Chapter 12
Eros looked at the Lemurian walls in the distance while a small company of riders rode out to meet him. Their banner of blue and white fluttered in the wind, and he recoiled at the sight of it: the memories of the war were all too fresh.
The lieutenant exchanged a cordial greeting upon the open field. He didn't hide from his expression the shock he felt at perceiving the condition of the royal carriage, which had broken windows and a canopy full of bullet holes. The royal escort too was splattered with mud, smelt of rain, and looked thoroughly exhausted. He might have carried his interrogatories further had he not met with a steely gaze from the cavalier. The lieutenant remained official, said little, and led the Hyperions to the Lemurian gates. Obsidian walls dwarfed the carriage. Inside, the buildings and highways were made of that same opaque rock giving the kingdom a melancholy air. They were led deeper into the kingdom until they were passing a ruin that was once a castle. Aurora glanced out of the cabriolet, and said, "What's the matter with him?"
Sabriel looked from Eros to Aurora, "Thanatos died there."
"Ah! I remember him."
Sabriel smiled, "He may have saved your life. It was he who led the last defences, all those years ago."
The princess looked at the cavalier who didn't stir, "Eros was there too."
They'd arrived at a grand square. When they rode through, Eros saw the palace before him. It possessed ornate windows, and resplendent obsidian masonry. There was a dome roof of onyx, and wonderful balconies lining the upper windows. Out of the wrought iron door, came the king. Eros absorbed in a moment the hallmark of a once brilliant warrior. He had a noble face, and bearing. His physique, now aged, was yet tall and strong, powerful. He wore a magnificent crown and walked with the aid of a golden sceptre. King Rossthof met the 85th at the entrance to his home, a little uneasily. His green eyes remained on Eros longer than the rest because in these parts, Eros's name was synonymous with the devil; the Lemurians claimed that he was a prolific widow maker during the great conflict, and called him a blood drinker. It was known Eros killed the former king, and Rossthof's elder brother, Aavak.
Eros said, "I present the princess of Hyperion, Aurora."
Aurora meanwhile had cast her eyes over her betrothed; the brothers Aavak and Rossthof were herculean in their stature, but Prince Nyx was short and thin. His skin was like a vampire's and his facial features were ugly: eyes, nose, and mouth were all of a defective kind. There was nothing regal about his posture either. In short, he was a runt, and she had to be his wife.
"I'm honoured to make your acquaintance." The king bowed to the princess, at last turning his attention from Eros; "I know you have travelled far, so we shall discuss the wedding plans tomorrow. For now the captain of my guard – Skoll - shall conduct you to your residence. You shall have all you require."
Eros once more bowed humbly. The king departed, and a small guard remained about Skoll. With king and prince now gone, Eros had time to consider the captain. He was much taller than Eros, and tremendously powerful. He wore blue trousers, a white blouse, and a blue jacket that ameliorated his physique. He had blonde hair, green eyes, and was handsome in a viking sort of way. "Follow me," he said.
The convoy set off through the Lemurian streets, and headed to a nearby residence. The fiacres rolled along a gravel courtyard that belonged to a grand house. Skoll led them inside where Aurora despaired at the dark interior. She thought the obsidian furniture looked sinister, and that the animal heads displayed on the walls were ghastly. Stomping upstairs, she locked the door, and, from the window, began to lament. If only she had one of Sabriel's pistols, she thought.
The 85th refreshed themselves. The Lemurian staff attended to washing their clothing, and had prepared fine replacements for the meanwhile. A wonderful meal was set, and so it was that the 85th sat in the main reception room talking, much more relaxed, when Eros cast his eyes in Astraea's direction. She appeared to him uncomfortable. "What's the matter?"
She paused, "I have no need to remain." Sabriel opened her mouth to speak, but Eros silenced her with a curt glance. Astraea continued, "I shall leave you now, I think, adieu."
Astraea walked towards the door, "Where will you go?" Eros asked. She paused and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, perhaps I'll find a cabaret in which to pass the evening. Then, who knows."
