"Eos" Cyrus was stood next to her cage, a smug look on his face.
"Cyrus" Eos yawned as she sat up, taking a glance over at Glaukos who hadn't woken yet - he'd been up most of the night moaning about his leg, these little twinges of pain making it impossible to sleep.
"It seems our time together has come to an end" Cyrus said - he almost sounded a little disappointed. He was. He may never be able to see what ended her.
"Finally got the message" Eos asked. Cyrus smiled,
"The message has been loud and clear the whole time" Cyrus agreed, "if it was my decision, you'd already be dead" - how nice Eos had thought,
"After everything we've been through together" Eos asked - he'd been tolerant of her once, maybe it was because she threw up his food so much... "and you still want me dead" Eos sighed, "now that's a shame",
"Oh Eos, eventually they'll see you for who you truly are" Cyrus said, he smiled and looked over at Glaukos. Eos, he'd always thought it, was useless to them but, Glaukos. Glaukos would have been a mind that would have helped them in their desires and their wills. The Herald had almost came himself to take the boy - it was Amorges who had stopped him.
"It's not my fault if everyone else is blind to what's in front of them" Eos said, gesturing to the world, she shrugged a shoulder "you get used to it though".
"Ahh yes, your path was ever so successful wasn't it" he put his hands behind his back as he stepped over to Galukos' cage, "of showing the truth to those that were blind to it" Cyrus said,
"At least I tried" Eos said quietly - which, was all she had now...
They'd all died but, perhaps her efforts had given them a little more sliver of peace before it had happened... That someone had cared enough to try... when no one else would... Perhaps it was always meant to happen, to punish her for the things she'd done... Maybe it only gave her that little more motivation to get out, to live...
Except, Eos didn't know how to. The last few days, she'd figured that something was coming - she'd overheard Cyrus saying he was to leave, that the prisoners, the Persian up top, would be dealt with soon, that their problems would be fixed. Eos didn't know what that meant either. Honestly, she didn't know if what he was saying was even true. Cyrus never seemed to try and hide the words he said, as if he wanted them to hear them.
"Perhaps you'll see the truth before you die too" Cyrus suggested, "Its the only thing you'll have left" Cyrus glanced back at her,
"I don't care if you see the truth before you die" Eos shrugged, "Hopefully it'll be my face though".
Just for spite...
***
The two siblings waited until darkness fell to launch their attack.
They'd spent the day waiting, watching. The patrols were thin for such a large outpost - which they knew had to be for a reason but, on that front, the words spoken by the Perisan soldiers had been quiet. One of them had only mentioned that a group of them had left the night before, that they were going to Messenia, along with a few men who had arrived that morning.
It gave Kassandra a point of reference for next time, for when Darius and Natakas were safe.
She'd rid Greece of this Order just as she was the cult.
And, if her brother chose to, she was sure he'd follow her to. For revenge, for answers, Alexios still wasn't sure yet but, he couldn't rest until he did.
Kassandra had glanced at her brother before they planned to part ways. For a time, she'd seen a different person, overwhelmed, secluded, broken, lost and now... now she did not flinch at the thought of him killing, of taking lives, of the blood he could wear so easily, she realised it would only leave room for Deimos to return...
But if it were the only the Order, the Cult, on the end of his sword, did it matter....
What would happen when it was none of that left...
Once the two of them were sure they knew the routes the men would take, Kassandra and Alexios went their separate ways. Kassandra stayed on the walls, taking out the look-outs quickly and quietly, giving her brother better access to the torch-lit guards who wandered below.
Grabbing his first masked guard, Alexios dug Eos' dagger through their back, a new love for how the small gasp left a persons body, before he broke their neck. The guards body went limp, letting him pull them backwards, laying them down amongst the brush he had hid in.
From their scout around, they'd found there to be twelve or so guards that were always on patrol and, about six others who would routinely change over for them.
It sounded like a lot but, with the place being so huge, the guards were scattered around, only passing each other every so often.
So, by the time they realised some thing was up, there wouldn't be enough of them left to do anything.
After ensuring that those that walked the outer walls were out of action, Kassandra found her way in to one of the many temple-like structures that dotted the Fort.
Her spear ended the lives of three sleeping Persians. She pierced one heart, one neck, and the last, found the spear going threw his mouth as they woke to the delayed spluttering of one of his dead friends.
