Kyros' Secret (Greek Myth Series Book 1) (2 page)

“If only I were king of Trozen, I’d - ”

“You’re not, Kyros. And as long as your brother lives, the centaurs will never walk the same ground as the people of your father’s kingdom.”

A twig snapped and Kyros and Chiron raised their weapons as they turned toward the sound. A young centaur emerged from the bushes shyly.

“Nemos!” scolded Chiron. “Haven’t I told you never to bother me here in the glen?”

Kyros motioned for the boy to come forward. He was familiar with the names of the centaurs but had only made contact with Chiron. The centaurs were leery of humans and tried to avoid them at all costs.

“Come here, Nemos. You don’t need to be afraid.” Kyros extended his hand, but Nemos made a wide circle around him and stood next to Chiron.

“I’ve been raised by Chiron and am not afraid of anyone,” said Nemos.

Kyros admired the young boy’s bravado but knew it wasn’t so. And for good cause, he had to admit. Since Kyros’ older brother, Pittheus, inherited the kingdom, centaurs were caught for sport. However, they’d always been let loose afterwards, and none to this point had yet been killed. Only Chiron’s instructing the centaurs to forget the issue had stopped them from striking back and causing an all-out war.

“I overheard some of the others talking.” Nemos eyed Kyros cautiously. “They say that Ares is stirring up trouble again.”

“What kind of trouble, boy?” Chiron put his hand on Nemos’ shoulder.

“He plans on sending his daughter down from Mount Olympus to marry the new king of Trozen.”

Kyros chuckled at the thought. “I’m sure Pittheus will love the idea of marrying a goddess. Especially Harmonia. That’s one goddess that could please any man with just a smile.”

“Not her,” said Nemos. “The other daughter.”

“I wasn’t aware Ares had another daughter.” Kyros frowned and looked to Chiron for reassurance.

“He does,” verified Chiron, “though he’s basically kept her hidden. She’s the twin of Harmonia … and nothing but trouble. If Ares is sending her to marry your brother, there must be something amiss.”

“That’s not all I heard,” said the boy. “I overheard some of the centaurs saying that Ares has made a deal with Rodas.”

“Rodas,” Kyros repeated. “Isn’t he the rambunctious centaur who’s been trying to talk the others into pillaging Trozen?”

“He is.” Chiron’s voice was solemn and yet a bit anxious. “What else do you know, Nemos? Tell me everything before it’s too late.”

“All I know is that Rodas is supposed to meet with Ares and his daughter outside the temple of Aphrodite. When Rodas was heading out I heard him mumbling something about the girl bearing his child.”

“Damn him to Tartarus!” Chiron grabbed an arrow and his bow from his back and turned to go.

“Wait, Chiron.” Kyros ran to catch up to him, sword at the ready. “What do you think is going on?”

The old man stopped and lowered his bow. “It’s happened, Kyros. Ares has found a way to bring war between the centaurs and the people of Trozen. And when he’s finished, not a single centaur will live to tell about it.”

* * *

“Father, where are we going?” Thera glanced over her shoulder at her father’s three henchmen who followed them. Oddly enough, they were on horses while she and Ares were on foot. Her bow and arrow were mounted on her back, though she had no intention of using them to hunt a poor defenseless animal again.

Ares didn’t answer, just dragged her along behind him. In the distance, Thera could see the temple of her mother, Aphrodite. No one would be there this late in the day. Usually by sunset, all who’d come to worship had gone on to the safety of their homes.

“You’re still angry because Hades refused to bring your raven back from the dead, aren’t you?” she asked her father.

That got his attention. He stopped so suddenly that Thera went crashing into him. The smell of leather surrounded her and she felt her father’s anger though he tried to hide it.

“I thrive on war, and my brother, Hades, thrives on the dead I send him. He’s upset I haven’t sent more his way lately. For this, he’s decided to keep my raven. But don’t worry, Daughter, for it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m sure Hades will return my pet all in good time.”

“You mean after you’ve started another war?”

