Challenge #1, Prompt #53, Athena, mythology
Title: Circuit (Part 1 of 5)
Author: Daybreak
Characters: Sort of original characters but not, really. Lycus, Sarah, and various others
Rating: PG
Beta: millari and rose_griffes
Spoilers: Up to Home Pt. 2.
Word Count: 3890
Disclaimer: Not really mine.
Summary: All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again. A set of five only very slightly related glimpses into different points in time. Each can stand alone or be read as a whole.
Author's Note: This is from the prompt below. This is also a belated Christmas and birthday present for bop_radar. My idea here: Kara and Lee will be together and have been together forever. It's meant to be, no matter what happens on the show. This story takes place totally, totally in many alternate universes. It is currently eating my brain and wants to become epic. But it will be finished very soon, I promise. Oh, and I have taken certain liberties with the show's mythology. So this does not fit in with canon. AU, folks. Hope you enjoy.
Prompt: #53: Athena, mythology. Part 1 written for the hiatusthon, the other parts will be posted in my journal. Prompt person, I'm sure this isn't what you expected!
Kobol, 2000 years ago
“Sarah, pack your things, just enough for one day. The twins too.”
“Yes, Mother. The boys are packed. There’s only one boat going down the valley to meet the ship. We should send them without us.” Sarah checked the sun in the sky; it was nearly directly overhead. She wrapped potatoes in cloth and put them in the bag.
“I’m not sending two ten-year olds alone,” her mother replied, finishing her own pack. “You should go with them. Make sure they get on the ship safely.” Sarah knew why her mother wanted to stay. Father had promised he’d be here by now. He had said to go on if he was late but neither one of them wanted to leave without him.
“I should but I . . .” Sarah glanced again at the sky. “There is something I must do,” she said finally.
“Meet Lycus? The end of the world and you are thinking about that boy?” Sarah blushed slightly. Her mother knew her well. And while she knew should be with her family she had already made her choice.
“Mother, please.” She stared at her mother, the usually tidy house in disarray, the smell of smoke in the air. Sarah realized this might be the last time she looked upon her mother. She looked at her long and hard and then hugged her.
“You go. I’ll catch up with Father. The ship only holds 1200 and since we got chosen, our family should be there. We’ll meet again on the new world.” Kyla looked at her daughter’s smoke-stained face. Her right hand, the girl had never failed her, even when her brothers went off to war. Her only daughter and she too knew this was goodbye. She hugged Sarah back and held her face between her fingers, her eyes serious.
“He’d better be worth it.” And then without a backwards glance she grabbed the pack, and called to the boys, who followed her down the path to the river.
Sarah looked around, thinking of what else she might need. Her own bag was half-packed. Could it have all been true? Was Athena goddess of wisdom, dead? Some said they had seen a body two days ago. Others said her spirit floated up to the mountains. Sarah focused on her doll from long ago and impulsively added it to her pack.
She remembered her vision during her coming of age ceremony. She had seen Athena. Tall, dark-haired, slim, and dressed in red. She had not seemed like a woman or a goddess who would throw herself from a cliff in despair. Young Sarah had thought she had really seen the woman in the forest but it had just been a vision. It had been so real. The goddess had only spoken four words to her but she had never forgotten them. But now people were saying this goddess lay in a tomb high above the valley.
Her thoughts flew back to Lycus, spurring her into action. He would be waiting. She threw a hunting knife into the pack. She wasn’t good at hunting but if she missed the ship she might be stuck here on Kobol. And though she shuddered at the thought, she realized if she stayed she might have to defend herself.
Sarah walked through the door and shut it behind her. Sarah somehow had the feeling she would never see it or her family again. And like her mother she did not look back.
****
She found the tomb easily enough, though she was sweaty and though the sun was lower when she arrived. The tomb still looked the same. In another time there would have been dozens of mourners, acolytes keeping watch, but since everyone had heard the alarm, there had been nothing but panic, packing and fleeing. Sarah saw some blossoms by the door, the few remnants of the faithful but the tomb itself was quiet. She walked in and heard the stone slide shut behind her, and the sound made her jump. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
“Sarah?”
She squeaked at the sound of her name. He sounded like he was right behind her. She turned around and ran into his arms, feeling his lips at her temple.
“I thought you wouldn’t make it.” His voice made her smile, though she hadn’t meant to worry him.
“Of course, I’d come. I promised didn’t, I?” She pulled the chain from her neck, and the gold ring hanging there. He kissed her and she melted against him.
“We don’t have much time.”
“This is such blasphemy.”
“What?”
“Kissing over Athena’s dead body.” Though she found it sacrilegious, she didn’t stop kissing him.
“Her body’s not here.”
“What?”
“The tomb was empty when I got here. Either there are some grave robbers out there or she was never here.”
