Cracking of the Mask by Alexander Green & Maria Petrova Green

Author:Alexander Green & Maria Petrova Green [Green, Alexander & Green, Maria Petrova]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The secret path that King Kersebleptes had traveled with his force to launch a surprise attack on the western realm was treacherous for men. Beasts lurked in the forests, there was a general lack of water, except for the occasional stream, and not only was the tree cover dense, but the trail was long and covered in thick fog and mist, making for weak visibility and giving it a rather mystical appearance.

By order of King Ketriporis, Prince Skostos had taken fifty riders, including Trysimachus, and a hundred women to hide along the trail. While waiting for Kersebleptes’s force, Prince Skostos sent the women high into the trees and deep into the recesses of the rocks. They were armed with slings, stones, or bows and arrows, and some were dressed in rather peculiar outfits.

When the force arrived, Skostos’s men used the fog as cover and followed the prince’s orders to slip amongst the ranks of King Kersebleptes unnoticed. Mingling with the soldiers, they began spreading the tale of how the goddess Bendis herself had carved the secret passage through the forest for the great Odrysian king Sitalkes, personally guiding his force. And they warned the soldiers that no other king, general, or lord had ever been permitted to use it since. To further frighten them, especially the foreign mercenaries, the men from the west told tales of the nymphs, muses, and other mystical creatures who lived in the forest and guarded the secret passage into the western realm through which they were now trespassing.

With men and horses clad in special garments made of fabric the color of the mountain mist, Skostos’s force attacked the flanks and rear of Kersebleptes’s already exhausted, thirsty, and unnerved army, spreading horror amongst his men. One by one his soldiers fell, struck not only by swords but also by the slings, arrows, and stones of the women hidden in the fog-covered trees above.

The sounds emerging all around the forest, as if from deep down in the underworld, terrified the soldiers. Loud and deep, high-pitched and low, howling, thundering, screaming, and screeching—it sounded as if an army of ferocious beasts and demons were approaching. Penetrating cries and eerie whispers were echoing through the trees. Their frightening nature was the splendid work of King Ketriporis’s court musicians.

Meanwhile, Skostos’s men were attacking the frightened eastern army. Cowering within the ranks, Trysimachus could hear cries of horror coming from Kersebleptes’s men, some refusing to go any further. When the fog began to lift, at a signal from Prince Skostos, a woman dressed as a huntress and pointing an arrow at the men suddenly appeared on top of a boulder.

“’Tis the goddess Bendis herself coming to take revenge on us!”

The men ran as chaos spread amongst the ranks. Kersebleptes and his officers tried to rally the soldiers by shouting, “Get a hold of yourselves, men! It is just a trickery! Just a trickery!”

“How is this trickery?” the soldiers shouted in return. “The goddess’s invisible army is attacking us! How can we

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