A Vineyard for my Soul

Manos had sent word to us early the next day. Simos and I had broken the record for the quickest execution of the first trail- just over three hours.

The Thesso team was chosen as the next contenders. They'd started about two hours after Simos and I'd left the canyon and they were still busy. It's been exactly eleven hours, and from what we overheard Shaban saying to one of the members of staff, one teammate had already fallen to his death.

It was late at night now and my internal alarm clock was completely skewered. We'd arrived back from the canyon just before noon and I stirred awake after the sun had set, cuddled comfortably in Malreus' arms.

I'd untangled myself from his grip and silently moved towards the door. He was still fast asleep; the exhaustion of the past few days, coupled with red wine and whiskey, had really knocked him out.

I opened the door and slipped outside, closing it behind me with care.

The quarters were empty and the fire had burned out in the hearth. Simos' bedroom door was closed. I wondered if it was rude of me to knock, knowing he was most probably sleeping, but then again, it was definitely rude of me to have him wait about seven hours for a conversation.

Either way, I slipped into my bedroom to finally take a much needed shower.

The water was hot and refreshing. I stood in the steam for a few minutes; appreciating the feel of the boiling water on my cold limbs. It wasn't often that I felt this... hesitant.

After a few more seconds, I pulled myself together and stepped out of the shower. I patted down my body and wrapped the towel around my frame, fixing it tightly at the front. I spent the next thirty minutes staring blankly at my limited wardrobe.

Shaban- or whoever- had chosen the most dreary and simplistic garments for me to wear. I was honestly fine with that, but did they have to be so skin-tight? I pulled a dark grey outfit from the hanger and proceeded to get changed.

While I slipped on my socks, I knock sounded on my door. I froze for a moment, dreading both potential visitors. It could only be one or the other.

"Come in."

The door opened slightly and a dark head of hair peeped through.

Simos stepped in and closed the door. He looked angry.

I waited for a moment, but he refused to speak. I continued to pull up my socks and ignored him standing across from me, glaring down at the back of my head. Eventually though, I'd had enough.

"What?" I sighed and lifted my eyes.

Simos crossed his arms over his chest. "I waited about an hour for you to come."

"Sorry." I shook my head and grabbed a clean pair of boots. "I forgot."

"Really?" Simos didn't sound at all convinced. "I figured you'd fallen asleep while getting changed, so I come by to check on you. Much to my surprise I found your bed empty."

I stood up from my bed and glared at the man in front of me; "What are you trying to say?"

Simos looked from one eye to the other- his face trying very hard to stay expressionless. I could see a hint of anger, annoyance and a small splinter of sadness. "Did you sleep with him?"

"No, Simos." I barked back- what business was it of his? "I helped him into bed and stayed with him until he fell asleep."

"He took nearly ten hours to fall asleep?" Simos muttered back.

"How is this any of your concern?" I asked with a bite in my tone and stepped forward. Simos watched me with cool eyes, but said nothing.

After a moment of silence and thought, Simos walked up to me and lifted his hand to my cheek. His thumb pressed onto my bottom lip and he whispered; "I'll go find the letter your brothers left us."

And with that odd gesture, he left.

Casseus' POV

Waldonius and Manos were seated by the fire, both a drink in hand.

I stood beside Manos as he sipped, nodding to what Waldonius was saying. "And let the man see you crumble once; he'll charge like a bull." They were taking about Helius and how apparently the chief banker had refused Waldonius anymore funds until the Archmage of Mania had paid off his accumulated debts.

"Well, you do like to waste it on wine and women, Waldo." Manos chuckled, signalling to me to refill his glass.

Waldonius scoffed with annoyance, but a small smile travelled up to his lips; "I do not consider wine and women a waste. You know that very well."

"Hmm..." Manos nodded in agreement and took a sip from his new glass of dark red wine. It was sweeter than I preferred myself.

"Speaking of women and wine; how is Xon?" Waldonius asked softly, as if afraid the queen might hear him.

Manos looked around the room and lifted his arms as if to gesture to something. "How do you think? She's not here. She hates that Simos is doing this."

"Of course. Poor thing." Waldonius didn't seem to care much. He didn't seem to care much for anything that wasn't related to him.

"Perhaps I should try again?" Manos suggested. "Let me call for her." He signalled to me and waved his hand to the corridor that led to his private suite. Claudeus and I had been here for nearly two days and I already knew this place better than some servants who've been here two decades. It was easy really- no one's mind was totally safe from my prying.

I bowed quickly and left to find the queen. Claudeus was tending on her for the afternoon.

