Chapter 5
The countryside was transforming from forest to grasslands. Jessa rode Mystic, her bare feet poking out from under the hem of the travel cloak she wore. Hercules walked beside her at the horse’s shoulder. Iolaus trailed them, several dozen yards behind.
Hercules looked back at his friend for the millionth time that day and shook his head. "This has got to stop."
"What?" Jessa asked.
"Nothing," Hercules said, "I’ll be right back."
He stopped and waited for Iolaus to catch up while Mystic and Jessa continued on. The blonde man – his head hanging, eyes focused, unseeing, on the ground – nearly ran into Hercules.
"Iolaus, come on, snap out of it."
Iolaus looked up into the tall man’s face – his own face still bore the same mask of misery as it had been since that night around the campfire.
"Iolaus, you’ve got to stop beating yourself up over this."
"How can I? Things were bad enough for her and then I had to go and rub salt in her wounds!"
"Iolaus, you did no such thing – what happened to her, happened before she even met you. What’s upsetting her has to do with that – not with what you said."
"But if I had just kept my big mouth shut, she would have…"
"…still been upset!" Hercules interrupted. "It’s Ares that upsets her – not you!"
Iolaus looked at his friend – for the first time in days, he began to feel that maybe he could forgive himself.
"Listen, Iolaus, I know you think that your joking around caused her more pain than she was already feeling – but it’s not true. That part of you is one of your best qualities – use it! Use it now to help her – help her to heal."
Iolaus thought about that. Finally, he looked at his friend and nodded. "Okay… I’ll try."
Hercules squeezed Iolaus’ shoulder and smiled. "Come on, let’s catch up."
They turned and jogged down the trail to where Mystic and Jessa were. They had stopped to wait for the two men.
"Is everything alright?" Jessa asked.
Hercules smiled and glanced at Iolaus. "Yeah, I think everything’s going to be just fine."
Iolaus returned the smile – his friend’s confidence in him strengthened him.
"I think I’ll walk for a while now," Jessa informed them.
Hercules reached up and, picking her up by the waist, set her down on the ground. She smiled into his eyes, "I’m perfectly capable of dismounting from a horse – I’ve only been riding since I was three!"
Jessa looked at Iolaus and winked, "Some men can just never get past the opinion that women can never be as capable as men."
Iolaus’ heart jumped at her smile. "Yeah," he agreed, "But you’ll have to forgive the big guy here – next to him, even gorillas are delicate little flowers."
Jessa’s laugh twinkled with merriment. Iolaus’ heart jumped again.
Hercules looked at Iolaus and nodded his head toward Jessa – indicating an ‘I told you so’. Iolaus’ spirits rose.
Mystic nuzzled Jessa and nickered. The stallion then turned and wandered off the path through a thin screen of saplings toward a grassy meadow.
"Whoa!" Hercules cried in alarm and started after the horse.
"No! Wait – it’s okay!" Jessa said, "He’s hungry – he’ll catch up with us later."
Hercules stopped pursuing, but looked after as the horse lowered his head and began munching on the grasses and clover. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, yes… he does it all the time."
Hercules returned to the path. "Really? Wow, you must have him pretty well trained – most horses would just take off."
The trio resumed their trek through the woods.
"Well, I wouldn’t exactly use the term ‘trained’," Jessa said.
"What do you mean?" asked Iolaus.
Jessa studied the two men, as if she was calculating whether or not she could trust them. She reached her conclusion quickly.
"You must promise not to tell anyone else this," she said earnestly.
The two men nodded their agreement.
"He’s not just any horse – he’s as intelligent as you or I."
Hercules and Iolaus exchanged astonished glances.
"It’s true," Jessa assured them, "Are you both familiar with the steppe people of the eastern lands?"
"Yes," Hercules answered.
"Well, I was raised by them. Their culture revolves around their herds of horses. If there’s anything to be known about horses, they know it."
"That’s what I’ve heard," said Iolaus.
"Well, there’s some things they know about horses that no one else does… including the rituals that are used to create horses like Mystic.
"Mystic started out the same as any other horse. He was a gift to me from my father when I came-of-age – Mystic was the best of the best in my father’s herds. His large size was quite exceptional for the horses raised by the steppe people. My father had had him specially bred – sired by a Thessalonian stallion that my father had imported to improve his stock."
Jessa laughed, "I practically lived on Mystic’s back from the moment he was given to me! Imagine a skinny, gangly girl of twelve crawling all over a hot-blooded war stallion! Gods! For a stallion, he had immeasurable patience! Most would have tried to tear me to pieces – I was such a pest!
