After 4086 BC in the Italian Peninsula. Kairos 18: Kartesh of the Shemsu

Recording …

“It says here Kartesh originally came from Egypt.” Lincoln summarized the information from the database as they walked. “It says she genetically altered the Shemsu people for the sake of the Agdaline, whoever they are, and had her people spread around the globe. It doesn’t explain. I could look up Shemsu and Agdaline.”

“No, finish about Kartesh.”

Lincoln nodded. “The gods collectively decided that she needed to be responsible for her work and made her a lesser goddess over the Shemsu. Then they moved her to Rhodes to protect her from the god Set.”

“Sounds complicated,” Captain Decker said.

“Real life usually is,” Alexis countered.

“Anyway, hey! It says in this lifetime, the gods collectively first recognized her as the Kairos and formally invested her with her little ones.”

“Little ones?” Lieutenant Harper asked.

“Us,” Mingus answered. “This is the life when she became our goddess, or god as the case may be.”

“But wait,” Lockhart interrupted. “You just said in this life she got made goddess over the Shemsu people.”

Lincoln nodded. “That, too. Maybe that is why they made her an actual goddess, lesser goddess anyway.”

“Sounds complicated,” Captain Decker repeated himself.

“Real life usually is,” Alexis gave the same response.

“Hold on,” Boston interrupted. “I need to stop for a bit.” She rested several days after her ordeal in Faya’s time, but she was still far from perfectly healed. Now, she felt exhausted, and ached everywhere from having walked all day.

Lockhart looked at the sky and thought they should all stop for the night. “Make camp,” he said. “We have a long way to go tomorrow and the next day as well. No reason to push it.”

Roland stayed near Boston the whole time with plenty of cursory looks toward his father. Lockhart, Alexis, and Katie thought it was cute. Lincoln had no opinion. Captain Decker did not appear to notice. Whether Mingus noticed or not, no one could say.

Roland found the hunting good and came back with a better notion of where they might be. “North of what will one day be Rome,” he said. “We spent the day moving through the seven hills, and the Tiber River is not far.”

After that, they had supper and went early to bed. For the supper, Alexis found a real treat. There were more ripe grapes on the nearby vines than they could possibly eat. Before bed, Lockhart went back to two on watch through the night. Everyone knew the easy days of Faya’s mountain village and sleeping in were over.

Roland and Captain Decker took the wee hours. They would wake Boston and Katie just before dawn, though Roland said he would take Boston’s turn.

“Suit yourself.” The captain did not argue. He went to one side of the camp while Roland went to the other. An hour went by, and the moon finally rose, the tiniest sliver just past new.

No wolf, Roland gladly thought, just before he heard a fascinating sound in the distance. It sounded a bit like the wind whistling in the trees, but it gradually grew louder and more sustained.  He strained his ears and all at once, he realized the whistling changed pitch and tone. Someone was making music.

Roland stood and moved a short way into the woods. He definitely heard music, and like the best music of the little ones, he recognized that it had a magical, hypnotic quality. As he thought about it, his eyes opened wide. He spun and ran to the camp, but too late. Lockhart, Decker and Lincoln had abandoned everything in camp and were running off. Katie Harper paused to change her fairy weave from military style to the sheerest, see-through nightgown that barely came below her hips and otherwise showed her as naked. Alexis rose a bit behind but danced off with Katie into the woods before Roland could stop her.

Boston fought her stiffness and tried to get up and join them. She looked to be in pain. Roland thought the pain might be helping her. He tackled her. She fought back. “Father!” Roland yelled.  Mingus sat up and shook his head, trying hard to clear it.

“Father!” The music started to strengthen and came nearer.

“Son?” Mingus appeared to break free of the spell for the moment. He quickly gauged Roland’s struggle and put his hand to Boston’s forehead. She passed out as he spoke. “Quick. We must get away from here before we get caught up in the dance. Hurry.”

They had to struggle to walk, dragging and carrying Boston between them. Mingus shook his head several times as they went, and Roland agreed with him, but his mind stayed occupied with saving Boston. The music decreased slowly in volume as they added distance. It seemed amazing to Roland how one simple set of pipes could carry for so many miles. But then, it became no longer one simple set of pipes. Other musicians started to join in.

Boston woke and struggled for a moment before she realized she was trapped. She kept her mouth shut and dragged her feet until the pain made her feet move again. By then the creatures that streamed by to join the dance fascinated her. She saw fauns, shy goat legged people with small horns adorning their ruddy faced heads. The fauns tried to move through the trees, but they could not help being seen. She saw dwarfs, or perhaps they were gnomes. They were quite small, and cute. Some of the last were the greatest of all. They were Centaurs, majestic and stately creatures, that galloped toward the music.

The music became faint by then and Boston spoke up. “I’m fine,” she said calmly. Mingus and Roland stopped and eyed each other. They let go, and Boston made a dash for it, but the elves were much too fast for her. They grabbed the arms and lifted her off the ground as they turned her back to the path.

“Let me go,” she struggled, but again she soon gave it up. It hurt too much to struggle. Then they saw the last of the centaurs. He looked old, with gray hair around his hooves and on his head. He kept shaking his head, much like Mingus, and Mingus had a thought. There was no telling what lay ahead, and they could use an ally.

“You can fight it,” he told the Centaur. “You can win against it.” The centaur stopped and looked at them with eyes that said he did not grasp what they were saying.

“Come with us. This way.” Mingus said, and they began to drag Boston further from the music.

“But—” the Centaur pointed in the direction the other had galloped.

“This way. Short cut,” Mingus lied like an elf.

The centaur slowly turned and followed.