The Hekamon Read online

  The Hekamon

  By

  Leo T. Aire

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Copyright © 2016 of the author

  Table of Contents

  The Hekamon

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Maps

  Chapter 1

  1

  Alyssa searched the earth around her, feeling for any sign of it. "Kormak, where is it?" She whispered.

  "I don't know, more leaves have fallen since the last time I was here, keep looking."

  The two of them continued to search through the dead leaves and twigs. It wasn't helping that they had nothing more than starlight to search by.

  "Is this it?" she whispered, as her hand closed around something solid and cold to the touch.

  Her brother scrambled over to where she was crouching.

  "Yes," he replied, taking the ring from her, before trying to stand and raise the door, but without success. "Move."

  Alyssa hadn't just found the trapdoor, she was standing on it, and obligingly stepped to one side so her brother could try and lift it again. This time it did start to rise, dislodging the covering of earth and leaves to reveal a dark hole the ground.

  Kormak held the door open and looked around furtively. Then, with a subtle movement of his hand, he motioned for her to enter. Alyssa shook her head, the way looked forbidding and she was reluctant to go first. Seeing her reaction, Kormak nodded his understanding.

  "I'll lead, hold it for me."

  Alyssa took the weight of the door and looked on, as her brother moved to the edge and dropped down into the darkness below.

  Once in, he paused to give her a moment to size up its depth, which, at six feet, was as deep as he was tall. Before turning, crouching down and crawling into the tunnel, disappearing from view as he went.

  A whispered voice came out of the darkness, "Follow me."

  Overcoming a strong urge not to, Alyssa climbed in, and immediately saw why her brother had suggested she go first. Squeezing herself under the closing trapdoor, she had to bear its full weight, firstly on her shoulders, then her head. It proved awkward but she managed.

  With the door closing above her, what little light there had been faded to black, while the dull thud of it shutting was their signal to move on. The shuffling sound ahead of her was her brother crawling along, and she followed.

  Moving on hands and knees, Alyssa felt her way in the darkness. Bare, compacted soil beneath and wooden beams above, held up by posts on either side. She took care not to bump the support posts as she went by them, as even the gentlest touch seemed to disturb the earth and threaten a collapse of the tunnel.

  After crawling for a minute, there came the sound that signaled they'd reached the other end. It was the sound of knocking.

  Three times Kormak knocked, and each time Alyssa felt a drizzle of earth rain down on her.

  It was followed by silence.

  She heard her brother shift uneasily and understood his apprehension all too well. It would be more than a little difficult for them to turn around in this tight space and after coming this far they didn't want to have to go back now.

  In the darkness, Alyssa sensed her brother was trying move whatever it was blocking their way, by pushing and leveraging his weight against it, seemingly without success.

  Her brother knocked again, on what she could only imagine to be a door, presumably one in the more usual upright position, and much more loudly this time. Each bang bringing down a flurry of soil, small stones and things. What things, Alyssa tried not to think about, but they scurried away quickly, much to her relief.

  Still no response.

  "I'll try louder," he called back to her, perhaps warning her to expect an even earthier shower of detritus from above, but she stopped him.

  "Wait, I can hear something."

  From beyond the barrier ahead of them, there came the sound of movement; a door opening, footsteps on a stone floor, followed by the faint click of latch. This sound heralding the unlocking of the small hatch that had been obstructing the tunnel, which opened to reveal a dimly lit space beyond.

  Alyssa's view of what lay ahead was obscured by her brother, but as he shuffled out of the tunnel and into the room before them, she could start make out a few details.

  The logs that were stacked up against the far wall, a scattering of sawdust and wood chips on the floor, showed it to be a woodshed.

  "Come in, come in," came the insistent voice of a man, beckoning them inside.

  From her position in the tunnel, only the man's legs were visible and she saw him step back, so Kormak could shuffle into the woodshed and stand.

  "And your sister?"

  "Yes, this is Alyssa," her brother said, helping her out so she could stand as well.

  Once at her full height, she was almost as tall as her brother, and the pair of them towered over the small, portly man who greeted them. She untangled some twigs from her long brown hair, before exchanging greetings with the balding man.

  "Pleased to meet you, Alyssa. I'm Tansley, trader in goods for the discerning and percipient traveler, happy to be at your service," the man said, picking some dead leaves out of her hair.

  "Hello," she replied shyly, dusting off her clothes.

  The close-fitting, woolen jacket and tights she wore were warm, but they attracted much to them that she would like to brush off.

  At least the mottled green and brown color of her clothing didn't show the dirt much. If anything it improved the camouflage, an attribute that was just as important to her as the warmth they provided.

  Kormak, similarly attired, also dusted himself down. While the tradesman closed the hatchway to the tunnel, before leading them into the main part of the trading post and over to a counter on the far side of the room.

