Although Iolaus had managed a jest about going to a festival, it had been entirely for Hercules' benefit. He felt absolutely exhausted, both mentally and physically. All he wanted to do was to go home. Distancing himself from his present situation might not restore his shattered self-confidence and self-respect, but at least it gave him an objective on which to concentrate.
He lay quietly watching Hercules and the others burying the two bodies. The grave had its inmates at last. In their preoccupation with this task, no one noticed the second brother recover consciousness and slink away.
The task finished, Xena prepared to depart, but Gabrielle hesitated. Iolaus looked terrible: cut, bruised and filthy. She beckoned to Hercules and said, in an undertone, "Xena is in a hurry to be off, but I hate leaving Iolaus in that condition. I'll stay and help you with him if you want."
Hercules glanced at Xena. She was already astride Argo and was tapping her thigh impatiently. "We'll be fine now thanks, Gabrielle."
Gabrielle looked like she might argue, but then she walked quickly to Iolaus, knelt down, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "Take care, Iolaus." He hugged her back.
Glancing at Xena, Hercules was surprised by the expression of anger that crossed her face. She obviously did not approve of Gabrielle's affection for Iolaus. "Come on, Gabrielle, don't take all day!" she called. Gabrielle rose reluctantly and followed her.
Hercules turned back to Iolaus and offered him a hand to rise. He stood swaying slightly. "You look like you could do with a good clean-up and a couple of day's rest before we get going. We might as well make use of the house."
"No!"
"What do you mean 'no'?"
"I'm fine, Herc. I just want to get going now." How could he explain that his nerves were so shot the mere thought of re-entering the hovel made him shudder?
"Don't be ridiculous, Iolaus. You're in no state for a journey. Come inside. I'll heat up some water so you can have a wash and then I think you'd better get some sleep. From the bags under your eyes, I'd say you haven't had a good night's sleep for some time."
"I'm not tired. I just want to leave."
"Iolaus, we'll be on our way soon enough. At present I doubt if you could make it to the next village and I've spent enough time carrying you recently."
Iolaus hung his head and muttered, "I'm sorry, Herc, I know I caused you lots of problems."
Unprepared for this reaction, Hercules felt a twinge of remorse for his comment. "Don't be silly, Iolaus, it wasn't your fault the horse clipped you."
The head stayed down. "If I hadn't been fooling..."
Hercules interrupted. "Look forget it. Just come inside and let me help you to clean up and to tend to your cuts and bruises. I'd like to check how your leg's healing too. Once we've done that we'll see how you're feeling."
"I can't...I mean I don't want...Herc, why can't we just go?"
"Iolaus, what is the hurry? I'm just trying to help you."
"Help me by letting me leave."
"All right! I give in! But don't blame me if you collapse en route. If you're ready where's your sword?"
"I don't know. It doesn't matter."
"Iolaus, you know how much you value that sword and you may need it. You'd better go in and look for it."
"It's not in there. It's probably in the cave."
"What cave?"
"The one the brothers lived in. It's about half a mile or so from here and it's not in the right direction for us, so we might as well leave it."
"Iolaus, if you don't think you can go half a mile to the cave, you're certainly not going to make it five miles to the next village."
"It's not that."
"What then?"
The head went down again. "Nothing."
"All right! Come on! If it's nothing you show me the way."
Iolaus led his friend slowly in the direction of the cave. Hercules watched him with puzzlement. He could not understand Iolaus' seeming reluctance to retrieve one of the few possessions he valued.
They were about fifty feet from the cave when Iolaus stopped suddenly. Hercules barely avoided knocking into him. "Well what are you stopping for?"
"I'm j-just taking a break."
"Iolaus, how do you expect to make it to the village if this has tired you so?"
"I'll make it. I'm just...I'm just staging myself. C-Could you have a look for the sword for me?"
"What did your last slave die of?" Slave! Iolaus flinched. Again his reaction to a mild jest surprised his friend. "OK! You wait here."
"Herc, be careful! The brother m-might have returned. Why not just leave it?"
"I've already battered him unconscious once today so I don't think he'll be keen to have another bout so soon. If you're so concerned why don't you come with me?"
"No! Y-You're probably right. He's probably long gone, but I'll stay here and keep watch just in case."
In the dim light, it took Hercules about ten minutes to locate the sword. During his search, he observed the shackles on the back wall.
He emerged to find an agitated Iolaus only about ten feet from the cave's entrance. "I wondered if you'd decided to take up residence."
