Read Online Timothy Boggs - Hercules Legendary Joureneys 02 by Serpent's Shadow - Free Book Online Page A

government, because they don't want to rock the boat."
    "Not that good," Venitia corrected.
    "Well, yes, not that good," Rotus agreed.
    "Right!" someone called. "Not all that good. Pretty awful sometimes, actually."
    The others agreed. Loudly. With lots of fist waving and lots of foot stomping. Within seconds, someone had begun to sing what was clearly a song meant to inspire revolutionary fervor. Seconds later all the rebels joined in and were singing. Loudly. With lots of fists waving and lots of feet stomping.
    Hercules and Iolaus looked at each other.
    "You're sure I'm not dead?" Iolaus asked.
    Hercules shook his head, although he himself had decided he was probably still asleep, that this was yet another one of those portentous dreams whose meaning he was expected to decipher so that he could, upon awakening, figure out what to do next. The problem was, all this yelling and grumbling and top-of-the-lung singing was giving him a splitting headache on top of the one he already had.
    When Iolaus nudged him sharply with an elbow, he sighed. He was awake. Very awake.
    Iolaus leaned close. "Here, we have to get out of here."
    "I know."
    "We can't disappoint those ladies."
    "I know."
    "I mean, they're depending on me, Herc. Us. To give them the elusive dream they've always dreamed of since they were children—being the summer queen. Being the queen of Themon. Being—"
    Hercules snapped a finger against the man's chin to shut him up. "That was in the invitation, wasn't it?"
    Iolaus scowled, rubbed his chin, opened his mouth to protest Hercules' doubt of his command of the language, not to mention his sincerity, changed his mind, and nodded.
    The singing continued.
    An excruciating hour passed as song followed song, during which Hercules figured this had to be Hera's revenge.
    Eventually Iolaus nudged him again. "I have a plan."
    Of course, Hercules thought; you always have a plan.
    "So tell me something I don't already know," he said.
    "They have horses."
    Hercules stared at him in disbelief. ' 'They what?'
    "Horses. That's why they keep leaving. To take care of the horses." Iolaus inched closer. "So we get out of here, grab a couple of horses, and ride." He smiled.
    Hercules smiled back. "How do we get out of here?"
    Iolaus' smile broadened. "That's your job. I thought of the horses." When Hercules made to snap his chin again, he laughed. "No, really, I have a plan for that, too." He glanced around at the singing rebels.
    "When I tell you, run for the exit."
    "All right," Hercules said doubtfully. "When do we do this?"
    "Now!" Iolaus shouted, leaped to his feet, and raced away.
    Stunned, Hercules sat for a second, then groaned, leaped to his own feet, and followed Iolaus toward the exit.
    Stunned, the rebels kept singing until they realized that their hostages had escaped, then changed the singing to a lot of shouting and screaming and grabbed their weapons before racing for the exit.
    It was the bowman on the ledge who scored the first hit.

    As Hercules and Iolaus exploded from the cave an arrow ricocheted off one of the Hephaestus-forged black guards Hercules wore on each arm from wrist to elbow. The hit startled him, nearly made him stumble, and reminded him that these bandits were not the bumblers he had once believed.
    The cave was at the base of a low grassy hill. Ranged in front were a number of stunted trees, and beneath one were a half-dozen horses. Iolaus made straight for them, leaping over an arrow that thudded into the ground just ahead of him. Another hummed past Hercules' left ear, but he didn't turn; that would only delay him, and make him an easier target.
    Moments later Iolaus leaped nimbly onto the back of a roan, grabbed her mane, and was gone.
    Hercules, who wasn't all that fond of horses except when they were pulling things he was riding in, found a larger animal, a black, and threw himself onto its back. Then he scattered the other animals before racing off after his friend.
    The last he saw of the