Killing Pythagoras (Mediterranean Prize Winner 2015) (53 page)

CHAPTER 114

July 26
th
, 510 B.C.

Akenon was walking with all his senses on alert.

How did I miss this before?
he reproached himself.

He was about an hour on horseback from Croton, leading his horse by the reins through a forest he had never been in. For the past five hours he had scoured it without rest, and was beginning to feel fatigued from the intensity of his search. The humid heat that made his tunic stick to his body didn’t help.

Crack
.

He turned with a start in the direction of the sound and held his breath. A dense thicket fifteen steps away looked like the perfect place for someone to hide. Releasing the reins, he placed his sword in defensive position in front of him, and started to go around the bushes very slowly.

Crack
.

Something large had just moved inside those bushes. It could be an animal, but his intuition told him otherwise. He moved forward a few more steps. Suddenly, the bushes shook as if they were coming to life. Two men emerged and stood up in front of him, their arms held high.

Akenon jumped back. Both men’s clothes were filthy and in tatters. Their tangled hair and grim expressions made them look feral. Akenon realized they were no more than twenty years old, and frightened. They must be living alone in the woods. Things didn’t seem to be going well for them, because they were both skin and bones.

Maybe they’re fugitives
.

The young men said nothing. They had seen a tall, well-built Egyptian approach, sixty pounds heavier than either of them, armed with a saber, and had hidden behind the thicket in the hope he’d go by, but they had been unlucky, and now the Egyptian was in front of them, his sword raised. Although they would prefer to avoid a confrontation, they wouldn’t hesitate to use their knives if the man attacked them.

“I’m not going to harm you,” said Akenon.

His voice sounded sincere, but they didn’t trust him. Instead, they took advantage of that expression of good will to lower their arms, bringing their hands closer to their knives.

Akenon noticed the similarity between them, and guessed they were brothers. The younger of the two was no more than sixteen years old. He felt sorry for them. Without lowering his guard, he searched in his tunic, took out a drachma, and held it high to show them.

“This is for you, if you help me. I’m looking for an abandoned villa, quite small. Someone may have moved in not long ago.”

The boys’ eyes fell greedily on the valuable silver coin. With one drachma they would have food for three or four days. The older boy looked directly at Akenon and nodded. Then he stretched out his hand and gestured for him to throw the coin.

Akenon threw it into the air, and the boy caught it mid-flight. He examined both sides incredulously, handed it to the younger boy, and pointed to his right.

“Do you see that oak tree, the biggest one?”

Akenon looked in the direction he had indicated and nodded.

“About a mile and a half away,” the boy continued, “you’ll find the house you’re talking about.”

“I already looked around there,” Akenon replied.

“It’s covered in vegetation. You have to be very close to see it. You have to go that way,” he insisted, pointing once more. “You’ll reach a very large clearing. The villa is on the other side.”

Akenon remembered having passed by the clearing the boy mentioned.

“Very well, thanks.” He looked at them one last time and turned to take his horse.

“Egyptian,” the older boy called out.

Akenon looked back.

“Be very careful,” said the boy. “We don’t go near that place since we saw a monster there.”

Akenon’s heart accelerated.

“What was he like?”

“You’re big and strong,” said the boy, pointing at him. Then he stretched out his arms as wide as he could. “The monster is much bigger and stronger than you. Not even Heracles could beat him.”

Boreas!

Akenon shuddered. He was now sure he was about to find the masked man…and his gigantic slave.

He nodded in appreciation of the warning, and rode on with Boreas’ image in his mind. He would give all his silver to have armed men at his disposal to follow that clue, but Milo and all the Crotonian soldiers were still in Sybaris. He shook his head.
Boreas is just a man. He can be injured with a sword the same as anyone else
. He didn’t feel calmer. Not only did he remember the ease with which the giant destroyed people with his bare hands, he also recalled his cold, intelligent stare and his demonic speed.

He rode until he was less than half a mile from the location, dismounted, and tied his horse to a tree. As he knotted the reins, he noticed his hands were trembling. He took several deep breaths, unsheathed his sword, and continued on foot, alert to any sound. A few minutes later he reached the large clearing the boy had spoken about. He circled it, moving from tree to tree. When he had reached the other side, he peered through a wall of vegetation.

I’m not surprised I didn’t see it before
.

The villa was at the center of a natural hiding place. Moreover, its walls had been covered with branches. Akenon watched it for a while without detecting any activity, then made himself comfortable among some bushes from where he could spy on the house, and prepared to wait.

Half an hour later, he regretted not having brought the water he had left behind on the horse. It was so hot, he was perspiring profusely. Even so, he forced himself to remain hidden.

An hour later, a fox casually wandered up to the dwelling. The animal’s lack of fear reassured him, and he decided he had waited long enough.

I’m going in.

He took out a long, pointed dagger and slowly stood up. Clasping the hilts of both his weapons tightly, he put his head out. Before him lay an open space seven or eight yards wide. On the other side was the house, with one of its side walls facing him.

There are no windows. It’s a good idea to approach from this angle
. He would quickly cross to the wall and wait there again.

He looked all around him. There were hidden spaces among the vegetation, but his earlier vigilance made him confident no one was watching him. His first goal was to find out if there was anyone inside the house. If there was, he would take up a position close to the entrance, maybe on the roof, and launch a surprise attack when they came out.