Ares chuckled and ran his hand over his beard. “No, Thera. I mean after
you’ve
started a war.”

Thera took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she digested her father’s words.

“I would never start a war between anyone and you know it.”

“No, Thera, you wouldn’t. That’s why I’ve decided to help you out. You see, you’ve got the war-like abilities in your blood. And now that you’ve killed my raven, you’ll find yourself wanting to kill even more. First you’ll feel pity, then disgust. Next you’ll feel anger, and then hatred. Soon that hatred will blind you and you’ll want nothing more than to kill. And you’ll kill all right, even those you may have once thought you loved.”

“What are you saying?” Thera was shocked at the thought. Never could she kill the animals of the forest she loved so well. The henchmen caught up to them, and Ares nodded for them to wait in the distance. As Thera watched them leave, she realized one of them brought along an extra horse.

She backed away from Ares and eyed him suspiciously. “You plan on sending me away, don’t you?”

“You’re to marry the king of Trozen.”

“What? You’re sending me to marry a mortal?”

“You’ll no longer be immortal, Thera. I’ve talked to the other gods and we’ve decided to take back your immortality along with your gift of eternal youth.”

“Zeus gave me those gifts, not you.”

“He’s agreed to it. But because of him, you’ll maintain your power of the senses.”

“And my other powers as well?”

“No, Thera. You’ll live like a human, but you’ll only have your power of the senses. Nothing else.”

Thera almost welcomed the change but decided not to show it. “Sounds more like a curse than a gift. Are you telling me the truth about Zeus?”

The sound of hoofbeats grasped her attention. She turned her head to see a rugged-looking centaur standing just beyond the temple. His gamy aroma filled her nostrils and her blood stirred restlessly in her veins.

“Who’s he?” she asked.

“He’s going to be the father of your child.”

Thera looked at Ares in disbelief. She knew that Centaurs only mated with the sea nymphs. If a centaur were to mate with a human woman, as she would now be, she would die giving birth. She’d also bring mixed blood and probably war to the all-male Centaur race.

“You said nothing about the king of Trozen being a Centaur.” Thera felt the Centaur’s lust as he eyed her up and down.

“The king isn’t a centaur.”

“Then why did you say . . . ” Thera suddenly understood it all too clearly. Her father planned on using the centaur to impregnate her before sending her to the castle. When a centaur child was born to the king, a war would take place between the people of Trozen and the Centaur race. And she would be the cause of the war whether she liked it or not. Ares would have his war after all.

“I’ll not lie with him.”

“Centaurs don’t need to lie down to accomplish the act,” Ares told her with a devilish grin. With a flick of his head, he motioned for the centaur to join them.

“No!” Thera raised her hand and shook her head. An invisible wall stopped the centaur from coming any closer. She still had her powers, or at least for the time being.

The centaur looked at Ares and growled, “I thought you said she’d be willing.”

“So I lied,” answered Ares. “But don’t worry, I’ll give you a little help. I’ll use my powers to induce her with your seed. Then we can get on with the plan.”

Ares raised his hand and sent a bolt of lightning toward his daughter and the centaur simultaneously.

Kyros made his way through the clearing just as the beam of lightning left Ares’ hand and headed toward Rodas. He’d remembered Ares’ beam crashing into him the day he was cursed. This time a centaur was about to be punished by Ares, he was sure of it. He knew the life of hardships he, himself, had suffered because of this god. He had to save this centaur from whatever it was that Ares had in store for him, for no one deserved the punishments and curses Ares dished out.

“Noooo!” he screamed, jumping in front of the centaur and taking the beam square in the chest.

The shock of energy vibrated through him. He felt every hair on his body stand on end just as he had that awful day almost a year ago. He waited for the intense pain and severe cramps but they never came. This time, a lusty feeling engulfed him and he felt his manhood swell beneath his breeches. A bright light momentarily blinded him, the flash somehow taking control of his senses. His knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the ground. What should have been pain was replaced by sensual pleasure.

