The Trials of the Minotaur

Part Three: The Wondrous Beast (Chapter Ten)

After a fortnight in which the Doctor gave lectures to all the learned academicians of Piufenh, as well as many of the noble and merchant classes, the wealthiest and most influential people of the Empire, an Imperial Messenger arrived at the Cabinet of Wonder requesting his presence, and that of beast, at the Eternal Palace. The Doctor could not contain his excitement, for the rest of the day he talked endlessly to the unresponsive Minotaur, even as he prepared for his talk that evening. When the appointed hour arrived the Imperial Messenger returned, along with a dozen men from the Imperial Guard dressed in their azure robes, to escort them to the Palace.

Once they had passed through the four walls that guarded the Palace, they were led through an endless labyrinth of gardens to a broad hall somewhere within the complex where the court had been gathered, at the head of which, atop a broad and high dais, sat the Empress herself. She was dressed ornately in a many-layered scarlet robe, her face painted a chalky white except for her eyes, which were circled black. Her hair was tied into ringlets set in a fantastical arrangement that seemed as though it would topple her head if she but moved. She did not, though, holding herself harshly upright in her chair, staring out at those assembled with a stern look upon her face, ignoring the ministrations of the eunuch attendants at her feet. The Doctor trembled as he approached her, yet when he came near he saw that she was startlingly young, no more than a girl.

That reassured him momentarily, but her eyes cut through him, dismissing him in an instant, and when she commanded him to begin his speech he had not yet regained his equilibrium.

“My good friends, your high and graceful one,” he began, the words sounding ridiculous in his mouth. He cleared his throat and began again. “Most exalted one and honored luminaries. Good friends. I bring before you one of the wonders of the age. A wondrous beast, part bull and part man, born in the barbarian empire of Rheadd – the result, many there say, of illicit congress between a god and a woman of high birth.”

Having found the rhythm of his tale, the Doctor proceeded in earnest, elaborating on the Minotaur's life and adding such flourishes as he felt were necessary. He had begun to tell his own story of the lands he had been to, the other wonders he had seen, the trials he had endured and the knowledge that he had returned with, when the Empress interrupted him with a raised hand.

“Yes, most exalted and graceful?” he said, his mouth dry.

“Release the beast from it's cage, good Doctor. I wish to inspect it more closely.”

The Doctor was taken aback by the request. “Most exalted, ah,” he said, “I would recommend against such a course. That is, it would be unwise to release the beast. He is not to be trusted free.”

“And why not, good Doctor?”

“Well, most exalted, I cannot guarantee to you that he will behave according to proper courtly manners as would befit a man. He is both violent and dangerous.”

“Are you saying my Guard cannot handle it?” the Empress said, arching one eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe. Besides, is it not half a beast and half a man? If it is a bull then it can be tamed, and it is a man then it can be reasoned with. In either case it can be freed, at least for the moment.”

The Doctor did not dare argue further with the Empress – not with twenty of her elite Guard standing armed and at the ready. They moved in to surround the cage as the Empress stepped down from the dais, providing a shield in case the Doctor's concerns proved real. With trembling hands he unlocked the cage's door, unable to look at the guard or the Empress.

“Do not forget my promise,” the Doctor whispered to the beast, who gave no indication that he heard. He swung the door open and stepped back, keeping himself well clear of the space the guard had left in front of the cage.

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This is the thirty first 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.