Serpent Goddess: The Horse Lords Book 1 Page 12

  “That is Medusa, serpent goddess of the kako mati. According to legend, those who looked directly into Medusa’s eyes turned to stone. You could say Medusa’s stare paralyzes the mind. For this reason we wear the Medusa on our breast in battle to strike fear into the enemy’s heart.”

  “I don’t understand it. The drakons brought us wisdom, yet they demand the sacrifice of innocent victims to the gods. Why does a `god’ need blood?”

  “You think blood sacrifice is wrong?” Mikon’s voice was hushed.

  Sava dared not speak his mind for fear of alienating his influential host.To question blood sacrifice was blasphemy, a serious offense. But he asked himself -

  Who WERE these Drakons? - Immortal Gods? Lords from Above? Vampir Demons? Wise Teachers?

  What about our progenitor, Mata Drakaina – half woman, half serpent? She gave us Life. How can Mata Drakaina be evil?

  No one has ever seen a Drakon yet look how they control our religion, our traditions, our way of life. Do these invisible Drakons dominate our will? Control our thoughts? For good? For evil? Or both? Why do they hold such power?

  SNAKES. Now that the nomad had learned to see, the snakes were everywhere. And he could make no sense of it.

  Chapter 24 – Arkhons

  In Greece, wise men speak

  Fools decide –

  Anacharsis, Sage of Royal Skythia 600 BC

  The next morning Sava was instantly awakened by the thunder of approaching hooves. Leaping to a window he spied a large herd of horses sweeping toward Mikon’s house. It dawned on him –

  These must be the `few mares’ Mikon wants to breed to Zlatna. There must be fifty of them! He certainly is not one to pass up an opportunity.

  He found Mikon outside, inspecting his mares.

  “Beautiful aren’t they?” With a calculating smile Mikon swept out his arm. “Don’t worry Sava, I am not looking to breed all my mares to your stallion. Just the best, say ten mares in season?”

  Sava shook his head. “Even ten is too many. Each mare should be bred more than once and I will be leaving in just a few days. Not only that, Zlatna will be depleted in vigor. How will I outrun my enemies?” His face lighted in a sardonic grin.

  But when faced with Mikon’s obvious disappointment Sava, ever the diplomat, gave in –

  “Alright then, I know Zlatna won’t complain.“

  And so Mikon and Sava began the enjoyable task of selecting the best mares whose qualities would most complement and even improve on the stallion.

  The next morning, Mikon took Sava, who led the golden stallion, to speak before the arkhons. They were accompanied by Damara, Kleo anad a train of curious friends and neighbors.

  The agora was a large raised stone platform surrounded by pillars that supported a wooden roof. In this breezy open air space the marketing and governing of Gelonus was conducted. At the end of the agora was a dais on which the arkhons sat facing rows of benches. A large buzzing crowd was already packed around the dais to listen and participate in the coming debate.

  Mikon addressed them all – “Honored citizens, today my friend Sava, son of Voivode Skopasis of Sauromatia, comes before you bearing a message of great import. The Persian army has invaded Thrakia and will soon enter Skythia. King Raymaxos requests that the Geloni come to a council of war in Royal Skythia.”

  “Sava you have met Arkhon Makarios, Arkhon Levon and Strategos Nikkos.” Mikon indicated the three men on the dais.

  Sava inclined his head in salute, palm over heart. Arkhon Levon rose to speak.

  “Sava, son of Skopasis – Know that we Geloni have no quarrel with King Darius. Nor do we harbor any desire to seek our own destruction. We know that King Darius seeks revenge against Royal Skythia for the conquest of Medea. But you have journeyed far and deserve a fair hearing. State your case.”

  “My Geloni friends,” Sava began, “I ask no commitment to join the alliance. We ask only that you come to the war council. Listen and be heard. Rest assured that Gelonus too will be sucked into the coming storm. Do not delude yourselves into thinking that you will stand by and wave as the Persian army marches by.”

