The Horse

In the camp, the host of the Cambyses Empire were adamant that they would stay to avenge their shah or die trying. They would not abandon the siege and swore fealty to Lupus Khan for the remainder of the siege or until Shahbaz's son Darius arrived to take his father's place once a messenger had arrived at the capital of the Cambyses Empire to inform the prince of his father's death.

Alas, that could have taken weeks. Standing before a black horse with Kenneth and Minos by his side, Falco thought about his plan to infiltrate Hyperion. It would work, he knew it to be so! Once he and a few others were in the city, they could open the gate and let the host in!

Sighing, he looked at Minos and said: "Sometimes I have dreams of a jade horse throwing me from its back and then trying to stamp me to death. I move out of the way, get up, flee and the horse just begins chasing me."

"A jade horse?" inquired Minos, stroking his chin. "How strange! Do you ever manage to get away?"

"It never manages to get me, but I never end up escaping it. If it was a bull, I would have some clue, but with it being a horse it might just be an occasional recurring dream."

"How long have you had this dream?"

Shrugging, Falco answered: "I'm not sure, a few twelvemonths maybe."

"Since you were fifteen." Commented Minos, looking back at the horse. "What do you remember happening from three twelvemonths ago?"

"Nothing related to horses or jade." Falco replied, looking at Minos. "It may not come from anywhere it is just a dream."

"Yes, that may be the case." Uttered Minos with a nod. "Sometimes I dream the sky is green. I wake up and see that it is the same colour it always is. Sometimes I dream the water is purple. I wake up and see that it is the same colour it always is. Dreams are strange... Life is strange. Do you remember what we saw when we left Aether, Falco?"

"A winged serpent covered in green feathers." Falco answered, remembering the sight as well as anyone who still lived. "Achilles was completely baffled."

"When I saw that thing, I thought myself asleep for a moment, for only in my wildest dreams had I ever seen such a thing."

"In your wildest dreams did you imagine yourself being in this situation?" inquired the Last Divine Deucalion of Aether.

"I never dream I would have been anywhere but Aether." Minos answered, closing his eyes for a moment. "I lived in the palace my whole life, I never thought I would ever by on the mainland, that I would ever leave the Priesthood of the Earth Bull, that you or I would ever be on the same side."

"That you would ever not owe people money?" asked Falco dryly.

Giving a nervous chuckle, Minos nodded. "Uh, yes. My gambling days are behind me. I do not want to end up in the position I was back on Aether. If I ever did become the High Priest of the Earth Bull, I probably would have sold the golden mask to pay my debts."

"And I'm sure Taurus' ka would have haunted you for that." Sighing, Falco looked up at the sky. "I would have preferred you to Taurus. He may be the most dangerous individual I know of."

"He killed his father, you know." Commented Minos. "He was able to get one of his father's rings infected with leprosy."

"So, the rumours were right then." Falco uttered. "What about my father? Did he bribe Acinonyx with Rowena or did my wife's abductor do that on his own?"

"I wouldn't know anything about that." Commented Minos. "For all we know, Leo had told his son to do that if a good enough moment ever came."

"And an attempted coup is certainly good enough." Extending a hand, Falco watched as the horse sniffed it. The Son of Tigris looked at the white star upon the steed's brow for a moment before looking into its eyes. The horse seemed to trust him, but how could, he be sure? Looking down to Kenneth, the caracal looking up at the horse with wide eyes and his tufted black ears standing erect, Falco asked: "What do you think, Kenneth? Think he trusts me?" Kenneth meowed an answer to which the Last Divine Deucalion of Aether replied: "Yes, I think so too."

"During the twelvemonth I've spent around here I have discovered a local deity named the River Horse, patron to a village that is appropriately enough by a river." Stated Minos. "The River Horse... Does a river truly need a deity?"

"Considering the Earth Bull's domain encompasses the earth, the sea and the Underworld, I would say that since the river isn't included then someone has to cover rivers." Said Falco, gently stroking the horse's neck. "Anything about the village that strikes you?"

"Not really, there were two individuals that I did find at least capable of intelligent conversation."

"Oh, who?" asked Falco, looking to Minos. "Priests to the River Horse?"

"If only." Replied Minos dryly. "The priesthood of the River Horse seemed rather boring and unconcerned with what was going on outside their village. They did not even care if Leo and his court emerged from Hyperion to make sport of the surrounding settlements."

Falco could do naught but stare. How could anyone from any surrounding settlements possibly be that apathetic about the local monarch making sport of them? Was Minos exaggerating?

Finally finding his voice, Falco asked: "Who are these two individuals then?"