"It certainly seems to be a most desirable address. Did you spend much time there?" Hercules inquired casually.
His question was ignored. Iolaus made a show of concentrating on buckling on his sword. "Thank you, Herc. Can we go now?"
"If we must."
They started off. The journey took quite some time. Hercules recounted what had happened to him after he had left Iolaus with the old woman. He hoped this would encourage Iolaus to speak about his own experiences, but his usually talkative friend said nothing about them Worse, the story merely seemed to upset him further by adding to his feelings of guilt about being the cause of Hercules' misfortunes.
They had covered about half the distance when Hercules, observing his friend's halting progress, decided they'd better take a break. "Let's stop for a few minutes, Iolaus."
"No, we m-might as well keep g-going. W-We must be over half-way there."
"We've got plenty of time. There's no rush." Hercules sat down.
Iolaus leaned against a tree. "Just five minutes then."
His stomach gave a loud rumble. Hercules smiled and observed, "I can see why you're in a hurry. When did you last eat?"
The question was ignored.
"I said when did you last eat?"
"I can't remember. I haven't been feeling much like food."
"When?"
"Stop going on about things, Herc. It's NOT important."
"When?"
"If you MUST know probably the day before yesterday. Are you satisfied now?"
"Why nothing yesterday?"
Iolaus was getting very agitated. "I didn't get enough done," he muttered cryptically. "I'm going on NOW!"
He limped off. Hercules rose quickly and followed him. The answer had confused and disturbed him further.
With about half a mile to go, Iolaus began to sag. Hercules put an arm around him. He felt his friend stiffen. "Come on, Iolaus, I know I said I wouldn't carry you, but this doesn't come into that category."
Iolaus wanted to pull away, to show that he didn't need help, but a wave of dizziness made him very aware that he'd probably end up on his face.
They reached the village. Hercules got a room, helped Iolaus onto the bed and then arranged for water to be heated so Iolaus could bath. He carried the large wooden tub into the room and then assisted a couple of maids with the water. That done, he lay on his side of the bed and left Iolaus to it.
After a short time, he glanced across to check that Iolaus was managing OK and was horrified to see the state of his back. It was covered in cuts, weals and bruises from the punishment that he had received that morning and from earlier beatings.
"Iolaus, why didn't you tell me you'd been beaten? I'll go and see if I can get some salve."
"No! Wait I...I'll come with you."
But Hercules was already on his way to the door.
He was back about five minutes later having obtained some salve from the innkeeper's wife. He found Iolaus kneeling beside the tub. "Are you all right?'
"Y-Yes. I just t-tried to g-get up a bit quickly. I'll be fine in a moment."
Hercules helped him up and over to the bed. "Lie down and I'll rub this into your back."
"Stop fussing, Herc. It doesn't need anything."
"Iolaus, if you don't do as I tell you I'll throw you onto the bed. Now hurry up!" ordered Hercules, in his best no nonsense voice.
Realizing that Hercules meant business, Iolaus reluctantly complied. Now Hercules could see that the injuries extended down his buttocks and thighs as well. "What on earth led them to do this?"
"I tried...I tried to escape last night. I nearly got away, but the old woman surprised me and knocked me out. This morning the brothers punished me for trying."
The image was horrifying, but Hercules felt some encouragement as this was a lot more than Iolaus had previously said about his ordeal. He felt that once Iolaus had opened up about what had happened, and they had talked it through, he would start to recover from his depressed state. He rubbed the salve in, aware that Iolaus was trying not to wince as he did so. Then he undid the filthy bandage on Iolaus' leg. Hoping to keep Iolaus talking, he remarked, "You might have taken this off before getting into the tub."
"I thought it was better to soak it off."
"At least this looks like it's healing OK. Is this still the original bandage?"
Iolaus nodded. "Have you finished? Can I get dressed now?"
"I think you'd better go to bed. I'll bring you up some food."
"I don't want to go to bed yet. I'll come down with you."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Hercules responded firmly. "You tell me what you want and I'll fetch it."
"I don't feel like eating anything. I just thought I'd go with you."
Hercules smiled. "Iolaus, are you worried about being left on your own?" he teased.
"NO!" He looked down so Hercules could not see his face.
Hercules realized that what had been meant as a jest had hit the target fair and square. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Iolaus, won't you please tell me what's wrong? I can't help you if I don't know."