I found them both seated by the fountain, in the centre of the large suite. Manos had water features all over the palace and some of the water features turned to snow and froze midway through the day, simulating an icy waterfall. It seemed Waldonius' many talents as a powerful mage were used more as decoration and to create entertainment than to actually progress the magic community and help others. I'd bet my last coin the rebel Archmage preferred it that way too...

Xon had her back to me and Claudeus was seated across from her, concentrating on what the older woman was saying.

As I neared, she spoke up with a delicate tone. "Ah, the lighter twin is here..."

I bowed deeply and smiled down at her. "My queen, King Manos wishes for you to join him in the study."

She was a beautiful woman; age had taken it's time with her. She was definitely older than our own mother, but still gorgeous. Her eyes were a golden brown and her dark hair was long and full of volume. Her pale skin glistened in the fountain's reflective light as she parted her lips and smirked; "I prefer to spend my day here, thank you."

I bowed and glanced at Claudeus. Xon picked up on our small exchange and patted the seat beside her. "Join us, dear. We were just busy discussing magic."

"You're performing magic here?" I directed the question at my twin, who knew very well that we weren't allowed to use magic inside the palace or near the palace grounds. If Waldonius' spies and magical barrier fields picked up on anything out of the ordinary, we'd be in serious trouble. Our cover was our biggest and best asset right now.

Claudeus' eyes widened, but Xon was the one who answered my reproving question. "Oh, no. No magic is done here, I can assure you." She smiled back at Claudeus. "We were just discussing it and the beauty of a good spell."

"Queen Xon says she knows the ancient rhythmic spells from one of pater's old tomes." Claudeus said with a hint of excitement. It wasn't often that he showed any interest like this, but leave it to my brother to find old, forgotten Greek spells and incantations fascinating.

I nodded and eyed Xon; "Very interesting. Were you part of the mages council once, my queen?" It was odd calling someone else queen, but Xon seemed more disturbed my it than even I was.

She smiled to herself, her eyes cast down to her hands folded in her lap. "No. I was a very powerful... figure once. Back home. Manos saved me from an awful life of misery." She looked up with sorrow. It seems her life was still somehow laced with grief.

"My apologies, my queen." I bowed slightly and she smiled up at me with a caring expression. She examined me for a bit.

"You remind me of someone I once knew. He was a lot like you- clever and charming." She nodded with approval. "But my sons are dead now." Her smile dropped abruptly.

Claudeus and I shared a look. From what I'd overheard Theia, Malreus and Simos discussing and from what I'd pried from Manos' mind was that Xon had been his brother's wife and Simos was their son. Her other children were sacrificed, including her late husband, the former king. Not the sweetest family history then...

It seems though that Xon hadn't forgotten it. Six years of grief and anger had made her numb. Or so it seemed at least, but I could tell there was an underlying strength to her. Something we couldn't totally make out. She was a mystery.

"Enough of my sad tales; what about you two?" She looked between the two of us and her smile was back. "Where is your family?"

Claudeus answered first; his eyes glancing towards me. "We only have each other. Our parents died. Tragically." The way he said it didn't sound all that heart-breaking, but most of what Claudeus said sounded like he was utterly bored with life. I found it rather amusing.

"Oh." Xon nodded, deep in thought. "A shame."

"Hmm. We don't like speaking about it." I shot a glare at my twin and he pulled a face behind Xon's back. She nodded, as if totally understanding what I'd meant. Of course she did- I'm sure she didn't want to discuss her family's passing either.

"And siblings?" Xon asked with hope.

I shook my head and shrugged; "None. Just us two. Twins alone in the world."

"At least we have each other." Claudeus said with a small smile, but I knew that tone- it was mocking. He eyed me with a look of amusement. Xon didn't seem to catch it- or didn't seem to care.

She stood up and rubbed her hands together. "Yes... Appears so." Her tone was suddenly frigid.

Claudeus quickly stood up- it was rude to sit down while a queen was standing. He joined me beside Xon and she eyed us from under her long lashes. She was tall, but we were slightly taller. "Tell the king I'm tired."

"Yes, my queen." I bowed quickly and Claudeus followed.

We watched as she left the indoor fountains, her deep maroon dress dragging on the floor behind her. Her golden brown eyes looked annoyed as two handmaidens tried to assist her in climbing the marble stairs. She shooed them away and stormed off towards her chambers.

"Did we say something wrong?" Claudeus muttered softly.

I shrugged and stared after the older woman. She certainly was a mystery...