Once more she moved towards the exit.
"I'll come with you."
These words came from Eros's lips before even he was aware of it. For some reason this woman captivated him. It pained him to think that she might go.
Sabriel cleared her throat, and motioned to the princess's room above.
"You and Typhon can watch the princess, we'll only be a short while."
So it was that Eros and Astraea walked the Lemurian streets. They found a tavern sat on the corner of a busy cobbled street. It was made in obsidian like all the country's buildings, and inside there were long tables of wood where large jugs of beer sat. There was a buoyant mood as the people drank, laughed, and talked.
They entered, purchased a bottle of wine, and took up a seat in a quiet corner. Eros undid the cork, poured out two glasses, and began to drink. Astraea for her part was reserved; she barely touched the wine, and spoke little. She looked at Eros still less.
The knight turned his attention to the tavern instead, appreciating that Astraea needed time to grieve. The Lemurians chattered, their tongue was not too dissimilar to Hyperion's, so he understood much of the conversations taking place. They all centred upon the same subject: the Grendel. Astraea perceived the way in which he leaned forward, and the concentration upon his countenance.
The evening wore on, and Eros had fallen into a revery. He was considering the tales about the monster when - at the bar - an elderly man began to glance over. The man's face had evidently been slashed by a sabre. He spoke to others and gestured with his eyes to the foreigners. Soon there was a group of men eyeballing Eros and Astraea.
Then they came over. The scarred man thrust both hands down. He leant over the table with breath like a brewery, and snarled, "We know who you are." Eros, disturbed from his reflections, looked up. The drunkard went on, "You're Eros, aren't you?"
Eros didn't reply. His mission was the princess. It wouldn't do for him to be in a bar room brawl, potentially harming the prospects of the marriage. He thus sat, wondering how he was to extricate himself without it coming to blows.
"You killed our king," one execrated, "Murderer!" Another shouted.
The scarred man spat at Eros, then he saw Astraea.
"This your mistress?"
The actress hadn't before stirred, but now she turned to look upon the man with such an expression of hatred that had it not been for the drink, it would have certainly caused the man to reflect.
"We'll take it in turns with her," he said.
Eros opened his mouth to defend Astraea, marriage or no, he wouldn't stand for such language, but the violent expression painted on her face caused him to stop. He focused on her, but in the next moment, the serene waxen pallor returned to that ineffable mademoiselle.
The scarred man angrily thrust the table aside, glasses and bottles shattered against the tavern floor. Eros stood before 10 poniards. He was rushed, a dagger was thrust at his gut, but the swordsman threw the man off balance. The attacker lay sprawled upon the ground while Eros picked up his weapon. Another darted forward, but Eros deftly stepped aside, and bashed his head against a beam supporting the roof.
In the melee, the man with scarred countenance had perceived Eros dance through his cohort, and, thinking him to indeed be an antichrist of war, rested his eyes on his mistress. An idea struck him.
Astraea saw the man approach; she turned to face him, one long stride brought her closer. She placed her slender hand above his chest. The man looked down into her eyes, and saw a malignant smile before her fingers closed upon his chest. The last thing he heard was Astraea utter a curse, then agony rifled through him. Looking at the woman, he saw only a reaper. Then he expired upon the floor in agony.
Eros turned at the sound of a body hitting the floor, "What happened?" he said as his eyes watched the brigand convulse upon the ground.
"I don't know." Astraea feigned surprise, "Perhaps it was the drink, I didn't touch him."
The tavern emptied while Eros endeavoured to revive the man, but it was no use, he was dead. Eros cast a cursory glance over the corpse: there wasn't a mark on him.
It was already late in the evening when the couple returned home. In the aftermath of the brawl, they'd left because they thought it would be better to not be found with the body. They'd only been back less than an hour when Skoll arrived. His physiognomy was serious; he'd heard the tavern master speak of the widow maker's presence, and he'd wasted no time in rushing to meet him.