Alexios on the other hand had taken out his third wanderer when he overheard a couple of them talking as they crossed paths.
"How long are we going to keep them here" the smaller of the two had asked.
"Until Amorges says so" the larger one replied, as if he'd answered the question too many time already. "Now. Get back to your patrol. The eagle-bearer could come at anytime",
"She's all alone now" the guard shrugged, "who is she going to bring as back-up? An old sea Captain". He'd sounded so sure of himself.
Which only meant that Alexios took a little more enjoyment in killing this one, spinning him around and watching as his eyes flashed through surprise, desperation, shock and then finally, death, all in a few seconds.
Alexios had no doubt that Barnabas would have tried his very best but, well, he was much more suited for the job.
It was then he heard his sisters signal, a small whistle that indicated that she could see Darius and Natakas. The larger guard had looked up, wondering if it had been a bird or one of the men when Alexios had stuck the dagger in to his back to.
The temple Darius and Natakas were being kept in, the both of them bound at the ankles and wrists, was empty except for them. They were being overlooked by the shrine of Herakles/
Darius had seen Kassandra first, the tired eyes of the old man taking only a moment to widen, a gesture Kassandra knew meant something was behind her.
Turning, Kassandras blade clashed with one of the masked mens sword and he fell back from the shock, giving time enough for Kassandra to get a swing in before they were back on their feet, their shield held high.
Thinking fast, Kassandra tossed a dagger towards Darius and Natakas and, the old man flopped towards it, lying atop of it before he spun around, the blade in his hands as he started to cut at the bindings around his wrist. Natakas was shimmying over to him, a continuous "Quick, quick, quick", coming from his mouth.
The move had distracted the man for a moment, letting Kassandra take a swing at the shield, making the mans arm vibrate and giving Kassandra just enough time to cut through a blind spot and stick her spear in to the man's leg. She used her sword to stop his cry as she rammed it through his mouth, the sword splitting as it went through the small opening in the mask but, killing him all the same.
Kassandra had liked that sword but, she quickly decided it wasn't right for the life she lived.
Darius was just taking the bindings off his feet when Kassandra joined him.
"I'd like to point out that it almost went to plan" Kassandra told him as she knelt down and undone the bindings on Natakas feet,
"I'm just glad you're here" Natakas said. Kassandra smiled but, Darius was happy to ruin that mood.
"It was stupid" Darius said, "and far too risky",
"So was throwing my brother off a ship in to shark infested waters" Kassandra said as she helped Natakas on to his feet.
Darius smiled a little.
Myrines words, her actions, they'd stuck with him and, he knew that, unlike him and Natakas, the Order would not have given Alexios anymore mercy than the rest of the stranded they'd slaughtered on that boat. If they had found him, they would have killed him. He was more of a liability to them than Kassandra was.
And Myrine had given her life because of him, because of her want to keep him safe and, he'd admired her too much for her sacrifice to be in vain.
"Come on. Alexios should have taken the rest of them out by now" Kassandra said, "There weren't as many as w-".
They'd heard it first, as if something was whirling through the air. The three of them had stopped, to listen, but then, a ball of fire flung itself through the door right behind Kassandra, throwing the three of them towards the wall.
"What was..." Kassandra pushed herself on to her knees. Smoke having started to fill the temple already,
"It's a trap" Darius, who was already back on his feet, said as he pulled Natakas up.
Kassandra moaned as she stood up, having watched for a moment, another ball of fire hurdling towards her before Natakas pulled her out of the way.
"I think that's our queue to leave" Natakas said quickly.
Darius nodded and they went out of the temple together, watching as another came hurdling towards them again, the three of them narrowly missing it as they jumped to the side, the ball of fire destroying the temple steps, the pillars starting to shake as a ball of fire hit something beneath them.
"Alexios" Kassandra shouted out,
"I'm here" she heard her brother say, finding him down on the ground and watching as another one of the balls of fire hurdled towards him. Kassandra had no time to warn him but, a Persian had emerged and swung for him, making it so her brother missed it by only a few inches. It had taken the two of them by surprise but, Alexios recovered faster, stabbing the man in the gut with his own sword.
Kassandra and the other two were behind him now,
"I think it's time we-".
