Waves broke over rocky shoals. A gull cried out.
The young woman tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked ahead. There was a road leading from the beach up the face of a steep bluff. She couldn't see the top, lost as it was behind the tree line, but she knew from the ancient texts that there had once been a castle overlooking the sea.
Many years ago, the island of Knossos had been the capital of a great civilization. But those days were long passed. Now the ruins of great palaces and crumbling roads were all that remained on this distant island.
There was no future for the young woman back in the city state of Tyre. Her destiny was ahead, on this island.
She turned and gave one last look at the retreating galley. The ship was a tiny speck on the horizon. They would return in two years. That is the time she had given herself. If her quest wasn't fulfilled by then, she would have to return empty handed. And that was simply not an option. Not for her. Not for the sake of her ambition.
She adjusted her gauntlets and greaves. Then she strapped her sword belt over her fine chain armor. She hefted her pack of supplies and set out down the broken road.
*
Jun'ai was winded. The march from the beach was longer than she had anticipated. She stopped often and drank from her water skin.
The road followed a grassy ledge that led steadily upward. Rounding a bend, she came to an abrupt stop. The sight before her was appalling.
She stood in front of a row of severed heads. There were seven in all, mounted atop spears that were wedged between the broken stones of the roadway. The message was clear: stay out.
She studied the heads, each one in turn. The shafts of the spears ran up through the brain cavity and stuck out through an eye socket or punched through the top of the skull. Most of the heads were picked clean of flesh. The bone bleached from the sun and wind. One had the suture lines traced with ink. Another had strange writing.
The head on the far right however was mostly intact. It was the newest addition to this ghastly effigy. The flesh was spongy and sallow. Blood had drained down the length of the wooden spear and dried. The eyes had been picked from the sockets by carrion birds. But the face was still recognizable.
Ariakas.
Tears blurred her vision. She blinked. Her legs suddenly weak. Until now she didn't know what had happened to him. Only that he hadn't returned.
For a moment she doubted her resolve. Doubted her mission. This was a fool's errand and would only get her killed. Her own head mounted here to rot in ignominy.
And then she thought about her life in Tyre. About the senate and the army and her future ambitions and the moment passed. Her resolve solidified. She knew she had to see this through. Not for herself. But for her house.
She leaned over and gave that head a gentle kiss on the lips. Gently she pried it from the spear, taking care to hold the skull together. She walked off into the brush beside the road and dug a hole and put the head inside. Then she buried the head under a thin layer of topsoil, making sure to place rocks atop the grave in order to keep animals from digging it up and dragging it off.
The she closed her eyes and said a short prayer over the shallow grave. She lingered a long time, before collecting herself and pressed on.
*
When she reached the top of the bluff, Jun'ai despaired.
Castle Kairatos was in ruins. The moat was a dried crevice in the land. Most of the banks had eroded away. And the outer walls were in complete disrepair. More sections were missing than were intact. The rubble strewn across the plateau.
The only structure that stood was the central keep. And even that was teetering. The first story was mostly intact. The rag-stone walls were thick and had withstood the wear of time. The vaulted ceiling held. But the second story, which would have been supported by wooden beam, had completely crumbled.
Jun'ai walked through the rubble of the outer wall and entered the courtyard. There were remains of barracks and stables, smiths and bakeries. An entire community wiped away by the passage of time.
The keep loomed before her. Dark and foreboding. The narrow archer slits and the open gate made the structure resemble a skull. She entered through the front, doors open after the wood had rotted away.
Inside was an entrance hall, a dining room and a throne room. Dust covered everything. The pale stucco walls were decorated with murals of gryphons and bulls. Most were faded.
There was a firepit on the floor in the center of the dining hall. Ash and a ring of stones. It appeared to have recently been used. In the throne room were other signs of life. There were wood chips scattered across the floor. Next to the dais was a scattering of flint and husks from some vegetable.
Behind the throne room was a stairwell. The stairs that once lead to the second floor ended abruptly in a jagged break just above her head. The stairs down, however, were intact and the path unblocked.
She knew what she sought lay in the chambers beneath the palace. Her breath was quick and shallow. Her heart raced. Adrenaline pumped. Nerves frayed.
She lit a torch, adjusted her sword belt, and started her descent.
*
Below the castle was total darkness. It was thick and cloying. There was a heavy musk of testosterone and unwashed fur.
The area directly below the surface had been used for storage. There were small rooms off the main corridor that would have held the food and material necessary to maintain a civilized life in the castle. All the rooms were empty except for scattered debris. Broken pottery. Bits of discarded tools.
At the end of the passageway there was another set of stairs leading further down.
Below that was the crypt. A circular room with fluted marble columns supporting the ceiling. Brick sarcophagi lay in alcoves along the walls, statues of lords and kings adorned each one.
Across the chamber there was a second light source.
Jun'ai got her first look at the monster. A hulking brute wreathed in shadows and flickering torch light. Enormous in height and girth. A full head taller than the tallest man in Tyre, and he was broad shouldered with tree trunk legs and bulging biceps. Hair covered his forearms, down his chest and back. Below the knees were recurve legs that ended in cloven hooves.
Between the creature's legs was a sheath of flesh. The beast's member and balls were pulled up inside.
But it was the beasts head that attracted all the attention. His head was a massive bull's head. Horns protruded from the sides, his eyes were small, black orbs, glistening with malice. They stared at her. An unreadable expression on his unhuman face.
A minotaur. That is what they were called, although no one had seen one for a thousand years, not since their species was driven from the continent to the outer marches.
This was the monster that had killed Ariakas. This was the monster that had killed her husband.
"What insolence is this?" The minotaur said. His baritone voice carried in the cavernous room.
"My name is Jun'ai, and I'm here seeking justice." Her voice held steady.
The minotaur said nothing. Stared at her with a flat expression.