Skoll said, "I'm sorry my lords for the intrusion, but it's unavoidable." The princess heard the commotion, and stood on the landing wearing only a chemise. "There has been a terrible series of events, a man has died." Sabriel and Typhon wore a look of utter bewilderment; Aurora clutched the balustrade. "It's an unfortunate predicament, each of you enjoys certain privileges on account of the princess," Skoll motioned to the angel on the stairs. "But there has been a murder, and you stand accused."
Aurora gasped, she might be saved. It might stifle the wedding.
Eros replied simply, "It's nonsense, I might have killed the whole lot of them had I willed it, but I didn't." Skoll perceived the strength with whom he had to deal. Eros continued, "They attacked us, we defended ourselves, and no more. We'll answer any questions, and you shall learn that on this night, not my hands nor those of Astraea, have been stained by innocent blood."
"I value your candour Eros, ask I will of both of you." Skoll motioned to his guards, they conveyed Eros and Astraea into separate rooms. Sabriel, Typhon and Aurora remained in the main parlour, awaiting the results of Skoll's inquiries.
The Beowulf headed both investigations, which lasted roughly half an hour each, but to his dismay both accounts perfectly corroborated one another. There hadn't been time to concoct a false tale in such minute detail. This, together with the lack of physical evidence on the body, led to the inevitable conclusion that they were innocent.
All gathered in the living room, Skoll said, "The dead one, and his cohort cause a lot of trouble, but murder is murder. We were obliged to investigate, and all fingers pointed in this direction." Skoll paused. "I apologise your highness for the intrusion at this late hour, it's clear there's no murderer here."
A smile played upon Astraea's lips.
Skoll bowed, and took his leave. The 85th were much relieved because had they jeopardised the wedding, they would have had to face the wrath of a king. Aurora alone lamented, her eyes were fixed on the mantlepiece where one of Sabriel's pistols rested.
Chapter 13
The brunch buffet was set in the king's hall. Wooden panelling covered the lower half of the stone walls, while paintings of up to 10 feet made up the remainder. The ceiling was supported by intricate beams of wood, and the visible parts of the ceiling had had an artist's brush pass over them. The dining table was tremendous in its dimensions, and presently seated about 3 dozen people. The king and queen were at the centre, to the right were Aurora and Nyx. Skoll was beside him with the royal guard. Eros sat opposite the princess together with Typhon and Sabriel. They were as close to the king as any, which was a great credit of the Lemurians to have done so.
Brunch passed amiably. The king and queen were engrossed in conversation with their guests, who for their part, played their quasi-ambassadorial role well. The princess, however, afflicted Nyx in the worst possible way by way of replying to his efforts at starting a conversation with monosyllables. The young prince was much put out by the brusqueness of her manner.
The meal ended, Lemurian royalty made their exit leaving only the 85th, Aurora, Skoll and his guard. He asked if the Hyperions required anything before he too took his leave. Eros said, "Last night in the tavern, there was speak of a Grendel. What were the people talking about?"
"There have been some incidents of late." The captain's voice was grave and serious. Eros for the first time saw the Beowulf uneasy, which only served to encourage the cavalier to probe further. Privately he hoped that there was a connection. With the princess safely delivered to Lemuria, he was already planning his next mission. Sabriel and Typhon exchanged a look because they knew what their old friend was about, that his quick mind was onto something. They just didn't know what.
"Villages have been attacked, burned to the ground. The people murdered," Skoll looked at Eros. "People fear Grendel's hand, but I prefer to stay away from the paranormal and instead look for a human hand in it all. There have been Lemurians who've remained loyal to the old regime. They follow King Aavak posthumously, and I believe they are behind this."
"What's being done to stop them?" Typhon asked.
"We are committing all resources into investigating the attacks, but the villages are burned, and the people killed. There isn't much to go off."
Eros said, "Someone is going through an awful lot of trouble to hide their tracks. Whoever is behind this is upto something."
"They're fanatics, no more. There's no greater objective than to cause mayhem and panic."
