Mother appraised Pan as he stood before her on the patio. A large leather satchel was laid across his shoulder, and he wore his best cloak.
She called out. “Thea! Get ready quickly. It’s time to leave!” She looked into Pan’s face. 

“We need salt, wheat and honey. You both know the usual prices, but try to bargain down, especially if you see an abundance of one of the items. Wheat is in season now so you can do better than we did last month.” She spoke to Pan sternly. “Find your friends and take some small drink if you must but be back here before the evening meal. Buy enough to fill our pantries.”
Pan smiled broadly. “Thank you, Mother!”
I stepped into the stables just as she was giving her instructions. “Leave Fila and what supplies you secure with Elaine, the miller’s wife, and have her grind and sift about five pounds of the wheat that you buy at market. Give her an obol for her trouble and a measure of honey.”
She handed Pan a change-purse containing some coins. “You know the rules. Shop first before you find your friends and leave everything with Elaine. I need a complete accounting of all prices and weights. Do not forget anything or leave anything out. You know I’ll check it in detail, so it had better be right. I trust you to know when someone is trying to cheat you.” Mother’s trust was well placed, because Pan was even better at discerning an altered scale than she was. It was uncanny. The time she allowed us was a gift, but more than that, Pan was on a mission and, little did I know, I was destined to help.
The sky was clear, and the morning air was cool and comfortable as we started on our way. Starting out, I rode, while Pan jogged beside me. As was our habit, we switched places when we were halfway there, and when we did, I jogged easily alongside as Pan rode. Fila was a nine-year-old mare by then and had seen better days, so she never moved faster than a slow trot, and that was only with a great deal of encouragement. It was four miles into the city, but the road was well maintained and since we moved quickly it did not take long.
At the market we found whole grain shucked wheat first and Pan brought out a large sack to be filled with the golden grains. The merchant woman was elderly, and we usually went to her first because we knew her to be trustworthy and fair in her dealings. I had known her my whole life. Her name was Photine. Her husband of forty-one years died five years before from some mysterious illness. They were childless and had worked together selling wares for their entire life and now she had no choice but to continue alone in her old age. Though it was indeed in season, wheat was always more expensive than barley or lentils, so it was unusual to see such a large amount ordered by anyone other than the kitchen staff of the nobles. She looked at the two of us with interest after we made our order and after filling then weighing our sack looked up again suspiciously. “Such a large order…hmm, and none of the guards are paid until next week.” She looked into Pan’s eyes. “Ya didn’t steal the coin now did ya boy?”
Pan smiled at her innocently and shrugged. “Our mother is a frugal woman, mum, as you well know, and father, well you know that he is guard captain for Marcos. We often have many mouths to feed when he comes through with his men. Do you know where we can find salt and honey?”
“Aye, well now, but we do have some coin today now don’t we! Salt now, well ye don’t see it around this week, no ye don’t.” She looked up at us greedily. “But… I may have a little left in the back and if the price be right…”
I looked at Pan as he shook his head very slightly, then I spoke up.
“Mum, we want to check with Gennadios first. He usually has honey and some extra salt in store at a fair price. What do you want for it, mum?”
“Well now if Gennadios has salt, he’ll want no less than a hemiobol for a pound since it be rare these days. I’ll ask no less.”
Pan gave me his signal by shifting his foot slightly to the left, and I nodded in consent. “We’ll take one pound from you then, but if Gennadios’ price is less, we’ll buy two pounds from him and return your salt for our hemi. Is that a deal?”
The merchant woman smiled crookedly. “Oh, but ya be a sly lass I see. Very well then, I’ll save ya the trouble since ye want so much. I’ll give two pounds for a tritart with no returns.”
Pan shifted his foot slightly to the right and I nodded to the woman with a smile. “That’s a deal.”
After buying honey from Gennadios, we led Fila to the miller’s house near the narrow river that flowed through the northern part of the city center. We were met by Elaine not twenty minutes later as she carried a watering can to her flower garden. She smiled broadly as she saw us approach. She was a stout elderly woman with thinning grey hair, and a kind face.
“Ah, but if it isn’t my dear children, Thea and Pan! Your mother must have sent you to me! And how is she doing?”
I answered her. “She is doing well, mum! Thank you for asking. We would like to leave our horse and our load with you while we go into the city if it isn’t too much trouble for you…”
While I spoke with Elaine, Pan pulled the large sack of wheat out of the satchel that was still strapped across the horse’s back, and Elaine eyed the sack with interest. “No, no trouble at all! Ioan and I, we be here all day, lass. I know you young people, always wanting to go and find some distraction in the city. No, no trouble at all dear. It’s a lot of grain I see. Will ye be needing our services?”
