24

When the trainees finally made it to Lord Life’s house, Leiko was waiting for them at the entrance to the courtyard. His muscles were clearly defined in the diffused light of the sunset and he gleamed like a bronze statue.

He watched as the young Orizons approached down the lane. With his arms outstretched to envelop them, he guided them into the house, where Lord Life and Lady Danae were waiting, both of them happy to see them there.

“It’s a miracle you escaped the Gorgons,” Lord Life said as soon as he heard what happened, his voice upset. “Something is terribly wrong. First Rebecca’s abduction and now this attack. The situation in the Land of the White Sun is deteriorating; the rules are being violated. We need to inform Felicia at once and I will then need to go and see the Gods.”

“Well, you’re safe now,” Lady Danae said, “that’s what matters most. Go, relax and get ready. Then we shall dine. And tomorrow, before dawn, Pegasus, who you will meet as part of your training, will fly to inform Felicia of what has happened and tell her to immediately stop the War Games and not to send another group of trainees for the time being. Then, we will see what’s to be done.”

***

The following morning, having rested well, the casually dressed young Orizons were gathered around Lady Danae in her lovely flower garden, listening to her talk.

“So you see,” she explained, “roots are the most important part of the plant. They can exist even without the beauty of the flowers and succulence of the fruit. You must always feed the roots of any living thing. It is the same in your own lives - so make sure you build strong roots!”

Lord Life, also dressed casually, and Leiko, more formally attired in riding gear, walked up to the group.

“OK everyone,” Lord Life said, “Pegasus has now returned and been tended to. It is time for you to meet him.”

They all walked to an open area with a large crystal lake, where the huge, beautiful, mythical winged horse stood waiting for them.

“Are you up for some new riders, my friend?” asked Lord Life.

Pegasus whinnied gently and Lord Life smiled.

One by one, the excited children climbed onto his broad back and soared into the sky, while the others, filled with the joy of being alive and immortal, flew on their own over the lake, soaring and swooping around their new friend.

When it was Rebecca’s turn to ride, she leaned close to Pegasus’s face as his wings sliced through the air. Her hair streamed behind her in the wind like a war banner and suddenly she heard Pegasus’s voice inside her head.

“I’ve heard about what you’ve been through Rebecca, so it’s even more of an honour to have you on my back. We have to be tough and ready when something difficult happens, if we are to endure. You have gone from your school desk to another world that not even the most vivid imagination could have conjured up. You were held captive and you fought, wounded and killed others. You were turned to stone. You kept being sent back and forth between life and death, like a wrongly addressed letter. It has been a lot for someone of your age and, even with the Flame, I wonder at the way in which you have coped with everything. However, this almost makes me wish for Lomani!”

“But why, Pegasus?” she asked, shocked by his words. “Surely peace is everything?”

“Indeed, but I sometimes miss those days of fighting, with Lord Life on my back. It was better than nothing. War is one of the worst things in the world, but at least it’s an emotional outlet. Even the worst things are sometimes better than nothing at all. I look back fondly on the good old days, when heroes made use of me for various exploits - like Bellerophon who killed the Chimera with me. I tell you - I need action, adventure, excitement. I never have enough to do nowadays, and I miss the company. There’s no mate for me. Luckily, the Orizon trainees come here and I take them on rides. If only you knew how much I looked forward to your visit!”

Rebecca hugged his neck and allowed her thoughts to roam as they flew up together towards the clouds.

Lord Life lay down on the grass and stared up into the sky, watching the young Orizons enjoy themselves as they flew round the lake, dipping and diving - free as birds. He felt proud of the training they had received from his daughter and her team.

Leiko, the son of Hercules, walked towards him carrying a large club. “They’re wonderful,” he said. “If the rest of the groups are like them, then a bright future awaits us!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Lord Life said, pulling himself back to his feet. “It is a shame to interrupt their play, but this lesson is one of the most important.”

He clapped his hands and waved to the trainees, who landed and gathered around him and Leiko.

“Leiko is here to teach you how to use the club,” Lord Life announced.

“Let us begin,” Leiko said. “So far, you’ve trained with a variety of weapons and you’ve learned both how to attack with them and how to defend yourselves from them. Now, you’ll learn how to deal with Cyclopes and their terrible clubs. This will be the last course of lessons for the time being. The club is a dangerous weapon and is deadly in the hands of those who know how to use it. Cyclopes definitely know how to use it effectively, as did my father and all the Heraclids. You know that Cyclopes are gigantic, immensely strong, and have only one eye in the middle of their foreheads. This is their weak point. They cannot see what’s going on to their left and right very well. We will work on how to capitalise on their disadvantage - how to attack from angles where they can’t easily see you coming. You’ll learn how to use your shields to defend yourselves against their formidable blows. You shall have swords as well, and you’ll also learn how to attack. First of all, though, I’ll give you a practical demonstration of how dangerous a club can be, even from a distance. This will be something that you won’t be putting into practice yourselves because the club is never going to be one of your weapons.”

