Long Live Sparta

Chapter Seven

soon we reach a cliff where leonidas wanted to rest for the night. we lite four or five fires to keep our soldiers warm. dilios and i lay side by side laying apon our shields and soon fall asleep with dilios' hand laying on my thigh. as we awoke the next morning you could tell leonidas did not sleep. we put out our fires and continued on.

we were getting close to the city of athens when astinos yells out "we're being followed"

we all run up to him to see a figure apon a hill of rocks. the figure is wearing our soldier gear but is hunched back and seems to be dissfigured.

"they have followed us since sparta" leonidas said

"father was right" i mutter but no one heard me

"my king" stelios yelled "look" we look to see the city of athens fallen and lit up in fire

we make our way toward the city.

we stand in the middle of city where we look around theres a rotting horse at my brothers feet and soon dilios strays off but i stay with my brothers in arms.

"what happened here?" stileos said "where are all the poeple?"

"persians" leonidas says

"i put the number at around twenty" artimus says

"a scouting party" leonidas says he squats down "but these footprints"

we hear a clang and turn to see that pottery had fallen down.

"behind us " someone shouts

we all turn around to find a big shadow coming from the somke but soon a child breaks through it

i go to stand beside my brother.

"child" stelios says to us

we bring down down our weapons.

the soldiers part ways to allow the child to pass. he heads straight to me. he looks into my eyes i lay my weapons down.

he soon falls into my arms. his head resting agaisnt my shoulder

"it's quiet now" the child whispers "they - they came with beast from the blackness, with their claws and fangs they grabed them, everyone but me"he takes his last breath

i sign and look to leonidas "he's gone brother" i say softly

"the villigers i found them" i hear dilios say

i stand up with the child in my arms and we follow where we heard dilios' voice come from.

we come apon a tree that are filled with the bodies of the villigers hung there by various swords and arrows.

i stand beside dilios. he looks to my arms and sighs saddly. a child dead is never a good thing wiether you knew the child or not.

"have the gods no mercey" stelios said as we gazed apon the tree

"my father couldnt help i know he only knows bloodshed but the others could have did something" i say

"we are doomed" daxos said

"quiet yourself" captain artimus said

"the child speaks of the persian ghost" daxos says "known from the ancient times, they are the hunters of mens souls they cannot be killed or deffeated not this darkness not hese immortals"

"immortals?" leonidas says "we'll put their names to the test"

i scof "we belived the titains (the big three greek gods father) could not fall or be destroyed but his three sons killed him, choped him up into peices" i smirk "this is no different"