  "So," Tansley said, "do you have…?"

  Wordlessly, Kormak reached inside his jacket and produced a rabbit skin pouch. He examined it momentarily, before handing it to the merchant. Tansley smiled, took the pouch and opened it.

  Inside were a number of clay vials, each one about the size of the man's thumb. They were covered with gauze and fastened with string.

  The merchant took each vial and carefully sniffed every one in turn, checking the runic writing on each as he did so. Alyssa doubted that the man could read the runes, but he seemed proficient at determining the contents by smell alone. Not that it required much skill, the odors were distinctive enough.

  "Well this seems to be in order," Tansley said, seemingly satisfied that the agreed to herbs and quantities were there. He closed the fur pouch and placed it on the wooden counter. "So, what can I interest you in?"

  Alyssa noticed that her brother had started to allow his eye to wander around the shelves of merchandise. He'd already told her what to expect from his earlier visits, and by the light of the lantern hanging from the ceiling, she could see that the room was much as he had described.

  Oak beams and floorboards, with a counter in one corner and next to it, tw
o doorways. One that lead into a hallway while another was curtained off. Along the walls, there were shelves of all manner of worn leather armor, while racks beneath them held various types and styles of weapons, mostly rusted steel and patinated bronze.

  Since her brother was here to find equipment for their patrol, there was good chance he would find the kind of items he was looking for, if not the quality.

  "I'm looking for some pauldrons, swords and maybe helmets, oh and bracers, too." Kormak said.

  The man gave a friendly laugh and tapped the bag, "It may not stretch that far but let's see what deal we can put together."

  "Okay, let's start with the swords."

  "Swords? Gladius, spatha, krefeld, anything particular in mind?" Tansley asked, before leading Kormak over to the other side of the hut, where a few racks of some rusty and worn swords rested forlornly.

  Alyssa watched, as her brother picked up a sword and held it for a moment, before putting it back, seemingly unimpressed. Seeing his reaction, the tradesman selected a different weapon.

  "Try this one," he said, handing it to Kormak, "Its nicely balanced, don't you think?"

  With the pair of them beginning what Alyssa expected to be a long conversation about the merits of curved blade against straight, she started to make her own way around the trading post.

  On the long walk here, her brother had told her about the correct trading post etiquette on this part of the Regis Highway. About how not to touch things, and to leave the talking and negotiating to him.

  So she dutifully walked around quietly, keeping a respectful distance from the halberds, pauldrons, greaves and other military paraphernalia this trading post seemed to specialize in.

  She was about to move back to where Tansley and her brother were talking, and feign interest in their discussion, when something caught her eye.

  At first glance, the brown leather bag sitting on a low shelf didn't seem particularly intriguing. The cracked and crumbling leather suggested that, whatever it contained, it might be even older than all the other worn and rusty pieces on display. Maybe it was the emblem of an eagle embroidered with great detail, or the fine silver thread that gave particular prominence to its talons. Whatever it was, Alyssa had a feeling the bag contained something important.

  Leaning forward to take a closer look, her silver necklace slid out from the top of her jacket. She felt it move and reached up and held it with one hand, while stretching out with the other to touch the bag.

  Alyssa was instinctive by nature, and trusted her intuition above all else. This was something. It seemed the merchant was intuitive, too.

  "Can I help you there, miss?" She heard him say, interrupting Kormak in the process and walking over to her.

  Her brother gave her a look of irritation, which turned to one of curiosity when she gave him a defiant look back. They both knew she had an uncanny knack for finding things, and this was a find.

  "Can I see what's in the bag?" she asked politely, while slipping her necklace back inside her jacket as the merchant approached.

  "Ah, this was just in today." Tansley replied, his gaze shifting from her necklace to the bag, which he picked it up by its strap and carried over to the counter. "A Coralainian gentleman, heading north, stopped by to offload some heavy and unwanted armor in his possession. He sold me this to lighten his load and raise some money for lodgings and the like on his journey." Tansley unbuckled the bag and opened it.

  "An impressive pair of gauntlets, don't you think?"

  Their appearance immediately aroused her curiosity. These were unlike any of the other surplus and unwanted cast-offs that filled the shelves of this trading post.

  The man had called them gauntlets but she would call them iron grippers. With expertly embroidered leather, exquisitely engraved metal carapaces and inscription adorned straps. Undoubtedly a military item, but beautiful, too.

  "How much?" Kormak asked, so quickly, and so insistently, that he gave up any chance of negotiating a fair price. She shot him a glance at his clumsiness, but her brother only had eyes for the iron grippers.

  "Not so fast." Tansley chided gently, "If this is all you've got," he said, patting the bag of herbs, "you don't have enough."

  "How much?" Kormak said again, looking intently at the storekeeper who seemed to be making some mental calculations, while her brother did likewise.

