Chapter 1 (cont.)<\/p>\n
I told him to get up, using my sword to show him what I meant in case he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak Latin.\u00c2\u00a0 I prodded him back to where Tempest was laying on a blanket of blood-soaked leaves.\u00c2\u00a0 The fighting was over, and I only saw our men cleaning their swords.\u00c2\u00a0 Speratus walked out from around the brambles and over to the dead man.<\/p>\n
He kicked the behemoth in the side, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Impressive work.\u00c2\u00a0 Are you alright?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m fine.\u00c2\u00a0 He was all bluster and no finesse.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I knelt down next to Tempest.\u00c2\u00a0 Her breathing was labored and choked with blood.<\/p>\n
Speratus continued, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The bastards killed Marius, an arrow clean through the neck.\u00c2\u00a0 And Sarkis got his leg pinned to his horse, shredded it up when he fell off, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll live as long as he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bleed out.\u00c2\u00a0 Lucius will take over as signifier for now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
He kept talking, but my attention was on Tempest.\u00c2\u00a0 She had saved me more times than I could remember.\u00c2\u00a0 She followed my every lead regardless of her own safety, and I led her right into that brigand\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s axe.\u00c2\u00a0 The wound was deep, and she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to last much longer.\u00c2\u00a0 I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to see her suffer, so I took my sword and placed the tip behind her left front leg.\u00c2\u00a0 I drove it into her heart as quickly as I could.\u00c2\u00a0 She shuddered and I felt the muscles in her neck go limp.<\/p>\n
Speratus had stopped talking and was watching me, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Take Marius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s horse, he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need it anymore.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
I nodded.\u00c2\u00a0 I pulled some rope from my saddle and went to the boy.\u00c2\u00a0 He offered no resistance as I bound his hands, but he kept looking over at the other archer, who was starting to moan and roll his head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0 Speratus walked over, pulling a knife from his belt.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes grew wide, and I turned just as Speratus pulled the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head back and slit his throat like a freshly pinned deer.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy lurched forward and screamed the\u00c2\u00a0Celtic\u00c2\u00a0word for father.\u00c2\u00a0 I recognized it because it was what my sons called me.\u00c2\u00a0 They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d learned it from their mother, who was born into a local Celtic tribe called the Brigante.\u00c2\u00a0 I held the boy back.\u00c2\u00a0 I knew Speratus would not hesitate to do the same to him if provoked.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy dropped to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes.<\/p>\n
I turned to Speratus, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What did you do!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
He casually cleaned the blade of his knife, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What? He tried to kill you. Given the chance, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just as soon slit your throat or mine.\u00c2\u00a0 Besides, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need a wounded Celt taking time away from our injured men.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He was no threat to anyone.\u00c2\u00a0 I thought we were supposed to civilize these people not murder them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Always the idealist. Why didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you try to civilize him?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Speratus pointed the knife at the man I killed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153These people don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want what we have.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re perfectly happy skimming off the edges and taking what doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t belong to them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Looking down at the archer and then at the boy he continued, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153An example has to be set so they know that we aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to let them get away with it.\u00c2\u00a0 Either they accept the rules, or they die resisting.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nice speech. \u00c2\u00a0You do realize that was his father?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I said.<\/p>\n
Speratus clenched his jaw, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Have you forgotten who is in charge here?\u00c2\u00a0 My actions are not yours to question.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
When he asserted his rank, I knew I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d pushed him far enough, and to some extent he was right.\u00c2\u00a0 These men weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to change their ways regardless if we tried to convince them with swords or rhetoric.\u00c2\u00a0 They no more wanted the life of a Roman then I wanted the life of a Celt.<\/p>\n
Speratus walked away.\u00c2\u00a0 I went over to the man with the axe and picked up the knife he had intended for my back.\u00c2\u00a0 As a Roman soldier and especially as the duplicarius, I was entitled to whatever loot I found on the battlefield.\u00c2\u00a0 This benefit alone drove many of the soldiers.\u00c2\u00a0 If they made it to retirement, they would get their citizenship, if they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have it already, along with a nice piece of land and be able to live comfortably on all their spoils.<\/p>\n
Most of the items I kept I passed along as gifts or offerings.\u00c2\u00a0 I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need a dead man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s belongings haunting me.\u00c2\u00a0 If it was an admirable opponent I might keep some small trinket as a tribute, but most I gave to the legion to support the unit or left in shrines for Mirthras and Silvanus.<\/p>\n
Passing back by the boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father, a glint of metal caught my eye.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy was still on his knees, staring blankly at the ground.\u00c2\u00a0 I rolled the man over and found an ornate sword and scabbard attached to his belt.\u00c2\u00a0 I cut the belt and pulled the sword free.\u00c2\u00a0 The handle was made of bronze with two fanciful heads at its base that curved back toward the center.\u00c2\u00a0 The scabbard was even more impressive with two elaborately carved eagles twisted in an aerial battle.\u00c2\u00a0 The sword was old but in good shape.\u00c2\u00a0 Also around the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck was an amulet.\u00c2\u00a0 Wiping away the blood, I could see it was made of gold and engraved with strange marks.\u00c2\u00a0 They didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t appear to be Celtic runes, but it was made of gold and I could get a decent exchange for it.<\/p>\n
I walked back over to the boy and pulled him to his feet.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Someday boy, if the gods see fit, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be able to earn this sword back.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 I cut away his bonds. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153For now though, you at least deserve the right to bury your father,” I said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 1 (cont.) I told him to get up, using my sword to show him what I meant in case he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak Latin.\u00c2\u00a0 I prodded him back to where Tempest was laying on a blanket of blood-soaked leaves.\u00c2\u00a0 The … Continue reading