The Cargoman's Tale

[Kritter]

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- The Cargoman's Tale -​

A bee crawled in aimless circles around my window glass, deceived by the light it saw as freedom - the light that kept it trapped. I moved slowly, quietly, trying to get it cupped and out the door before my mother saw it. My hands hovered over it, the way I had seen my father do it a dozen times before. I tried to keep them steady and not think about its stinger, cursing my mother for transferring to me her fear of these tiny insects. I had to make myself do it, though. I didn’t want my father to be bothered from his work. Not this time. I sucked in my breath, forcing my hands to move. I hesitated. The bee flew up along the thatched ceiling and around the corner of my room as I cringed.

I heard the frantic crash as my mother jumped up from her loom. “There’s one in the house! There’s one in the house! It’s gone after me! Help me, Darius, it’s after me!” I hurried to the door, opening it, hoping it might fly out. My mother stood cornered, batting at the air, screaming, “Dariuuuusss!”

I could hear my father whoa his ox in the field. “I’m coming, Olivia! Don’t despair!” he shouted, his voice both reassuring and full of jest. It amazed me he still acted as if this wasn't an annoying task. Three times this week already he’d been called upon to aid her.

“I’m here, love,” he announced as he entered the house. “I’ll save you! Where is this winged offender?” My mother had folded herself face first into a corner. She pointed towards the far wall. “Ah, I see it,” he said, in a hushed voice. “Go on outside, Mardus and I will take care of this!” She darted out the door as I peered around the corner. My father rolled his eyes at me. “Why did I marry that hysterical woman?”

His joke was made with fondness, as playing the hero in the rescue of my mother seemed enjoyable to him. He studied me while he waited on the bee to land. I’d seen that disappointment on his face before.

“Surely you could have handled this one, Mardus?”

“I didn’t see it,” I lied.

The bee came to rest against the wall. He cupped it swiftly with stable hands and strolled casually outside. “I’ve got it, love. You’re saved.” He released the bee into the air above him as my mother dashed back towards the house. She stopped at the door, her arms tightly wrapped around herself, her eyes scanning the air. My father raised a brow at her, awaiting the usual praise, but she gave him no such recognition. He’d bought the hives and was therefore responsible for this torment being inflicted upon her.

“I can’t take this anymore, Darius. I can’t. I can’t even think straight at my loom, always watching the walls now. It’s enough! You’ve got to get rid of them.”

“But we’ve made decent money off the honey!” He grinned boyishly at his rhyme. Approaching my mother with his arms out, he drew her into a hug and rocked her affectionately, trying to calm her nerves. “You’ve liked having honey for our morning bread, haven’t you, dear?”

“We can buy honey. I know it’s expensive, but really, Darius, I just…I don’t like them. Please!” She pouted at him; an exaggerated quiver to her bottom lip, her eyes gazing up at him at just the right angle to appear large and sad, knowing that look would offset his strong will.

My father sighed in defeat. “There, there, all right, love. The market is busy enough today. I’ll go see what we can trade them for. Don’t fret. I don’t like to see my Olivia fret.” She smiled, her face beaming with appreciation. My father kissed her on the nose. That made me smile as well.

“Mardus!” He called me over to him, tousling my black hair. “Bring the ox in.”

I nodded, galloping like a horse full speed across our small farm to where our ox stood idle in the field. This wasn’t an especially hard task for a boy of thirteen but I was short and lean with wiry limbs and still a bit unwieldy with a heavy plow. I raised it awkwardly, wavering side to side, walking the ox slowly back towards his pen.

“Don’t trade them for corn, I didn’t like that last batch of corn,” my mother was saying. “And not barley again, good Ceres, what a disaster!”

“No, not barley. I won’t make that mistake twice.” He shook his head, laughing. The barley. She’d never let him forget it, since they had argued over its purchase to start with and my father had invoked his ‘final word’ on the matter. Sometimes, I think she prayed for that dry season just to spite him.

I returned to my father, climbing up to sit on our fence, as mother continued her extensive list of things he shouldn’t get. She looked radiant in the sunlight, the little gems in her hair combs and necklace glittering as she shook her head. Standing barefoot in a simple linen toga against the gray stone of our home, her skin so perfectly white, as if she’d been chiseled by a sculptor from a thin slab of unblemished marble. I rarely saw her shine this way. She usually never stepped outside without her cloak.

“I’ll find something of use. Don’t worry. Go on back in the house,” my father said, finally losing his patience. He gave her back a gentle pat, meant to persuade her towards the door, and then started for the city gate, which sat just a few minute’s walk from our home.

“Take Mardus with you!” my mother called after him desperately. “Please!”

“All right, woman, all right. Back in the house!” My father beckoned to me with his head. I ran eagerly up the road after him.

“You’re making your mother crazy,” he said. I grinned, but remained silent. I knew I’d been too much of a problem to her lately, but I’d been so miserably bored. I’d outgrown playing as a child. I no longer cared to build miniature stone cities in our garden, or walk all the way down to the bridge by the river to sail my toy boats down the Aniene. My schooling had concluded and my father had hired slaves who came to work our fields, so there had been little else for me to do than get on my mother’s nerves.

I followed him closely, nearly doubling my pace to keep up with his long strides. We lived right off Nomentana road, the first farm house on the left outside the Collina gate. The gate, built out of large imposing stones, was one of several that gave passage into our city, the great Republic of Rome. We both waved to the legionaires as we passed underneath it. The same teams of men had guarded that gate for as long as I could remember and every one of them knew me by name.

Tall red brick buildings surrounded us as we cut through Caesar’s piazza. There was a statue here that was my favorite in the city. Not cold and still, but alive and full of motion. A soldier, firmly seated upon an armor-adorned war horse, with its curved neck and open mouth surging forward towards battle. It looked so real, just frozen in time. The gardens here were of no interest to a rambunctious blue-eyed boy since I’d not been allowed to play in them, but if I had been, I’m sure I would’ve wrecked them in little time. There seemed little point in gardens, or fountains for that matter, when they were off-limits to children who would have known how to put them to their best use.

The market was a chaotic place to me, compared to the tranquility of our farm. Vendors vied with one another for everyone's attention, ensuring a steady stream of strange noises, guttural clucks and shouts. My father paced up and down the crowded aisles, twisting at his blue stone ring, his mind caught up in deep thought and contemplation.

“We could trade for a horse,” I offered my wishful but uninvited opinion.

“Mardus, you know I don’t need a horse. Stop trying to make me buy a horse!” He shook his head at me with a good-natured smile. His consistent humor was admirable. Very little seemed to agitate him. “What would I do with the thing?”

“Now, chickens!” He stopped to admire the birds. “I could build your mother a hen house for them and she could have fresh eggs. Do you think she’d like that?”

“She definitely would,” I answered for myself.

“Yes. A fitting investment, I think. You can never be too sure, but that should never stop you from trying. Fortune favors the bold! Men who are afraid to make an investment will never know prosperity. You should jump in when opportunity presents itself. Better a poor attempt at success than none at all.”

I rolled my head side to side with each sentence, mimicking his words. I had heard this speech from him more times than I could count. His investments weren’t always profitable, but in truth he had done very well for us three. We owned our farm with its five fertile acres and he had acquired the ox, two sheep and a mule. We were definitely one of the better off families among the modest farms, although we suffered next to the larger estates and villas that dotted our hillside, villas owned by men who honestly hoped to see us fail, as covetous as they were of any land not yet their own.

Having made his trade, he turned for home. Our bees would be two chickens by tomorrow’s eve and my mother’s frayed nerves would be lessened for a time.

Passing back through the gate, my father stopped to chat with the legionaires. He brought up politics once again, engaging them at length with his ‘expert’ opinions. Rome certainly gave him an abundance of things to talk about. It seemed nearly every day there was a new war, conquest or conspiracy. Between Cicero and Caesar alone, he could spend hours in discussion with these men.

I just stared at the soldiers, listening intently to their voices while they debated with my father. They always sounded so self assured--a trait I greatly admired. My childhood dream was to be a legion commander. Even when I grew older and understood it was a position afforded only to the wealthy, I still held on to that dream. What innocent mind doesn’t imagine there will be magical exceptions when they’re proven to be great?

The soldiers who patrolled our road often stopped and leaned on our old gray wood fence to chat. They were like tiny triumph parades, standing out amongst the dull green fields with their bright red tunics and shining silver metal breastplates. I knew them only as conquerors and victors, proud looking men who belonged to the greatest army in the world. They were revered, respected, and incapable of defeat. In my small world they were very much like gods, and for this reason alone, I looked forward to joining the army.

Mother loved the chickens, but she immediately assigned me the unpleasant task of keeping their boxes clean, another chore piled on me in hopes of keeping me occupied. Chores are of little use, though, when you’re thirsting for adventure, and only increased my boredom. The world was such a big place while our farm grew smaller by the day. I could hear her whispering complaints about me to my father some nights when they believed me long asleep, but on this night, she offered a solution.

“You have to find something for him to do, Darius, he’s constantly underfoot. He has no other children his age nearby, no one to talk to all day. I feel bad for him, but what am I supposed to do? He’s out there all day with his stick swords attacking anything that moves. He’s completely destroyed the scarecrow and the hedges. I caught him today riding the mule, running the poor thing ragged down the road while he took swings at the tree branches.”

“He has too much energy,” my father agreed. “Gods, my poor mule.”

“You’ve got to start allowing him to leave the farm. Take him out a little each afternoon into the city. Why don’t you? The library perhaps, or over where they’re building the basilica, I’m sure he’d like watching that, or the barracks, Darius. They’re not far down the road, and you know he’d love watching the soldiers. He can go there himself. You know he would if you’d only let him.”

The only time I actually was allowed to enter the city was on market day or for festivals and always in the company of my father. Whatever aversion he had to my being exposed to it as a child was becoming unreasonable in light of my age. I grew excited at the idea of being able to venture there on my own. A whole city to explore would afford me endless things to do.

“I don’t know what good could come of it,” he said, “but perhaps a few days a week. All right.”

The suggestion was a brilliant one on the part of my mother and I loved her for having made it. The more we ventured into the city, the more acquaintances my father made, and the more time he would spend in discussion and debate with them. I seized these opportunities to wander off on my own. I loved to walk to the barracks to watch the infantry train. Though these were common soldiers, to my imagination they were all men of the 10th Legion, infamous and elite.

The barracks had wooden buildings, an armory and training apparatus, bordering a hard dirt yard, sectioned off from the street by a low stone wall. I started going there most every day to climb up on that wall. Balancing atop it, with a stick in my hand, I could copy their sword fighting techniques. Most of the soldiers were off fighting barbarians, but a few always remained garrisoned in the city. I had heard talk that they might build a new armory and barracks closer to the campus but since we never walked that far, I prayed that wouldn’t happen.

We never ventured towards the far ends of Aventine or Subura because, as my father would say, “the closer one gets to the docks, the further one gets from civility.” I didn’t understand this as a boy, although I was able to observe that deeper into the city there was a noticeable difference in the appearance of buildings and roads.

The area around our library gleamed. The piazza there was surrounded by buildings with tall columns and arches of polished marble and rigid stately statues all arranged with symmetrical unity, while the narrow moldy side streets leading off towards the Tiber were full of older buildings, made of rough uneven stone.

Further still were common people, crowded several floors high in thin-walled, timber framed insulas, who shared stinking public latrines and cluttered the muddy streets with their noise. I would never have ventured to that part of the city by myself, had it not been introduced to me in an odd fashion a few weeks later. I stayed to the barracks. The only place I wanted to go. The only place I would have ever gone.

--

 

[Rabbit]

Alright! Good start.

 

[Kritter]

I learned my father had other plans for me one evening, when he came to fetch me from the barracks wall. We were approached near its iron gate by a distinguished looking centurion. I knew centurions were important men because any time the army would pass down our road, they journeyed on horses in front of the soldiers. I thought this man was going to scold me for having been on the wall, but instead he greeted my father with familiarity and warmth.

“Darius, you pompous old fool, how are you?” The centurion’s voice being every bit as deep and commanding as I imagined it would be.

“Decius Kostas! I haven’t seen you in years, old friend. I’m good, I’m well, and you look good!” My father clasped his hands to this man’s, giving him a hug. “Where have you been? When did you return?”

“I’ve been in Alexandria, if you can believe it, keeping the old man Ptolemy on his throne. I was starting to think I’d be there forever, but he’s finally passed on and now suddenly Antony recalls me. He’s lucky I’m still loyal after all this time. I can’t say the same for the rest of our men there. I got back this morning, and now I hear I’m to help sweep up in Gaul. Gaul, Darius.” He frowned with disdain. “That’s the last place on earth I was expecting to go.”

I was greatly impressed with my father that he knew such a significant man. They talked for several minutes of things I didn’t care about; the tribune, the consuls and war. He looked so striking in his uniform as if he'd been born a centurion. I stared at him the entire time. He was exactly the man I wished to become someday. He noted me at last, reaching down to put a hand on my head.

“And this is little Mardus, then? Mars, he’s certainly grown! So much has changed, Darius. I’ve been away too long. I should have known it would be your son though, sitting there on the wall. Is there another boy in the city who admires the army so much?”

My father shook his head towards me. “Some things never change.”

“You still wish to be a soldier?” The centurion gave a good-natured smile as he pulled his great sword from its sheath. I stood breathless, thinking he might let me hold it and, in a moment I knew I’d never forget, he gripped it carefully by the blade and offered me its handle. “Careful how you wield it now. Your father and I are both too young to die.”

My blood rushed, staggered by the sheer anticipation of holding a centurion’s sword. I took it from him eagerly, surprised it was so heavy, but using both hands to keep it aloft, its weight was no match for the excitement I felt. It was a magical moment for me and, had I known I’d only hold a sword once more in my lifetime, I would’ve held on to it so much longer.

The man started to laugh, apparently at my expense. “Easy there, young fellow. You’re not strong enough yet, are you? You need to put more muscle on those arms!” His words stung me. I was smaller than most boys my age, but I believed myself as capable as any centurion. I concentrated every last ounce of my strength into pointing that sword straight out at his chest. I stared fearlessly at him, wishing he would see I was stronger than he perceived, wanting him to take back his words.

“He has the fire of fight in his eyes, Darius. Look at him. Make sure they give him to me when he’s ready. I could use a boy with that kind of spirit. I’ll have him rivaling Antony someday, mark my words!”

I looked up at my father with pride, trying to raise the weapon over my head. Its cumbersome weight displaced my entire frame, nearly causing me to fall backwards. I swung around, barely steadying myself. I glanced up at my father, embarrassed, and he gave me a sad look of reproof.

“Return the sword, Mardus,” my father said, turning his eyes back upon the centurion, giving him an even gaze. I thought myself in trouble for having lost control of the sword, but he smiled at me reassuringly as I did what I was told. He put his hands to my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. The man regarded my father with some curiosity.

“He’s my only son, centurion. I appreciate your words, but he will be with me in my fields, not with you on yours. He’s destined for planting and sowing, not war.”

“Well, there’s a shame.” The centurion frowned, and then realizing his words may be insulting to my father, he added, “But where would the army be without our fine farmers?”

My father nodded in proper respect and, after they exchanged a few pleasantries, he led me with my now sullen face off to a corner by the library stairs. I’d never considered, never even imagined, that my father would disapprove of my becoming a soldier. Right in front of that extraordinary man, he had crushed me so completely. Destined to become a farmer? It seemed the cruelest of betrayals. I didn’t want to look at my father when he stopped and turned me around, but when I did, I could see in his face he knew just how harshly his words had been received.

“Look, Mardus,” he said, “I didn’t want to say this before because all young men have childhood dreams, but I thought you would grow out of this by now. I know you think being a soldier is wearing a fine uniform and helmet while you swing a great sword, but these men fight wars. Yes, a noble thing to be sure, when the war is honorable, but there are far too many commanders who know nothing but ambition. They strike up battles simply because they wish to show a few victories under their belt. They have no scruples about conquering anyone. It’s all politics, son, and the killing of innocents. I’m sorry, but I just can’t approve.”

His explanations were lost on me at that moment. I could see my father’s countenance grow with frustration. He’d waited far too long to tell me this and he knew it. My bottom lip began to tremble and I had to fight to keep my cheeks from feeling tears. My face flushed red as I bit down on my teeth, my fists clenching into small mallets. It was far more anger than any child should display towards their father and yet I felt justified in the act.

My father grew annoyed with this demonstration of temper. His voice turned cold and stern, snapping at me in biting fashion. “Look, all they would have you doing is building roads. That’s all they use the smaller men for, Mardus, is building roads. You’d probably not even get a taste of a sword. I’m sure that’s not what you want to do with your life.”

I’d heard enough in that moment and refused to listen further. I didn’t care what he had to say. I was devastated, but in my heart I bravely decided that I would determine my own future, and pay his desires no greater credence than he had paid to mine. I kept this revelation to myself, content that I was settled upon it, regaining my dignity for the time.

--

My walks with my father became shorter in subsequent weeks. With no desire to look upon the garrison, I could only sit silently nearby while he talked to his friends and, being conscious of my presence, he would keep his conversations to a minimum. I was fast becoming a hopelessly somber child, moody and withdrawn.

My father had once said to me that yielding to one’s fate was always the best choice, but that word, “yield”, just made me want to tug at the bit. I felt I had no real power to change my fate, but fate seemed prone to random detours and could be promptly set off on an entirely new course by even the slightest of circumstance.

Feeling rueful that I’d been so hurt by his words, my father took me on a spree of interesting outings, hoping to cheer me up. On this day, I followed him down a road we’d never once been down before. It grew crowded with people, dirty and poor, matching the buildings around them, and the further we walked, the more needy they seemed. Some wore clothing so frayed and torn, it scarcely remained on their bodies and, in the heat, they all smelled as if they’d just walked through a pig farm. We were bumped into and jostled with so much as an apologetic glance. Mule dung laid unaddressed in the middle of the street with flies swarming all around it. I honestly couldn’t imagine why he thought to take me here.

We worked our way down one narrow alley after another, squeezing by trader's tables and store racks that intruded into the street. We walked past endless warehouses and a large inn made for foreign traders. I could hear the faint murmur of the crowds in their tavern and music from a lyre. When we turned the corner, I caught a fast glimpse between two buildings of a great barge on the Tiber. Even from this distance, its massive blue and gold sail pronounced it’s grandeur. I stopped to stare at it, lost to all things in that momentary vision. I felt my heart hold a beat, and then the ship disappeared from view.

He continued moving further through the city, never slowing his pace. I struggled to keep up. I never imagined the city to be this far reaching. We came at last to a concrete ramp leading down to the port where the fishing boats and cargo barges made their homes. My eyes widened at them with fascination, as I’d never seen any of this before.

Busy narrow ships lined the dock, filled with stained green ropes, molded metals, folded cloth sails and piles of netting. The barges were stacked with an amazing array of crates, grain sacks and jugs. Large rugged-looking men worked to unload these items onto the docks, and from there, several dirty-faced children were loading all the goods onto wagons and carts. They looked squalid, with torn clothes and broken sandal straps, but I took small notice of this. My greater attention was drawn to the fact that they were laughing, and some appeared to be receiving coins for their work.

“Who are those boys?” I watched them closely with growing curiosity.

My father shrugged at my question. “Poor children from the city, probably mostly orphans. Rome used to take care of its poor, but of course we can’t help everyone, or where would it end, but for children? These young boys have nothing. They work to save themselves from slavery.”

I didn’t hear the words my father was saying, except that these children had nothing, which by my very observation wasn’t true. They had hands full of coins, which was well more than I had. My father had brought me here to show me the ships, which I admit captured my attention, but it was the group of boys, all close to my age, that really seized my interest, because they were full of banter and humor, and the work for which they were getting paid looked like quite a bit of fun.

We stayed to watch the sailors awhile, and then he guided me homeward, but I remembered which roads we took so I could return to these docks. I wanted to know those boys, and possibly earn some coins for myself. I think I forgot all about becoming a soldier in that moment, because that was still the future, and this, this was now.

 

[Kritter]

I raced through my chores the next morning, eager to reexamine that side of the city. I knew my father would never have allowed me to return there on my own, so I chose to hide my expedition by lying as to where I was headed.

“Is it okay if I go watch the men working on the basillica for awhile?”

“You know the way?”

I nodded. I knew it well, not that it mattered.

“All right then, but mind you're back in time for your dinner. If you cause your mother worry, I won’t allow it again.”

I smiled, carefully at first, but once I’d cleared the city gate, that smile wound round my face. I darted nervously through the piazza and onward towards the crowded streets, praying I didn’t get lost. I felt like a foreigner in that part of the city. My senses heightened to everything around me, adrenaline pulsing through my limbs as I felt suddenly small and vulnerable among innumerable strangers.

When I finally arrived at the docks, I crouched low at the top of the ramp, choosing to spy first from a distance. The boys struck me as being good natured despite their crude appearance. The way they talked and teased one another, I was given the impression they shared a strong camaraderie. I counted eight boys that day, all seemingly close to my age. The longer I observed them, the more I wished I was down there with them, part of their enviable gang. I didn’t stay but an hour, fearing somehow my parents would find out, but they thankfully suspected nothing, and so I returned the next day and a few days after that.

The boys labored on the docks all morning but were generally gone by late afternoon. I started to explore the roads around the immediate vicinity, hoping to grow more comfortable with these unfamiliar surroundings. Our city was situated on several broad hills, with rows of buildings each towering higher than the next by virtue of the incline. The long building up against the port was at its lowest point, and it faced the street behind. Along its back, a long concrete walkway ran under countless small arches and columns.

The docks themselves were broad, with room for both man and cargo to pass each other unimpeded. They were made of a rough concrete, scratched and marred by dozens of years of use and weathered to an emerald sheen. Faded cloth canopies hung over stacks of upside down crates near the far wall by the stairs, and the older hands sat to relax there when they needed a break and some shade. The stairs, a narrow passage of eight stone steps, led to another side street, where I found rooming houses, ladies, stores and pubs which catered to the men who worked here.

As my mother began to encourage my daily outings, I came more frequently still. With each trip I grew bolder, venturing down the ramp to stand on the docks themselves. Tucked in a corner, I stayed as far as I could from the activity, hoping to remain discreet.

Chatter from the working men, the crisp rippling sounds of the sails, and the abundant cries of scavenging sea birds floated on the air, and behind that, the whispering rush of the Tiber’s rapid water. An inviting sound that constantly lured my eyes down its path to where it disappeared around a bend. The river had an unpleasant smell, but my nose fast learned to ignore it.

The barges they unloaded here arrived from the port town of Ostia, where the Tiber met the Tyrrhenian Sea, and it seemed there was no end to the variety of goods they brought. Oil and wine, spices, silks, timber, and bulging sacks of grains. They also transported slaves to be sold or trained for gladiatorial games, and occasionally wild animals were delivered in large cages. In a week of observation I saw two lions and a wolf, and on this very day I’d witnessed them cart a camel and crocodile off to one of the arenas. No other place in the city came close to matching the excitement here.

I grew aware that I appeared far more privileged than the boys I watched. My tunics were as gleaming white as the Senate walls compared to the ones they wore. I started picking through my clothes, donning the most threadbare of my tunics, the more disheveled the better. I didn’t want to be conspicuous in any way. I purposely ripped and stained some of them, which my mother near thrashed me for one morning. I took to rubbing dirt on my face and hands sometimes before descending to where they worked.

---

Not three weeks later I was standing right among the fellows, eavesdropping on their nonsense, expressing amusement at their jokes. One of the older boys, Galen, seemed to have procured leadership over the others, and they followed his orders when he was wont to give them.

I estimated Galen to be about fifteen years in age, though it was hard for me to judge, since everyone was generally taller than me. His face reminded me of the warrior, Alexander, whose bronze cast reigned over the small park outside the library. A handsome face with a perfect nose and jaw, and shrewd blue eyes under dirty blond hair. He was more muscled than the rest, from having worked so long at the docks, I guessed. I wondered if it was by virtue of those muscles that he gained authority over his band. He reminded me of the centurion I met. Something in his voice, and in the way he carried himself, you could just tell he was their leader. He was the only one of the boys who carried a knife, in a leather sheath he kept on his belt strap. I would have liked to have owned a knife, though I imagined my father would never allow it.

Galen was the one who first took regard of me as someone new. He asked me my name and where I was from, at which point I was frozen in mortification having not considered how to answer that particular question. I only turned around, pointing somewhere down a random road.

“By Subura?” He frowned. “Pity you, friend.”

I nodded my head, sighing.

“Do you have a place to stay there?” he asked.

I nodded again, not offering additional information, though he waited a good few seconds to see if I would. I lowered my head, biting my lip, afraid to even look at him under that inquisitive gaze, fearing he’d see right through me.

“No need to say more,” he said. “It’s okay. I understand. We’ve all got to do what we can, right?”

His kindness was unexpected as I had assumed he would be brutish in nature, given his circumstances. I wasn’t far off in my first estimation of him, but up front, it appeared that he had a good heart. He looked after the younger boys as a sort of elder brother, and took to protecting them as such.

I don’t doubt the rest of the boys thought me mute when first I met them. My father had convinced me that these were all poor orphans, and I thought I’d have to be one to fit in, but I didn’t honestly want to lie, certainly not at the expense of suggesting either of my parents dead. When they asked me anything about myself, I’d shrug and look away sadly or just hang my head. I’d hoped they’d think me so down trodden that I couldn’t even speak of my hardships and I cunningly cultivated their beliefs as such without having to directly speak untruths. I thought I pulled it off reasonably well. So long as the words hadn’t passed through my lips, it didn’t really seem a lie.

I relaxed around the boys when they finally ceased trying to gain answers out of me, and my tongue grew freer as a result. I found I possessed enough wit and arrogance to fit in quite well with them and I learned fast how far I could push that skill with each. I still felt ill at ease around the older men, the cargo men, afraid they would somehow detect I didn’t belong, and I didn’t dare attempt to earn any money while I was still new on the docks.

My chores left me scarce time some days to get to know the boys better, and even when I would sprint the entire way there, I had but an hour or two before they would head off to wherever it was they went. I didn’t think it right to follow them. Not yet, anyhow.

I’d linger after they left, watching the ships come in, listening to the men shouting to each other with greetings and chat. Their conversations, though confusing at times, seemed much more interesting to me than the long boring ones my father would have with his city friends. Discussions boomed about the weather, conditions of the sea, the ports and people at Ostia, and how their boats were holding up. There was also an abundance of saucy and sordid talk about women they knew, and who was going to which drinking establishment, and their speech was peppered with vulgar words I had never heard before.