Still hidden by the vegetation, Akenon looked left and right again. Taking another deep breath, he gripped the dagger and the sword and stepped into the clearing.

Before he reached the wall, a movement glimpsed from the corner of his eye put his senses on high alert. Something big was coming up behind him very fast.

He looked around and felt his heart stop.

CHAPTER 115

July 26
th
, 510 B.C.

At that very moment, in the Pythagorean community, general Milo’s latest message was about to take everyone by surprise.

Pythagoras opened it hopefully. They were at his house, in the room where they usually gathered. With the philosopher was most of his succession committee: Theano, Evander, Hippocreon, and Ariadne. Milo was missing, and Akenon should also have been there, but they had been unable to locate him.

Ariadne saw that her father permitted himself a smile as he read the first lines.

“Milo tells us he has managed to get the army to leave Sybaris, which means the sacking is over. Only a few trusted troops will remain in the city to maintain order.” He continued reading in silence and his face clouded. “In order to stop the sacking, he had to execute hundreds of soldiers and officers…many of whom he put to death himself.” Pythagoras stopped reading and rubbed his temples with his eyes closed. Theano leaned toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. After a while, he continued, his voice tinged with infinite sadness. “Milo says he ordered several officers to be tortured so they’d confess why they had disobeyed his orders not to attack. We have confirmation that Cylon and the masked man are behind everything.”

Evander intervened, almost shouting.

“Is that not enough to detain Cylon?!”

“This crime would be more than enough reason, certainly,” answered Pythagoras. “And perhaps through Cylon we could apprehend the masked man. The problem is that right now they have the support of most of the Council, and a significant part of the army too, it seems.” He concluded, addressing Evander in a deeper, more purposeful tone. “We have to act with much caution or we run the risk of setting off a civil war.”

Ariadne leaned back brusquely in her chair, frustrated and irritated. Up to that point they had discovered links between the poisons, coins, and mathematical elements; they had exposed Atma, Crisipo, and others involved; they had traveled, questioned people, kept watch… Thanks to all that investigative work they
knew
the masked man was behind the murders of Cleomenides, Daaruk, Orestes, and Aristomachus, as well as Akenon’s decree of exile, the revolt against the Sybarite aristocrats, and the sacking of Sybaris.

Knowing all that is useless. We’ve been unable to catch him, and we don’t even know who he is
. And the worst thing was that now that they could try and apprehend him through Cylon, their hands were tied because their enemies controlled half the city’s forces.

She nodded to herself.
I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the masked man’s presence is becoming more prominent just when we’re losing control of the Council
. That was another sign of the chilling control the masked man had always exercised over the situation.

Her father’s words distracted her from her thoughts.

“Milo also informs us he’ll return tomorrow afternoon. We need to spend time controlling the situation at the Council, but in addition, we must focus on preparing our assembly.”

There are only three days left
, Ariadne remembered in surprise. It was a shame that the meeting would be held in the midst of such a turbulent atmosphere. It was a unique event for the Pythagorean School, to be attended by dozens of grand masters and the heads of all the communities. Government bodies would be appointed, the future of the brotherhood planned…

Ariadne shifted uneasily in her seat. The thought of the assembly was exciting, but her mind kept returning to Akenon.

CHAPTER 116

July 26
th
, 510 B.C.

Akenon felt his blood freeze in his veins.

Boreas was closing in on him with incredible speed. Barefoot, clad only in a loincloth, the giant took powerful running strides in his direction. Akenon thrust forward the arm in which he held his sword, keeping the dagger in a defensive position. It was impossible to dodge the monster’s attack. His only hope was he’d decide not to attack when confronted with the sharp blades of Akenon’s weapons.

Boreas didn’t alter his trajectory, nor did he slow down. At the last minute, he made a movement Akenon was unable to follow with his eyes. He could only move his sword in the direction he thought the giant’s arm was headed.

It was a futile effort.

Boreas imprisoned his right forearm, and an instant later the arm holding the dagger. Akenon hadn’t even had time to take a breath since the assault had begun, and he was already immobilized. He shook himself with all his might, but failed to move the giant even a millimeter. It was as if he were a colossal bronze statue.

Akenon felt a devastating sense of powerlessness.

The monster forced his arms up over his head and smiled with cruel delight. He seemed to be saying this was a moment he had been looking forward to a long time. Standing at his full height, he crushed Akenon’s forearms with iron fists. Akenon grunted in pain, his hands opened against his will, and his weapons fell to the ground. He looked desperately at the giant. Boreas was almost two feet taller than he was and twice as wide. Even so, his strength far exceeded his physical proportions. If what the Greeks believed was true, that monster had to be a demigod, fruit of the union between a human being and some malevolent deity.

The giant raised his arms higher without apparent effort. Akenon was lifted off the ground till their heads were at the same height. He looked into Boreas’ merciless eyes. Without looking away, he fired a kick at his enemy’s groin. Boreas turned with the agility of a cat, and Akenon’s instep hit the side of his thigh. Akenon tried again and landed a hard kick in the pit of his stomach.

It was like hitting a tree. Boreas didn’t even change expression. He just emitted a deep, slow grunt, as if he found it pleasurable. Then, he flexed his arms to draw his insignificant adversary closer, pulled back his enormous head, and rammed it into Akenon’s face.

The crunch of broken bones was spine-chilling.