"Nothing's wrong. I'll stay here if you don't want my company."
Hercules was getting exasperated. "This is ridiculous! You are exhausted. You don't want to eat. You need to rest. Look I'll bring some food back and have mine here as well."
"It's not necessary. If you want to go without me do so. I don't care."
"I've told you what I'm going to do. I'll be back as quickly as I can."
On his return, he was somewhat surprised to find that Iolaus had actually gone to bed and was lying with his face to the wall. "Are you awake?"
A muttered "No"
"I've got plenty of food. Do you want anything?"
"Nothing."
"I really think you should eat something."
"NO! I'm trying to sleep."
"Well at least have something to drink then."
"If I do will you stop nagging me?"
"Yes." Hercules handed Iolaus a tankard of ale. He did not mention he'd added a few drops of poppy syrup to it in the hopes it would help him sleep.
Iolaus dosed off and, having completed his meal, Hercules decided he might as well have an early night.
He was awakened about an hour later when Iolaus began to toss and turn. "No...No. I don't want any. No! Please!" He seemed to be trying to fend off an unseen figure. Hercules grasped his shoulder and gently shook him awake.
"What..."
"It's OK, Iolaus, you were having a nightmare. Go back to sleep."
However, it seemed to Hercules that he had barely closed his eyes when he was awoken again. "Herc! Herc, where are you? ... Where is he? Hercules?" Iolaus' voice was agitated and getting louder and more desperate. "Is he all right? Why won't you tell me what's happened to him?"
Again, Hercules roused and reassured his friend. Iolaus quietened, but Hercules found sleep elusive. Finally he drifted off.
The next time he woke, it was to the sound of sobbing. Iolaus was crying in his sleep. In the moonlight, Hercules could see tears streaming down his face. His voice was muffled, but Hercules picked up the words "Hercules dead" and "my fault."
Hercules recalled Iolaus' first words to him back at the cottage, "I saw your grave." At the time he'd been too relieved to see his friend to give thought to them, but it was now obvious that Iolaus had believed him to be dead and, worse, that it had somehow been his fault.
He reached for Iolaus to awaken him. Iolaus was icy cold and was shaking. Even when roused he continued to shiver.
"It's OK, Iolaus, I'm all right. I'm here."
"I thought...I thought...I'm s-sorry, H-Herc. I-I'll try to stay awake so you can get some rest."
"You feel like you're freezing."
"I-I'm OK. You go back to sleep."
Hercules lay back, but he was aware that Iolaus was still shivering and then he heard a stifled sob. He reached over and pulled Iolaus into his arms. "Come on, Iolaus, you'd better lie up against me and get warmed up."
He expected some resistance, but to his surprise Iolaus said nothing. Gradually Iolaus calmed down and relaxed. Eventually he fell asleep with his head on Hercules' shoulder.
Hercules lay there for a long time. He found himself waiting for Iolaus' next nightmare, but his friend remained silent. Eventually he slept as well.
In spite of his disturbed night, Hercules woke early the next day. He eased his way out of bed, taking care not to disturb Iolaus. Then he washed and went downstairs to breakfast. He ate as quickly as he could and was relieved to find that Iolaus was only just stirring when he returned to the room. "Good morning. What do you want for breakfast?"
Iolaus ignored the question, asking, "Herc, did I keep waking you up last night?"
"Well you certainly weren't the quietest bed-mate I've ever had."
"I-I'm sorry."
"Iolaus, there's nothing to be sorry about. You can't help having bad dreams. Mind you, I think, you might feel better if you'd talk to me about things. From what you said last night..."
"Did I say things?" Iolaus interrupted in an agitated manner. "What did I say? It p-probably didn't make any sense, did it?"
"Not a lot, unless you count the fact that you seemed to feel responsible for my death."
Iolaus turned over and buried his face in the pillow.
Having started, Hercules decided it was best to try to force the issue. "At least you seemed very sorry about it. The bed was virtually awash."
"Did I...Did I cry...again?" There was a catch in his voice. "I couldn't stop. Th-They thought it was so...so funny."
"Who did?" encouraged Hercules.
"It doesn't matter."
"Iolaus, it obviously DOES matter. Please tell me about it."
"No, I can't...I-I'm too ashamed. I don't want to talk about anything."
Realizing his friend was becoming quite distraught, Hercules decided it was best to drop the topic temporarily and asked Iolaus what he wanted to do for the day.