Time restraints compelled me to seek out new ways to help me speed my trip. I discovered less crowded side streets and short cuts through alleys. I ran straight over hill tops, my legs gaining agility with each successive run. I started waking earlier each morning so I could finish my chores sooner. At five each afternoon, there was a barge that returned from Ostia, a steadily reliable indicator it was time to head back home.

---

I stood on the far end of the dock watching a fishing boat depart one day, when I was tapped on the shoulder and handed a crate filled with cabbage. I looked up, staring at the older man, my mouth fully agape.

“Are you working or are you just standing around?” he asked in a gravelly voice.

My eyes widened and I started walking off with his small wooden crate. The man rushed up, grabbing me roughly by the shoulder.

“Hey, hey. Up there,” he growled, pointing in the other direction, at a mule cart up the ramp. As I turned, lumbering off towards the cart, I heard him exclaim loudly to the others, “Boy didn’t know where he was going and he was runnin’ off with my goods!”

The dock workers roared with laughter, apparently at my expense. I shook my head at myself, having become so flustered by a crate. The back of his cart was near shoulder level to myself. I swung the cabbage onto it and ran back to fetch another. The crates were heavier than I imagined, as my imagination never assigned weight to things, but my body was so filled with energy at that moment, enthused by the sure promise of coin, that my racing heart ignored the discomfort. Packing on the last of them, I rushed back to see if there was anything further I could do.

“Good Neptune, you’re a eager one,” he bellowed, shaking his head in amusement. “And why not, why not, right? There’s nothing at all wrong with an ambitious orphan. Nothing at all! Where would Rome be if not for Romulus?”

I nodded, vaguely aware now that he also thought me an orphan. Guilt crept up my spine. Among children I saw as my peers, I didn’t think it so bad a lie, but to an adult, a grown man, I grew uncomfortable with the idea.

“So you’re wanting more work then…uh?”

“Mardus.” I nodded.

“Mardus, can you drive a mule?”

We had a mule on our farm, and a cart, and I’d sat on it holding the reins, but I’d not been allowed to drive it. I’d seen my father do it plenty of times, though, and figured how hard could it be?

“Yes,” I answered weakly, grabbing my arm behind my back to keep from fidgeting.

“Well, good. Very good. Bring my cart to the small market building across from the Circus Maximus and tell them you work for Tibeus. The man back there will show you where to unload it. He’ll give you some pay for me when you’re done, two sestertius, no less. Then, bring it back, and we’ll go have us a meal.”

I glanced back at Tibeus as I climbed aboard his cart, taking a sharp deep breath. I shook the reins, giving his mule a cluck. Exhilaration chased through my veins as the mule responded in kind. I navigated smartly through the throngs on the narrow streets, savoring the importance I felt. Rising to my feet, lightly bending my knees, wrapping the reins taut around my waist like a charioteer, I raised one hand in victory as I listened to the roar of the crowd. I grew giddy at the thought that I could be paid for this.

 

[Kritter]

I did as Tibeus requested, though by the last unloaded crate, my arms and back complained loudly of the burden. I could hear the centurion’s words, "You need to put more muscle on those arms," and I gritted my teeth with resolve. Enough of these crates and I’d get some muscle on my arms, and he’d be sure to notice.

Returning to the port with a beaming face, mule and cart still intact, I left it as I’d found it, and dashed down the ramp. Tibeus sat with two other men under one of the awnings, and he seemed to be mid-tale. He glanced at me in acknowledgment, without stopping, so I took a seat on the ground in front of him, pulling my knees up to listen.

“I tell you, it was frightening!” he said. “Oh, it had to be forty, fifty feet high by my guess. A colossal wave, and this poor ship met it head on. She was tossed like a toy, rolled side to side, her masts snapping right at their bases, crashing with a horrible sound onto the men below. A second mighty swell rolled in, turning her clear upside down. She floated that way for one silent moment, and then, by the aft…she went down!” His head turned between each man, trying to pull them into his tale.

His voice was so distinct, baritone and coarse, and it didn’t appear he could speak quietly even when he meant to, as it resonated with every word. He was an old man, older than my father by my guess, with tired looking brown eyes under a wrinkled brow. Somewhere, barely visible under his mustache, was a thin straight mouth, followed by a short trim beard, which, along with his dark, wild curly hair, made him appear almost as a barbarian. He had a stout build and a well fed belly, and his skin was as coarse as his voice. His face had the look of intelligence, eroded by uncounted years of hard work.

“She sank so fast, there was not a soul to be saved from her.”
“And where were you that you saw all this?” asked one of the men.
“I was on another ship, just off her port side.”
“And you weren’t rolled by these great waves as well?” The man sounded suspicious.
“Oh we were, we were! Terrible, frightening waves. Just…not as high.”

The man through his hand up in dismissal. “Go on, Tibs, your stories grow more unbelievable by the day.”

“Don’t believe me then, but I tell you it’s true,” Tibeus said, emotion raising in his speech. “Do not doubt Neptune’s power or he may see fit to show you one of these great waves, and the gods help you if he does. You’ll be taken down to your watery grave, and your last thought will be of me!”

“If my last thought has anything to do with you, gods help me indeed!” The men stood up, walking away, shaking their heads at each other with laughter.

Tibeus was now the one to throw up a hand in dismissal. He leaned forward, resting his weathered forearms on his knees, directing his haggard gaze at me. “Young fools. They don’t know the sea like I do. I worked on a merchant ship a long time, young Mardus. I know of what I speak.

“The sea is a tricky and dangerous place, and yet, one cannot hope to experience all the wonders of this world unless one first makes passage upon her. These fisherman go out not an hour from shore and think they’ve seen it all, but if you really want to see the world, and I mean really see it, then you need to be a sailor.”

“Or a soldier,” I said.

Tibeus rubbed his chin a second, nodding in agreement. “Or a soldier, I suppose, if you like fighting other men's wars.” He stood, looking me over, and then put his hand out for his coins. I reached into my pocket, having forgotten I even had them.

“So, are you hungry, legionaire?”

“Starving!” I never intended it to sound as though it had been my sorry state all along, but Tibeus frowned, looking me over again.

“Aye, I can see that you are. Well then, let’s go find us some food.”

I followed him up the stairs and down a side street, into a tavern that smelled sour and stale. Tables and benches bunched tightly together between its four cold stone walls, and a grand but empty fireplace sat dusty in the corner. A portly woman swept the floor, and she stopped for a moment to eye us both as we walked in and sat down.

“What have you got with you today, Tibby?” she asked.

“This is Mardus. One of the orphans from the docks.”

I felt shame in the pit of my stomach when he said it. How long could I go without saying a word of my parents who loved me? I opened my mouth to make mention when the woman came closer, a frown of pure pity on her face.

“Aw, poor skinny thing he is. We’ve got to get some food into him right away,” she fussed, folding her hands back on her hips.

“And me!” Tibeus growled.

“Bah!” she scoffed, coming over to give him an affectionate pat on his belly and, sauntering to a doorway in the back of the room, she shouted out, “Some bread ‘n’ eggs for Tibby and his friend.”

Tibeus elbowed me, pointing towards a woman who leaned against a doorway in the hall. “That’s my lovely Dacia, the solution to all my problems.” The woman blew him a kiss from across the room, and he winked back at her. “I would trust that woman with my life, and I frequently do.” His voice broke into a cackle.

“Are you coming by to see me tonight, Tibeus?” she asked him with coy affection.

“Are you buying me dinner?” He raised his brow. She rolled her eyes at him.

I only vaguely listened to his conversation, feeling myself examined under Jupiter’s eyes. I knew it was wrong to let him think I was an orphan, or even as needy as one, but he had already made the assumption. I felt awkward trying to correct him, the words sticking in my mouth as if my mind still hadn’t decided. “I’m not…I’m not really...”

“Hungry?” He finished my sentence. “Sure you are. I can see that you are, boy. Looks like you haven’t eaten in weeks. Don’t worry about the cost, I’ve got it covered. It’s the least I can do for the work you’ve done for me today. What would I have done with it but drink it away? Save an aging man’s body, will you?”

The smell of frying eggs filled the room, the best smell in the world, and I felt my stomach beg my mouth be still a little longer. If food was all I was to be paid, at the very least I should eat it, before making mention of his error.

Tibeus turned to me with an impassive face. “I was a soldier once. Sent to Pontus to remove Mithridates. You probably don’t remember that, do you?”

“No, but I’ve heard about it. My father told me all about the wars,” I said.

“Did he tell you how poorly we were received in our triumph? Five years we had to wait for the land they would bestow on us for all our years of service, and only by the will of Caesar was it done. It was definitely not due to these dawdling men in their robes.” He gestured his hand in the general direction of the senate. “Do you know to this day we’re still waiting for them to finish partitioning it out? I’ll probably be long dead by the time I receive mine.” A hint of sadness touched his voice.“Your father was a soldier then?”

“No, he’s just a…he was just a farmer,” I answered, correcting my tense and feeling terrible for it. Not wishing to next bury my poor mother, I quickly changed the subject.

“What happened to your ship?”

“What ship?” Tibeus challenged my question, as if he not just told a great story of one ten minutes before.

“The one that you were on, in the big waves. Do you work on her?”

“Oh, oh! That ship. I did, for ten years, but no, not anymore. That was the cargo ship “Rosilia”. One night, she was driven off course by a storm. We had no idea where we were. Then the water parted, and a great horned beast appeared from the depths below, all covered with slime and sand. Made my heart stop beating, the sight of it. It took hold of the bow with its sharp, clawed hands, and tried to pull us down into an enormous whirlpool. I had to jump from her deck to save myself. Haven’t heard word of her since.” He glanced at me sideways.

“I would have been scared to jump,” I said, “to be floating all alone out in the sea. You’re lucky you made it back to land. I probably would have drowned.”

A strange and thoughtful expression crossed the man’s face. “You like that story, eh?” His grin grew wide. “You like stories? I’ve got stories that you wouldn’t believe. Unimagined things. Lands unseen beneath the sea and fearsome one eyed men.”

“Don’t be filling up the boy’s head with your foolish imagination,” the woman said, shaking her head at Tibeus as she handed us our plates.

I’d like to say I told Tibeus I wasn’t an orphan immediately after our meal, but I had already decided not to by the time we’d scraped the last from our plates. Weighing my faltering conscience against the fun I’d been having, the stronger competitor destroyed its opponent. It hadn’t even been a real fight.
My father never came to this part of the city. In all my years, not but that once, so who would legitimately know if I played orphan for awhile? There seemed to be no real danger of consequence from my actions, so long as I was separated from my home by so great a distance, as outside of him, who knew me?

I loved being around the docks. Each day brought new adventure with the friends I had made. The chills I’d get from the distant sound of the crowd that roared in unison at the chariot races down the road, and the clang of the ships’ brass bells as they pulled out from their slots. Hearing about Tibeus’s travels was exciting, and I could find no fault in gaining food and coin in exchange for honest work.

My father, with all his well meant advice, had inadvertently set my life on a far different course than the one he imagined. He’d encouraged me to be bold and take risks, to never pass up good opportunities, and I applied all of that here. My life had taken a fateful turn, the kind he instructed me not to fight, and for once I didn’t wish to fight it. I believed myself capable of pulling it off and reaping the benefits of two unattached worlds. I was surely smart enough, I reasoned with myself, to avoid any of the pitfalls that that might entail.

 

[Kritter]

For quite a long time I skillfully maintained both lives. I was up early each morning to feed the animals and pull eggs. Then I had to shovel and cart away dung, a monstrous task to me. My father’s dream was to purchase a second ox, for no other reason, I believed, than to brag he had two. I secretly wished he would never find a way to do it, for obvious reasons.

After my chores I would grab a slice of bread and, so long as it was not a market day and my father needed no further assistance on the farm, I was free to do as I wished. Usually this consisted of walking at a casual pace towards the city gates and, once fairly inside, speeding towards the docks.

Plagued by the paranoid belief that my parents would soon find out, I didn’t dare go every day, but it was just as well, as I quickly learned the misery of sore arms and an aching back. In the first many weeks, I spent as much time in bed as I did working. I pitied my newfound friends, not being afforded days off from their labor, but I reasoned they were all stronger than myself and probably not as easily tired.

Tibeus seemed still strong, and he did multiple jobs at the docks. They called upon him to repair boats and carts, and to build for them deckhouses and cargo racks. He fixed riggings, winches, hoists, and knew how all those things worked. He was also a cargo man, but he did little other than pay us boys to do his work and pocket the profit, and he wasn’t always forthcoming with the pay. He didn’t mind sharing a meal, though, and for this reason I frequently volunteered for his tasks.

You could always hear his voice on the dock, talking out loud to himself. Not many men there appeared to give Tibeus an ear, but I always did. I respected him for having been a soldier. He had fought alongside Lucullus and the great Pompey. At our meals at the tavern, he would always talk as if he and Lucullus had been good friends.

“Know why we won that war?” he asked. “Lucullus and I traveled down into the underworld and solicited the Great Alexander’s perished soul. It’s true. We presented him a vessel of wine and we took the occasion to drink with him and ask him for his help. He told us when Pompey arrived, Mithridates would flee, and he did.”

I remember my eyebrow raising, the first of numerous times I thought his tales absurd, but I kindly held my tongue. He relished having someone to tell these stories to and I just loved to listen.

Galen thought him crazy, and he thought me foolish for entertaining Tib’s tales. “Shows what too many years of hard drink will do. I don’t know why you talk to that old man.”

“He’s done a lot of things in his life. He’s been in wars and traveled the world.” I shrugged, disliking being put on the spot. “I just like hearing about those things.”

“But he’s making it all up.” Galen punctuated each word.

“I know it’s mostly stories, but some of it has to be true. He was a soldier and a sailor. I can’t imagine how much he’s seen.”

“I don’t believe any of it.” He shook his head at me, annoyed that I apparently did.

I let Galen say what he wanted of Tibeus, but, in truth, I believed most of what the old man told me. I thought I was fairly good at figuring out what was real and what were lies. I think I spent more time talking with Tibeus than I did with the boys. I got to know some of the other cargo men, the ones who were his friends. He didn’t like nor trust them all, bothering to point out to me which men were “with us,” and which ones were “too friendly with the Roman guard.”

When there was no work to do, I helped him with his side jobs. He taught me how to build things and how to thread up sails, which was fun at my age and nothing at all like actual labor. He’d call me over the minute I arrived, sneaking me apples or cheese, and he’d put an arm around my shoulder and refer to me as “son”. I realized over time he’d developed a paternal affection for me and, while I didn’t mind at all his sincere benevolence, it started to bother my conscience. It was akin to having two fathers in the company of boys who had none.

My morality seemed to have some conviction, though, as it was called into question a scant few days later. I don’t think I may have minded it so badly had it not been Galen, the good hearted, who seemed to direct the affair. An affluent looking couple adorned in fancy togas had just disembarked from a particularly fine ship. The man reached into a leather satchel, tied to a sash round his waist, and he paid out a coin to someone on the dock. Galen make a gesture towards them with his head as he looked at two of the other boys, Leo and Scipio.

Leo was a little bit shorter than Galen, and I thought him more my age. He had straight brown hair which consistently fell over one eye and wide lips that always appeared to be in some form of smirk or pout. He didn’t look Roman to me and Galen had once implied that Leo’s parents had been slaves. How they died, I didn’t know, but Leo was certainly a free boy, so if it had been a death in the pursuit of freedom, they had at least, in part, succeeded. I thought him to be second in command, but only by virtue of his size.

Scipio was the youngest of the boys and he still had the face of a child, all rounded and soft, with big brown eyes and long matted blond hair. I doubted his hair had ever been cut, although I could picture him running from any charitable fool with a razor who thought to attempt it. He never knew his father, but his destitute mother had died of illness when he was just six years old, and he had been living in the street ever since. He couldn’t have been more than ten years old, but he was no innocent. He was as foul mouthed as some of the coarsest of sailors and fearless for his size.

I’d found it funny that for all my father’s drama, only Leo and Scip were true orphans. I wasn’t sure on Galen, as he never told his tale, but he slept near the docks every night, same as them, so I knew he was at the very least homeless.

On Galen’s nod, Leo had poked Scip, and the two boys scrambled off towards the freshly disembarked pair, playing as soldiers and laughing loudly. Scipio, in a full run, darted right in front of the woman, taking a terrible fall. He cried out in tears, grabbing at a badly scraped knee, calling out for his mother, a sight which wrenched my heart. The woman bent down to soothe him. I started towards him in alarm, but Galen reached out and held me back.

“Just watch them work,” he said.

My mouth hung open in confusion as I looked back towards the boys. Scipio still whined for his mother and Leo clung to the hapless man, begging him to help his young friend. Eventually the woman stood the poor boy to his feet and dusted him off. Scip stopped his crying, save a few pitiful sniffles. Leo thanked the pair, throwing a safe arm around Scipio, and led him limping back down the docks.

I felt such compassion for Scipio, poor tiny motherless waif, but Leo was grinning from ear to ear. They kept on going right past us, off towards the stairs.

“Come on.” Galen gave me a quick pat to my back. He started off after them. I followed, glancing nervously back towards where the couple had been, as I was just beginning to suspect that something more was going on. I’d not known of much crime in my lifetime, being largely kept to our farm and the safer surroundings thereof. In the marketplace, my father always held our coins. He would speak of the need for precautions but I never paid him any mind, and now I felt foolishly naive. These boys were unquestionably hungry for coin and they’d no aversion to taking it.

In a narrow alley behind one of the tenements, a small grate allowed rainwater to empty from the Aventine hill down into the dark sewer below. It was too compact for a grown man to fit through, but easily squeezed in to by a boy. That was where we descended, one after another, with me last, as I’d never before gone down such a thing. My feet dangled a few seconds as I tried to guess how far I was about to fall. It couldn’t be too bad, I reasoned, if Scipio could make the jump, but in truth, it was much further than I expected. I grabbed at air and wall as I fell, landing hard on my ass.

“What was that?” Leo said. “Novice! Ya can’t tell me you’ve never been down a sewer, or did you forget there’s footholds on the wall? What do you do all night there in Subura? Sleep on the rooftops?”

My eyes contended with the scarcity of light, but I could see him walking towards me in a menacing fashion. He eyed me like I was some sort of outsider and I forced myself to glare back at him, though I was terrified. If I backed down to a boy near my own size, I’d have been done for with this bunch.

Galen put his hand on Leo’s shoulder, pulling his attention thankfully away.

“Let’s have it then,” Galen demanded.

Leo produced the man’s satchel from his pocket, placing it in Galen’s possession.

“Heavy.” He smiled around at us as he opened it, pouring its contents into his hand. A silver denarius stood out immediately from among the duller bronze. They all let out a gasp at the sight of it.

“Jupiter!” he said, “Good job, Leo. There’s work well done!”

“Hey!” Scipio shouted. “I bloodied a knee for that!”

“You too, Scip.” Galen gave the smaller boy an encouraging nod, warmly patting his back. He started to hand out coins to each, but as his hand went towards mine, Leo grabbed him by the wrist.

“Not him,” he said forcefully to Galen, while giving me a resentful eye. “What’s he done to earn it?”

Galen’s eyes froze on his wrist until the boy removed his hand. Leo was the only one who dared speak to him in that fashion. It was definitely a tone none of the other boys were in the habit of taking with him.

Galen turned his eyes towards me, looking me over for a second. He weighed the boy’s words, I could tell. I myself didn’t feel like I deserved it, and worse, I knew I didn’t need it. I was about to wave him off myself, when Galen withdrew his hand.

“He’s right. Nothing personal, Mardus, but if you want a taste of this…,” he flipped the coin neatly between his fingers, “you’ll have to pitch in.”

Leo smirked, obviously satisfied with himself, and I could do nothing better than shrug. I felt a sad tinge of isolation, though. I was with them, but I wasn’t one of them, and for some reason it bothered me.

By ‘pitch in’, I was sure he meant they expected me to steal as well, but how could I ever do such a thing? Their survival was a factor for their misconduct and I had no such need. They had no one to answer to if they were caught, while my father would rightly disown me. There was no way to justify such an action in my mind, and yet I feared they’d watch me now to see if I fit in.

I lay awake in bed that night for a very, very long time.

 

[Kritter]

The next morning, while I undertook my chores, I weighed my next move heavily. I could simply stop returning to the docks, but the idea of wasting away the day on the farm was now inconceivable to me. The idea of attempting to rob an innocent soul of their coin did not sit well with me either, nor did the fact that I momentarily entertained the thought. I would only fail if I tried, being no real thief. Leo already regarded me dubiously, and a botched attempt could only bring disaster in every direction.

I returned to the house, pulling from under my bed the small bag which held the coins I’d earned since I first began working on the docks. Fifty odd bronze coins, mostly worthless quadrans, a sad pittance in the scheme of things. I took half of these coins and wrapped them in a spare piece of my mother’s linen, and then I tied it off with a thin leather strap and tucked it inside my own satchel.

Returning to the docks the next day, I remained alert for the right opportunity. Groups of people strolled beneath the arches of the emporium, and several displayed coin purses openly on their belts. I elbowed Galen, nodding towards one.

“Watch this,” I said. Calmly walking off, I fell into pace behind the man. I waited until he made the corner, and knowing we were just out of sight, I pulled the wrapped cloth from my bag and gripped it tightly in my palm. Strutting back around the corner, I displayed the linen satchel, dangling it towards Galen as I got closer. I started opening it in front of him.

“What are you, crazy?” he gasped, forcing my hand back to my belt, shaking his head at me with a look of dismay. “Not here! Down in the sewer.”

Sure that my indiscretion had defeated my credibility, I winced at my foolishness, but when we’d climbed down to the sewer, Galen seemed vaguely impressed.

“Flaunting a catch in the open like that, you must have nerves of steel. That or you’re mad.” He looked me in the eye for a moment, seriously assessing my mental state. “Best be careful in these parts. Not everyone here will defend you the way they do over in Subura.” He untied the cloth, sulking, as he emptied the coins into his hand. “Not much, but it’s a meal for us, right?”

I wasn’t expecting to say something then, but I knew there was no way I could keep providing him with ‘stolen coins’ that were, in fact, my own, and my anxiety only grew as I stood there. I tried to think up something fast, just to salvage what meager chance I had of remaining among them, without being expected to continue thieving on their behalf.

“Galen,” I said, trying to sound sincere. “I’ll be honest. I’m not good at this.” I hung my head, sighing at my feet in self-deprecation. “I’m a bit heavy handed. It’s why I’ve come to work here on the docks. I wasn’t getting by well on such…dealings alone. I got caught a few times, and well…I want to chip in, but, I don’t want to be the cause of complications.” I picked my words carefully, mindful of my rhetoric.

He studied my face for a painful minute, measuring my words. I tried to read his face, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze at that moment. I was telling lies on top of lies, and there were only so many I believed I could get away with. I stared back at my shuffling feet. They had allowed me to work alongside them, gaining coins they themselves needed so much more, but I’d nothing in earnest to offer. These were ‘their’ docks, and they each had their uses, and I was still the outsider.

“Don’t worry about it,” Galen finally said. “Just pay in when you can. And keep an eye on Scip for me, he seems to like you well enough, and he needs help, ya know. Leo never pays him any mind, and I can’t always watch him myself. He gets into trouble when he’s not minded after.”

I simply nodded, letting out my breath, for it both solved my immediate problem, and gave me a role of my own. I took this new appropriation as seriously as a soldier might take their post, making the younger boy’s well being my ardent duty. I watched after him and defended him, and though he was hardened, I tried to show him affection and sympathy. He didn’t outwardly return such sentiments, but over time, in private, if he became sick or distressed, I became the person he’d run to.

I sneaked him things right off of our farm. Clothes and sandals I’d outgrown, fresh eggs from the hens, and bits of scrap leather and twine. I managed to keep ‘chipping in’ as well, pretending to steal for them once in awhile, always from a sad sot who’d made precisely one half of what I’d received from my work. My initial desire to earn coin grew pointless, but it helped keep the younger boys fed.

Galen took a portion of whatever was taken, regardless of his involvement. The longer I stayed at the docks, the more of this I observed. Whatever was procured was handed first to him, and from him it was distributed, with his cut always coming first. No one ever seemed to question his lording over their work, and I had a feeling had they tried, they’d have seen no more of the coins for themselves.

I gained in my standing there over time, though more with the younger boys than the older ones. Leo made sure I was never fully a fellow, taunting me at every turn with ridicule, but I wasn’t afraid to return his barbs. I was sure someday we’d come to blows, he and I, but Galen always stepped in when our words would grow heated, and somehow he kept us in check. I was always secretly thankful to Galen for that. It wasn’t that I was afraid to fight Leo. In fact, I wanted to fight him, but if I walked in the door with a bruised, swollen face, I feared my parents would never let me back out.

Leo never cared what anyone thought. He always just did his own thing. He possessed a wry cockiness that perfectly matched his perpetual smirk, and I found his antagonistic attitude funny when it wasn’t directed at me. Really, it was hard not to like him, but he hated me from the start. I think he was the only one of the boys who actually saw right through me.

I didn’t feel like a part of the gang for months after I met them. Then one day, they invited me to come along with them to the races at the circus. We slipped through a back door, which I found odd, since admission was free, but Scipio explained they’d had a few run-ins with the guards. Undoubtedly, Leo was behind that. Sneaking through the stables, we carefully timed our movements, trying not to be seen. The horses kept here were magnificent. I reached out, just wanting to touch one, when Galen snatched my hand away with painful force.

“These horses are worth ten times more than your life,” he said, increasing the pressure on my wrist. “If the men who kept them saw you do that, they wouldn’t think twice about beating you senseless, and if I see you do it….” He shook his head at me, not finishing that sentence, but there was intensity in his eyes that left me feeling more than a little uncomfortable. I wisely kept my mouth shut. He threw my hand back towards me, scanning my face, making sure I understood. I understood. My eyes remained glued on him after that.

He moved to the doorway, watching the guards for a few minutes, and then, on his nod, we darted past him into the stadium and shoved our way into the stands.

“We cheer for the blue teams,” Scipio said, “since they all cheer for the greens.” He nodded towards the masses. “I love it when the blue team wins and all these people get mad.”

