Kyros' Secret (Greek Myth Series Book 1) (8 page)

“I hope you don’t mind Kaj spending the evenings with you.” That sounded strange and he thought he’d correct the statement before she went off on another temper tantrum. “I mean … watching out for you after nightfall.”

“I guess I don’t mind. He seems harmless. Or at least to me.”

“Good. I’m sorry I can’t be here, but I’ve got other places to be at night. But he’ll protect you as well as I would.”

“Maybe better,” she answered to his surprise. “After all, you didn’t seem to use that big sword any to defend us when the centaurs were attacking.”

Kyros instinctively grabbed for the hilt of his sword at his hip, just to assure himself it was safe. “You’re safe, aren’t you?” he retorted.

“Kaj has a huge golden bow and arrows. He’s a master archer and can hunt and shoot better than anyone.”

This bothered Kyros. He wasn’t a master archer. He barely knew how to hold the bow. He was a master swordsman and proud of it. The bow and arrows were blessed by Artemis, the only reason he could even aim the damned thing at all.

“He’s not a master archer. The bow is blessed by the gods.”

She looked up at him in intrigue and he now cursed himself silently for mentioning it.

“By Artemis?” she asked, and he felt the can of worms beginning to open. He couldn’t lie to her. He had to tell her the truth in a round-about sort of way.

“I think that’s what Kaj said. Why does it matter?”

“I overheard Ares and Artemis arguing one day. She supposedly made a bow and arrows for the king of the centaurs. It was to be used only by him - only by a king - to protect the centaurs from attackers. It supposedly was faster and possessed a truer aim than any human-made bow.”

Well, she was right on track so far. Little Miss Loner did know a little about what went on up at Mount Olympus. Next she’d be asking why Kaj is able to use it. He couldn’t very well tell her it was because Kaj was him, and he was the future king of Trozen - down the line after his brother, anyway.

“Kaj is the king of the Centaurs! I knew there was something different about him.”

Kyros just stood there with his mouth open. Maybe her days of living as a hermit really did keep her from knowing the history of the Centaur race. And maybe this could work to his advantage after all. But then again, he hated lying to Thera. She didn’t deserve it and he was already feeling bad enough that he had to hide his secret identity and use a false name.

“I wouldn’t exactly call him king of the Centaurs. That bow kind of has a mind of its own. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even know how to use the thing.”

She smiled and took a step closer. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous of Kaj.”

Jealous? If only she knew how much he hated Kaj. If he were jealous of anyone, it would be of a man who was just a man and nothing more.

“Let’s get going.” He reached out and helped her atop Hester. “I know of a place in the woods that even the gods don’t know about. It’s a ways from here, but you’ll be safe there.” He would have jumped on behind her to pick up time, but he didn’t trust himself so near her again.

“Where is it? And how can you be sure Ares won’t find us?” She looked down at him as she sat astride his horse. He couldn’t help but see right up that damned short skirt of hers. She wore nothing beneath it.

“It’s a chance we’ll have to take. But first we’re going to find that horse you lost. I hope it’s not in too bad condition. We could travel much faster if we had it.”

“But can’t we just share this horse?” Her voice was too sultry for him, and after knowing what lie beneath her skirt, there was no way he’d be able to ride with her. He had lots of thoughts in his head of what he’d like to do with her, but knew none of them included getting to safety.

He took hold of Hester’s reins and started to walk. “Let’s go find the blind old weaver. Hopefully she can spin you something to wear that’ll cover up those legs of yours I never look at.”

Eleven

Ares, God of War, paced the floor of his cave - a palace in his eyes though it was probably one of the worst homes on Mount Olympus. Hundreds of candles lit the dark cave, and trophies of war lined the walls. Weapons, torture devices, and tokens of past leaders and human kings graced his presence.