Sarah shivered. “I can’t believe they’d lie. But it’s been a strange few days.” There was a small silence.
“What’s the plan, Lycus?”
“You mean you don’t know?” She shook her head and looked at him.
“We get off Kobol.”
“But why not go with the others? My family?”
“I know a different way.” Sarah looked puzzled but he went over to one of the large stones and held out his hand.
“Come.” In his hand he held something sharp.
“That’s Apollo’s arrow! Lycus, did you steal it from the temple? My gods.”
“No, the high priest gave it to me for safe keeping. He told me there is another way off Kobol. Said I had to go this way. He says it leads to the same place but through a different path. I don’t know what he meant, but I knew I had to come here. It’s hard to explain.” Sarah stepped back looking at him. Tall, curly dark hair, same Lycus but he looked a little different, older somehow.
“You’ve been chosen. That’s clear. This is the path you’re meant to be on.”
Lycus shrugged. “Perhaps. Just because I studied for the priesthood, doesn’t mean I was meant for it. Otherwise, I’d never have married you.”
“Shh!”
“No one is here, no one will know. You’re always worrying about breaking rules. You’re so silly.”
“I’m silly? We’re about to step onto some unknown path and I only have your word to know it’s safe. Maybe I’m not the one that’s foolish. Maybe--”
Lycus pulled her into his arms and kissed her, which was always a good way to quiet her. And for a moment time stood still, and there was no fleeing, no rush, just the man she loved and his arms around her. Then he pulled away.
“You ready?” he asked, turning back to the stone. His eyes shone with excitement, curiosity. Despite his words, he only looked like that when talking about his faith. When he looked at her that way, Sarah knew she’d follow him anywhere.
Lycus took her hand and placed the arrow. Suddenly they were in a vast field. It was bright sunshine here, the air was sweet and breezy and there was plain upon plain of tall, dry grasses.
“Where are we?” Sarah whispered.
“I don’t know.” He tugged her hand toward the highest ridge. “Let’s go look.” That was her Lycus. Fearless. They had just gone through some strange portal or something and were standing in some strange land and he was ready to explore. Sarah felt cautious. The odd feeling that she’d never see her family again was still with her. Too many losses had happened in the past few days.
“What if this isn’t a good place?” She couldn’t shake the chill she had.
“It is good. Doesn’t it feel good?” They walked and walked and the sun never went down.
“We should bring people here? And not to the ship? My family is already there.”
“Why can’t we bring just a few this way? In case the ship doesn’t make it?” Sarah considered it. It was hard not to be affected by his enthusiasm. Maybe they could start over, fresh. Then her heart grew cold. Her parents and surviving brothers were heading for that ship.
“Lycus, how do we get back?”
‘To where?”
“To Kobol.”
“Do not worry. As long as I have this,” he gestured to the sling with the arrow in it over his back, “we can come back.”
“This feels like witchcraft.”
“Sarah.” He smiled. “Always so cautious. The high priest would not have given me this arrow if he didn’t think I could handle it.” His smile grew serious.
“There is something else he told me. I have to be the one to lead the people here.”
“I knew that.”
“But Sarah, there’s a price. All of this is not simple.”
“What price?” She couldn’t help the note in her voice that grew higher. That feeling of dread grew stronger. The gods were not done with them. She could feel it. As much as she wanted to ignore it, she listened carefully to his words.
“Tomorrow, the winds will change. There will be another great fire. Don’t ask me how I know this. It will be our last chance to bring the survivors here. A second chance for our race.”
Sarah was silent. “But you spoke of a price?” For one moment, she didn’t care about their people, their civilization. She wanted to know what would happen to the people she loved.
“Lives will be lost.” He wasn’t looking at her. The silence stretched out but Sarah had to know more.
“Who?” He said nothing.
“My parents? The high priest? Lycus--”
“I don’t know. Only there must be a sacrifice. There always is.” And of course, he was right. There would always be a price to leave Kobol. And there would be a price if they ever returned. It had been written long before they were born. But not her family, not him too. She had lost so much already.
“I’ll be the one,” she offered.
“No. You have your own role to play. If I . . . our people will need you.”
“But-”
“Promise me, Sarah. This is most important.” She looked up into his eyes. How could he not know she’d follow him anywhere, follow any instructions? She had already given up her family for him. She nodded. He kissed her hair.
“We’ll stay the night here.”
“Where is here, Lycus? How do we know this is even real, that our survivors will make it here?”
“We don’t know, Sarah. We don’t.”
Sarah felt uneasy spending the night in the strange land, though she was relieved to see that the sun eventually did go down. She insisted they stay the night in the temple but she couldn’t stop thinking about the new land. It didn’t seem like it would ever rain there or be as lush and green as her home but she realized her unease was not about the new place. It was about Kobol. They weren’t leaving by choice but by necessity. Time was growing short.
