Kyros' Secret (Greek Myth Series Book 1) (18 page)

“Kyros!” Thera called again as she had another contraction. The split second Kyros let his eyes leave Pittheus, his brother pushed aside the sword and leapt from the bed.

“Guards!” called Pittheus, but no one came.

“They won’t be able to join us for awhile,” Kyros told him. “I’ve taken care of them, and you’re next on my list, brother.”

“You wouldn’t do that. You couldn’t take my life and you know it.” Pittheus made his way around the other side of the bed as he spoke.

Kyros knew he was right. As much as he hated his brother and everything he’d done to him and Thera, everything he stood for, he still couldn’t kill him. He’d been raised differently by his father, King Mezentius. He couldn’t kill Pittheus - his father’s flesh and blood with his own sword. Pittheus was part of him, and of his father as well. Just as the baby inside Thera was a part of both of them. And he prayed that his own child would someday feel the same way about him.

Kyros followed his brother around the bed, his sword outstretched in a threat. He couldn’t stand the thought of not comforting Thera who lay naked upon the bed and in pain from the baby, but he just couldn’t go to her yet.

“Thera,” he spoke but kept his eyes on Pittheus. “Get dressed. Hurry. We’ve got to get out of here.”

Thera was still moaning and clutched over in pain. “I don’t think I can, Kyros.”

“You can do it, sweetheart. Do it for me. Do it for us. This may be our only chance to escape - and with the sword.”

Pittheus chuckled a little as he backed toward the window. “You don’t really think you’re going to escape and get away with this, do you little brother? After all, you’re taking my wife, remember. My men won’t just let you walk out of here with her.”

Kyros knew this was true. He hadn’t yet figured how to make it past the soldiers in the great hall, not to mention the ones that guarded the gate. But still he had to try. He had to take his father’s sword and Thera and get out of there fast.

“I’m ready,” came Thera’s voice from behind him. Kyros could see her from the corner of his eye. She was dressed in her wedding outfit and had the ugly shawl wrapped around her tight as if it were a means of protection. She was standing upright and Kyros realized the labor pains must have subsided for now.

Kyros’ eyes scanned the room but he couldn’t find anything to use to tie up Pittheus. Then he noticed the string hanging from Thera’s shawl. “Give me your shawl, Thera.”

She looked at him wide-eyed and clutched it even closer. “Why?”

“I need it to tie up Pittheus. I have nothing else to use.”

“Why don’t you just kill him?” came her venomous words. “Or if you won’t do it, give me the damned sword and I’ll do it for you. I’ll cut off his head and stick it on a spike and put it on display in front of his own castle.”

Kyros couldn’t believe his ears. Thera was starting to sound more and more like her father, Ares, every day. He thought he knew her, but this was a war-like side of her he didn’t know. He wasn’t sure if he liked it.

“No need to bother with that, dear wife.” Pittheus smiled and hoisted himself onto the window ledge. He then leaned backwards and fell from sight.

“Pittheus!” Kyros ran to the window, not believing that his brother took his own life. He leaned out and looked to the ground below expecting to see him splattered on the stones of the walkway. Instead, he saw Pittheus’ naked back end as he climbed out of a wagon of hay.

“Damn.” Kyros ran his hand through his hair. Thera rushed up behind him and saw what was happening.

“We can escape this way also.” She had one foot on the ledge when Kyros grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“What are you thinking? I may survive the jump, but if you jump our baby will be harmed or killed for sure, not to mention yourself. We can’t do it, Thera. We’ll just have to find another way.”

“Then you go,” she said. “Save yourself, Kyros. Forget about me.” Another labor pain hit her and she gripped Kyros’ arm for support.

Kyros looked back out the window and saw Pittheus running stark naked to the drawbridge. Obviously to tell his men to seal it off so there’d be no chance for Kyros and Thera to escape. He felt a pain of his own this time and realized the sky was darkening as nightfall set in.

“Damn,” he said aloud and Thera breathed away her own pain and noticed the sky out the window.

“Kyros, what are we going to do?”