It made perfect sense to me that they would back the improbable winners. What little did they have in this world that they could call their own? The blue team and the alley by the docks – that was all there was for them. Using my shoulder for leverage, he climbed up on his seat, straining to see over the people in front of him as the chariots lined up to start.

We all stood screaming with every race, a row of red faced boys. The wrecks brought astonished gasps from the crowd, followed by cheers of wild elation. At times, the loud bursts from the fans could grow more amusing than the race itself, and they themselves all knew it, as laughter would erupt after each. A win by the blue team in the fourth match brought an almost drunken delirium to the gang, as they started jumping on their seats, arms and legs flying everywhere, annoying every soul who had the misfortune to be anywhere near us.

Leo suddenly jumped back to his seat, covering his face with his hands. “The guards,” he whispered loudly.

In that instant, every boy slouched down and stayed low, keeping their eyes averted. Scipio peeked over his shoulder. “Oh gods, here they come. They see me,” he moaned.

Bolting from our seats, we started climbing down the rows, directly over people’s heads. We scrambled for the exits with the guards still in pursuit. Scipio tripped over his sandal strap, falling roughly onto his elbows. He shouted for me, and I stopped to see him struggling to his feet.

Ducking a soldier, I circled back, grabbing him up by his arm. As both guards ran towards us, I shoved Scip forward, shouting at him to run. Then I backed towards the arena, hoping to draw the men to me. I feigned one off on one side and then darted past the other. The guard’s hand grazed my shoulder, but he couldn’t manage to hold on. I caught up with my friends on the street where they had waited. By the time we’d made it back to the sewers, we were all short of breath, more from laughing than from running.

“Those bastards almost had me!” Scipio said.

“Yeah, I saw that.” Galen nodded. “Good work there, Mardus.”

“Eh, Scip could’ve taken those guys,” I said, winking at him as he grinned.

It was a minor thing, really, just helping out my friend. But, I noticed from that point forward, I started being included in everything they did. I wasn’t the outsider anymore. I just suddenly became one of them and from there life got truly rich.

Some days we’d sit behind the warehouses, playing dice or knucklebones for each others coins. We scratched out our own game boards on the concrete, using light and dark stones for our pieces. We had a ball we’d attempt to kick past each other into broken crates in the alley. We’d battle for control over the top of the stairs or that one large rock on the hill, and while I loved those big scuffles, I had to be careful, as they could grow brutal quickly.

On slow days, I liked to spend time with Scipio, sitting up on the hill, striving to teach him simple math and spelling. I gave him the wax tablet that I had learned on, although he never did much more than draw pictures on it. He much preferred that I take him up on my shoulders and run him around like a rider on a horse, something I was quick to tire of, in spite of my excess energy. I would fashion him ivy wreaths to wear from willow branches, and make up victories for him, which I would announce to the world from our perch. I told him stories about how I would become a great soldier someday, and how he would become a great charioteer, and I could just see in his face how he relished it.

A whole year flew by in this way, and those were the best of times. When I wasn’t at the docks, I felt miserable. I hated going home. I came up with new excuses for staying out late and being away more often. Made up friends at far off farms, who would invite me to stay for dinner, or long studies at the library, as my father seemed impressed with that idea. Anything to buy me more time.

Galen started talking to me more about the real men who ran the docks. I knew who they were, and I’d understood early on that they were dangerous, but they seemed to hold me in good regard. They let Galen run errands for them sometimes and I would tag along. We never ran out of things to talk about. Which army had the fastest warships or the better ground force, and who were the best boxers, or the toughest gladiators. We talked about Aventine girl, and how they were better looking then the ones from Palatine, and how we’d buy and run our own barge someday with all the money we planned on making.

Galen’s friendship, I noticed, came with some consideration. It seemed the more we grew as friends, the more respect I received. The cargo men greeted me by name when they saw me, and no longer acted like I was a child. Local shop keeps would wave me over and ask how I was doing. Tibeus was passing repair jobs to me, and I was getting paid for my work. Galen would give me tasks and say, “Make sure the boys get this done,” and I could speak to the boys with authority. They would do whatever I asked.

I admit my confidence took a healthy boost with that little taste of power. I don’t remember at what point I started thinking I could unseat Leo, but the idea of it stuck in my head. The dock men didn’t like Leo. He started fights with them and gave them lip, and he was just as apt to ignore their requests for help as he was to help them. The merchants didn’t want him anywhere near their stores, as their items would go missing. Most of the boys liked him, but they all still kept their distance. I was better friends with Galen, so it I was sure I could overtake him.

Scipio and I were standing in the alley one evening, just talking alone. He was complaining at length about Leo, who didn’t care for the younger children.

“He said if Jupiter himself handed him a child, he would toss it in the river and drown it, rather than have to hear to it cry,” Scipio said. “I really think he’d do it too. You can see in his eyes he’s crazy.”

“Ah, don’t worry, Scip.” I smirked. “He’ll be left in the dust soon enough, and he won’t be able to say anything to you when I’m in charge of him.” At that point Scip’s eyes focused on something behind me. I caught that look, and turned around. Leo was standing right there. A crooked smile chased across his face as the blood rushed out of mine.

“Come on, Mards, you wanna take me on?” He sneered at me. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

I thought I knew a little about fighting. I balled my fist and took a swing, managing to miss him completely, and then he was all over me, throwing brutal punches, punctuated with a nasty right hook that knocked me out cold. I didn’t even remember hitting the ground. Scip stayed with me until I came to, helping me to my knees. It took awhile to stop being dazed, and there wasn’t much I could do about it. Leo hit painfully hard.

“Can’t say ya didn’t have that comin’!” Scip laughed at me.

“I guess not.” I shook my head. “How long was he standing there?”

Scipio shrugged.

For all I knew he spied on us the entire time we talked. I had to tell my parents I fell out of a tree, and that I’d hit some branches on my way down. I was subject to my mother’s ridiculous coddling the rest of that evening. I went back at the docks the next day though. I didn’t want Leo thinking I was afraid to return. He smirked at my face when I showed up, apparently pleased with his work.

Galen shook his head, as if he thought me smarter than to tangle with Leo. No one appeared very surprised, a fact which started to bother me. I began watching the boxers more, trying to remember their movements, and I’d practice them on the ox’s shoulder, since he never seemed to care if I hit him. I learned all I could about fighting, determined to show them I could hold my own, and I thought myself much better the next time I tried to take him on. It did me no good though.

Every time in the following months that I thought to override him; the results were always the same. My parents no longer allowed me in trees by the time I gave up trying. I was careful around him after that. He’d made his point with me. He had a rage in him, whether by birth or circumstance, I wasn’t really sure, but without knowing that type of rage, when it came to fists, I doubted I could ever fully match him.

 

[Kritter]

Time passed this way for another year, with the docks slowly becoming my reality while my home life became the lie. Galen had grown much more active with that bigger gang and I noticed I wasn’t included. I’d started feeling like an outsider again. I was sure it was because I had to leave the docks each evening and the thought frustrated me badly. Tossing awake in bed, I cursed the luck of having been born a farmer’s son, instead of some poor street child. I was forced to accept that compliance and loyalty were the only real uses I had, but inside of me there was a desire for more power and an undying ambition. The docks were a small thing compared to the empire we lived in, but to me, that was the empire.

On the eve of my sixteenth birthday, a citywide festival ran in the streets, and I was able to stay out late, knowing I could use this as an excuse. We were standing just off the street, in an alley by the tavern, when a group of men came pushing through the crowds. They were roughing up the locals, demanding money with brandished swords. These men were loud, and clearly inebriated, laughing cruelly as people ran from them. Cloth strips obscured their faces, but as they passed close to us, I recognized one as a soldier from Collina gate. I imagined the men who were with him were probably legionaries as well. The city’s own guard, plundering the masses. I stared at him a minute, but as they moved closer I hid behind the wall, afraid he would recognize me.

“Do you know that man, Mardus?” Galen asked, as he picked up on my action.

I shook my head quickly, not wanting to explain how I could recognize a guard from Collina.

“No? Are you sure? It looked like you did.”

I shook my head again. I avoided looking at Galen. If I did, he would know. Yet, I knew the fact that I couldn’t was betraying me as well.

He waited until I glanced back at him and gave me a gentle smile. “If you know that man, I need to know. Those men have no right to be here on our streets. They should know better than to come over here, right? I can tell you knew him, Mardus, so…just tell me who he is.”

“I think he’s one of the gate guards from Collina.” I winced, instinctively knowing Galen would react poorly to my prior answers.

He grabbed me by the neck, throwing a finger in my face. “The truth the first time, next time,” he seethed, “And don’t ever lie to me again.” I clenched my jaw, glaring at him, sure my anger showed hot in my eyes, but the expression on his face never changed. “You’ll need to tell Alcides,” he said, nodding for me to follow.

We slipped down a narrow alleyway, to the back of a darkened warehouse. A man stood in front of the door there, and he stopped me when I tried to pass through. “He’s with me,” Galen said, looking back at him like he was stupid. We entered into a dusty room, where the lamp light glowed warm against a dozen familiar faces. Men from the docks. Those men. I knew Alcides ran most of the barges at the port. I’d guessed he had the bulk of power. He nodded at Galen when we entered.

“There were men causing us trouble tonight.”

“I’ve already heard about it,” Alcides said.

“Mardus recognized one of them. He says he’s one of the guards from over by Collina.”

“Really?” he said, as if this interested him greatly. “Which one was he? Describe him for me.”

“He’s the man with blond hair and a scar right here.” I pointed just under my eye.

Alcides smiled. “We’ll take care of him.” As we turned to leave, he called out to me, “Mardus, good job. You’re sixteen now, huh?”

I turned back to him, wondering how he would know that. He looked me over with a discerning eye.

“You don’t have a knife? Lucallus, give the kid a knife.” He nodded towards one of his men. The man rolled out a leather skin filled with weapons in sheaths, indicating I could take my pick. My hand stopped on a bone handled knife with a healthy five inch blade. Alcides grinned at my choice. “You keep that with you now, all right?”

I stared at it in my hand a few seconds, before glancing at Galen and smiling. I tied it to my belt, loving the feel of it next to my hip. Galen threw an arm round my shoulder as we walked out the door. “You just bought us both a whole lot of favor. That’s what I like to see.”

I forgot about my anger right then, thriving on that knife and the feeling his words gave me. I’d never dealt with those men before, not like this. That was always Galen’s job alone, and now, I suddenly felt a part of something greater than our small gang. I smuggled my knife into my room that night, staring at it for an hour as I ran my finger along the steel. I’d never owned anything I’d prized as much, and it was even more enticing, because I knew Leo didn’t have one.

Two days later, my father mentioned the guard from our gate was found dead inside the city. My head spun when he said it, with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I’d known that man since childhood. He’d always been one of my idols. I’d no doubt in my mind he was dead because I’d identified him, and the idea of it started to haunt me badly.

This was a much darker world, a world I didn’t have to be in. I’d put myself there by choice, but this was no longer child’s play, and I was forced to pause and face the reality of it. Did I really want to become the sort of man I knew those men to be?

My mind hung in the balance then, thinking on that choice. Nothing bound me to that path. I could simply walk away, but that meant walking away from the docks. The more I thought on it, the more disturbing the choice became. Galen had mentioned that soon he was going to be working on one of Alcides’ barges, and Leo was counting the days.

Galen was the only one who could keep Leo in line, and only because he could beat him. There was no other reason behind it. Once Galen was gone, I’d be fast to follow, if Leo had any say. He wouldn’t keep me around. I was way too close on his heels. My thoughts flashed to those men, and the knife that they had given me. I knew they didn’t like Leo, but could I count on them to help me?

Not long after this, my problems multiplied even more. I was at the docks every day, paying no mind to the length of time I remained, pushing the hour later and later. I’d become careless in concealing it, and my father started having suspicions. He began noting my long absences, my consistently sodden appearance, and something I’d only just noticed myself. A few years of growing taller, days of sprinting back and forth, hours of daily labor, months on end of lifting and hauling, had produced the appearance of a strong frame and well tanned muscles, which was not likely to happen while sitting in a library.

He had seen me enter the city each day. He knew I wasn’t going to distant friends’ farms, and my continual insistence that I’d been to the construction sites or barracks no longer was holding its weight. He began questioning me on my whereabouts every time I left the farm, and I started running out of lies and explanations as fast as he ran out of patience for hearing them. He was planning on presenting me for citizenship; a ritual done during your sixteenth year. I guess he was hoping I’d take some interest in that affair, but it was meaningless to me. As a token of this passage, my father would present to me a new toga. A new toga. I laughed at that thought. Alcides had given me a knife.

I knew I couldn’t keep avoiding my father’s questions forever, but he wouldn’t hear of the truth anymore than I desired to tell him. I’d grown fiercely defiant of him and his rules. I refused to be a farmer, and all respect that I should owe him as his son, was lost in angry rebellion. For a while again, I kept check on my time at the farm, but I fast began to sorely resent both it and him. From my point of view, he was ruining my chances of getting what I wanted.

Looking back, he’d done nothing wrong. Nothing any respectable father wouldn’t have done in the face of a son growing in insolence, but I was at the age where boys start to long for freedom from restrictions. Having already tasted such freedom, there was no putting the lion back in the cage. I’d never meant to forsake him, just simply to ignore him, but it was about to be by two successive acts that I would soon find myself much further from that cage than I’d ever intended to be.

--

Tibeus greeted me with his usual good will when next I arrived at the docks. I’d gotten an especially early start, since I’d not come the day before. He called out, gesturing for me to come to him the minute I turned up, as if he had been watching for me all along.

“Mardus, come quickly!” he shouted, obviously excited to bestow upon me some new and preposterous story. “Come! Come here, son! I have great news!”

“What news then, Tibs?” I settled down next to him on his crate under the shade.

“They have finally done it! Years of bureaucracy, and finally it comes. I received the land I was owed for twenty years in Pompey’s service.”

“Ah, Tibs, that is great news!” I was happy to see him delighted. “What do you plan to do with it then? Have yourself a farm?”

“Nay, I’m no farmer!” He scoffed at me. “What do you think? That I could watch grapes grow? Not me, son.” He shook his head, as if the very idea of it was far beneath him. He leaned closer to me, confiding, “Here’s what I was thinking. That I sell it all off, sell it to some land hungry fool and then,” he paused for dramatic effect, “then, I buy us a boat.” His eyebrows remained raised, fully expecting a thrilled response.

“A boat?” I questioned. “You mean like…a cargo boat?”

“I do!” he said, new life gleaming in his eyes. “We could work the whole of the Mare, son, all of Rome clamors for that new blown glass. We’d go to Syria and load up on the stuff, and then, we could go wherever we wanted. Rhodes, Athens, Olympia, all over the Aegean Sea, and every bronze and silver we make would be our own. You, me, Galen, one or two more men, we could do it with that.”

I was dumbstruck for a moment, both from excitement and from horror. Had I truly been an orphan, I think I might have jumped for joy, but I had parents, parents I couldn’t yet think to leave. But how could I ever explain to Tibeus that I couldn’t go with him? Any excuse would leave him feeling slighted, and would he go without me, taking from me my best friend?

“What’s the matter?” He frowned at me, searching my haunted face.

“No, nothing Tibby,” I lied. “It’s fantastic.” My mind raced, struggling to think of all possible angles, but there were just no words. “How long do you think it will take you to sell it?”

“I can sell it right now. A few men have already made us offers for our land. It borders near Vesuvius, Mardus, very popular with the patricians.”

I willed back a sigh, forcing a good expression. I could ill advise against it, since it sounded a dream to Tibeus, but it was no more than a specter to me.
As he stepped off to speak with another man, I picked up a rope from the dock and started coiling it, intent on putting my mind to work to solve this situation.

Galen, with Scipio in tow, emerged from one of the barges further down the dock. He waved towards me as he started unloading sacks there, and Scipio came trotting over to see me. I watched him approach with an unfriendly eye, not wishing to be bothered.

“Mards, where have you been?” Scipio asked. “I was looking for you yesterday. Those bastards at the stables locked off the back door. They sealed it up tight, just to keep us from coming through. We could have taken everything they owned in there, and here’s how they repay us. I hope their axles fall off! The bastards! I’d love to….” He started punching fists into the air.

I rolled my eyes at him with sheer exasperation. “Look, sorry, Scip. I don’t care right now,” I said, trying to remain even tempered. “You can tell me about it later, all right? Please, just go away.”

“But how are we supposed to watch the races now?” he whined. “It was the only fun we had. What do we do without the races?”

“Look, I’m busy. Haven’t you got a pocket to pick?” I snapped at him, throwing down the rope. My mind was too caught up in my own problems. I sincerely did not wish to hear his. The magnitude of this dilemma was on an overwhelming scale to me. I went to seek out Galen, leaving Scip to kick pebbles on the dock.

“Heard about Tibby?” he asked in greeting.

“As loud as he speaks? The entire Empire’s probably heard.” I smirked at him. “Do you think you’ll go with him on this boat if he gets it?”

“Sure, if I can be sure the boys are well looked after when we go,” he said.
“I’m not sure I’m going.” I tried to ease whatever I might find to say to put the whole thing off. “I feel like my life is here.”

Galen looked at me as though I must be joking. “What life? Living around the sewers like rats, toiling all day for a few handouts just so we might eat one meal is a life to you? Come on, Mardus, have some sense.”

“But all my friends, everyone I know is here”

“Not all your friends, because I’m going with him, Neptune willing. Be sober, Mardus, you have to come. It wouldn’t be the same without you. I don’t want to be the only one stuck having to listen to the old man’s stories. Besides, do you really want to stay here…with Leo?”

He carefully tried to dissuade me. He meant it as a warning, knowing the stakes as well as I did. The second he was gone, things would not bode well for me. I could find nothing, no explanation to excuse my need to stay, and worse, I so badly wished I could go with them.

I could feel him trying to read the answers out of my face, like he knew I wasn’t telling him something but he just couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d become the best friend I ever had, yet I couldn’t tell him the truth of my life. He’d see me differently if I did. He hated lies and I’d lied for so long; there could be no fixing it now. I’d worked too hard to gain the chance to be his right hand man and, so long as it had the power to destroy that, the truth would never be forthcoming.

“Mardus, you’ll never have this kind of opportunity again. You have to come,” he said more forcefully, directing that steely gaze hard into my eyes.
I shook my head at the look he gave me. He was trying to pressure me to comply with him when he’d stare me down like that. I’d developed a strong resentment for that look as I got older. It bothered me that he still tried to intimidate me the way he did when I was younger.

“Boys, it’s settled.” Tibeus strolled up to us. “Parnassus has already consented to buying my land. Alcides is going to bring me over to Ostia to pick out a boat. Come with me.” He gestured to us both. “Come, it won’t take long.”

Galen gave a tilt of his head towards Alcides’ ship, an intimidating barge named “Poseidon”. Between its enormous size and dark colored wood, and its massive blue and gold sail, it had always ranked my favorite. It was the ship I’d seen far out on the Tiber the first time my father had taken me to the docks, and it journeyed down to Ostia and back every single day.

“You know you want to go,” Galen said, prodding me to join them, and without thinking as to what “it won’t take long” might mean, I gave in to his prodding, and agreed to go along.

 

[Kritter]

Traveling down the Tiber was, at first, exhilarating. Having never before left the city or been on a moving boat, I found myself riveted to the rail. Watching the landscape roll by, seeing what was beyond each bend, it felt very much like being a passenger on one of my old toy boats. The barge forged ahead, carried by the Tiber’s rapids, and after an hour I was expecting to see Ostia around every turn, but the trip lingered on. Shepherds, grazing animals, villas and crops–there was only so much I wanted to see of any of these things. I left the rail to sit mid deck as endless miles of Roman countryside continued unrelenting.

Tibeus began recounting to us his plans for our first voyage. My heart sank deeper with each word. Fate had trapped me on this pyre and now it worked to burn me – a stiff punishment I imagined I deserved. Two long hours crawled past this way before the port city came into view. I knew the trip back would be much longer, having come all this way with the tide.

Ostia was a newly flourishing city with a bustling market row. Tibeus, secure in his newfound wealth, treated us to a small sack of cherries. He handed the bag to Galen as I rolled my eyes and groaned.

“You’re gonna share those, right?” I glared.
“Sure, if you can reach them.” Galen laughed, holding it over his head.
“Come on, Gal,” I grumbled, having no patience for his teasing.

He scooped a handful into his mouth, smirking at me with indifference. I reached for the bag and he yanked it away, enjoying my frustration.

“Why would you give him the bag?” I snapped at Tibeus.
Galen grinned, tossing me one cherry. “Here ya go,” he said.
I caught it and flung it back at his head.

He ducked, laughing, and threw an arm around my shoulder as he handed me the sack. “Look at those ships,” he said, nodding off into the distance. “The best of the best, I’m betting.”

Massive warships sat moored at the far port, the first time I’d ever caught a glimpse of them. For every oar displayed at their sides, a row of chained men, prisoners to our legions, languished somewhere deep inside. The thought of it gave me chills. I still would’ve liked to have been a soldier. I almost felt sadness in that moment. Sadness for long forgotten dreams and the innocent beliefs of childhood.

The ships that Alcides presented for sale were all poor in appearance next to those splendid galleons, but they were affordable by price and they floated, neither of which could be complained about. After a good deal of inspection and debate, Tibeus settled on the cargo boat ‘Junia,’ a well-worn four-man sailing ship. She had a good wide hull that appeared still sturdy, despite deep scrapes that marred her side, and a wide, rectangular sail that hung from a central mast. On one side was a deckhouse which stepped down into a small room, with two beds and a trunk. On the other side there was a hatch which led down into the hold. Behind the hatch was the rudder for steering and oars if you needed to row.

Sailing her back would give us an idea of her deficiencies, but afternoon was well underway by the time that we’d shoved off. I knew I’d arrive home past dark, and the idea of this slowly festered in my mind with its pending implications. Punishment wasn’t my biggest concern, although I was sure it would be a healthy one. I just dreaded my father coming at me again with questions I couldn’t answer.

Fortunately, I had so much to learn of seamanship that there was limited time to dwell on it now. Tibeus called out instructions to us, explaining the workings of the ship and sail, and the use of her poles and oars. Between his excitement and Galen’s laughter, as we fumbled about our new jobs, the entire trip felt a much shorter journey than that morning’s lengthy excursion. Still, I could hear the crickets chirp in the trees as we grew closer, reminding me how late I really was.

Rolling swarms of evening starlings welcomed us back into Rome’s port, with the bulk of the sun already long lost behind the rising hills. Leo sat on the dock and stood when he saw us, jumping up and down with hoots of joy.

“Ah, she’s a beaut!” He stretched out a hand, waiting for us to toss him the rope.

“That’s because you’re looking at her in the dark.” Galen grinned back at him.

As Tibeus stepped off, Leo wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Can you use an extra hand on your new boat, Tibs? Ya know I’d be useful to you, unlike that amateur.” He nodded towards me. I returned his nod with an uncomplimentary gesture.

“Maybe, Leo, perhaps,” Tibeus answered carefully, knowing my dislike for the boy. “Now, who’s with me for a round of drinks?” He started towards the stairs. Galen raised his hand without hesitation. I smiled to myself. He finally saw the old man through my eyes. I damned my life that I couldn’t join them.

“Not me.” I sighed aloud. “I’ve got to get home.” The second after the words left my lips, I knew that I’d misspoken, but only Leo picked up on it, and he was on top of me like a hawk.

“Nor me. I think I’ll escort my good friend Mardus ‘home.’” He emphasized the word, but they were already gone from earshot.

“Get lost, Leo.” I bristled at him under my breath, but there was no way I was shaking him now. He started walking right beside me, and it was clear he wasn’t leaving until he knew exactly where I was going. It meant I couldn’t immediately return home, so I was forced to head towards the worst part of the city in the dark of night.

I was sure my parents would now be in fits as to my whereabouts and I felt bad for causing them such grave concern, but at this point another hour or two could hardly make any difference. I hoped to find some shadowy corner or doorway where I could pretend to live and remain there until Leo was satisfied, but I’d only been in Subura a handful of times, and never close to its seamier side.

“So what’s home?” he asked. “A little flat in one of these insulas with a full set of parents, I’m thinking. You haven’t had it hard a day in your life, have you? Just a greedy pretender playing orphan boy by day. That’s why you don’t stay with us, why you’re not always around. You’ve obviously been educated, I’ve seen you read. You always have new shoes. I don’t think I’ve ever once heard you say you were hungry.”

“I never said I was homeless. I got places I can stay. And I don’t go hungry because Tibby feeds me.” I said, growing more irritated by the second. Irritated by the fact that he was right, but I’d little desire to acknowledge it, especially to him. If I had to sleep on the sidewalk all night in Subura just to prove him wrong, I would. The street grew darker, and I could hear shouts and a child screaming. I kept my head down and continued walking.

“He gives a meal three days a week, maybe. Not enough to keep you so well feed. Just admit it, Mardus, you’re lying. You may have Galen fooled but you’re not fooling me, and I’ll find….”

The sound of a child’s shout rang out once more, and we both stopped in our tracks, staring at each other as we listened for it again, and there it was, a child’s wailing cries. It was a familiar voice, one we both recognized instantly.
“That’s Scipio!” I said with alarm. My eyes scanned the street ahead of us as we tore up the road trying to find him.

“Scip!” I shouted, hoping he could lead us to him with his voice. He finally appeared, well up the hill, trying to run towards us with a large man just behind him. The man knocked him down, shoving him with his foot. He grabbed him up by the hair, throwing him down again. We both sped directly towards them.

“Thief!” The man growled in a slurred voice. “You would think to try and steal from me?” He swung his foot, kicking Scipio in the chest. Pulling the boy to his feet again, he grabbed him by the neck and shook him, while Scip bleated out in pain. The man caught sight of us running towards him, and he flung the poor child aside. Scipio crashed hard against the wall, crumpling to the dirt.

Then Leo and I were upon his pursuer.

He looked seven feet tall from my point of view, a colossal wall of a man. I bent my head down and barreled into his stomach, hoping to take him down. He took a single drunken step back, losing none of his balance. His big hand wrapped tightly around my neck. Leo grabbed at his arm, but was ferociously swung away. The man lifted me clean off my feet and threw me backwards to the ground. He pounced on top of me, bombarding my face with rock hard fists, as I struggled to push him off. I pulled my forearms up in defense, my brain spinning from the shock.

