Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Second Trial

Most of the village elders were still in awe at seeing Praxis and Lysandra come back, not only with the golden statue of Ares but also with the daughter and grandchildren of one of the elders. Though the task given to them had been fraught with danger, there was never a moment when Praxis thought he was going to die. Perhaps it was due to the way he and Lysandra worked together as a team that saw them through, but if this first trial was any evidence, they might just live to tell about it someday.

The lead elder, a man named Medios, was the one who least celebrated their return. The son of Medios, Orcus, was positively disappointed and began to kick at the ground, sending up clouds of dirt.

“Very well, the first trial is now complete,” said Medios reluctantly. “But I think the rest of the village is forgetting there will be two more trials!”

“No one has forgotten,” replied Demetrios. “We’re only celebrating their return. What they’ve done is no less than extraordinary.”

Medios grunted. “It doesn’t matter. The only thing that does matter is that we need to give them their second trial. And this one will be against beast instead of man. I think they will find the beast a much harder opponent than a few foolish priests.”

“What is our task?” asked Praxis. “What kind of beast are we going up against?”

“The most dangerous predator in all of Greece,” replied Medios. “The wolf.”

There was a noticeable lack of chatter once he announced the beast to be defeated. Suddenly, all the excitement died only to be replaced by morbid acceptance.

“You want us to kill a wolf?” asked Praxis. “Just the two of us?”

“That is correct,” replied Medios. “And you must do so without the use of a long-range weapon. No bows or slings allowed.”

More chatter erupted from the crowd. To ask them to only use a sword was tantamount to a death sentence. Wolves were aggressive at short range and no matter how quickly Praxis moved, a wolf would be faster.

“Go into the mountains to the north of the village,” instructed Medios. “A wolf pack will be found there. There is an old alpha male that is bigger than any other wolf in Greece. Once you kill him, you must return with his body in order to pass the second trial.”

“How long do we have to do it?” asked Lysandra.

“I’m glad you asked, girl, because you only have a day to do it, just like with the first trial,” announced Medios. “So you better get moving.”

Praxis and Lysandra shared a look together. It was the same look they had before setting out on the first trial.

A look that said how the hell were they supposed to do this?

Medios and the rest of the elders didn’t linger long and they returned to the village. The silence was just what Praxis needed as he attempted to figure out just how he was going to take down a wolf on his own.

“This task seems a lot more difficult than the last one,” noted Lysandra as she pushed into his arms.

Praxis began to rub her back. “I keep trying to think of ways we can do this without getting killed in the process. It’s a lot different to kill a wolf at short range.”

“Do you still think we can do it?” asked Lysandra, pulling back.

“We have to. We have to find a way.”

She nodded and began to prepare her things for them to leave. Praxis gathered his armor, his shield, and his sword, knowing they’d be critically important for this task. But it was as he was looking at his sword that he wished it was just a little bit longer, at least enough to keep some distance between himself and the wolf.

It was that line of thinking that brought him back to fighting the last priest in the temple, the one that had used the spear instead of a sword. He had used the weapon to jab at Praxis, staying out of Praxis’ immediate reach and making the fight longer than it should have been. At that moment, Praxis had an idea.

“Demetrios, do you have a spear around here somewhere?” asked Praxis, searching the room. “Anything that I can borrow for this trial?”

Demetrios thought for a second and then moved to one corner, where he found a spear buried under several other tools.

“What do you want a spear for, Praxis? You heard Medios say that you couldn’t use it to throw at the wolf.”

“Medios said I couldn’t use a bow or a sling but he said nothing about a spear.”

Demetrios winced. “Yes, but he meant all ranged weapons. That would include a spear.”

“What if I didn’t use it as a ranged weapon?” asked Praxis.

Demetrios gave him an odd look as Praxis hoisted the spear next to his head, so that the main body was mostly parallel to the ground. He then jabbed it forward without throwing it, and once the jab was complete, he pulled it back solidly.

“That’s . . . an interesting way to fight,” noted Demetrios.

“Fighting this way might just give me a leg up against the wolf,” replied Praxis. “It’s worth a shot at least. If the temple priest could make it work, then so can I.”

“For everyone’s sake, I hope you make it work as well,” said Demetrios. “If you can manage to kill it, you can keep the spear when you’re done. I have no use for it.”

“Let’s just hope I bring it back in the first place,” joked Praxis.

It only took a few more minutes for them to get ready before they were setting off again. As they crested the hill above Demetrios’ house, Praxis let out a yawn. With so little rest last night, he could have used most of the day to sleep.

Lysandra saw his yawn and smiled. “When this is all over, we’re going to sleep for the next week.”