Leiko pointed to a pole driven into the grass with a basketball balanced on top of it. The pole was six and a half feet high and stood about ninety feet away. He flung the club, which whirled through the air, hit the ball squarely and sent it flying off the pole. Leiko did not waste a single second. He ran, picked up the club and the ball, and returned to the astonished children.

“As you can see, anybody standing there would no longer be alive. The club would have brained him! His skull would have been split open like a watermelon and his brains would have splattered on the ground like scrambled eggs. All right, let’s start the lesson.”

The training was arduous but they were enthralled by Leiko, a true demigod. Soon, he had them practicing in pairs. All of them were earnest and diligent as they ducked and dived, practicing swings with each other to the extreme left and right. The lesson went on for nearly two hours, and after that, exhausted, they returned to the house.

***

They all sat around the large dinner table that evening, the youngsters complementing Lady Danae on her cooking.

“Ah, you’re going soon,” she said, “so I wanted to cook my favourite dishes for you all. Leiko, tell them the tale of the thunderbolts from your impetuous and reckless youth.”

Leiko blushed a little and seemed momentarily at a loss. One of the many virtues his father had instilled in him was modesty.

“Oh come on, Leiko, don’t be shy!” Danae teased. “It’s good for the children to learn about important events from the past... All right, then, children, I’ll tell you the story myself: As you know, the goddess Hera hated Hercules and his children because Zeus had fallen in love with Alcmene and Hercules was their son. One day, Hera purloined one of Zeus’s thunderbolts and hurled it down into the Forest of Mysteries, where all the Heraclids, Hercules’s descendents, lived. Hera wanted to kill them to get her revenge on Hercules. Leiko was then fifteen years old. He happened to be the only one who saw the thunderbolt falling. He ran and caught it in mid-air, like a lightning conductor, before it could touch the ground and incinerate the forest and the Heraclids.”

Leiko blushed a deeper shade of red while the young Orizons gazed at him admiringly.

Lord Life raised his glass and they all fell silent.

“The experiences you’ve had in this dimension have changed you,” he said. “You’ll now find yourselves looking deeper into things. The Flame and the training have given you that - all to help humanity. You may go and rest now. Have a good sleep.”

***

In the girls’ dormitory, Rebecca jerked awake from a dream. She knew she had dreamed of Turgoth again, but couldn’t remember the details, which made her feel unaccountably sad and alone. The rest of the girls were sleeping and she decided to take a walk outside. She slid quietly from her bed and was wandering down to the lake, deep in thought, when she heard distant voices. Instantly alert, she walked silently towards the sound.

A hundred yards away, outlined against the starry sky, she saw Leiko and some of the boys. She joined them, pleased to have a distraction from her loneliness.

“Hey, you guys! I’m so glad you’re up too!” she said.

“Welcome Rebecca - please join us!” Leiko said, gesturing for her to sit with them as they talked.

After a while, she found her attention wandering again and stood up. “Leiko,” she said, “is it OK to go see Pegasus?”

“Of course,” Leiko replied. “We’ll still be here for a while longer.”

***

She opened the door to Lord Life’s stables softly and entered, her eyes taking a moment to get used to the darkness, before she tiptoed towards Pegasus’s stall. As she got closer, she felt her senses prickle. Something was not as it should be. She could hear laboured breathing instead of the gentle sounds of sleep. For a second, she couldn’t see where he was, but then she saw him lying on the floor, struggling to breathe. Dropping to her knees beside him, she could see that his eyes were open but they were not moving. His lolling tongue was blue and his wings lay flat and lifeless.

“Oh my God,” she cried, “you’ve been poisoned! Who could do such a thing? Hold on! I’ll bring help.”

She was shaking as she stood, but found herself filling up with an inner strength as she ran back out to the lake.

“What’s wrong?” Leiko asked, jumping to his feet.

“It’s Pegasus - he’s been poisoned!”

Sergei pointed to Leiko’s house. “Look!”

They all turned to see smoke rising into the night sky.

“The others!” Leiko shouted, already running back. “We must wake them before it’s too late!”

As they exploded into the house, Leiko headed for Lord Life and Lady Danae’s room, while Rebecca ran to the girls’ dormitory.

“Wake up! WAKE UP!” she shouted. “Take only your shields and swords! Get out right now!”

