The Argive Ch. 055-060

"Don't let them try to escape," he warned Demetrios. "Or I will kill all of you as well as having your house burned down. Lastly, I will piss in the ashes."

As if that warning wasn't ominous enough, Medios nodded his head. "Tomorrow morning, be ready."

Just like that, he was gone.

Praxis was still itching to show Orcus just what his sword could do and took several steps closer to the door in anger. Demetrios restrained him however.

"It's no use going outside right now," he told Praxis. "Orcus is out of your reach. The only thing we need to do now is prepare. Prepare for the trials."

"What are the trials, Demetrios?" asked Lysandra. "Is this some kind of contest to test our abilities?"

Demetrios nodded. "Yes and no. It's an ancient tradition of this village, going back longer than anyone can remember. The trials started as an alternative to punishment. Instead of certain death, any young man or woman could earn their freedom by a showing of athletic skill coupled with martial prowess. The trials were designed to allow the best of us to have a second chance in case of trouble, however it hasn't always worked out that the trials were survivable."

"What chance do we have?" asked Praxis.

Demetrios closed his eyes. "I'll be honest with you, Praxis. This might seem like an alternative but it was the only thing I could do to stop Medios. The trials have been so tough that no one in recent memory has survived them. I think Medios only agreed to them because he thinks you'll lose, like everyone else has, and he'll still get what he wants. I'm afraid all I've done is delay the inevitable."

"But we don't know what the trials will be yet, right?" asked Praxis. "They still have to come up with them? So they're not the same every time?"

"That is correct but Medios will not make this easy on you. I fully expect him to come back with the worst ideas he can think of, if only to hasten your demise." Demetrios hung his head. "I'm sorry, Praxis. I've signed you up for something that you're not ready for. Especially not in this condition where you're still healing. I've done you a great disservice today."

Praxis put his hand on the older man's shoulder. "You bought us time that we didn't have. I think if you would have refused, they might have attacked us right now. At the end of the day, I'd rather be in charge of my own fate than let someone else dictate it. At least the trials will let me do that."

"Letus do that," corrected Lysandra. "We both have to face them, don't we?"

Demetrios swallowed heavily. "That is correct. I'm sorry to both of you but this was the only way. Praxis, Lysandra has to join you for all of them. You're a team in this, and she has to share in your victory and your defeat."

That last part made Praxis more nervous than he was before. It was one thing to face death on his own--he'd done it a hundred times or more. It was quite another to drag Lysandra into it, especially someone who didn't know how to fight.

Quite suddenly, Praxis was anxious for what tomorrow might bring. And what these trials would be.

Would they have the strength necessary to complete them?

Or would they take them down just like all the others before them?

Chapter 58: The First Trial

It was a restless night for just about everyone in Demetrios' house after the visit by the village elders. Demetrios was pacing well into the night, and every time Praxis looked at Lysandra, she seemed almost paralyzed by fear.

It was almost midnight when she asked the fateful question.

"What do you think they're going to have us do?" she whispered in bed. "How bad is it going to be?"

"I wish I knew," replied Praxis. "But I don't think it's a good thing that no one has survived the trials in recent memory. I think they're going to do everything possible to ensure we fail."

Lysandra let out a deep sigh. "I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"Sorry," he said, pulling her closer. "I wasn't trying to upset you."

"How did we get ourselves into this mess? Sometimes I wish we could just go back to Argos."

Praxis nodded. "I'd like that too. I only wish it was possible right now."

Lysandra let out a small moan of approval and burrowed her head against his shoulder. In just a few minutes, she was asleep. Praxis wished he could join her, but he found that he just couldn't get there.

Dawn came way too soon.

At least the elders didn't keep them waiting for long. They were spotted trudging up the hill, once more led by Orcus with his father just behind him. This time, they knocked on the door however, and waited until it opened before barging in.

"Have you decided?" asked Demetrios once they were all inside. "What are the trials going to be?"