“Mother wants 5 pounds ground and sifted. Your best confectioner’s grind. The rest we’ll store at home, so it doesn’t spoil.”
Pan finished unloading the satchel, hoisted the large sack of wheat over his shoulder and began making his way into the house. I took the salt and Elaine carried the honey.
“Mum, Mother told us to leave a measure of honey with you and some coin for your trouble. Will an obol and the honey do for you?”
She smiled broadly as she placed the large honey jar on a table in the middle of her patio. “Aye. It’ll do nicely, lass! And the honey is a welcome treat, that’s for sure!”
We finished stabling Fila and then passed through the gate walking together toward the city center. I looked Pan over as we walked. He had that mischievous look on his face I was so familiar with.
“Okay Pan, spill it. What are you thinking about?”
“I want to find out the Ethiopian wizard’s secret. What got him into trouble with the king? Aren’t you curious?”
I thought a little. “I like him. I’m glad we found him when we did and I’m grateful for what he promised to do for us. I think maybe that sometimes you should let a person have his secrets. I don’t go around trying to find out any of yours you know.”
Pan puffed his chest a little. “I don’t have any secrets.”
I gave him a sideward glance. “Yeah, right. You’ve got plenty if you ask me. Remember, I’m your sister. I can nearly read your mind, little brother.”
“I want to find Lyka. You remember him, right?”
“He works in the king’s kitchen with his Pa. Sure I remember him. You’re not exactly close. What makes you think he’ll help you with anything?”
“I know something important about him, and that is that he never has so much as a single copper to his name, even though he works with his Pa nearly all day and night in the kitchen. You know why?”
“Not a clue.”
“Cause his Pa takes it all and wastes it on the tavern women and ale whenever he gets a chance. He’s been that way since Lyka’s mother died last year. You remember that, right?”
“How can I forget? Poor boy. He lost his Mum, and now his Pa treats him like that. It almost excuses him for the way he is. He’s not exactly the brightest star in the sky, and he can be mean sometimes too. He’s hardly a good friend, Pan. He’s big too. Better to not make him mad. He can probably take you out in one punch and then take all our coin if he has a mind to.”
Pan smiled. “He’s going to be our good friend, at least for today. Plus, he may be big, but I doubt he could lay a hand on me even if he tried. They’ve finished with their work for the morning meal by now. He’s probably either resting or they sent him to the market for something. We’ll check the king’s market first since it’s on the way. Then, if he’s not there, we’ll go to the castle and ask about him, you know, offer to buy him some apple beer and a pastry at one of the taverns. You know he never gets anything like that, so he’ll be grateful for the offer, and he’ll appreciate us for thinking about him.”
I shook my head. “Your selective kindness is astounding,”
“It’s just the way of the world, sister. Besides, it’s harmless. I just want to find out what happened, that’s all. Think about it. That kitchen must be full of gossip about the king and his family. I guarantee that he knows something about what happened. He may even have something to show us. I think that the Ethiopian…”
“You mean Mawahib…”
“Right. Jason told me yesterday that he heard a rumor about what happened.” (Jason was near Pan’s age and his family lived close by.) “He said that Mawahib gave the king a gift of some kind and that something was wrong with it. You know all the rumors about that school of his. They have all kinds of strange gadgets that people talk about, but no one ever sees. It may be something that’s useful, you know, important. That’s why I want to find out. Besides, we’re trusting him to do something for us that will change our lives forever. I think we should find out as much as we can, don’t you?”
“Well, I for one trust him. I think he’s a good man and even though I never saw him do something magical I get the sense that he’s powerful.”
“I saw him do something magical.”
I looked at him in surprise. “You did! What? Tell me Pan. Why the big secret?”
“Okay. Here’s what happened. When he told me he could make us live forever, I told him I didn’t believe it, and I didn’t. That was no lie. Well, that’s when he showed me his little trick. He told me to look into a small pool in the creek below where we were sitting and when I did, I spotted a large fish there. He made a spark of fire between his hands then threw it down toward the pool of water. After that, the fish floated to the surface, dead.”
“Wow! I mean wow! That is awesome! And you said that you caught it with your sling! I should have known!”
