TW07 The Argonaut Affair NEW (15 page)

They did not discover any of the women whom the giants had carried off, but they discovered clothing that had belonged to them. They also discovered an item of clothing that seemed too large for a woman and too small for a giant.

Steiger held up the hooded cloak. "You suppose it's just a coincidence?" he said, not sounding as if he believed it.

"It could have belonged to anyone," Delaney said.

"And it could also have been left behind on purpose," Andre said.

"Somebody's playing cat and mouse with us," said Steiger grimly, "and I'm not in the mood for games."

They returned to the town and attended the funeral for King Cyzicus, the soldiers who had died with him and their fellow Argonauts who fell in battle. In honor of the dead, the Dalions held games in which all their finest athletes participated. The day after the ceremonies, the Dalions provisioned the
Argo,
as Cyzicus had promised, and the Argonauts set sail once again. With Tiphys badly injured and feverish, Argus took the tiller as they rowed along the Mysian shore, past the mouth of the Rhindacus to the Bay of Arganthus. They sailed on through the Bosporous and as the day neared its end, they were approaching the Euxine Sea.

Jason directed Argus to steer in toward a sheltered cove because a storm was brewing. On the heights above, they could see a structure with tall marble columns that looked like a temple. When they came ashore, they found a pathway leading up to it running alongside the cliff. The sky grew dark as they approached the structure and it began to thunder. Jagged lightning flashes lit up the sky. The rain came pelting down and they ran inside the temple to find shelter. It was dark inside the ruined edifice and it appeared to be deserted.

"We will rest here for the night and wait out the storm," said Jason. "We cannot be far from the Euxine Sea. Once we leave the Bosporous, we can follow the coastline and it should bring us to Colchis."

"I have an intuition that our journey shall not be an easy one," said Idmon, frowning. "And I also feel that we must leave this place at once."

"Why?" said Theseus. "There is nothing here."

From somewhere within the temple echoed a screeching sound.

"What was that?" said Theseus.

"It must have been the wind," said Argus. "This place is deserted."

"Not quite deserted," Hylas said, pointing. A very old man in filthy robes was slowly coming toward them with a shambling gait, holding his arms out before him. His hair was long and gray, hanging to his shoulders. He looked emaciated.

"Who is there?"
he shouted. "Is someone there? I was certain I heard voices!
Is anyone there?"

"I am Jason, King of Iolchos and captain of the Argonauts. We did not mean to intrude upon your home, old man. We only came seeking shelter from the storm."

The old man stopped and his arms fell to his sides. "There is someone," he said, with obvious relief.

"Thank the gods. I thought surely I was going mad. Who spoke? Where are you?"

"We stand before you, old man," Theseus said. "Can you not see?"

"No, I cannot," he said in a quivering voice. "I am blind. I am poor, blind, cursed Phineus, once king of Bithynia, now no more than a half-mad penitent who lives in this cold, dreary abandoned place."

"My apologies, King Phineus, for coming unbidden to your home," said Jason. "But why, if this place is so wretched, do you remain?"

"Because I may not leave," said Phineus. "They will not let me."

"Who will not let you?" Jason asked. "Who keeps you here?"

"It is my penance to remain here and suffer for my sins," said the old man, as if he hadn't heard. "You will not remain. I know it. They will drive you from this place. It has been years since I have heard another human voice. How I have longed for it!"

"He is mad," said Theseus.

"He is starving," said Idmon. "Look at him. He is nothing but skin and bone. Reduced to such a state, what man would not go mad?"

"Come closer, King Phineus," said Jason. "Come, we shall not harm you. Come and share our food."

The old man licked his lips and took one step forward, then moved back again. "No! No, I dare not!

They will not allow it! Perhaps, if I stay here, at a distance, they will not disturb you. Perhaps they will allow you to remain awhile, until the storm has cleared, and I can at least take pleasure in the sound of human voices. Perhaps, for just one night, for just one hour, they may give me peace."

"Whom do you speak of?" Jason said. "Who is it that torments you so?"

"Creatures of his poor, deluded mind, no doubt," said Argus.