Leo flashed by me like a moving shadow, grabbing the man by the hair. He jerked his head up and shoved it down, planting a knee into his nose. The man fell off of me, onto his side, and then placed his palms to the dirt. I rolled to my knees, gasping for a breath. Blood, warm and wet, streamed from every part of my face. I wanted to stay there, unmoving, but this man was getting back on his feet.

I struggled to regain my legs while Leo contended with him, staying crouched and low under the man’s swings, jabbing where he could. I glanced over at Scipio. Blood poured from his nose and mouth and pooled under his head. We needed to end this, and fast. I looked around me for a weapon. My eyes stopped on a small piece of brick.

Leo was weaving in and out, trying to get in one good shot. I made sure he saw me, and let him turn the guy. I had no problem blindsiding this bastard, as this was hardly a fair fight to start with. I ran up behind him, swinging the brick towards his head with the full force of both hands. His knees buckled on impact. 'Yeah, that staggered you, didn’t it?'

He turned, lumbering back towards me, wobbling on his feet. People gathered in the darkness around us. I saw someone kneeling by Scip. We needed to get the kid out of here before the guards showed up. What the hell did it take to end this?

I came in with my arms up, blocking his swing, and landing a short sharp right. He stumbled back a step. 'Oh yeah, you’re in trouble now.' We started laying them on him in rapid succession. A right and a left. Another right. The man turned again, back and forth, contending with each of us from different sides. Another punch from me caused him to spin and Leo caught him on the other side with a beautiful full arm swing, taking him clean to the ground. He started to roll to his side, trying to get up on his knees. 'Gods, we have you. Stay down already.'

I sighed, gulping in another breath. No air would pass through my nose.
I ran at him, shoving my foot against his throat, just hoping to keep him down. Leo grabbed the brick and slid to his knees, bringing it down on the man’s head with a brutal sounding ‘thud’, assuring his unconsciousness. He kept hitting the man. I had to fight to pull him off. “We have to help Scip!” I said.

The noise had attracted onlookers, who started to swarm the street. Scipio was curled in a ball, unmoving, with several people around him. We fell to our knees by his side. Leo took Scipio’s hand in his. “Scip,” he whispered, “Come on.” The boy moaned and opened his eyes, gaining momentary fixation on my face. He looked ghostly pale. It frightened me.

“Mardus,” Scipio sputtered. His eyes started to roll back in his head.

“Oh gods, is he dying?” Leo panted, looking back up at me with an agonized face.

I had no way of answering. I didn’t know what to do. “Hang on Scip.” I looked towards the unfamiliar faces bent around him. “Someone help him!” I begged.

A man put his hand to Scipio’s face, clearing his mouth of blood. We stayed there beside him, talking to him, telling him he would be all right, but I could see he was fading. I could hear him trying to get breaths in with animal like gags, and then the sound just stopped. The man who tried to help him put his hand to Scipio’s neck, shaking his head at us.

“Oh no…no, no, Scip,” Leo stammered, his whole body visibly trembling. I could hear him heaving in heartbreak, and a tortured cry escaped my lips. The crowd closed in around us. I glanced towards the man we had attacked, and the large black puddle beneath him. “We’ve got to get out of here.” Leo sounded panicked. He jumped to his feet and started running.

I tried to stand, but I didn’t have the strength. My heart and mind spun with misery and confusion. “Gods, Scip.” I was supposed to look out for him, keep him safe. How could I have let this happen?

“Mardus!” Leo stopped halfway up the road, his hand reaching out to me. “Come on!”

I turned and looked at him. He extended his hand again. My head cleared enough to know he was right. If I stayed any longer I’d reasonably be charged with some kind of assault, and my father would disown me for sure. I moved now or I was done for. I struggled to my feet, looking down at Scipio one last time. The crowd started to envelope me. I backed away and ran.

Leo waited until I was right up to him, and together we sped towards the docks.

 

[Kritter]

We sat down in the sewer in darkness, surrounded by the smell and foulness of Rome on either side of us where the water pooled when it was dry. It was appropriate, as it was how I felt. Foul and dark, like the discarded trash around us, just waiting for a good rain to come and wash us away. My nose was broken and swollen, leaving me unable to breathe, with hard dried blood clogged up inside of it somewhere. My eyes were nearly gone behind inflamed mounds of cheekbone and I could do nothing but remain still and suffer. All I could be thankful for was that my teeth were still intact, as my lip was badly split on one side.

The thought of losing Scipio tore at me, tortured me, much worse than any pain I was feeling. It seemed so tragic an end to his sad, brief life. He’d come to me on the docks that morning, frustrated and mad at the world. He’d sought me out–me, his soother–and I’d cruelly sent him away. I ran it over and over again in my mind, obsessing over every word and action, until I thought I’d go insane.

Leo was babbling and skittish, terrified we would at any moment be dragged from our hole and torn apart by an angry Suburan mob. He’d sent one of the other boys to get Galen, who’d already heard of the news by the time that he arrived. Leo stood at his presence. I buried my head under my forearms. He’d put me in charge of watching the child and I’d failed them both miserably. The very sight of him only made me suffer more. I never even belong in his world and here I was tearing it apart.

“Poor Scip,” Galen said, with surprisingly little emotion. “I told him never to go over to that side of the city. I guess he thought he was smarter than me…and that’s what he gets for that.” In the lingering moment of silence that followed, I thought it might sink in and he would afford himself a single tear, but that emotion never came.

“No point in going on about it,” he said. “What’s happened…happened. Now what of you two?”

I honestly didn’t know what to make of Galen’s callousness. It was as if he spoke of a wayward dog, not a beloved child. Had he seen so much of misery that this was just another incident in a long line of misfortunes, or was he just so steely cool that he wouldn’t allow it to impact him while he thought us still in danger? I would never know what it was like for him, inside his head. My point of view came from that of a child who was loved and sheltered by his parents; his from a boy who may have never known that love and thus might not be capable of imparting it.

And, dear Juno, my parents! The very memory of their existence now multiplied my sorrows. The thought that my father was probably at this moment combing the streets of Rome by torchlight, desperately calling out my name, was far too much to bear.

To go home was to bring this all to an end; my life on the docks, my friends, my freedom. Even though I assumed in time my parents might forgive me, they’d never again look upon me the same. My father would be humiliated, all his hard-earned status gone to waste. What if I were to be jailed or, worse, sentenced to toil away in the belly of some great galleon, chained to an oar, dirt below the feet of the very men who were my gods. The thought of that nearly undid me. I couldn’t go home. I could never go home.

“I think we killed him,” Leo said nervously. “He wasn’t moving Gal. We crushed his skull, I think.” His voice grew giddy and proud. “You should have seen us, mate. Like a pair of wolves on an ox. We did him good for what he’d done.”

'We.' I wasn’t the one who crushed that man’s skull. I never hit him hard enough, and here Leo dared to share the blame with me. I refused to accept that anything I’d done might have led to a man’s demise. I’d no desire to kill the man. My knife never left my side.

“I hope he is dead,” Galen said coolly. “It’ll save us from having to hunt him down. You’ll both have to stay down here for awhile.” He looked pointedly at me when he said it and I offered no argument.

“Tibeus will have his boat ready to go in a few days and I’ll make sure we’re all on it. In the meantime, stay out of sight. And Mardus….” He leaned down to rest on his haunches before me and gently put his fingers to my chin, studying my nose from both sides. The seriousness drained from his voice, replaced by a smug laugh. “We’re going to have to do something about that face.”

I wanted to scream “shut up” at him for his indifference but I didn’t dare antagonize him. Instead, I mumbled out reliably, “I’m still better looking than you.”

He gave me a soft slap on the cheek, which echoed throbs inside my head, and tossed me a good-natured smile. “I’ll be back,” he said.

Unable to sleep, I curled up on my side and fought to control every shivering bout that sought to break me. I refused to cry. I wouldn’t do it. Especially not with Leo standing right there. He fared no better though, jumping nervously with each fleeting sound that came from the streets above us. I debated repeatedly the sense of resigning myself to this fate, but I found the odd fact remained. I had wanted to go. I’d be with my friends and see the world and all that Tibs had described. The consequences had potent appeal.

While Tibeus gathered supplies, Galen delegated responsibilities to the boys remaining in our absence. I felt useless in these preparations, but even if I could in some way disguise my appearance, my face could not be kept from telling its tale. I wondered how long it would take to return to normal, if ever. I touched my fingers delicately to my nose, distressed by its new crooked course. I probably looked as beastly as the men who returned from war, with jagged scars that crossed their face where eyes and lips had once been. My mind gave me no rest from these plagues and I felt keenly aware of every second of that night, but it passed soon enough.

Morning light began slowly filtering through the grate, making glowing white bars on the wall. Like a sundial, I watched them slowly descend across the somber brick until they faded away, taking with them the worst of my memories from the night before. It had happened, as Galen had said, and there was nothing more to be done about it now. I wanted to get underway. I knew I’d need to find someone to send word to my parents. My message would be vague and short. I’d left for reasons I couldn’t explain, and would send word when I could. Hopefully, my father would think I’d run off to be a soldier. The tavern was close enough and there was Dacia, the tavern maid Tibeus trusted with his life. I believed her my only true hope.

I spent that day waiting on darkness, just as I had spent that night waiting on day. Leo had moved deeper into the sewer. He was sleeping, which was good, as his waking hours had been spent in unsettling paranoia. I climbed to the grate, my head peeking out cautiously, to scan the street above me. Silently making my way to the back of the tavern, I found the kitchen door open. From there I could see her, leaning against her doorframe, ever looking to attract a customer. I made a straight line for her, grabbing her by the arm, and I forced her into her room, closing the door behind me. Her eyes showed brief terror, as if I’d come to assault her, and then they softened in recognition.

“Mardus?” She reached out to touch my swollen face.
“Dacia, I implore you. I’m in need of your help.”
“What did you need?” she asked coyly.

I shook my head, noting that even grinning caused me pain. “I need you to get a message to some friends of mine. They live on the farm just outside Collina gate. A man and his wife. I need you to tell them I’m all right, but that I have to go away for awhile. I’ll contact them when I can. Tell them there are some coins for them…underneath my…bed.” I realized how foolish it sounded.

“Well, I can’t go right now,” she said. “I’m not free to leave, but I do market for the tavern the day after next. I can go then, if that’s okay?”

“It’ll have to do. Thank you.” I reached into my pocket, pulling out what was truly the last of my coins, and handed them to her.

“Don’t answer any of their questions, should they ask. You’re just delivering a message. You don’t know me, understand?”

“You’re in some kind of trouble.” She frowned, pouting on my behalf. “Your face. Here, let me help you.” She pointed to a chair, and I sat. She brought a hot wet cloth from the kitchen, wiping all the dried blood carefully from my skin and, in a single unexpected stroke, she took my nose between her thumb and forefinger and forced it back in place. I’d like to say I took that like a man, but I was still a boy. I screamed and shoved away from her, nearly falling off my chair. I stumbled to my feet, backing up against the wall like I’d been cornered by an enemy. I really didn’t mean to, but I called her a string of distasteful names.

“Sorry.” She smiled. “But it’s easier if you don’t know it’s coming. We have loads of fights in the tavern. Pays to know how to fix these kinds of problems.” She cupped my cheeks gently between her hands, kissing my bruised forehead. I flinched; afraid she might still readjust my face. I waited until she signaled me the kitchen was clear and I exited soundlessly back into the alley, making my escape.

When I arrived at the sewer, Galen stood there with Leo awake just behind him. They both breathed out in relief when they saw it was me.

“Mardus, thank the gods. Don’t sneak off like that again. I was worried they had found you. It seems the man you attacked is dead,” Galen said, “and the guards are looking for you. Quite a few people saw you both clearly, and they heard Scipio speak your name, Mardus. I can only guess they’ll start watching the docks. I think it best we leave – right now, if possible.”

“Tibeus?” I asked.

“He’s waiting at the boat.”

I looked around the sewer to see what I might need, but there was nothing. The only thing I was leaving behind was my parents and my home. It was a sobering thought, but I tried not to think on it. I couldn’t. It was too hard. I nodded in resignation, my chest heaving out a long slow breath of despair.
We piled beneath a dark cover of trees, waiting for the boys to signal us the docks were clear. Then, lit by blue light from a pale crescent moon, we ran to the Junia and raised her sail, vanishing into the night.

Over the next many days, we made our way carefully down the coast. Being confined to a small space, in the middle of such vastness, took some getting used to for me. Our inexperience burdened Tibeus; he was forced to move back and forth endlessly between us, correcting our mistakes. He prayed loudly to Neptune as we rounded the Messina strait, where the rocks and whirlpools straddling its narrow pass savagely tested our novice skills. Apparently it helped, as we came out in one piece.

The Junia was made to handle low harbors as well as open expanses of the Mare but, for the same reason she could do those things, high winds or rough seas were near impossible for us to contend with. A low keel meant a poor resistance to being capsized, so we moved only as weather permitted and on bad days we hugged the shore like it was our mother, if we dared go out at all. Tibeus taught us all he knew of navigation. He showed us how to use the paths of the sun and stars, little bear and Polaris, and how to measure at what degrees they sat so we could chart our course. There were lots of tricks to knowing where you were on the sea but most of the time I swear he just guessed.

I got along better with Leo after we left Rome. Regardless of what he had thought of me before, there was no question now as to my vagrancy. We got into fights from time to time, a frustrating reminder that he could still beat me. I refused to back down, though, and knowing I’d concede him nothing, he eventually grew friendlier. Galen took the helm from the start, compelled by whatever force drove him to lead. With our willing nature, aided by Tibeus’ patient instruction, we eventually became a worthy team.

Three months flew by on that first voyage. I found I had a thirst for discovery and adventure that only intensified with each new sight and port. I loved the freedom I now possessed and I had no shame in admitting it. When we arrived in Syria, I helped Tibeus equip the hold with racks to secure the blown glass from the sea. We stocked those racks to the rafters with his first true investment and embarked on a route that would soon become familiar to all of us.

 

[Kritter]

We strolled in the shadow of the towering statue of Zeus, which sat next to the impressive Parthenon, the Greeks’ great temple to Athena. We walked four abreast, like our own little Roman gang, headed towards one of our favorite eating establishments just off the port of Athens.

“Two years we’ve been coming here and I never grow tired of seeing that sight.” I took it in with reverence. “That is easily the greatest statue in the world.”

“Until they build one of me,” Galen said.

“They’ve already got one of you.” Leo piped in. “It’s that giant phallus at the shrine for Dionysus.”

Galen climbed over me to shove him in the head, taunting him as he ran in spurts towards the tavern with Leo hot on his heels. I took off running after them, leaving Tibs to mutter alone.

We crowded into the corner of the tavern, ordering bowls of meat stew with bread. Every girl in the place greeted Galen by name.

“How does he do it?” Leo whispered to me. I shook my head. It defied all explanation, but then they didn’t know him like we did.

Before we’d finished our meals, Leo ordered some wine and I knew where the day was headed. I put my elbows forward on the table, covering my face in my hands. Leo leaned back on his chair, his head resting against the wall while his finger traced the cracks between the stones. He flashed his sinister grin at Galen, who started chuckling under his breath. The tavern maid returned with a pitcher. Leo sat forward and poured the wine into his cup, watching it descend in a thick syrupy flow.

“That is just disgusting,” he said.

“Here we go.” I nodded into my hands.

He poured some water into his cup, mixing it with his spoon. He took a sip and spat it out, drawing the attention of everyone around us.

“I can’t believe they would call this wine,” he said. “This…” He stood up now and announced it to the whole room, holding his cup up high. “This…is not wine!”

Tibeus mumbled under his breath, “Leo, please, we need Athens.”

“This slime that you Greeks call wine is not even worthy for the dogs at your heels!” he continued, ignoring Tibeus’ plea. “When I order wine, I want real wine. Roman wine. Not this homemade slop!”

I could hear Galen’s laugher increase to a high-pitched cackle and I, myself, was no longer able to maintain a straight face.

“How can you drink this abomination? You lovers of art should surely be able to recognize trash when you see it. Maybe we Romans can help you out. Look…!” he shouted, as he tossed the cup towards the floor, the contents rolling sluggishly out of its mouth. “There it is!”

Several of the patrons rose to their feet, angered by his words. Another fight. We barely made it out of the last one with our lives. Tibeus backed towards the exit as Galen leapt over the table, and both he and Leo started assaulting every man that stood between us and the door. I paid our tab as the brawl rolled loudly out onto the street. I had to knock over a half dozen men just to make it out to them.

We ran all the way back to the Junia with a mob of Greeks behind us. They admittedly weren’t fighters, not the way the Romans were. They always stopped, just short of confronting us, when we got to the boat.

“Why don’t you come to Sparta and say that!” one of them shouted from a safe distance. We all doubled over, convulsing with laughter at the sustained hilarity of that moment. I loved the Greeks, to be honest. They were a good and gentle people, outside of the aforementioned Spartans. They’d made us rich off their desire for the blown glass we carried to each port just as Tibeus had promised they would.

I, myself, would have appreciated some Roman wine. In the years that passed, we’d never had the chance to venture anywhere back near Italia. About a month after Pompey was slain, we heard the news from some fellow Roman shipmen and Tibeus had us drink to him that night. It was the first time I had legitimately grown drunk and it was on wine the sailors provided. That was the only time I’d tasted it, but I remembered its sweetness well.

“Leo, really,” Tibeus started lecturing. “You can’t keep doing this. We’re going to run out of places we can port. Need I remind you of Olympia?”

“That priest was a pompous ass, Tibs. He got what he deserved!”

“But inside the Temple, Leo, did you really have to? Do you have any idea how cursed you may have made us?”

An evil grin crossed Leo’s face. The memory of Tibeus chasing us out of that great temple with his belt in hand was one of the better ones we all carried. He surely would have thrashed us all had he been able to catch us.

“Ah, who cares really, Tibs, so long as we still have the ports with the women,” Galen said.

“What about the steam baths and laundries?” Tibeus asked, “Or are you so willing to forgo those too? And women do not buy our merchandise, Galen. You’re all lucky we can still port here…and there.”

We honestly shouldn’t have gone out of our way to agitate him as much as we did. Tibeus had done quite well for us, arranging all our trades. He kept track of all of our investments, knowing the profit to be had on each, and he figured all the taxes, which were numerous and confusing.

“Well, we need to make a trip home soon,” Leo said, artfully changing the subject. “If only to stock up on some real wine.” I knew it wasn’t his only reason. We’d all felt a bit homesick as of late and I yearned to send word to my parents. I desperately hoped we’d return at some point, but we had no real reason to do so. Instead, we were off to Delos again, a once great city on a tiny island that had suffered great decline.

“This island used to float around the Aegean,” Tibeus said, “until Poseidon finally anchored it in one place.” The three of us rolled our eyes at him in unison. His brow furrowed, noting our looks. “What? You don’t believe that?”

“I don’t believe in gods,” Galen said. “Look at this city. It’s an emptied waste growing more worthless by the month. They bothered to build one of the greatest temples in the world to Apollo, so where was he to aid them?”

“He sent the Roman army to vanquish the man who caused them all this destruction,” Tibeus said. “I should know. I was one of them. If not for the pirates, Delos could have regained its glory after that. Perhaps some day it still will. We used to port here all the time when we patrolled these seas. I was a young man then, not much older than you.”

“You were a young man once, Tibs?” Leo laughed. “How is that even possible?”

“Young and eager.” Tibeus nodded, his eyes gaining a spark of remembrance. “These streets were markets then, end to end. Every wealthy banker and merchant had cause to make their homes here. You can still see their mansions, their mosaics and statues.” He pointed out in all directions, “And the women all danced around these altars every single day. Alea was one, a beautiful girl. She looked for me each time we came here.”

“You had a girl here, Tibs?” I asked.

“Aye, the love of my life, for a short while at least.” He frowned at this reflection.

“And then?”

“She was stolen away, and by my best friend.” He shook his head as if to clear his mind of that thought.

“Gods! That would be my luck.” I sighed.

“Don’t worry, Mards, I’ll go easy on you.” Leo smirked at me.

“I’m more worried about him.” I nodded my head towards Galen.

“Nothing to worry about here, friend,” Galen said. “You’ve got to get a girl first, before I can steal her away, and I’ll be an old man by then.”

Laughter broke out among all three of them and, since I had no comeback, I could only wave them off. So little had changed since we first took to the Mare. We were all the same boys we had been. We’d grown stronger and brasher over the years, but maturity? That, we held neatly at bay. There had been only fun to be had on the sea and we’d taken advantage of all of it.

---

Two more years passed rounding the Aegean, until even Tibeus grew homesick for Rome. The trip was long and would bear no real gains outside of pleasing our hearts, but we finally decided to journey back to Ostia, if only for a few glorious days.

Leo and I stood at the rail with outstretched arms, embracing the very air of our homeland as we pulled into that port. In my head I could hear a thousand trumpets welcoming us home.

“I smell the Tiber!” Leo took in a deep breath and rejoiced. I took a deep breath in, too, and held it. It was Rome, in my very lungs.

“Let’s keep our heads.” Tibeus spoke with a serious tone, staying our enthusiasm for the moment. “There are soldiers everywhere here. I know you aren’t known in Ostia the way you were in the city, but I wouldn’t suggest letting down your guard. Act casual, but remain alert. That’s all I ask. No fanfare or fights from any of you.”

He most specifically looked at Leo when he said this, and Leo simply grinned. His devilish nature increased in direct proportion to the amount of chaos that could be wrought. I almost wished he’d said nothing at all.

Soldiers were standing around the port. I regarded them with a curious eye. They appeared mundane men in uniforms, no longer evoking in me the dreams of my youth. My life was blissfully free of rules and discipline. I would have hated being a soldier. I found I still envied them, though – envied the respect I knew they received, something that was in scarce supply for a mere cargo man.

“I’m going to look around.” I casually walked towards the docks near the Tiber, hoping to remain alone. I sought out the Poseidon, pulling aside one of the men that I recognized from her crew. He nodded to me in greeting, recalling my face as well. “Could you deliver a package for me out by Collina this evening if I paid you well for the time?”

“Hand it over.” His mouth opened into a toothless grin as he put out his hungry hand. He meant the pay, of course, but I was glad he made the deal. I confided to that man everything I needed to know, out of abject desperation. Tomorrow morning, when he’d return, I would finally have news of home.

No sooner had I started away when Tibeus came running up to me. “Did you hear the news, son? Caesar was murdered just the other day. Seems all of Rome is in upheaval over it.”

I shook my head. It was sad to hear, but I honestly didn’t care. We’d been so long at sea I no longer thought myself a citizen of Rome. We were citizens of the Mare, subject only to the will of Neptune, and owing only unto him for our wellbeing. The more reports I’d heard from home the more ridiculous the drama seemed. The only way I imagined any of it was through my father’s eyes – bestowing his insights upon our gate soldiers while eagerly soliciting their opinions. It occurred to me that my father actually enjoyed all of the drama. He was probably delightfully astir at all this greatly gripping news.

We debated traveling up to the city ourselves, but wisely declined the thought. It was still too soon, and Leo and I had little desire to make any mistake in guessing our notoriety on the docks.

The next morning I nervously paced the edge of the Tiber waiting on Alcides’ barge. The crewman greeted me with appropriate discreetness. My trust had been well placed.

“How did they look? How was the farm?” I fired my questions at him.

“Your parents look fine.” He opened his arms out with a flourish, sounding genuinely pleased to tell me. “The farm was thriving.”

I smiled graciously, letting out a sigh of relief at hearing such great news. “They asked about you, if you looked happy and well fed and if you were in the company of others,” he said. “I only told them that you indeed looked well and that I knew nothing else about you.”

“Did my father ask if I was a soldier?” I was curious as to what he might think.

“No, not that I recall. Although, now that I think of it, your father did say to tell you that he’s bought a second ox.”

I broke into a smile, broad and unending. I was afraid to hear he might hate me or, worse, deny my very life, and here he was, still as amiable as ever. Whether it was the money I’d just sent or the goodness of his heart, it was heavenly to hear.

We loaded up on fine Roman wine, before the day was through, and headed off for Greece again, forgetting the meaning of sobriety for many months. For five strong years we’d had excellent fortune and I had no reason to think life wouldn’t continue on that way. But on the night we cracked open the last of those amphoras it may as well have been Pandora’s box.

 

[Kritter]

We treated that final wine vessel with somber reverence, each round drunk with savoring sips, until Galen poured out evenly the final remains. He made a simple last toast. “To the Roman blood that burns in our veins,” Galen said. He turned his gaze on Leo when he said it, carefully watching his face.

“I’ll drink to that,” Leo said.

“Really, Leo?” Galen challenged him suddenly in an antagonistic voice, “You’ve got no Roman blood in your veins.”

I could see Leo’s jaw visibly tense at his words. “I grew up on its streets. I’m Roman enough.”

Galen gave a smug laugh at his response, lifting his chin higher. “You wish you were Roman, maybe. But, you’re not Roman.”

“Whatever,” I said, trying to avoid seeing Leo prodded into a fight. “We’ll drink to something else then.” Galen was setting him up, I could see it, but I had no idea why.

“Actually, I’m glad I don’t have Roman blood,” Leo said, his words now growing coarse. “Since all it seems to do is make you egotistical asses.” He locked eyes with Galen, gripping his cup tighter as if his fists made ready. I got the fast feeling this would not turn out well.

Galen gulped down what was left in his cup, not giving those final drops the proper farewell we’d meant for them. “Better an egotistical ass than a worthless lowborn drudge.”

Leo now finished the last of his drink in a similarly fatalistic manner. He stood up and picked up the empty amphora, tossing it over the side of the ship. “To hell with Rome then.”

Galen flashed me a look like I should somehow share this insult with him, but I put my hands up, withdrawing. He’d started this fight, not me. I was somehow completely lost on the subject, unsure of what had spawned it. The two of them had some history that I’d never been privy to. I didn’t know, nor was I acquainted with, Leo’s actual heredity, but I didn’t think it appropriate to goad him in this manner.

Galen stood and stepped towards him, lingering just a second before shoving Leo’s shoulder, and then they both exploded into a truly frightening fight. This wasn’t like the fist fights we’d had as boys. This was a fight between men, backed by malice – a far more savage ordeal.

