Chapter Six

“Your traveling companion should be fine.” reminded the physician. They had left Aja with her husband and instructions for no more amorous acts until well after the baby was born. Her colour had returned with the news that her baby was mostly likely fine.

Meanwhile Asclepogenia’s had drained. “But you aren’t thinking about her. You are thinking about this thief” she asked bringing them to a stop on the empty, narrow cobblestone street.

“Kyros, yes. He’s an old friend. He was on watch the night Naxos was destroyed and I went with him when he abandoned his post. He refused to return to town out of fear of being punished.”

“Surely they didn’t intended less than the gallows for him. Unless he was a thief there too.”
“No, a little surly and unhappy but no thief or traitor, just bored of village life I suppose.”

Getting those answers out of the girl allowed them proceed to the jail without further questions from the Physician.

The jailers had more questions for Asclepogenia but eventually allowed both women to enter the gloom of the building and they were lead before Kyros.

His face, twisted in anger instantly softened upon seeing Asclepogenia.
“What in the uranic realms are you doing here!” he stammered “Did they send for you?”
They met at the iron bars and embraced as best they could. Kyros was ashamed to feel the warm wet trickle of tears on his cheek and hardened his composure again.

“No, I’m going to Thira. Onatas and the elders thought to have the bit of Zro sent to the Augers in hopes they could divine the source of these attacks.”

“They are sending you to Thira…” Kyros was amazed.
“Yes Onatas has referred me to the Order for training.”

“I can’t believe your mother permitted such a thing.”
“She didn’t, and this is another suffering heaped upon her by Urania….but this goes beyond my familiar duty. I must find the source of these attacks before they come for Trefos. To make matters worse, I just learned the same thing has been going on in this town.”

“For sometime,” added the physician, who had been silent and let the young people have their moment of reunion. “Nothing at the scale of the attack at Naxos, but isolated incidents for the past month. I am the town healer, your jailer tells me you called for me?”

Kyros face flashed with guilt, as if he just now remembered the conditions of their reunion. Kyros looked for a jailer, but they were alone. In a low voice he said “I don’t want to be hung. I would beg you to offer me something to let me slip from this world before the time of punishment. Please.”

Asclepogenia brought a hand to her mouth to silence the pained moan that never achieved an utterance. She had not breath for it. Their moment of sweetness had faded and the permanence of what to come settled over her, crushing her hopes.

“It would be against my oath to bring harm to an otherwise strapping lad such as yourself.” The physician pronounced. “However,” she continued a moment later “I realize the conditions that brought you to this place, and that your life will over soon… in a manner I can only surmise is full of distress.”

Both young Therans waited in suspense for the woman to continue, Asclepogenia gripping the bars to hold her steady against the onslaught of emotion. “However, there may be some use for your life, to the quest of your friend. If we could resolve the mysterious circumstances of these attacks many more lives could be saved, including your entire village.”

The spark of hope in Asclepogenia’s chest sent a flush to her cheeks. “I have on my person not only a solution that could end your life, but one that could also appear to end it, but it would require an antidote swiftly administered or your original request to slip from this world would be fulfilled.” From her kit she produced two vials, handing the darker one to the boy and the lighter to the girl.
“Take this tonight, after your dinner. It will be… unpleasant.” Asclepogenia felt the physician mince her words to obscure the true severity of her plan. “But it will render you dead to the world for some hours.” she said in a low tone. “They will unquestionably call for me, if you don’t expire before I can arrive and I will bring in tow your grieving townswoman to take your body back to Trefos for burial.”
Kyros’s face, set stern with the seriousness of what lay before them, belied his joy at an escape.
“After I do this for you, you shall never set foot in this town again, you’ll leave with the caravan.”
“Yes, Physician” Kyros said, a mere whisper.
“There is nothing more we can do for him,” pronounced Eileithyia loudly. “Come, let the condemned man sleep.” she steered Asclepogenia from the bars with a hand upon her arm.
“Jailer!” She called. “I’m finished.” and in a moment the jailer made his way down the hallway and escorted them back into the streets.
“Stay close, but out of sight. Remember he will have immediate need of you.” advised the healer. She left Asclepogenia alone with her thoughts.

Kyros wolfed down his dinner. Not only had he been ravenous but it also signaled the end of his captivities. He quaffed the liquid the physician had left and paced his cell waiting for it to take effect. Soon he was feeling dizzy and sat on the cot. Nausea stirred in him, along with a terrible pain from his stomach. The roiling sensation had him doubled over in pain and it was then he began calling for his captors.

They found him on the floor covered in a bloody vomit when they arrived. His spasmed and twitched, eyes full of fear when he had sense enough to focus them on his jailer’s faces. His last conscious thoughts were spiraling together, but weaved a panicked story that the physician had made good on his request and gave him a poison with no antidote. He held this myth in forefront of his mind as he sunk into blackness.

