Thena touched Parmenion's arm and walked back to the shade of the tree where they had spent the night. The Spartan followed her. 'What is wrong?' he asked. 'Is he lying? Will he truly help us?'
'Gorgon is not the concern,' she whispered. 'The Demon Prince has gathered an army. He is moving towards us, intent on destroying the Forest King.'
'What Demon Prince?' asked Parmenion. 'What are you saying?'
'The Chaos Spirit has taken control of Alexander. He has become a horned creature, with fangs and talons. It is these woods, Parmenion, so full of Dark Enchantment. They swelled his power. Attalus is with him, and a centaur called Camiron. But the Spirit now controls hundreds of Gorgon's followers.'
'I don't understand. How do you know this? You said you could not release your spirit here.'
'I can still reach out, touching those I know if they are not too far distant. I can feel the thoughts and fears of Attalus.
They will be here very soon.'
'From which direction do they come?'
'The north,' she answered, pointing to a break in the trees.
'Is the demon in full control of the boy?'
'Yes.'
Parmenion sighed, then cursed softly. 'I will go to them,' he said.
'The Demon Prince will kill you!'
'I have no choice,' he replied wearily. A Vore swooped down over the trees, landing before the Forest King.
Parmenion strode back to the throne. Gorgon listened as the Vore spoke, then came to his feet — eyes angry, fists clenched.
'This child of yours comes to me for war!' he thundered.
'As you would expect, my lord,' answered Parmenion. 'He does not know whether we are prisoners or guests. I shall go to him, and bring him to you alone.'
This Iskander,' said the King, 'is horned and cat-eyed. The legends do not speak of this.'
'He is a shape-changer, as you once were, sire. His powers, as you now know, are very great. Let me go to him.'
Gorgon nodded, then his hand stabbed out, pointing to Thena and Brontes. 'They stay,' he hissed, 'and if you lie they will suffer.'
Parmenion bowed. 'As you wish, lord,' he said, holding his voice even. Bowing once more, the Spartan swung to the north and walked from the clearing. Once in the cover of the trees he ran — long, loping, effortless strides along the narrow trail, his mind concentrating on the problem ahead. How could he deal with a god? What arguments could he use?
Thena's voice whispered once more into his brain. 'I can feel Alexander now. He is not wholly overcome. And there is something else. . the demon and the boy are linked. The Chaos Spirit is not yet whole. He is still… I don't know.
. child-like?'
The words faded and the Spartan ran on, up a hillside and on to a wider track. 'More to your left!' came the voice of Thena. 'No more than two hundred paces.'
The undergrowth was too thick to change direction, and Parmenion ran back along the way he had come before turning to a new trail. He could hear them now, just ahead. Slowing to a walk the Spartan stepped out before them and waited, keeping his face emotionless despite the shock of seeing the Demon Prince sitting upon the giant centaur. Alexander's face was now a pallid grey, mottled black ram's horns sprouting from the temples. His hair was white, the golden eyes slitted beneath heavy brows, his mouth was twisted and wide with teeth long and protruding.
There was nothing left of the beautiful child.
'Ah, my general approaches!' came a deep voice. 'Welcome, Parmenion!'
Beyond the Prince the monstrous army waited, and beside him stood Attalus, his face a mask, his expression unreadable.
'This is neither your time nor your world,' said Parmenion softly. 'Give us back the boy.'
'Serve me or die!' answered the Chaos Spirit.
'No, you will die,' Parmenion told him. 'You think this display of. . power. . can win you a world? Gorgon will fight you, and even if you defeat him what will you have? A pitiful forest in a world where another Spirit rules. And that Spirit controls an army of countless thousands. You are playing a child's game in a man's world. Now give us back the boy!'
The Demon swung to Attalus. 'Kill him!' he ordered. Attalus said nothing, but drew his sword and walked to where Parmenion stood waiting. Once there the Macedonian turned and faced the Demon. 'You betray me!' shouted the prince. 'Then you will both die.'
'Wait!' called Parmenion. 'Your world is a long way from here. Only I can return you to it. Without me you will be trapped here, in the body of a child. How will you survive?'
'I have my army,' answered the Demon, but his voice wavered as he looked upon the beasts around him.
'You will conquer nothing with those,' said Parmenion. 'You might not even best the Forest King.'
'And if I give you the boy?'
'I will return him to his own world.'
'How so?' sneered the Demon. 'By trusting Gorgon? He will kill him. . me.'
'Then you must decide — and swiftly. You may have this forest… or a world. Decide, damn you!'
For a moment the Demon sat very still, his slitted eyes fixed on Parmenion, then he seemed to relax. 'One day I will kill you both,' he said, his voice echoing as if from a great distance. The horns began to shrink, Alexander cried out and fell from the centaur. Parmenion ran forward, lifting the boy and pushing back the golden hair. There was no sign now of the Demon, save in the fading brown patches of skin at the temples. Once more his hair was golden, his face beautiful.
'I couldn't. . stop him. . Parmenion,' wailed the child. 'I tried!'
'You did enough. Believe me! You did not allow him his full strength. That confused him.'
'Look out, Parmenion!' shouted Attalus. All around the man and the boy the beasts were rising, their eyes baleful.
Without the Demon to control them they saw only three Humans and a centaur, four enemies for the slaughter.
Parmenion surged upright, holding Alexander tightly to his shoulder. 'Back!' he shouted, but the beasts ignored him.
His sword snaked out as a creature with the head of a lizard sprang forward. His blade slashed across its throat, hurling it back.
Suddenly an eerie wailing filled the air and the creatures fell to their knees. Parmenion swung to see Gorgon striding from the forest, Thena and Brontes behind him.
A horned beast of prodigious size lifted a huge club and ran at the Forest King. Gorgon's eyes glowed. The beast staggered — and began to shrink, its muscles wasting away. Thinner and thinner it became until at last it fell to the earth, breaking into many pieces. A slight wind blew, raising a cloud of dust where the beast had fallen. Not even bones were left.
Gorgon turned towards Parmenion. 'Bring the child to me!' he commanded. The Spartan's legs were unsteady as he walked to the King, but his sword was still in his hand and he was ready to plunge it into the King's belly at the first sign of treachery.
'Be brave!' he whispered to the boy. Alexander nodded. Parmenion lowered the prince to the ground and the boy approached the Forest King, staring up into the green snake-shrouded face.
'Show me your power,' said Gorgon.
'I will show you,' Alexander told him. 'But at the Giant's Gateway.'
'Then you are truly Iskander.'
'I am,' Alexander answered.
The prince stood silently with head cocked to one side, his green eyes watching the writhing snakes. 'Are they real snakes?' he asked suddenly.
'Reality depends upon your perspective,' answered Gorgon, kneeling down and dipping his head. The snakes rose up, hissing, their forked tongues darting forward under sharp fangs.
The boy did not flinch. 'They are not alive,' he said.
'If they bite you, you will die,' Gorgon pointed out.
'That does not make them real. Their eyes are blind. They cannot see, they cannot feel. They move because you order it.'