The steaming liquid was bitter, but not unpleasant. Hercules sipped it slowly; it was very warming. "This is good," he told Kelosia. Setting the mug down on the low table, he returned his attention to the problem she was setting before him. "It would explain the reputation of this island," he commented.
"Reputation?" she asked archly, lifting the jug to pour herself another drink.
Hercules watched her. Even in such a simple act, her movements were unconsciously sensual; her long fingers caressed the handle of the jug as she lifted it, the steam rising from the hot liquid surrounded her perfect features as she poured…it was easy to see why Iolaus found this woman so fascinating. He was interested himself, but he would never have admitted it. Iolaus had, as he had said, seen her first, and for them both to show an interest in the same woman could only lead to trouble. He pushed his errant feelings firmly away and found his voice was steady when he replied. "We heard stories about magick, strange lights, disappearances…"
Kelosia smiled. "Oh, that’s all true. I’m afraid that the conditions here that make Pyros a perfect home for me attract some other…creatures." Kelosia refrained from mentioning that she was, strictly speaking, one of those creatures, adding only, "But there’s no danger if you’re sensible."
"So tell me about these pirates."
Kelosia’s tawny eyes dimmed. "There are caverns beneath the island at sea level, Hercules. I suppose these pirates must have found them. They have fresh water there and some heat. Food would be a problem, but they have ships. They’ve been using Pyros for over a year. At first, it was just somewhere to store their plunder, I think. That didn’t bother me. But now…"
Hercules interrupted her. "A year and you did nothing?"
"It’s unlikely they know I’m here, Hercules. You’ve said yourself nothing mortal could live here for long."
That hadn't been what he meant. Hercules let her evasion pass, thought. It didn’t seem important enough to press, and Kelosia appeared to have an answer for everything. "What’s changed?" he asked her.
"They have brought death to Pyros. These pirates keep slaves — and they don’t treat them well."
Hercules was silent for a moment. Few things offended him more than slavery; the idea that one person could own another… Yet he also remembered the previous night’s conversation. "I’m curious, Kelosia. Why are you concerned about their slaves? Last night, you were boasting of having kept slaves yourself."
Kelosia did not take offence. "Do you see any slaves around you now, Hercules?"
"No," he allowed, his tone giving nothing away.
"I was a slave myself for many years. The time I spoke of last night… I did own slaves, that’s true. But it was a time when plague and famine ravaged the land. My slaves were well treated and better off than they would have been as free men and women."
He shook his head. It was an argument he had heard many times before. "Every slave I’ve ever known would rather be free to starve than be a pampered pet. Slavery is wrong, Kelosia, whatever the ’times’."
She refused to argue with him, even to defend herself. "You’re entitled to your opinion, Hercules. And I’m entitled to disagree. Don’t judge days you’ve never known."
He would have responded to that, but when he looked up he saw Iolaus, standing bleary-eyed in the arched doorway between the caverns. "Iolaus," Hercules called.
Kelosia turned to look at the hunter. "Good morning. Sleep well?" she greeted him brightly.
"Um…" Iolaus looked at her through narrowed eyes. "Yeah. I slept fine."
"Well, I have things to do," Kelosia announced, rising to her feet gracefully. "I should find Alani, for a start."
"One more thing," Hercules called her back. "What did you expect Alani to do about this problem of yours?"
"I didn’t expect her to do anything. I asked Hecate for help. She sent Alani. Perhaps she knew you would be joining your daughter." With that, Kelosia left the two men alone.
Iolaus was staring after her with a very strange expression. Hercules couldn’t help teasing him about it. "You’re really taken with her, aren’t you?"
Iolaus blinked. "Aw, c'mon, Hercules. Can you blame me? She’s stunning …And dangerous."
Hercules looked at him curiously. "What gives you that idea?" Kelosia was unusual, certainly, but at her age, who wouldn’t be?
There was a silence. Then Iolaus said, "I had some weird dreams last night." He settled himself next to the table and began to help himself to breakfast.
Hercules wasn’t sure if that was an answer to his question or an attempt to change the subject. "Dreams?" he repeated carefully.
Iolaus said nothing, but there was a colour rising into his cheeks that certainly wasn’t from the heat.
"Oh." Hercules grinned knowingly. "Those kind of dreams."
Iolaus glared at him, embarrassed. "No, it was more than that," he said. He took a too-fast gulp of the hot tea Kelosia had left them. "C’mon, then Tell me what’s going on here."