****
The next morning, they went back to the village to gather the remaining survivors. Most people refused to leave their homes. Sarah was at her most persuasive and even though most people had known her since she was a child, she couldn’t convince them to leave.
They camped outside the village with most of the nearly one hundred people and their families.
“I have at least fifty who will come, and that included families,” Sarah sat down at the makeshift camp outside of the village. Lycus had insisted on being on the outskirts.
“And I have at least twenty-five people and they are only the most pious. We’ll meet when the sun is high tomorrow. Then--” His words were cut off by a sudden explosion.
“Sweet Hera, what was that?” Sarah turned toward the sky and saw the smoke billowing. One of the boys climbed a nearby tree. “The Opera House is on fire,” the boy called out. “They’re coming, Lycus!” Suddenly all eyes were on her husband and Sarah knew a moment of pride. He’d know what to do.
”We need to move,” he said. “Now.”
They gathered the survivors and their families and they started up the cliffs as the fire swept through what used to be their homes below. It was best, Sarah tried to convince herself. Better than being occupied, than being taken over. She tried not to think of the house where she’d taken her first steps, the books where she’d printed her first letters, the dress her mother had saved for Sarah’s wedding. They are only things, she scolded herself. But they weren’t only things. Those things were home. She pushed these thoughts away as they climbed and climbed toward Athena’s tomb, the people’s faith in Lycus and herself, their only beacon.
They were a few hours from the tomb by mid-afternoon when rain began to pour steadily and there was another sudden explosion that shook the cliffs. Sarah watched Lycus take the fall and reached out blindly for him. She grabbed his hand and with help of the others pulled him up but she watched the Arrow of Apollo tumble out of the quiver down the edge.
“I’ll go get it,” he said immediately. He was already taking off his pack.
“No!” Sarah tried to think of someone else. Anyone else.
“Without it we can’t gain entry,” he countered and Sarah had never been one to refute good logic.
”I’ll get it." The crowd parted and Sofia walked among them. Funny how as children they all played together, but Sofia had never been well-liked. Some say that she had betrayed them to the others but Sarah remembered the little girl she’d played sticks with. Lycus had always had a soft spot for her and when Sofia had offered to come he hadn’t refused her.
Sarah looked over the edge and they could see the arrow shining there in the rain.
“Lycus is the most agile,” she ventured.
“He’s our leader and we shouldn’t risk it,” Sofia replied. Sarah remembered the girl who could climb trees higher than she could reach. That was only a few years ago. Before Sofia had discovered her singing voice and certain other talents.
“I’ll go get it. For you, Lycus.” Lycus blushed and Sarah noticed a look that passed between him and Sofia. She resisted the urge pull out Lycus’ ring hanging around her neck and put it on for all to see. But whatever that look meant, now was not the time. Sofia glanced briefly at Sarah and then she began to climb down.
Sarah had been climbing the cliffs of Kobol since she was a child. So had Sofia but the rain made things slippery. A small crowd gathered, as she picked her way down. Luckily, Sofia always wore leggings and not the skirts that Sarah and her mother favored. Sofia was so far under the overhang, that they could only see a hand reach out and grab the arrow. She heard Lycus let out a sigh of relief, as did the rest of the crowd. Going down was the hard part, coming up was easy. They had had been worried, Sofia was a young girl, and though not well-liked, no one wanted to lose her.
Some of the other villagers began the climb forward again but Lycus stayed until Sofia neared the edge. Sofia smiled at him and handed him the arrow which he quickly replaced in the quiver that he’d placed on the ground. Sarah liked seeing it put away. An artifact of the gods, she didn’t believe it should be in human hands. As Sofia began to climb over the edge, she slipped and Lycus reached for her, reflexively grabbing her arm, tightly. Sofia grabbed on as well and they grasped each other's arms as the girl's weight nearly brought Lycus the over the edge. Sarah was too surprised to even scream, though she heard her neighbors cry his name. Timothy grabbed Lycus around the waist; he was half-hanging over the cliff, one arm grasping Sofia as her legs scrambled for a toehold on the slippery moss.
Sarah watched one of the men grab on to Timothy but he and Lycus were sliding, slowly. He’ll have to let her go, she thought but she knew he wouldn’t. We won’t leave anyone behind, she thought but as she watched the man she loved slip further she realized that their fate was more important than one woman. Sofia realized it too.
“You have the arrow," the girl said. "You have to let me go.” Her voice had that lyrical quality that made her such a good singer. Her blonde hair whipped in the wind. A woman nearby cried out.
