not wish to mourn a decapitated daughter.”

These Mermaid archers cursed and groaned as they lowered their weapons, but the Yeturi kept the same menacing stance and stare.

Adamarcus swiveled in every direction.  Taharqa having finally caught up to them, he and Persepolis moved in for a closer look.  Now alone and confused, for the first time in his life, the polymath who was supposed to know everything had no clue as what to do next.

“If you have the courage to be a hero, I can show you how,” said a soft voice behind him.  Adamarcus spun around and locked worried eyes with Penelope.  She turned slightly so that he could see what she had strapped across her back: a compound bow with arrows at the ready.  “As historian, I am forbidden to place myself in danger, but this does not mean I cannot help.”

“I’ll do whatever I have to if it means saving Evagoria.”

“We’ll see about that now, won’t we?”  Penelope looked all around, but none looked back; all eyes on the Yeturi, no one cared about them or their conversation.  She then pointed to where its feet met the pool bottom and Adamarcus’ gaze followed.  “The ogre straddles a drain.  If you have the courage to enter the dingy pipe that leads to this drain, if you have the courage to risk your own life to save Evagoria,” she smirked as if doubting his resolve, “then follow me.”

With a stiff nod, Adamarcus bid Penelope to lead the way.

The snarky Mermaid had obviously not noticed the bloodied claw marks across this Centaur’s lower chest!

The entry into the pipe was about fifteen pike lengths away from the horrifying scene.  Drains such as the one Penelope pointed out scattered about the pool bottom; because Centaurs had built much of Atagartis, the pipes that led to these drains tended to be large enough for one to fit through.

As Adamarcus and Penelope scuttled clumsily through this sneaking path below the pool bottom, he heard various shouts and growls above them.  He needed to hurry – with each passing moment, the monster sounded angrier, and this put Evagoria in even more danger than she was already in.

Dusty shadows helping to hide them, they were now just below the Yeturi.  Through the long, narrow slits in the drain, Adamarcus had a clear view of the happenings above.  The monster growled and howled even more than before.  A couple of times it took threatening steps toward the others, but would then retreat.

“You only get one shot at this, Centaur,” Penelope hissed as she handed her bow and two arrows to Adamarcus.  These were standard wooden arrows, but talented Mermaids could bronze-make their own when needed.  A bronze-made arrow was more deadly at close range because it was heavier, but less accurate.  And if he needed anything now, it was accuracy.

“I need no others.”  These words spoken with pure confidence, Adamarcus practically choked on such hubris.  Penelope’s crooked smirk confirmed what they both already knew:

He was a terrible liar.

Adamarcus quickly inspected the bow.  Its limbs of a darker brown than most he had seen other Mermaids use, he preferred a reflex recurve bow, but this simple recurve one was actually better at close range.  Obvious to all from an early age that Adamarcus would not have the size and strength to be part of a phalanx unit, let alone lead one as his father had done, Viracocha encouraged him to focus on archery.  Adamarcus considered himself a decent archer and practiced often, but he was no Orion.

His face firm, the rest of him shook wildly.  Sheets of sweat poured from every part of Adamarcus’ body and rightfully so.  He feared for the loss of not only the love of his life, but for his own life as well.  If he struck down the Yeturi and saved Evagoria, the Mermaids would hail him as a hero.

Fail and the monster kills her in a fit of rage
….

His father would then welcome his son home in fleshy, shredded scraps.  All or nothing, kill or be killed.  Despite these chilling thoughts, Adamarcus loaded both arrows into the compound bow.  With the arrow points poking through a slit in the drain, he stood ready to save
his
Evagoria.

The Yeturi now rocked back and forth.  It stomped forward to chase one group of warriors, stopped, and then acted in the same threatening manner toward another group.  Once there was no one left to taunt, it again withdrew to the deepest part of the pool.  With each next squeak, click, and squeal, the greedy savage clutched Evagoria ever closer.  Mermaids and Gryphons alike uneasily watched the increasingly crazed ogre.  Its howls and growls were even louder than the restless chatter of those determined to destroy it.  Just as it appeared everyone was about to pass out from the heightened anticipation of the harrowing crisis, a single scream silenced all:

“MMIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNEE!”

Every Mermaid within earshot gasped.  Those not atop a Gryphon appeared as if any slight breeze would knock them backward.  Adamarcus shocked as well, he now tipped his gaze in Queen Diedrika’s direction.  Ashen faced and miserable, she placed both shaking hands over her chest.  After some moments of dead silence, piercing words dripping in absolute astonishment finally escaped her trembling lips….