He stopped beside one of his favorite trophies; a gold jeweled crown interwoven with the hairs of horse tail - centaur tail to be exact. The tail and crown of Phylo, the king of the Centaurs. This was one centaur he truly enjoyed killing, bringing fear upon the entire race. A race without a leader. A race now divided. Just the right makings of the kind of confusion that would lead to war. And a war was just what Ares needed right now. His own warriors were having trouble doing what he ordered, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“Ares!” came a voice from the door.

Ares turned to see two of his men escorting Rodas into his cave. The centaur looked angry and Ares knew exactly what bothered him.

“Don’t come to complain again, Rodas. It’s not my fault Thera’s not carrying your child.”

“You promised I’d be the father of the centaur child that caused the war between the Centaurs and the Trozens. You gave me your word I’d have the pleasure and the power of being a part of the destruction. Centaurs were supposed to fear me. I was suppose to be their new king.”

Ares felt his own anger pumping turmoil through his veins. He knew his plan was tainted by Kyros and he didn’t like the feeling of not being in control. He raised a finger toward Rodas and shot a beam of light toward him.

“Arrrgh!”

Rodas jumped out of the way just in time, landing sideways on the ground. Ares’ warriors scurried out the cave door, obviously not wanting to be near him when he was mad.

“How dare you burst into my domain and complain I’m not carrying out my promises! I should kill you for that, just as I killed your own king for nothing more than irritating me.”

Rodas jumped to his feet and held his hands out in front of him in a means of protection. “Now wait a minute, Ares. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. It’s just that - ”

Ares threw a ball of fire toward him, and this time he ducked behind Ares’ throne.

“I’m the god here! I’m the only one who’ll do accusing or complaining. I’m the one with the power and you’ll listen to me and not complain again or I’ll slice off your head and hang it on my wall as the first body-part trophy in here.”

A waving hand came up from behind the chair and Rodas slowly poked his head out.

“Get away from my throne! I’m the only one who goes near it.”

“Yes, Ares. Forgive me, your Highness.”

Rodas darted out from behind the chair and Ares plopped down upon it and threw his leather-sheathed legs over the side arm.

“Cut the Highness routine. Now shut up and listen for a change. If you still want to be my warrior, I have a chore for you.”

Rodas’ tail flicked and his hooves pawed the dirt floor in anticipation.

“Of course, I want to be your warrior. That is, if the deal is still good that I’ll be the centaur king.”

Ares sprang to his feet. “I don’t make deals with mortals. You do it, or die. Simple as that. If you happen to benefit in the process - good for you. Either way I’ll get what I want, with or without you. So what do you say?”

Bravery graced Rodas, but even he wasn’t so stupid as to deny the god of war. “I’ll do it,” he answered.

“Good.” Ares half-smiled and ran his fingers over his short beard as he paced the room while he spoke. “The way I see it, the ball’s already been set in motion. Thera is pregnant - ”

“With Kyros’ baby,” Rodas broke in.

“Don’t interrupt me!” Ares raised a finger but lowered it again when he saw Rodas flinch. “And don’t ever flinch. No warrior of mine will ever be caught flinching.”

“Aye,” answered Rodas. “No flinching.”

“Now you’re catching on. As I was saying, Thera is pregnant with Kyros’ baby. This could work to our advantage. Pittheus hates Kyros almost as much as I do.”

“As much as
we
do,” Rodas corrected him.

Ares ignored him and kept his pace as he talked. “When Pittheus finds out his bride is pregnant with his brother’s baby, he’ll be furious. Pittheus needs an heir in order to ensure himself that Kyros will never get the throne. The whole reason he accepted my gift of Thera’s hand in the first place is because he figured an heir that was half-god was even more powerful.”

“I thought you told him it was a peace offering for the death of his father, since your curse on Kyros triggered his weak heart.”

Ares laughed and walked over to the Centaur crown. He pulled it off the wall and toyed with it. “Since when does the god of war want peace? Any fool could see right through that lie.”