“Well, we’re not going to stand here any longer. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and headed for the door. They stepped over the guards that still lay unconscious in the corridor.

“You?” Thera looked at the guards and then at Kyros.

“Me,” he answered.

“Why couldn’t you kill Pittheus?” she wondered. “Especially after what he’s done to you?”

“He’s my brother, Thera. I can’t take the life of my own kin no matter how evil he is.”

Thera  nodded, although she truly didn’t understand Kyros’ thinking. Pittheus deserved to die. He’d humiliated the centaurs, tortured and shamed Kyros in front of everyone, and took her as his bride. He’d even threatened to kill Kyros, his own brother, yet Kyros wouldn’t take Pittheus’ life. She felt the rage and also the sadness within him. She felt a bit of honor, respect or love for his family name. He must want peace between him and his brother as much as he wanted peace between the Trozen and centaur races.

Here was a man who stood for what he believed. He had ideals and beliefs she’d never seen on Mount Olympus. Her own mother and father didn’t want anything to do with her. Her own sister, Harmonia, couldn’t care less if she lived or died. If only the strength and honor of Kyros could be imbedded in the gods; then, what gods they would truly be.

Thera gripped Kyros’ hand tightly as she picked up her gown and ran quickly down the steep steps with him. She felt his anguish and his body tremble and knew his transformation was coming and there was nothing they could do to stop it. They were half way down the steps when Kyros let go of her hand and doubled over in pain. It set him off balance and he tumbled head over heels down the remaining steps to the ground below. His sword fell from his hand and clattered on the stairs loudly in the process.

Thera rushed to Kyros’ side, his body trembling and curled in a ball at the bottom of the steps. He was still breathing and it didn’t look as if any of his bones were broken. She sighed in relief. She watched his eyes swell out and his face contort while a sweat broke out on his brow. He managed to unfasten the scabbard from his waist and pushed it into her hand.

“Thera, take this and the sword and get out of here before Pittheus comes back with his men.”

She looked at him and shook her head. She felt so helpless. He had no care for his own life. Pittheus was sure to kill him now, no matter of any deal he’d made with her. If she left him now, it may just be the last time she ever saw him alive. He risked his life to save her, and she’d burn in Tartarus before she left him alone at such a vulnerable time like this.

“I can’t, Kyros. I won’t leave you like this.”

His teeth chattered, and she could tell he was losing his patience by the way his lips curled back when he spoke.

“Do it, damn it! Get the sword to Chiron. Tell him to hide it and never let it get into the hands of my brother.”

“But what about you, Kyros? What’s going to happen to you? To us?”

He was silent for a moment and Thera could feel the grief that swept through him. He did still love her and their baby. He wanted to be with them more than anything, but he didn’t want to endanger her by telling her to wait for him.

“I’ll catch up with you as soon as I transform. I can travel faster as a centaur. I’ll find you and give you a ride. Together we’ll take the sword to Chiron. Now go fast, as I hear someone coming.”

Thera heard the footsteps as well, and the shouting voices of the guards as they came closer. She grabbed the sword and placed it into the scabbard. She then turn and ran down an opposite hall. She stopped when she was around a corner safely, and looked back to see Kyros shifting into his centaur form. The guard who was assigned to watch him ran up. Pittheus was right behind him, fastening a robe around himself.

“I can’t leave him,” she spoke softly to herself. The baby kicked and she felt another pain coming on. She gripped her stomach and almost dropped the sword. The noise of it falling would have given away her hiding place.

“Give me the sword, Thera.” It was the blind old weaver suddenly standing next to her with her hand outstretched. “I’ll get it to Chiron for you. You’re in no condition to try to escape. Plus you want to stay with him, so go to him where you belong.”

“But … but how will you get the sword out of here?” Thera thought it highly impossible for a blind woman to try to smuggle the sword past Pittheus if she couldn’t even do it.

“I’ll manage,” smiled the woman and somehow Thera believed her. She handed the old weaver the sword and scabbard and thanked her for helping, hoping she could trust that the sword would end up with Chiron and not back in Pittheus’ hands.