"We've come to a consensus," replied Medios. "And there will be a total of three trials. I have to warn you though--they are the toughest trials that have ever been given. These won't be easy."

"We didn't expect it to be easy anyway," said Praxis. "What are they?"

"You'll only be told the first trial today," answered Medios. "Successful completion of the first trial will result in the details of the second and so on. For today, you only need to concern yourself with the first one."

That made Praxis uneasy, especially if he somehow managed to survive the first or second trial. He felt it likely that they would give him a task for the last one that was impossible to complete if only to ensure his death. But then again, he thought there was a high probability that the first trial might just kill him as well, so what did it really matter?

"Your first trial will be a matter of vengeance," continued Medios. "Not much more than ten miles from our village lies a temple of Ares. It is a rural temple, situated on an open plain that is remote from any other village. That temple is guarded by a caste of warrior-priests, those that devote themselves to the god Ares. Within the temple itself is a small statue of the god made entirely of gold. At one time, that statue belonged to this village, but it was stolen by the warrior-priests in order to adorn their temple."

"Your first trial will be to recover that golden statue using whatever means at your disposal," continued Medios. "Ordinarily, we wouldn't advocate for violence to accomplish these tasks but seeing as there is a grudge against these warrior-priests, we will allow you to decide their fate. Bring back the statue in one piece and you will have completed the first trial. Do you have any questions?"

"I assume we'll be allowed to take all of our weapons with us, right?" asked Praxis. "If I'm to fight a bunch of warrior-priests, I intend to be well-armed."

"Weapons are allowed as is your armor," replied Medios. "Trust me, you're going to need them. These are no ordinary priests. At a young age, they are taken from their families and dedicated to the god, Ares. They spend their days training their bodies in an effort to boost their martial prowess. They won't be easy opponents."

"How many of these warrior-priests are there?" asked Lysandra.

"At least ten of them," answered Medios. "But possibly more. We do not know because we cannot get close to the temple. As soon as they spot us, they kill us."

"Ten men?" she asked incredulously. "And you expect Praxis and me to take on ten men on our own?"

Medios shrugged. "That is the task in front of you. You knew the risks when you agreed to take the trials. If you go back on your word, we will kill all of you today instead. I should also mention that if you choose to run from the trial, you will forfeit the lives of Demetrios and Rastus. They will be our collateral to ensure that you follow through. Do you still wish to go through with this?"

"We will accept the first trial," replied Praxis, before giving an encouraging look at Lysandra. "We will retrieve your golden statue."

"Very well," said Medios. "You will have twenty-four hours to complete your task. I suggest you both get moving now. If you're not back by this time tomorrow, your trial will be considered a failure and Demetrios will suffer the consequences. Are we understood?"

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement which caused Medios and the others to leave the house. For his part, Orcus could barely restrain his glee, lingering a moment too long to look around the house.

"Get out of my house, you animal," barked Demetrios.

"Your house for now," said Orcus, grinning wickedly. "But my house after you die. I'm looking forward to seeing them fail."

The beady-eyed man left a moment later, earning a cascade of obscenities to erupt from both Praxis and Demetrios.

"How do you feel about this?" asked Demetrios finally. "What they are asking you to do is incredibly demanding considering the wounds you've suffered recently. Are you up to this?"

That was a great question, and one that Praxis wasn't sure he wanted to answer honestly. Though he'd seen a great improvement in his mobility ever since coming under Demetrios' care, he knew he wasn't back to normal. And if these warrior-priests really knew how to fight, this might just be the biggest test he would face yet.

"We don't have any other options besides this," replied Praxis. "I guess it's time to see just how well you've patched me up."

Demetrios nodded his head reluctantly. "Then hopefully the gods will show you their favor today. Maybe not Ares, but the others."

There wasn't much more that needed to be said. Praxis and Lysandra took a few moments to prepare before they set out in the direction of the temple, which was on the other side of a midsized mountain chain that ran north-south.

Though they had ten miles to travel, Praxis wasn't about to let the time go by without a little more preparation. That was why he took a small shield that had belonged to Demetrios and gave it to Lysandra as they walked, alongside a spare sword.

