Athena's Son by Jeryl Schoenbeck

Author:Jeryl Schoenbeck
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Jeryl Schoenbeck
Published: 2011-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

Kleitos was waiting just as he promised. The smirk that smeared across his face showed a self-assurance that he would put this arrogant schoolboy in his place. Kleitos had chosen a spot away from the lighthouse because he didn’t want to get caught with the blowgun. A stand of palm trees and scrub brush growing on a low mound hid them from view. Several Medjay were patrolling nearby and Archimedes was concerned they would detain a group of children walking around with a blowgun and a strange box. So he carried the pneumatic cannon concealed under a cloth.

“Who’s the girl?” Kleitos pointed at Berenike with the blowgun. She insisted on coming along to see the dead bat in action and to get a look at the clue that Archimedes thought so vital to the murders. Archimedes didn’t want Berenike to come for fear the pharaoh’s daughter would scare off Kleitos and the blowgun along with him. Archimedes finally relented when she agreed to dress like a common child.

Archimedes opened his mouth, but Berenike, used to answering for herself, quickly responded, “I’m a friend. Do you know what those are?”

“Look you little runt…” Kleitos took a step toward Berenike.

“Runt?” Berenike repeated. “Why you fat oaf, I’ll rip your lips off and teach them to speak respectfully to me.”

Archimedes cut in front of Kleitos. “Let’s get on with this. Where is the target?”

“That melon over there.” He pointed to a palm tree stump about 25 feet away. On top of the stump was a melon just a bit bigger than his head.

“Fine,” Archimedes said. “What are the rules?”

“Rules?” Kleitos laughed. “You use some air to blow a pebble out of a tube. How simple can it be? Don’t they teach you about weapons at your fancy school?”

“Oh, they teach about weapons,” Archimedes said and took the cloth off the dead bat.

“What in the name of Hades is that?” Kleitos blurted.

“It uses air to blow a pebble out of a tube. Are you ready or are you going to back out?” Archimedes said.

Kleitos scoffed. “You little goat. Watch this.” He put a pebble in his mouth, brought the blowgun up to his lips, and blew hard. There was a whoosh of air and the pebble smacked into the melon, sticking in the rind.

“Your turn,” Kleitos smirked. “See if your stupid box can even hit the ground. It looks like that empty crate has more brains than you do.”

Archimedes ignored him. He took out one of Berenike’s amber beads and held it up to Kleitos. “A pebble.” He put it in the bronze tube a pushed it in with a twig. “A tube,” he pointed condescendingly to the bronze tube. He walked behind the box and began pumping with the leather bellows. “Air,” he said to Kleitos, who was beginning to look suspiciously at the dead bat. Archimedes knelt behind the dead bat to adjust the aim, reached to the front, and released the valve.

An abrupt hiss of air echoed out of the bronze

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