I moved to the opposite side of the ship, guarding my cup and its last precious drink from any unchecked elbows. Tibeus came from the deckhouse, awakened by the noise, and he stood in the doorway, disappointed to see his crew in such a poor state. He shouted at them to stop but they took no heed of the old man.

Galen finally landed a swing that knocked Leo senseless to the deck and, while Leo lay there completely staggered, Galen walked over by me. “Hail, the unavailing Gaul. Destroyed by Rome yet again.” He put one hand to my wrist and the other on my cup, prying it from my grip. Then he tilted it back and swallowed it down with a look that now challenged me. I shook my head at him in dismay.

“Why would you do that?” I went to Leo, kneeling beside him to check his condition.

Galen trailed behind me, staring down with darkness in his eye. “And where were Rome’s allies during this battle, or do they now conspire with the enemy?” He tossed my empty cup in front of me.

I laughed at him, incredulous. “You’re taking yourself way too seriously, Galen.”

“Am I?” He eyed me with suspicion.

“He did nothing to you.”

“He’s been pushing me all week!” Galen pointed an accusing finger at Leo. “There’s not a thing I’ve told him to do this week that he hasn’t questioned. He does it on purpose, Mardus. If he wants to keep challenging me, he’d better be ready to back it up with more than just words.”

“Oh gods, dare he question the great Galen.” I mocked him as I stood back up.

“See, you are on his side.” He pointed his finger towards me, holding it there a minute, before thrusting it back towards Leo. “He owes me. I’m the one who saved his life, something he seems to want to forget whenever it’s convenient.”

Leo rolled onto his side, leaning up on his forearm. “I don’t owe you anything. I’d have done just fine on my own.”

Galen snorted out a laugh at him. “We both know exactly where you’d be right now if I hadn’t helped you out. Look, do what I say without question and we won’t have these kinds of problems. Don’t keep trying to override me, Leo. I know what you’re trying to do.”

Leo sat up, fixing a hand to his jaw as he briefly glared at Galen. He rubbed his entire face with his hands, but he had nothing further to say. If Leo had been trying to “override” Galen, it had been unseen by me. I had noticed that they’d been arguing all week. Leo never hid the fact that he didn’t like authority. I never saw him try to take it from Galen, but I didn’t doubt it was possible. Leo picked himself up off the boards and Tibeus helped him off into the deckhouse.

“Was that absolutely necessary?” I asked. The randomness of the attack had angered me.

“Necessary? If you don’t believe he deserved what he got, ask him when he’s ready to talk. Don’t make the mistake of trusting him, Mardus. He’s more cunning than you think. That’s why you…,” he said, putting his arm tight around my shoulder, “are my better friend. I know I can trust you, right?” He stared me in the eye waiting on a response. “Right?” he asked again. I nodded at him slowly, feeling uncomfortable with my answer.
He smiled, giving me a pat on the back, letting go of whatever suspicion he held.

“I didn’t know you saved his life,” I said.

“Saved it and gave him a home. I could’ve turned him in too. They brought him in on a slave ship, hundreds of people, all in chains, dozens of kids in tow. They tried to separate the women from the men right there on the docks and one of the men went crazy. He started throwing wild punches, knocking a few down, and then they all started trying to fight. We were watching from up on the stairs. It got pretty exciting, but then the guards got involved, pulling their swords. They weren’t playing around.

“It grew bloody for a couple of minutes. I thought they’d kill them all. And in the middle of the fray, I notice this kid backing up to the edge of the dock…and then he disappears right over the side. I didn’t see him come back up. So I’m watching him, wondering how long he could possibly hold his breath.”

He was telling the story as if it was of great amusement to him, but to me, imagining it from Leo’s point of view, it must have been terrifying. Had his parents been there and been slaughtered before him? What a horrible thing to have seen.

“Eventually,” Galen continued, “I got curious, so I walk to the edge of the dock by us and look out in the water. He’s behind a barge, just a head bobbing up and down. He sees me and he goes under again, and swims to where I am. He puts his hand out to me, like I’m gonna help a rat get out of the water.”

“You wouldn’t help him out?”

“He was a Gaul, Mardus.” He laughed at me, as if this excused his act. “Besides, there were bloodthirsty guards with swords swarming the dock when he did it. Who would invite that kind of trouble for themselves? He was better off where they didn’t see him, at least until they left. Took an hour for them to sort through that mess. We moved off the docks, out of their way, until everything quieted down. The guards finally left and the traders milled about, still really agitated.

“So we’re all watching him then, waiting to see what he’ll do. He finally moves back towards the barges and climbs up an anchor rope and one of the cargo men sees him. The guy calls out to the traders, and this kid makes a run for the stairs. He blows right past us with two of the slavers chasing on his tail and he’s down the street, darting in and out of buildings, running circles around these guys. You should have seen him, Mardus. He was dodging one here, ducking one there, all over the Aventine.” The memory must have been a fond one to Galen; he grinned from ear to ear.

“We start following him, cheering him on. They chase him for a good thirty minutes. At one point we see him run into Jupiter’s temple and one of the men sees him too…and we knew he’s gonna be trapped in there. I could’ve just stood there and watched them pull him out, but he’d put up too much of a fight, ya know? So we go in…and this kid is fighting a full-grown man and he’s holding his own for a while. I hold the gang back just to see how he’ll fare, but I can see in his eyes that he’s looking for help. The kid was exhausted and he wasn’t gonna make it…and that’s when we jumped in.

“We shuffled him down to the sewer after that and they finally gave up looking for him and left. He wasn’t going to be worth much of anything to them, not enough for them to waste time on.

“There were two older kids then who ran the gang. I brought Leo over to see them, but they didn’t like the idea of having a foreigner in with us. Thought he’d only bring us trouble. But a kid who could run and fight like that? I figured it was worth having him around, so I kept him close by and made sure he was taken care of. I knew the oldest was gonna be leaving soon, he’d signed up to join the infantry. I just waited until he left, and then, me an’ Leo, we took the other guy down.” He smiled. It was like listening to Roman politics. It was all the same. People vying for position and authority, making their alliances and backstabbing their way to the top.

“Took the other guy down.” It meant they’d beat him senseless to let him know his days were through. I’d heard it used by the dock men and from plenty of other gangs throughout the city. They all did it the same way. There was always someone looking to gain more power than they had. I laughed at that thought. It applied to me, as I’d been just as guilty.

“We did okay for a real long time,” Galen said, “but then Leo starts talking about taking on the bigger guys, the men who ran those docks, and no matter what I did to try and restrain him, he wouldn’t stop making trouble with them. He was making me look bad to Alcides and he didn’t even care. I was hoping out here he’d straighten out but you can see he hasn’t changed.”

I thought we’d left all that behind when we left the docks, but obviously they hadn’t. After the fight they had that night, Leo lay very low. But Galen kept an eye on him, and he watched me closely as well. I think he feared we’d team up on him, something I’d never have done.

 

[Kritter]

Stuck for three days in Rhodes, at the start of the very next year, we floated in the turquoise waters of their harbor, waiting out a heavy gale. I hated it when we had to wait out ill weather. The ship grew smaller on those days and I could do nothing at all but pace.

“I can’t sit around in the boat all day,” I complained. “There’s got to be something to do here.” I stood up from the deckhouse stairs, kicking Leo’s foot on the floor where he lay curled on his side. “Come on. How can you sleep all day?”

“Because he drank like a sponge all night.” Galen sat up on his bed, eyeing Leo with scorn.
“And where were you all night, Galen?” Leo mumbled into the floor.
“Cleo, Erinna, one of those girls,” he said.
“Gods! He can’t even remember and here he judges me.” Leo dragged himself up to lean against the chest, picking up the jug beside him.
“I judge you because you won’t stay sober. I’m getting sick of doing your job for you while you sit around drunk like a pirate.” Galen watched him take another swig.
“I wish I was a pirate!” Leo spread his arms out with relish. “Then I wouldn’t be stuck with you.”
“Well, there’s the door.” Galen pointed. “I’m sure those thieves would be happy to drag you under their boat until you no longer breathed. Zeus knows they’d be doing me a favor.”
“They’d be doing me a favor,” Leo fired back at him.

I fully expected the two of them to start trading blows. They’d been on each others nerves and at each other’s throats for months, and it was only growing worse.

“Come on,” I said, trying to sway the course. “Let’s go eat, if nothing else, or find ourselves some girls.”
“You mean I’ll find us some girls. Or rather, I’ll find me some girls,” Galen said, “Since you never like the ones I do find. What exactly are you waiting on Mardus? You’re not going to find one shorter than yourself.”
“Shut up, Galen.” I grew more irritated with him than I think Leo was. “I prefer Roman girls. And I’m only two inches shorter than you, by the way.”
“When did that happen exactly?” Galen replied. “Must have been while I was out plowing the fields. If you’re waiting on a Roman girl, you’ll be a waiting a long time, considering we can’t go back to the city.”
“Gods, enough, please. I just want to get out of here. Don’t they have chariot races here, or a theater or something?”
“A theater?” Galen laughed out at me. “You want to go to the theater? Are you trying to be cultured now, Mardus?”

“Why don’t you get off him?” Leo climbed to his feet.
“I can fight my own fights, Leo.” I eyed Galen with contempt.
“Can you?” Galen stood up right in front of me, obviously fit to start one.

I shoved him back, but Leo dived in, and they both started throwing punches. I backed up the stairs, sighing. Too long in close quarters had put us all too much at odds, only now Leo seemed my better friend. As much as he loved to fight, I knew he’d only stepped in to defend me. I wasn’t afraid to fight Galen but we all knew I wouldn’t have won.

“Come on, stop.” I groaned at them. I had to admit though, Leo was getting the better of Galen and I could feel myself rooting for him at heart. I thought for a second he just might beat him, until Tibeus came rushing in. It took the old man a minute just to pull the two apart. He stood between them, arms outstretched, keeping them from each other.

“I’ll drop you both off at Crete if you can’t control this fighting.” Tibeus shouted. “I’m too old to be playing father to a group of raucous children. Children – I can’t call you children anymore. You’re all over twenty. You should be beyond this kind of behavior by now.”

“He’s the one who’s starting it,” Leo said, pacing menacingly behind Tibeus’s straight arm.
“You asked for it,” Galen glared back defiantly.

“Save your breath, both of you. I have some news from one of the locals,” Tibeus said. “If you can stop your immature conduct for two seconds.” He lowered his arms, stepping back up to the deck.

Curiosity forced Galen to follow. I tilted my head at Leo and smiled, appreciative of his assistance, although I felt bad for having let him stand in my place. He smiled back, indicating with his fingers just how close he believed he’d come to winning. He shook his head at Galen behind his back and we both had trouble holding back our laughter.

“The Rhodians have thirty some odd ships gone out to sea in contention with Cassius’ forces. They suggest we don’t travel north up the coast, or at least avoid it for now,” he said. “Not much will be safe on the eastern coast. I’m guessing it will only get worse over time. It’s entirely possible that Antony’s legions will find their way out here soon. So, I suspect we’ll have to reconsider our routes for the time being.”

“Where to, then?” Galen asked.
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to think on that a bit. But perhaps, in the meantime, a little side trip.” Tibeus grinned when he suggested this, the type of grin I’d come to expect from Leo, but never from his old face.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What kind of side trip?”
“Just a place not far from here. I think you’ll like it, though.”
I glanced at Galen, glad to see he displayed the same confusion as I did.
“Where is…?” Galen asked.
“You’ll see when we get there, Galen.” Tibeus dismissed his question before it was asked. “If the wind dies down at all tonight, we can possibly leave tomorrow.”

Galen caught my questioning eye and shook his head, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, let’s find you something to do until then,” Leo said, dragging me off the boat, but as soon as we’d walked far enough, he laid into me pretty hard.
“You should have backed me up right then. We could’ve had him, Mards. Every time he wins these fights it only makes him worse.”

I couldn’t immediately respond. Galen, even as insufferable as he had been, had still been my best friend. No matter how frustrating the circumstance, I couldn’t bring myself to gang up on him.

“You’re worthless,” Leo said, reading my face. “I’m the one you should be feeling sorry for, not him. He’s been doing this to me my entire life, Mardus, and that’s okay with you?”
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

He had his point, but he’d started a lot of those fights. In fact, most of them, now that I thought on it a bit, by pressing Galen’s temper. Whether he did it intentionally, or he was a fool, that’s the only part I wasn’t sure of.

“Next time, okay?” he said.
“Leo, I don’t want to get involved in your fights. Tibs is right; it’s childish already. And not just you, I mean both of you. You know if you just did your job he’d stop all of this.”

“You really think that’s true? Have you ever not done your job?”
“No,” I said.
“Then what’s he starting fights with you for?”
“I don’t know.” I frowned. I didn’t have an answer.
“Because he’s paranoid, Mardus, admit it, and the sad thing is he’s got no reason to be since you’re completely useless.” He shook his head at me, as if he really believed that. “I don’t feel like doing anything. I’m going back to the boat.” He turned, leaving me standing there. I ended up walking the streets alone.

We headed east the next morning towards Xanthus, staying along the shore, but instead of heading towards Cyprus, we followed the coast on its northerly turn.

“Have we ever been up this way?” I whispered to Galen.
“No,” he said with some trepidation. “I think the old man’s just gone mad.”

Unfamiliar mountains rose to line the coast, plunging off sharply into the sea. Another day of sailing had brought us closer to nowhere. Late that night, under a sky shrouded by clouds, Tibeus had us anchor and announced to us, “We’re here.”

“So, where’s ‘here?’” Galen held the oil lamp out into the darkness, a futile attempt to illuminate anything that might identify our destination. All we could tell for sure was that we’d reached a coastal plain, and now rested in an ink black bay beside a silent harbor.

“Attalia,” Tibeus answered. He put his hands to the rail, surveying the unseeable landscape. “Get some rest. We’ve got some walking to do tomorrow.”

“Walking?” Leo groaned. He lay down on his side, his head against his pack. “I hate walking.”

I sat down next to him, leaning up against the rail. He’d been quiet the last two days, but his face had been speaking volumes as to his still simmering vexation with Galen. The icy stares between the two gave our journey an uneasy tension. I nudged him, trying to offer a smile, but he only glared at me.

In the morning, we stood staring out at an average city that was walled into quarters and wholly uninteresting. We all looked at each other, sighing.
“Take your packs and a change of clothes,” Tibs said.
“Where are we going?” I whined like a child. I really didn’t care for surprises.
“Up the road a bit,” he said. “A favorite place of mine from the old days.”

The wide palm-lined street we started on soon turned into a narrow trail, which worked its way steadily uphill for what felt like more than an hour. My calves burned painfully by the time we’d reached its end. Heat hung thick to the air around us, making it hard to breath. I could hear water, though – rushing water – louder than the Tiber where its rapids raced. It almost echoed in its intensity.

“Right through here.” Tibeus moved us around overgrown brush, pulling back a hanging tangle of vines to reveal a small gorge. Before us lay a crystal blue lake nearly surrounded by rock. Cascading into it was a shimmering wall of water from the sheer cliffs above. The water was hitting the lake with pounding force, sending a rainbow-hued spray into the air. I think my mouth remained open a full minute just staring at it.

Leo’s eyes lit immediately at the sight. “Oh, I’m going in that.”
Before he was even done speaking, Galen had already dived in. I threw my pack down and started taking off my clothes. Tibs grabbed our packs, piling them up, and he rested against them, closing his eyes.
“Not coming in, Tibs?” I asked.
“No, I’m tired.” He waved me off. “I just figured you three could probably use some cooling off.” He winked at me. I smiled.

The water was paralyzing compared to the Mare, a frigid assault that forced a gasp from me the second I jumped in. I submerged myself in its depths, lost in an entirely other world with muted sounds above me. I opened my eyes. Light danced across the surface, flashing brilliant white shadows in quivering pulses throughout the lake’s dark interior. I watched it, spellbound, until I could hold my breath no longer, and then came up for air.

Leo had slipped beneath the battering deluge, screaming at the top of his lungs to match its thunderous volume, and there was a sound I hadn’t heard in ages: Galen’s wonderful laugh. I swam through one of the walls of water, drenched under its amazing force. We spent a decent hour trying to drown each other while racing across its length and, finally worn out, we lay in the sun to dry, only to dive in again.

“I’m going up there,” Leo announced, pointing at a single rock that jutted over the top of the falls. Galen followed him out of the water and they both turned, looking at me.
“I’m not going up there.” I laughed at them. “You’re going to break your necks.”
“Holy Neptune, what a chicken you are, Mardus.” Galen attempted to provoke me.
“With my luck?” I shook my head.
“He’s right.” Leo smirked to Galen. “The climb would probably kill him.”

They both started laughing at me, but I didn’t care. No amount of goading was going to make me change my mind. The two disappeared into the brush, reemerging up top. Leo balanced his way precariously across the rushing water while Galen stayed at the edge, his arms crossed to his chest, looking none too comfortable about being so high up. Leo scaled the rock and looked over the side, gauging the distance of the jump. It had to be at least thirty feet.

I didn’t think he was crazy enough to do it, but the next thing I knew, he was in the air, plummeting towards the lake. He smashed through the surface and disappeared as a massive burst of water washed across it in every direction.

Galen put his hands to his head. “I can’t believe he just did that!”
Leo came splashing back up into view, roaring with self-satisfaction.
“You’re insane!” Galen yelled.
“Now you!” Leo shouted back up to him.
I could see Galen thinking it over, but he finally backed away. “I don’t think so.” He shook his head, laughing.
I was thankful he hadn’t jumped; it took the pressure off of me. I swam over to Leo, congratulating him with a smack to the side of his head.
“How can any of us ever match that?” I asked.
He beamed wide at that sentiment, knowing he was every bit deserving of all future bravado.

We stayed there until the sun was nearly down, returning to the ship exhausted. Galen and Leo talked the whole way back and just hearing them sound like friends again was heartening to me. We raced the last half mile, an endeavor I was surprised to win – perhaps youth was starting to have its advantages.

I thought Tibeus smart for bringing us there, as it had been ages since we’d had recreation. I think we both hoped to see the tension ease after that but, sadly, that wasn’t the case.

 

[Kritter]

Not three weeks later, the two were back to quarreling over nothing. Their arguments slowly grew into clashes, which quickly escalated out of control. Everything Leo did seemed to antagonize Galen, who was happy to keep reminding him why that was a bad idea.

I couldn’t remember Galen being so bullish when we were younger boys, but then I’d always worked hard to stay on his good side. He still had his likable moments, but they grew fewer as time went on. Even Tibeus had become wary of him and I didn’t doubt the old man would put him off the boat if things continued on this way. Usually, when we made ports, we’d head off for baths or taverns while Tibs took care of business, but I followed him this day, just wanting to talk alone.

“What’s going on with Galen?”

“I’m not sure,” Tibeus said, “I’ve never seen him so easily riled. It’s definitely not like him. I used to think him very honorable, but Leo seems to bring out his worst.”

“Ah, you knew him before Leo showed up. I never did.”

“Knew him, knew his father too. A very disagreeable man. Thankfully, Galen’s nothing like him.”

“Was he a soldier too, Tibs?”

“No.” He shook his head. “He was a well off man, not the variety of man who would join the infantry. He was just irresponsible. He was given his wife in a political deal but he had no regard for her or the son she gave him. He was more interested in drinking and gambling, until he lost their last sestertius. And then he ran off, abandoning them both.

“Galen started coming around to the docks, trying to earn money to help out his mother. He couldn’t have been older than Scip at that time. He didn’t like seeing his mother live in squalor. As soon as they had enough for her to travel, he made sure she returned home to her father. He never followed her, though. He’d grown to feel responsible for the other boys there and he didn’t want to abandon them. An admirable concern for a teenager.

“He’s really never tried to do any more than maintain order but, once Leo showed up, that become difficult. I’ve seen Leo do a lot of underhanded things in my day. I didn’t blame you at all for not liking him as a child. I didn’t like him either, nor did I trust him around my goods. I still don’t trust him, Mardus. I know he gets into the wine crates.”

I bit my lip. We all did that, but I wasn’t going to incriminate myself now. “Well, something has to give because they’re going to end up killing each other,” I said.

Tibeus didn’t disagree. “They’re too much alike, I think, but Leo has no scruples,” he said. “I know you and Leo are close now, Mardus, but if I had to lose one, it wouldn’t be Galen. He’d go back to being himself again, but Leo will never change.”

I frowned, but I understood.

As the number of warships increased on the Aegean, Tibeus decided it would be best that we return to the safer waters near home. It had been six years since we first left Rome and when we arrived in Ostia to trade out our load, Galen planned a trip to the city. He wanted to know how the boys we’d left behind had fared and bring them silver, as he could well afford to.

“You and Leo just stay here while Tibs and I take the boat to the city for the day.”

“Do you think they’d recognize us after so long?” I asked. I badly wished to see my parents, knowing they held no real ill will against me. Six years. It seemed like a long enough time to have waited.

“Would you want to take the chance to find out?” Tibeus said.

Galen fast agreed. “You’ve no reason to go, and it only takes one person to recognize you there to make that a bad idea. I promise you there are men on the docks who would know us still. We haven’t changed that much, except I’m even better looking now.”

“Better looking than what?” Leo asked with an incredulous air. “Come on, even if we were recognized, who on the docks is going to care?”

“I don’t trust them all, never have,” Tibeus said.

“No, me either,” Galen admitted. “You can’t guess what they’ll do, Leo. You have to stay here.”

“I’ll go if I want,” Leo growled under his breath, not caring for Galen’s response.

I guessed I would be stuck in Ostia, but when I sought out the cargo man from the Poseidon to deliver a package for me, he at once informed me that circumstances had changed at my parents’ farm.

“I was out to the country a few months ago. I traveled right past your home. That farmhouse of yours was completely gone. There’s a new villa out there now, just off the road. I bothered to inquire of one of the gate guards as to what happened. He told me the land had been sold, but I could find out nothing further.”

Alarmed by this unexpected news, I knew then that I had no choice but to return up to the city. Something had gone wrong and I had to find out what.
Not wanting to reveal my lie after all these many years, I couldn’t explain to my friends my sudden urge in wanting to return. I simply insisted that I was going and then Leo followed suit. I tried to talk him into remaining in Ostia, but he only took it as an affront to his bravery. If I wasn’t afraid to go, he wasn’t afraid to go; and no amount of arguing was going to change his mind. Galen adamantly pleaded against this, doing everything in his power to reason with us, but we had both made up our minds.

The trip up to the city couldn’t go fast enough for me. When we got to the docks, we agreed to meet back at the Junia in one hour’s time. I ran to our farm, or where it had once been, but it was as if I’d gone to the wrong gate. The home I had grown up in was completely gone and, as the worker had asserted, there was a villa in the middle of our field.

Approaching its door with some apprehension, unsure of whom I might find, I let out a gasp of relief as my mother appeared from a garden to the side of the structure. She looked at me as if I were a stranger. I just stood there for a minute, taking her in. It was all I could do not to fall upon my knees at the sight of her. She looked fine and she wore the necklace I had sent with my first package, evoking my childish pride.

Her eyes searched my face, looking for an answer to my odd behavior, and she whispered in an unsteady voice, “Mardus?”

I went to embrace her, but she grabbed me by the arm and led me to a small cottage just off the garden.

“Come inside,” she said, “It’s not safe out here.”

Entering, I’d already absorbed two thoughts. I was obviously still a wanted man and she was well aware of that fact. It meant she probably knew of what I’d been accused, and possibly of the life I’d led before it. I wondered if she was uneasy to see me, but she answered that question as the door was shut behind us.

She clasped my face between her hands and planted kisses all over it. She fell into sobs when I hugged her.

“How I’ve missed you,” she said. “There’s not been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought of you.”

“And I’ve missed you, and you look as beautiful as ever.”

“You appear well.” She drew back to look me over, and with a second look she added a motherly, “Good Zeus, Mardus, what happened to your nose?”
I could only laugh, shaking my head. I had so much to tell her. Six year’s worth of tales. I glanced around the small room we were in, noticing her loom and items.

“What happened to the farm?” I asked. “And where’s Papa?”

She pursed her lips and sighed. “Your father passed away, son, almost a year ago now. I’m sorry. Since we didn’t know where you were, my brother assumed my guardianship as was your father’s wish.” I turned and sat to deal with that news as she continued on in a trembling voice.

“The farm belongs to your uncle now. I couldn’t manage it alone. They built that admirable house,” she nodded out the window. “But I wanted a place of my own, so…” She smiled as she looked around her cottage. “Things have been okay. I have my own money, my own little garden. I can enjoy their children and still make my linen in peace. Now that I’ve gotten to see you, though, I feel like Juno has truly blessed me.” She gave me a sad smile.

My chest heaved with mixed emotions. “My father…dead.” It was all I could muster. It made my heart feel sick.

“He had been ill for some time, Mardus. We’d have gotten word to you if we could, but I knew it would be a bad idea for you to come, knowing the guards looked for you.”

“How did you know?”

“Well, it wasn’t hard to discover. Two parents alarming the soldiers and searching the whole city for a missing boy of your name and description, on the same night that the guard was already searching for a boy of your name and description.

“Of course your father assumed there must be some mistake, and he began to ask questions of everyone involved. He learned you had frequently been at the docks, helping the boys there with their work, and then he believed it. He told me he had shown you the orphans. He said he should have known that you, with your compassionate heart and boundless energy, would have thought to help those poor children.

“He was humbled by the idea, son, and a few days later, when we received word from that…woman, we were only happy to know you were still safe and free. With the money you sent, your father continued your charitable works. He hired some of those boys to come work on our farm. He was so good to them, Mardus. His friends all thought very highly of him for that and, of course, that made him happy as well.”

Her words both lifted and stung me. They’d known – from the first day, they’d known. And my father, the one of us with the truly tender heart, had believed only good of me, though I was completely undeserving of that estimation. What I deserved was his disappointment and, in the anguish of that moment, I brought the weight of that emotion on myself.

“So I’m still looked for by the guard?”

“There were witnesses,” she said, “and they told the praetor that you and another boy fought a man who had killed a small child. Apparently the defense of the child was not the issue. It was said that after the man was down on his knees, you and the other boy continued to attack him.” Her eyes searched my face for the truth of that. I stared down at my feet.