"But not Mystic," her eyes glowed lovingly. "Right from the moment we first set eyes on each other, there was a bond between us. After he was given to me, Mystic would suffer no other to ride him, but me. There’s a special word for just that sort of bond in the language of my people. It’s a sort of bond between a person and a horse like no other – and it’s very rare and very precious to my people."
"So that’s why you can trust him not to run off, " Hercules said.
"Partially," Jessa responded, "But it’s more than that."
She lowered her head and was quiet for a moment. "I had a brother. He wasn’t related to me by blood, but we couldn’t have been closer in any case. He… died. When it was realized he was dying – there wasn’t much time – the clan’s healers could do nothing to save him. But, there was… another way he could go on.
"They hurried in their preparations and I brought Mystic to his side. As his life essence drained away… the healers… gathered it… somehow… in a special bowl containing water and special herbs and oils, while they chanted their spells. When my brother had breathed his last breath, they brought the bowl to Mystic and he drank the liquid – transferring my brother to Mystic."
"Gods," Iolaus said amazed, "That’s possible?"
Jessa looked at him and nodded solemnly. "Yes. Horses, like all animals, have no souls. But they can be used like an empty vessel, to hold a man’s soul."
She looked down at the ground again. "However, in my brother’s case, his life’s essence had already begun to slip away by the time the healers were able to begin the process. The transfer was not… complete. Mystic should have become my brother, complete in all ways but his form. That did not happen – his soul was not transferred – it had already passed beyond before the healers could capture it. The result was that Mystic became as intelligent and able to think and reason as a human – but he was not my brother – he had no soul."
The trio walked on in silence.
After a few moments, Jessa looked up and smiled softly. "I am still grateful for what I do have of my brother, though. And it turned out to be an even greater gift – somehow, the bond between Mystic and myself, and between my brother and me, melded together. Somehow, by a process I can’t even begin to understand, I can understand what Mystic says."
"You mean he talks to you?" Hercules asked surprised.
"Yes. When he nickers, I can understand what he says – only I understand it up here," she tapped her head.
"You’re telepathically linked," Iolaus said.
"Perhaps," Jessa responded, "But I can only understand him if I can also hear him. My ears hear the sounds only as normal horse noises, but then I hear them in my head – as if a human mouth spoke them. They even sound like my brother’s voice."
"Fascinating," Hercules said, "Can you understand all horses?"
Jessa shook her head, "No, only Mystic."
"What about Mystic – can he understand people other than you?"
"Yes – he can understand anyone – I guess that’s because of the transferred abilities. But, he can also understand other horses. After all, he is still a horse – he didn’t lose any of his natural abilities."
"You mean horses talk!" Iolaus exclaimed.
"Of course," Jessa said.
"Jeez," Iolaus wondered, "What do you suppose horses talk about amongst themselves?"
Jessa laughed. "Not much! It mostly has to do with their basic needs – food… sex…"
"Huh!" Iolaus remarked, "Sounds a lot like Herc, here!"
"Hey!" Hercules objected.
Jessa was beside herself with laughter.
Hercules made a grab for his insulting friend but Iolaus ducked behind Jessa.
"If you want me, you’ll have to go through her first!" Iolaus warned.
Hercules looked at Jessa appreciatively. "Sounds good to me."
"See!" Iolaus cried, "What did just I tell you!"
Jessa slid her arm around Hercules’ waist and cuddled up to him. "We all have our needs," she said seductively, slipping her hand inside his shirt.
Hercules flushed beet-red. Iolaus’ jaw hit the ground.
Jessa grabbed Iolaus by his vest and jerked him to her. Her other arm slid around his waist now. "Don’t worry Iolaus, there’s plenty to go around." Her voice was low and sultry.
Now it was Iolaus’ turn to blush.
It didn’t last though – Iolaus wasn’t the type to be rattled easily about such matters.
"Hmmm…" Jessa said speculatively, as she hugged the two muscle-bound men at her sides, "Whod’ve ever thought that some day I’d wind up a ‘hero sandwich’."
Jessa grinned up at Hercules. "You know, it’s kind of nice to have such a tall guy around – it turns me on!"
"Wait a minute!" Iolaus said, insulted.
Hercules looked down on his shorter friend with a superior air.
"You know, though, what they say about the height of men – don’t you Jessa?" Iolaus asked slyly.
"No, what do they say about the height of men, short-stuff!"
"Short-stuff!" Iolaus exclaimed in affront. He grabbed Jessa’s face in his hand, and, in a voice deep and sexy, he breathed, "All men, are the same height – laying down!"