Theia's POV

Simos had brought back the letter from Casseus and Claudeus before midnight. He'd struggled to pass the guards around the town centre, but he'd managed to find a dark alley to sneak through.

Inside the letter was a detailed description of where to find the second monolith. It had been placed right below an emblem of the Aetos; in the very centre of Estra's training field.

Hence why Triton was leading me towards the outer section of the large barracks.

"It's right in front of us; through this arch." Triton glanced back to see if I was still following in his footsteps. It was very dark; Estra's fortress was dimly lit up, with only a few torches here and there. There were a few guards stationed around the grounds, each patrolling a specific area.

We were more than skilled in avoiding their paths- it was easier in the complete darkness and small backstreets. Triton had made a great effort to learn his way around this place in the few days that he's been stationed here.

The young prince gestured with his fingers for me to stop. I halted quickly and glanced around. A guard walked past, half-asleep and slightly bored. He didn't look sideways, down into the alley in which we were shrouded. The shadows covered us in a black shroud and the man idly strolled past- moving along his instructed path.

Triton nodded and slipped out and took a quick left. I followed noiselessly- pressing myself against the wall to hide better.

Eventually, we reached the emblem. The stone monolith was polished and appeared a bit more looked after than the first. It was standing up straight and the edges were smooth and sharp, unlike the other one located in the hotel's back gardens.

"I saw this about two days ago." Triton looked around, just to be sure we were alone. "When Cas asked if we'd noticed anything similar to the one at the hotel, I immediately knew this was it. It is, isn't it?"

I got down on my haunches in front of the bulky stone and examined the text. "Definitely."

"Good." Triton crossed his arms with a roughish smile- proud of himself for finding the second stone. "What do you think it means?"

"The crow, the crow- the flying crow. We were not worthy; we were not made. For this slaughter that everyday gave." I read the lines with a whisper. The same feeling of dread spread across my chest- that very sensation I experienced when I'd read the first.

"Crow?" Triton scoffs and shook his head; "Aren't the Aetos named after eagles? What's with the crow?"

"I'm not sure..." I frowned up at the text and sighed. "The first one mentioned a wolf. This one talks about a crow. If you ask me, this poem is more confusing the more pieces we gather."

"Aren't they all..." Triton muttered and glared at the strange and obscure message. "These people are weird. 'For this slaughter that every day gave.' How cryptic is that?"

"Somewhat morbid." I agreed and stood up. I stepped back beside him and tilted my head to examine it from a different angle. "I wish I could write this down. You don't have any ink on you, right?"

"None." He shrugged; "It's okay; I'll come by again later tonight and jot it down for you."

"Thanks." I nodded and turned around to look up at the sky; "Now we need to find the rest. How many are there?"

"No idea." Triton walked backwards and he glanced around. It was time to head back. The guard would come around again soon. "This is the second, right?"

"Right." I nodded; "Perhaps Simos will know. I'll ask."

"Come; let's get going."

I followed Triton as he led the way out of the grand fortress. We moved like shadows through the night; avoiding the large crowds gathered in the well-lit streets and bustling markets. Mania was alight with activity, even at midnight. The games brought all sorts of rich and powerful people to the island for a few days.

Triton and I parted ways at the corner of the suburb connecting our residences and gave me a quick hug goodbye. I watched as he slipped into the crowd and made his way back to the hotel.

No doubt Malreus and Simos were waiting to hear what I'd discovered.

Casseus' POV

"Fancy seeing you here..." Keya's smirk grew with fine elegance as she spotted me walking up towards her through the busy crowd.

It was past midnight, but the street market was still fairly busy and lively. Keya stood beside a clothing stall, decorated with the finest gems and polished gold rings. Two of her courtesans stood behind her, examining fine jewellery. No doubt these women were paid well and they could easily afford to pamper themselves every now and then.

I bowed slightly; "Madam Keya."

"Just Keya." She placed her hand on her hip and examined me; "And how is Manos' new assistant? I saw you were rather busy at the first trial."

Keya and the rest of the inner circle had been invited to the king's balcony to view the first part of the games. We hadn't spoken a word, but our eyes had caught the others more than once. I smiled; "It was a good experience. I welcome the busy days."

"A good quality to have." She nodded and stepped forward and away from her two friends. "How are you enjoying Mania?"

"It's beautiful." I'm sure she could tell that I wasn't just referring to the island. Her smirk grew. "And how is business?"

"Good. Busy."

"That's good." I said charmingly and she added; "Your friend Ray is doing very well too. She has so many clients- she's nearly permanently booked."

This was odd. Very odd. I frowned a bit and Keya noticed. "Does that make you envious?"

