Chapter Twelve – Escape to Delphi

Kali woke up as the sunlight hit her face through the cloth of the tent. She had finally managed to get a few hours after she had hunched her shoulder up and rested her head against it. It hadn’t been particularly comfortable but it was all her tired body needed. She yawned and shook her head a bit, trying to wake herself up. Haemon and his slave girls were still fast asleep and she could hear some faint snoring going on outside.

“Hey! Psst!” a whispered voice came out from behind her.
Kali turned her head around as far as she could and saw Tony, grinning from ear to ear, and brandishing a dagger.
“Wanna break free?” he said, ripping the rope around her wrists apart with the dagger.
“My feet too,” Kali whispered, looking at Haemon to see if he could hear them. He didn’t move a muscle and his breathing remained constant.
Her feet cut loose, she silently took Tony’s hand and crept outside. He slowly approached one of the horses and stroked his nose. It didn’t even make one noise. He joined his hands together and bent down.
“Come on then,” he whispered. “Before they wake up, yeah?”
Kali put a foot on his hands and was hoisted up onto the horse’s saddle. Tony pulled at the horse’s reins and mounted another horse for himself. They then slowly trotted back up the valley. Some stones were loosened and rolled down the hill.
“Shit, go for it,” Tony said to her.
Kali looked back and saw some of the men rouse at the noise.
“Thieves!” Gregorios yelled, brandishing his sword and running towards one of the horses.
Kali and Tony looked at each other and both kicked their horses hard. Their horses neighed and took off at a gallop. Kali looked back and through the dust could make out Gregorios and three other men galloping after them.
“Tony!” Kali yelled over at him. “They’re going to gain on us!”
Tony looked back and then at her.
“We’ll get to Delphi before they do,” he yelled back. “It’s not far now and we’ll get protection.”

Kali didn’t question how he knew all this information. They just had to get out of there and lose the men on their tail. There was nowhere to hide and they couldn’t hide their tracks as so much dust was being lifted off the ground by the horses. Tony was riding faster than her and was obviously quite an accomplished rider. She had ridden about twice in her life before this, and it didn’t include her kidnapping the previous evening. She copied Tony’s stance, leaning far forward and gripping the reins tightly. His feet kicked a rhythm against the horse’s side and she did the same. Soon they were level-pegging and managed to gain some distance. Kali looked back and saw their pursuers slowing down. It was only then that Kali realised that Tony had picked up the only two horses that were not saddled with any stock and would be faster in a chase. She started to feel a new-found respect for her companion, who was obviously not as dumb as he first appeared.

As they lost their pursuers they slowed down their horses, not wishing to burn all their energy. Delphi started to appear on the horizon and they kept up a good pace, looking behind them occasionally to see if they were still being followed. There wasn’t anyone to be seen, save some workers in the fields. The wheat was being harvested in the heat of the day. Browned men attacked the stalks with scythes and were followed by others, picking and bundling up the wheat and loading the carts. They all looked up as Tony and Kali passed through the field but did not say anything. They merely stared for a few moments and then continued with their work.

As they approached the city walls, they dismounted and led their horses on foot, giving them relief from their passengers. People bustled about and took barely any notice of the travellers walking through.
“Told you it wasn’t far,” Tony said. “How are you doing?”
“Not bad,” Kali replied. “My ankles and wrists still hurt though. That rope wasn’t nice at all.”
She held out a wrist to show him. It was red and sore where the rough material had rubbed against her skin as she had struggled in an attempt to escape.
“Ooh,” he said, screwing his face up. “Have to find something to put on that.”
“I’ll be fine,” she replied, rubbing it and blowing on it to cool it down. “So, how did you know where Delphi was?”
“When you were taken away by that man I left my stuff to try and catch up with you. Obviously I didn’t manage that so just carried on walking in what I thought was the right direction. It wasn’t too hard with those hoof prints in the dry ground. During the night I stepped on what felt like a piece of cloth, looked down, and found this map. Your kidnapper must have dropped it from his saddlebags.”

He handed her a small piece of cloth. On it very faintly was a rough diagram of upper Greece with the main cities marked in big crosses. There were no names for the cities but they each had a diagram next to them to describe what they were. Erebos obviously was not a reader. There was a diagram of an olive branch by Athens. Then there were mountains where the Gulf of Corinth lay. Their destination, Delphi, had a sun with beams coming out of it. In various areas between the cities there were big dots.
“How did you know Delphi was the sun city?” Kali asked, surprised.
“Adelphos told me,” he replied, taking the map back from her. “He was going on about the sun god and how Stylianos worshipped him over the other gods which was why he had moved to Delphi.”
“What about those dots?”
“Hiding places. I followed the horse hooves and it directed me to roughly where one of these dots were. All I had to do was wait until everyone outside was asleep and creep in for you.”
There was a pause. Kali broke the silence.
“Thanks. You know, for rescuing me. They thought I was a Persian spy.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Yes. I think the Persians are about to wage war on the Greeks.”
“Let’s hope we’re out of here before that happens.”

They were heading further into the city now and came across a market. Tony saw a man selling pots and asked him where they might find the museum. The man pointed in the direction there were going already and Tony nodded his thanks. They walked further and further until the houses started to peter out and they found themselves the other side of the city.
“Did we pass it?” Tony asked.
“I don’t really know what I’m looking for,” Kali admitted. “It’s not like it’s going to have any signs or a tourist attraction symbol.”
“Maybe we took the wrong turn?”
“What turn? We’ve been walking straight!”
“Maybe we should have taken one?”
“Oh.”

They stood there in silence for a bit, deciding on their next move. Kali rested her head against her horse.
“I’m so tired,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep because I was standing up all night.”
“Me too,” Tony admitted. “It was cold walking through the valley. My legs are killing me.”
“Maybe we should ask for Stylianos by name?” Kali suggested.
“Would people know who we were asking for? Maybe there’s more than one Stylianos.”
“Maybe, but there can’t be that many that own a museum.”
“It’s a plan.”
“We should head back then,” Kali said, scrambling onto her horse. “I just need to rest my feet a while.”
Tony mounted his own horse expertly and they slowly ambled back into the city.