“Don’t thank me,” said the weaver. “I’m only doing what I should. Now get over to Kyros and comfort him. You’ll have the chance to save him later.”

“I will?” she asked. “How do you know this if you’re not a seer?”

“Just keep the shawl with you, as you’ll need it. And when the time is right, you’ll find Artemis’ golden bow and arrows hidden on the wall behind the tapestry in Pittheus’ bedchamber.”

Thera winced and closed her eyes with the next contraction. And when she opened them, the old woman was gone.

“There she is,” shouted one of Pittheus’ men. Pittheus himself came to get her.

“How dare you turn against me, wife. I’ll have you punished for this.”

He reached out and slapped her across the face, the blow sending her into the wall.

“Don’t touch her!” Kyros got to all four feet, wobbling, and made his way over to Pittheus. “She’s not your wife. She’s mine. Now leave her alone.” He reached out and grabbed Pittheus around the neck. In a choking voice, Pittheus called for his soldiers.

“Grab him, you idiots. He’s twice as strong when he’s a centaur. Get him off of me.”

Thera’s pain passed and she stood upright, watching Kyros be seized. She loved him so much it hurt. He’d called her his wife, though they all knew it wasn’t so. But she wished in her heart she were his wife instead of Pittheus’.

Kyros used his back legs to horse-kick several of the guards. They went sailing across the corridor and with Pittheus’ bellow, even more soldiers came to his aid. They had a rope lassoed over Kyros’ body as if he were some kind of wild animal. Her heart just about broke when she saw them beating him. Then she noticed his wound had re-opened and blood trickled down his chest.

“Leave him alone already,” she cried. “Stop hurting him.”

“Where’s the sword?” Pittheus growled at Kyros. “What did you do with the sword?”

When Kyros didn’t answer, Pittheus himself gave a blow to Kyros’ head. Kyros obviously hadn’t his clear vision yet, for he did nothing to dodge it.

“He doesn’t have it.” Thera stepped in between Kyros and Pittheus. “I have it, but you’ll never get it, as it’s safely out of the castle now.”

“Thera!” warned Kyros. “Don’t tell him anything.”

“What did you do with it?” Pittheus grabbed her arm tightly and she cried out in pain.

“I have an ally who helped me,” she admitted. “By now the sword is safe in the hands of Chiron.”

When she’d said the centaur’s name she knew she’d made a grave mistake. Kyros’ face clouded over and he shook his head, defeated. She never should have told him where to find it, yet, she was only trying to get him to stop hitting Kyros.

“Why thank you, wife, for telling me who to kill next to get it. And now, mayhap you’ll tell me who your ally is so I can have him hanged for betraying me.”

“She doesn’t have any friends,” said the guard who’d been assigned to watch Kyros in the hall.

“Shut up, Ercole,” Pittheus snapped at the guard. “This is all your fault that Kyros escaped in the first place. You were supposed to guard him at the wedding party. You will now pay as well as him for ruining my wedding.”

“But sir - ”

“Take Kyros and Ercole to the labyrinth,” Pittheus ordered his men.

“Lord Pittheus,” spoke Ercole. “You don’t mean to leave me in the labyrinth as food for Demogorgan? This is not just punishment for what I did.”

“I’ll decide what’s just and what’s not. Demogorgan hasn’t eaten yet today. You take Kyros blindfolded into the heart of the labyrinth and leave him there. The beast will find him. If you find your own way out, then I’ll let you live.”

“But sir, no one knows the way out of the labyrinth but you. No one has been able to find their way out yet.”

Pittheus laughed and waved his hand for his men to take them away. “Then if you make it, you’ll be the first, I guess. Won’t you?”

Kyros focused on Thera this time and she knew he had his eyesight back. “I love you, Thera,” he said for all to hear and she wanted to say she loved him back, but couldn’t find the strength to speak.

“Get him out of here,” yelled Pittheus and took hold of Thera’s hand and dragged her after him into the great hall. The hall was almost empty of the merrymakers from the wedding, and only some of Pittheus’ soldiers and half a dozen servants cleaning up remained.