It was as if the first few fire balls had only been for practice, the next of them coming thick and fast, smashing in to the temples, in to the floor, their aim random and destructive, taking out their own men as they tried to escape, the Persians screaming as they tried to escape.
"We need to go" Kassandra shouted over the fire to Darius,
"There are more prisoners Kassandra" Darius said, "down in the-", Darius had been pointing towards some sort of ivy hidden entrance way when a ball of fire was flung and thrown inside.
"You go" Kassandra said, "I'll get them out".
***
The three of them had been asleep when they'd heard the first explosion, the ceiling above them starting to crumble.
The guard had jumped to his feet, an imaginary sword in his hand whilst Glaukos had flinched and hit his leg out, banging it on the bars and only making it hurt more,
"Cut it off" he'd begged as Eos woke a little more softly,
"What's going on" she'd asked, looking towards the guard,
"Uhh" he looked at his empty hand and then felt the ground tremble as another explosion smashed against the outside. "I", he put his hand down and walked towards the ladder, looking up, seeing the faint bit of bright light that shouldn't have been there at this time.
And then, watched as someone started to descend.
It was Polemon.
"What going on up there" the guard asked,
"The bastards ran" he turned to Eos, pointing his finger, "You-"
It was then the ceiling, the floor, the walls, everything started to shake and, the guard had took another step forward, a bright light ambling straight for him. Crashing down in to the steep cavern, taking some of the ladder with it, the ball of fire had smashed the guard across the head before it had exploded - taking half of his face with it and, the explosion had thrown Poleman at Glaukos' cage, knocking it over.
Eos covered over her face, the smoke almost instant as she stood up and called out to her friend, the smoke already having covered the ground, covering over what she thought was an unconscious Glaukos, the cage having been splintered and broken.
"Glaukos" the smoke was starting to rise, the cavern starting to fill completely as another fell through, making her throw herself down, covering herself, "you better not be dying on me" she'd shouted through the smoke.
"I won't" Glaukos was so close, he made her jump. Using one hand to hold on to the bars, helping himself stand, he used the other to twist the key in to the lock. The door opened and she grabbed him as his legs collapsed. She dragged him from the smoke, having almost tripped over what she could only imagine had been a piece of the dead guard.
"Come on" Eos said. She tried to pull him up, to make him rest on her shoulder, "we have to get out of here",
"No" Glaukos said, he pushed her off him, "I'll only slow you down" - his leg was even more mangled than before, she'd have to drag him.
"Don't be so stupid" Eos said,
"Go, I'll be fine" Glaukos said,
"You'll die" Eos told him,
"Eos, you can't carry me, you know you can't" he looked towards the caverns - they didn't even know if it led to a way out, didn't know how long it would take if it did. "Just, go",
"I'm not leaving you" Eos told him, biting her lip, she grabbed him again and pulled him up on to his one good leg - he'd have to hop.
"Eos, we'll never get away" Glaukos moaned, "Just leave me here" Eos was shaking her head, she couldn't, "Find Kassandra. Anyone. And then come back for me" - they both knew it didn't work like that... Although, Glaukos had wondered already if this was Kassandra's doing but, as much as he didn't know about the misthios, he wasn't sure if balls of fire were really her style... Perhaps the Order had got on the wrong side of some heavy artilleries, maybe even the cult?
Eos didn't have the heart to tell him that Kassandra was one of the last people she wanted to face...
But he was right. Holding him upright was already starting to make her legs ache and, she didn't know where the cave led... If it even led to an exit... If it led to the cliff...
Hell, she didn't even know if she had enough energy to get herself out, let alone him.
Eos sighed and put him down, going back towards the smoke that was already starting to clear. Finding what was left of the guard, she grabbed his non-imaginery sword, that he hadn't removed from his belt yet and gave it to Glaukos.
"Don't die" Eos told him, swallowing back a lump in her throat - last thing she needed now was to get emotional. The lingering smoke clouded her view as it was.
"Same to you" Glaukos said, he looked to where Poleman still lay - he'd only been knocked out. "Now go". He hoped he'd find enough strength in himself to kill the man before he got up.
Eos left him, taking a glimpse behind her as she saw Glaukos move a little, as if he was pulling himself to sit up against the wall, dragging the sword behind him. She looked back to where she could feel the draft, rounding the corner.