Jessa gasped in scandalous delight. "Iolaus!"
Iolaus looked up at his tall friend over Jessa’s head. "Flip you for first dibs," he said.
"You want me to flip you?" Hercules shook his head. "Nah – I’d rather flip her."
Suddenly, Jessa was upside down as Hercules held her by the ankles.
Iolaus laughed as Jessa began to squirm.
"Oh gods… oh, gods," Jessa gasped, "Put me down… put me down!"
Iolaus lost his smile at the tone he heard in her voice. He hurried to take her shoulders and helped Hercules set her upright again. She was shaking.
"What’s wrong," Hercules asked with concern.
She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. "Ares…" she breathed.
The two men exchanged glances. Hercules put his hand on her shoulder. "I’m sorry."
Jessa tried to smile. "It’s okay, you didn’t know." She started off down the path again.
"Now I know how you felt," Hercules said to his friend as he looked after Jessa.
"Yeah, pretty lousy, huh?" Iolaus’ brow creased in anger. "What in Tartarus did that animal do to her!"
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The sun shone hotly down on the little band of travelers. They were passing through an area of rolling hills that were devoid of nearly any vegetation except drought-parched gasses.
Suddenly, Mystic squealed in alarm. Turning to face him, Hercules just managed to catch Jessa as she slid out of the saddle.
"Jessa!"
She did not respond.
Snatching a water skin from the saddle, Hercules quickly took her to the grass edging the trail and laid her down. He began wetting her face with some water that he poured into his hand. Iolaus knelt down beside him.
"What happened?"
"She fainted," Hercules replied, concern heavy in his voice.
"I knew we shouldn’t have moved her in this heat!"
"I know, Iolaus, but we didn’t have much choice – we’re running out of water." His brow creased in concern. "I’m really worried about her Iolaus."
Mystic approached them and nuzzled Jessa anxiously.
Hercules poured the last dribble of water into Jessa’s parched mouth and set the empty water skin aside. "That’s the last of it, Iolaus. You and I can go another few days without, but she can’t."
"I’ll just have to go out and search for more, then," Iolaus said. He shook his head as he looked around at the drought-stricken landscape. "God’s help us, because the chances don’t look too good."
Mystic nickered for their attention. He had picked the empty water bag up in his mouth and was shaking it. He looked at Iolaus and then turned and began to walk off into the grasslands. He stopped and looked back, nickering again.
"He wants you to follow him," Hercules said.
"Of course!" Iolaus said with excitement, "Horses can smell water! He wants to take me to some!" He went up to Mystic and took the bag from him. "I’ll be back as soon as I can," he told Hercules. Iolaus left, following Mystic.
Hercules looked at Jessa as she lay unconscious on the ground, exposed to the full heat of the sun.
"She’s got to be cooking in that heavy cloak."
Kneeling down by Jessa’s side, he removed the cloak and, rolling it up, set it under her head for a pillow. Then he removed his shirt and used it to cover her. Lying down on his side next to her, he attempting to shade her with his shadow. He was only partially successful – the sun was too high in the sky. But, by propping himself up on one elbow and leaning over her, he was able to shade her head. His long, brown hair framed her face as his head hovered close to hers.
He gently brushed the sweat-soaked strands of her hair back from her heat-flushed face.
"Come on Jessa – hang in there," he said in a troubled voice.
Jessa’s eyelids fluttered a moment, and then she opened her eyes. Hercules exhaled in relief.
"Jessa."
She blinked at him, her eyes struggling to focus.
"Father?"
"No Jessa – it’s me, Hercules."
"Hercules?" Her voice was drowsy.
"Yes, Jessa, Hercules."
Her body suddenly convulsed. She put her hands against his chest and pushed.
"No!" she cried. She tried to roll out from under him.
Hercules grabbed her and held onto her, wrapping both arms wrapped around her.
"Ares, stop!" she pleaded, sobbing. She attempted to struggle but she was too weakened.
"No, Jessa! It’s me, Hercules!"
She did not seem to hear him.
"Please, Ares! Please!" Her struggling was getting weaker.
"No, Jessa! Look at me!" Hercules took her chin in one hand and turned her head to face his own. "Look at me! I’m not Ares! I’m not Ares!"
Jessa’s tear filled eyes struggled to focus.
"It’s me – Hercules! It’s Hercules!"
Jessa finally seemed to bring her eyes, and mind, into focus.
"Hercules?"
"Yes, Jessa," he said soothingly, "It’s alright."