A wash of joy and elation engulfed his body. Vibrating. Hot. Sensuous. Pure bliss like he’d never felt before. For one pure moment he was one with all that ever was. He was the earth, the sky, fire, the sea. He felt alive, glowing - pleasure in the true sense of the word.

His vision cleared just as he climaxed, coming to a height he’d never experienced even in the throws of coupling with a lusty woman. He felt sated, fulfilled - satisfied to the very brim.

Still, while all this was taking place, he couldn’t help but notice the dusk sky above him. The warmth left him immediately and a chill swept his body from head to toe. Nightfall was creeping in around him and there was nothing he could do to stop the dreaded transformation that always took over his body this time of day. From an emotional high to the lowest of lows. And all in one split second. His breathing was labored; a sweat beaded his brow, and he realized that the sun had set behind Mount Olympus.

He heard Ares curse and also the sound of a woman’s scream; then the hoofbeats of Rodas as the centaur made his way past him.

“You’ll pay for this,” Rodas threatened, rearing up and pawing the air with his front hooves directly above Kyros before galloping away.

Kyros’ vision was still a bit blurred, but he saw the girl lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Dark hair tumbled past her shoulders and fanned out around her on the dusty earth. Her body was lean and straight. A quiver of arrows had fallen next to her; a bow was clutched in one hand. This must be Ares’ daughter, he thought. The daughter Chiron told him about that was nothing but trouble.

Ares had left the scene in a rage, but his henchmen were headed in Kyros’ direction.

“Kyros!” Chiron and Nemos appeared from the brush and the old centaur reached down to give him a helping hand. Kyros allowed Chiron to pull him to a standing position. He stretched his stiff legs and pawed the earth beneath him in aggravation. Why did this have to happen now? He shook his head, trying to clear his vision as he turned back towards Chiron and young Nemos.

Nemos stared at him, wide-eyed and open mouthed. “He’s … he’s…”

“Yes, boy,” Chiron replied as he placed a hand on Nemos’ shoulder. “Kyros is a centaur like us … for now.”

“Then he’s cursed?” asked Nemos in a faint voice.

“I am,” Kyros spoke up. “And I have Ares to thank for it. Because of him, I’ve been living a nightmare. Because of him, I’m a man by day and a centaur by night.”

“We must leave here at once,” said Chiron, guiding Kyros into the cover of the bushes before any of Ares’ men came after them.

Kyros looked over his shoulder with blurred vision at Ares’ soldiers pulling the girl to her feet. He wanted to stay, wanted to find out more about what just happened - about the girl. But he knew Chiron was right. If they were to stay, they’d only be captured by Ares and then there would be no chance for him to bring peace between the Trozens and the Centaurs. He had to go … for now. But he would be back.

Two

“Centaurs!”

Thera didn’t need to actually see the wretched half-men, half-horse creatures to know they stalked her and her traveling companions. Her sixth sense, not to mention her nose, made her aware they were hiding somewhere in the thick shrub. She shifted her weight in the saddle and ran her hand across the back of her mare’s head. One of the guards rode in front of her down the narrow path, the other two brought up the rear.

“Let’s get these horses moving, Ganymede, unless you’re up for taking on an army of centaurs, she said.”

She sniffed the air once more, certain she’d smelled the wild, gamy sweat of the centaur warrior. She’d never been fond of the creatures and after what just happened she disliked them even more.

She couldn’t remember much of how it happened, only the rugged centaur that stood before her devouring her with his eyes. Probably an ally of her father. And definitely no good if he consented to mate with a human. It wasn’t a centaur’s way. A centaur had pride in his race and would never mate with anyone besides the beloved sea nymphs.

“How can you be sure, your Highness?” Ganymede sat taller upon his horse, scoping the sides of the narrow road with his eyes. A quick jerk of his dark, curly head, and he called to the men behind. “I don’t see anything. Do you, Akil?”

Akil stifled a yawn, and let out a loud belch before answering. “Naw. No creatures back here. That is, unless you count Loxias.” His large belly jiggled as a deep bellowing laugh lodged in his throat. “Loxias has been known to scare off a few virgins in his time.”

