Argus’s heart stopped for a second. He guessed what could have happened. Both of them ran down the stairs towards the place where the shrieking was coming from. It was from the great hall.
Karmen laid sprawled on the floor with a knife plunged into his chest. Blood was spilling from the wounds of his chest. Platters of food laid scattered everywhere. It seemed there had been a fight, a hustle maybe. Selene dropped down on the floor beside her father’s body and cried. A blood-chilling cry of a heartbroken daughter. He was her everything. She threw herself upon his chest and sobbed. His body was cold, lifeless and his eyes were full of horror. Of course, when sons betray their fathers, they die not from the stab of a knife but from the horror of betrayal.
‘ Who could have done something so heinous like this?’, she cried in anger. Her eyes blazed fire and her hair was flying everywhere. ‘ Who saw it first?’
A girl came forward from the crowd of servants and people. She was shivering in fear. ‘ When I came to arrange the dishes of food and to call out our guests, I saw him lying here already dead. I cried in fear’.
No one had seen the murderer. None but Argus knew what had happened. He knelt down beside Selene and took hold of her. She buried her head on his chest and broke down into a rush of fresh tears.
‘ Selene, you have to strong at this moment. Your father has died and you to find who did this. You have to take revenge for your father’s death’, Argus consoled her. He caressed her hair with his hand and tried to stop her tears.
‘Selene. Look at the knife’, he whispered softly into her hair, ‘ can you recognize it?’
Selene slowly pulled back to look into his eyes. Her black eyes were full of pain and shock. Argus knew what she was going through. Losing a parent was itself the worst punishment meted out by Zeus, and losing both parents is like the suffering at Hades. She looked towards the knife which was still in her father’s chest.
It was Makhaira. A small knife, double-edged, specially built for forcefully cutting and thrusting in. the hilt was ruby-encrusted with a curving snake sculpted upon it. The eyes of the snake were blue sapphires and the forked tongue was just like its owner. A snake in man’s clothing.
‘ This is Karseus’ makhaira’, Selene said softly. ‘Father gifted him when he became fifteen. He always carries it with him.’
Slowly realization dawned upon her. Her hands started to tremble. She understood everything. The murderer was from inside the castle. Always been inside. Always been one of them. Her own blood. Her brother.
‘How could he kill him? His own father?’, she looked imploring at Argus. Tears were streaking silently down her eyes, upon her cheeks onto her lap. Her face was contorted with pain. The death of her father and the betrayal of her brother was too much to handle for her.
‘ We have to find him’, Argus said with a mark of determination. ‘ Then we will ask why he did that.’
Selene nodded. People all around her were sobbing silently. The whole village outside had stood transfixed. No voices could be heard. No laughter of children. No chattering of ladies. The news has already spread. The sudden demise of their king has made everyone bewildered and traumatized. Karmen was a benevolent ruler who provided a good secured life to his tribe. He fought battles, looted rich nobles, and donated everything for the welfare of his people. Now his death brought confusion in their minds regarding their security and future. Who would direct them? Who would lead them?
‘We know why he killed—why he killed his father’, came a voice from the stairs. Fabian was crawling down on fours. He was injured. Blood was splattered on his white chiton. His forehead was bleeding. And there was a deep gash on his right thigh. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.
‘Fabian! Fabian!’, Argus ran towards him. ‘What had happened to you? Who did this? Say something’.
Argus shook him vigorously to let him stay awake. Fabian was crying. A Greek man never cries. Things must have been too distressing and painful.
‘ Argus, I am sorry. Please forgive me’, he whispered in between his sobs.
-‘ Will you tell me what has happened? Why are you begging forgiveness?’
-‘ He came all of a sudden. I was outside her room sitting on a couch. She was sleeping inside. He forced himself in. I tried to stop. We fought.But there were too many people. I couldn’t do anything. They stabbed me on my thigh and I fell down. Before she could even protest, he hit on her head. She became senseless. Then he picked up her body threw her on his shoulder and went down.’
Fabian took a deep breath. He was trying his best to remain conscious. Argus looked at him in shock. He looked petrified.
‘ Argus, I could hear that Karmen was trying his best to save her. To stop his son from taking her away. They killed him. He fell. They took her away Argus’, saying this Fabian laid on the floor and blacked out.
Argus was transfixed. Blood drained from his face.
‘ Karseus took whom?’, Selene asked.
-‘Cassandra. Karseus took Cassandra’.