Hercules took the hint and started to fill him in.
"You are not leaving me behind," Alani declared. Angrily, she slammed her mug down onto the low table. The impact echoed through the cave.
Hercules shook his head. "Alani, I won’t take you into danger."
"I’m not asking you to take me anywhere," she insisted. "I’m telling you I’m going with you."
"Not a chance." The words were quietly spoken, but determined. Hercules had made up his mind.
"Hercules, I’ll give you a choice, here. You can let me come with you…or you can spend all day looking back over your shoulder. Because I’ll be following you. And don’t threaten to tie me down or anything silly like that, because you know what I am and you can’t make me stay if I don’t want to."
"You sound like a spoiled child," Hercules told her. He could feel her stubborn determination as an almost physical force, flowing out from her in waves.
Iolaus interrupted, "No. She sounds just like her father."
Both Hercules and Alani turned, as one, to stare at him.
"Well, it’s true," Iolaus said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "You’re both too stubborn for your own good." He was more awake, now, and much more relaxed than he had been when he first woke. The dream was fading from his memory.
Recognising the truth in Iolaus’ words, Hercules couldn’t help laughing.
"Well, I’m glad that’s settled," Alani said, as if it was.
"You’re staying here," Hercules said firmly. To avoid further argument, he turned away from her and walked into the back of the cave, where they had left their warm clothing. Iolaus looked at Alani, then at Hercules’ retreating back. With a shrug, he followed his friend.
Alani was left gazing after them.
A shadow passed over the cave’s entrance and she headed out, not stopping to pick up a cloak. She brushed her hair back from her face and shielded her eyes as she gazed toward the sun. This was her secret, and in her irritation with Hercules, she took a childish delight in knowing she knew something he didn’t.
The bird-like creature she was watching circled her position once, then landed in the snow a short distance away. It was huge, easily twice Alani’s size, with varicoloured feathers that glowed in the sunlight and a hooked eagle-like beak.
Alani felt no fear.
A shimmer of air and the brightness around the bird intensified. Wings stretched and elongated, the beak shrank into the face, feathers rearranged their patterns, many of them vanishing.
Alani smiled a greeting as the crimson-clad figure of Kelosia walked toward her.
"What’s wrong?" Kelosia asked her at once.
Alani’s smile faded. "Hercules," she said shortly.
Kelosia's hands rested on the girl's shoulders as she looked deeply into her eyes. She frowned. "Oh, Alani, no."
"I knew you’d say that," Alani told her petulantly. She pulled away from Kelosia’s touch.
The immortal’s tawny eyes narrowed. "Do you think I disapprove?"
Alani lowered her eyes, unable to look at the other woman. It was an admission, of sorts.
Kelosia reached out with a long-fingered hand, lifting Alani’s chin gently. "Alani…"
The young priestess turned away from the offered comfort. "Don’t say it, Kel. I know."
It was the hunter’s sharp eyes that first saw the steam. So very difficult, looking for some sign of life in this white barrenness. Iolaus pointed out the wispy steam emerging from a crack in the ice almost with fear: surely the heat necessary to create steam wasn’t possible here?
It took Hercules a few moments to see what Iolaus saw. "Now I understand," he said to himself. At Iolaus’ confused look he added, "The island is volcanic, Iolaus. There must be a hot spring there, or something."
"Volcanic?" Iolaus repeated, as if his friend had lost his mind. "You mean like, burning stones and lava? Herc, this place is full of ice!" He spread his arms, indicating the snowy landscape, illustrating his point.
Alani smiled at his naivety. "Iolaus, this climate isn’t what you’d call natural," she pointed out.
It was thanks to Kelosia that she was there. When Hercules had appealed to the immortal woman to help him keep Alani out of harm’s way, she had told him she thought it would be a good idea for Alani to be with them. "Pyros holds many hidden dangers, Hercules. Alani…well, she knows what to look for. A lot of the…creatures…who live here are things you won’t see. It could be dangerous for you, too."
Hercules had been irritated by the vague warning, but in the end he had agreed to let Alani accompany them.
Now he led them through the ice and snow toward what looked like the entrance to another cavern: the one Iolaus had spotted. "It’s slippery — be careful," he said over his shoulder, easing his large frame through the narrow crack. He saw how narrow the ledge was and how far there was to fall and wanted to tell Alani to wait for them outside. He bit his tongue on that one, knowing she wouldn’t obey, but couldn’t stop himself casting a worried glance her way. She was trying to hide a smile and he wondered what had amused her. "Alani?" he began. She glanced up, her face a picture of innocence. He shrugged and moved further onto the ledge.