Pan paused to think. “It’s kind of scary too if you think about it. If he can do that to a fish, what can he do to a man? But anyway, that’s why I want to know what happened to make the king take a swipe at him with his longsword. If he made some kind of magical machine for the king and it failed, well I want to know about it. I’m not sure we can trust him yet. You see? What if his invention kills us instead of making us live forever… or rather kills me. After he threw the fire, he said that I’m to go first, then you, so I’m the ‘expendable one.’ You see sister? I really want to know what happened.”

~~~
We reached the king’s market, then began looking around for Lyka. It wasn’t long before Pan spotted him in line at a vendor’s booth where they were selling lentils. He was hard to miss because he was big and bulky. He wasn’t fat, though. His frame was muscular from hard work with his Pa.
I followed behind as Pan sidled up next to Lyka while he stood in line… The line was long, and he was bored waiting, so he was fidgeting and looking down at his feet. He looked like he could use a nap instead of fetching lentils.
“Lyka! hey!”
The large boy looked up and turned. “Oh, hey Pan, Thea. What’s up?” A large grin spread across his face, and he inspected me, not bothering to hide his evident admiration. It was a bit disgusting, but I managed to give him a thin-lipped smile.
“So, Lyka. Thea and I, we’re going to the Baker’s tavern. Wanna come? We’re buying,” said Pan.
“Can’t. Gotta get lentils. Cook want’s em for dinner service.” He gave me another admiring glance then turned back to Pan. “Can you help me, Pan? After I bring lentils, I’m off work ‘til evening meal service. It won’t take long. Promise.”
“Well… okay then. I guess the castle isn’t that far. Then we can get some pastries… and some apple beer.”
Lyka’s face lit up. “Thanks Pan. Thanks Thea. You’re real good friends. I love pastries and I love apple beer!”
I bet you do, I thought, but only smiled, trying my best to hide my distain.
We didn’t wait long and when we came up to the stall the merchant looked up at Lyka expectantly.
“Just the usual Cleo, put it on Cook’s account.” Lyka produced his large sack, and the merchant took it disinterestedly. He replaced the weights on the scale and weighed out 10 pounds of lentils then motioned for Lyka to come around the counter to take it.
Pan stared at the merchant not believing what he was seeing. “Cleo, you’re light.”
Both Cleo and Lyka turned and stared at Pan. “Your weights are light. Should I find the guard or are you going to make it right?”
Customers standing in line behind them all began to murmur, and two large men began to stare at Cleo angrily. The merchant debated the situation in his mind and hesitated, not sure how to answer.
“Make it right Cleo and all is forgiven.” He looked back at the waiting customers. “At least for us that is.” Pan smiled triumphantly. Cleo became alarmed when he saw that two of the women toward the back of the line walked off, looking from left to right in search of a guardsman.
“Hmm, not right huh?” He made a show of inspecting the weights. He had what looked like two identical 5-pound weights hanging on the counterbalance. He removed one of them from the metal hook, shrugged his shoulders, then replaced it with two 2-pound weights and then added another one-pound weight. “Wow, well what do you know! It was light, wasn’t it! I’ll be! Thanks Pan! I’d hate myself if I accidentally lighted an order!” He smiled nervously.
A young boy who I didn’t pay any attention to until now, and who was apparently the merchant’s son, sat leaning up against the wagon. As soon as his father placed the light five-pound weight on the counter, he went into action. Two small hands grabbed it up, and with it, the boy disappeared quickly into the crowd. At this point, the remaining patrons still standing in line began leaving the booth, shaking their heads in disgust.
After Cleo righted the order Lyka picked up the sack and slung it across his shoulder, and headed quickly across the square toward the castle. Pan and I had to jog a little to keep up with him. After clearing the square, Lyka stopped suddenly and dropped the heavy sack to the ground. He looked irritated as he stared down at Pan. “You didn’t need to do that Pan!”
“He was cheating you Lyka. I was just trying to help.”
“No Pan. That’s not how it works here. Cook knows the merchants are shorting us. He doesn’t care.”
Pan was confused, and me as well. “What do you mean that Cook doesn’t care? He’s being cheated, Lyka!”
“Maybe in a way they cheat. Thing is this, Pan. King Kleitos keeps raising the taxes. Nearly every month he takes a bigger percent from them merchants. It’s to the point that they don’t make no money on their orders anymore for all the taxes. Cook tolerates it ‘cause he knows that if he doesn’t, then there won’t be no more merchants in the king’s square. They’ll go sell at the nobles’ markets even though the prices are less. It’s them taxes that get em. They’re too high.”
