The Pillars of Hercules by David Constantine Read Free Book Online Page B

out of the hatch behind me—”
    “I’d say something has,” she said, her voice bordering on the mischievous. “Who’s Taranis anyway?”
    “One of my people’s gods. What brings you on deck?” In the back of his head, he was thinking that Matthias would be annoyed at missing a chance to speak to her—was thinking he should go wake the man. But of course, that wasn’t an option. Besides, Lugorix wasn’t averse to having something to hold over his friend. All in good fun, of course….
    “We’re almost at Athens,” she said. “Damitra’s piloting. I wanted to get a glimpse of the city.”
    Lugorix nodded. “So that’s why we put the mast up and turned off the engine?”
    “No sense in looking too weird,” she said.
    He drew in his breath. “Who are we meeting at Athens?”
    “Friends,” she said. “In the government.”
    “But not the government.”
    Her eyes narrowed at that. “Your friend likes to act like he’s the smart one. But you’re not all brawn, are you?”
    “Never said I was.”
    “Where are you from?”
    “Gaul.”
    “I realize that. Where in Gaul?”
    “Southwest. Village of Sarmax. In the Pyrenees. The Athenian recruiters were in Massilia, so I headed there.”
    “But why you’d leave in the first place?”
    He hesitated. “It’s complicated.”
    To his relief, she didn’t press it. “And how’d you hook up with Matthias?”
    “Working as marines. Doing raids against the Persian coast.”
    That drew her up short. “Before or after the Macedonian conquest?”
    “Both.”
    “Ah.”
    “Your people captured Matthias’ city a while back.”
    “What’s his city?”
    “Pinara,” replied Lugorix. “In Asia Minor.”
    “That’s in Macedonian hands now.”
    “Yes.” And then, curious: “I would have thought your witch would have been able to tell you all this.”
    “She’s no witch. She’s a Servant of the Sacred Fire.”
    His brow furrowed. “What’s that?”
    “The heart of the Zoroastrian faith. Damitra is one of our magi.”
    “I thought they were all male.”
    “You’re not the only one who thinks that.”
    “So she knows a lot of magick?”
    “She knows enough. But your question’s a crude one.”
    “Oh, thanks.”
    Barsine shrugged. “Magick’s just another word for something one doesn’t understand. The ignorant call it magick. But to the initiated, it’s really just a tool. Alchemists, mechanists, sorcerors—they’re all just different types of the same thing. The real question is the ends to which they put their power. Damitra and I both serve Ahura Mazda, the One Creator, who set us in motion to play our part in the final battle.”
    Lugorix had no idea what to make of that. “Final battle?” he asked.
    “Between good and evil,” she replied.
    As she said this, she pointed at the darkening horizon where a speck was growing.
    “Athens,” she said.
    They stared across the minutes as it approached, tower after tower rising from horizon, stacking on and upward toward the twilit heavens, each tower bristling with all manner of war-machines and siege equipment. As they drew near, Lugorix could see ant-like men moving along the battlements, looking down at them.
    “It’s colossal,” he muttered.
    “That’s just the sea-wall across the outer harbor.”
    Lugorix shook his head in amazement as they sailed in toward one of the sea-wall’s many gates. It opened as though it was expecting them. As they headed in toward it, he turned back to Barsine. And suddenly he realized why he found this woman so familiar—who she reminded him of.
    Though he knew better than to tell her.
    “War between good and evil,” he said.
    “What about it?”
    “That’s what you were saying just now.”
    “Yes,” she replied. “The ultimate struggle. It’s a Zoroastrian tenet that—”
    “You think that’s the war we’re fighting now?”
    There was a long pause. “Alexander has to be stopped,” she said finally. “Sometimes I think he truly