“The crime was warranting a harsh penalty. Even as a citizen, it still would’ve meant the mines and you know that’s no better than death. For the other boy, there’d be no reprieve. I’m sure he’d have gone to the lions. You mustn’t risk your life, Mardus. I’m content to see you and know you’re well, but I couldn’t live a day in peace if I knew that wasn’t true. So I beg you, please, go quickly.”

I stood, embracing my mother, fearing it would be the last time I’d see her. Then, draping my cloak over my head, I made my way back to the docks.

 

[Kritter]

I kept my head down, walking at a casual pace, trying to focus only on getting back to the boat. The news of my father was tormenting, but I couldn’t let my guard down and dwell on it now. Yet, I wondered if, in some afterlife, he knew the truth of my actions. What would he be thinking of me? I’d acted not in good faith, but in greed. I’d lied – and continued to lie – to him and my friends, and I’d helped kill a man. That part stuck in my head for a moment. I’d never really thought more on it because it had seemed justified to me but, when I heard it from my mother’s lips, there was only the final fact. I had had a hand in his death. I suddenly felt more the fugitive than I ever had before.

The port came into view. I choose to go the long way around, coming down by the stairs instead of the ramp, so I’d be close to where we had tied the boat. Tibeus was there, his face speaking everything I already knew. He stood just to the side of the deckhouse, waiting to shuffle me inside. I stepped down, inquiring as to the others.

“Galen was back. I sent him to look for Leo,” he said. “I was just about to go look for you. Not twenty minutes after we arrived here, Mardus, I saw some men looking at me. I could just tell they were thinking of fetching the guards.”

I bit my lip, trying not to become too anxious while I could do nothing but wait. I stood, barely peering out towards the stairs, praying to see them both return. I was foolish to think no one would recognize us. Every man who wasn’t ‘with us’ now looked suspicious to me. Tibeus paced nervously about on the deck, mumbling aloud how he grew too old for this and how we’d bring him to an early grave. I knew he was well into his fifties, a ripe old man by anyone’s standards, so it would be no early grave. Still, I regretted what stress we caused him. I heard distant shouting and took a step up, hoping to better see.

“Tibby, the boat! Tibby, untie the boat!” Leo was calling frantically as he reached the bottom of the ramp, racing in our direction with a legionary chasing on his heels.

“The boat,” I cried out to Tibeus. “Get ready to push off.”
“But Galen?” he asked.

I grabbed my knife, cutting the ropes, ready to spring at the soldier if I had to but sincerely hoping I did not. As the boat floated freely, Tibeus gave a shove and the Junia started backing from her berth. Leo was like a horse in full gallop and, just as I thought he would make the boat, the legionary knocked him forcefully to the ground. As I was about to jump, I saw Galen running up the docks behind them. With a single, desperate kick, he sent the soldier splashing into the Tiber. Leo scrambled to his feet and they both made a leap for the deck. We rushed to tighten up the sail, working like mad to get underway.

Leo hopped painfully on one foot between gasps for breath. “You shouldn’t have done that, Galen. They’ll be after you now, too.”
“He would’ve killed you right there on the dock, Leo. There’s no way in Hades I was gonna let that happen.”
“It had to be one of the men on the docks, one of our own turning us in.” Leo furrowed his brow in frustration. “I swear you can’t trust anyone.”
“I’m beginning to believe that.” Galen glanced over his shoulder at me and then turned back to Leo. “In any case, I told you as much before we came.”

We picked up speed as the current and wind started taking us down the river. In the distance, I could see two legionaires running towards the one in the water.

“Do you think they’ll commandeer a boat?” I asked.
“We’ve got a considerable lead on them.” Galen moved to man the oars. “They can’t catch up. They can only follow and call for a galleon at the port. We’ll probably make open sea, though, unless one of them runs back to the barracks and sends a horse. I don’t think we can outrun the horse, but then, I don’t think we can outrun a galleon.”
“Oh gods,” Leo groaned, limping around us pathetically, “I twisted my ankle making that jump.”

I kept a close eye on the river behind us, watching for sign of pursuit. Sure enough, down one long straight stretch, I saw them. They had seized the next boat over, a small transport barge. We disappeared around a bend again
.
“They’re far, but they’re on us.” I tried to stay calm.
“All three?” Galen asked.
“I can’t tell. Maybe if they got closer.”
“Well, let’s not hope for that.”

The Junia could only go so fast and the Tiber was narrow, with no tributaries between us and the sea. We could do nothing but wait out the three-hour trip, keeping her under full sail and seeing which of us gained in the wind. Galen stayed on the oars, rowing furiously. I would’ve blown my own breath at the sails if I thought it would do any good. For an hour, we discussed the logistics of outrunning a galleon if we made open sea, but it was only a delusional comfort. We all knew the futility of such thinking, as a galleon could bear down on us with the speed of Jupiter’s lightning. Attempting to dock and run might save one or two of us, but there was no way Tibeus or Leo, at this point, was going to escape a legionary. To make matters worse, the small barge was steadily gaining on us.

“We need to stop them before they get to Ostia, and the sooner the better. We’re past midway.” Galen’s eyes stayed glued on the men. I could see he thought to fight them.
“You’re talking about legionaires,” I said. “The three of us against the three of them? It’s not happening, Galen.”
“It might just be two of them,” he said, “We could take two.”
“Or…it might be three,” I argued.
“I’ll jump if it’s three,” Leo said. “It’s me they were after. They don’t know Mardus is here. If I make a run for it alone, they’ll stop and follow. You could be long gone by the time they caught up with me, if they caught up with me.”

“No one is jumping!” Tibeus waved both hands into the air. “Just give me time to think. Talk to Neptune, if you must do anything at all. For once, just trust your god.”
“You and your stories. What good does it do us?” Galen shouted. “No offense, Tibs, but gods don’t really send great waves to swallow boats, and you know it.”
“You’re wrong, Galen,” Tibeus said. “They can, and they do, if you give them the chance. They’ll ignore you if you disregard them.”
In the midst of our desperation, we were about to give in to a ridiculous argument on the capabilities of the gods, when Leo yelled out, “A ship!”
At once we were silenced, as we turned to look down river. A barge was headed towards us – but not just any barge.

“It’s Alcides!” Tibeus exclaimed. “Headed back up to Rome.”
We all rushed to the rail, watching the looming Poseidon approach at great speed.
“Galen, the rudder,” Tibeus said. We had to give room for the massive barge to pass and, as it came alongside of us, Alcides called out to his friend.
“Tibeus, old friend! Good day!”
“It would be an even better day if you were to have an accident!” Tibeus shouted back.

Confusion crossed Alcides' face as he turned, slack-jawed, to look upriver. His eyes narrowed with realization and he let loose a string of curses. “You’re gonna owe me for this, old man!”

Tibeus turned his head towards us, raising his brow. “You see? I told you. The gods are with us!”

Scrambling to the back of the boat, we watched the action behind us. Alcides pulled wide, making his path unavoidable to the legionaires, and they slammed into his barge. The sound of smashing wood and metal was unbelievable and we could hear shouts of alarm and surprise from both sides, but the job was flawlessly done. The legionaires’ barge was stopped, and its soldiers stranded hours from the nearest help.

A resounding cheer erupted from the Junia as we jumped up and down like children. I sincerely believed nothing in my life would ever match the glory of that moment. We pressed on quickly towards Ostia now, still trying to maintain full speed.

“There’s no coming back this way, boys, so take her in with your eyes one last time,” Tibeus remarked as the tip of the lighthouse came into view. We had made it. We were free, and soon we would be out into open waters. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath of relief.

“Oh gods, no!” Leo gasped from his seat at the oars. I wheeled about to find a mounted soldier bearing down the Ostiensis road not far behind us. The soldier could see us and he began whipping his horse. He would easily overtake us before we reached the port.

“So, the third did go for a messenger,” Galen said, “and now we’re sincerely done for.” It was the first time I’d ever heard defeat in Galen’s voice.

“No, we’re not.” Leo charged towards the rail and, before any of us could say or do a thing, he swung over the side and plunged into the river.
I gasped, running to the rail, putting my hand out to him. “Leo, no! Grab on!”

The legionary slowed his horse, seeing that one of us had jumped overboard and, as Leo scrambled up the other side of the riverbank, the soldier veered off the road and started galloping towards him.

“Leo!” I started to climb over the rail myself, but Galen held me back.
“Let him go, Mardus. He’ll be okay.”
Leo loped across the huge field towards a stand of trees off to our right. The last thing we saw as we turned the final bend was the soldier whipping at his horse, trying to force it across the river after him. I backed away from the rail, staggering. He’d be caught and imprisoned. There was no question in my mind. I spun around, looking at Galen like he was some kind of traitor.

“How can you just let him run off like that?”

“He grew up on the streets. He’s smart, he knows how to run and hide. You know he knows how to fight. He’s spent his whole life doing those things. He’ll be okay, trust me.”

“We can’t just leave him”

“And we can’t stay here, Mardus. Take your pick: we all live or we all die.” Galen stared me in the eye, willing me to know he was right. “He’ll find his way back to us. Just give him time.”

I tried appealing to Tibeus, but he only agreed with Galen. They weren’t stopping for anything and my desperate pleas didn’t matter. I went down into the deckhouse, curling up in a ball, while Galen and Tibeus navigated us out of the port and into the open waters of the sea.

 

[Kritter]

We had the perfect night for sailing, with Polaris and the moon both shining brightly above us and a pleasant breeze at our backs. It was the kind of night we used to love because we would end up sitting against the rails, telling stories and drinking ourselves drowsy with ale. But tonight it just wasn’t the same.

Ten days out of port. Ten days that we simply existed. Leo’s personality had been the spark that gave us life. Without him, the ship felt empty, and it was a void none of us could fill. Galen had said we all live or we all die but, to me, it seemed we had died.

Tibeus still spoke but his voice lost all conviction, no longer echoing or rising with drama. He complained more about his old bones. He was growing tired. I could see it in his hollow eyes. Tired of being whipped by the wind, burned by the sun and half blinded by the glare off of the water. Tired of sleeping each night on a hard cramped bed, his skin crawling with rashes from the spray. Life on the sea had never been easy in that regard.

Galen, it seemed, was the only one of the three of us who still had any vigor at all, and the very fact that he had it made me wonder what sort of man he really was. How could anyone stay so unaffected after all we had been through? I watched him now, staring out ahead of us into the night like there was something waiting for him. Nothing waited for us. We had no homes, no country, no children or wives. I laid my arms against the rail and settled my head upon them, looking back at our wake.

I couldn’t help but think that he was glad to be rid of Leo. I knew they’d become greater enemies than friends and I couldn’t shake the thought. I realized how badly depressed I’d become since learning of the death of my father. Something had changed, and I sincerely began to wonder if I could ever be happy again. I lowered myself against the deckhouse and sighed, bending over my knees.

Galen took note of my persistent silence, but he avoided pushing me to get over my misery. He didn’t speak much to me at all those many nights; he only glanced over at me from time to time. But tonight, with me all full of sighs, he finally came over and settled down beside me.

“How are you doing, Mardus?”
“I’m depressed.” It was a matter of fact. I felt no reason not to say it.
“Plan on getting over it anytime soon?”
“No,” I grumbled back at him. His words only irritated me. I added in an inappropriately sour tone, “What I’d like to know is why you’re not?”
“Because I know Leo will find his way back to us, and in a few days we’ll make port and you’ll feel better. We’ve both got nothing to do right now except sit and think but, once we’re back to work, you’ll remember your purpose.”
“And what’s my purpose?”
“To fetch me my ale,” he said dryly.

Even in my sullen mood, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Shut up,” I said, but it was too late. He’d forced me to smile.
“There, you’re better already,” he said, “It’s going to be okay, Mardus.”
“It just feels like everything’s gone wrong.”
“It has,” he said, “but it’ll turn around again. You wanted adventure, right?” He scanned my face, waiting for me to respond.
“I guess.” I wasn’t certain what he was referring to by the way he said it. I hadn’t had any real choice about departing on the Junia, and hadn’t really expressed an interest in going before it all occurred.

“Yeah, well, here it is.” He downed half a cup of ale after saying it, as if he needed help swallowing down his words. He was right though, I had looked at the trip as an adventure and that’s what it had been. I never expected the bad with the good, but I didn’t care much for life in a straight line. Still, this had all been too much bad for me.
“I think I’ve had enough of adventure for one lifetime.”
“It’s probably sick of you as well,” he sputtered out, laughing. “I know I am.”

I turned my head, smiling towards him in deep appreciation. He’d been the thread that held us all together in troubling times. Whenever it seemed like things were going wrong, Galen, with his unwavering nerve, managed to see us through. He would always be our leader to me. I knew it, and he knew it.

I wondered what kind of general he would have made, leading troops in dread battle without flinching an eye, and if those generals, like Galen, were never afflicted by the horrors around them. I could hardly compare myself even to the poorest order of foot soldier. The twist of fate that turned me from that path seemed to know what was best for me, although I don’t quite think it had my best interests in mind when it caused me to be exiled from my home. I wondered where I might end up living in my old age, if I lived to see old age.

Tibeus had lasted twenty long years in the militia. That’s a charmed life, considering how many men routinely died in battle. He must have been an incredible soldier. I hadn’t thought about it before, since I’d only known him as the old man he was now. He’d constructed ballistas and other forms of artillery, although I wasn’t sure what that entailed. I’d never seen him carry a weapon, and he never joined in our tavern fights. To hear it from him, all he did was walk around chumming it up with commanders. I know he drank a fair bit while he was in service, possibly the only part of his stories which held any truth.

In the coming days, I tried to renew my spirit by partaking in Tibeus’ discussions of how Leo could escape and where he might ultimately find us. He believed it possible that Leo could make his way down the coast to a port city and pay for passage from there. Tibeus was sure Leo had enough money on him to gain a ride if required.

When we finally made our first port, we’d run so low on supplies we were drinking water and eating crumbs even after consuming Leo’s share. We’d pressed our journey as far as Croton, hoping to avoid any possible pursuit. Our plans were to return to Syria for glass and go back to our normal route. If Leo had any chance of escape, we were sure he would head to Olympia as our routes always ended there. We restocked our supplies, refilled our hull with goods, and got ready to head off again. I was in better spirits, just as Galen had suggested I would be.

Prior to departing, Tibeus was approached by a Greek man named Phylo, who was seeking passage to Olympia via any boat willing to accept his silver. Apparently, he’d been stuck in Croton for well over a week. We delayed our departure a full twenty minutes while discussing it. In the past, we simply had no room to host passengers. Having no real idea of the man’s demeanor, we were concerned that we might be trapped for days with unpleasant company. However, the money was fair and we were all beginning to run low. He seemed agreeable enough in our brief conversation with him and Tibeus eventually decided to take him.

Phylo turned out to be an entertaining companion on our few days’ sail to Olympia. He was an interesting man who had been studying advanced engineering among a small but dedicated group of students loyal to the works of Archimedes in Syracuse. He had a quick wit, making fun of us Romans at every turn. Even Galen, with his ample array of jokes aimed at the Greeks, could not match Phylo’s wicked tongue.

Tibeus, it turned out, knew quite a bit about engineering. He purported to Phylo that he had constructed catapults and siege weapons for Lucullus. The two began a lengthy discussion on projectiles and parabolas, and other things that completely escaped our comprehension. Galen kept whispering to me that he believed the two were having a joke on us, as their talks went deeper into the realm of physics. When we reached Olympia, Phylo was deeply grateful for the trip and our good company, and invited us to stay a day’s time at his home. Tibeus accepted on our behalf without soliciting our opinions.

Phylo’s home was an admirable estate, well attended to by a generous staff that included several beautiful slaves. We were given a meal like we’d never had before. Appetizers, truffles, sweet peas, roasted meats, course after course, until we could eat not another bite. After the meal, as he and Tibeus turned back to conversation, he instructed his lovely servant girls to see to our every needs, and Galen and I took full advantage of that proposition without hesitation.

Our day’s stay turned into a week, thanks to Tibeus and Phylo’s continued friendship. By the week’s end, Galen and I could only look at each other and continually fall into laughter. I only wished that Leo had been there to enjoy that time with us. Although, had he been with us, we never would have taken Phylo as a passenger and all of this fun would have gone unknown.

We ultimately were pressed to leave only by the knowledge that we were fast approaching a season of poor weather, and we took back to the Mare in a completely exhausted state. We chided Tibeus for having been so scholarly with our host, a side of him we had never seen before. He insisted that neither of us would have cared to understand the things he spoke of, and I can’t say that wasn’t true. Galen and I kept repeating the large words they had used to mock the old man, offering him quadratures of wine and asking him if the wind would hold up its strong equilibrium. Tibeus only suggested that our childishness proved his point, yet we couldn’t stop ourselves. We laughed all the way around towards Cythera at his expense, and it was wonderful to feel alive again.

With Leo gone, Galen was completely at ease, ‘himself again,’ as Tibs had said. While I missed Leo, I had to admit, it was nice having sanity restored.
In order to avoid the problems by Rhodes, we decided to swing low towards Crete and follow its shore towards Karpathos, but as we reached the midpoint of our journey, the weather took a very bad turn. The horizon disappeared behind a solid wall of mist and ominous dark clouds rolled towards us with visible speed. Tibeus thought the better of trying to sail through whatever appeared to be heading our way. We chose to turn hard towards the Cretan port of Knossos, which was barely twenty minutes south. We’d ported ahead of bad weather before, so it didn’t immediately concern me but, as the impending storm grew closer, I could feel the sea stir considerably.

The wind picked up, forcing the waves to surge forth as if pushed by the breath of the gods themselves. The port was well in sight, close enough to make out the ships within its harbor, when the storm completely enveloped us. We pulled the sail and I took to the rudder while Galen grabbed the oars. Tibeus started calling out orders to us on how to navigate each wave as the sea became nothing but churning walls of white foam. The Junia started rolling heavily side to side, a feeling which unnerved me. I could hear the crates in the hold below being smashed against the hull.

I kept my eyes trained on that island, breathing deeply to keep my heart from beating too hard. Each wave became an obstacle; as we cleared one another was waiting to reach over our bow. I lost my footing more than once as we climbed and descended in jerks, with some waves growing so big that I could only close my eyes and hold on. I began to shiver uncontrollably, both from fear and drenching rain. Visible rock formations jutted out from the water off the shoreline and jagged reefs and sand bars hid just underneath its surface, a danger even when the sea was calm. In this weather, running into any one of those things could prove deadly.

Tibeus shouted something at me and I realized he’d been calling out to me for some time. I could see Galen straining with the oars, every last drop of his strength being used to keep us moving forward. I could have thrown a rock half the distance to the beach, but there we struggled, stuck in the tide, unable to break its hold.

A great swell pushed us sideways towards the rocks. My hands froze tight on the rudder. Tibeus grabbed my shoulder. I hadn’t done a thing he’d asked of me in the last several minutes. I was like a frightened hare, standing still at the sight of a wild cat. He pushed me aside and grabbed the rudder arm, while I clung to the mast with all my might.

Something inside my head started reassuring me. I could see the lights of the village past the harbor. We were moving forward again, as close as we possibly could have been to safety, when an enormous swell came upon us from our side, carrying us like a piece of drift wood directly into the rocks. The Junia slammed up against them, causing us all to fall up against her deck, shattering the rail and scraping the hull top to bottom and along her side. The water picked us up again and, in the precious few seconds between the swells, she rushed into the harbor with the tide. Galen scrambled to his feet, guiding us to the dock. We all stared at each other for a second in shock and then we all exhaled.

“Neptune must really love you, old man. I don’t know how we survived that.” Galen said.
“It was your admirable work, son!” Tibs said, “I really thought we were done for.”
“Well, I think we’ve earned a drink after that.” Galen’s exhausted face still managed a grin. “Mardus.” He nodded me towards the hatch. “Check the hull.” Then he and Tibeus stepped to the dock, heading off towards the village.

‘Guess I’m not invited,’ I muttered, climbing down into the hold. Carefully stepping around the splintered crates, the light from my lamp caused shadows to flicker across the pitch-dark walls. I saw no visible holes or signs of breach and just puddles on the floor – water we’d taken on in the storm. Ruined goods were scattered everywhere, but it was too late to deal with that now. I walked off towards the tavern, leaving the recovery for tomorrow.

Neither of my friends acknowledged me when I shuffled inside. They talked just to each other, huddled together, their eyes never seeking mine. I sat down alone and ordered a drink, wringing out the edge of my tunic, which felt pasted to my skin. I stared at my mead and then looked up at their backs. It occurred to me that I’d been useless to them when they’d needed me the most. They were too good of friends to say it to my face, but I felt their irritation clearly enough. Having no idea how to remedy that, I quickly downed my drink and, not wanting to feel unwanted, I trudged back into the storm.

I walked slowly with my head down in the drenching rain, dealing with unpleasant emotions. I’d locked up, I couldn’t deny that, but we’d still come through ok. To be mad at me for my faint heart under such conditions? Nothing in my life had ever been so terrifying. I wasn’t a coward, I was sure of that. My nerves were at fault for betraying me. If only Leo had been there, I wouldn’t have looked as bad. He always panicked much worse than I when circumstances were dire.

Stepping across from dock to deck, I stared down at the rudder. A heavy sigh escaped me. They didn’t care about my nerves. They just cared about my inaction. Galen didn’t think we’d make it either, the difference was that he’d kept on fighting. And here I’d wanted to be a soldier. I shook my head in disgust.

I lay down on the bed, still shivering wet, and pulled a blanket over my head. The fact that neither of my friends came to retrieve me now bothered me as well. I was like a child again, the way I pouted over their rejection. To add to this mood, I’d just spent the last of my coin in that tavern. With these new goods now lost, I’d be in debt and I dared not beg a hand out from either one of them while they were upset with me. The more I dwelled on it all the worse I felt. I sat back up to fetch myself some wine, when I realized our problems ran deeper.

The puddles in the hold had grown considerably. The Junia was leaking, which meant repairs, which meant being stuck here for awhile. I piled up what I could to keep the rest of the goods from the water and climbed back out onto the deck, dragging an entire amphora back to the deckhouse with me.

As I poured myself out a cup of the wine, I tried to shift my thoughts to something comforting. At least we all liked Crete. Knossos was a busy port but it never felt like the cities. It was a quiet fishing village with a small welcoming tavern. In the evenings, by the light of great torches, they would sit outside this establishment in the cool night air, playing music and dancing. The sad part was that we rarely came here, having had no real reason to include it as a stop, and I knew it would be the last place Leo would ever think to look for us.

I wondered where he might have made it to, or if he was even still alive. That thought only drove me further into depression. I started draining cup after cup of wine until I had just one weary hope in mind. If I drank enough, and the Junia leaked enough, with some luck I should sink down with her into a deep and thoughtless oblivion.

 

[Kritter]

A blinding ray of sunlight crossed my face. I rolled myself the other way, covering my eyes with my arm, trying to return to sleep. That motion caused an unpleasant throb in my temples. Fingers of lucidity crawled through my brain, ignoring my desire to return to unconsciousness. I sighed, opening my eyes, staring vacantly at the wall, now noting the slimy feel of my skin after having slept all night in damp clothes. I rolled back over again, turning my eyes towards the floor. The water had not yet reached the deckhouse floor, so I found scant motivation to move.

Morning fishermen were taking to their boats. I could hear them talking. The storm had been a bad one and one of the local fishing vessels had not returned to port. The men were making arrangements to search the beaches and shore for a possible wreck. I heard a woman wailing in growing intensity, the mother of one of the missing men. The fishermen begged her to remain calm. And then there was the voice of a younger woman, sweet and soothing. “Mama, come away. Let the men do their work. They’ll find him, Mama, please.”

Dragging myself to my feet, I tried to find a tunic that was both clean and dry. I ran my hand through my hair a few times as it felt uncomfortably disheveled. Pain resonated inside my head, and stepping out onto the deck in full sunlight did nothing at all to help me. I could hear Galen’s voice at a distance.

“Aw, Jupiter, look at the sail”

I squinted at the sail, or what remained of it. The storm had frayed it badly and in more than one spot it was torn completely from the ropes. I supposed I should be grateful that we made it through alive, but that was the only comforting thought I could take from the sight of it. “You look as bad as her,” Galen said, nodding towards the boat.

“She’s worse off than she looks. We’ve got water in the hold”
“Aw, Zeus.” Galen sighed.

We began to discuss the condition of the rail, but his attention kept being diverted towards the despairing mother and her daughter. Without saying a word to me, he suddenly started towards them, as if drawn by some force not of his own. I stepped up on the dock, watching him.

“Excuse me,” he said. “The ship you were missing, it was supposed to port here?”
“Yes,” the older woman wept. “It was my son and three others. They go out not far. They should have been back before the storm.”
“We were in that storm last night and we saw no other ship. We came all the way in from midsea. If they had been anywhere near port when the storm hit, we would’ve seen them. Maybe they felt it was coming and chose to move west. They probably made port at Kydonia.”

The women at once regained some hope at this news and they began to thank Galen profusely. “You are kind to tell us this!” the older woman said. “It puts my mind at great ease. Who are you, where are you from?”
“We’re from Italia. We run a small cargo ship.”
“Oh, Romans, yes? What’s your name?” The woman asked in terrible Latin, probably the only piece of Latin she had ever learned.
“Galen, and that’s Mardus, and we have a third, Tibeus, who’s still in the tavern. Our ship took a little bit of damage in that storm. Is there someplace that we could careen her?”
“If my son Pasha returns, good Hera be willing, he and his men can help you with your boat. I’ll make sure they do,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“This is my daughter Evania,” she said, nodding towards the younger woman. “My unmarried daughter.”
“Mama!” The younger woman cried out in a flush of embarrassment.
“Never mind.” The older woman waved her off with a shrug. “What can I do but occupy my mind? I’ll die from all this worry.”

“Please, come away Mama,” she said again. “Come back to the house. We can watch for him there.” The girl wrapped her arm around her mother. As she began leading the old woman off, she looked back over her shoulder at Galen. “Thank you, Galen.” Her eyes lowered once and then looked back at him, a smile on her lips.

I walked up to him, ready to tease him for having acquired a new fan, but when he turned to look at me, the expression on his face was something entirely new.

“Oh no,” I moaned.
“Did you see her face? Gods, what a face.”
“She was very pretty,” I replied.
“Pretty? Pretty insults her. What goddess would not hide her face in the presence of such perfection?” His attentive eyes followed her off into the distance.
“You’re on the verge of spouting poetry Galen. Come to your senses.”
He looked back at me and smiled.
“The ship,” I said, attempting to redirect his attention. “We need to get something to bail with and find ourselves some pitch.” I don’t really think he’d heard a word of what I’d said.

