Return to Aether

To the Palace

Sarpedon was three and fifty twelvemonths old and stood at a height of six feet. A member of Aether's native populace, he was somewhat muscular in build with uneven eyes, the right being three inches lower than the left. Clad in the attire of the Clergy of the Earth Bull with his head completely shaved, he stared at the approaching ship. Waving a hand, he exclaimed: "We bid you welcome, traders! What do you carry?"

None onboard knew what to say. Falco, Rowena and Achilles all looked at each other. Did Sarpedon not recognize them? Rowena knew that Sarpedon had not recognized her when attired in Hyperionite garb, but could he really not recognize them after three twelvemonths of not seeing them on a daily basis?

"Carvings, sir!" Achilles answered. "Would you like a look at them?"

Sarpedon looked to his companions: armed guards clad in scale armour with bronze helmets in the likeness of bull heads, Hyperionites originally. "Carvings?" he asked. "Well now, better make sure that Taurus and the rest find these carvings as something useful." Then looking over to the ship, he cried: "Make port!" As the ship pulled in, Sarpedon jumped onboard. He first stared at Falco and Rowena, standing close together. Scratching his chin, he stared long and hard before saying: "I have the faintest feeling I've seen the two of you somewhere before." Then looking at Achilles, he uttered: "You are just an old man and the world is full of them! What difference does it make if I've seen you before?" And then his eyes fell upon Kenneth and the Clergyman of the Earth Bull's eyes grew wide. The caracal narrowed his eyes in response and a look of recognition, an expression of remembrance began to form upon Sarpedon's countenance.

Placing a hand upon Sarpedon's shoulder, Achilles said: "He belongs to my son and daughter-in-law here, sir."

Slowly, Sarpedon nodded, but the look of recognition, expression of remembrance did not vanish from his countenance. Eventually he asked: "What is your appellation, trader?"

"Alexandros." Achilles answered.

"Well then, Alexandros, let us see what you have to trade." Stated Sarpedon, folding his arms.

Giving a nod, Achilles looked over at Falco and said: "Nero, you and Brigid go on, explore the island. Take Vortigern with you."

Falco gave a nod and thus did he, Rowena and Kenneth depart from the ship. Even as they did, Sarpedon watched them leave, trying to remember wherefore they looked familiar.

The island was not as it once was, though the Divine Deucalion and his Queen could not quite figure out wherefore. The trees were green, there was lush grass, birds were singing their songs, the sounds of livestock could be heard in the distance, but as Colonia Tauri, a shadow as oppressive as thunder, or more so, seemed to hang over. They didn't know if that shadow was Taurus or if it was his Twin and Shadow the Earth Bull, but the fact was one of them had to be the oppressive shadow.

Hearing a donkey braying in the distance, Falco and Rowena froze. Even Kenneth paused and looked in the direction that the braying had come from. Was it just a donkey or was it actually the Donkey God, Patron of Foreigners, Immigrants and Redheads? Who could say?

Approaching the Palace, the rightful rulers and their caracal could hear work being down in the courtyard. It was only when they saw the statue rise, that they knew what was going on.

They wished they knew what the statue was. It was either Taurus Minor or some abominable anthropomorphic portrayal of the Earth Bull. Either way it stared out of the courtyard and out to sea.

Entering the courtyard, Falco and Rowena saw people at work, be they serfs or overseers, but most of all, in the shadow of a balcony, they saw Taurus Minor. He was a man twice Falco's weight, muscular and standing at a height of six feet, ten inches and three quarters. Dressed as any other member of the Priesthood of the Earth Bull, his one difference in attire was a golden bull mask, made by an acclaimed artificer who had made the mask look ceremonial and awesome with eyes of curved crystal and horns that made the wearer seem taller. In his right hand he gripped a double-bladed stone axe, which would have required both hands to wield. Both mask and axe were ceremonial, but even then, Taurus had worn the mask and wielded the axe in battle. At two and forty twelvemonths, Taurus was twice Falco and Rowena's age.

Neither Falco nor Rowena had anything to fear about Taurus noticing them. The eyes of his mask made everything look little, far and clear. It was someone else noticing them that they had to fear.

Such as Elephas, that one-eyed giant of six foot and two inch who was dwarfed by Taurus. A member of the native populace such as Taurus, Sarpedon and Achilles, but like Achilles, Elephas was no clergyman. He had been a shepherd and pirate before joining Taurus and it had been during the pursuit of Acinonyx to rescue the captive Aetherean women that Falco, Taurus and the rest had met him. When Taurus had been offered the position of High Priest of the Earth Bull in Hyperion by Leo and accepted it, Elephas had followed and so had fought for Hyperion during the twelvemonth long siege.

Elephas may have had one eye remaining, but there was no doubt he could see very well with just one. As the One-Eyed Pirate turned his gaze away from the statue and down into the courtyard, Falco and Rowena both averted their gazes and proceeded to walk through the courtyard and into the Palace itself.

The insides of the Palace did not look any better than the outside. Many of the walls were cracked and even more poorly repaired than outside. There was a reason that the few states that did practice slavery had the slaves as cooks, maids, brewers, nannies, gardeners, stable hands and field hands. Putting people who had little to no expertise in such things as repairing buildings did not have the best results.

"You there! Dancing girl!" Both Falco and Rowena turned, Kenneth as well, to see someone they certainly did not know. He was a mustached man of five and forty twelvemonths who stood at a height of six feet and five inches. He was tall, but still dwarfed by Taurus. "Come and dance for me! Menkaure, Master Builder to Taurus, demands entertainment!"

Rowena looked to Falco for a moment. Her husband merely nodded and whispered: "I'll find you later, but be careful."

While Rowena walked over to Menkaure, Falco knelt down and gave Kenneth a pat on the back while he wondered what section of the Palace would have been assigned as slave quarters. Standing once more, he watched took Rowena by the arm and began to pull her into a nearby chamber. His shoulders rising, Falco proceeded to step forward. Clearly the Master Builder had a different kind of entertainment in mind. Finding the slave quarters could wait. He had to save his wife from—

Suddenly shouts of "The statue! Its falling!" could be heard from outside. Immediately, Menkaure let go of Rowena's arm and looked out toward the courtyard as the colossal statue came crashing down upon the Palace, specifically what used to be the Fane of Honoured Monarchs Past.

His eyes wide with fear, the Master Builder looked at Falco and Rowena and said "Neither of you saw me!" before running off as guards came rushing in. Their objective? To bring Menkaure to the ruler of Colonia Tauri. Taurus may have been unwilling to pay professional labourers, but punishing incompetent master builders was indeed something he was willing to do.