“Bite your tongue, Akil.” Loxias spit a stream of phlegm toward Akil, just missing him, but hitting Akil’s war-horse instead. The animal threw back its head and reared up on two legs. Akil nearly fell off his horse from the unexpected jolt.

“Hades take you, Loxias! Your own spittle burns a fire into my animal hotter than the fires of Tartarus.”

“Stop it, you fools,” Thera warned. “Can’t you see the horses are spooked? They’ve caught the scent of the centaurs.”

Ganymede stopped his horse, thereby halting the entire caravan in the process. “I don’t see the problem. My horse is calm.” He turned his steed and came toward her slowly as if to demonstrate the animal’s controlled behavior.

“That nag’s not calm,” Akil mumbled as he raised a wineskin to his lips. “She’s dead.”

Thera fumed as she listened to the raucous laughter of the fools who were supposed to escort her to Trozen. With warriors like these along for protection, she could almost count the moments left of her futile life. She’d have to lose them as quickly as possible.

“Believe me, they’re here,” she answered. “I can feel it in my veins.”

“Not to mention other parts,” sneered Ganymede and they all broke out laughing. “After all, one of those wretched things is going to be your child.”

Thera’s stomach lurched at his words. So it was true and not just some frightening nightmare as she hoped. She was pregnant and at the same time still a virgin. Turmoil rolled through her along with a strange sort of excitement.

“Your Highness … I mean, Thera,” Loxias corrected himself as he rode to her side. “Centaurs have never been seen in these parts before, plus they always stay near their hovel after dark. I suggest we stop for the night and get a little shut-eye.”

“I agree.” Akil swung a heavy leg over the side of his horse and dismounted with a thud. “I could go for something to eat.”

Thera sat rigid in the saddle as she surmised the situation. The sun had just sunk into a red ocean of sky as it peeked a last futile ray through the tall trees. Nothing seemed amiss; actually everything seemed very calm. Maybe she was only jittery since her powers were reneged. Not that she’d ever even used her powers more than a few times, but she had been a goddess with nothing to fear. Now she had old age to look forward to if she ever lived that long. Now she was human and had to fear pain and death. She was afraid of just about everything at this moment. Just like that small, helpless rabbit hiding in the brush waiting for the steel tip of her arrow to pierce its heart. And just as the rabbit feared people, Thera feared the centaur creatures that lurked behind trees in the night.

“All right,” she agreed as Ganymede jumped off his own horse and held out a guiding hand for her to dismount. “I guess a good meal and a full night’s rest will make everything look better in the morning.”

She was just about to slide to the ground when a twig snapped in the forest, gaining all their attention.

“I’m sure it’s just a night animal,” Ganymede reassured her.

Thera held tightly to the reins of her horse. The animal beneath her danced nervously, twitching its ears toward the sound.

“You’re half-right, Ganymede.” Thera took a deep breath and peered into the dusky sky toward the forest. “Half-animal, that is … and half-man.”

Kyros watched the small party from behind the cover of a large tree. His hooves ached from traveling over the rocky ground, trying to keep up with Chiron and Nemos as they showed him a shorter route to the clearing where they knew Thera and her guards would stop for the night.

Chiron held back a branch in one hand, his bow held tightly in the old nimble fingers of the other. Nemos crowded his own small body between the two, and Kyros found it comforting that the young boy would accept him so easily. If only the adults would be as open-minded and accepting as the innocence of a child. If only the Trozens and the Centaurs could live in peace and harmony side by side.

“They’re going to be looking for food.” Chiron’s voice brought Kyros’ thoughts back to the matter at hand.

Nemos looked up at Chiron with wide blue eyes. “That means they’ll be coming into the forest to hunt.”

“Not to mention, they’ll be fair game for the centaurs who reside here,” added Kyros.

“Rodas is angry with Ares.” Chiron talked without moving his gaze from the small group. “He’ll alert the others that they’re here.”

“Will there be fighting tonight, Chiron?” asked Nemos.