"Creatures!" cried Phineus. "Yes, they are creatures, my tormentors, but not creatures of my mind!

Would that they were! Listen! Listen! Did you not hear the flapping of their wings?"

Jason approached him. "There is no one, Phineus. Come, rest with us. You are hungry. We have enough to share."

"No! Stay away!"

Jason took his arm and the touch seemed to terrify the old blind king. He shrank from it, but Jason gently led him back to join the others, where they all sat upon the floor.

"Come and sit with us," said Jason soothingly. "There is no need to be afraid. None will harm you here.

We have wine and food that we shall gladly share with you."

As Orpheus passed him a leather sack which contained some of their provisions, a piercing, inhuman shriek echoed throughout the temple. Something swooped down upon them with such speed they never even saw it clearly, feeling only the wind of its passage. The sack was plucked away from Orpheus and he fell back as whatever it was came out of its impossibly fast glide and flew above them. They heard the beating of great wings, like the sounds made by a sail luffing in the wind.

Phineus let out a wail and covered his head with his hands as the Argonauts jumped to their feet.

"By the gods!" swore Theseus. "What
was
that?"

Hercules strung his bow and nocked an arrow. He stared into the gloom above, seeking a target. All was silent in the temple once again, save for the whimpering noises made by the old man.

"Will they never cease?" he cried. "How long can a man live without food? They will not let me eat, nor sleep, nor leave this cursed place! They will see me starve to death in my wretched exile, an old blind king whose people had no further use for him!"

"What manner of birds are these, Phineus?" asked Jason. "I have never heard tell of birds who tormented men in such a manner!"

"Not birds, but harpies," Phineus said. "They are demons! They are the very Furies, themselves, sent by the gods to plague me for my sins!"

"Hercules, behind you!" shouted Argus.

They saw a huge, birdlike shape plummeting down out of the darkness. Even as Hercules spun around, it struck, clipping him with its wings and tearing the bow out of his grasp. They caught a quick glimpse of a large, avian body, about the size of a man's torso, with huge talons and a leathery wing-spread of at least twenty or thirty feet.

They heard another feral cry and felt the rush of wind as huge wings passed overhead. Hercules cursed at the loss of his bow. Delaney brought up his own bow and let fly an arrow, but he missed and they heard it strike the ceiling.

"Fast as hell for something that big," he said.

"How many of them are there?" asked Jason.

"I count at least three," said Theseus.

They stood with weapons drawn, waiting for the next attack. It came quickly. They heard the whoosh of something moving with incredible speed and Andre cried out as talons sank into her shoulders, lifting her off the ground. She twisted in the creature's grasp as it bore her up and struck at it repeatedly with her sword. It screeched, a sound somewhere between a woman's scream and an eagle's cry and a moment later, a tangled shape fell out of the air and struck the floor of the temple with an audible impact. They rushed over and found Andre lying on top of the creature. Its body had cushioned her fall, but there were large bloody wounds in her shoulders where the hooked talons had pierced the skin and she was stunned from the shock of the impact.

"Stay by me, boy," said Idmon, putting a protective arm around Hylas and glancing up fearfully.

"By Zeus, look at that!" said Theseus. "Have you ever seen such a creature? The old man spoke the truth. They are demons, indeed!"

The harpy had the body of a giant hawk, with disproportionately large talons and huge, batlike, jointed wings. Its face was that of a woman, but a woman only superficially. The eyes were vulture's eyes, dull yellow and filmed, with a ridge of feathers where the eyebrows should have been. The jaw was outsized, hinged like a snake's, and two sharp, curving fangs protruded from the dead monster's open mouth.

"Are you all right?" said Steiger.

Andre gasped for breath and nodded her head. "I will be as soon as my heart stops fibrillating." She touched her shoulder and winced with pain.

"Well, demons or not, we have downed one of them," said Theseus. "And I, for one, shall not rest until we have accounted for the others! Who attacks one of us attacks us all!"

"Come on then!" Jason cried, his voice echoing off the temple walls. "Show yourselves! Let us see what you can do with men who are not old and blind and weak!"

Steiger bent down over the body of the harpy, examining it carefully. It was bloody where Andre had hacked it with her sword. Steiger dipped his fingers in the blood and sniffed them.