Hercules had anticipated that they would stay in the village for a couple of days to allow Iolaus to rest and recuperate, but found his friend was determined to go on. Iolaus insisted he was feeling fine and, although he did not mention it, this was true in one respect as his head felt clear for the first time since the accident. The vague, fuzzy feeling, that had always seemed worse just after the medication the brothers had been giving him, was gone. Unfortunately, it had not taken his mental turmoil with it.
Seizing his chance, Hercules managed to force Iolaus to eat some breakfast in exchange for his agreement to proceed.
Progress was again slow and this time there was an added problem. Iolaus insisted they were being followed. He kept gazing around and stopping and looking back. Hercules could not see or hear anything and began to get quite exasperated by this behaviour. "Iolaus, you're imagining things."
"No, I'm sure he's following us."
He? So he had a definite person in mind rather than local bandits. "Who's he?"
"Zircon, of course."
"And who might Zircon be?"
"The brother that escaped. You should have killed him, Herc. Why didn't you finish him off while he was down?"
"Iolaus, you know I don't believe in killing if it can be avoided and I'm certainly not going to start on someone who can't defend himself."
"In this case it would have been the best thing to do. I'd have done it if I'd realized he was only unconscious."
"Not if I'd seen you try," Hercules observed sternly.
"But, Herc, you don't know what he..." His voice trailed off.
"No, I don't and I won't unless you stop mucking about and tell me."
For a moment, he thought Iolaus might open up, but then the hunter looked down and muttered about the need to go on and not waste time talking.
He continued to glance around as they walked, but tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to hide this from Hercules. Hercules tried to lighten things by commenting "You are developing a nervous disposition." He had hoped to spark one of Iolaus' cheeky rejoinders, but unfortunately it merely upset Iolaus more and the journey continued in a strained silence.
Eventually they reached another village and Hercules insisted they call it a day, although Iolaus would have gone on. This time an exhausted Iolaus did not attempt to follow Hercules out for food, electing to remain lying on his bed. So much for his desire to go on, thought Hercules. However, he did not think it was worth stirring up Iolaus by commenting to that effect.
While he was waiting for the food, a woman approached him. "Please, I've got a message for you if you are Hercules." He nodded. "There's a man asking to see you. He said something about needing help because of trouble in his village. He's waiting outside."
Hercules hesitated. He felt he had enough to deal with with Iolaus, but then he wondered if Iolaus might benefit from having someone else's problem to consider rather than just dwelling on his own. "Tell him to come in."
"He says he doesn't want to be seen as there's someone in the inn associated with his difficulties."
"OK. Lead the way."
"He's down by the creek."
But he was not. Halfway there, Hercules was suddenly struck by a vicious blow from a quarter-staff and was knocked unconscious.
"Can I go now?" the woman quaked fearfully. "I've done what you ordered me to do."
"Not yet. I've got one more little job for you to do."
So, a few minutes later, Iolaus was startled by a knock on the door of his room. "Who is it?"
"You don't know me, but I've got a message for you about Hercules."
Hearing a woman's voice, Iolaus unlatched the door. To his horror, the woman explained that Zircon had Hercules and wanted to see him at once.
"Is my friend all right?"
"As far as I know he's just unconscious, but I wouldn't put anything past Zircon. You'd better hurry. He gets impatient and then he's likely to do anything. He's told me to guide you."
"Just give me a minute."
"I'll wait outside."
Iolaus staggered back into the room and sat down heavily on the bed. He'd been right, they had been followed. Now what could he do? The last thing he wanted was to go near Zircon again, but he had no choice with Hercules' well-being at stake. He felt himself shaking and berated himself for his cowardice. Somehow he forced himself to his feet and joined the woman.
The journey was brief, but seemed endless. His legs felt leaden and his heart was pounding. When he finally heard Zircon's voice it was almost a relief. The nightmare of anticipation was over and he felt the now familiar feeling of resignation enveloping him.
"You took your time getting here, Blondie. I thought you might have chickened out and abandoned your friend." He was standing with his sword to Hercules' throat.
"Let him go."
"Oh I intend to do so provided you do as you're told. I've come for you. Hera gave you into our charge and I continue to serve her. My brother's death doesn't change her orders. If anything it makes me more determined to fulfill them. Now lie down on your stomach and put your hands behind you. No tricks or your friend dies."
Well aware from painful experience that Zircon reacted violently if he did not receive instant obedience, Iolaus quickly complied. Zircon motioned to the woman, "Put these manacles on his wrists." She did so.