She collapsed, sobbing, into his arms.
He held her close, her head cradled against his chest, tucked under his chin. Gently, her stroked her hair and made comforting noises.
"Shhh… it’s alright now, Jessa. You’re safe."
Hercules continued to hold her as her crying gradually eased until it finally stopped and she was quiet and still in his arms.
"Jessa?" he whispered.
There was no response.
He started to lay her down on the grass again, but her arms tightened around him.
"No – please – just a little while longer?"
So he just continued to hold her, softly stroking her hair, as the sun continued on its course through the sky.
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The sun’s edge was only a hand’s span away from the horizon when Iolaus returned with Mystic.
Hercules had just finished building a fire. Jessa was asleep, still covered with Hercules’ shirt. He had used the cloak to make a lean-to to shade her.
"How is she?" Iolaus asked.
"Better, I think. How did your search go?"
Iolaus held up one hand. Dangling from it were all of their water skins, filled to capacity.
"I followed Mystic for a long time. I thought that he might be leading me on a long, hot wild-harpy chase after all, when all of a sudden, he put his nose down into a bunch of rocks and started slurping away. It was a tiny spring – nothing much more than a trickle, but it was enough. I never would have found it if it hadn’t been for him."
"That’s a relief," Hercules said, "We’ll stay here then, until she’s doing better."
"Listen, Herc, I saw rabbit sign out in the bush – I’m going to see if I can’t rustle some up for dinner."
"Good idea."
Iolaus dropped the water skins off and left.
Mystic went up to Jessa and nuzzled her worriedly, nickering. Jessa stirred and opened her eyes.
"Mystic." She reached up and stroked the horse’s head.
Hercules knelt down beside Jessa.
"How are you feeling?"
"My head still hurts, but I’m feeling better."
"Good." Hercules put his hand to her forehead. "Now that it’s cooler, you should be alright. A concussion and heatstroke are not a good combination. Tonight it will probably still be too warm for your cloak, but I think you’ll need a blanket."
He got up and unsaddled Mystic who still stood by Jessa, nuzzling her. He brought a blanket back and used it to cover Jessa, pulling the shirt he had placed on her earlier out from underneath. Then her put his shirt back on and sat down beside her.
"Here, you need to take some water." Hercules tipped a water bag up, placing it into her mouth. She guzzled it eagerly until her thirst was slacked.
She smiled up at him.
"You’re taking such good care of me. Thank you – I really appreciate it."
Hercules smiled warmly back.
"No problem."
Jessa reached out and took his hand.
"How is your wound doing?" she asked as she started to unbandage it.
"It looks pretty good. It seems to be healing nicely."
Jessa studied it critically from both sides. The skin was pink and shiny where the punctures had been. She looked at him in astonishment.
"It healed so fast!"
"Yeah, well I’m like that."
She looked puzzled for a moment and then comprehension dawned on her face.
"Oh, you mean half-god stuff."
"Yeah," he said laughing, "I guess you could call it that."
"Is there any pain?" she asked.
"Not really – mostly it’s just stiff."
"Good. I don’t think you’ll need the bandage anymore – but keep putting the ointment on it twice a day – it’ll help keep the skin pliable."
Hercules laughed.
"What?" Jessa asked.
"Now it’s my turn to say ‘You’re taking such good care of me’," he said grinning.
"Yes," Jessa said laughing, "Aren’t we the pair! Patients and healers rolled all into one!"
They laughed together for a moment. Jessa was still holding Hercules’ hand – he didn’t seem to mind. She placed her own hand against his – palm to palm. It seemed almost a child’s in comparison. Then she began to trace the lines and creases in his palm with a finger.
"Hercules," she asked quietly, not looking up, "Ares is your brother…" Her voice trailed off.
"Half-brother," Hercules corrected. "Jessa, don’t make the mistake of comparing me with Ares – I’m nothing like him."
"You’re nothing like him." For some reason, her voice sounded sad as she repeated his words. "Do you – hate him?"
"It’s not that simple. I’m against what he stands for – hatred and war."
"War," she repeated – her voice sounded sadder yet. "And all that it stands for?"
"Yes."
Jessa released his hand, putting her arms around herself. Her head hung low.
"Jessa, what is it?"
When she didn’t answer, Hercules put his hand under her chin and gently tipped her head up. He looked into her eyes.
"Jessa…"
She forced a smile and shook her head.
"It’s nothing."
He didn’t look convinced.
"Jessa," Hercules said softly, "Not to push you, but if there’s ever anything you want to talk about – I’m here – whenever you’re ready – okay?"
