The Minoan Rhapsody

Rebuild and Protect

Kekiru was building a fence with the help of Iapyx and Icarus. "Why own dogs if they're going to be kept fenced in? I don't understand it. Dogs are meant to roam free."

Icarus was arranging flat rocks on the ground. "They are not our dogs. They are the King's."

Iapyx helped Kekiru lay logs across the rocks. "These are the fastest dogs alive. Salukis are bred to run. A well trained one could run neck and neck with a horse. If you let them loose, they will run away, never to be seen again."

"If a dog runs away, it means it doesn't want to be with you. It is your fault, not the dog's."

"King Minos is fond of them. You want to tell him they ran away because he did not care for them?" Iapyx asked.

"Fine by me," Icarus mumbled.

"Icarus remember to lay the rocks on a straight line for six paces then turn. You are going too far."

"Don't you have slaves to do this work?" Icarus wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Our slaves are more like servants who get paid by their masters. They are enslaved because they want to be."

"That's inconvenient." Icarus winced as he looked up at the bright sky.

"Brother, the sun won't hurt you," Iapyx said.

"You two need to learn to speak Keiftu."

"Why? Keiftu is like Greek," Icarus said. "It seems to me we're doing fine. We speak to you in Greek and you reply in Keiftu. We can understand each other. Just speak slowly." He placed down the last rock he had, wiped off his hands and began drinking water from a bladder.

A man arrived, holding the reins of a donkey who was carrying on its back sacks full of flat stones. The man cut them loose. They dropped to the ground with a loud thwack.

Icarus sighed.

#

Minos was showing The Palace to Daedalus. It was built into a hill, with rooms and storage areas semi-underground. There were several basins with servants constantly cleaning them up. The walls were bulky, painted with richly colored scenes. The column bases and pavement were made of colored stones. The Palace lacked hallways or corridors. One room led to another. On top of it all was the main plaza, a wide-open space bordered with a few terraces that succumbed to the quake.

Minos knelt and passed his hand on top of a cracked floor stone slab. It was here where it all began. "This is a very important place for us. A lot of things happen here, but the most important ones are our bull leaping contests," Minos said. "But it's too dangerous for the people watching."

"What do you mean?" Daedalus asked.

"There are no barriers between those watching and the action, nothing to protect them against a rogue bull."

"Has it happened? A bull charging against the crowd?"

"In the early days it was common. However, we learned the beasts can't see white. Since, every attendee must wear white from head to toe. The bulls only pay attention to the leapers, who don't wear white while leaping," Kind Minos explained.

"So, what's the problem?"

"I still fear the worst. I want you to build terraces around the courtyard, so people can stand safely away from the bulls."

Daedalus nodded. He followed Minos down one of the ramps. A man waited for them with two horses. The Athenian and the King mounted them and ventured towards the city.