The Trials of the Minotaur

Part Three: The Wondrous Beast (Chapter Five)

They passed a frigid night on the ground, the air so cold they could see their breath, and as a result their sleep was fitful. Each time he started awake from his temporary slumber, the Doctor would cast a wary glance around at his captors. Every time the man on watch was alert and vigilant, his fellows all asleep around the dimming fire. He got up to urinate once, moving as far away from the Minotaur and the bandit as his chains would allow him, and when he glanced back toward the fire he saw that his guard had risen to his feet and had his sword in his hands.

The next day was agony for both the Doctor and the Minotaur, stiff from the previous day's exertion and a night spent upon that rocky ground. The bandits fed them again and it was during this meal that a cry went up from the sentinel, and soon they were joined by three other men. The Doctor immediately recognized one of them as one of the merchants who had been part of the caravan. He cried out in disgust and hatred, drawing a thin smile and a nod from his former compatriot. The other two men were unfamiliar to him – no doubt they had acted as intermediaries between the bandits and merchant, letting them know where the caravan was and when the time to strike would be ripe.

The chieftain and the merchant embraced and the merchant said, “Quite the feast, was it not?”

“It was as you promised.”

“Good. You have everything ready? My men have the gold.”

“All is good, except for these two.”

The merchant frowned. “What is the problem? And why did you keep this one alive?”

“That one speaks for the beast,” the chieftain said. “Our agreement there does not stand.”

“What do you mean? What has this fool told you?” the merchant said, striding over to the Doctor, his hand grasping the pommel of the dagger at his belt.

The bandit standing watch over the Doctor and the Minotaur intercepted him with a shake of his head and a cold stare.

“The creature can speak,” the chieftain said, not having stirred from where he stood. “And he translates for him. He is a servant of the Empress herself and she will pay far more than you for the return of these two.”

The merchant laughed. “Is that what he told you? Fools. If he is a servant of the empress then I am the Sultan of Teherul.”

“I considered that he might be lying. He had great reason, his life was forfeit otherwise. But it is no matter. The creature can speak, I have heard him. He is worth far more than we agreed and I will not give him up for that pittance.”

The merchant threw his hands in air and sighed loudly. “Let me guess, you cannot understand what the creature says. It is probably some gibberish that this man has taught him. A simulacrum of a man is all.”

The Doctor struggled to his feet, wincing as he did so at the aches and pains that plagued him. “My good friends,” he said, “I hesitate to interject myself into your discussion—”

“Then leave off, fool,” the merchant said.

“Let him speak,” the chieftain said, not taking his eyes from the merchant’s.

“Many thanks,” the Doctor said, offering a small bow. “As I say, I hesitate to interject, but this is a discussion that I have a certain investment in, so to speak. You both claim that I had every reason to lie about the beast, and that is true. But is it not also the case that I have the most to lose from falsehood? What does lying gain me? A moment's respite from your blade, for inevitably you must discover my deception. If the beast is a fraud and the Empress does not ransom us, you can still kill me and sell it to the highest bidder. I will have gained nothing but a few miserable days as your prisoner.”

“There is reason there.” The chieftain nodded.

“Don't listen to this nonsense,” the merchant said. “A few miserable days is more than he would have had otherwise. Besides, we have an agreement.”

“Our agreement does not include this creature.”

The merchant spat with rage. “How can it not? Have I not always treated you with honor?”

At a glance from the chieftain, the bandits seized the merchant's men, disarming them and forcing them to their knees while keeping blades poised at their throats. Seeing this, the merchant snarled and drew his own sword, burying it deep in the gut of the bandit who had been standing watch on the Doctor and the Minotaur. Before the other bandits had a chance to react, the merchant stepped toward the Minotaur and leveled a sword at his throat.

“Release my men, or this creature dies and no one shall enjoy the riches he will bring.”

The chieftain looked from the dying bandit to the merchant without expression and raised his hand to signal his men to release their prisoners. The merchant smiled grimly. “Now we return to the matter of our negotiation for this creature.”

He did not have the opportunity to complete his thought, for the Minotaur, moving with a speed that astonished all present, knocked aside the merchant's sword and seized him by throat. The merchant's eyes bulged in astonishment and his lips formed words that his throat gave no sound to. The Minotaur held him for a moment, seeming to stare into the man's eyes with his dead ones, before snapping his neck with a twist of his hands, the terrible sound of the bones breaking causing everyone else to wince. The merchant went limp in his hands, his bladder and intestines emptying, and the Minotaur tossed the body to the ground.

The merchant's two compatriots were beheaded even as they stared at the corpse of their master. The chieftain glanced at their bodies to see that the work was done to his satisfaction and then approached the Minotaur, being sure to stay beyond the reach of his arms.

“We shall have to keep an eye on this one – and at a safe distance,” he said, and laughed.

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This is the twenty sixth 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.