IT was late in the morning before Astur reached the spot where the roadway left the main river to follow the lower ground to Persepolis. She looked behind at the dust which relentlessly stayed on the horizon and realised that Megabyzus must have sent a squad of men after her as the main army, including supplies, could not have matched her speed.
Carefully, she rode Mercury across the water and up the far bank onto the stony road before wheeling the horse around and returning to the river. With satisfaction, she looked down at the score marks in the soft bank of the river and hoped that the men following her would be deceived. She then nudged her mount back into the water and waded upstream for more than a mile before climbing back out of the river and following the Rud-e-Zareh into the mountains.
As she climbed, the weather became colder. It was early spring and, by now, the temperature in Shushan would be almost unbearable. However, at so many cubits above the valley plain, Astur wished she had had the time and foresight to bring heavier clothing.
Already, it was getting late in the afternoon as she reached the fork in the river and debated which branch to take. Looking down the valley, she could see no riders.
However, it would not take the soldiers long to realise they had been fooled and, by now, they could already be tracing her steps or even trying to cut her off. It was probable that they knew these mountains far better than she did.
She stared up at the tall peaks ahead and made her decision. Abandoning the tributary on her left, Astur climbed the steep incline through the trees that followed the waterfall alongside her. At the top of the cascade, the waters came from two directions. Having chosen right before, she opted for left this time and broke out of the treeline onto a wild hillside scattered with broken rocks and the metamorphic debris of millennia.
It was the snow which made her turn back. It suddenly fell out of the sky like a solid wall and was then ferociously whipped around by the icy wind. In desperation and with heavy heart, she retraced her steps back to the trees where she sheltered until the light failed completely. For a long time, she stood beside Mercury who instinctively bowed his head against the ferocious gale. It was madness to continue. The storm might last for days and Megabyzus was on lower ground, able to make better speed.
Astur hung her head in shame. She had failed in her attempt to thwart the evil plans of Artabanus. The army would reach Persepolis ahead of her and the unsuspecting Artakhshayarsha would welcome Megabyzus with open arms and, by the time she reached the city, it would be all over. It would then be only a matter of time before the great dynasty of the Achaemenids was overthrown by nations who had accepted her husband's peace terms but who would not tolerate the deceit of Artabanus nor the bloodthirsty oppressions of Megabyzus. Soon, the whole world would be at war and it would simply be because the Queen of the Persians was now lost on the wild and snow-covered slopes of the High Zagros.
ASTUR had never seen so much snow before in all her life, not close up. Once, when she had been at Ecbatana, the distant peaks had been snow-capped and beautiful but she had never before felt its cold cloak envelope her whole body.
Deep into the night, she sat propped up against the trunk of an tree whilst the white flakes fell thickly from a black sky. Even in the dead of night, the mountainside seemed to glow. Under the great oak trees beneath which she sheltered, it remained relatively dry but Astur shivered from the unaccustomed cold. The wind had now died to a whisper and all was silent except for the soft patter of snow upon the leaves. From time to time, Astur looked towards where Mercury stood a few cubits away, pulling gently at what little there was of undergrowth. Should she let the horse go so it could return to the lower slopes where grass was more plentiful? Was it worth continuing her journey at all?
It was now too late for her to return to lower ground to find another way round. If she was still to reach Persepolis before Megabyzus, she would have to climb the snow-covered slopes in front of her and find the pass through the mountains without the aid of any footpaths which would, by now, be covered in a blanket, disguising every natural feature. Faintly, she could still hear the trickling of the nearby stream. Although the snow was settling, the temperature was not yet below zero, but it was not to last. After a while, the snow gradually ceased and the moon broke through the clouds and, as the night progressed, the temperature dropped. Astur's whole body seemed to be shaking from head to foot as she wrapped her arms around herself and tried to roll herself into a ball between the roots of the tree to try and conserve what little body heat she had.
Suddenly, she pricked up her ears as Mercury neighed softly in the darkness. Instantly, she was onto her feet, holding her horse's head in her hands, straining for any repetition of the sound. But nothing disturbed the utter silence as even the trickling of the stream seemed to have died away. For a moment, Astur thought she had gone deaf but then Mercury moved slightly and Astur stood, poised, ready for action. The horse's eyes were wide and alert, its ears erect and scanning. Frantically, Astur's eyes peered into the darkness as her heart raced. Was it Megabyzus's men who were now close by and stalking her? She had no way of telling.
'Easy,' she whispered to Mercury as she stroked his nose reassuringly.
Astur was taking no chances. As quietly as possible, she leapt up and swung her leg over his back and gently patted his neck.
She looked around for options. Behind her, the forest loomed black and evil whilst ahead, at least she could see where she was going. A twig snapped somewhere and, with heart in mouth, she nudged Mercury forward. If whoever it was behind her was going to attack, it would be now.
As she moved, a great crashing broke out in the undergrowth to her rear. Instinctively, she dug her heels in hard and Mercury leapt ahead, stumbling through the crisp, white blanket. Astur looked wildly around and it was then that she saw the bear. It was big and black and catching up with them fast. Brutus was on his home ground whereas Astur was lost and Mercury weakened from the frantic riding of the last two days. Unable to see the terrain below the snow, the horse stumbled and Astur found herself flying over its neck.
The breath was forced from her as she hit the ground, the soft snow cushioning her fall somewhat. She shook her head as the mountain slowed down in its spinning and Astur stared up at the giant mountain bear which confronted her. Slowly, she got to her feet as the animal watched her warily, its panting tongue clearly seen in the moonlight. Even at a distance of several cubits, she could smell its breath, hot and stale, as the clouds of vapour condensed in the icy air.
Astur had no weapon except for her tiny dagger which was useless in these circumstances but she still did not fancy becoming the bear's next meal. She was on slightly higher ground, the animal's head being level with her own as its eyes followed her every move.
The bear was puzzled. Every other time it had attacked, its prey had run away only to be overtaken and, after a certain amount of mauling and bone-breaking, had been killed and pieces of it had been dragged back to the lair for food. However, this puny creature defied it. The bear, down-wind of her, sniffed the air and was puzzled at her lack of fear. Perhaps this skinny animal was stronger than she looked.
Astur felt no fear, merely disappointment that she had failed in her quest to save the Empire of her late husband and King. Then, she had an idea. Slowly, so as not to startle the bear, she bent down and picked up a large handful of snow and began to compress it into a hard ball in her hands. If little David could defeat big Goliath, it was just possible that Astur could escape Brutus.
She waited until the bear moved and, when it did, she threw the snowball with all her might, catching it full in the face. Brutus roared in anger and staggered to a stop, rubbing its eyes which had been blinded by the flying ice. Astur turned and ran, clutching Mercury's reins as she passed him and dragging him up the mountainside. They reached the top of the ridge as Brutus recovered and began bounding up the slope towards them. Astur jumped onto Mercury's back, dug her heels in and let the horse have its head as it raced along the level ridgeline and soon left the bear far behind. Several miles away, they stopped and Astur shivered violently as she tried to get her bearings, realising that she now had not the slightest idea where she was.
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CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
