City of gods - Hellenica by Jonathan Maas Read Free Book Online Page B

conurbation who’ll seek to do just that.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
    PART II
    THE ACADEMY
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
    HELLENICA
    The Spartan mercenary picked up Kayana two hours before dawn. He was prepared for her; he wore thick gloves and he kept his windowless van flooded with light. They stole off quietly into the morning and together they traversed the conurbation in a zigzag fashion, avoiding the dangerous districts like Éire, Papua, and the Apache Courts. Soon Kayana lost track of where they were. The safe areas in this city are rare , she thought, and are getting rarer still.
    Still, she felt protected in the van they had sent.  The van appeared to be run-down from the outside, but the mercenary explained that the exterior was run-down on purpose, to blend in with the city and to prevent kidnappings. Inside, the van held the latest technology. It showed a holographic map of the conurbation, potential threats ahead and the best streets to take, updated in real time. She also had quite a bit of space in the back seat and could turn the lights completely on or off with a switch. The driver, a Spartan mercenary named Cassander, told her he could drive in complete darkness if need be; he had night-vision goggles. 
    “We don’t have an escort,” said Cassander. “Strength and numbers are no substitute for stealth nowadays; kidnappers have been getting bold. It’s a shame.”
    “Kidnapping is a function of ransom, which is a function of economic disparity,” said Kayana. “It’s not a shame. It just is .”
    “You’ve been in that cage too long,” said Cassander. “It’s not just money nowadays. A god gets bored, asks a follower to kidnap some high-ranking official or Druid priest, and that starts it. You think a Celtic god is gonna pay an Apache ransom to get that Druid back? No, he’ll round up ten Gallic Warriors, have them attack at dawn. They’ll come back with the priest and ten Apache heads. They’ll sing a song about the rescue and wait for the Apache counterattack. It’s a sport to these gods.”
    Kayana nodded her head in understanding. She sensed that the violence outside was different than when she had entered the institution. Bad things should happen as a matter of nature, of time or even bad luck, she thought, but not for sport.
    “We’re taking a detour,” said Cassander. ”Turn the lights off.”
    Cassander drove the van into a tunnel and they were underground. Right before she turned off the lights, Cassander turned to look back at her and smiled. He had a Hellenic name and pale skin, but by his accent Kayana guessed he was born a Sumerian. When he turned to smile, she noticed that he was young but had a seasoned look in his eyes and a deep scar on his neck. He’s old beyond his years and truly familiar with kidnapping , she thought, and he knows Celtic headhunters all too well.
    Kayana looked outside and found that they were deep in the bowels beneath the conurbation. She’d heard of this place and liked it; though it was dangerous, it felt untouched by the city above. There were monsters and diseases down here to be sure, but monsters and diseases kill out of instinct, not out of sport, and Kayana felt safe.
    Kayana looked into the darkness and could see the faint images of creatures scurrying about. Many of the creatures were natural but some were not. How many unnoticed battles have gone on under the ground between these creatures? she thought. How much blood has been spilt over territory lost, won and lost again?
    They traveled through the tunnels for more than an hour. Cassander’s front window illuminated the surroundings with night vision, and Kayana could see that he was clearly on a road. They even passed several cars going in the opposite direction, and Cassander waved each time. I’m not the only one who feels safe in the darkness, thought Kayana. Hellenica must use this as their