“No. We aren’t leaving anyone who wants to go. No.” Lycus voice was hard, determined. Sofia’s free hand snaked out and she touched Lycus’ face. Sarah heard fabric rip with the effort and her heart pounded. Sofia could grab on to him with that hand but she wouldn’t. That would surely bring him down, they all knew it. Timothy gritted with the effort of holding Lycus. Sarah herself reached for the girl but she couldn’t reach her.
“You never let me go, do you,” the girl was saying, quietly. Sarah had to strain to hear her. She wasn’t making sense. Fear would do that do you, though the girl didn’t look afraid.
“Don’t worry,” Sofia said softly. “We’ll meet again.” And with that she let go and the women nearby screamed, Lycus shouting her name. There was a sickening thud and all went silent. He almost went forward with her at the sudden lack of weight but Sarah and the others grabbed him quickly pulling him back from the edge. He sat there, shaken. She silently handed him the quiver with the arrow, which he replaced on his back. That seemed to strengthen him.
“A price paid in blood.” The high priest murmured next to them as the villagers kept on moving.
Later that night they had reached the tomb. Most, like Sarah, thought it was blasphemous to sleep overnight within the tomb. But others were afraid of their pursuers. Still others were shaken by Sofia‘s death.
Lycus sat apart from the crowd sharpening his sword with a stone.
“You have to talk to them,” she said. “Before we go in there tomorrow.”
“You talk to them. My task is just to lead them. You have all the words. Most of them wouldn’t even be here if not for you and your family.” She touched his arm, the one that kept stroking the sword and he paused. He didn’t look at her.
“No,” she said. “They are here because of you. All of your training. Doesn’t matter who your family was. It’s clear that you are the one to lead us. No one else has your faith. Not even me.”
“It was supposed to be me.” His words were low.
“What?”
“She knew it. You know she’s always known things. That’s why no one likes her. They think she’s a traitor but she just knows. I should have been the one to get the arrow. There was a price to be paid and she paid it. It should have been me. Why do you believe in all of this, Sarah? That we can even make it there?” She shook her head.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore. But I know they need to believe it.” She gestured toward the villagers. “They need to believe that we can have a home again. That we can rebuild our families. I believe that we can. I believe that you are leading us to the right place. I don’t know much else but I believe in you.”
Lycus looked up at her finally, and yes, the impression that he had grown older was clearer to her. She watched him sheathe his sword and walk to the edge of the crowd. She walked with him. Without preamble he began speaking.
“I know that you are all scared. Where are we going? What will we find when we get there? Well, I don’t know. Despite years studying in the priesthood, I don’t have the gift of sight. Sofia had that. And most of you hated her for it. What I know is that everything that is written has come true. The exodus, the fire, the sacrifice. None of you have to follow me through the tomb tomorrow. That’s your choice. But I know I’m the only one who can get you there.”
No one said a word. His words were true; no one could deny them. Lycus seemed exhausted by his little speech. It hurt Sarah to see him so low. She stared out into the crowd of her friends and neighbors. She knew they needed more. Taking her husband’s hand, she spoke.
“And Lycus is the only one here who can place the arrow and get us to our new home. And we will find home again. Family, friends, children.” She smiled and threaded her fingers through his. “This is what we fought for, what we’re leaving for. We’ll find them together.” Lycus looked at her and smiled, and kissed her impulsively and there was small cheer.
“You always were better at speeches than I was,” he said, as he pulled away.
”Well, you were always better at religious quests, so we’re even.” She smiled back and let him lead her back to the tomb. No one would bother them there tonight.
****
The next day dawned sunny and bright. The people were tired but encouraged by Lycus and Sarah’s words. Sarah was still a bit worried about him as she started to pack up camp. He was always so good-natured, yet Sofia’s death had shaken him somehow, and not even comfort in his wife could take that air of sadness way. He hadn’t been able to save the girl. And now he doubted whether he could save all of them. The high priest led the villagers to the stone in the tomb and there was a collective gasp as Lycus placed the arrow, and the stone rolled back. One by one they stepped through the portal. Sarah stayed behind to make sure every man, woman and child had made make it through.
Finally, everyone had gone forth and Lycus and Sarah stood alone. He looked discouraged, younger, and thinner now that he wasn’t putting a brave face on it for their people. He stood on the other side of the great rock while she perused Kobol one last time.
“You were right,” he said aloud. “What if this is wrong?” She turned back to him.
“It’s not wrong. Not a bit.” She heard something in the distance. Shouts. Someone said, “They’ve gone to the tomb!” Sarah gasped and ran to the back of the tomb.
“Sarah, we must go now.”
“What if they follow us?”
“They can’t without the arrow.”
In times of trouble, that was one thing she could count on. Lycus was a man of action. He held his hand out for her, and hearing the footsteps of their pursuers closing behind her, Sarah paused. She felt the hairs on her neck stand up and she could hear Athena’s voice in her head, “Together lies your path.” Sarah took that leap of faith, grasped his hand, and stepped through to her new world.