"I wish I had more time to train you," said Praxis as they started to ascend the mountain. "But if you're anything like your brother, you'll take to using a sword as well as he did."

Lysandra grabbed the sword without the least bit of hesitation. Praxis watched as her fingers gripped the handle like she'd done it before.

"You've handled a sword before, haven't you?" asked Praxis, watching her movements carefully.

Lysandra nodded her head. "When you've lived with Lysander for as long as I have, it's hard not to pick up on some things. He used to make me hold a sword and try to block his thrusts--nothing too major but this isn't my first time."

"I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that. We're going to need all the training we can get. How about we go through some movements while we walk? At least that way, you can get a feel for attacking instead of defending."

There was fear in her eyes. "Do you really think I can stand my ground against these men, Praxis?"

"With a little bit of training and confidence, you absolutely can," he promised. "That's the best thing about using the sword. It doesn't matter the size of your opponent as much as it does his movements. If you can beat him with your moves, you can defeat him easily. We just have to teach you a few moves."

And so it began. For the next two hours, Praxis went over a beginner course with Lysandra designed to give her basic fighting skills. He taught her how to properly attack with the sharp edge of the sword, a weapon that favored stabbing thrusts instead of swinging cuts. He taught her how to use her shield in tandem with her sword, raising it to absorb a blow while she attacked with her other hand.

Mostly, he taught her a series of movements that she could easily remember as well as the spots on the human body that were most vulnerable when pierced.

"Aim for the gut if you can," he advised once they crested the mountain. "If you can pierce a man's guts, he's not long for this world. Any man can survive stabs to the arms or legs and even the upper torso will take a long time to bleed out, but the gut gives you the best chance of a quick death."

"What if I stab them in the throat?" countered Lysandra.

Praxis grinned. "I'd say the throat works just as well. If you can get it."

She smiled back at him, and he felt better to see her not so anxious about the thought of battle. Though she was still very much a beginner, he at least had confidence that she could stand her ground as long as she didn't succumb to fear at the first sight of danger.

But truthfully, that was always the part he worried about the most, especially on the battlefield. You could teach a man to fight for weeks, months, or years, but you never knew what he was going to do once someone was in front of him trying to kill him.

Praxis only hoped that Lysandra was ready to stand her ground.

By the time it was getting late in the afternoon, Praxis spotted the temple for the first time. Like Medios had said, it occupied a flat plain that was nestled on the other side of the mountain. The temple itself was nothing impressive. Just from what Praxis could see, it was probably no more than three or four rooms inside, with exit points on the front and the rear end.

While the building itself didn't seem too complicated, it was the human component that put Praxis on edge. He gestured for Lysandra to hide behind a large rock near the temple so that he could observe the warrior-priests in their daily habits. And the more that he watched, the more anxious he became.

Finally, he swore under his breath which caused Lysandra to take notice.

"What's wrong? What do you see, Praxis?"

He could only shake his head as he looked her in the eye. "This place is well-guarded and the warrior-priests are taking their watch very seriously. This is going to be nearly impossible to pull off while staying alive."

Chapter 59: The Domain of Ares

Lysandra looked visibly frightened by Praxis' assessment of the temple.

"Why impossible, Praxis? Don't they have any weaknesses?"

"Very little," he growled. "It looks like they're prepared for an attack by the way they're making their rounds. Look at how those four men patrol the outside of the grounds."

Indeed, four of the warrior-priests, garbed only in simple, white chitons and carrying their swords, moved around the outside of the structure. Their movements were timed so that each of the four crossed the corner of the building at precisely the same time, allowing for every part of the plain to be visible at one time.

"We'll never be able to get close in our approach with them patrolling like that," said Praxis. "Even if we did manage to dispatch one of them, we'd have a limited time before he either yelled out in pain or the next guard rounded the corner and saw his dead body, raising the alarm with the rest of the priests. Any direct assault on this place would be foolish."

