The Experience of Being Alive

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“I’ll say this Binny. It looks like you’re on the right track.” Katniss said.

The moment they walked through the break in the low stone wall that the Sphinx had been blocking, the landscape transformed into a hilly, rocky terrain. Green and gray were everywhere, and things felt damp. The desert was long gone.

“What makes you say that?”

“This little quest of yours, we’re looking for characters that have been in the Stacks since before Michel here, right?” 

“Right.”

“You just met your first one.”

“The Sphinx?” Binny asked.

“Yep. The Sphinx is from ancient Greece.” Katniss said. Twenty-five-hundred years old. That’s a rough count mind you. She’s from Oedipus I think.”

“Not exactly.” Michel interjected. “She is mentioned in the Sophocles plays, but the actual description of Oedipus and the Sphinx was in an Aeschylus play that was lost.”

Everyone stared at Michel.

“I told you I have a fondness for ancient literature.”

“You could have told me that before I went and faced off with that thing.” Katniss was indignant.

“You seemed to have it well in hand.” Michel smiled.”

“Thanks to Binny anyway.” Katniss said sheepishly.

“Yes Binny. You seemed to know just what to say, except for one thing.” Hermione said. “Why didn’t you ask the Sphinx whatever it is you’re trying to find out while you had her? Wasn’t finding an older character the entire point of this little ‘adventure’?” Hermione’s tone made it clear what she thought of their adventure so far.

“Honestly Hermione, that wasn’t top of my mind when I was looking at its claws and trying to figure out that riddle.” Binny put her hands on her hips.

“Well what next then? How much more of this lunatic journey are we going to go on?” Hermione demanded.

THWACK. A burning arrow landed right at their feet.

Binny screamed.

“INCOMING!” Arya yelled. “RUN!”

The five of them ran. Arya led, jumping from rock to rock, avoiding small obstacles, her movements more animal than human. The others could barely keep up.

Behind them, a new hail of arrows appeared – some burning, some not. After the sound of the arrows a new and scarier sound appeared, thunder. Not thunder exactly, but something thunderous. A pounding. A beating of the ground.  And then shouting. It was indecipherable. But the voices were men’s voices. They were angry. Yelling. Grunting.

As they ran in front of a tree, there were more arrow sounds, but this time they landed well in front of them, not in back. Suddenly, a body fell to the ground right in front of Arya with an awful thud.

An archer had been up in the tree shooting at whatever was behind them. Apparently the fighters behind them had their own archers and had tired of the arrows coming from the tree. They’d sent a volley of their own and the result was the dead archer before them. An arrow stuck out of his head. It had pierced him right between his eyes.

Binny wanted to throw up. The others didn’t look much better.

“Keep running.” Arya yelled. And they did. Arya in the lead, and Katniss in the rear. Only Katniss paused for a moment inspecting the man that had just died at their feet.