Rodas reached out and grabbed a fig from the bowl of fruit that sat on a nearby table. Before he could pop it into his mouth, Ares’ iron fist grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“That fruit is an offering. It’s not to be eaten, let alone touched by the likes of you.”

“Sorry.” Rodas nodded toward his wrist and Ares released it. The centaur then gingerly placed the fruit back into the bowl. “So,” he said as he wiped his palm on his chest. “What is it you want me to do?”

“Get Kyros’ sword and bring it to Pittheus.”

Rodas’ eyes opened wide. “That won’t be easy. Kyros is an excellent swordsman. It’s not likely he’s going to just hand it over.”

“Then steal it,” snapped Ares. “My men have been watching him. He takes it off when he turns into his centaur form. He gives it to that child centaur. Find out where they hide it and then take it when Kyros isn’t around.”

“I fail to see the logic behind this.”

“You fool. Once Kyros knows his brother has the sword, he’ll go to the castle himself to retrieve it.”

“So?”

“So, he’ll bring Thera along to protect her and his baby. I won’t have to force Thera to go to Pittheus. Kyros will bring her there for me. Once she’s there, our problems will be over. Pittheus will insist on his bride and the fun begins.”

Ares chuckled and turned a full circle with his arms outstretched. The walls rumbled with thunder and the floor shook.

“One question,” Rodas spoke slowly.

“What?”

“How are you going to convince Pittheus not to hold me there and use me for sport? After all, he does make entertainment out of the centaurs he catches. He’s even said to kill a few for fun, though it can’t be proven.”

Ares folded his arms over his chest and raised the side of his upper lip as he spoke. “Well, now. That’s not really my problem, is it?”

“Well, no, but - ”

“The way I see it, you can go and take the chance of being captured, or you can refuse me and take the chance of dying right now. So what’ll it be?”

“I’m on my way,” grumbled Rodas, and with a swish of his tail he was out the door.

Ares held up the Centaur crown and examined it in the firelight.

“Well, now that I’ve got Rodas out of my way, I’ve got a few things of my own to do.” He hung the crown back on the wall and grabbed a battle ax. Twirling it around in his hands, he called for his guards.

“Yes, Ares,” one replied. The other stood silent.

“Have my warriors found Ganymede yet?”

“No, Ares. They’ve searched everywhere but can’t find him.”

“Then search harder!” he bellowed. “Ganymede was sent to bring my daughter to Pittheus and he failed. He’s a deserter and he needs to be found and punished.”

“And what about the other two escorts?” asked the guard.

Ares flung the battle ax in the air and it stuck in the cave wall close to where the guards stood.

“Thera’s already killed Akil and Loxias.”

“So she’s a warrior now?” asked the quiet guard.

“No, she’s not a warrior yet. Those two weren’t even real. But Ganymede is different. I didn’t create him. He came to my doorstep wanting to be my warrior, like so many others. With any luck he’ll go back to her and she’ll hopefully kill him. That would save me the trouble. Thera’s killing instincts are no longer dormant. She shot my raven; so she has killed.”

“She killed your raven and you let her get away with it?” asked the first guard.

Ares felt his blood boil just at the mention of the death of his favorite pet. Thera was never supposed to kill the bird, she was supposed to kill a deer. For this, he was going to have to make her pay, but he didn’t need his guard to remind him.

“I’m not letting her get away with it,” he shouted, blasting the man with a jolt just because he was irritating. Thera was his daughter, and though Ares had many bastards running around, he had hopes for this child. Thera was different, stronger. She had a strong sense of her mother’s powers within her, but she had his as well. And now that her war-like abilities were awakened, she’d be in constant struggle of every choice she made. Just the perfect makings of a warrior. He wasn’t going to give up yet.

“Hades refuses to give back my raven until I start up a huge war. And that’s just what I’m going to do. For if Rodas does what he’s supposed to, we’re going to see the biggest war in Greece since the fall of Troy.”