89. Hermes Hive #3
"Twenty-seventh door to the left. Sixteenth door to the right." Hermes retrieved a bunch of keys and slid one free. "Give Hades my greetings."
"I will." Akrivi accepted the key with both hands. "Thank you."
Hermes waved him away, his attention now on his book.
Atalanta was waiting once he left Hermes' study.
"How did it go?"
Akrivi nodded. "Good."
"Take this." She offered him a lumpy sack. "At least eat well."
The sack held fruits, a jar of honey and loaves of bread.
"Thanks." Akrivi smiled. "You are the most beautiful in the Hive."
She laughed. "Of course, I am."
He made it back the way he came, counting the doors as he went. The key opened the twenty-seventh door, which led to another corridor of doors.
The sixteenth door was black and heavily decorated with carvings of winged humans, hounds and lilies. The flare of aether around it marked it as a portal door.
All his time in Hades' territory had been within his estate, so Akrivi was clueless about what to expect at his territory's borders. And he could never tell whether his domain was located in Olympus, Tartarus or Greece.
Akrivi pushed the key into its hole and watched it vanish. The door opened of its own accord, revealing the dark expanse of a portal. He stepped in without pause and came out on the other side to the bright afternoon sun and a blade to his neck.
"Show me."
A wave of relief washed over him when he recognised Alma's voice. She withdrew when the coin appeared in his grip
"You scared me." Akrivi massaged his neck as he turned to see a slender woman wearing a black headband and an equally black uniform.
"I had to be sure." She sheathed her blade and flashed a barely visible smile. "You're back in supply?"
He shook his head and passed the box. "Master Hermes asked that I give this to you. You're to guide me to my destination as well."
She took the box and observed it briefly before it vanished.
Behind her stood a two-story building that resembled an outpost.
Curiously, the door he thought he walked out of was nowhere in sight.
All around was a stretch of flat landscape of red earth and curling streams.
Not a single tree in sight, but occasional flat-top hills, like the one they stood on, dotted the plains.
"Where to?" Alma asked.
"Hade's Gate."
"That's off route. But if we're fast..." Her voice faded as she appeared to contemplate her options. "Wait here." She walked to the back of the outpost and returned moments later with two large horses. Both were black, heavily muscled and wore pathfinder stones.
"I can run on my—
She shook her head. "This may look like no man's land, but Hades' guard beasts are watching. No moving without marked horses."
"I see." Akrivi obediently took the reins she offered.
"These are the finest Corinth breeds. They are fast. So, we should be at the gates in about a horai."
When Akrivi mounted his horse, hers bolted forward with a speed and strength that left him gaping. Then he was yanked from his surprise when his horse lunged ahead as well, leaving Akrivi madly grasping for the rein that had slipped from his grip.
They had been going for nearly half a horai when she finally slowed to a stop. She squinted to the east, using her hand as a shade. Akrivi looked as well. Seeing nothing, he retrieved his spyglass and peered through it. A cloud of dust was growing in the distance.
He adjusted the glass, sharpening its focus and reach. "Are those—"
"Dire horses." Her tone was grim. "What are dire horses doing here?"
Akrivi brought the glass to his eye once more. This time he didn't need to adjust it because they had drawn closer. A vast line of galloping beasts. Blue smoke poured past their nostrils with each huff. Milk-white eyes. Fangs. Worst of all were the aether-packed horns jutting from their foreheads.
There was only one god of horses, and dire horses were his—no! No need to leap into the worst conclusions.
"Do we..." Akrivi put away the spyglass. "Do we go on?"
"Go where? They're thrice as fast as our horses" There was a bleak note in her voice as she retrieved her sword from her dimension. "We will fight without the horses. Wouldn't want them eaten."
Akrivi dismounted and retrieved his sword.
"When I leap ahead, follow. Weapons first."
Looking from the approaching beasts to Alma's bleak face, Akrivi shoved his trepidation aside and stood straighter. This was not the first time he had faced hordes of beasts; in fact, he excelled at it.
So, they waited, watching the advancing swell of dust clouds. Soon, the ground began to shake from the crashing hooves.
Akrivi exhaled and flexed his fingers around his sword.
Alma glanced at him. "You know where to stab."
Akrivi nodded.
"Good." Then she shot through the sky, shrank into a speck the farther she went, and crashed into the herd.
Before following her, Akrivi withdrew one of his portal stones and flung it in the opposite direction.
Not that he was scared that a bunch of rabid horses would kill him; it just made better sense to have a second plan waiting.
Only when he was certain the stone had landed did he turn to face the herd.