Kyros listened to the boy’s words and his hand caressed his own sword that hung awkwardly from a leather belt strapped around his chest. He should have been armed with a bow and arrow like the rest of the Centaurs, but instead he chose to wield his own sword. It was the sword his father gave him when he became a man. A sword he’d used often to ward off enemies. A weapon used for protection - a mere extension of his own arm as he saw it.

“There’ll be no fighting if I can help it.” Kyros turned away and Chiron let the branch loose quietly.

“You can’t stop the centaurs,” Chiron remarked as Kyros paced the ground. “If Rodas tells the rest that Ares betrayed him, they’ll be looking for a battle.”

“Will they try to kill Ares’ daughter?” asked Nemos.

“They won’t,” Kyros stated with conviction. “They fear Ares too much to taunt him. But they might try to scare her; or worse yet, capture her to somehow bargain with Ares. Don’t you agree, old man?”

Chiron shook his head slowly and looked to the ground. “We’ve got to do something before it’s too late.”

“We may have more time than you think, Chiron.” Kyros felt his tail swish in anticipation and cursed his inability to control his actions. “After all, it wasn’t Ares who betrayed Rodas. It was me. I took the beam that was meant for him. He’ll be after me before the idea ever hits him to go after Thera.”

Kyros turned back to peer through the brush. The guards were making a fire and tending to the horses while Thera pulled bread and fruit from the saddle bags. Her back was toward him and all he could see was her long wavy black hair that traveled down to her tiny waist. Her long legs jutted out from beneath her short leather skirt and stopped in short black boots that were scuffed and dirty from travel.

His loins stirred as his mind relived the feeling of euphoria that had consumed him when Ares’ bolt of lightning joined them for a mere fraction of time. It had been a long time since he’d had a woman and he’d almost forgotten how pleasurable it could be. For a second, he found his thoughts engulfing him: her body wrapped in his arms, their naked bodies joined as one.

She swung around suddenly and Kyros dove for cover behind a thicker clump of trees. When he dared to peek out, he saw her staring in his direction, her body stiff and her features rigid, almost as if she knew he was there. Almost as if she heard his thoughts or somehow felt the emotions of lust looming within him and brimming over the edge at just the sight of her.

“Kyros? Are you all right?” Chiron’s voice came from the dark.

Kyros saw Thera’s head tilt to the side. She seemed to be listening intently. The warm hues of firelight danced on her skin and illuminated a softness that he’d never expected to see from the warrior daughter of Ares. A goddess. A goddess who now carried his child, which he wasn’t even sure was human. His tail swished once again and he gripped his sword tightly in his fist.

“I’m fine,” he answered.

“I’m going back to the Centaur Village to try to talk some sense into Rodas. Where will you be?”

“I’ll be in the shadows watching over my unborn child.” His gaze fell on the young centaur, Nemos, and his heart went out to him. Would his child be a Centaur and raised in the forest hovels? Or would his child be human? Either way, the child would grow up hating his father who was neither species, yet both at once. The child was doomed to hardship in life even before it stepped foot or hoof upon this earth.

“Stay out of sight,” warned Chiron. “You may just be a pawn in this whole game but you’ve already set the ball in motion.” He disappeared into the night with Nemos right behind him.

Kyros turned his attention back toward Thera. She paced nervously with her arms crossed in front of her. Kyros felt a longing to comfort her but knew it’d be a mistake. He was a creature now. A creature she was sure to hate since her father’s plan was in action. He had to stay away from her. He should just walk away and forget the whole issue if he was smart.

Kyros reached down to his open, royal purple vest and ripped it from his body. He had to get a closer look at the woman who was to bear his first and probably only child. He ripped the vest into a long strand and poked two holes in it with his sword. He then wrapped it around his eyes, letting the ends fall loose down the back of his long, wild hair. He’d be masked if they did see him, thereby saving his identity. He could be one of over a hundred centaurs. She wouldn’t know for sure.

He pulled his sword from his sheath and trotted closer toward the little party. He’d just have one quick look and then retreat deeper into the woods before they caught on that he was there.