  “Darius comes to conquer this entire region.” Sava spread his arms in a broad arc. “Skythia is rich in gold, water, fertile soil and good grass. Even now the Persian army battles the Getae in Thrakia. If we fail to unite, Darius will pick us off one by one. Remember, Skythia is vast. We can strike and retreat. We can harass Darius’ army, destroy their supply lines. We will lure them into the barren north lands where the winters are fierce. Sooner or later Darius’ great army will run out of food and turn back – Then we will attack.”

  “Strike and retreat,” Strategos Nikkos rose, his lips pressed in a thin line. “By retreat you mean run away? You Sauromatae have no towns, no farms to defend. You have nothing to lose. You are nomads, always on the move. We Geloni will have to abandon our beautiful city. The Persians will burn it to the ground. Our homes, our temples, our farms, Darius will destroy everything it has taken us generations to build.”

  “The Greeks claim to love freedom.” Sava responded. “You call yourselves Demokrats. What about the Greek city states in Ionia conquered by Persia? Now they are ruled by despots appointed by Darius.In the same way Darius will appoint a ruthless despot to rule over Gelonus. A tyrant who will tax the people into an early grave to pay his Persian masters their due. That is while keeping a king’s ransom for himself.”

  This elicited an uncomfortable shifting of seats and a low hum of concern from the crowd.

  “The Persian army is not indomitable. They can be defeated. Remember the great victory of the Massegetae, our cousins who abide north of the Araxes River on the Persian border.” Sava deepened the timbre of his voice, as he strode back and forth before the Geloni, striving to project an aura of confidence that he did not entirely feel.

  “The Massegetae defeated Great King Cyrus. They refused to throw their faces in the dirt for Persia. And in the end it cost Cyrus his life. Know also that we are prepared to reward our allies. You Geloni are great traders. Have you have seen Sauromatian goldwork?” Sava glanced pointedly at the gold torque Mikon wore.

  Mikon rose and paced in front of the Geloni. They stared at his heavy gold torque with the dancing horses and winged drakaina.

  “Sauromatia is rich in gold. King Raymaxos has instructed me that if the Geloni join the alliance he will make you our favored trading partners. You will be able to buy Sauromatian gold cheaply enough to resell it at a high profit.”

  A low hum of interest rose from the audience.

  But there were also voices of protest: “So what? If Gelonus is in ruins and our children are starving shall we give them gold to eat?!”

  “Arkhons, citizens of Gelonus,” Sava responded. “We of Sauromatia and Royal Skythia have a treasure even more precious than gold to offer our loyal allies.”

  The babble of voices paused. More precious than gold?

  “Show us then.” Srategos Nikkos said.

  “You will see. I have brought our greatest treasure to show you all.”

  Sava walked outside the agora to where Zlatna was held by a groom. Vaulting onto the horse’s back he rode the magnificent golden stallion in a collected, rocking canter down the main aisle, changing leads every few strides.

  All heads turned. Halting in front of the dais the nomad turned the prancing stallion broadside, his metallic golden coat glinting in the lowering rays of the sun.

  Without touching the reins, both hands resting on his thighs, Sava’s invisible cues signaled the big stallion to circle, prance and halt in the very small space between the dais and the audience. Sava leapt off the big horse and held him by the reins in front of everyone.

  “This is a horse a king would ride. If he could find one. What do you think? Will the Greeks rush to trade for horses like this?”

  When the awed buzz ebbed, Sava said: “You see there was a great benefit from the Royal Skythian invasion of Medea. They brought back the Nisean Ho
rse, the most valuable horse in the world. We Sauromatae have crossed our fastest long distance runners with the Nisean and this is the result. We have the biggest, fastest war horses in the world. Some say they are the most beautiful horses alive. Who here can say such an animal is not worth more than gold?” Ah, NOW I have their attention.

  “We have thousands of these horses. Join the alliance against Persia and we will trade them to you so that your warriors will have superior mounts. The Persian cavalry will never catch us on these horses!” Sava finished.

  “Aye and if worse comes to worse we can always eat them!” Some wag called out to hoots of laughter. Sava winced, but the man was right, it could come to that.

  “I mean no disrespect, but how can you Geloni expect to outrun anything on those stubby ponies with their short choppy gaits? They are only good for pulling chariots. Don’t you think it’s time, for the sake of survival, to breed bigger, faster horses? This stallion rides like a soft, warm couch. His gaits are rhythmic like a drum. Once you ride him, you will never want to ride anything else.”

