me chiliarch. Only one rank beneath strategos and a great honour considering I am a man. I hope to serve you too when the time comes.”
I jumped down from the wall and looked up at the immortal. “I wish I was immortal. Then I would never have to be afraid.”
“Promise me you will not wish too earnestly for what I have. It is a heavy burden to bear.”
“I cannot promise that. It seems a wonderful gift.”
“Your highness, people saw the serpent stone as you do. When I took the stone from Nemea’s heart I thought I was the luckiest man on earth. But I quickly realised that immortality came at a great price. Over the centuries I was reborn again and again. What a shock to grow up and discover you had lived before! With each new life I had to relearn all that I knew. It came back to me in pieces, like a dream, bit by bit in blurry fragments. Each time they named me Drayk or Philander or Ambrosios and as I grew I came to realise that Drayk was more than one person: he was many. I shared the consciousness and memories of my previous incarnations.
“With the serpent stone I escaped death, in a way. But each time I reached my fortieth year I had to say goodbye to the ones I loved.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Yes, but it is the fate of all men to have to relive the lives of those who came before them. In a perfect world, like the Elysian Fields, we would start where our ancestors left off. We would add to their knowledge without having to waste time learning what they knew. We would live collectively, with one consciousness, one body of knowledge. But this is prohibited to us until the gates are open, when my immortality will be over and I can rest. It is our suffering. Only the immortal who lives to see the end of the world will understand everything that has come before him, but by then it will be too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“It would be like standing in front of a great tapestry. When you are too close you can only see each thread, each minuscule stitch. But when you step back you can finally see the detail.”
“I see,” I said, though I didn’t. Not really.
“One day you will.” He cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed that he had spoken so candidly. “Now we must start or your mother will have my skin.”
“But what about Kali? And your mother? I thought you sold the stone?”
“After I slayed the serpent, I descended the mountain to sell the stone to a gem merchant in Alaira. He weighed it, turned it over and peered at its swirling core. ‘This is a serpent stone,’ he said, throwing it back to me. I asked him why he would not take it. ‘Everybody knows you cannot use another person’s serpent stone. His immortality is gained in the taking of the serpent’s life, not in the wearing of the talisman.’ All I had done—leaving home, working as a salt miner, crossing the desert and killing the serpent—had been for nothing. Now we must start.”
I reluctantly climbed down from the wall, picked up the spear and accepted the shield. I wanted to know the entire story now, to see the big picture that he spoke of, but it was his story to tell and already he had shown me much kindness, more kindness than anyone had shown me before. I wanted to return the favour by being patient, by being the best student he had ever had.
Drayk stood behind me and I was disturbed by his proximity. I was unaccustomed to being so close to anyone except Nanny Blan and my father. He wrapped his hand over mine, adjusting my grip and put his feet between mine to kick my legs apart. “The correct stance is wide, knees bent, always in readiness with your stomach braced.”
I flexed my weak muscles.
“Now imagine there is someone coming towards you. He is going to kill you if you don’t get him first. Go!”
I wiped my shoulder-length hair out of my face with sweaty hands, repositioned the spear and jabbed at my invisible opponent; my face was creased in concentration. I did not want to disappoint him
I jumped down from the wall and looked up at the immortal. “I wish I was immortal. Then I would never have to be afraid.”
“Promise me you will not wish too earnestly for what I have. It is a heavy burden to bear.”
“I cannot promise that. It seems a wonderful gift.”
“Your highness, people saw the serpent stone as you do. When I took the stone from Nemea’s heart I thought I was the luckiest man on earth. But I quickly realised that immortality came at a great price. Over the centuries I was reborn again and again. What a shock to grow up and discover you had lived before! With each new life I had to relearn all that I knew. It came back to me in pieces, like a dream, bit by bit in blurry fragments. Each time they named me Drayk or Philander or Ambrosios and as I grew I came to realise that Drayk was more than one person: he was many. I shared the consciousness and memories of my previous incarnations.
“With the serpent stone I escaped death, in a way. But each time I reached my fortieth year I had to say goodbye to the ones I loved.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Yes, but it is the fate of all men to have to relive the lives of those who came before them. In a perfect world, like the Elysian Fields, we would start where our ancestors left off. We would add to their knowledge without having to waste time learning what they knew. We would live collectively, with one consciousness, one body of knowledge. But this is prohibited to us until the gates are open, when my immortality will be over and I can rest. It is our suffering. Only the immortal who lives to see the end of the world will understand everything that has come before him, but by then it will be too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“It would be like standing in front of a great tapestry. When you are too close you can only see each thread, each minuscule stitch. But when you step back you can finally see the detail.”
“I see,” I said, though I didn’t. Not really.
“One day you will.” He cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed that he had spoken so candidly. “Now we must start or your mother will have my skin.”
“But what about Kali? And your mother? I thought you sold the stone?”
“After I slayed the serpent, I descended the mountain to sell the stone to a gem merchant in Alaira. He weighed it, turned it over and peered at its swirling core. ‘This is a serpent stone,’ he said, throwing it back to me. I asked him why he would not take it. ‘Everybody knows you cannot use another person’s serpent stone. His immortality is gained in the taking of the serpent’s life, not in the wearing of the talisman.’ All I had done—leaving home, working as a salt miner, crossing the desert and killing the serpent—had been for nothing. Now we must start.”
I reluctantly climbed down from the wall, picked up the spear and accepted the shield. I wanted to know the entire story now, to see the big picture that he spoke of, but it was his story to tell and already he had shown me much kindness, more kindness than anyone had shown me before. I wanted to return the favour by being patient, by being the best student he had ever had.
Drayk stood behind me and I was disturbed by his proximity. I was unaccustomed to being so close to anyone except Nanny Blan and my father. He wrapped his hand over mine, adjusting my grip and put his feet between mine to kick my legs apart. “The correct stance is wide, knees bent, always in readiness with your stomach braced.”
I flexed my weak muscles.
“Now imagine there is someone coming towards you. He is going to kill you if you don’t get him first. Go!”
I wiped my shoulder-length hair out of my face with sweaty hands, repositioned the spear and jabbed at my invisible opponent; my face was creased in concentration. I did not want to disappoint him
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