Zircon then reached down and fastened a metal collar around Iolaus' neck, commenting, "Just what a slave should have." He yanked Iolaus' wrists viciously up his back and joined them to the collar by a short length of chain. "Try unlocking that!"
Pain was shooting across Iolaus' shoulders and down his arms. It was all he could do to keep from crying out. When Zircon grasped the chain and used it to haul him upright, he could not suppress a cry of agony. Somehow he stayed on his feet.
Iolaus risked a glance at Hercules. He was starting to stir. Iolaus prayed Zircon would not notice.
Zircon grasped Iolaus roughly by the shoulder and gave him a shove. "Well, Blondie, let's be off." He smirked and added, "I know you've been waiting anxiously for me to come for you."
A few minutes later, Hercules opened his eyes to find the woman regarding him anxiously. "Where's your accomplice?"
"He's not my accomplice," she protested. "I'm a widow and I live in a cottage not far from here. Zircon said he would hurt my children if I didn't obey him. He would have done it too, he's well known in these parts."
"Well, where is he?"
"He's gone. He got what he came for."
Hercules felt his blood turn to ice. He was almost too scared to ask, "What?"
"The small, blond man."
"How did he get Iolaus?"
"He made me go and tell him he had you. When he got here, Zircon told him that he'd come for him because he had been given to him by Hera and he intended to continue to obey her orders."
"HERA? Are you sure that's what he said?"
"I'm certain. Anyway he made me put chains on your friend while he held a sword to your throat. Then they left."
"How long ago? Which way?"
"Fifteen minutes or so. They went east."
Hercules was in a quandary. Following someone in the dark would be very difficult even for Iolaus, with his tracking skills. He knew he'd just get lost or would make too much noise and alert his quarry. He'd have to wait for daylight.
But what of Iolaus? He was in a bad state, both physically and psychologically, from the treatment meted out by Zircon and his family. What if this was the final straw? Hercules cursed himself when he recalled his laughing dismissal of Iolaus' belief that they were being followed. Even allowing for Iolaus' state of mind, he should have recognised his bushcraft.
The direction they had gone did give him some hope as it appeared that Zircon was heading back to his home. Perhaps he would be unaware that Hercules knew of the cave. However, although Hercules knew that he could find his way there in daylight, he wasn't sure that he could do so at night. Furthermore he could not be certain that Zircon was actually heading there. Therefore he reluctantly decided that the only practical thing he could do was to return to the inn until first light.
Meanwhile Iolaus was making heavy weather of the journey. Already tired out from the day's walking, in considerable pain from his restraints and faced with the difficulty of being forced to make his way through thick bush in near pitch-black conditions, he didn't know how long he could continue. If he slowed too much, Zircon would give him a vicious shove or a blow or, even worse, would jerk the chain between his neck and wrists.
He was aware of one thing that made his situation different to the last time he was in this man's power: Hercules was alive and would come for him if he could. Even if Hercules couldn't track them (and, in spite of his problems, Iolaus was trying to make their path as obvious as he could by tramping down the grass) and never found them, at least he was safe. Iolaus no longer had the crushing burden of guilt, the belief that he had been responsible for his friend's death. Unfortunately, he still felt the fear that had shamed him so when he was held prisoner in the cave. The fear that had begun when, shackled and semi-conscious, he had tried to resist the two shapes that were forcibly medicating him. The fear that had grown when the two shapes had refused to answer his frantic queries about Hercules and had cuffed him into silence. The fear that had overwhelmed him when the brothers had finally told him that Hercules was dead and that he was responsible for it. In his anguish, he had wept uncontrollably, thus showing the full extent of his vulnerability to the brothers and they had exploited this to the full in the days that had followed, with their taunts and jeers culminating in the visit to the grave.
He cursed himself. How could he who would go into a fight against all odds, fear one man so much? It was ridiculous, insane, but it was true. He had to conquer this fear. He couldn't live like this. If one had no self-respect one was nothing. All his life, it seemed, he'd had to prove himself. Even his own father had been apt to comment that he was too small, too weak, a crybaby who would never be a warrior. Likewise, many of the fights he'd had over the years had been the result of men assuming him to be an easy target for their bullying because of his stature. But he'd always believed in himself, until now...
