When the storm ended and Lysander's funeral rites were seen to, the Aethereans continued after the Hyperionite ship. The day was fair with winds blowing in their sails, but even then, Falco could not help but pace back and forth upon the deck. As others stared, unsure about what to do, it was Taurus who stepped forward.
Taurus Minor was eight and thirty twelvemonths old, twice Falco's weight, muscular and stood at a height of six feet, ten inches and three quarters with the horns of his mask making him seem taller. He was wearing an ankle-length maroon tunic, opposed to the red of his subordinate priests, a pair of gold bracelets and a pair of brown sandals, both bracelets and sandals not being any different than those of his subordinate priests. The eyes of his golden bull mask were made of curved crystal and to say that Falco had any memory of the eyes behind the mask, would be untrue. He had no memory of Taurus' face, only knowing it was deformed, but not knowing how.
Taurus' presence was something easier to tolerate for very few liked to be in close proximity with him, due to him scenting his body with a heavy, sickening musk. With the musk having been washed off in the rain and Taurus having brought none of the musk with him, he smelled better than he usually did, yet that did not mean he was someone that the rest trusted, his own priests and Columba aside.
"Something vexes thee, my Divine Deucalion?" inquired Taurus, sounding genuinely concerned. The other times that Falco had heard Taurus ask such a question, the High Priest of the Earth Bull had spoken with a mocking tone. Falco was most surprised.
"Aye, Taurus." Falco answered. "I am worried that we may reach Hyperion and discover that Acinonyx's ship never returned. With the storm last night how do we know that Rowena, Eithne, Pasiphae and the others were not drowned?"
"Yes..." Taurus said, nodding. "That vexes me as well. You lose your wife who has been your greatest friend since childhood, Columba loses his wife, your sister, and I lose my own sister. What happens then? Do we just return home to Aether with only Alboin's sister?"
"And without Lysander." Commented Falco. "I had hoped this expedition would have been one without loss."
"A foolish hope." Laughed Taurus. "Few missions such as this are so lucky."
Falco stared at Taurus. Wondering what manner of expression was behind the mask he wore. Still, he was right. Few were so lucky. All Falco could do was nod, before hearing Frumentius shout: "Look! There it is!"
All turned to see where he was pointing and there indeed was the Hyperionite ship. It seemed they had only gone so far until the storm forced them to land, in this case on an island. Which island? None that anyone knew, it didn't even seem inhabited.
Upon reaching the island, Falco led his group to the Hyperionite ship and found no one to be aboard. What was going on here? Not even someone to watch the trireme?
Immediately, Falco grew puzzled. That shelter had been taken in a cave was undoubted, but why would there not be someone left behind to watch the ship?
And yet... Perhaps a watchman had been left at the ship, but someone had slain him. If that was the case, then where was the cadaver?
There seemed to be good grazing on the island, with herds of sheep. Their presence alone caused hope that there might have been some inhabitants, some shepherds at the least.
Drawing lots to see who would stay behind this time, it was Sarpedon's lot that was drawn. The eldest of the Earth Bull's priests immediately sighed in annoyance. What was he going to do while guarding the ship?
With that out of the way, Falco went down below decks to grab his armour. It had been the armour his great-grandfather had worn when he had been Falco's age, so the coif and doublet had seen better days. They were made of leather, worn out, had marks of cutting and even some case of rust. His great-grandfather's sword was not any better, a rusty thing of bronze with a broken blade and missing its pommel stone. The armour and sword may not have looked like something worthy of a monarch, but Falco was a modest individual. The only thing fairly recent was his round shield.
Upon seeing the Divine Deucalion in his great-grandfather's armour, Taurus immediately sneered: "That old foreign stuff is junk."
Falco could only stare with a raised eyebrow. Taurus had removed his tunic and was now wearing a pair of brown trousers and furry boots of the same colour that slightly resembled hooves. His arms were covered in leather armour with a pair of furry bracelets, brown just as the boots were, but the thing that Falco noticed the most was that Taurus was bare-chested, no doublet, no breast plate, nothing. His armour might have seen better days, but at least he would not have been going into battle with his chest exposed. It caused him to wonder if Taurus had a death wish. Taurus did not even look like a soldier. He looked more like a rebel or a bandit.
Shaking his head, Falco led the group in search of Acinonyx's group and their captives. The search was uneventful, the baaing of sheep and the battering of rams being all that could be heard and there was not a sign of a cave in any of the nearby mountains.
Alas, it was when things were the most uneventful that they took a turn for the worst. From out of nowhere an arrow came, striking Frumentius. As Falco looked to his lifelong friend, he found that it was too late. No last words between brothers in all but blood, Frumentius was dead.
And then Falco saw the arrow that had killed his friend. Its feathers were black, just like the arrow that had slain his father during the attempted coup the previous twelvemonth. No clergyman of the Earth Bull had taken the life of Tigris of Aether. Acinonyx of Hyperion was the culprit!
Throwing aside his shield, Falco took Frumentius' bow from his hand and an arrow from his quiver. Looking in the direction that his adversary's arrow had come from, the Son of Tigris spied Acinonyx, standing out in the open on a nearby cliff and wearing no armour be it of leather or bronze.
As he prepared his arrow, Falco wondered where the rest of Acinonyx's men were. How did he even know Falco and the rest were here? Unless... This whole attack was a mere coincidence.
Wherefore? Wherefore was this a coincidence?
And then Falco saw the reason wherefore.
A huge man wearing the skull of some sort of one-eyed beast as a helmet appeared behind Acinonyx. The man was wielding what appeared to be a mace tipped with the skull of a ram. Falco watched as Acinonyx looked behind him and then dodged as the stranger swung his mace.
Falco dared not loose his arrow now. The adversary of his adversary was his compeer. He would not risk hitting the native of this isle.
It did not take Falco long to realize where the rest of Acinonyx's party was. They were headed back to the ship with their captives while Acinonyx distracted this man of the isle... But surely there was enough to outnumber... No, this man of the isle belonged to a tribe!