“
It speaks!
”

This awed reaction appeared to empower the Yeturi.  It straightened itself up.  Next, it surveyed all around it as if a hunter trying to decide what to chase first.  With a cavernous breath, the monster then tilted its head upward to face the coming dawn.

Adamarcus focused as never before on the hulking beast; only its massive head interfered with a perfect view of the blood red sky that now seeped from the heavens above.  His arrows still pointed at his mark, as if he had just exited the sea, he dripped in sweat from his forehead to his knees.

“Come on, you fiend,” Adamarcus whispered angrily through clenched teeth.  “Do it, do it again … come on.…”

Ready to announce its claim on who it and Adamarcus treasured most a second time, the monster opened its mouth wide.

“I dare your filth to say but
one
…
more
––”

Adamarcus released the bowstring.  The arrows had plenty of thrust behind them, but something even more powerful than the force that launched these missiles forward made them soar skyward so splendidly.  Although the terms of their creation promised to keep her forever out of his reach, Adamarcus loved Evagoria.  Unconditionally.  No matter what.  Since he first saw her in the spring at that fountain all by herself until he choked on his last breath. 
This
was why both arrows embedded themselves deep inside the roof of the monster’s mouth. 
This
was why, one after the other, a much harder thud followed a softer one.

“
Mine.
”

Now covering most of the drain opening, Evagoria’s limp body blocked his view.  Adamarcus took in the deepest breath he could and wisps of her sweet smelling hair wafted through his nose.  Although he could no longer see the Yeturi, he knew he felled it; piercing screams mixed with raucous cheers from above had told him so.  Adamarcus now spun around to face Penelope.

“
Come on,
Historian!  OUT!  OUT!  OUT!”

Desperate to escape the cramped pipe, Adamarcus gave Penelope a few forceful pushes for good measure.  Once they emerged, he stood triumphantly over the pipe’s entrance.  He admired his kill, but also feared for the ‘dropped’ princess.

Adamarcus rushed toward the decrepit pool.  A woozy Evagoria now leaned on her right elbow next to the nearly dead Yeturi.  As he approached, he could see the arrow shafts peek out from inside its nasty mouth.  The heavy arrow points, forged and sharpened by Gryphon bronzesmiths, rested deep inside a brain Adamarcus knew had somehow been corrupted.  As its last act, the fallen monster wrapped a single clawed digit around some of Evagoria’s yellow locks and, with a final gurgle, exhaled its ending breath.

Mermaids and Gryphons alike swooped in and shoved the dead Yeturi away from Evagoria.  Out of the corner of his eye, Adamarcus noticed a handful of Gryphons led by Xavier escape with the dead monster’s body.  He could only imagine in what sick and twisted way they would defile it, but after a flicker of thought in regards to Gryphon history, he had a pretty good idea.

Perseos held up his wobbly granddaughter as Adamarcus and Taharqa untied her bindings.  They then lifted Evagoria up and carried the princess to her eager parents.  Persepolis proudly followed just behind.  Actions such as this one were what heroes had the privilege of doing and all others watched in silence as they did so.  They set Evagoria down at her mother’s side and she now stared groggily at each of them.  After a few moments to focus, tears began to stream down Evagoria’s flawless face.  First Persepolis, then Taharqa, then Adamarcus, she gave each of her friends a long hug.

“For each of you to risk your lives,” she whimpered between sniffles, “to save mine.…”

Those watching did not know the three friends had stepped in on the Yeturi in the act of kidnapping Evagoria, but soon would.  Grand stories such as this one were told quickly and forgotten slowly.

Amongst so many tears now bursting forth, Evagoria could not continue.  If not for Diedrika tenderly holding the princess in her arms, she most likely would have collapsed to the ground.  How Evagoria gripped her Queen Mother; to Adamarcus, she appeared as if an overwhelmed toddler frightened to let go.  Zacharias leaned in and rubbed his mane against Evagoria’s elbow, but she barely seemed to notice.

Theodoric stepped in front of the heroic trio.  He then placed a firm hand on each of the inner shoulders of Persepolis’ Centaur bookends.

“You have shown us all great courage,” Theodoric kindly told them, “that neither grateful eyes nor scribed plates will ever forget.  Our Gift from Poseidon safe because she has so wisely befriended such brave heroes … thank you, my friends.”