  Alyssa looked on, from one to the other and then at the grippers, with their shimmering and engraved metal adornments.

  The engravings bore a resemblance to those on her own most important possession, her necklace. A gift from her mother. Her only reminder of her mother.

  As so often happened when she thought of her, she raised her hand to her neck, to touch the fine silver chain and the silver pendant that hung from it. As she did, Alyssa noticed the tradesman seemed to be mimicking her gesture, but he stopped abruptly when he caught her eye.

  At that moment, Kormak slowly bowed his head and let out a soft sigh.

  Had her brother decided against making an offer, or trying to acquire them? His expression seemed to be one of resignation, a despondent air took hold of him.

  "Why don't you have a look around and see what else you can see," he suggested to her, before looking back at Tansley, "while we discuss matters."

  The man seemed to think this a good idea, "Yes, you certainly have an eye for quality, why not look around at some of the clothing I have to offer." Tansley said, walking her over to the curtained doorway that lead into another room.

  Their unorthodox entrance, meant they had emerged into the store room at the back of the trading post, where the tradesman kept his more specialist merchandise. The more commonly purchased and less expensive items, were in the shop at the front.

  Alyssa happily obliged, flattered by the man's description of her good taste. It had not been the intention to buy anything on this trip, other than some supplies for their sparse armory. But if acquiring those iron grippers put her brother in a good mood, then might he buy her something, too? Maybe he would.

  Alyssa began looking for anything else that might catch her eye. She was under no illusions, though, and would look for something inexpensive.

  2

  Decarius stepped carefully. The stone ledge narrowed at this point and there was a long drop into the darkness below. He stopped and waited, while his two companions drew closer, he was the torch bearer and they would need the light. Once together, they moved on again, with their backs pressed against the cavern wall, both for guidance and to keep as far from the edge of the precipice as possible.

  The uneven columns of rock that formed the mountain range did not give the easiest kind of wall for them to use has a guide. The mountain wasn't so much a solid a mass of rock, but more like an intricate construction. Giant six sided columns, packed tightly together, rising like colonnades of some vast ancient temple. A crevice was followed by a jutting outcrop, pushing them closer to the edge before they could, in the next step, move back to the relative sanctuary of a cavity in the rock.

  At that moment, a chill gust of wind blew along the tunnel from the direction in which they were heading. Decarius stopped once more, this time to steady himself, as the wind pulled at his clothes and hem of his cloak, while the flame he carried flickered and threatened to extinguish.

  He knew they were getting closer to the exit of the cavern but the wind outside might be picking up as well. If it was, their descent down the mountainside would be all the more difficult.

  "Watch your step," he said to Aegis, the youngest of his two companions, as he started moving again, "this is the most treacherous part."

  The young man inched along the ledge behind him, a few lose stones breaking away and disappearing into the depth's below. "Why did we have to come this way," Aegis asked. His voice cracking, betraying his nerves.

  "It's safer this way, Aegis. We're nearly through the worst of it."

  "I think I would have preferred if we'd taken our chances through the pass."r />
  "We'll head back that way when it's daylight, right now, this route is better, trust me."

  He had wanted to avoid the mountain pass if at all possible. Disguised as civilians, they were lightly armed and since they were traveling at night, it would be unwise to chance their luck. There might be thieves roaming around, and guards, too. This path would help ensure they reached their destination undetected, although it did bring some risks of its own.

  "If you think you are going to fall, stop and steady yourself. You know what it would mean if you were to slip here." Decarius said, the warning had been sincere, but it was coolly received.

  "I know what it would mean," Aegis replied icily.

  It took Decarius a few moments to realize why his warning might have been considered insensitive. When he did, it turned his mood, and not for the better.

  It was a fall into crevasse such as this, that had changed the balance of power in Coralai. Aegis had entered a cavern under the Halvyon Temple with his cousin, Pandolin, and only Aegis had walked out again. With Pandolin dead, the line of succession changed, and Aegis was the main beneficiary.

  "A fall into the abyss? We can't have the heir to the sacerdos meeting such a fate, can we?" He said, with more than a hint of sarcasm.

  Aegis shot him a glance, the torchlight reflecting in his eyes, but Decarius ignored it. The death of Pandolin two years earlier, and the changes it wrought, were never far from his mind. It was what had brought him to this point. An injustice had occurred and it needed to be corrected.

  "And if you do fall, whatever you do, don't drag me down with you," he said, looking at Aegis and meeting fire with fire. It infuriated him to see the boy, he barely considered him a man, not only returning his look, but doing so with a smile, a smirk even.

  Suddenly Decarius had to fight an overwhelming urge. Why not throw Aegis off the ledge right now? The expression on his face as he plummeted into the shadowy depths would be worth the complications it would cause by itself. The thought didn't subside, it intensified.