“Yes, lots of sleep,” he agreed. “And maybe even some sweet wine too.”

“Don’t forget sex,” teased Lysandra. “I fully intend to keep you in bed with the promise of lots and lots of sex.”

“Like I needed any more excuses,” joked Praxis.

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The couple continued to ascend into the mountains near the village. At this close range, several high peaks dominated the view, separated only by rocky valleys full of trees and wildlife. Praxis knew that the wolves preferred those valleys and so he made for the closest one to the village as his starting point.

“Do you know anything about how to lure a wolf to us?” asked Lysandra.

“No, I was sleeping during that day of instruction from my tutor.”

“Praxis, be serious!”

“I’m not sure,” said Praxis. “But I know that most creatures are fiercely protective of their young. Mess with the young, and you bring out the mother. Mess with the mother, and you bring out the old alpha. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.”

Lysandra gave him a disgusted look. “We’re not going to be killing wolf pups, are we?”

“No, that’s not my plan. I just want them scared of us in the beginning. If we do that properly, we might just lure out the old alpha.”

“I really don’t like this plan, Praxis. So much can go wrong.”

Praxis nodded his head. “I think that’s why they’re making us do it.”

They continued to move until they reached a spot right near the middle of the valley. It was here that Praxis found a wounded deer that could barely walk and was rutting on the ground. Something had taken a chunk out of its hind, and the deer wasn’t long for this world.

“I have an idea,” said Praxis as he moved closer to the door. He softly petted the animal’s fur before using his spear to put it out of its misery. The beast let out a whimper before falling silent. “We’re going to use this deer as bait.”

“I thought wolves were predators, not scavengers,” said Lysandra. “Wouldn’t they just ignore something that’s already dead?”

Praxis shrugged. “Maybe not. Maybe if it’s easy food, they just might take the bait. Come on, let’s position this deer next to a hiding spot for us. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait very long.”

Lysandra drew her sword and nodded. Together, they found a hiding spot centered around one, large boulder that looked like it rolled off the mountain centuries ago. They both crouched down and prepared to await their prey.

It took hours of waiting before they spotted something. At first, Praxis thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He could see movement but it was too small to make out. It was only after several minutes of watching that he gently touched Lysandra’s shoulder.

“There she is,” he whispered. “The female.”

Sure enough, a female wolf was making her way closer to the deer. She was moving cautiously, taking every few minutes to sniff the wind for any threats. Praxis wondered if she could smell them and that’s why she was being overly cautious. It wasn’t until he saw the young pups behind her that he felt a surge of triumph.

“Got them,” whispered Praxis. “Now we just need to see what they do.”

The female continued moving forward until she reached the deer carcass. She gave it several casual sniffs before moving on, confirming Lysandra’s earlier thoughts.

“It’s too dead for her,” she whispered. “She wants something fresh.”

“Let’s stay hidden or else that something fresh will be us,” replied Praxis.

Sure enough, the female kept moving, stalking right past their position without so much as a second thought. The pups followed closely behind her, although they too couldn’t resist a sniff of the deer carcass. They soon set to playing with each other, nipping at each other’s heels before following along.

It was only once some distance had been put between the mother that Praxis felt it was the right time to come out of hiding.

“Come on, let’s follow behind them,” he said. “They just might lead us to the alpha.”

“What should we do if they spot us?” whispered Lysandra.

Praxis smiled at her. “The best thing you can do at that point is remember your training.”

Lysandra gulped heavily and nodded. Steadily, they crawled forward, staying a healthy distance between the mother wolf and her young. With the female in the lead, she led them through a small, rocky defile that contained steep walls on either side. Now they were down to only two paths of escape.

Lysandra looked the most worried. “I don’t like this, Praxis. I don’t want to be in close quarters with these wolves.”

“We must be getting close,” said Praxis. “Maybe the lair is back here. I feel like she wouldn’t be leading us this way for no reason—”

Both of them were stopped dead in their tracks by the sound of a loud howl.

A howl that came from behind them, near the mouth of the defile.

They looked at each other with fright before turning around to see another wolf right behind them, cutting off their avenue of retreat. And it wasn’t just any wolf.

It was the old alpha, the biggest wolf that Praxis had ever seen. And he was already snarling at them, waiting for the right moment to attack.

“Praxis, he’s here!” yelled Lysandra, feeling no need to be quiet now.

Praxis pushed to his feet and raised his spear just like the priest had done the day before. He whispered a silent prayer to Athena as he stared down the old wolf.

The creature’s yellow eyes glared back at him. His sharp teeth dripped with saliva.

And finally, he charged headlong at Praxis at full speed.

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