I was confused. “Wait. He’s the king, right? Can’t he collect taxes in all the market squares in the city?” I asked.
“Pa, this is how he told me. He said that all the nobles collect their own taxes from the merchants, then they pay their tribute to the king. That’s how it used to work. Now the nobles all got together, and now they all be refusing to pay their king’s tribute. Pa says they’re organizing, them nobles. They all have their own guard now and none of their guard units are big enough by themselves to stand up to the king’s army, but put all together, they can.” Lyka bent down to whisper to Pan and Thea. “It’s a rebellion, you see… an insurrection. And it’s happening right here in the city! It won’t be long before it’s a war!”
I frowned at his logic, because it didn’t add up. “There won’t be a war, Lyka, because the king’s army will never go along with an armed conflict with the other city guards. They all grew up together. They know each other’s wives and children and many of them are related by marriage, so there’s no way they’re going to go about killing each other over a political conflict.”
“That’s probably why the king’s so angry all the time now, but we can’t talk here.” Lyka picked up the sack and they began walking up toward the king’s castle. Pan and I waited outside the door that led into the kitchen while Lyka dropped off his load. After several minutes Lyka came out smiling.
Pan was curious. “Why the good mood, Lyka?”
“Cook measured the lentils like always and then he asked me why it was right. I lied and said I went all the way to the farmers market square for them to get the right weight. He told me how I was such a good lad and decided to let me have the evening meal off!”
“Hope he doesn’t find out you lied, Lyka. Especially since Pan created such a ruckus just now,” I said.
Lyka shrugged. “Don’t really care if he does. I just care that I get the time off. Now don’t that beat all!” He was grinning from ear to ear and his good humor was contagious. Pan and I smiled back at him, and Pan patted him on the back as they started back toward the king’s market square.
It wasn’t long before we were sitting down at a table, waiting to be served. Pan ordered apple beer and pastries for us from a pretty young girl named Agnes, who was the taverner’s daughter. He gave her a few extra coppers so she would bring more of the pastries. She smiled at Pan with obvious admiration as she set down the three mugs, but he didn’t notice her at all.
When she left, I gave him an elbow to his side and whispered to him, but Lyka heard it too. “Agnes smiled at you Pan! At least you could smile back. She obviously likes you!”
“Huh? Oh! Okay, I’ll make sure to be nice to her.” He looked at Lyka who was taking his first sip of apple beer with obvious satisfaction. “So, Lyka, I heard a rumor that the Ethiopian wizard in the king’s service did something that made the king angry. Did you hear about it?”
“I might have heard something about that. Thing is Pan, almost everything makes the king mad these days.”
“The king cut him bad. We found him near our orchard. He was nearly dead. Thea bound his wound with my garment and Mother sewed him up. We saved his life.”
Lyka looked at him and then at me, his eyes wide. “Everyone thought he was dead! So, you guys saved him, huh?”
Pan nodded. “We did. But we were curious. What made the king want to kill him? The wizard, he wouldn’t say when we asked him about it,” he lied.
“Well, I heard that he made some kind of toy arrow shooter for the king. All the folks who saw it said they never seen nothin’ like it. They said it looked like a small metal bow and arrow, but the bow didn’t have no bowstring. In fact, it wasn’t a bow at all, and they said the arrow was real short and it was also made of metal, iron, I think, not brass. The fletching was made of metal too, not feathers, and the nock didn’t have no notch since it didn’t need no bowstring.”
Pan and I looked at each other, confused, then I asked, “So Lyka, if there wasn’t a bowstring then how did the arrow shoot?”
“Well, you know it was just what I heard is all, but they say there was some kind of black powder that was lit, and it caused a loud noise like thunder. I heard it myself, all the way in the kitchen, and it made me think that it was storming outside! It was only later that Chares told me, ‘cause he saw the whole thing since he was on service.” He said when the powder was lit it caused that loud noise and that the arrow went real fast and hit the target hard! But the thing is, it burned the king’s face and hand! That’s why he got mad. It even burned his beard! There must’ve been something wrong with it and that’s when he caught the wizard by surprise and cut him, ‘cause the wizard was surprised too like everyone else and he didn’t notice the sword in the king’s hand.”
Pan was amazed. “So, you said that Chares saw the whole thing? Also, that arrow, it shot and hit the target without a bowstring, right?”
Lyka nodded. “It don’t make no sense, but that’s what he told me.”
“So, Lyka. Where do you think it is now?” Obviously, the Ethiopian doesn’t have it since he had to flee for his life. Does anyone know?”