Author: Daybreak
Characters: Sort of original characters but not, really. Lycus, Sarah, and various others
Rating: PG
Beta: millari and rose_griffes
Spoilers: Up to Home Pt. 2.
Word Count: 3890
Disclaimer: Not really mine.
Summary: All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again. A set of five only very slightly related glimpses into different points in time. Each can stand alone or be read as a whole.
Author's Note: This is from the prompt below. This is also a belated Christmas and birthday present for bop_radar. My idea here: Kara and Lee will be together and have been together forever. It's meant to be, no matter what happens on the show. This story takes place totally, totally in many alternate universes. It is currently eating my brain and wants to become epic. But it will be finished very soon, I promise. Oh, and I have taken certain liberties with the show's mythology. So this does not fit in with canon. AU, folks. Hope you enjoy.
Prompt: #53: Athena, mythology. Part 1 written for the hiatusthon, the other parts will be posted in my journal. Prompt person, I'm sure this isn't what you expected!
Kobol, 2000 years ago
“Sarah, pack your things, just enough for one day. The twins too.”
“Yes, Mother. The boys are packed. There’s only one boat going down the valley to meet the ship. We should send them without us.” Sarah checked the sun in the sky; it was nearly directly overhead. She wrapped potatoes in cloth and put them in the bag.
“I’m not sending two ten-year olds alone,” her mother replied, finishing her own pack. “You should go with them. Make sure they get on the ship safely.” Sarah knew why her mother wanted to stay. Father had promised he’d be here by now. He had said to go on if he was late but neither one of them wanted to leave without him.
“I should but I . . .” Sarah glanced again at the sky. “There is something I must do,” she said finally.
“Meet Lycus? The end of the world and you are thinking about that boy?” Sarah blushed slightly. Her mother knew her well. And while she knew should be with her family she had already made her choice.
“Mother, please.” She stared at her mother, the usually tidy house in disarray, the smell of smoke in the air. Sarah realized this might be the last time she looked upon her mother. She looked at her long and hard and then hugged her.
“You go. I’ll catch up with Father. The ship only holds 1200 and since we got chosen, our family should be there. We’ll meet again on the new world.” Kyla looked at her daughter’s smoke-stained face. Her right hand, the girl had never failed her, even when her brothers went off to war. Her only daughter and she too knew this was goodbye. She hugged Sarah back and held her face between her fingers, her eyes serious.
“He’d better be worth it.” And then without a backwards glance she grabbed the pack, and called to the boys, who followed her down the path to the river.
Sarah looked around, thinking of what else she might need. Her own bag was half-packed. Could it have all been true? Was Athena goddess of wisdom, dead? Some said they had seen a body two days ago. Others said her spirit floated up to the mountains. Sarah focused on her doll from long ago and impulsively added it to her pack.
She remembered her vision during her coming of age ceremony. She had seen Athena. Tall, dark-haired, slim, and dressed in red. She had not seemed like a woman or a goddess who would throw herself from a cliff in despair. Young Sarah had thought she had really seen the woman in the forest but it had just been a vision. It had been so real. The goddess had only spoken four words to her but she had never forgotten them. But now people were saying this goddess lay in a tomb high above the valley.
Her thoughts flew back to Lycus, spurring her into action. He would be waiting. She threw a hunting knife into the pack. She wasn’t good at hunting but if she missed the ship she might be stuck here on Kobol. And though she shuddered at the thought, she realized if she stayed she might have to defend herself.
Sarah walked through the door and shut it behind her. Sarah somehow had the feeling she would never see it or her family again. And like her mother she did not look back.
****
She found the tomb easily enough, though she was sweaty and though the sun was lower when she arrived. The tomb still looked the same. In another time there would have been dozens of mourners, acolytes keeping watch, but since everyone had heard the alarm, there had been nothing but panic, packing and fleeing. Sarah saw some blossoms by the door, the few remnants of the faithful but the tomb itself was quiet. She walked in and heard the stone slide shut behind her, and the sound made her jump. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
“Sarah?”
She squeaked at the sound of her name. He sounded like he was right behind her. She turned around and ran into his arms, feeling his lips at her temple.
“I thought you wouldn’t make it.” His voice made her smile, though she hadn’t meant to worry him.
“Of course, I’d come. I promised didn’t, I?” She pulled the chain from her neck, and the gold ring hanging there. He kissed her and she melted against him.
“We don’t have much time.”
“This is such blasphemy.”
“What?”
“Kissing over Athena’s dead body.” Though she found it sacrilegious, she didn’t stop kissing him.
“Her body’s not here.”
“What?”
“The tomb was empty when I got here. Either there are some grave robbers out there or she was never here.”