The scene below was amazing. For a moment, all three were still, caught by the sight.
They were almost at the top of a huge rock cavern. Below them, a stream of water almost large enough to be called a river flowed toward the sea. At the far end of the cavern, a large jagged entrance let in the light from outside. Below that was a roughly made dock, clearly intended for a ship. On both sides of the stream the signs of habitation were everywhere: tents and even wooden houses gathered along the water’s edge, and a great many people. An entire village, hidden within the cavern on a supposedly deserted island.
A pirate village, Hercules remembered, the thought bringing him back to reality.
"By the gods…" Iolaus whispered beside him.
Details from the scene below began to emerge. Beside the dock, a row of figures walked slowly, chained together, guarded by two men with whips and clubs. And, looking closer, Hercules could see that all the female figures he could see were chained, and almost every man was armed in some way. The all-too-familiar anger at seeing innocents mistreated began to fill his heart.
A scream drew their attention. A woman (girl?) running from one of the larger tents. Behind her, two men were in pursuit. People looked up from their work, watching. No one tried to interfere. The girl, running toward the dock, slipped on something and fell, rolling over and over. As she struggled to her feet, the men in pursuit caught up with her. She tried to shake their hands off her, but failed.
Hercules felt Iolaus’ hand on his shoulder. "Herc?" his friend said quietly.
What could they do, from where they were? There was no way to get down into the cavern safely. Even if they could, how could he take them into a fight with Alani there? Angry, torn, Hercules met his friend’s eyes and shook his head.
They had dragged the woman to a wooden platform. Atop the platform was a thick post about eight feet high, probably once part of a ship’s mast. They were securing their prisoner to the post, her arms embracing the wood, her legs spread wide. A crowd was gathering around the scene, nearly all of them men. One man leaned close to the girl, saying something to her. He grasped her clothing and ripped it away, baring her from the waist up. She cried out in fear.
"Herc, we’ve got to do something," Iolaus urged, even knowing it was impossible.
"Can you figure out a way down?" Hercules asked him. His voice betrayed his frustration.
Iolaus looked down from the ledge. They were far above the ground, enough that a fall would certainly be fatal. The ground below was pitted and uneven. His warrior’s mind noted places of concealment, saw the best ways to attack. But there was no way to get down there.
One of the men below raised a whip. Iolaus heard Alani gasp. He couldn’t tear his eyes away as the whip came down with a crack that echoed through the cavern. His dream rose up in his mind again; Iolaus could almost feel the kiss of the lash on his own flesh. Even hearing the poor girl’s scream couldn’t prevent those remembered feelings. Gods, this was so confusing.
Alani, her body pressed against the wall behind them, clutched at her amulet. The familiar feel of silver beneath her fingers calmed her enough for her to realise there might be something she could do. She reached inside herself and outward, seeking power.
Iolaus saw her lips moving slightly, her eyes closed. "Alani," he began.
It attracted Hercules’ attention. He glanced past Iolaus to Alani. "Alani, no!" he said quickly. When she didn’t even seem to hear him he reached out, grasping her shoulder. "Alani, whatever you’re doing, stop it. Stop it!"
Her eyes flew open and she glared at him, angry and disbelieving.
Hercules pointed back to the entrance they had used. "Come on, let’s get out of here."
Outside, Alani rounded on him, her eyes blazing. "How could you just let that happen? I could have stopped them!"
Hercules told her, "I know. And everyone would have know we were there."
"How could you let it happen?" she demanded again.
"It won’t happen again," Hercules said with calm resolve. "Alani, think! Even if we could have got down there, if we could have fought so many men — and I’m not saying I couldn’t — what would we do then? There’s no way off this island for all those slaves. We’d be freeing them to freeze and starve."
"They’ve got to have food supplies in that cave, Herc," Iolaus put in uncertainly.
"Yeah, but we don’t know where and we don’t know how much. Kelosia said they’ve been here a year, and that looked like an established community." He paused for breath, looking at his daughter. "Alani, you’ll get your chance, if you want it. But we need to know more."
Iolaus’ heart sank as he realised what Hercules was saying. "Hercules…no."
"Do you have a better idea?" Hercules asked him. How did Iolaus always read his intentions so easily?