“It’s probably in the armory since it’s some kind of weapon, right?” Lyka speculated.
Pan nodded. “So, do you think we can go there and look for it? I want to see it. Maybe I can figure out how it was supposed to work.”
“No way Pan. No way…”
He was interrupted as Agnes approached with a plate full of pastries. I gave Pan a poke in the ribs as she began to place the plate on the table in front of us. Pan forced a smile as he looked up at her. “Thank you Agnes. Those look wonderful and you are looking especially lovely today.”
The girl bowed slightly, and her face went pink with embarrassment. “Thank you Pan. You look nice today too. I hope you like the pastries. I tried to choose the best ones for you.”
Thea spoke up since Pan’s tongue was tied. “They look wonderful, Agnes. Thank you for your kindness. Pan looked up at her and a goofy grin broadened his face. “Yeah Agnes. Thanks.” Pan by now felt completely embarrassed and Lyka with an amused grin stared at him and started to laugh as Agnes walked back to the kitchen.
“Oh my, but ain’t it getting hot in here! Those ovens must be plenty hot cook’n all them pastries! Oh wait! Is all that heat coming from you, Pan?”
I smiled at him also. “It’s been a long time since you couldn’t find anything to say, little brother. This is a day to remember.”
Pan shook his head. “Enough already! Let’s get back to the subject. So, Lyka. The armory. Do they just post one guard?”
“It’s in the basement Pan. There’s no way you’re getting in there. You got to cross checkpoints, and a guard is posted there at the door.”
Pan thought a minute. “Well, we could create a distraction of some kind.”
I smiled, considering the options. I was beginning to enjoy the challenge of it after all. “Well, boys are pretty easy to distract, for me anyway. I don’t know if I can help after the first sentry though.”
Lyka suddenly remembered something. “You know what? I know a way. There’s a back stairway that leads down from the kitchen. It lets out just next to the armory. Thing is, we’re not supposed to use it. It ain’t allowed. But if you managed to sneak down there, then you’ve only got to do something to distract the guard posted at the armory door. He may even be asleep you know ‘cause there ain’t nobody go down there hardly ever. But for that to work, you’ll have to sneak all the way to the back corner of the kitchen without no one looking so I don’t know…”
Pan was encouraged. “That’s brilliant Lyka!” He stared at the beautiful display of pastries. “Here’s our kitchen distraction right here! Lyka! How bout this. What if you bring these pastries for everyone to try a little. Everyone will want some, even Cook.”
Lyka nodded. “Especially Cook!”
“Bring it to the opposite end of the kitchen. That way no one will notice when Thea and I sneak in. We can both be real quiet, too. We have practice.”
I shook my head. “Pan, you do not have practice being quiet! You are way too loud…”
“No, no! The wizard taught me what to do. I’m much better now. I’m as good as you are Thea. You’ll see.”
“Well, if you want to do this, I guess I’ll go along! Sounds fun.”
Lyka stared at us both. “If you guys get caught, I don’t know you. Got it?”
I looked back at Lyka. “Who’s the prettiest girl working in the kitchen?”
“Um, well that would be Korrina. She’s real pretty…, but not as pretty as you, Thea.” He had an embarrassed look on his face that I ignored.
“So, what do the guards think of her? Do they notice her? Try to flirt with her?”
“Oh yeah! They all try to talk to her. Usually, she ignores em except for one or two who she likes.”
“Good, good! That makes it easy. What’s Korrina like, Lyka? Is she shy, or flirty?”
“Pretty flirty I think, if she likes the guy. She especially likes Kallius lately.”
Pan and I looked at each other. “Okay, good. We know him. He’s not much older than us. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Does he ever pull duty at the armory?” asked Pan.
Lyka’s eyes lit up. “All the time! That’s why he comes up to see her so much. It’s easy for him.”
“We can use that. Very helpful, thanks Lyka. Is Korrina working now?” I asked.
“She always be there. Sure, I know she’s there. I saw her earlier.”
We finished our apple beer, and I asked Agnes to lend us a clean sack in which to place the pastries, explaining that we decided to share them with the staff in the king’s kitchen. She was delighted at our thoughtfulness and followed me to our table with a fabric bag to help pack them. She even snuck a few extra treats into the bag.
The three of us were soon standing at the outside entrance to the kitchen. Pan reviewed the plan with Lyka to be sure he understood. “So, Lyka. You said the stairway to the basement is in the back. It’s at the right-hand corner?”