  Arkhon Makarios rose. “Your stallion is impressive. But how do we know he can sire big fast horses from our small pony mares?”

  “I know this because every year we breed each of our best young stallions to 100 mares. 25 of these mares are small and below average quality. 50 are average quality and 25 are superior. Most important are the foals from the 25 inferior mares. The stallions must improve on these small mares in size, speed and qualityu. This is why I can guarantee that Sauromatian stallions will improve your pony mares.”

  “Don’t the Persians also have Nisean horses?” Mikon asked.

  “Aye they do. King Cyrus made the Nisean horse the Imperial Horse of Persia. It is said Cyrus drained a river to punish it for drowning one of his Nisean stallions. He said nothing should be allowed to kill anything so beautiful and go unpunished. But our Sauromatian horses are faster and have more endurance than the Persian horses. And we have many more horses. Our forces will be entirely mounted, to give us superior speed and maneuverability. The Persian army is mostly foot soldiers. With the vast distances the Persians will have to cover in order to subdue us, their slow foot will become a liability.”

  Sava went for the kill - “The Nisean is the horse of kings. Don’t your brave Geloni warriors deserve to be mounted on the best?”

  “Aye!” The Geloni roared impressed.

  Hand lifted in protest, Arkhon Levon rose. “Gold and fast horses are tempting but not enough to risk destruction. Darius will grind into dust those who resist his rule. The Persian army is numbered like the grains of sand on the shore. It would be mad folly to risk our entire country against such odds.”

  “Aye we are up against a powerful enemy, but we will survive by our wits, our battle skills and our fleet horses. If our leaders all put their minds together at the war council we can devise a brilliant strategy for victory. There is a saying – `Ten men wisely lead can defeat 100 without a head’.”

  “Still, a thin peace is better than a fat war! Better to keep one’s head than lose it in a hopeless war against an overwhelming force.” Arkhon Makarios protested.

  “My friends, I would not even be here if this war was a hopeless cause. We Sauromatae would be loading our wagons and fleeing to the far north where Voivode Winter reigns. But if we unite and fight Back to Back – Arkatash! We can take on any foe and Win!”

  Sava saw the chariot wheels beginning to churn in Geloni heads, the light of victory flickering in their eyes.

  “You Geloni are proud to be both Skythian and Greek. What people are more famed for their wisdom than the Greeks?” Sava’s lips curved in a sardonic smile. Except the Royal Skythians. “All we ask is that you come to the council. Only then will you be asked to make a decision. Fair enough?”

  After conferring with his peers, Strategos Nikkos rose – “We see no reason why the Geloni should not attend the council. People of Gelonus, what say you? Should we send a delegation to the war council?”

  “Aye!” The people shouted. “We are free men! Send a Geloni delegation to the council. We should be there!”

  Sava breathed a great sigh of relief. At least one other tribe besides the Royal Skythians and Sauromatae would be present at the council.

  “Well done Sava!” Mikon clapped him on the shoulder.

  “I cannot thank you enough for all your help Mikon,” Sava clasped the Geloni arkhon’s hand warmly in both of his.

  Later that day Mikon’s messenger returned with word from the Budini. King Konrad was at the Oracle of Targitaos. If Sava left right away he could meet Konrad at the oracle. The Budini king would be expecting him. Sava made plans to leave immediately.

  Chapter 25 – Hahq

  As ease is a delightful thing

  To men of a quiet and placid disposition,

  So danger and war are a pleasure

  To the Roxo Alani (Sauromatian tribe)

  Among them that man is called happy

  Who has lost his life in battle -

  Ammanius Marcellinus, Roman officer, Res Getae

  Sitting astride his golden bay stallion Zar, Hahq’s alert hazel eyes surveyed the scene. His men were loading their spare baggage horses and mounting up to move out. The two spare horses tied to Zar’s saddle snorted and pawed the ground impatiently.

  Seething with energy, Zar arched his long neck and pranced softly. Back flexing, oozing power and speed at the slightest touch, Zar was a joy to ride.

