Chapter 31
Stranger Lands
The beach was only visible once the Argo sailed past the jutting cliffs that shielded it from the ocean.
The land behind was dominated by sparse, mountainous earth and the occasional smattering of woodland.
An isthmus cut a pathway of sand out from the far side of the shore into the water.
At its end, a mound of rocks reared out of the waves.
“Tiphys!” Jason stalked the length of the ship to stand beside the old navigator. “What is that land?”
Tiphys wiped sweat from the sun-ploughed rivets on his forehead. “Territory of the Doliones, I believe.”
“Friendly?”
“Can’t say I’ve heard either way.”
Jason was quiet for a moment, his brow heavy with thought.
“Daeira.” He turned to where Danae stood on the prow deck. “As our only remaining seer—” his tone implied this to be her fault “—consult the omens and tell us if it’s safe to land.”
She’d been dreading this moment. She was going to have to use the prophecy stone.
“Captain, we’re down to our last waterskins. The barrels are all dry,” said Tiphys. “We really need to go ashore—”
“Drop anchor!” Jason cut across the navigator. “We wait here until our seer tells us it’s safe to land.”
Danae glanced at Tiphys. The navigator was staring at her, silently pleading.
“I’ll need privacy.”
Jason drummed his fingers on the rail. “Fine, you can use the store. But be quick about it.”
Danae stepped into the musty confines of the cabin, moved a clutch of swords, and sat down between two bundles of furs. She placed her bag in front of her and took out the prophecy stone.
Carefully, she set the obsidian stone on the floor and unwrapped it. She stared at it for a moment, let out a breath, then stretched out her hand and touched it.
Instantly, she felt an intense tugging sensation. She could see her life-threads being sucked from her fingers, but she fought her instinct to try to hold them inside her and let them rush into the stone.
Suddenly, the room lurched, and she was hurtling into darkness. Then she was floating, disembodied, in the void of nothingness. She concentrated, fighting the sensation that she was slowly dissolving into the emptiness around her.
Is it safe to land?
She had no idea if her question had been heard.
She didn’t seem to have a mouth to speak it with.
Then a glowing thread darted across the darkness, just as it had in her vision from the oracle.
She became one with it, flowing along the tapestry of life until she came to a stretch of land shaped just like the beach in front of the Argo.
Then, without any will of her own, she was drawn to the isthmus.
She was no longer part of the picture but looking down on the scene from above.
She watched the threads move like someone was constantly resketching the image in ever-moving lines of light.
She drew closer and saw something imprinted on the isthmus that did not wash away as the tide lapped over it.
Three sets of handprints.
She was pulled out of the vision by the creak of the cabin door opening. She jerked her hand away from the stone. It felt as though someone had reached into her skull and yanked her out by her sinuses. She breathed through the nausea then shot a murderous look at the doorway.
Jason stood in front of her.
“I need an answer.”
“These things take time.” She flicked the hem of her dress over the stone.
“I am the captain of this ship.” Jason moved toward her, his left eye twitching. “You are my seer.”
She cringed away from him.
At her expression, he faltered. “Please.” He ran a hand over his face. “I need the omens to be good.”
He was desperate. Lemnos had nearly cost him everything and they were about to run out of water. There was nothing in the vision that seemed obviously ominous, but she had no idea what it meant. Three sets of handprints could be anything.
“We should land on the beach.”
For a wild moment, he looked like he was going to kiss her, then he turned and launched himself onto the deck shouting, “The omens are in our favor! We land!”
She carefully wrapped the prophecy stone and stowed it back in her bag with unease in her heart.
Danae strode up the beach, her sandals crunching on the fine stones.
The shore appeared deserted. A bleached cliff face guarded most of the mainland from view.
Apart from a peppering of hardy shrubbery there wasn’t much in the way of vegetation.
Everything about this place was sharp and inhospitable.
There was even a dry, brittle quality to the air.
She was glad of it after the soporific effects of Lemnos. She needed to keep a clear head.
The crew were all standing, and there were no darts in sight, but still her body sang with tension.
She took a deep breath and felt for the energy of her life-threads.
