The Trials of the Minotaur

Part Three: The Wondrous Beast (Chapter Three)

The Doctor's caravan traveled on through more and more lands, none of which the Minotaur was familiar with. It seemed every day brought new dialects being spoken and the scent of perfumes and spices unknown to him. It all startled and delighted him, his senses overwhelmed, and his imagination taking flight as his mind sought to color what his ears and nose told him. Who had known that the world was so large? For a time the lands they passed through seemed much the same in their geography as those he was familiar with. Here was the smell of a forest and there the vast quiet of a plain and now the brisk cool of the mountain air struck his lips.

But after some weeks they came into a desert, a grim and empty place filled with rock and ruin. According to the Doctor the place had once been home to an empire to rival even Huiam, but time and fate had undone that. Once water had flowed in these places, and cities with splendorous gardens had been constructed, but now it was barren, with only a few stunted trees and roads that led to fiercely guarded watering holes. It was a lawless place, ruled by bandit kings, where no one caravan was safe, so the Doctor banded together with some merchants who were bringing spices back to Huiam, hoping the strength in their numbers would keep them all safe.

The Minotaur's caravan was covered throughout the journey, the Doctor hoping to keep his existence a secret from his fellow travelers and any others they encountered. Such a desire was hopeless given the close quarters in which they traveled, both while on the road and camping at night. That the Doctor was perpetually checking in on his precious cargo to ensure that it was secured and safe only further demonstrated to everyone the importance he placed on it. He would often slip away from the nightly gatherings of his fellow Huiamites and attend to the Minotaur, continuing his lessons so that he would be well prepared when they arrived at Piufenh, which only drew more suspicion upon the covered caravan.

Speculation among the other merchants was wild. That there was a beast within was beyond any doubt, for that was the good Doctor's standard ware, and several of them had observed his servants bringing food to the caravan as they did to the others. What was different, they noted to their fellows, was the quality of the food. It was a meal fit for a man, no doubt, which gave them all pause. One of the merchants took it upon himself to steal after Doctor Eid when he left them for the Minotaur's wagon. He watched as one of the Doctor's servants let him into the cage and kept a vigil until his master left. He was certain that he could hear the Doctor and another speaking, sometimes in his native tongue and other times in a strange barbarian dialect.

This revelation led to even greater interest for all concerned, for everyone agreed that whatever kind of beast was in there must be of incalculable value if it could speak as a man. Several of them began to plot to steal whatever magnificent creature was hidden there, thinking their fortunes would be made if they could get it to Huiam, where any number of princes would pay unholy sums to add it to their menageries. Alliances were formed and the opportune moment argued over for when to strike and seize the creature, for everyone knew that their fellow travelers were deep into planning as well.

All their plotting came to nothing, for not a week after the merchant's revelation as to the nature of the beast, the entire caravan was struck by bandits. They attacked at first light as everyone was in the midst of breaking camp with tents being taken down, horses being fed and harnessed and the many of the merchants, including Doctor Eid, in the middle of eating their breakfast. The bandits swept down from the cliffs that stretched out above them, rocky outcroppings that provided ample hiding space for an ambush. The caravans were thrown into utter chaos, the bandits striking down any man they came near and scattering the horses before setting about to collecting their plunder. They took from the wagons whatever could be easily carried on their pack horses: aromatic spices, fabulous clothes and whatever gold and silver the merchants had hidden in their belongings.

When they came to Doctor Eid's bestiary they dispatched most of the creatures without so much as a glance until they came to the shrouded caravan. They tore aside the cloak to see what was within and gasped at the sight of the Minotaur, momentarily unsure of what to do. Doctor Eid, who had hidden himself among the ruins of the camp, chose that moment to show himself, and he fell to his knees, begging the bandits to spare both himself and the magnificent creature within.

“My good friends,” he beseeched them, “there is no need to kill us. This magnificent creature is worth far more to you alive than dead.”

“That may be,” one of them, the leader by all appearances, said. “We have no need of you, though.”

“On the contrary, my good friends, on the contrary. The beast can speak. A miracle of miracles. But it is in a tongue unheard by your ears. Only I can make sense of it. So his value is tied to mine, for only I can give him voice.”

“What does it matter? They are neither of them made of gold.” This from one of the chief's lieutenants. The chief turned to the Doctor as though to give him the opportunity to dispute his man's claim.

“I would dispute that most earnestly,” the Doctor said. “The Empress of Huiam herself awaits the arrival of this creature. I am her servant in this task. She would pay an incomparable sum for our release.”

“How much?” the leader said.

“You have heard Huiam? You have heard of the Empress and Piufenh and the Eternal Palace? You know of the riches of those places? Well, you could name your price and she would meet it without batting an eye, for it would not be a tenth of her worth, such is her fortune. How much? Enough for each of you to build a palace in this desert, I have no doubt.”

The leader considered this for a time, looking hard at the Doctor as though trying to discern what truth there was in his words. He arrived at a decision at last and motioned his men to open the cage where the Minotaur was kept, and then had them lead him by the chains that still bound his wrists. After so long trapped within that prison, the Minotaur was unsteady on his feet, and he fell to his knees with a cry, only to find a sword at his throat, pressed there by the chief, who turned to the Doctor.

“Prove your words,” he said. “Make him speak.”

The Doctor swallowed and spoke to the Minotaur in the barbarian tongue they shared. “My dear friend, our lives, as you no doubt realize, are in the balance here. You must speak or we shall both perish. Speak to me in this tongue, for they may know some of mine, and we need to take care.”

The Minotaur hesitated, thinking for a moment and enjoying the increasing tension he could feel from his former captor. Did he care whether he lived or died, he asked himself, for only a few months ago he had wanted nothing else but to escape this sorrowful realm? It seemed he did after all, for he trembled at the idea of death. But he also knew he wanted to be free of the chains the Doctor had put him in and that now was the chance to see that guaranteed.

“When we escape these bonds, you shall never put them upon me again,” he said, and could hear the Doctor sigh in ecstatic relief.

“My word,” the Doctor breathed to him, and turned to the bandits, who had muttered at each other in awe at the deep and powerful voice of the beast. “My friend wishes to thank you for your mercy. You see, my good friends. He is the true article and I am as good as my word.”

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This is the twenty fourth chapter of the Trials of the Minotaur. I will post a chapter a week (there are over 30), but if you enjoy what you're reading and don't want to wait, you can buy this book at Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords. Thanks for reading.