Lyka nodded. “Is there a place to gather at the opposite end of the kitchen?”
“Of course. No problem.”
“We’ll wait out here for a little while, then I’ll peak in to see if everyone’s distracted. If they are, then we’ll try to get to the stairway unnoticed. Is there a door to the stairs?
“Well, there is, but it’s always open, ‘cause the lock don’t work and one of the hinges is bad.”
“Okay, perfect. Make sure everyone knows that Thea and I were the ones that thought about them and who bought the pastries, but only after you see that we cleared the kitchen and got to the stairway unnoticed. It’s our excuse for being there in case we get discovered.”
A look of consternation came across his face. “So, I won’t be able to say I don’t know you. I don’t like it, Pan.”
“Lyka, listen. It’s much worse to be caught in a big lie than it is to be caught in a small one. It won’t take much investigation to find out we were together this morning. If we get caught, we’ll make sure you’re off the hook. We’ll just say that we used you and that you didn’t know anything about what we planned. Besides, everyone knows you never have any money so showing up with those pastries will make everyone suspicious if you say you bought them yourself.”
Lyka nodded. “Well, okay then.” He looked up at the entrance. “Here I go then.” He started up the stairs, bag of pastries in hand, and paused to look back at me before slipping in.
We waited a few minutes then Pan opened the door a crack and looked in. It looked like our plan was working like a charm. There were four workers including Chef walking the opposite direction of the stairway following Lyka. Pan motioned for me, and he crouched as he slipped in. He tried his best to apply what Mawahib taught him, making sure that he kept his weight on his back foot as he stepped forward. He focused his consciousness on his immediate surroundings to be sure he was aware of any noise he made. It was so far so good. I was not far behind. There were enough tables set around the kitchen so Pan and I could successfully stay out of sight until we neared the entrance to the stairway. From here it would be tricky because there was some distance to get to the stairs that was exposed, and we could be spotted. We crouched behind a table together trying to decide when to attempt getting to the stairway unnoticed. We couldn’t see if we were in view of the kitchen staff or not. Pan decided to just go for it, so he quickly and as quietly as possible made for the stairs, leaving me behind. I watched as he crossed the floor space to the entrance of the stairwell. I was impressed by how quietly Pan moved. He was right. Mawahib must be a good teacher, because the difference was amazing. Pan disappeared down the dark stairway, quiet as a mouse.
Then, just as I began to move across the exposed space, Lyka spoke up. Hey everyone, I should let you know it wasn’t me who bought these. It was Pan and Thea that bought em for everyone. That was just as I started across the space toward the stairs. To my chagrin, I heard a female voice speak up. “Oh, look! Is that Thea?” Everyone turned to look at me and, having no choice, I turned and smiled, standing up straight.
“Hello. Sorry, I just wanted to come in quietly to be sure you were all enjoying the pastries we got for everybody… not that I don’t trust Lyka. I just wanted to be sure he was sharing.”
This made everyone laugh and Cook spoke up. “I see you are a wise lass, Thea. I wouldn’t trust him either!” This caused some renewed laughter. “Come lass! Help us eat these and let us all thank you for your generous gift. But what about Pan? Where is he?”
I shrugged. “Don’t rightly know. He’s always wandering off somewhere. I’m sure he’s not staying out of trouble as usual.” I smiled and everyone laughed again as I joined them. Apparently, no one suspected that Pan had slipped by unnoticed.
Pan stood near the bottom of the stairs, and having overheard everything, he considered a little, then came up with a new plan. The stairway was out of site of the corridor where the sentry stood. Pan peaked around and spotted Kallius leaning against the wall, his eyes half closed, and his head bent down. Pan was in luck. This was going to work like a charm. He stood up straight and turned the corner to approach Kallius. “Hey, Kal! How are you doing, buddy? Kallius’ eyes opened, and startled, he quickly turned toward Pan. He shook off his sleepiness. “Pan! What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be down here!”
Pan smiled back at him. “Thea asked me to find you. We bought pastries for the kitchen staff and Lyka told us you were usually on duty down here, so Thea asked me to come down and invite you.” Pan lowered his voice in a confidential tone. “You know, Kal, I think she likes you.”
Kallius’ face lit up and he smiled. “You think so, huh?”
Pan nodded. “I know so. Go, before they all get eaten. There’s not that many pastries so you better hurry.”