"Oh, no, no." I laughed. I definitely did not have any feelings for Narray. "We're like brother and sister. I don't mind who she spends her time with. I just didn't know she'd built up a client base so... quickly."

"Hmm... She is beautiful. It's easy for the natural beauties. And she's blonde. They have it so easy."

I nodded and felt a prick of flattery- I was blond. Keya knew what she'd said. I chuckled a bit and nodded; "I've always been more partial to brunettes."

"Oh? Well, then you must visit one day." She eyed me from below her lashes; "We have the most talented dark-haired beauties."

I smirked at her flirtatious tone; "I believe I already have my eye on one..." We stared at each other for a few seconds and the air felt suddenly hot and humid.

"Keya..." One of her friends leaned in and whispered; "Let's go before the silk stall closes for the night."

Keya nodded quickly and smiled back at me; "It seems we have to part ways again, Cas."

"Dreadful, isn't it?" I took her hand in mine and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. Her skin was hot and smooth.

She smiled and I noticed a small tint of colour fly across her cheeks. I wondered when was the last time that I man had made her blush. She was definitely skilled in dealing with them. I think I surprised her a bit and that only made my confidence grow.

"Until the next game." She winked and turned to join her friends.

I watched as she walked off, her hips swaying with exaggeration- probably for my benefit. I did appreciate the effort.

When she had disappeared into the crowd, I scanned the area for my own group of friends. Narray's blonde head stood out amongst the dark-headed group. I had some questions...

I quickly walked up to her. She was standing beside Triton and Claudeus. Asclepius and Morpheus were a few feet away, buying beer and food for the group.

"Ray." I walked up next to her and frowned; "I just spoke with Keya."

Narray's relaxed face lit up and her eyes filled with distress. "Oh. What did she have to say?" Narray was a kind woman, which meant her lying skills were appalling.

"She mentioned that she was enjoying having you at the manor."

Triton's ears perked a bit; "Huh... You said Keya didn't like you?" He asked our young demi-goddess.

Narray shrugged and folded her arms over her chest with a defensive stance. "I assumed she did. I don't know. I don't know what she thinks."

"Well, from what she says, I think she loves you." I chuckled; "Seeing as you're bringing in most of the new business."

Triton and Claudeus' eyes widened a bit and the prince of storms loudly exclaimed; "You're actually sleeping with all of them?"

A few heads turned and ogled us from the side. That certainly wasn't a classy sentence- nor did it exude elegance. Narray bushed deeply and flicked her tongue at him, but Triton quickly added; "You said you weren't booking clients?"

"Shush!" She barked at him and added with a whisper; "I am seeing clients, okay? But I don't actually sleep with them. Gods. Who do you think I am?"

"Wait..." Claudeus paused; the beer glass frozen at his lips. "If you're seeing clients, but you're bot sleeping with them- oh." He nodded and took a sip. "I get it. You're hypnotising them. Nice."

"You are?" Triton's eye widened.

Narray looked around to spot any eavesdroppers. "Yes, alright. I take them to my chambers and put them under a light spell. Then afterwards I make them think that we did everything he wanted. Easy. Keya doesn't have to know- the customers are happy and I don't have to touch mortals- or whatever walks through those doors."

"Oh, okay..." Triton nodded his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I almost thought you were open for business." Narray slapped his arm with a hard whack.

"Clever." I nodded; I was impressed. Narray was better at scheming than I thought. A dark horse, that one...

Claudeus looked bored as he added; "Not bad, Narray, but where did you learn that spell?"

"Shut up, Claw." Narray scoffed and turned her head away, hiding her faint blush. Claudeus loved to tease Narray and Triton. Their magical capacities weren't the best and they lacked the interest and often the ambition to further their abilities. Claudeus was a bona fide prodigy, much like our father.

"Alright; one beer and one lamb kebab here-" Asclepius handed Narray her order. He turned to Claudeus; "Another beer and a pork kebab here and- oh. Sorry, Cas." He eyed me with worry; "Did you want anything?"

"I'm good, Ash." I smiled as Morpheus handed Triton his beer and flatbread filled with meat. "I'll go get something later. Listen..." I leaned in to quietly ask; "Have you seen any of those odd, stone tablets that I showed you in the hotel's garden around Waldonius' academy? I'm looking for the rest of the poem's lines- well, Theia is."

Asclepius shook his head slowly; "No, not that I've seen, but I'll keep my eyes open. Do you think he'll have one?"

"If my educated guess is correct, I think all of the inner circle have one. I mean, the first one was at the hotel that Helius built and owns. The second was at Estra's training field and I bet you the rest are distributed amongst the others."