Tibeus finally emerged to join us, and by afternoon we’d discarded all the pieces of broken railing and shed the ruined sail. I managed to drain most of the water from the hold, although the leaking wouldn’t cease.

One of the fishing boats that had departed early in the morning arrived with a shouting crew. The missing ship had entered a port to the west before the storm, just as Galen had guessed, and was, at this moment, on its way back into the harbor. Villagers came out from every building and field to converge on the docks. Galen sought out the girl he’d met, scanning all their faces. She was there, along with her mother and families of the other missing men. She craned her neck towards the Junia’s berth and, noting Galen, she waved. He turned around, grinning at me like a fool. I smiled faintly back. I would’ve found it entertaining had he not looked so completely lost.

A great cheer went up from everyone when the ship came into view. The reunion of men and families was overwhelming, with shouts of joy and tears. I felt an outsider to all the revelry, but by the sheer size of the crowd, we were drawn back to the village and into a sizable celebration, complete with flowing ale and offerings of every variety of food as could be produced from their homes.

I sat myself down at the side of the main plaza with a plate full of Cretan goodies. Tibeus drifted over with two cups of wine, handing one out to me. He sat down next to me and winked. It felt good to be back in his good graces. Music and laughter filled the air, and with the events of the night before completely erased from my mind, I fell into a much better mood.
The old woman from the docks approached us with a tall, dark-haired man that she introduced as Pasha, her son.

“Where is your friend, Galen?” she asked. “I’d like him to meet Pasha, too.”
I looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Gone off with your daughter somewhere.” I joked, but I immediately regretted saying it, as Pasha’s eyes lit up with concern. Tibeus flashed me a look of reprimand.

“Who is this man, ‘Galen’?” Pasha asked, looking frantically into the crowd.
“He’s the man who I told you about, who came in with the storm,” she said. “These are worthy men. They are traders from Rome, Pasha, not pirates. You can see they are just traders.” She turned to us and apologized. “I’m sorry, my son, he is very protective of his sister. He means to welcome you.”
“Yes, of course,” he said, “Welcome. But where now is Eva? I should go find her.”

“Let’s hope you’ve not put Galen in danger,” Tibeus whispered. He started laughing, which made me laugh too. Fortunately, we didn’t have to worry on it long, as Galen and Evania appeared on the village path from the docks. We watched, as Pasha ran up to them, and were relieved of any apprehension when the man appeared to greet them and talk. Galen gestured towards the sea, as if recounting our trip through the storm, and eventually they all strolled back towards us.

“Where are you staying, you and your men?” he asked Galen, as they drew closer.
“We normally sleep on our boat.”
“I’ll find you some lodging,” the man replied. “Please, it will make my mother happy.”
Galen nodded. “If you’d like.”

As the evening wore on, upon Pasha’s good word, we received invitations to stay at the homes of the villagers while we were stranded. We weren’t given the opportunity to decline the offers; none of them would take ‘no’ for an answer.

Pasha insisted that I stay with them, I assumed, to keep his mother from extending the offer to Galen, whom he obviously did not yet trust around his sister. Not wishing to disturb Galen’s delicate mindset, I asked him several times if he minded before accepting. Though he swore repeatedly that he didn’t care, the idea still didn’t sit well with me.

Tibeus had been invited to stay with an odd, red-haired widow named Celeste. She had a small farmhouse just off the village, where she raised goats and sold cheese. For the next few days, Tibeus complained non-stop at how crazy the woman seemed.

“Did you see her fence, all those…things…she has hanging off of it. Bells and shells.” He rolled his eyes at me. “And those pinwheels!”

I’d seen her stone farmhouse. It was intentionally garnished with strings of sewn cloth stars. “Those wee animals in her garden, the deer and the horse, she made them herself you know. Just sticks and twine,” he said, apparently impressed. “She wanted to know if I could make a waterwheel in her stream. In that tiny little stream!” He threw his hands up, shaking his head like he thought this especially crazy.

“I think I know how to do it, though. Maybe after dinner, I’ll see if I can find the right type of wood. After dinner though. She’s making a stew. It’s been cooking all day. You should smell it, Mardus. It’s making my mouth water, and the damned woman won’t let me look inside the pot.” He continued to grumble while I nodded, shaking my head in the knowledge that I could soon count him lost too.

 

[Kritter]

Beaching the Junia the following week, we finally had our first clear look at her hull. The wood was so deeply scraped and split that there was no choice but to completely replace some of it – about four pieces in all. The cost would be steep, and our delay long, for the strips to be made and affixed. Tibeus suggested waiting out the poor weather months before beginning the repairs and Galen, not surprisingly, agreed. Both were enjoying their newfound companionships and neither appeared to be in any rush to leave.

I, on the other hand, grew immediately frustrated by our extended stay. Normally we moved to calmer waters during the stormy season, never sat it out in a port. I’d no real choice in the matter though, being outnumbered on the decision, and so, I was left to pace on the docks, agitated by the lack of activity. Pasha offered me work on his fishing boat, which I gratefully accepted. It felt good to be doing something useful again and I actually enjoyed his good-natured crew and their merciless teasing of my Greek.

I noticed Galen was working too, felling timber with some men he had met who were friends of the family he stayed with. I saw him every day, as he’d stop by to visit Eva. She was an alluring girl with long curls of black hair, which she twisted mindlessly around her fingers, and large fawn brown eyes that went perfectly with her soft and gentle voice. She made necklaces with coral, shells and pearls, and she made one for me from twine and black beads and a mussel shell which she fashioned to look like a crescent moon.

“See, this is just like you, Mardus. You’re like the crescent moon,” Eva said. “Not like the sun which is always aflame. You’re more that quiet, reflective object hidden by a shadow, so we only ever get to see a sliver of its true nature, but it hints that somewhere behind its shroud…there is something great.” It made me smile when she said it and I could do nothing but treasure that necklace. I fastened it around my neck right then and rarely ever removed it.

My encounters with her held a troublesome uneasiness, though, given that if I should so much as smile at her or laugh at her jokes, Galen would flash me his warning glances. Even the necklace she had so innocently given me had flared his jealousy, I could tell. His temper remained smooth, despite his apprehension, but he was struggling to keep it there. I maintained mine just the same, although I admit I took pleasure in his wavering confidence. That he even regarded me as a rival only fed my own ego. From some dark place inside myself I saw it as his first weakness and I so dearly wanted to exploit it. I was sincerely happy for him, but I felt his absence in our friendship and the tension that had replaced it was starting to make him a bit unbearable. I started to wonder if he could be counted on when we returned to the sea.

Tibeus blended in more with the village around him every time I saw him. When last I had passed the farm where he stayed, he was standing among the herd of goats. He spoke aloud to them as if they were children, while he fed them corn husks from his hands. He had waved to me when he saw me, and swung his arms from side to side, as if to note to me he was surrounded.

“Look at them all, so many hungry mouths to feed,” he said. The animals started nudging him and he laughed, returning to their feeding. “There now, don’t push me. You’ll get your fair share. Lidia, why do you bleat? I see you there. Here, here don’t cry.”

He actually looked happy out there amongst all of her goats. I couldn’t help but smile. It had dawned on me that day that he was, no doubt, done with the sea. I could picture him staying there with Celeste. He could settle down on her snug little farm, growing fat on her fruit tarts and watching over these goats with paternal affection. I couldn’t argue that it wouldn’t be a fine life for him.

There was sparse reason not to embrace this birthplace of Zeus, this beautiful island with its pink sand beaches and magnificent mountains, but, unlike my companions, I felt like there was nothing here for me. There was no girl who caught my eye or herd of goats I wished to stand among.

The fact that we still had no word of Leo grew maddening to me. It had been enough time for him to have circled the Greek isles twice, had he escaped. Galen’s insistence that he would be just fine no longer held its weight. What if he were being forced to combat in some gladiatorial game, facing lion after lion with sword in hand, surviving only with that unparalleled desire to fight while we were sitting here doing nothing.

I knew it was only with a wishful heart that I’d imagined he’d survive such a fate, let alone repeatedly, but it was that or think he might be dead and I didn’t want to entertain that thought. I had to imagine he was alive and still trying to find us. He’d risked his life to save me and, sitting here, I could do nothing in return.

It was that thought that led me to start doing the work on the Junia myself, or what I could of it with Pasha’s help. We replaced the sail and made new railings and repaired what we could of the damaged hull with liberal amounts of pitch and left over wood. We tried to be as imaginative as possible in getting the job done with what we could find, and had as many laughs as successes in our work. It might have looked bad when it was finished but, so long as it held out the water, I could at least hope to have a seaworthy boat again.

With Tibeus’ permission, we finally put her back into the bay, and the first few days, to my great joy, she stayed completely dry. Unfortunately, over the course of a week, the floor of the hold began to show the dark stain of seepage. It was such a small amount of water, though, scarcely enough to be of concern. At such a rate, it would be weeks before I would have to consider doing any kind of bailing.

Pasha, however, thought differently. “If she’s still leaking now, it will only grow worse in time,” he said. “The leak means that somewhere water still comes through, and as it comes through, it will weaken our repairs. Perhaps not too fast at first, but in rough seas…,” He shrugged, “you can never be too sure.”

I wanted badly to ignore his words, more out of desperation than out of common sense, as I knew he was right, but in the back of my mind I believed the Junia could at least make it to the Greek mainland if we desired to go.

After a week of thought, I decided to question Tibeus as to what he might like to do with the Junia, or if he even cared if Galen and I took her. Over time, if given the chance to use the boat, we could certainly buy her. We knew all the dealers, the warehouses and routes. We could probably pick up the additional crew right here at this port.

I pushed for us to meet for drinks later that evening in the tavern. We hadn't done so in such a long time, it seemed a sound reason. My hope was to finally force some progress by talking it over with them both together. Galen eagerly agreed to come, which I believed was a positive sign. Tibeus, who was sitting out on his front step eating goat cheese and fresh bread, assured me he would be there as well.

As evening grew near, I went back to check once again on the Junia. We would need to restock her on supplies and acquire fresh straw for the beds. My spirit was growing revived. I had to continually calm my heart as it kept taking fits of flight, soaring like the great hawks that circled the Cretan mountains, all on the hope we could finally be leaving.

As I started over to the tavern, I saw Pasha standing on the docks with two crates. He called to me and waved me over.

“Do you know what this is?” he asked, nodding towards the crates. “It’s plain old Cretan wine.”
“So?”
“’So’…yes, ‘so’…, that’s what I said too. So answer me this, why would the shipper offer twenty drachma for its transport to Alexandria?”
“What? Who would pay that price? For wine, why? They could buy better wine in Alexandria for less.”
“That’s what I said, but they offered no answer. They only insisted it needed to arrive in time to make a caravan to Siwa, one that is due to leave next week.”
“Well, there’s their problem,” I said. “Next ship I know of that goes from here to Alexandria won’t be in port for two weeks still.”
“I told them this, but they were insistent that someone should take it. Twenty pieces of silver, Mardus, can you even imagine?”

“I can actually.” It was a lot of money. A lot of money. I glanced over at the Junia, and Pasha immediately started laughing.
“Don’t even think it, my friend. That ship? Crossing to Alexandria? You’d never make it.”
“You don’t think? She’s been holding off the water fairly well.”
“Mardus, the water? That would be the least of your worries. To make it in that time you would have to do a straight crossing. Do you have any idea just how far Alexandria is? How much open sea? How difficult it is to keep your bearings and not become lost, and in a small and crippled boat? It would take you several days with no sight of land, and what if the weather should turn?”

It did sound like one of Tibeus’ disaster stories waiting to happen.

I sighed, for once putting common sense ahead of greed. Where had greed gotten me anyhow? I was twenty two years old and had nothing. Once the Junia was back to her old routes, I’d start making money again.

“Shame for them,” I said. “Guess they’re stuck here too.”
“You would think, but that is not the case. They are leaving tonight.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, as his words made no sense.
“Yes. They’re traveling to Kydonia to catch a boat to Cyrene.”
“Cyrene? Why?”
Pasha only shrugged. “Very strange, no?”
It was strange.
“They’re just leaving their cargo here on the docks? Just hoping someone might take it? How do they expect to pay?”
He threw his hands up in the air, his face as bewildered as my own. “I don’t know.”

Studying the crates, I half expecting them to answer my questions for me, but they were absolutely normal in all respects. They each held nine uniformly average amphoras.

I shook my head at him in a completely puzzled state. Alexandria. The buyers must be Egyptians. I’d heard they were a peculiar people. Tibeus knew very little about them, and in my mind he knew everything. I could spot the Egyptian sailors. They were the ones who stood tightly together, avoiding all contact with the world around them, speaking only to each other or for business and eyeing everyone suspiciously. There was darkness in their somber eyes. Most of the traders were afraid to do business with them for fear of their evil curses. I don’t know that I believed in curses but we avoided them just the same.

As I headed towards the tavern, I kept looking back at the crates. It was near a month’s wages for an easy weeks work. Certainly someone would be lured into delivering it, but all the local ships were fishing boats. Cargo ships made port in Crete, but she had few haulers of her own. And why purchase it here? It was like buying grapes in Syria and paying to ship them to Rome. I let the thought rest from my mind as the tavern came into view.

I loved the Sailor’s Roost in the village. It was just a simple stone building from the outside but, when you entered, it was like stepping into another world. The sounds of hearty conversation, the music of the lyres and the delicious aroma of food all filled your senses at once. Several large connected rooms sat within its walls, and on each wall they’d painted scenes of landscapes and bulls or great fish. The fire from two immense stone fireplaces, one on either end of the building, reflected warmth and light off every wall. Sizable pieces of brown and gold pottery stood in each corner, filled with plants and flowers.

Each room was so cluttered with tables and chairs that, on a busy night, it was a task just to navigate through all the patrons to get to a table of your own.

I could hear the baritone murmur of Tibeus’ voice reverberating from a back room the moment I stepped inside. From among the entire crowd, his voice was distinct. He was sitting in a dimly lit corner, relating a story to a large group of friends. It was a story of our travels, although the details were being greatly embellished.

I joined him at his table, waiting impatiently for a bar maid while he finished the tale. His whimsical nature had put off the staid dock men in Rome, but here in this boisterous village he fit right in with the locals. We had been stuck here only a few months, but already they embraced him as one of their own.

I never received the same welcome here. I was nameless and faceless. Just “the fisherman that stayed with Pasha’s family,” and as good a family as they were I knew they already grew tired of having me in their home. Galen, too, disappeared in the crowd, but he didn’t seem to care. Eva’s attention was all he desired and that he clearly had. I cast a dark glance towards the door. He was late in arriving. I’d said “sunset,” and the sun was near down.

Tibeus was finally able to signal a bar maid and, considering the amount of time it took to get her attention, I opted for a large jug of mead. I pushed right to the subject of what his plans were for the Junia – eager to hear what he had to say.

He stroked his chin repeatedly while he considered my question.
“I hadn’t really thought on it before. I suppose I’ll get around to selling her, unless you and Galen want her?”
“So you plan on staying here, Tibby? I thought you might, I just didn’t want to assume...”
“Assume what? That I’m an old man tired of the sea? Assume it, go ahead. It’s true.”
He smiled contentedly when he said this and I smiled in response.
“Good. I’m glad for you. You and your goats.” I laughed. “But I was hoping to start taking her back out on her rounds just stay to the isles. I just…I can’t stay here anymore.”
“Oh, I know how you are, Mardus. Always needing to be doing something, I know. You were the same as a boy, with all that energy. I grew tired just watching you.”

“I’d be willing to buy her from you. Not right away, of course, but over time.”
“And Galen, what does he think?” he asked.
“Galen apparently doesn’t care.” My eyes rose towards the door again. I emptied my cup and refilled it.
“He’s probably off somewhere with the wife.” Tibeus’ small black eyes twinkled in mischief.
“You think he wants to marry her?”
“Why not, hmm? He makes a livable wage. She’s a charming girl. He’s of the right age and he likes it here. I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t.”
“Because we don’t know what’s become of Leo. He might need our help and we’re just sitting here wasting time.”
“He’s not leaving a girl for Leo, Mardus.” Tibeus pointed out.

“Okay, maybe Galen really wants out of this life, but I still want to live it. I’m asking for the Junia, Tibs. Does it really matter what Galen thinks?” I’d never raised my voice at him, not in all the years I’d known him, but at that moment it couldn’t be helped. The idea that I was somehow stuck trying to salvage my life all alone was grating heavily on my nerves. He raised an eyebrow at me slightly, silently examining my face. I slammed down another cup of mead under his uncomfortable gaze.

 

[Kritter]

As the night wore on, Tibeus started talking about Celeste and the farm, and how he was building a shed for their goats. Cup after cup of mead was consumed enduring bland conversation. All the while my mind growing increasingly disturbed with Galen’s selfish absence. The sound of the crowd slowly became a single collective hum as I finished what was left in the jug. Even the gravel of Tibeus’s voice began to blur into the background. I started falling asleep where I sat.

Tibeus seized my arm with a rough grasp, arousing me from my growing stupor.

“Look, do you see him?” he whispered, as he nodded across the dark room.

My eyes followed his to a man and a woman taking seats in the corner opposite our own. I squinted, trying to perceive them better in the faint glow of the lamp light.

“That man is ‘the Snake’.” Tibeus shivered. I couldn’t recall having ever seen him done that before.

“The who?” I struggled to comprehend him beneath the daze that had descended on me by virtue of too much drink.

“The Snake’, they called him ‘the Snake’. He’s a mercenary, an assassin, favored of Sulla, favored of Lucullus back when I fought his wars. I only saw him once, when he wanted something of me, but I’ll never forget his face.”

I turned to Tibeus and raised a brow. “Is this one of your stories?”

“What stories?” he asked. “That man is ‘the Snake’.”

I took a moment to size the man up. He looked to be a foreigner, perhaps even a barbarian. It wasn’t his height, as he was not much taller than Tibeus and much more agile in size, but he had fair colored skin with gray hair to his shoulders with a light gray mustache and beard. Across his eyes, his very skin looked a dark ashen color, like some long faded remnants of black dye or ink. A wholly barbarian attribute in my eyes. His tunic appeared to be made of thin suede. Dark leather bracers enveloped his forearms, and around his neck he wore a metal amulet and a small tanned leather bag. He looked more like a mountain wolf than a snake. I would’ve declared him the most unique person I’d ever seen was it not for the woman sitting beside to him.

She was an Egyptian woman. I’d never seen one before outside of depictions in art. She had skin the hue of golden umber, her young face framed by long wisps of black hair cut straight across her eye line. Her eyes themselves were wide and angled and rimmed with lines of both pearlescent white and the blackest kohl. She wore a simple dress of pink beaded silk with a lilac sash around her waist, but it seemed near every other inch of her was adorned in an amazing array of gold. She wore thick golden bracelets, dangling anklets, double twined armlets and webs of intricate thin gold chain crowning her silken hair. Around her neck was a broad collar necklace with row upon row of golden beads and flattened azure stones. She had a Roman shawl around her shoulders, tied loosely at her neck.

Tibeus nudged me hard with his elbow. “Stop staring, Mardus. Are you trying to get us killed?”

Freshly roused by my newly piqued curiosity, I gestured to the barmaid for another jug of mead. I leaned forward on my elbows, clasping my hands to the bridge of my nose, struggling to free my eyes from her.

“So, who do you say this man is again?” I asked. Tibeus’ initial words were only now sinking in.

“He’s an assassin,” Tibeus whispered again. “He worked for the Roman army. They say he was everything: a master of camouflage, sabotage, tracking and weapons. They would hire him when they needed someone important dead or something specific done. Most men didn’t walk away from jobs like that, and yet there he is still. Very dangerous man, Mardus. I wonder what he’s doing here.”

The barmaid arrived with my mead. I tilted the jug unsteadily, the mead sloshing over the side of my cup. The drink went down like water, as I could no longer feel its burn. The story of this man impressed and intrigued me – if it was true. But, I had to consider the source.

“And how did you know this man?” I asked with intentional skepticism.
“He came to me when I’d been with the army about ten years. He was young then, same as me, but he already had a reputation. He wanted me to make him a crossbow, one that could shoot two arrows at once. We had such crossbows already, but I was told to fashion one just for him, made to his own specifications. He wanted it small, small enough to hang from his side. He said he would make the arrows for it himself if I could do it. Took me awhile to make it that way, but I made it.”
“He’s the same age as you?”
“If I remember well, he was, if not a few years older.”

“Well, I hate to point out, Tibs, that man sitting there doesn’t look the same age as you. In fact, he looks quite a bit younger than you.” I swallowed down the last drops in my cup, reveling in my victory. Tibeus stared at the man with such confusion. I believed he must have actually known such a man. He could see I was right in my calculations, but he seemed so sure of himself. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms while he studied the man from afar.

He finally shook his head at me in disagreement. “It’s him. I’ll never forget his face. He’s the man. Last I heard rumor of him, Caesar had hired him against the Celts. He was fighting against his own people, Mardus. Tells you what kind of man he is. Who would fight against their own kind?”
“Romans.” I laughed at him. “When aren’t we fighting ourselves?”
“Yes, well, those are civil wars. This was a different story.”
“Look, Tibs, I’d like to believe you, but it’s clear this man is younger than you.”
“Don’t believe me if you don’t want to. I don’t care.” He waved his hand at me in dismissal. “I wonder what he does here, though?” he asked, “and with this Egyptian?”
I poured myself another cup of mead, drinking it completely down with several fast gulps.
“Let’s find out.” I started to stand, fumbling from my great loss of sobriety. Tibeus’ hand clamped down on my wrist.
“No, Mardus, whatever he does, it’s none of your business. Don’t put yourself in danger.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Tibeus. His dramatic flair was going overboard for this man. I pulled my wrist away neatly. Finding my balance, I walked with some difficulty across the room. The couple spoke quietly to each other. I could see the man’s eyes glance sideways towards me as I neared them. Placing my hand on one of the empty chairs at their table, I stood awkwardly before them.

The man looked up at me with an even face. His eyes were intense, pale and gray, and they stared into mine with an odd fascination. The woman clasped her delicate hands to her cloak, gathering it closer to her neck. She glanced at the man apprehensively. He whispered something to her in a foreign tongue, putting his hand out as if to indicate I was welcome to sit. Whatever he said had some impact, as she loosened her grip at once.

I offered them a weak smile, feeling suddenly ridiculous as they both fixed their eyes on me. I hadn’t precisely thought what I would say, so I just nodded to them and took a seat, and stuttered out in Greek, “We don’t get many foreign travelers here.”

“You’re speaking as if you were a local. You’re a Roman. Born and bred I’d say.” He’d responded to me in Latin.
“That’s true.” I answered in my native tongue, already much impressed. “I’ve just been stuck here the last three months. Feels like years. So you, you’ve passed through Rome?”
“I’ve passed through.” He eyes passed back over the confused woman’s face, and then turned his gaze back on me. “What is it you want, boy?”
“My friend over there says he thinks you were a soldier once?” I’d blurted it out. It was Tibeus’ fault, him and the two jugs of mead. I’d never have given this man a second glance had I not heard Tibs’ story while under the influence of alcohol, and here I was questioning this man like I was a praetor. He glanced at Tibeus behind me.
“I’m not a soldier,” he answered.
“No?”
“No. I’m a hunter.” A wry, thin line of a smile spread across his face.

Something about that smile made me rethink whether or not he had somehow been sent for me, although I doubted I could have ever achieved that kind of infamy. I glanced back over my shoulder at Tibeus, damning him for making me paranoid with his story.
“So your friend is mistaken,” the gray-haired man said. He leaned forward on his elbows and looked me straight in the eye, as if he’d just had a revelation. “The cargo ship out here. It’s yours.”
“The Junia, yes. How’d you know that?”
“We need two crates shipped.” The woman ignored my question. She spoke softly, but with a thick foreign accent. An intriguing accent. “We need them on the caravan to Siwa. It’s very important that they arrive in time.” She glanced over at the gray haired man, her cheeks growing pink in beautiful contrast to her warm complexion.

“Oh, that’s you?” I had thought the shipper Egyptian, but I had never pictured a woman, let alone a woman like this.
“How much would it take you to do the job?” he asked.
“Oh, believe me, I’d love to do the job, but I don’t think she can make the trip. She’s damaged. She’s leaking. I don’t have a crew at the moment. Quite an offer, though.”
“Well, there you go, Simera,” he said to the woman as he swept his hand towards me. She shook her head vehemently, strongly disagreeing with whatever he’d meant to imply.
“Bakhu and I will be on the docks tonight, when you change your mind,” she said.
“Afraid I’m not going to change my mind. If I don’t think the best of it now, I certainly won’t think the best of it sober.”

She smiled the wide pursed smile a child would get when they had a secret and wanted you to know. Her eyes were a light brown, streaked with gold, unique and sparkling. Beautiful, almond shaped eyes, like some wild feline, exotic and comely. It was like she had walked straight out of a mural of some ancient goddess. I thought her around the same age as myself, but her skin was perfectly flawless. Those eyes fixed on mine, drawing me in, luring me with apparent attraction. I stared into them, lost for the moment. I could have gazed at her all night if not for the sudden presence of the tip of a blade being pressed into my knee under the table. I stumbled backwards out of my chair, as I saw the gray man’s arm return to his side.

The woman whispered under her breath, “What are you doing?”
His pale eyes never left mine as he responded, “Just protecting my property, love.”
“Sorry.” I sputtered, well understanding I’d stared too long. “It’s late. I’m drunk. I’ll just…sorry.” I backed away, patting my hands against the air, nodding politely. I turned towards Tibeus, who had the fair smirk of “I told you so” on his face.
I sat back down and spoke sideways to Tibeus through a cupped hand. “That man pulled a knife on me!” My voice cracked at a pitch higher than it had ever been before.

Tibeus poured me out another cup of mead while enjoyed a good laugh at my expense.
“Couldn’t take the old man’s word for it. You had to go see for yourself. So, do you believe me now, Mardus?”
“I don’t know if I believe the whole “snake” thing, but that’s a dangerous man!”
“Yes, well, and so I warned you. Here, drink up. It appears Galen had better things to do tonight. We’ll have to speak more on the boat later.”
As Tibeus rose to leave, I picked up the jug, determined not to let the rest go to waste. We walked out together past the gray man and his Egyptian pet, fearing to cast either one of them a second glance.