Deeper in to the cavern, it looked as if it used to be a mine of some sort, forgotten tools collecting dust, more ladders and wooden overhangs surrounding the stone walls.
She hadn't realised how big it was.
Or, how close Polemon was...
***
Kassandra had jumped in to the cavern after realising that the ladder had burned up - followed by Alexios - despite her asking for him to go with the others.
Finding the guard and the empty cages, they'd carried on a little more, not expecting a sword to be swung at their faces as they made the first turn.
If Alexios hadn't shouted for his sister to stop, Kassandra would have sent her spear right up in to Glaukos' gut and out again - just like Akin.
Kassandra had dropped him instead, and Glaukos had landed on his leg but, he was already so pale, so in shock, he didn't even feel it.
He looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Glaukos" Alexios asked, passing his sister to look at the bearded man -dirty and old-looking... as if a witch had cast a spell on him...
"You're... you're alive..." Glaukos pushed himself up against the cavern wall, "oh my god" Glaukos put his head back, staring up at the ceiling, he couldn't believe it.
"Glaukos" Kassandra asked, "what".
Was this the prisoner Darius was on about.
"Deimos" it left his mouth so easily, so full of relief, Alexios wasn't sure how to feel, wasn't sure how to even respond. "She's alive, she's" Glaukos put his head back, pale but, smiling, "damn, you have to" he started trying to get up, the pain finally rushing threw him as he stood, his leg collapsing beneath him.
Kassandra semi-caught him,
"What are you talking about" Kassandra asked him, her brother was staring at him, as if he was still trying to work things out.
Glaukos looked to him, ignoring Kassandra.
"Eos, Eos was here. She escaped, she went" he'd gestured towards the draft, his next word having not even formed in his mouth before Alexios rushed out.
Kassandra let Glaukos fall as she tried to reach out, to call him back. It was no use. She turned back to Glaukos and grabbed him, slamming him against the wall. There was no reaction, he looked so happy, it almost made Kassandra skin crawl.
"If this is a trick-",
"It's not" Glaukos said, he took a deep breath, holding back... Tears? Kassandra let him go again. But he kept himself up, leaning against the cavern wall, a spurt of adrenalin making it hurt less for a moment. "She thought he was dead "Glaukos said, he let out a small breath, "Melaina told us",
"Melaina..." Kassandra took a step back and looked to where her brother had gone to. She looked back at Glaukos. It was then he fell forward, the adrenalin having run out, making him faint from the pain. Kassandra had let him fall to the ground - still trying to get her head around it all. She sighed, "come on then" Kassandra said, picking him up and throwing him over her shoulders, his leg now dangling at some god forsaken angle - which Kassandra tried not to dwell on.
It seemed Melaina had a lot of explaining to do...
***
Eos was finally outside, the breath of fresh air making her cough as it twisted with the smoke for a moment before she managed a deep breath in.
She had wanted to saviour the moment but, Polemon was at her heels and, she turned to go left, all she was faced with was more air and a cliff. As she turned around, she had to dodge a heavy swing from Polemon, managing to pass by him as his body swung with it, tired and hungry for a bit of blood.
The bastard had already grabbed at her ankle as he'd tried to pull her from the ladder, leading to her to twist it when she got to the top...
She was lucky Polemon was an old semi balding man otherwise he would have caught her by now.
Eos continued to run limply towards freedom, to the plain grass of the surrounding fields, Polemon still not having giving up yet. She didn't even want to look back, to the fort, to the fire she could still hear people screaming in...
She had to find somewhere to hide - perhaps she'd be able to jump him then - make it easier for herself.
It was as she got towards a small stream that she stopped, her lust to run having dwindled away, her chest starting to hurt. She'd thought that the dip would have given her enough cover to be lost in the night to Polemon but, he'd jumped her, almost landing on top of her. He'd missed it but, he was quick enough to grab her by the neck and slam her in to the ground, taking the wind out of her.
Polemon had opened his mouth but, instead of words coming out of it, the tip of a sword had, splattering Eos with blood and, coming so close to her face, she thought it'd go threw hers too.
She felt Polemon grip fail and, as the sword was pulled out, he was pulled from her too.