Kallius frowned. “Hmm. I’m not supposed to leave my post.” He gave Pan an appraising look. “Listen Pan. The kitchen is really close so maybe it won’t hurt if you can wait down here while I go up. Can you do that for me? If you hear anyone approaching, just run back up those stairs and call for me, okay?” He narrowed his eyes. “…And don’t touch a thing in there. Got it?”
Pan smiled and nodded with a salute. “Yes sir!” He watched as Kallius walked quickly toward the stairway and disappeared into the darkness.
Pan wasted no time and, looking around, slipped quickly into the armory. The space was dimly lit by two small slots in the stone wall at street level near the ceiling to let air and light into the space. He looked around. To the left were racks where rows of armored leather vests hung. Against the opposite wall were shelves where various swords, shields, bows and quivers were either laid out neatly or hung in rows. To the right near the back corner was something of interest. It was a cone shaped leather pouch, the end of which was supported securely with straps of leather.
The opening was a metal shank that was closed with a cork. It hung by a strap on a hook placed on the edge of a large wooden beer barrel. Pan walked over and picked up the pouch, then with some effort removed the cork.” The odor coming from it was strange. He put his finger just inside the opening and when he brought it out, the end of his finger was black. That must be the black powder Lyka was talking about. He removed the satchel from off his shoulder and then opened it and removed his coin purse. He poured the coins back into his satchel then carefully poured as much of the black powder into the coin purse as it could hold. He tied the purse tightly so that no powder could leak out, then he put it back into the satchel. He placed the cone shaped pouch back onto its hook and then peered down into the barrel.
Since the room was dark, it took a while for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he could see that the barrel contained items that needed repair. He saw split arrow shafts and chipped swords and a strange looking apparatus he had never seen before. It was small when compared to a sword or a bow and it looked as if someone just threw it in there. It lay haphazard near the top of the barrel. Pan reached in, picked it up and inspected it. It was made completely of a dark metal that looked like iron. The surfaces were smooth and black. The length of it was shorter than what Lyka described, though. A kind of short, miniature arrow made completely of metal was strapped to the “arrow shooter.” There was a handle covered with a leather strap that came down at a 90-degree angle at the end of it. There was also a thin rod attached by clips across the length of it.
Pan realized that the thing was small enough to fit into his satchel unnoticed and a thrill of excitement went through him as he realized he could just walk out of there with the thing in his satchel unnoticed. Nobody would notice it was missing for a long time, for days, even weeks. This is a find! A big one!
He quickly placed it into his satchel, strapped it closed, then shouldered its strap as he left the armory. He inspected himself and discovered that some of the black powder had gotten onto the front of his garment. He quickly brushed it off as best he could and rubbed his hands together to make sure they were also clean of the stuff. He looked around. No one was in sight, so he leaned up against the wall smiling with satisfaction and waited.
Kallius wore a big grin on his face as he appeared from around the corner. He appraised Pan as he approached. “It was good of you to invite me up Pan. The pastries were delicious.” He lowered his voice. “And I think you’re right. Your sister does like me!” He smiled broadly and Pan smiled back at him.
“Thanks for waiting here for me friend. No one ever comes down here, but it is always good to be safe, right?”
Pan nodded. “Without a question. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Kal.” He bumped fists with the guard and then he made his way back up the stairs. There was no longer any need to sneak around so he made no effort to be discreet. When he appeared at the stairway entrance Cook noticed him immediately and smiled broadly. “That was kind of you and your sister Pan. We all thank you for thinking about us.”
“It was our pleasure, Cook. We were glad to do it.” Cook nodded. “Now you be sure to tell your father that I send my greetings, okay? I know that he has fallen out of favor with King Kleitos, but we all remember him with fondness. Send my greetings to your mother as well.”
Pan nodded back at him. “Will do, Cook.”
Just then Lyka came up to Pan and grabbed his arm. “Come on Pan, let me introduce you to Korrina.”
Pan followed him over to where a pretty young girl, a little older than him, stood peeling potatoes. As he approached, I stood talking with a boy behind where Korrina was working. Lyka cleared his throat, and she turned to look. “Ah, so you must be Pan, Thea’s brother, right?”
Pan gave her his best attempt at a confident smile. “That’s me. You must be Korrina because Lyka here told me you’re the prettiest girl in the king’s castle and there couldn’t be any girl prettier than you in all Miletus.”
She was completely unfazed by his overdone compliment. She spoke quietly, hoping I couldn’t hear, though of course I could. “Sure Pan, well I have a question for you though, lover boy, and I’m serious because Kal was just up here, and he was fawning all over your sister over there. Did you tell him that Thea likes him?”