He struggled on, but knew he could not go much further. He caught his foot on an unseen tree-root and stumbled. Zircon gave him a vicious push and he fell to his knees. He felt Zircon grasp the chain and start to pull him upright. It felt like his arms were being pulled from their sockets. The pain was too much and he fainted.
When he came around, he found himself lying just inside the entrance to a cave. Outside he could see the pale light of dawn and was aware that the cave faced differently to the brothers' home. The hills in that area were probably honey-combed with such caves and no doubt Zircon knew plenty of places to go to ground.
He wondered how far Zircon had carried him and whether he intended to return to his home. Would Hercules be trying to track them or would he take a chance that they were heading for the original cave and go there? He knew that Hercules would probably have had to wait for daybreak in either case, and so was probably just setting out. If he was tracking, the trail should be obvious at first, but Iolaus suspected that, once Zircon began to carry him, he was probably a good enough bush-man to make it difficult for Hercules.
Zircon entered the cave and ordered him to get up because they were moving on. Iolaus tried to obey, but found it too difficult so Zircon had to pull him to his feet. Iolaus was worried as he realized his arms were numb and he wondered if they might be going to suffer permanent damage. Zircon gave him a shove and he limped off. He decided that he would try to travel as slowly as possible to give Hercules a chance to catch-up, although he was aware that Zircon would punish him for it.
Meanwhile Hercules was making comparatively fast progress as Iolaus had managed to leave a clear trail. However, after an hour or so he reached the point where Iolaus had collapsed. After that tracking was not so easy and, once the trail led onto hard rocky ground, Hercules lost it. He was not to know that he was very close to the cave where Zircon and Iolaus had spent the latter part of the night, as Zircon had only carried Iolaus for about half an hour before deciding to stop.
Now he was faced with a dilemma: try to find the tracks or go at speed to the original cave and backtrack if they weren't there. He decided on the latter. He had a general idea where the cave was and hoped he'd recognise some landmarks en route as he didn't want to waste time heading back to the original track he and Iolaus had traveled.
Iolaus and Zircon finally emerged from the bush right alongside the cave. Iolaus stopped dead. There was no way he was going in. "Hurry up, Blondie. What are you stopping for? It looks like you don't enjoy my hospitality."
"I'm not...I can't..."
"You can and you will unless you WANT to be persuaded." He grasped the chain and jerked it upwards. Until this point, Iolaus' arms had been reasonably numb, but now pain screamed through them. He cried out in agony and would have fallen, but Zircon kept hold of the chain and forced him forward, nor allowing him to fall until they were inside. Iolaus lay on his stomach gasping in pain.
Zircon reached for a small bottle on a ledge. "Now I've got some of the medicine you're so fond of. Your obstructive time-wasting on the way here shows you've been without it too long."
"N-No! I don't need it anymore. My leg's OK," Iolaus gritted through teeth clenched against the pain in his arms and shoulders.
"You might not need the healing ingredients, but those aren't all it's good for," smirked his captor.
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say you'll be a bit more cooperative after it. Now are you going to take it quietly or am I going to have some fun?"
"NO!"
Zircon bent down and forced him over onto his back. The pain from his arms was now so intense he could hardly think let alone put up any resistance. His head was pushed back and he nearly choked as Zircon forced him to drink. However, as soon as Zircon released him, he vomited most of the fluid back up. Fortunately this amused rather than annoyed Zircon. "Well you can have it later if you'd rather."
He then dragged Iolaus to the back of the cave and locked the chain to the wall shackles. He reached down and stroked Iolaus' face, laughing as Iolaus flinched. His hand moved down to rest on Iolaus' thigh. "You know, Blondie, there's plenty of ways a slave can serve his master. My mother and brother didn't agree with my ideas on this, but they're not here now. Think about it." He paused to enjoy the look of apprehension and revulsion on his prisoner's face and then stated, "I'm off to collect some things from the house. We'll be moving on again when I return."
He was not long gone when Iolaus heard a noise. Rats? There was an indistinct whisper and then, "Is he gone?" The voice was that of a child.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" No reply. "Come over here so I can see you. My name's Iolaus. I can't hurt you, he's got me chained to the wall."
"We know. We saw him." Two small forms approached.
"What on earth are you doing here?"
"We're being warriors. Everyone said he and his brother were dead, so we dared each other to come and look in the cave."
"You'd better go. He'll be back soon and he's dangerous."
"We can't leave you here. We're warriors and warriors save people."
"And we know where he put the keys," added the second child. "They're on a ledge by the door. I'll get them." Iolaus was even more worried as the voice revealed the second child was a girl.