Eos rolled away as she saw the dark figure behind them, seeing the dagger they held in their other hand.
She'd stood up, the want to keep running overtaking her but then,
"Eos".
They said her name so softly, so gently - like they were asking if she was there...
It couldn't be.
Perhaps she was dead. Perhaps Polemon had strangled her to death just in time.
"Eos, please" it was that same beg, that same need in his voice - the one she missed so much - this couldn't be real.
Alexios reached out and touched her shoulder, making Eos flinch.
He stopped, sheathing his sword as Eos shook, looking back slowly.
"D..." she couldn't even get the word out, she hadn't said it out loud for such a long time..
"Eos" another voice called her now.
Kassandra...
Eos looked to her, Glaukos being held around her shoulders... He was alive... She could see him muttering...
This was real... It had to be...
Now though, she was almost too afraid to look back, the thought that she'd not see him, that he had only been in her imagination. She'd done so well at keeping it away, the thoughts, the sadness... it had been hard at first but, she'd been able to bury it, to leave it there for a time when she was ready to dig it up and finish dealing with it...
"Eos" his voice called her eyes to him again.
He was here...
Alexios reached out again and Eos shook her head,
"You're... You're not..." she swallowed back the lump in her throat, her eyes starting to sting as she held everything back.
The hurt, in his eyes, this was real... it wouldn't, it couldn't hurt so much if it wasn't... could it?
"He's real Eos" Kassandra said, her bottom lip starting to quiver. She couldn't believe Eos was real too. She was almost worried that if they stepped to close, she'd vanish...
Kassandra knew that Eos was the key to what had made her brother break free, whether for good or bad, when it was just him and her, he could be himself and...
Eos looked back at Alexios, that rush of everything she'd been holding back, the anger, the hate, the love... that need... and, she fell to her knees, her whole body shaking.
Alexios knelt down next to her again, desperate to touch her, to make sure she was real but, her body would flinch and, he couldn't...
"Eos"he said quietly,
"I...",
"I know" Alexios said.
Eos shook her head - he had no idea,
"I have...",
"Kassandra" this voice was a little thicker, not Greek. The Persian. Eos glanced over at him, saw the way he raised his eye brow - at the other who stood behind him. "We need to get out of here" he looked backwards, to the small glow in the distance, at the contraptions that had been used to assault the fort.
"That we should" Kassandra agreed. She whistled off in to the night as she placed Glaukos on the floor.
Alexios was still knelt down next to Eos, not knowing what to say. Eos was looking at his hands, at the want they had to reach out to her, at the dagger next to him, used and bloodied, her dagger. She hadn't had it since the fort. How must he have felt...
How could Melaina tell her he was dead... to protect him? to protect herself? what had she gained from her lies... Had she been wrong? The Order had thought the same thing. Amorges had thought the same thing. Had she lied to them too...
Eos heard the sound of hoofs riding towards them and she turned her head. The grey and ever beautiful Phobos was the first one to reach them, almost freezing mid-step as he realised who she was - as if he was waiting for a lycaon to emerge from the darkness. Eos had shared the same thought and, it had made her burst her in to tears.
Other than Glaukos, who was still too dazed to experience any of it, it was Alexios who realised what was wrong...
The lycaon was gone... He was gone...
"Eos" Kassandra said quietly. She made a move towards her and, Eos knew how much it hurt Alexios when she didn't try and stop her from taking her hand but, she didn't care, she couldn't, not now. "We need to go",
"It'll just follow us" Eos said quietly, trying to take the tears back, her eyes starting to burn as she choked on them,
"What will" Kassandra asked,
"The chaos" Eos said,
"You've lived in it for this long" Kassandra said.
Alexios stood up - the chaos had only ever bothered her once before... So, what had they done to her to make her think that again...
Yes, Eos thought to herself, she was a natural at living in chaos but, this baby wouldn't have that same luxury... It'd be small and defenceless and... Eos looked over to Alexios... How could she tell him? Last time it had been hard but, for the time being, they'd had a some sort of stability (it was never order) but now, she didn't and, she couldn't see herself ever having that again...
A simple life was far beyond her reach... It always had been... It always would be...
She'd never wanted it... She still didn't... But could you run as fast with a baby as you did on your own?
Was this the chaos Amorges had meant?