“Well… I might have because that’s what Thea told me herself,” he whispered. “Why?”
“Why? Because he’s my guy, my boyfriend, and I really don’t appreciate the competition. And by the way, you may have noticed that Thea is much prettier than I am, so I’m ignoring your lie about how pretty I am.” She frowned profoundly, almost in tears.
Pan was at a loss. Finally, he did his best to console her. “I’m real sorry Korrina. Lyka didn’t tell me you had something serious going with Kal. Otherwise, I would never have told him that. Well, I may have anyway because I really do think you’re that pretty and maybe I wanted to get a chance to meet you?”
This time he broke the ice a little and her pouty face broke into a slight smile. “You really think so?” She put down her potato peeling knife and brushed off her apron. Then she walked up to Pan, put her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Pan was completely taken aback. She whispered in his ear. “Send that as a message to your good buddy Kal for me, okay?” They both stepped back a little, then a confused look crossed her face. “Hmm. Pan, what’s that smell? I never smelled anything like it.”
Pan shrugged. “I don’t know but I sure liked that kiss, Korrina. How about another one sometime.” He grinned at her sheepishly.
“Only if you’re really nice to me, not like that big jerk, Kal! Oh, and by the way, thanks for those pastries. They were better than your kiss, sorry to say.” She smiled at him deviously and then gave him a wink.
“Then the next one will be better, I promise. You kind of took me by surprise you know.”
Lyka, who stood witnessing the whole exchange just stood there, his mouth open, and I also stared in astonishment, but I was also amused so I spoke up so everyone could hear. “Well, little brother. I didn’t know you were so popular with the ladies around here!”
Everyone laughed, including Korrina, and Pan answered. “Me neither.”
Korrina came up close and whispered again in his ear. “Come back soon pretty boy, and you’ll get another one for sure.”
Pan whispered back. “Promise?”
“Uh huh.” She smiled and reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I promise.”
Lyka left with us since he was given the evening off by Cook so the three of us headed back down the hill toward the market square. Pan turned to me, still a little love-struck. “So, do you think she really likes me or was that all just to show off Kal?”
“She’s just mad at Kal, that’s all. She wanted to get back at him. By the way, I assume you told Kal that I asked you to invite him up because I like him, right?”
“Good guess sister. I figured you’d catch on quick, so I was confident you’d make it seem believable.”
“Actually, I really do like him, not that I’d admit that to you, so yes it was convincing to everyone including Korrina. That’s why she was so upset.”
Lyka finally blurted out in excitement. “Wow! I mean double wow! I can’t believe how that all went down! That was amazing! So, Pan. Since Kal left you alone at the armory, did you find what you were looking for?”
Pan shook his head. “There was nothing there but the usual armory stuff, so I’m afraid it was all for nothing.”
Lyka laughed. “For nothing! You call a full-on-the-lips kiss from Korrina nothing!? That was amazing! I’m so jealous!”
“I hope Kal doesn’t punch me out the next time he sees me. He’s going to be real pissed when he finds out.”
I thought not. “I don’t think he’ll mind that much Pan. He all but ignored her when he came up. I don’t think he cares about her at all.”
We walked in silence until we reached the square, then I turned to Lyka. “Thanks for going along with all that, Lyka. You were real sweet about it all.” I came up close and kissed him on the cheek and he blushed.
“Nah, I really like you two. You are real good friends to have, and it was the most fun I had in a long time.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a silver hemiobol, then handed it to him. “Lyka, we know your pa takes all the money you earn. I want you to have this so you can treat yourself sometime. Make sure you hide it from him though.”
Lyka took the coin, embarrassed. “Yeah, it kind of sucks to never have any money. Listen you two. I appreciate what you did for me today. I guess you need to be getting home now so I won’t keep you. If you ever need any help for anything you know where to find me.”
At that, both Pan and I embraced him, and then parted company. On the way back to the miller’s shop I turned to Pan. “I know you stole it Pan. It’s in your satchel.”
“How did you know?”
“Korrina smelled it. It was that black powder, wasn’t it.”
Pan nodded. “…And I’m going to figure out how it works. Are you gonna help?”
“Sure, but they’re going to figure out it was you when they discover it missing.”
“I doubt it. It was just thrown into a barrel where they put all the damaged armory items. They just left it there like a broken toy. No one will notice it’s missing until someone comes to work on all that broken stuff in the barrel. That may be weeks from now and who knows where we will both be by then.”