"Could be. It would make sense?" Ash agreed softly; "I'll snoop around the academy; maybe it's hidden somewhere in the gardens or in a tower. That place is so confusing anyway."

"Well, just don't make it obvious."

He nodded and smiled, patting my shoulder; "Relax; I know. Now let's celebrate Theia's awesome climb!" He turned around to the others and lifted his beer glass high up into the warm, early morning air. "Salute!"

"To Theia!" Narray joined in and the rest quickly followed. "Let's hope Manos likes the taste of defeat!"

Theia's POV

The Jairob team had completed the trail about one hour ago.

It took them exactly twenty hours to get through the trail and grab the idol, but one team mate was killed off by a harpy, while the other used that distraction to get back up over the edge safely.

Now only two members of both teams remained and our team was still at full capacity.

It was already the third day of the games and the sun was still hidden snuggly away behind the blanket of night. It was early in the morning, around two or three, and we were being escorted to the second phase of our journey to the Labyrinth.

Malreus and I were the next couple to participate. Malreus and Simos had volunteered to go together, but I didn't want Simos' murder on my hands. Malreus was still very pissed off about what happened two days prior and the atmosphere in the compound was tight. To put it mildly.

This was all getting far too complicated- and in a manner which I frankly didn't even expect.

Simos was asked to view the trail with Manos and his mother, at the King's balcony, but he'd refused and said he'd meet us back at the compound. I think he had more than enough faith in us that we'd be able to get through the trial without so much as a scratch. I hoped that he was right.

I'd done up more than a few scratches in the canyon, but they'd all healed quickly of course. Although, Manos and his partners couldn't know that, so I had to wear a long sleeved suit that covered my forearms where the harpy's 'scratches' were still supposed to be healing. In addition, I had to lie and say that Simos had only 'winded me' when in fact, he'd actually broken about three ribs when he'd fallen on top of me.

But that was my fault entirely- I was the one who told him to jump, after all...

"Did Simos say anything about this trial?" Malreus whispered as we sat huddled across from Boro in the carriage.

"Just that we had better have good lungs?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mal asked with annoyance and I shrugged. "Diving?"

Malreus didn't reply. He just nodded and turned his eyes to the window. At least Mal was my partner for this- he was the one who'd taught me and the twins to swim and dive. He was by far the best in and under the water. I think that's the biggest reason why he and Triton were so close - they'd learned how to swim even before they could run and Malreus' sailing and love of the ocean really brought them together. They were cousins, afterall and I think it made uncle Poseidon and uncle Hades very happy to see that their sons were getting along so well.

The carriage stopped abruptly and Boro barked at us; "We're here. Get out."

Malreus and I shared a look, but did as he ordered. There was no point in talking back. I'd let Malreus kill him after all of this was over with.

We stepped out of the carriage and onto a white sand.

The beach.

Malreus turned to me. "Oh, this is going to be easy."

"Hold on there, partner. Looks can be deceiving..."

Boro leaned out of the carriage and threw a grenade at Malreus. Luckily, it the safety-pin wasn't pulled out yet, but Mal got a fright when the thing landed in his hands.

"For the cave entrance. An earthquake closed it last month. Use that, if you want." With that, Boro slammed the carriage door shut and whistled for the footmen to drive back to the city.

We watched him leave in silence.

Malreus lifted the small grenade and eyed it; "Great."

I grabbed it from his hands and tossed it far away from us. It landed in the sand with a thud. Malreus glanced at me with surprise; "And that?"

"Simos mentioned that they booby-trap some of the supplies. I'm not risking that thing blowing us to bits as soon as you pull out the pin."

"I wouldn't put it past them." Malreus turned around to view the pristine beach. It was absolutely beautiful. The sand was as white as paper and super fine. The air was hot and humid and the waves rolling in were gentle. The ocean was smooth; like a mirror.

The moonlight shined on the glass surface and reflected the light. We had no idea what to do. All we knew was that it involved diving and a cave.

"Do you think this cave is underwater?" I asked as we walked up to the ocean.

Malreus unhooked his long cape and tossed it back onto the beach. "I guess so."

"Well," I ignored the tension between us that still lingered from yesterday and directed my mind onto the mission. "Let's give these people a show, shall we?"

Malreus took off his gloves and tossed them on his cape. He caught my eye and nodded with determination. "Let's."

Are you excited for the next trial? What do you hope Theia and Malreus discovered down in the depth of the ocean?

Who's your favourite Inner circle character so far?

The Tyrant of Mania; Manos...