Eros caressed his chin while Sabriel, and Typhon waited for his mind to make the connections. Astraea meanwhile understood in that moment the perspicacity of her master. Somehow he knew that Eros would be quick to catch on.
"Have you got a map?" Eros said at last. "An old one preferably."
Skoll was surprised by the peculiar request, but as the man bearing ultimate responsibility in discovering the perpetrator of these attacks, he more than any, needed answers. When the distraction of the wedding was over, the people's minds would return to discontent at the lack of progress the investigation was making, so he sent for the map. It was brought, and was then sprawled out across the buffet table.
The map was ancient, the land different. Forests which were now gone existed on the decaying parchment; the same was true of lakes, roads and houses, the kingdom's borders were even changed. Eros asked Skoll to reference where the attacks had taken place, and, as he'd expected, the locations of the attacks were very specific, and very methodical.
"Somebody is looking for something," Sabriel said, "See the way the targets are spread out across this plain."
Eros asked, "Why is this field important?"
"It's not, except I suppose for the mad king."
"Whoever is that?" Sabriel asked.
"A long time ago - a very long time ago actually," Skoll corrected himself, "there was a great king who led our armies into war. It was said that upon one of his campaigns, he uncovered a great treasure. None but the king himself knew what it was, and unfortunately, in his old age, he went mad."
"Hence the mad king."
"Yes, one night, when nothing filled the sky but the moon and stars, he left the castle walls, walking out upon this plain." Skoll pointed to the map, "He took with him his treasure. It was said that night a star swelled in size, beginning as stars do, tiny dots burning in the night. But it grew, until at last, trailing cosmic dust, it came crashing through the sky. The king stood in his nightgown, and embraced the fallen star."
"La! He was mad!" Sabriel exclaimed.
"He was never seen again, nor his treasure."
Eros was again silent. He thought about mythology, Uroboros and a mad king. There was someone who thought them more than mere myths, and was trying to lay his hand on the items they left behind. It was chimerical, something that existed only in the mind, and the knight doubted himself because of this, but the mage in the woods was real, so too was the shrine and the inscriptions, so too were the scorched villages. Perhaps it was only fanatics, it would cost him little to be sure of the matter.
"It is only legend, it isn't real," Skoll said perceiving Eros's mind at work.
"We can confront whoever is behind this," Eros said.
"We can?" Typhon interjected.
"See how the plain has been searched, it's readily apparent that whoever is behind this will next strike here," the parchment crinkled beneath Eros's finger. "We head there, and meet them."
"We," said Typhon again as if Eros hadn't heard him the first time, "Aren't we supposed to be watching the princess as per our royal mandate." Typhon paused before continuing, "If we jeopardise this marriage, we might lose our heads."
Eros had been whipped up into the hands of fate. There was nothing he, nor anyone could do about that. There was just something that he wasn't even conscious of that compelled him to hunt this particular adversary. "Don't you want to face the mage again? Think what she did to Idris?"
Typhon lowered his head, "But what about the princess?"
"She's fine, the Lemurians won't allow any harm to come to her."
Aurora's pallor turned from a placid white, to red, "I'm not fine. I hate it here. If I am made to stay, I will kill myself." The girl, dressed like a queen, shook with rage. She produced a knife that she had snatched from the brunch table and concealed beneath the sleeves of her dress, "Here is the knife with which I will do it!"
Eros, caught off guard by Aurora's resolve, and slight delirium, quickly disarmed the girl. Still close to her, he saw that her eyes remained fixed on the sharp blade. "If not the knife, I will find another way."
"Alright!" Eros conceded, seeing that Aurora's resolve was not to be questioned. "But remember that your death would likely bring about that of everyone else here."
Astraea smiled because she admired the girl's courage. "I will journey with you also," she voiced, "I believe the creatures from the village worked for whoever is behind this. I have avenged my people upon the mesmers, but not on the hand that moved them, only when I do, will my soul find peace."
Skoll reluctantly acceded to the Hyperion's plan.