Sarah shivered. “I can’t believe they’d lie. But it’s been a strange few days.” There was a small silence.
“What’s the plan, Lycus?”
“You mean you don’t know?” She shook her head and looked at him.
“We get off Kobol.”
“But why not go with the others? My family?”
“I know a different way.” Sarah looked puzzled but he went over to one of the large stones and held out his hand.
“Come.” In his hand he held something sharp.
“That’s Apollo’s arrow! Lycus, did you steal it from the temple? My gods.”
“No, the high priest gave it to me for safe keeping. He told me there is another way off Kobol. Said I had to go this way. He says it leads to the same place but through a different path. I don’t know what he meant, but I knew I had to come here. It’s hard to explain.” Sarah stepped back looking at him. Tall, curly dark hair, same Lycus but he looked a little different, older somehow.
“You’ve been chosen. That’s clear. This is the path you’re meant to be on.”
Lycus shrugged. “Perhaps. Just because I studied for the priesthood, doesn’t mean I was meant for it. Otherwise, I’d never have married you.”
“Shh!”
“No one is here, no one will know. You’re always worrying about breaking rules. You’re so silly.”
“I’m silly? We’re about to step onto some unknown path and I only have your word to know it’s safe. Maybe I’m not the one that’s foolish. Maybe--”
Lycus pulled her into his arms and kissed her, which was always a good way to quiet her. And for a moment time stood still, and there was no fleeing, no rush, just the man she loved and his arms around her. Then he pulled away.
“You ready?” he asked, turning back to the stone. His eyes shone with excitement, curiosity. Despite his words, he only looked like that when talking about his faith. When he looked at her that way, Sarah knew she’d follow him anywhere.
Lycus took her hand and placed the arrow. Suddenly they were in a vast field. It was bright sunshine here, the air was sweet and breezy and there was plain upon plain of tall, dry grasses.
“Where are we?” Sarah whispered.
“I don’t know.” He tugged her hand toward the highest ridge. “Let’s go look.” That was her Lycus. Fearless. They had just gone through some strange portal or something and were standing in some strange land and he was ready to explore. Sarah felt cautious. The odd feeling that she’d never see her family again was still with her. Too many losses had happened in the past few days.
“What if this isn’t a good place?” She couldn’t shake the chill she had.
“It is good. Doesn’t it feel good?” They walked and walked and the sun never went down.
“We should bring people here? And not to the ship? My family is already there.”
“Why can’t we bring just a few this way? In case the ship doesn’t make it?” Sarah considered it. It was hard not to be affected by his enthusiasm. Maybe they could start over, fresh. Then her heart grew cold. Her parents and surviving brothers were heading for that ship.
“Lycus, how do we get back?”
‘To where?”
“To Kobol.”
“Do not worry. As long as I have this,” he gestured to the sling with the arrow in it over his back, “we can come back.”
“This feels like witchcraft.”
“Sarah.” He smiled. “Always so cautious. The high priest would not have given me this arrow if he didn’t think I could handle it.” His smile grew serious.
“There is something else he told me. I have to be the one to lead the people here.”
“I knew that.”
“But Sarah, there’s a price. All of this is not simple.”
“What price?” She couldn’t help the note in her voice that grew higher. That feeling of dread grew stronger. The gods were not done with them. She could feel it. As much as she wanted to ignore it, she listened carefully to his words.
“Tomorrow, the winds will change. There will be another great fire. Don’t ask me how I know this. It will be our last chance to bring the survivors here. A second chance for our race.”
Sarah was silent. “But you spoke of a price?” For one moment, she didn’t care about their people, their civilization. She wanted to know what would happen to the people she loved.
“Lives will be lost.” He wasn’t looking at her. The silence stretched out but Sarah had to know more.
“Who?” He said nothing.
“My parents? The high priest? Lycus--”
“I don’t know. Only there must be a sacrifice. There always is.” And of course, he was right. There would always be a price to leave Kobol. And there would be a price if they ever returned. It had been written long before they were born. But not her family, not him too. She had lost so much already.
“I’ll be the one,” she offered.
“No. You have your own role to play. If I . . . our people will need you.”
“But-”
“Promise me, Sarah. This is most important.” She looked up into his eyes. How could he not know she’d follow him anywhere, follow any instructions? She had already given up her family for him. She nodded. He kissed her hair.
“We’ll stay the night here.”
“Where is here, Lycus? How do we know this is even real, that our survivors will make it here?”
“We don’t know, Sarah. We don’t.”
Sarah felt uneasy spending the night in the strange land, though she was relieved to see that the sun eventually did go down. She insisted they stay the night in the temple but she couldn’t stop thinking about the new land. It didn’t seem like it would ever rain there or be as lush and green as her home but she realized her unease was not about the new place. It was about Kobol. They weren’t leaving by choice but by necessity. Time was growing short.