"Creon! Beware!"
Hylas shouted. It came down like a dive bombing eagle, talons outstretched, swooping down on Steiger's exposed back. Hercules moved with amazing speed for such a large man and tackled it. His brawny arms wrapped themselves around the creature's torso and he would have brought it down but for the beating of its wings. It attempted to take flight, but Hercules sagged down, becoming dead weight and the creature was unable to lift his heavy bulk. It shrieked at him, its face darting forward to snap at him, its fangs striking for his throat. He reached out quickly and clamped his fingers around the harpy's throat, just below the jaw. With one hand, he kept the deadly fangs at bay, with the other, he held the creature fast as its wings beat at him and its talons raked his chest.

"Hold it fast, Hercules!" cried Jason, running up with his sword held poised to strike.

"Stay back!"
shouted Hercules. "This beast is mine to deal with!"

He forced the creature down, bending it back slowly over his knee and it struggled in vain against his awesome strength, keening wildly. Then they heard the crunch of its spine snapping and it went limp in his grasp. He dropped it and it fell to the floor with a soft thump. When he turned around, they saw his chest was scored with deep talon marks, as if someone had taken a sharp rake to him, yet he showed no sign that he was even aware of what had to be unbelievably painful wounds.

"T-t-two dead," he said, in a perfectly conversational voice. "B-b-b-"

"Bring on the third!" shouted Hylas. He laid a huge hand on the boy's head, grinned and tousled his hair.

"Spread out," said Theseus. "Give it a chance to strike." They moved apart, crouching, holding their weapons ready. For several moments, nothing happened. They all stared up into the shadows, looking for any signs of movement. It came from an unexpected direction. The third harpy came in low, its wings tucked back, gliding only inches from the floor. It struck Orpheus and tumbled him to the ground, then Jason spun and hurled his dagger. It buried itself to the hilt in the creature's throat. The harpy skidded to the floor and died in convulsions at their feet with a grotesque, rasping gargle. "Well thrown," said Orpheus, picking himself up shakily. Jason bent down and retrieved his dagger. "Foul beast," he said.

"They will trouble you no more, Phineus. We-" he stopped, frowning. "Where has he gone?" There was no sign of the old king.

"The old man must have fled while we fought the harpies," said Orpheus.

"Not very grateful of him, was it?" Theseus said. "Perhaps, but who can blame him?" said Jason. "A blind old man faced with monsters such as these, is it any wonder he took flight at his first chance? It is not as if he had deserted us. A blind man could not have helped us. He shall have troubles enough making his way in the world. Let us not think ill of him."

"You are wounded, master," Hylas said to Hercules. "And you, my lady." He examined Andre's shoulder. "Does it pain you greatly?"

"Chiron taught us how to heal wounds," said Jason. "Let us return to the ship. The rain has stopped and we would all doubtless sleep safer back aboard the
Argo.
There may be other such creatures about."

"Did you see the old man leave?" Delaney said softly to Steiger.

Steiger shook his head.

"How could someone so frail and blind move so quickly?" said Delaney. "One minute he was there, weeping and wailing, the next he was gone and nobody saw him leave."

"You want to stay behind and search the temple?" asked Steiger.

"The others are already leaving," Delaney said, "and we should see to Andre's wounds. Besides, I'm willing to bet we wouldn't find a thing. Remember how there was no trace of the giants to be found after the battle?"

"But in the legend, the harpies didn't die," said Steiger. "The Argonauts drove them away. If someone's recreating the events of our myth, they're not following the script exactly."

"What did you make of that harpy you were looking at?" Delaney asked. "Another android?"

"It had to be," said Steiger. "I can't bring myself to believe it was anything else. I can't accept that it could have evolved naturally and think what it would mean to create a life form like that in a bioscience lab.

One creature, like the centaur, I might accept, but the giants and now these? Think of the cost, to say nothing of the time it would take for them to reach maturity. They
had
to be androids. But it was an incredible job. I wish to hell we could clock one back to the labs so the pathologists could have a look at it."

"I wish to hell I knew what we've stumbled into," said Delaney.