Asclepogenia heard the screams but saw no one leave the jail from the entrance she watched. Men in the towns uniform of war-bonded soldiers came and went through the day, but now all was quiet. She retraced the plan in mind. The doctor said that without question she’d be called for...but what if the guards didn’t care, or didn’t compile with Kyros’s dying plea. The antidote in her pocket felt profoundly heavy.

Swallowing her fear she emerged from the shadows and held her head up high as she approached the jail. She summoned a few avatars of light that meandered around her as she strode for the door. Her resounding knock was answered by a suspicious looking man in the uniform of Pylos’s war-bonded.

“I’ve come for your prisoner. I need to see him.” She said.
“Visiting hours are over.” he started to close the door but she held out a hand, slamming it palm down, the heat of her passion caused flames to escape and blacken the wood of the door.
“I’m on official business, and time is of the essence. Let me see him.”
The man saw the flames and now caught sight of the avatars of light that hovered beside the young woman.
Magic wasn’t uncommon, but he knew it usually accompanied people in power. Though she looked young he could see the resolve behind her pale blue eyes.
“What business of this is yours.”
“He’s dying. I can sense it. I’m from the Order and I have questions for him about the recent attacks on your town. Do I need to summon your lochagos from his dinner at home?”
The mention of his superior had and effect and the jailer allowed the door to open. Asclepogenia and her avatars entered the jail for the second time today. She scanned the faces of the men and saw none that she recognized from earlier.
“Why hasn’t a doctor been called?”
“The prisoner is due to be executed. Dying tonight in his cell, seems to save us the price of the hangman.”
“That is not how we do things in Thira,” Asclepogenia said invoking the name of their wondrous capital city. “Send for the Healer and take me to him,” she ordered feeling a sense of authority flow through her. This brightened her avatars, useless though they were in the torchlight of the town’s jail.
“Yes, ma’am.” said the jailer. “You heard her. Go and fetch the physician.”
“Thank you” she softened infinitesimally holding fast to the power that surged through her.
The man brought her down the familiar hallway to the cell of Kyros. He lay unmoving on the floor.
“If it is too late for this one,” she motioned to the body sprawled amongst the straw that littered the floor as the jailer fumbled with his keys. “The hangman will get his coin, the question is who will hang.” she snarled and hurried towards Kyros to lift his head from the cell’s stone floor.
The illusion of power evaporated as her helplessness sank in. She turned him over as best she could dabbing at the blood on his cheek.
“Bring the Physician immediately when she arrives.” Asclepogenia said behind closed eyes. She did not turn to face the jailer lest he see her cheeks wet with tears.

She waited in silence, cradling his head until commotion in the hallway drew her attention.
When Eileithyia she met Asclepogenia’s presence with a gasp of surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I have come from Thiria, to question this man about the attacks to your town.” Asclepogenia said switching back into the lie she had crafted.
“Have you.” said the physician. “Very well. I hope you are not too late. Leave us.” she said to the jailer who was still wary of the ire of the Order and did as he was told without question.

Once they were alone a grin broke the healer's face. “From the Order? Are you mad?”
“They refused to call for you. I heard him screaming but no one left the jail, I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I commend your creativity, child.” the healer reached out and took Asclepogenia’s hands turning her face towards her. “But that was a reckless act. I’m surprised you got this far.” The physician gaze traced the orbit of an avatar of light. “Though I see you are trained in the art of magic, or at least a little of it, so perhaps that lent some credence to your claim.”
“Is he okay?” Asclepogenia said, returning the focus to her friend who lay as if dead.
“Probably. I will call for the guard and say we need to get him to my infirmary. You … try not to lie anymore”

Between the two of them they were able to pull the cart that held the crumpled form of Kyros. Once they were out of sight of the jail the healer beckoned them to stop.
“Give him that antidote and be quick about it.”
Asclepogenia drew the pale potion from her pocket and broke the wax seal with trembling fingers.
“Be sure not to spill any of it.” Hissed the physician.
She parted his blood stained lips with her fingers and poured it into his mouth. Once it was done she staggered back and stammered out a quick prayer to the Aetna. “Please…” was the form it took as it escaped her throat. Never before had she placed faith in the works of the gods, but now she needed to see breath return to the man’s body.

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I realize I gave you a sneak peek at Chapter 6 yesterday and I think that was a mistake. No more sneak peeks, which is really hard because I wrote about two chapters of intense action tonight! I'm two days ahead of schedule, which is making posting in Chapters (roughly 1,666 words) tough.

I will probably need a break later, but right now I don't want to stop because I feel like everything's coming together nicely. I think the difference this year is Steemit! It feels good to share what I've written as I write it, edited or not as the case might be! Love, Renee