IT SEEMED LIKE the closer they came, the more of them there were, and the next time I looked for Proteus, he was gone.
I’ve never been good at handling those tense moments before battle. While men like Ajax and Diomedes grow quiet, I get fidgety. I tell inappropriate jokes and trip over things. Naturally, this makes me unpopular on the front lines, not to mention something of a safety hazard, so I find ways to keep busy till the fighting actually starts. With this in mind, I decided to have a look at what was fouling the air. I inched over to the edge of the bridge and peeked into the valley. It turned out to be another river, and the moment I saw it, I recognized the smell. I’d known that acrid odor since the day I first set foot on a black-hulled ship. The valley was filled with pitch.
Coursing along steaming banks, a river of tar scalded the unfortunate denizens of this dismal terrain who fought to lift their heads above the surface, forcing cries through bubbles of black gum. I watched as one of them slogged up to the bank, but here a new breed of devil populated the beach, swarming along the sticky shore like flies on a corpse. They reminded me of vultures, the way they waddled about with outstretched wings, but their bodies were anthropoid and, in certain respects, reminded me of Ignotus, their shoulders so knotted with muscle that they bent double when they walked, knocking their knuckles on the ground. Each one carried a long hooked blade. As soon as they spotted the soul scrambling along the bank, they set upon him like children at a game of ball. I shuddered and pulled back from the edge.
My sudden movement released a shower of gravel into the river below, and a dozen dark faces turned skyward, their silver eyes flashing through the steam.
“Friends,” I called over my shoulder, “I’ve changed my mind. I think we should run.” A flock of devils from either side of the river lunged skyward.
Meanwhile, our pursuers had reached us. Their whips whistled and snapped as they set upon Ajax and Diomedes. I nocked an arrow—took a devil right in its open mouth as it reared back to bite Diomedes. The shaft punched straight through and out the other side of its skull so that the fletched end protruded from its jaws like a feathery tongue. It screamed and flailed about with its claws, knocking down several of its fellows in panic. This seemed to frighten the others, and it bought Diomedes enough time to untangle himself.
And that’s when the real fighting began. Ajax let loose his dreadful war cry and charged directly into the thick of the enemy, swinging his long spear like a club and knocking several devils clear off the bridge into the river below. The bony fiends fell before him like grass before a scythe, and Diomedes followed in his wake, lashing out at anything that moved. It was an oddly beautiful thing to see two warriors work with such deadly coordination.
And I, Odysseus, Master Strategist, Raider of Cities? What feats of bravery did I perform in that hour? None. I had only one arrow remaining in my quiver, and so long as we had the upper hand, I thought it foolish to waste them. I also thought it unwise to position myself too close to Diomedes, who seemed to be fighting in every direction at once. With Ajax right there, my efforts could only slow them down; so I dropped my bow, drew my sword, and decided to wait till I could tell where I was needed.
I’m sorry to say, the need arrived almost immediately. Our enemies were no match for us one-on-one. They were armorless and uncoordinated, and their only weapons were their whips. But they were strangely resilient, and as many times as we knocked them down, they rose again and renewed their attack. Before long, Ajax himself was caught in a snarl of whipcord and, strong as he was, could not pull himself loose. Diomedes was pale with exhaustion.
Clearly, my time had come. I shouted the battle cry of my fathers, “Io!” and threw myself forward, bracing my shoulder against my shield. All the old instincts returned, and I settled into an offensive crouch, stabbing up and under my shield wherever I felt resistance. The enemy responded with a concerted push that rocked me back onto my heels and set me face-to-face with their front line.
And then everything just stopped.
The whole crowd of devils halted in their tracks, every howl and scream dropped to a gasp, and the crowd of faces that were snarling in fury a moment earlier turned to the sky in awe.