They answered her call, thrumming to the surface of her skin.
It was comforting to test her connection to her power in case the vision turned out to be a warning after all.
She looked over at the isthmus, then her eyes were drawn to a collection of objects floating in the sea.
The shapes were too angular to be seaweed.
She went over to investigate and noticed there were more littered across the beach.
When she reached them, she could see they were the planks of a ship, ripped apart and splintered.
“Argonauts, to me!” Jason thrust his sword into the rough sand, and the crew clustered around their captain, weapons in hand.
He pointed to Ancaeus and three other men.
“You four, take the empty barrels and find fresh water.” He turned to the twins.
“Castor, Pollux scout the area. The rest of you, set up camp on the beach. We stay one night then we’ll be on our way. ”
Danae hurried over to Jason. She kept her voice low. She had, after all, just claimed the omens were favorable. The last thing she wanted to do was to induce panic.
“Captain, there are what appears to be parts of a shipwreck further up the beach. Perhaps it would be wise to leave as soon as we’ve gathered supplies.”
Jason frowned. “You said the omens were good.”
“Yes, but—” she wanted to say he hadn’t given her much choice “—divination is not a precise art.”
From beyond the cliffs, a flock of birds scattered into the sky.
Jason looked at her with disdain. “Ships are wrecked all the time. It might even have been the same storm that caught the Argo months ago.”
Gods, the man was infuriating.
“Jason!”
They both turned to see the twins running back toward the ship. Someone was chasing after them along the beach.
“Fall back, protect the Argo,” shouted Jason.
The Argonauts formed a barrier around the ship and raised their weapons. Danae positioned herself between Hylas and Telamon, drawing a clutch of life-threads into her fingertips.
“They don’t look armed,” said Dolos, squinting at the figure.
“I’m not waiting to find out.” Atalanta notched her bow.
Then Heracles broke formation and walked toward the stranger.
“Heracles, get back here!” Jason called.
The hero didn’t stop. As the person drew nearer, Danae could see it was a man dressed in a ragged green tunic. He was indeed unarmed, his limbs flailing with frantic energy as he ran toward them.
He fell to his knees in front of Heracles, heaving for breath as he uttered the sacred greeting. His feet were bleeding.
“Please, I need your help.”
He was painfully thin, his pale skin covered in bruises. Danae noticed a freshly stitched gouge on his right arm.
“What happened here?” asked Heracles.
Jason pushed his way forward. “I am Jason, captain of the Argonauts. I am the leader of this crew.”
The man’s eyes darted between Heracles and Jason. “My people, there are barely any of us left. You look like you know how to fight—please help us.”
Another flock of birds soared into the air, their cries echoing off the rocks. They were getting closer to the beach.
Jason’s frown deepened. “Who attacked you?”
The man didn’t answer. Shaking like a flame in the wind, he turned back to Heracles and grabbed the hem of his kilt.
“I’ve risked my life coming out here. Look at me!” He spread his arms wide. “They invaded my town. Most of my people are dead. They’ve destroyed every ship that’s landed here. They’re going to kill us all.”
Heracles took the man by his arms and pulled him to his feet. “This terror of which you speak, it’s not human, is it?”
The man trembled. “They are monsters the like of which you’ve never seen.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” A smile curled Heracles’s lips. “Monsters happen to be my specialty.”
The stranger took in the hero’s stature and the lion hide draped over his head and shoulders. His mouth fell open. “I thought I must be mistaken but...you’re really him!”
The hero grinned.
Jason looked at Danae. She could sense he was looking for reassurance. Ever so slightly, she shook her head.
“Back to the ship!” yelled Jason. “Now!”
“No, please!” The man reached toward Heracles. “I have a family.”
Danae’s heart ached for him, but they had to leave. Dread seeped through her skin. They should never have landed here in the first place. The omens were clearly against them, and she was a fool for saying otherwise.
Heracles remained where he was as the crew began to wade toward the Argo.
“Heracles,” said Danae.
He turned, his eyes burning with blue fire. There it was again, the pain she’d seen on the ship. He paced past her, toward the Argo.