"OK, but you'd better hurry and one of you had better keep watch for Zircon. If you see him coming, you must both hide and not make a sound no matter what. He said we're moving from here so after we go you can escape." The boy moved to the entrance to keep watch, while the girl, who informed Iolaus their names were Helena and Haemon, fumbled with the keys. She found the one for the wall shackles fairly quickly, but had trouble with the other as the key did not want to turn. Iolaus was in an agony of impatience. The thought of Zircon catching the children was horrifying. He told Helena to give up and leave, but she refused and eventually was successful.
Iolaus' arms fell to his sides and he was racked by intense pain. He tried to tell himself it was a good sign as it meant feeling was returning. His eyes watered and he sat gasping. "Th-Thank you."
He felt Helena stroking his hair as she might comfort a younger child. "Can you stand up? I'll try to help."
He nodded and, bracing his back against the wall, managed to use his legs to push himself up. His shoulders and neck objected to this strongly, but he knew he had to succeed as he suspected the children would not leave without him. All his fear was now for the youngsters.
"H-Have you seen any weapons in the cave?" he managed to ask.
"Yes. There's a sword in the corner and there was a dagger by the keys." Haemon replied.
"Can you get them for me, please?"
The boy got both. Iolaus was pleased to recognise his hunting knife and, with some difficulty, managed to return it to the sheath at his hip. He wasn't sure what he could do with the sword as he suspected he wouldn't be able to raise his arm enough to draw it from the scabbard, but he was reluctant to leave it. He asked Haemon to carry it in his arms. "If I have to use it, you'll need to pull the scabbard away when I grab the hilt. Then you're both to run and you're not to stop until you reach the village. Understand?"
They set off at a reasonable pace, Iolaus was too worried about the children to give his aches and pains the attention they were demanding. He kept urging the children to leave him, but got nowhere. Warriors, even ten-year-old warriors, apparently did not behave in such a way. Helena even informed him that, as they had rescued him, they were responsible for him. The thought was not reassuring.
They'd covered half a mile, when Haemon glanced back and spotted a distant form. "It's Zircon! He's following us!"
"You two go on! Please! You can't wait for me. You can always send help back," Iolaus urged, knowing full well that any help could not possibly be in time.
It looked like Haemon was going to obey, but Helena flatly refused. The three quickened their pace, but Zircon was closing fast. Iolaus decided to stop, catch his breath and wait for their pursuer. Haemon held out the sword and Iolaus drew it. He realized he was going to have to try to use it two-handed and tried a couple of practice swings. It was going to be hopeless. He could hardly raise the thing. "You two had better go into those bushes." To his surprise, they obeyed.
Zircon approached. He had a gloating smile on his face. "You didn't really think you could get away from me again, did you?" He drew his sword.
Iolaus hoped against hope that he had not seen the children, but Zircon waved the shackles at him with his left hand and continued, "Once I have you secured, I'll find your little friends and skewer them."
He moved in. Iolaus managed to parry a couple of thrusts, but then Zircon slashed down on his sword and he could not hold it. He reached down to try to retrieve it and Zircon struck him across the side of his head with the flat of his sword. He fell to his knees as blackness threatened to engulf him.
Zircon reached out to grasp him, but suddenly jerked upright and swore. The children had emerged behind him and were pelting him with stones. He turned on them. They retreated but, as he turned back to Iolaus, they closed in again. Zircon kept his back to them and ignored the missiles, but his body tensed. Iolaus was aware that Zircon was just waiting his chance. He started to shout a warning, but Zircon turned rapidly, screaming ferociously. Terrified, the children went to run but, in their fright, they collided. Helena recovered herself, but Haemon fell. Zircon raised his sword and went after the boy. Somehow Iolaus managed to dive forward and ankle-tapped him. He fell heavily and Iolaus flung himself towards him, dragging his knife free as he did so. With no strength in his arms, he managed to use the weight of his falling body to drive the knife into Zircon's back. A wave compounded of relief and exhilaration flooded over him.
Zircon raised himself. The children screamed and Iolaus was tossed backwards to land heavily. Zircon was now upright and was clawing at his back in a desperate attempt to remove the knife. A glazed look passed over his face. Realizing it was the end, he deliberately reached for his sword. "I wonder if Hades allows personal slaves?" he remarked almost casually as he turned towards Iolaus.