"What if we wait until they take a break?" asked Lysandra. "They can't march the entire day without a rest."

Praxis agreed to observe them for a while longer but he suspected that it wasn't going to be as easy as she suggested. With security like this, he figured it would be likely that one of the six other priests inside would relieve the four once their "shift" was over.

Sure enough, a mere hour later four more priests exited the temple, and they quickly spread out to take the place of one of the four existing patrols. The switch was made quickly and efficiently, allowing the other four to reenter the temple.

"For a place that's defended like this, you have to wonder what they have inside besides the golden statue," said Praxis under his breath. "They have to be sitting on a goldmine."

"Any ideas on what to do?" asked Lysandra. "Because we can't simply just wait for the changing of the guard to slip by. They're too efficient."

"I'm still working on that," replied Praxis. "If only there was another way..."

If he wasn't still recovering, Praxis might have entertained a direct assault on the temple. At least the priests weren't carrying shields or armor, which might make them easier to kill if he just got around their swords. On the other hand, he had to guess they had armor inside the temple just in case an assault did materialize.

It was as Praxis was still contemplating how to get inside that the situation changed. From a distance, two figures were approaching the temple from a mere fifty yards away. Just behind them, they were dragging a woman and two young children. Praxis gestured for Lysandra to shift their positions to stay hidden, as it became quickly obvious that these two men in front were also priests. They didn't stop until they reached the front of the temple, and two more men came out to meet them.

"What do we have here?" asked the lead priest, grinning lecherously at the young woman.

"We found this wench and her brats not far away," explained one of the two newcomers. "There was a storm near the peak of the mountain, and we found the dead body of a man under an avalanche of rocks. We're guessing it was her husband because she wouldn't stop crying about it."

Instead of sympathy, the main priest started to laugh. "Ares certainly knows when to provide for his followers, does he not? And it seems he's brought us this woman to serve as entertainment for the men tonight."

The other priest grinned. "She has a tight body despite pushing out two kids. I'm looking forward to getting inside her myself."

At those words, the woman struggled to free herself before she was smacked by the backhand of another priest. The blow was so hard that she barely moved again. Her young children, no older than five or six rushed to her defense, causing the priests to laugh.

"Why did you bring the brats?" asked the main priest. "Why not kill them or leave them to starve?"

"I figured they could make great slaves if we sell them! We could always use a little more gold!"

"All the better to bring glory the great name of Ares," replied the main priest. "You two have done well. Take the wench and her kids inside and we will have some wine. Tonight, we will celebrate."

Listening to this whole discussion had turned Lysandra pale white. She grabbed Praxis' arm.

"We can't let this happen," she hissed. "We can't let those animals take her!"

"I don't intend to," replied Praxis. "But I think I see our way in, especially if there's wine involved tonight."

"But how are we going to get inside with the patrols?"

Praxis had watched to make sure the patrols continued after the arrival of the two priests. All four of them showed interest in the young mother, and two of them had even stopped to watch the ordeal before continuing on. It was then that Praxis had his idea.

"We're just going to have to distract them," he said before turning to face her. "And I hate what I'm going to have to ask you to do."

"What is it?" she asked, the fear already showing on her face.

Praxis grimaced. "I need to use you as bait."

*****

"Help me! Someone help me please! I need help!"

Lysandra's voice pierced the early evening air and echoed throughout the surrounding countryside. Her position was strategically placed because it was the only area next to the temple where the plain broke into a circular and rocky low-lying area. The rocks offered the perfect amount of obstruction for anyone who didn't want to be found while also giving an advantage to any defender.

And they needed all the advantages they could get right now.

Thankfully for them, Lysandra's voice carried far enough to attract the attention of the priests on guard duty outside the temple. By the time they'd recognized her screams, they started to advance on their position, no doubt thinking they just found extra entertainment for the evening.

"Three of them are coming," she whispered to Praxis. "They're about fifty yards away!"

"Keep screaming," he urged. "Don't make it look suspicious."