****
The next morning, they went back to the village to gather the remaining survivors. Most people refused to leave their homes. Sarah was at her most persuasive and even though most people had known her since she was a child, she couldn’t convince them to leave.
They camped outside the village with most of the nearly one hundred people and their families.
“I have at least fifty who will come, and that included families,” Sarah sat down at the makeshift camp outside of the village. Lycus had insisted on being on the outskirts.
“And I have at least twenty-five people and they are only the most pious. We’ll meet when the sun is high tomorrow. Then--” His words were cut off by a sudden explosion.
“Sweet Hera, what was that?” Sarah turned toward the sky and saw the smoke billowing. One of the boys climbed a nearby tree. “The Opera House is on fire,” the boy called out. “They’re coming, Lycus!” Suddenly all eyes were on her husband and Sarah knew a moment of pride. He’d know what to do.
”We need to move,” he said. “Now.”
They gathered the survivors and their families and they started up the cliffs as the fire swept through what used to be their homes below. It was best, Sarah tried to convince herself. Better than being occupied, than being taken over. She tried not to think of the house where she’d taken her first steps, the books where she’d printed her first letters, the dress her mother had saved for Sarah’s wedding. They are only things, she scolded herself. But they weren’t only things. Those things were home. She pushed these thoughts away as they climbed and climbed toward Athena’s tomb, the people’s faith in Lycus and herself, their only beacon.
They were a few hours from the tomb by mid-afternoon when rain began to pour steadily and there was another sudden explosion that shook the cliffs. Sarah watched Lycus take the fall and reached out blindly for him. She grabbed his hand and with help of the others pulled him up but she watched the Arrow of Apollo tumble out of the quiver down the edge.
“I’ll go get it,” he said immediately. He was already taking off his pack.
“No!” Sarah tried to think of someone else. Anyone else.
“Without it we can’t gain entry,” he countered and Sarah had never been one to refute good logic.
”I’ll get it." The crowd parted and Sofia walked among them. Funny how as children they all played together, but Sofia had never been well-liked. Some say that she had betrayed them to the others but Sarah remembered the little girl she’d played sticks with. Lycus had always had a soft spot for her and when Sofia had offered to come he hadn’t refused her.
Sarah looked over the edge and they could see the arrow shining there in the rain.
“Lycus is the most agile,” she ventured.
“He’s our leader and we shouldn’t risk it,” Sofia replied. Sarah remembered the girl who could climb trees higher than she could reach. That was only a few years ago. Before Sofia had discovered her singing voice and certain other talents.
“I’ll go get it. For you, Lycus.” Lycus blushed and Sarah noticed a look that passed between him and Sofia. She resisted the urge pull out Lycus’ ring hanging around her neck and put it on for all to see. But whatever that look meant, now was not the time. Sofia glanced briefly at Sarah and then she began to climb down.
Sarah had been climbing the cliffs of Kobol since she was a child. So had Sofia but the rain made things slippery. A small crowd gathered, as she picked her way down. Luckily, Sofia always wore leggings and not the skirts that Sarah and her mother favored. Sofia was so far under the overhang, that they could only see a hand reach out and grab the arrow. She heard Lycus let out a sigh of relief, as did the rest of the crowd. Going down was the hard part, coming up was easy. They had had been worried, Sofia was a young girl, and though not well-liked, no one wanted to lose her.
Some of the other villagers began the climb forward again but Lycus stayed until Sofia neared the edge. Sofia smiled at him and handed him the arrow which he quickly replaced in the quiver that he’d placed on the ground. Sarah liked seeing it put away. An artifact of the gods, she didn’t believe it should be in human hands. As Sofia began to climb over the edge, she slipped and Lycus reached for her, reflexively grabbing her arm, tightly. Sofia grabbed on as well and they grasped each other's arms as the girl's weight nearly brought Lycus the over the edge. Sarah was too surprised to even scream, though she heard her neighbors cry his name. Timothy grabbed Lycus around the waist; he was half-hanging over the cliff, one arm grasping Sofia as her legs scrambled for a toehold on the slippery moss.
Sarah watched one of the men grab on to Timothy but he and Lycus were sliding, slowly. He’ll have to let her go, she thought but she knew he wouldn’t. We won’t leave anyone behind, she thought but as she watched the man she loved slip further she realized that their fate was more important than one woman. Sofia realized it too.
“You have the arrow," the girl said. "You have to let me go.” Her voice had that lyrical quality that made her such a good singer. Her blonde hair whipped in the wind. A woman nearby cried out.
“No. We aren’t leaving anyone who wants to go. No.” Lycus voice was hard, determined. Sofia’s free hand snaked out and she touched Lycus’ face. Sarah heard fabric rip with the effort and her heart pounded. Sofia could grab on to him with that hand but she wouldn’t. That would surely bring him down, they all knew it. Timothy gritted with the effort of holding Lycus. Sarah herself reached for the girl but she couldn’t reach her.