He raised his arm. Iolaus could not help closing his eyes as he waited for the blow to fall. Instead he heard a heavy thud as Zircon collapsed.
"IOLAUS!" It was Hercules' voice.
Not long after Zircon had set out after Iolaus and the children, Hercules had reached the cave. To his disappointment, it was empty. He had been at a loss as to what he should do next and had been considering his options when he heard the children's screams. He had raced frantically to their assistance. He had observed the fight from a distance, but had been sickeningly aware that he would be too late to intervene. He saw Iolaus being flung to the ground and Zircon raising his sword over him. Everything seemed to be happening at slow motion, especially his progress towards the combatants. When Zircon crumpled to the ground, he could hardly believe his eyes.
Iolaus was lying unmoving beside Zircon. Had Zircon stabbed him as he fell? Hercules' heart was in his mouth. "IOLAUS!"
Iolaus managed to raise an arm slightly to acknowledge the cry. Then Hercules was beside him looking with horror at the blood on his chest.
"It's OK, Herc. Most of it is Zircon's," Iolaus gasped, "but I can't recommend driving daggers in with one's chest. It does hurt a little."
Hercules offered him a hand to rise and Iolaus had to explain his inability to accept the offer. "I'm getting some feeling back, " he concluded grimacing. "In fact, a bit more feeling than I can do with at present." He paused. "Are the children OK?"
"We're fine," Helena announced and proceeded to introduce herself and her friend to Hercules. Both were highly excited when they heard who he was. "I was pretending to be you when I went into the cave."
Not to be outdone, Haemon added, "So was I!"
"Didn't anyone want to be me?" Iolaus asked plaintively.
"We'd never heard of you," Helena responded. Looking at his crest-fallen expression, she added kindly, "but now that we have, we'll be sure to next time."
"After your efforts today, you only need to be yourselves," he observed, as Hercules helped him up.
They were back at the village. The children had been returned to relieved parents and Iolaus and Hercules were back in their room at the inn. Iolaus was sitting on the bed and Hercules on a chair beside it. The latter observed, "I probably should be lying there after all the stress I've been through. This time we are NOT, I repeat NOT, leaving here until you give me a full account of what happened to you after I left you with the old woman."
"I'm OK now, Herc."
"I don't care if you're the best you've ever been, you're not going anywhere until you tell me what's been going on."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, you do!"
"OK, Herc," Iolaus conceded reluctantly, his face a picture of dejection, "I suppose you've got a right to know, but you'll be ashamed of me...I know I am."
"Iolaus, I could never be ashamed of you. Just TELL me."
So an embarrassed Iolaus, told his story. Ashamed of what he saw as his abject cowardice, he did not spare himself in his recital, but told it all. He stressed his fears and despairing, resigned acceptance of his ill-treatment and enslavement, while skimming over the details of the physical and mental abuse he had suffered. He kept his head down to hide his face from Hercules, but his halting voice echoed his distress. He finished and fell silent, head still down and emotionally drained.
Hercules had listened in horror to what his friend had been subjected to, well aware what the gaps in the story would have contained. He got up and sat on the bed and put an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Iolaus, you're being too hard on yourself. You were very ill, you were carrying a burden of mistaken guilt and it sounds as if the 'medicine' they were giving you was designed to sap your will to resist. Anyone would have had difficulties coping under those conditions. But when it came to the point, you were willing to face your fears: you tried to escape to tell my mother of my 'fate', you gave yourself up to save me and finally you fought and saved the children. You beat Zircon by yourself in spite of your injuries."
Iolaus glanced up at him, "You won't...You won't approve of this, Herc, but when I stabbed him I felt great. It was as if a weight had been lifted off me."
"It is I that should apologise to you, Iolaus. When you told me that I should have killed Zircon back at the cottage, I argued with you. I didn't realize what you'd been through. If I'd known I might..."
"No, Herc, you wouldn't, that's not your style. But thank you for the thought."
"Well, here's another thought and you are NEVER to doubt this one, Iolaus. Real bravery doesn't mean one knows no fear, it means one overcomes it and you have done that, my friend."
Iolaus raised his head at last and looked into the eyes of his friend. All he could see there was love and trust, none of the doubt and disgust that he had thought Hercules might feel. He managed a tentative smile and felt Hercules tighten his grip around his shoulders in response.
"I really am ready to go home now, Herc."
"So am I."
The healing process had started, but there were a few more scars on the body and soul of the hunter.
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