‘ They took Cassandra’, Argus repeated. He gritted his teeth and punched on the wall in anger. The hall shook. There was a pin drop-dead silence everywhere. Fabian was taken back to his chambers for immediate treatment of his injuries. His sister has always been his weakness. He loved her more than anything else in the whole world. It was not just the duty of a brother, but it was also a promise. A promise made to his mother. When his mother was dying, he swore to her that he would always be with his sister, protect her, guard her, and never lose her from his sight".
‘Friends! Listen to me’, cried the young man in white blood-stained chiton, whose sister has been forcibly abducted by the prince of this tribe. Everyone had gathered there to listen to what Argus had to say.Argus, along with Selene and a few others stood on a high platform in front of the fort, made especially for announcements and delivering speeches. Fabian has been carried to his chambers for rest and treatment. The corpse of Karm
When Cassandra opened her eyes, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head. It felt as if someone was hitting her head with a hammer. Her hands were tied and full of red welts. Her legs were bound too. She looked around. It was a dungeon. A smelly dark place with a small flame burning on one end near the door. There was a small skylight above. The early morning light was streaking inside from it.
The dungeon was underground. They passed a network of the labyrinth of alleys, lanes, and broken chambers. Cassandra has already lost count of the number of turns they took and the cells they passed. Each cell had a number of prisoners gaping and gawking at her.’‘ Come on sweety! Come here!’, they hooted at her in obscene languages and signs.She had heard about Corinth. One of the wealthiest polis of Greece, a major exporter of black pottery. Although Corinth had an oligarchy, everything came under the rule of the king. The League of Corinth was formed when former king Phillip ruled. But when Alexander came to the throne, their powers lessened. Corinth had seen many battles between Athens and Sparta. The city had been ravaged and rebuilt several times each adding a layer of the prison of its own. The underground seemed endless, spira
“ He was a good man. A good father to all of us”, said Clytus, the most trusted man of Karmen. The good leader’s body was being washed and decorated with jewels and perfumed clothes to travel to Afterlife. His funeral rites were to be held in the Athenian way.
“What did you say? I would die after 15 days”, Karseus broke into a laugh. He laughed hysterically and so did his friends. All tumbling and clutching their tummies in laughter.“Friends, did you hear that? I would die after 15 days”, he mocked at her.“ No, Karseus you would be beheaded”, Morpheus rectified him.They were all jeering and catcalling at her. Cassandra simply smiled. She knew whatever visions Apollo showed her would happen in real too.“ Fine”, she snapped.“Fine, if you still don’t trust me, it's fine. You can have me, my body, and my soul after 15 days.”“ Really?” karseus was amazed at whatever Cassandra said.” Are you sure of this?”“Yes, I am sure. After 15 days from today, I am all yours if you stay alive.”“ Princess Cassandra, you better get ready then”, mocked Morpheus. “A hundred soldiers
“ He is keeping her as a prisoner”, cried, Argus. “ How dare he? How dare he does that? Doesn’t he fear death?”, he clenched his fist and unsheathed his sword.“ Argus! Argus”, Selene came up to him and tried to calm him down. “ Do not let your anger take control over you. Calm down. We have to think about it. You can't decide with blood boiling in your sinews”.He was breathing deeply. He closed his eyes and tried to subside his anger. After a few seconds, Argus looked a bit normal and his breathing became more relaxed.“ You are right. Anger won't help me to rescue her. We have to think of a plan. A strategy”.Selene nodded. She looked at Theseus and asked,” what do you know about the place ?”-“ There is a very big fort near the sea with an underground prison. It was built by King Phillip. Hundreds of guards are guarding the area. Karseus has started amassi
“ May I come in?”, asked a young girl standing on the threshold of Cassandra’s room.“ Yes please”, Cassandra replied. She was combing her long hair, standing before a large human-sized gilded mirror. The hot water bath has soothed her senses and cleared her mind. Father always used to say “ proper bath and food could solve any problem”. He was right. A few hours before, Cassandra was panicking. Now she was relaxed and calmed. She trusted her visions. She had faith in her lord and her brother. No matter what happened, he would surely come to save her.The girl came in. she was wearing a full-length white fustanella, her hair was neatly tied into a bun on top of her head. She had a pair of beautiful eyes and a pointed nose.“ My name is Myra. I stay and work here”. Saying this she placed a tray on the table. There were some herbs, bandages, and a bowl of clean water.“ What are these for”, C