David Gemmell - Dark Prince

She opened her eyes and stood. 'He is gone,' she told Brontes. 'Now you may speak freely.'

'There are only two ways we can travel to Sparta, south-east to the Peleponnese and through Korinthos, or north-west to the sea and take a ship around the coast to Gytheum.'

'What about west?' asked Parmenion. 'Surely we can cross the Pindos Mountains and make our way to the gulf?'

'No- that way lies death,' said Brontes. 'You cannot pass through the Forest of Gorgon. The Vores dwell there, and Gorgon himself. He is the most vile beast and his heart is corruption. I could speak of his evil, but I swear my tongue would blacken and your soul be shrivelled by what you hear. We might just as well drink poison now as consider that route.'

'Tell me of it anyway,' ordered the Spartan.

'Why? It is out of the question.'

'Because he is the strategos ,' said Derae, 'and he needs to know.'

Brontes sighed. 'The forest stretches south to the Gulf of Korinthos. It is vast and deep, and unexplored by Man. But every hill and hollow, every dark glen, teems with the creatures of Chaos.'

Derae watched the Spartan. His expression was set and unreadable, and this time she did not reach out to read his thoughts. 'What can you tell us, lady?' he asked suddenly.

'The forces of Makedon are all around you,' she told him. 'They are coming from north, south and east. They have creatures. . Vores?… in the sky and men, and beasts that walk like men, upon the ground.'

'Can we skirt them?'

Derae shrugged. 'Not with twenty centaurs. They are seeking the child. Philippos is linked to him. Whichever route we take will draw peril to us. I have the power to shield us from the Demon King for a little while. But not long, Parmenion; he is too strong for me.'

'So, we are being herded towards the west whether we wish it or no?'

'Yes,' she agreed.

'I will think on it. But first let us find a place to spend the night.'

Brontes led the way to a cluster of shallow caves, leaving Parmenion, Alexander, Chiron and Attalus in one while he and his brothers took shelter nearby, the dark-haired woman remaining with them. The centaurs drifted away at dusk, returning as men when night fell. They also chose to stay in a separate cave a little to the north of the others.

Chiron was silent as Attalus prepared a fire by the far wall and Parmenion walked out into the night to satisfy himself that the glow did not reflect any light past the cave entrance. Wrapped in Parmenion's cloak, Alexander slept peacefully by the small blaze and the Spartan sat alone in the cave-mouth, watching the stars.

'Are you making plans?' asked Attalus, moving alongside him and sitting with his back to the wall.

'No, I was thinking about my youth.'

'I hope it was misspent.'

'Indeed it was,' answered Parmenion, sighing. The night sky was clear, the moon bright, bathing the trees in silver light. A badger shuffled out into the open, then loped away into the undergrowth.

'It is said you were a champion in Sparta,' said Attalus. 'With all the rewards, why did you leave?'

Parmenion shook his head. 'Where do these stories start? A champion? I was a hated half-breed, a mix-blood, derided, beaten. All I carried from Sparta was my bruises, and a hatred that was all-consuming and ultimately self-defeating. Have you ever been in love, Attalus?'

'No,' admitted the Macedonian, suddenly uncomfortable.

'I was. . once. And for that love I broke the law. I slept with an unmarried girl of good family. Because of it she was killed, and I slew a fine man. Worse, I brought about the downfall of my own city and with it the death of the only friend I had ever had. His name was Hermias, and he was killed at Leuctra, fighting alongside the King he adored.'

'All men die,' said Attalus softly. 'But you surprise me, Spartan. I thought you were the ice-cold general, the fighting man who had never lost a battle. I thought your life was charmed — blessed, if you like.'

Parmenion smiled. 'The other man's life often looks that way. There was a rich merchant in Thebes. Men would look at him with envy, cursing his luck, jealous of the gold rings he wore and the huge house he built upon a hill high above the stench of the city. But then they didn't know he was once a slave, working in a Thracian mine; that he had toiled for ten years before purchasing his freedom, and then had worked for another five to build a small amount of coin which he gambled on a risky venture that made him rich. Do not envy me, Attalus.'

'I did not say I envied you,' said the swordsman. Suddenly he grinned. 'But I suppose that I do. I could never like you, Parmenion, but I respect you. Now that is enough of compliments. How are we going to get to Sparta?'

Parmenion rose, stretching his back. 'We'll travel west, crossing the Pindos Mountains, then move down to the coast, keeping to the high ground and forests.'

'You are talking of a journey of some weeks. I do not wish to sound defeatist, but do you think that a party including three monsters and twenty centaurs can travel the length of Greece — even this Greece — without being noticed?'

'Centaurs are not uncommon here,' said Parmenion, 'but we will travel mostly by night when they appear as men. As to Brontes and his brothers, I agree with you. But their strength is prodigious and they may prove invaluable if there is trouble on the road.'

'And you are expecting trouble, no doubt?'

'Yes. We have one great problem that no amount of thinking will overcome. Philippos used sorcery to locate Alexander in another world, therefore it seems likely he will be able to find him in this one. Wherever we go -

however well we hide — the enemy will always be close.'

'Drawn to the boy like flies to a cowpat?' offered Attalus.

'A disgusting observation, though one that is close to the truth,' agreed the Spartan. 'But the priestess claims she can protect us for a while.'

'So then your plan — such as it is — entails leading a small force of half-human beasts across a war-torn land and arriving at a destination where we may — or may not — be welcome, in the hope that Aristotle will have the necessary power to find us and bring us home?'

'Succinctly put. Do you have a better plan?'

'I must admit that nothing of brilliance springs to mind,' said Attalus, 'but there is something else that concerns me.

The question of Alexander. Is he the Iskander these. . creatures. . have been waiting for?'

'No.'

'Then what happens when the beasts find out? They are likely to be just a little angry.'

'Perhaps,' said Parmenion. 'But that is a problem for another day.'

'Something else to look forward to,' grunted Attalus. 'I'll say this for you, Spartan — life in your company is seldom dull.'

Towards dawn, as he sat lost in thought, Parmenion saw the monstrous figure of Brontes emerging from the trees at the foot of the mountainside. The creature walked forward, then dropped to his knees. Light, ghostly and pale, shimmered around him, and Parmenion watched, awestruck, as the huge bull's head disappeared, leaving the features of a young man, pale-skinned, with hair the colour of polished bronze.

Looking up, the young man saw Parmenion and froze, holding his position for some moments before sitting back and turning away from the Spartan's gaze.

Parmenion strolled out into the moonlight, walking down the slope to sit beside the former minotaur.

'It is not considered polite to view the Change,' said Brontes. 'But then you are not of this world and cannot be expected to understand our customs.'

'Why do you need to assume another form?'

'Why do you Humans need to eat, or breathe? I do not know the answer. I only know what is, and what is necessary.