“You never let me go, do you,” the girl was saying, quietly. Sarah had to strain to hear her. She wasn’t making sense. Fear would do that do you, though the girl didn’t look afraid.
“Don’t worry,” Sofia said softly. “We’ll meet again.” And with that she let go and the women nearby screamed, Lycus shouting her name. There was a sickening thud and all went silent. He almost went forward with her at the sudden lack of weight but Sarah and the others grabbed him quickly pulling him back from the edge. He sat there, shaken. She silently handed him the quiver with the arrow, which he replaced on his back. That seemed to strengthen him.
“A price paid in blood.” The high priest murmured next to them as the villagers kept on moving.
Later that night they had reached the tomb. Most, like Sarah, thought it was blasphemous to sleep overnight within the tomb. But others were afraid of their pursuers. Still others were shaken by Sofia‘s death.
Lycus sat apart from the crowd sharpening his sword with a stone.
“You have to talk to them,” she said. “Before we go in there tomorrow.”
“You talk to them. My task is just to lead them. You have all the words. Most of them wouldn’t even be here if not for you and your family.” She touched his arm, the one that kept stroking the sword and he paused. He didn’t look at her.
“No,” she said. “They are here because of you. All of your training. Doesn’t matter who your family was. It’s clear that you are the one to lead us. No one else has your faith. Not even me.”
“It was supposed to be me.” His words were low.
“What?”
“She knew it. You know she’s always known things. That’s why no one likes her. They think she’s a traitor but she just knows. I should have been the one to get the arrow. There was a price to be paid and she paid it. It should have been me. Why do you believe in all of this, Sarah? That we can even make it there?” She shook her head.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore. But I know they need to believe it.” She gestured toward the villagers. “They need to believe that we can have a home again. That we can rebuild our families. I believe that we can. I believe that you are leading us to the right place. I don’t know much else but I believe in you.”
Lycus looked up at her finally, and yes, the impression that he had grown older was clearer to her. She watched him sheathe his sword and walk to the edge of the crowd. She walked with him. Without preamble he began speaking.
“I know that you are all scared. Where are we going? What will we find when we get there? Well, I don’t know. Despite years studying in the priesthood, I don’t have the gift of sight. Sofia had that. And most of you hated her for it. What I know is that everything that is written has come true. The exodus, the fire, the sacrifice. None of you have to follow me through the tomb tomorrow. That’s your choice. But I know I’m the only one who can get you there.”
No one said a word. His words were true; no one could deny them. Lycus seemed exhausted by his little speech. It hurt Sarah to see him so low. She stared out into the crowd of her friends and neighbors. She knew they needed more. Taking her husband’s hand, she spoke.
“And Lycus is the only one here who can place the arrow and get us to our new home. And we will find home again. Family, friends, children.” She smiled and threaded her fingers through his. “This is what we fought for, what we’re leaving for. We’ll find them together.” Lycus looked at her and smiled, and kissed her impulsively and there was small cheer.
“You always were better at speeches than I was,” he said, as he pulled away.
”Well, you were always better at religious quests, so we’re even.” She smiled back and let him lead her back to the tomb. No one would bother them there tonight.
****
The next day dawned sunny and bright. The people were tired but encouraged by Lycus and Sarah’s words. Sarah was still a bit worried about him as she started to pack up camp. He was always so good-natured, yet Sofia’s death had shaken him somehow, and not even comfort in his wife could take that air of sadness way. He hadn’t been able to save the girl. And now he doubted whether he could save all of them. The high priest led the villagers to the stone in the tomb and there was a collective gasp as Lycus placed the arrow, and the stone rolled back. One by one they stepped through the portal. Sarah stayed behind to make sure every man, woman and child had made make it through.
Finally, everyone had gone forth and Lycus and Sarah stood alone. He looked discouraged, younger, and thinner now that he wasn’t putting a brave face on it for their people. He stood on the other side of the great rock while she perused Kobol one last time.
“You were right,” he said aloud. “What if this is wrong?” She turned back to him.
“It’s not wrong. Not a bit.” She heard something in the distance. Shouts. Someone said, “They’ve gone to the tomb!” Sarah gasped and ran to the back of the tomb.
“Sarah, we must go now.”
“What if they follow us?”
“They can’t without the arrow.”
In times of trouble, that was one thing she could count on. Lycus was a man of action. He held his hand out for her, and hearing the footsteps of their pursuers closing behind her, Sarah paused. She felt the hairs on her neck stand up and she could hear Athena’s voice in her head, “Together lies your path.” Sarah took that leap of faith, grasped his hand, and stepped through to her new world.