"Okay." Her smile was less strained but she had to bite her lip and blink hard to keep back the tears.
Hercules brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. As he turned and started to get to his feet, Jessa suddenly reached out a hand to him, but hesitated a moment to long – he was out of her reach. She pulled back her hand and put it to her mouth. It shook a little as she watched him walk away.
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"Hey! Harken all! The mighty hunter returneth!" Grinning from ear-to-ear, Iolaus took up a stance by the fire – legs spread wide, one hand on his hip and the other held high showing off the three rabbits he had bagged.
"Sorry Iolaus, but you’re too late – the trumpeters have all gone home."
"Dang! Isn’t that always the way of it? Oh, well, I was always good at tooting my own horn anyway!"
"That’s what all the rumors say," Hercules quipped dryly.
Iolaus gasped, scandalized. Then he laughed. He tossed the rabbits in front of Hercules.
"I did the huntin’ so you do the cookin’!"
Hercules picked up a rabbit and started skinning. Despite his remark, Iolaus started on another. He looked over at Jessa – she was just staring sightlessly at the fire.
"What’s wrong?" he asked Hercules.
"Ares." That one word said it all.
Iolaus looked pensive for a moment – then he smiled.
"I’ve got just the thing!" he said to Hercules.
He got up and went to where Hercules had placed the saddlebags. Opening one, he removed several objects and held them cradled in his arms. He then went to Jessa.
"I have a surprise for you."
She looked as he crouched down by her and let her see what he was carrying.
"Apples!" Jessa cried in delight, "Where ever did you get those!"
Iolaus’ worry melted away at the smile she beamed at him.
"Couple of days ago, when we were still in the forest. I was saving them for a special occasion."
"So what’s the special occasion?"
Iolaus smiled gently and shrugged his shoulders. "Seeing you smile is occasion enough for me."
Jessa blushed and looked down.
"I have a surprise for you too, then," she said.
She got up, wrapping the blanket around herself. Going over to the saddlebags, she opened one, removed two small pouches and a travel pot, and returned to kneel by Iolaus. She then opened both pouches. After wetting a finger in her mouth, she dipped it first in one bag, and then the other.
"Open your mouth," she told Iolaus.
He gave her a skeptical look but did as she asked. Jessa inserted her finger in his mouth. "Now close," she said. He did. Watching his eyes, Jessa smiled and slowly withdrew her finger from his mouth.
"Sugar!" Iolaus exclaimed, his face exploded with surprise and delight, "And cinnamon!"
"I carry it for trading purposes. There are certain advantages to having a horse for a sidekick," she informed him archly.
Jessa started peeling and slicing the apples into the pot and Iolaus followed suit. "Save the peels for Mystic – and a couple whole apples please."
"No problem! And tonight, his brush-out is on me!" Iolaus said enthusiastically. Jessa laughed.
When they finished slicing the apples, Jessa added some water, sugar, and cinnamon. She set the pot to simmer on the fire. Iolaus went back to helping Hercules with the rabbits.
Hercules smiled, watching Jessa as she puttered about the fire.
"Looks like that did the trick," he remarked to Iolaus.
"Yeah," Iolaus replied with a smile. It suddenly slid off of his face. "Gods, how I hate to see her withdraw every time she’s reminded of Ares!"
"It’s going to take her some time to get over what happened. All we can do is be here for her. And she really seems to be responding to you."
"Yeah?" Iolaus said, brightening.
"Yes. You seem to be sparking something in her that wasn’t there before. I’m not really sure how to explain it – but it’s definitely making an impact on her – a good one."
"Really?" Iolaus looked over at Jessa. She glanced up from stirring the apples. Catching his eye, she smiled. Iolaus smiled back.
They finished preparing the rabbits. Hercules took them to the fire and set them over it to cook.
Jessa smiled warmly at him.
"This morning, everything looked so glum – no water, almost out of food, and that terrible heat!" she said, "And now look! It’s a beautiful evening and we’ve such a feast!"
Hercules returned her smile. "Yes, we need to remind ourselves, from time to time, that even when things look their worst, things will change – time heals all."
Jessa gazed intensely at him. Her hand, seemingly of it’s own accord, reached up and her fingertips touched him lightly on the face. Then, blinking in surprise, she quickly pulled her hand back.
"I… I have to stir the apples," she stammered, "They scorch so easily."
She turned around and crouched down next to the fire to stir.
Hercules’ hand reached up and touched the spot on his face where Jessa’s fingertips had so lightly rested a moment ago.
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