"A ten-twelvemonth boy named Eduardo and his six-twelvemonth old stepsister Batea." Minos answered. "I could introduce you and Rowena to them once this is all over."

"I would like that." Commented Falco. "If these two children are so intelligent then are indeed worth meeting."

Giving a chuckle, Minos said: "Well, I like children. Sometimes I think a child has more common sense, sanity and intelligence than most adults. Maybe when this is all over, I'll find myself a wife, have ourselves a merry brood for us to dote on." Sighing, he then said: "I'm grateful you and Rowena had not had a child yet. Between the volcano erupting on Aether with the Earth Bull's escape and before that Acinonyx's abduction of her and the other ladies, I fear what might have happened to your child."

Nodding, Falco could not help but agree. Then thinking back to Aether, he thought of his mother Oda. He had lost her a twelvemonth after he had lost his father. Acinonyx had taken his father and then the Earth Bull had taken his mother, not just hist mother but his entire kingdom, all of his subjects...

"I fear the same." Falco ultimately said. "Maybe when this is all over, Rowena and I shall have a child, though where our child will be born, I have no idea."

Gesturing over to Hyperion, the Former Priest of the Earth Bull inquired: "Wherefore not here, my Divine Deucalion?"

Looking to where Minos was gesturing, Falco looked back at his compeer and replied: "I think not. I know Rowena too well. After a twelvemonth, Hyperion would have been a prison to her."

"A prison can become a home." Minos commented. "Long ago, back on Aether, a prisoner in the palace did eventually become the Divine Deucalion."

"I'm still not sure if Rowena would want to call Hyperion home. I wouldn't either." Commented Falco, looking back at the city. "It may look like the palace back on Aether, but it is not home."

"Then where will you go?" asked Minos. "Return to Aether? If the island isn't at the bottom of the sea, it must have been rendered uninhabitable."

"Then where will Rowena and I go once this is all over, Minos? Where will you go?"

"You are still the Divine Deucalion of Aether, even if Aether's current state is unknown to us. Wherever you go, I shall follow. Though if your brother-in-law Ascanius is to be King of Hyperion, I hope you will at least think about staying for a while as his guest before you and Rowena lead us to who-knows where."

Sighing, Falco said: "Us... What is that? Me, Rowena, you, Hilda, Achilles, Scholastica and Xe-tian?"

"Falco, you must trust that one day Aether will exist once more, maybe not on the island where we were all born, but someday it will. Hopefully this time it will have been founded by better people than bandits, rebels, torturers and the like and we won't have the Earth Bull as our patron."

Laughing, Falco assured Minos: "He won't be. I think the Donkey God would be better suited. With the Patron of Foreigners as our deity, all the world will know that all tribes who would live in peace are welcome."

"A fine decision!" Both Falco and Minos turned to see Buri's daughter Qing approach. Kenneth only looked at the approaching warrior woman for a moment before looking up once more at the black horse, a star of white upon his brow and a white foot. "Having the Earth Bull as a patron certainly didn't serve Aether well, maybe the divinity your grandfather was high priest to will serve the new Aether better."

"In hindsight, I'd say founding a kingdom on the island the Earth Bull was imprisoned beneath was probably not the best decision either." Muttered Minos.

Gesturing to the horse, Qing asked the Last Divine Deucalion of Aether: "Will you ride him when it comes time to impersonate members of the Hyperionite Steed, Falco?"

"I believe so, Qing." Falco answered.

"Have you ever ridden a horse before?" asked the daughter of Buri.

The Son of Tigris answered: "I never would have suggested using the armour we have from the Hyperionite Steed to impersonate them if I didn't. Though, I admit that the thought of wearing one of those bull-headed helmets while riding is a tad bit frightening. What if I lose my balance?"

"The horns can't be that much of a hinderance to one's balance." Commented Minos. "The Hyperionite Steed do it with relative ease."

Falco could only nod, though he hypothesized that riding with such a helmet may have been something that members of the Hyperionite Steed were trained to do. An image of the helmet and one of the bronze tunics of scale armour appearing in his mind, he thought of how this would be the first time he would wear armour that was not the same that his great-grandfather had worn. Perhaps he would be required to take a sword that was not his great-grandfather's as well.

Then an image of Leo appeared in his mind's eye and the countenance of that King of Hyperion transformed into that of his lion companion Priam and most astonishingly, the maneless lion grew a fine mane that turned into one of fire. Did it mean anything? Alas, Falco knew not. It may have been nothing more but his imagination or perhaps it was a god sending him a message.

But what was the message?