Everyone stumbled into the kitchen from their sleeping quarters, barely dressed and carrying their swords.

“What’s happening, Leiko?” Lord Life demanded.

“They have poisoned Pegasus and burned my house! We don’t know who or how many.”

“Let’s head for the lake,” Lord Life said, but as he opened the back door, five Cyclopes and five Porth, all armed to the teeth with swords, clubs and flaming torches, charged in from each side of the courtyard.

“Treachery!” Lord Life roared. “Stand firm, Orizons!”

The young Orizons fell back into the kitchen as Leiko lifted his club and Lady Danae automatically adopted a warrior stance.

CRASH! The Porth and Cyclopes were hurling flaming torches through the windows, with the flames licking up wherever they landed. As the kitchen door exploded open, Lady Danae and Lord Life, both armed with swords and shields, and Leiko, armed with his club, charged fearlessly into the attackers.

Three of the marauders fell instantly to their weapons while the others attempted to overcome them with sheer numbers, as wave after wave of Porth and Cyclopes had to be fought back amidst the fires.

Leiko’s club smashed into heads and bodies, crushing them like paper, while the swords of Lord Life and Lady Danae flew faster than any eye could follow - every blow drawing blood, killing, or maiming.

Lord Life ordered the children to run to the trees and regroup. Once there, they saw six Porth and three Cyclopes skulking in the shadows, preparing for a second wave of attacks on the house.

“Look,” Rebecca hissed to the others. “More of them. To arms! We must intercept them!”

As the fresh enemy forces ran out of the trees towards the flames and smoke of the courtyard, hoping to swamp Lord Life with sheer weight of numbers, the young Orizons, spearheaded by Rebecca, swooped down on them from the side.

Lord Life watched proudly from the corner of his eye as the young Orizons ran fearlessly forward and let out an involuntary cry as he saw a Cyclops deliver a massive crack with his club to Lady Danae’s head. He watched her fall to the ground but was unable to get to her until he had laid low every last foe.

The young Orizons hurled themselves at the enemy.

“Charge!” ordered a Porth General.

The children warded off the Cyclopes’ clubs with their shields and struck hard and fast with their swords from underneath. The fury of the battle was deafening.

Lady Danae lay motionless on the ground as Lord Life fought his way through to her, slaughtering Porths with single, furious thrusts of his blade.

The highly trained, effective, invincible valour of the Orizons was beginning to pull the tide of the battle in their favour. Seeing most of his comrades falling, a Porth General started to run.

“Retreat - retreat - the day is lost!” he ordered.

The remaining Porth and Cyclopes gratefully accepted the order and retreated towards the trees as the young Orizons prepared to pursue.

“Halt!” Lord Life ordered them. “Remember, we never strike an enemy in retreat.”

Sheathing his sword, he fell to his knees beside his stricken wife, tentatively touching her, hoping against hope that she would survive. He bent down close, listening, straining to hear, but there was no heartbeat. He lifted her in his arms, cradling her as he carried her to the gentle shelter of a tree. He laid her down as a father would a baby.

As he sat with her in silent communion, the young Orizons gathered round, stunned, their breathless faces trying to comprehend and their swords falling limply to the ground. Behind them, the lovely old house was in flames.

“There’s someone here, alive!” Leiko shouted.

Lord Life stood and turned to Leiko, who was bending over a groaning Cyclops, oozing blood from his head and eye.

“He’s coming to,” Lord Life said. “Bring me some water, Leiko. Quickly, please!”

Leiko sped off and the trainees looked on in silence as Lord Life comforted the Cyclops while waiting for Leiko to return.

The Cyclops was only half conscious as Lord Life cleaned the head wound and bound it with a piece of soft leather, cut from the Cyclops’s own jerkin. Blood still seeped from his temple and ear.

Lord Life supported the creature’s head and put the bowl of water to his mouth. With difficulty, he sipped, most of the liquid dribbling to the ground.

The Cyclops opened his eye. “Lord Life?” He whispered. “Lord Life? Thank you! But, but it was me. I... I killed her!”

Lord Life did not react. It was as though he had heard nothing. But the children had heard and they all waited, silent and still as statues.

“Prepare two stretchers,” Lord Life commanded. “One for the Queen, one for the Cyclops. We must go to Utopia. The Princess may be the leader of the army, but the death of her mother will hit her hard. We’ll take the Cyclops with us. Take turns, four of you on each stretcher - eight of us at a time.”

The young Orizons looked astonished, uncomprehending.

“What are you looking at? The battle is over. He’s no longer our enemy - just a creature from the Land of the White Sun who needs our help.”