  Hahq sat balanced deep in the saddle, back straight, his long legs acting as a counterbalance. He barely touched the reins. Even if the stallion should suddenly take off in a mad gallop, or go into a bucking fit, Hahq sat poised, ready yet relaxed. In perfect balance, at ease with his horse.

  Hahq’s eyes narrowed then widened as he spied beautiful Bari approaching. She gazed up at him, luminous sky blue eyes framed by luxurious dark lashes. He noticed she placed herself on the other side from where Voivode Skopasis stood so that the horse blocked the war leader’s view.

  “Go with the gods, Hahq”. Placing a warm hand on his thigh she squeezed, then slid it higher. “I pray that you return home safely. And bring Sava home too,” She added with a contrite little smile.

  A warm thrill rippled up Hahq’s spine. His groin muscles clenched in a sweet anticipation. He looked down at her hand, then placed his large callused palm over hers. However skepticism shone in his penetrating, gold-flecked eyes.

  “I thought you were promised to Sava?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I need a warrior to protect me and my children to come.”

  Heh. And Sava is a reluctant warrior at best. Hahq relished Bari’s subtle comparison.

  “I brought you hippake for your journey. I made it with my own hands.” She handed him a small round of mares-milk cheese.

  “I will think of you Bari with every bite.” Hahq’s lips curved in a cryptic smile showing even white teeth.

  He gave Bari’s hand on his thigh a meaningful squeeze. Then, mindful of Skopasis, he lifted her hand away and turned his horse to continue overseeing the men.

  They were twelve in all this time, including Voron, Hahq’s blood brother. Voron’s left forearm was tightly bound as was Hahq’s left thigh under his leggings. Both had taken arrow hits during the Black Cloak attack on their previous mission. With such a deep wound Hahq was not in shape for a long hazardous journey traveling through the wilds of Skythia. But it was a point of honor for him to bring the tribes to the war council and to find Sava. Or at least find his body.

  The rest of the men Hahq had selected for this mission were tested and true warriors. He had gone out on hunts and raids with them all his young life. Each man had two spare horses in addition to the one he rode.

  One horse carried a pack including weapons, the other was unencumbered. Every day the horses would be shuffled so that each horse was rested one day in three. In this way the Sauromatae covered great distances and kept their horses sound.

  As befitted t
heir position as official emissaries of King Raymaxos, the horses’ tack glittered and jingled with gold embellishments. Gold gryphons and kneeling stags reflected the dawning sun on Zar’s breast strap. The horses’ coats were curried to a fine sheen, their manes braided.

  Over their kurtas the men wore tunics of polished iron scale armor. On their backs were iron-plated shields. Ornately embellished swords and daggers hung from belts. The men all carried twelve foot kontos. Besides meager rations of dried meat, cheese and waterskins, the pack horses bristled with extra weapons including double- headed axes, bull whips, lassoes and extra arrows.

  King Raymaxos had given Hahq a saddlebag of gold jewelry as gifts for the nobles he hoped to influence. Their guide this time was Dobrich, an experienced campaigner and Skopasis’ right hand man. Even so Dobrich’s knowledge of how to find these roving tribes on the boundless Sea of Grass had its limitations.

  Carefully rolled up in Hahq’s saddlebag was a crude map inscribed on doeskin outlining the borders of the seven most powerful tribes of Pontic Skythia. This time nothing will turn us back no matter the cost.

  Skopasis came up, “May the goddess watch over you and keep you safe. Take no unnecessary risks. I need you with me.” I can’t afford to lose another son. The war leader’s piercing eyes said without words.

  “And…” Hahq glimpsed a flash of supplication in Skopasis’ dark eyes. “Bring Sava home - if you can.” His meaning implicit - Dead or Alive.

  Hahq nodded. “I will turn over every stone in my search.” Anything for you…Father.

  Chapter 26 – The Budini

  The Budini are a large and populous tribe

  With piercing grey eyes and bright red hair

  The Budini are nomadic

  And the indigenous inhabitants of the country.

  Whereas the Geloni are farmers,

  Grain-eaters and gardeners –

  Herodotus, The Histories