"Don’t do this," Iolaus said.
"Do what?!" Alani demanded.
"He’s thinking of getting himself captured," Iolaus explained.
She stared at Hercules.
"It’s not as crazy as you think, Iolaus. This time, we’ve got an edge. Alani."
It was Iolaus’ turn to be confused as Alani turned to her father with a frown. "It doesn’t work that way, Hercules."
"But it could," he insisted.
"Maybe…I’ll try."
By night, the landscape of Pyros was almost like a desert: the same undulating smoothness as sand under the harsh light of the moon. Standing in the mouth of Kelosia’s cave, a fur rug loosely draped over his shoulders, Hercules gazed up at the cold night sky. The scene they had witnessed in the pirates’ cavern replayed in his mind. He knew what they had seen had to be an everyday event, almost.
His plan was fairly simple. Find a way to get near the pirates’ cavern. Pretend he’d been shipwrecked or something. Pray to the gods no one knew he was Hercules. Let them take him prisoner. Slave. He would stay there long enough to find out what was going on. Because he had the feeling this wasn’t as simple as mere piracy.
He thought, then, of Nebula, wondering if she would know anything about this enclave. Whether she would have told him if she did. Maybe. If she were here.
He was going into this with his eyes open, knowing that his half-Olympian heritage would protect him from purely physical hardship. Even so, he had his fears. Nothing specific. Just an awareness of the unknown.
Hercules heard nothing, but felt the radiant heat of a body behind him. He didn’t turn around, didn’t say anything.
"Will this work?" Kelosia’s voice, beside him.
"It should." Hercules turned to face her.
Kelosia’s tawny eyes — the only thing about her that was obviously not human — regarded him curiously. She waited for him to speak.
"It’ll work," he repeated. "Though I wish Alani would trust me a bit more."
"What makes you think she doesn’t trust you?"
"You knew Dione, didn’t you?"
"I did. Very well."
What she and I had, Kelosia, it was special, even if it didn’t last. When she touched my mind, she didn’t hold anything back. Alani does."
"And you take that as lack of trust?"
For a moment he didn’t answer. Then he shook his head. "I’m nervous, that’s all. I’m going to rely on this link between us if anything goes wrong. I’m worried it could fail when we need it most."
"I don’t think you should worry, Hercules."
He eyed her curiously. "You know something, don’t you?"
Slowly, Kelosia nodded. "Pyros is a strange place, Hercules. The island has a way of…of bringing to the light things that should be buried. Thoughts, feelings. Memories." Hercules tried to interrupt; Kelosia cut him off quickly. "If you don’t feel it yet, you will. Your immortal heritage protects you, somewhat. Ask Iolaus — I’m sure he must be feeling it by now. In Alani’s case…well, Hecate’s training should have made her aware of the shadows in her mind. But it seems she missed one. The reason she won’t open herself to you completely, Hercules, is because she’s afraid you’ll see something she’s ashamed of."
He shook his head, denying the implication. "Kelosia, she’s my daughter. Surely she knows nothing can take that away?"
"Nothing can take the blood away, true. But she fears more than that."
"You’d better explain that," he told her grimly.
Her hand touched his arm briefly. "I will. But not tonight. When this is over."
Alani lay awake. With her mind, she reached out for the comforting presence of her goddess. She could feel Hecate’s touch in her mind but it was cold, remote. Alani understood. Time to grow up, Alani. This time, you’re on your own.
There was nothing more she could do. She and Hercules had practised until they were both exhausted. The link he had forged between them two years before, clumsily, to save her life, was all she had to work with and she had never done anything quite like this. But she had done it, strengthening and opening their link until it was almost as clear as her link with Dione had been.
No…don’t go there.
She closed her eyes. She was aware of Hercules, not physically, but as a subtle, yet strange presence in her mind. He was sleeping. A warrior, he had told her once, learns to sleep anywhere, anytime it’s possible, because you never know when your next chance for rest might be. It seemed he had told her the truth.
She could wake him, if she chose. All she would need to do was send her will through the link.
She prayed he couldn’t eavesdrop on her thoughts as easily.
Iolaus rolled over restlessly. Two of the thick blankets piled around him were dislodged by his movement and slipped off the bed onto the floor. Iolaus came awake, briefly, muttering a curse, pulling the blankets back over himself. Then he slipped back into the arms of Morpheus. He dreamed…
To be continued…
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3