Simmering anger slowly gripped me as I exited the tavern. Tibs refusal to negotiate selling the Junia to me alone left me feeling slighted, and it only served to raise my resentment of Galen. If he’d no interest in attending our meeting, by what right could he still weigh in on the matter? He may have been better qualified to captain the boat, but he held no greater sensibility than I did, and yet Tibeus clearly granted him authority over me in making the final decision. If Galen didn’t want me getting the boat, I wouldn’t get the boat, and the thought of it burned me badly.

 

[Kritter]

I intended to just go back to my room and sleep off the mead, but as I wavered towards Pasha’s home, I passed by the main plaza and recognized Galen and Eva off in a dark corner surrounded by bushes, locked in an embrace. He had her hands pulled behind her and he was engaging her in a rather forceful kiss.

“And now Rome conquers Greece again,” I said, in my best theatrical voice.
They stepped apart instantly, startled by my sudden appearance, and Eva dared to flash him a look of concern.

“What’s this daunted look, sweet girl?” I asked. “Do I appear out of sorts? I’m sorry. I’ve been in the tavern all night, drinking with my “friends,” what remains of them.” I smiled as I raised my brow towards Galen, leaving the course to him.

“Mardus, you’re drunk,” he said, keeping an even countenance.
“A very good observation, brother,” I replied, putting my arms outward, my mead jug in full display. It was such a pedestrian thing for him to say in my eyes, and it only served to cross me. “Sadly, you missed our little meeting tonight. It was quite exciting too. I had a knife pulled on me by a strange barbarian assassin. Shame you weren’t there to see it.”
“Ah no, sorry, I’d forgotten.” He narrowed his eyes at what I’d said. “We can do it again another night, no?”
“I told you it was important!” I didn’t mean to shout, but I did. “I would have hoped that would have given me priority over these mindless embraces.”
He locked eyes with me, and without removing them, he commanded her, “Eva, go home.” He’d ordered her away unescorted, an unfathomable thought to me.
“Yes, do as your master orders, siren, and return to your rock in the sea.” I called after her. I knew I was pushing the limit, and there was no question in my mind what was coming, but I didn’t care the outcome. I really just wanted one good excuse to hit him. If he bested me after that, so be it, but instead, he just kept ruining it.

“What’s this about?” he asked with abrading stability.
“You’ve being entirely too civil, Galen. It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“Are you looking for a fight, Mardus? With me? In your state? I’d say that was ill advised.”
“Never kept you from Leo.” I pushed, but it had grown pointless trying to provoke him. I put down my jug and just laid it all out to him in desperation. “The Junia sits sea worthy for a week now and I am climbing the walls of this prison. I’ll lose my mind, brother. I will seriously lose my mind if we don’t depart soon.”

“Mardus, I don’t plan on leaving. I thought you’d have realized that by now.”
I knew it was coming. I fully expected him to say it, and yet, I still felt my blood surge hot at his words. “So, Tibs and you both choose this life, and you can so easily just throw away the life we had? And what about Leo, or is it easier to deny his existence than bother to care what’s become of him?”
He laughed a laugh of indifference. It infuriated me.

“Leo made his choice. I could pretend I’m worried about him, but really…?” He shook his head. “I don’t miss him. Don’t you realize we’ve been better off without him? He caused more problems than he was worth. In the end he only made things worse.”
“How can you say that?”
“How can I say that? Are we talking about the same man? You think my warnings are empty, Mardus? You don’t know him like I did. I tell you that man is not your friend. He makes you think what he wants you to think, whatever suits his purpose. Everything he says and does, it’s all been carefully planned. It made him crazy that I saw right through him.”
“You’re just being paranoid, Galen. He’s never been anything like that.”
“He’s always been like that. He’s slick and you’re stupid, an easy mark to him.”

I glared at him. He just pushed me now. “That man saved our lives.”
“He saved your life, maybe. But I don’t think he’d have bothered if he’d known what I knew when we got back to that boat.”
“What do you mean?”
“You never asked me, when we were safe from Rome, how the other boys fared. It had been our whole reason for going there, but you never thought to ask.”
“I’d…forgotten to, with all the trials of that day,” I said, unsure of what he was getting at.
“No. That’s not why. It was because you already knew how they fared. They’d been hired by your father, to work on his prosperous little farm.”
“Oh gods,” I said, turning my head, covering my face, embarrassed to my very core. He knew, and now he would get to stand there and bore into me and I’d no defense at all.

“Leo was right about you all along, and I stood up for you, even when I started to think he was right. I stood up for you, because I thought you knew better than to lie to me, but you’re no better than him. Those fellows told me quite a bit, everything your father told them, and apparently they thought a lot of him too. Real upstanding man. And all I could ask myself was why would anyone give up a perfectly good life like that?”

“I was only thirteen, Galen. I was bored. I had no friends. All I wanted was something to do and the docks were so much fun.”
“Well, it wasn’t fun for us. But you never saw the worst of it, did you? When rats would crawl over us while we tried to sleep, or the nights we froze for lack of a fire and every time a younger boy would cry from an empty stomach, and I had nothing to offer them. That…was a nightmare of a life. I was happy to leave it behind, but here we have everything.”
“You have everything.”
“Are you really determined to spend the rest of your days floating around the Mare? We’ve been at sea for six years, Mardus. Don’t you want some semblance of a life?”
“That is my life!” I pointed back at the boat. “I was happy with it. We were all happy with it.”

“Because that was all we had. But that’s right…having a good life means nothing to you. You’re looking for something better, although I’m sure you have no idea what that is. So go back to sea then, no one’s stopping you. There are plenty of merchant ships that could use another hand.”
“I wanted the Junia,” I said.

“Well lucky for us she’s not safe to sail because I doubt you’d get far. You couldn’t even do your job in a storm, who do you think will steer that boat while you’re cowering by the mast? The Junia, Mardus? Don’t kid yourself. You wouldn’t last a day on the Mare without me. You’re just asking for permission to kill yourself now, and there’s no way that I’d agree. ”

I winced at his words. I grabbed up my jug, and turned away, walking silently back to the boat. No matter the wind, nor Tibs’ reluctance to strike with me a deal, I was sailing tomorrow, as far away as I could, and I would prove Galen wrong by actions if not words, because no matter what he believed, his presence was not required for this escape.

As I reached the dock, my eyes locked on to the wine crates, enigmatic and bizarre, obstructing the path between me and my boat. Twenty silver, that tempting wage. The offer seemed highly negotiable as well. I wondered what pay I could actually garner from them, if I was to be their only source of hope. Twenty two silver, twenty five? I found myself bargaining out the price, the price for which I’d be willing to gamble my very life without displaying so much avarice that the gods would see fit to throw me to the ocean floor in spite.

The mysterious couple from the Sailor’s Roost appeared now further down the dock, as if to goad me towards my fate. I strolled up to them, still turning the idea over in my mind. If I struck the deal, there would be no turning from its destiny. “The die would be cast,” as Caesar was wont to say. My father’s voice engaged my mind, from somewhere in my distant childhood, reminding me of his oft spoke words, “Fortune favors the bold.” I wondered if he didn’t haunt me with his words right now just to push me to an early grave.

I could see the gray man watching me from far away, but they were getting ready to depart. The Egyptian woman stepped onto the plank, and he nudged her, directing her towards my presence. I walked up to him and took measure of his face. Perhaps he was a dangerous man, but he needed to also be a fair one.

“Thirty,” I said.
“Twenty now, ten when the crates are delivered,” he responded.
“On a handshake, then.” If nothing else, I believed this man to be worthy of his word.

He reached out his hand and I shook it, and he paid me right then all twenty silver. The woman came over to me, her beguiling eyes meeting mine. I thought she was about to give me words of encouragement, but instead her eyes grew dark and her words were full of warning.

“Remember, the Eye of Re will be upon you. The wine is the Eye of Re, it abhors he who would take from him. So beware, lest you wish his full vengeance upon you, for only death comes to thieves!”
“I’m not a thief.” I shot back angrily.
“If you do not wish the serpent to devour your shadow, if you wish Osiris to deliver your boat to the gates, you will make your journey swift.”
“I’m sure he gets the idea, love,” the gray man said. He patted her on the back, pushing her towards the boarding plank. I was close to finding myself rattled by the encounter, but he turned and rolled his eyes at me, whispering under his breath as he shook his head, “Egyptians…,” and for some reason he made me smile.

They departed without another word, and I was left to stand there wondering what I’d just gotten myself in to. I had a bad boat. I had no crew. I had no experience with that stretch of the sea. I had told them all these things and still they entrusted this cargo to me. ‘Why would anyone be so desperate?’ I wondered, but I realized, as I approached my boat, I may as well have asked it of myself.

 

[Kritter]

I slept on the Junia that night, and the hammering of Vulcan on his forge could not have awakened me from the deep, dreamless slumber that overtook me the second I laid down my head. I slept on until late morning, outlasting the noise of the outgoing fishing boats. Pasha roused me from my sleep, assailing me with questions and accusations my hung over brain was not quick to absorb.

“You aren’t coming to work today? You have the wine crates on your ship? I heard you had a fight with Galen, and Eva says you insulted her!”

I rubbed my hand across my eyes and down my face to my chin, which had grown rough with stubble. “Did I insult your sister?” I couldn’t remember. “Sorry, if I did.” I sat up and looked around myself, trying to think what I might need.

“What about the crates? You’re going to forget everything I told you now and do something foolish?” The speed of his words increased rapidly.
I peered out onto the deck at the crates.

“I do remember the crates.” I don’t remember exactly what I was thinking when I agreed to take them, but I did recall making the transaction. I tried to stretch the pain from my neck. I reached for my money pouch to count out the silver, something I wasn’t sure I had done the night before. Pasha still loomed before me, staring down at me with this look of fatherly condemnation.

“What?” I said.
“You are going to Alexandria then?”
“That’s the general idea.” I smiled up at him, trying to soften my smugness. In truth, the full magnitude of that fact still hadn’t sunk in with me yet. I needed some food, and I would need a whole host of supplies.
“If you want to come with me, we could split the silver. It would still be a fair purse.”
“No. No, and I don’t think you should go either. I think you should talk to Galen.”

His words annoyed me, as if somehow Galen held any dominion over me. I was free of that bond. I thought I just may as well make it clear to anyone who thought otherwise.

“Go get him if you want. I’ll be right here, stocking my boat.”

Pasha rushed off while I rummaged around for some morning bread. I knew I was being caustic with him, my good host, but the night before had left me in a dark mood. I couldn’t remember the whole of what Galen had said, but I remembered enough. The truth of it didn’t matter to me, one way or the other. His arrogant attitude is what bothered me. And he would question my bravery – just from that one storm? I remember being brave enough to take on the man that killed Scipio just fine, a fact he seemed to have forgotten.

I found myself stretching my neck again, uncomfortable with the thoughts of the night before. I was ready to go back to the sea and leave all this behind me. I could feel my pulse starting to race. I stepped out into the morning sun and took a deep breath of the warm salty air, tasting it on my lips, my tongue running over the scar that had been left there six years earlier.

I saw him then, my so-called friend, walking towards me in a fast, authoritative pace, arms back like he was some kind of general coming to inspect his troops. I stepped off the Junia and onto the docks, ready to meet him eye to eye.

“Mardus, this is madness. You can’t seriously be thinking of doing this alone.”
“The decision has already been made.” I said, barely holding back the smirk I so dearly wanted to display.
“The Junia won’t make it. If this is just because of last night…”
“I need the money.” I interrupted him. It was in part a lie, but that was nothing new for me at this point.
“What good is the money if you don’t make it?”
I shrugged. “I’m better off either way.”
“But the boat isn’t yours to take. There’s no way Tibs is letting you take it.”
“Well now, that’s where you’re wrong. I talked to him last night about the boat. You missed that part. Your loss. I’m taking it.” I believed Tibs would not have ultimately denied me the purchase. I just conveniently bypassed the fact that we’d not actually sealed the deal.

“I can’t let you do this, Mardus,” he said, as if his words held any weight.
I stared him down now with the ferocity of an animal unchained, and I stepped towards him, close enough for him to know I meant business.
“And who’s going to stop me? You?” I was sober, and I was dead serious, and in one of those moments I will savor for a lifetime, he backed away from me. The surge I felt in that second, the power, it was a little intense. I had to close my eyes a second just to keep it from overwhelming me.
“No. No, if you want to kill yourself, go right ahead. I’m done with you,” he said. “Make sure you pay Tibs for his boat before you leave, since I doubt we’ll see you again.”

I grabbed at my pouch and threw a handful of silver at him. It fell to the deck around him. “He knows he’ll get the rest.”
I walked past him, intentionally brushing roughly against his shoulder as I did, wholly satisfied with myself. In the deep recesses of my mind, I felt a slight sadness at our friendship’s demise, but I fast put it behind me. To hell with him. I was intent on getting what I needed of my supplies, refusing to be delayed from my trip any longer.

He wasn’t on the docks when I returned, although he’d left the coins there. I picked them up and returned them to my pouch. Pasha made a return appearance as I was loading the rest of my supplies onto the ship.

“Come to wish me well?” I asked.
“How much are you bringing? Bring enough for at least seven days, in case you get thrown off course. And extra water. You can never have too much water.”
“Pasha, I’ve been doing this for six years. I know what I need.”
“No, I don’t think you do. This trip is dangerous. Bring more than you think. Do that for me, hmm? And the shoals, you know about the shoals?”
“I know about the shoals.”
“Check the depths frequently as you get closer, and don’t forget the currents there can change very quickly.”

I stopped what I was doing, looking up at him with a sudden feeling of indebtedness. “You’ve been good to me, Pasha. You let me stay in your home, you gave me a job, helped me fix my boat, you’ve done everything for me, and even though I’ve been coarse with you today, you still come to see me off. I don’t know how I can repay you. Really…” I was at a complete loss for further words.

Pasha blinked his dark eyes a few times, nodding at me with a smile. “Thank you,” he said honestly. “I enjoyed your company as well. So, at least you’ll have tide and wind on your side once you get out to sea. Now, when you round the island just head southeast.” He kept right on talking. I grinned as I returned to finishing my work, but I heeded his instructions.

“…and watch for the Pharos lighthouse. You can see it from fifty, maybe a hundred miles away on a dark night. It’s about as long a trip as Cyprus, but without the benefit of the coast. You’ll be alone, but don’t try to go without sleep. Let her stay her course and take your rest. Your mind will play tricks on you otherwise.”

Everything I needed was onboard. I gave him fifteen silver to give to Tibs as a down payment. Between a week’s supply of wine and food, and the money I’d just handed him, I left myself with two silver. But it was more than what I needed to get me where I was going. There would be plenty more on the other side.

As I backed out of the docks and into the harbor, I looked behind me one last time. I could see Galen standing at the end of the path, watching me sail away. I wondered when it was exactly that my admiration of him had turned to hate, and had he changed, or was it me? And yet, I know I would have forgiven him had he any cause to apologize. We’d been brothers. I wanted us to remain brothers, but for now, that couldn’t be.

--

Perfect weather accompanied my exit from the harbor, which I believed to be a good sign. The sun stood unobstructed by cloud or haze, and the water of the Mare was like glass in its smoothness. Free from the island’s confinement, I kept filling my lungs deep with air, finally feeling able to breathe. For two days the Junia surging eagerly forward, her sail full of favorable wind. Pasha had said it was three days to Alexandria. The longest stretch of sea we’d crossed without seeing land was five days, though we knew the coast lay just out of sight to our north.

I missed those times, and I missed that life, and now I’d have to forget it, the way that it had forgotten me. I’d accept that my friends had reason to stay where they were, but I still couldn’t help feeling betrayed. While their lives had gone in different directions, mine still yearned to be on our original course. Traveling from shore to shore, never stopping too long in one place. How could I call any of these ports home? Only one place was home to me.

By the third day, fair wind came from the northwest, requiring a good amount of labor. Unable to work both rudder and sail, I was forced to move between the two with exhaustive frequency. It was a peculiar feeling, being the only person on the ship, and a little disconcerting. I kept expecting to see Galen step from the deckhouse or hear Tibs’ nonsensical mumbling. I thought their spirits would still reside here, but there was only stark emptiness on the deck, and it was the lack of their spirits that was haunting.

Solitude was wearing on me. I’d never liked being alone. My mind started to wander back to the last trip we’d had together, and it dawned on me that if we hadn’t taken Phylo as a passenger, we would’ve never hit the storm that stranded us in Crete. I wondered just how great a difference it would have made in our lives, if that one single moment hadn’t occurred. It wasn’t the first time my life had suddenly changed course, but now it was starting to annoy me.

Searching the horizon again, I watched for that light. I had to be close enough to see it by now, but there was nothing except the vast, featureless emptiness of the sea, spreading out in all directions. I tried to remain awake as long as I could, but I was drifting in and out sleep.

A spray of sea foam driven by brisk winds lashed at my face as I stepped up on deck the next morning. Feeling a bit disoriented, I was unsure what day this was. The water had grown choppy. I eased the sail, struggling to keep her on course. I could feel myself tiring, perspiration streaming from my every pore, and though I still had plenty of water, I couldn’t drink it fast enough. My lips stuck together from dryness.

Until this morning the Junia had held quite well, but as the waves continued to batter her, I could hear her timber frame creaking under the duress. Even a sturdy boat could break up under the pressure of heavy seas, and the Junia was far from sturdy. The waves continued to climb aboard over the rail, and the sail and riggings strained. The ship was at the will of wind and tide, and there was scant I could do as a lone sailor.

Misery was creeping in. Why was I doing this? What was I looking for? Galen’s question bothered me now, because I didn’t have an answer.
I missed Galen, not as he was now, but as the friend he had been before. He’d not always been the best person, but his intentions were pure at heart. I’d been so angry at him when I left, and now I couldn’t even remember why. And to steal off with the Junia? Had I been in my right mind? I seriously began to wonder. My thoughts had been so confused that night, from consuming so much mead, but I argued; I’d drunk that much before and never lost my mind, but I hadn’t felt myself that night. Not after I’d stared in those eyes.

I was lost in that thought for a minute, and then, I stopped all thought completely.

In the horizon, a small speck of color caught my eye.

I squinted, unable to detect it again, but I desperately hoped it was a ship, for no other reason than it would afford me some sanity in the middle of this desolation. The flash came again, it was there for sure, a far off sail of red. Renewed strength coursed through my arms, as I made a good attempt to move towards it. Red and gold. I saw it again. My cracked lips rolled into a smile. It was a Roman galleon, most likely on its way back to Syracuse or Ostia with its belly full of wheat. It meant, I believed, I was still somewhat on course, and for as many hours as it would stay before me, it was a beacon I could use to guide me.

An enormous swell broke over the bow of my boat. The Junia groaned as her damaged frame debated holding to one piece. I braced myself. Nothing would be crueler than if she took to sinking now. I trained my weary eyes back on to the horizon, hunting again for the galleon. It was there, and better–more visible now. Should I be swamped, I might at least be seen, although I wasn’t sure being picked up by a Roman galleon was any better a fate.

In the time it took the ship to grow near, the winds had slightly waned.
I allowed myself a fast rest. It was a welcome repose from ducking, tensing and clinging to the mast for dear life. I poured water down my throat and over my head in pleasant abandon, knowing Alexandria had to be close. As the galleon plowed past me, I experienced a bittersweet swell of pride. I loved Rome. It was a shame, a heartbreak that I should never return to that city, as I so badly longed to return. I would’ve drank to the Republic had I left myself a drop of wine. I eyed the crates that held the amphoras, so carefully guarded by the Eye of Re.

The very idea of this now vexed me. Who was Re anyhow, that he should live in wine and threaten thirsty sailors? The Egyptians had the strangest set of gods I’d ever heard of, with the heads of crocodiles, birds and jackals. I wondered if they held any jurisdiction at all over Romans. I was no thief, but we had at times taken sips of our cargo before. Tibeus used to put the amphoras under other cargo to prevent Leo from doing so. He blamed Leo for everything amiss on that ship, which made life easy for me. I felt sorry, now, that I’d let him take the blame. I’d have to tell him, if I could find him.

The sun started to set behind a thinly veiled gray sky, somewhere low to the Mare beside me. I was momentarily excited by a thin dark line on the horizon ahead, but it never seemed to grow closer, so I slowly grew sure it was just clouds. It disappeared as darkness set in, but by the stars, I believed myself still on course. It seemed impossible to me that I’d yet to see this light. The water settled enough for me to take a decent break. Grabbing some food, I washed it down with warm water. I had about a day’s worth of water left by my estimation, the thought of which made me thirst. My head felt light, and ached in a slow painful rhythm. I closed my eyes, trying to rest, which led to an unexpected slumber.

In the middle of the night I awoke in an unbalanced state. A strong thirst for real drink brought me stumbling toward the crates. The Eye of Re, whatever that was, would just have to look the other way. I pulled my knife, breaking the seal on a jug, when I noticed a glint on the horizon. My eyes widened, locking onto it. It was strong! Strong enough to suggest I was only an hour away at best. I ran to the sail, pushing towards it. Alexandria or not, it made no difference to me. It alone was my destination now.

Growing closer, a golden path appeared across the surface of the sea. Firelight, reflected against highly polished mirrors, focused upon black water. I drew the sail and anchored off shore, not wanting to attempt to shoals without daylight. I ate the rest of my food stores, downing my water in several refreshing gulps, and feeling fully satisfied at having accomplished the trip in one piece, I took to the deckhouse and rested, in a short but rejuvenating sleep.

 

[Kritter]

Vague dark shapes on the shoreline were brought into view as morning glowed on the horizon. The lighthouse loomed at an uncomfortable height, towering over their harbor like a god. I’d heard tales from sailors about this port, long before Pasha’s warning. Its undercurrents and shifting silt loved to tear apart ships. I watched the tide surge around the shoals with no apparent rhythm. Strange swells rushed both in and out in pointless confusing swirls. Each time the water receded, the crests of the sandbars came back into view. Wrecks dotted the shoals from end to end. It was much worse than I’d imagined.

“Are you kidding me?” I moaned under my breath.

Observing other ships navigate the narrow channels only deepened my concerns as they struggled through with full crews, but I hadn’t come this far to stop now. I pulled up closer to the harbor, tailing in a galleon. Lowering the sail, I tossed the anchor and let it drag beneath me. Relying on oars and pole alone, I crawled along in their wake, and then frantically started to row backwards as the current aimed to run me past them sideways. Before I could even stop it, the Junia’s bow bumped against their stern. I bit my lip and shrugged at them as they turned around to curse me. I heard one of them shout in Latin, “Stupid Roman, are you crazy?” and I couldn’t help but start laughing.

Once safely inside the inlet, I was directed to a berth. A man boarded my boat, made note of my goods, and disappeared just as quickly. Smoke from burning wood in the lighthouse hung sweet in the air while men worked to unload my crates. This city was crowded. As crowded as Rome. I’d never seen such a multitude of people in one place.

The dock master approached me, a stern faced man as tall as the lighthouse itself. He had dark tan skin on a massive frame, as impressive as any gladiator I’d ever seen, and he wore nothing but a simple rectangular piece of linen wrapped around his body, tied at the waist with a knotted sash. A wooden scabbard swathed in blue silk hung at his side. He had a shaved smooth head and the same kohl dark eyes as Simera, but to a much more menacing effect. I was almost afraid to address him, not knowing what the customary practice was for delivering cargo meant for caravans.

“These are for the caravan for Siwa that leaves tomorrow,” I said, more in question than in statement.
“Just leave them here,” he said.
“Well, is there someone I speak to, or…”
“Yes, you speak to me, and I told you…leave them here.”
“Sorry, I didn’t…” The man started walking away from me, and I was forced to follow at his heels. “I’m supposed to be paid on delivery.”
“By the caravan drivers, not me.”
“And where do I find them?” I grew annoyed.
“Here. Tomorrow!” he barked at me, seemingly annoyed himself.
I would’ve liked to punch him right then, a good old Roman punch, though I doubt I could have reached his face with my swing. The fact that he was armed was a bit of a hindrance as well. I decided I would leave any further questions to fellow Roman sailors, and took to strolling along the dock to see if I could locate one.

I found a crew out of Utica, mostly Phoenicians, but one of the men claimed to be from Neapolis. They were headed to a tavern deeper into the city. One they said had cooled beer at lower cost. The Roman, Vittorio, invited me to join them. He was an older man, around forty if I had to guess. He started speaking Latin to me the minute that we met.

“Excuse the Latin, but I don’t get to speak it anymore. My shipmates don’t speak Latin. Everyone loves Greek, it seems. Where’s the rest of your crew? They should come with us as well.” He looked back around me as if expecting to see them somewhere.

“I made this trip alone from Crete. My boat didn’t fare too well either. Hoping I can make repairs here, or I might be begging a ride home from you.”
His face paled. “We don’t go by Rome. Better to beg a ride home on one of the merchant galleons.” He started into the city behind his mates, and I continued to walk alongside of him.
“I meant to Crete,” I said.
“Rome isn’t home?”
“Not anymore.”
“No, me either.” His voice descended into a whisper as he chose to confide in me. “I was a guard to Cato. We accompanied him to Utica following Pompey’s defeat, but when Caesar came after him…” he paused, shaking his head, “I left. I ran away. A soldier can only follow orders. Were I a soldier of Caesars, I would have done as Caesar had ordered. I was loyal to my commander, whoever it was. I don’t see why I would be deserving of death for this. We had the Roman senate on our side. It was impossible to think we didn’t act in defense of our Republic.”

Roman politics. I was beginning to see how right my father had been about the Commanders and their wars. “It’s all politics son,” and so it was, and I would’ve imaginably done as Vittorio and took the side of whoever I was under, living or dying based on loyalty to a man alone. Had Tibeus still served Pompey back then, he too would have died for naught.

“Do you know Tibeus?” I asked, “He was a soldier of Pompey.”
Vittorio took a good belly laugh at this, although I didn’t understand immediately why. “Friend, do you have any idea how many men were in Pompey’s legions? There were probably several hundred men of that name.”
We passed through an arched entryway into a courtyard full of palms, entering the tavern through a door decorated with iron. The place was lavish by Roman standards, two stories high inside, with a staircase leading to an upper balcony. The floors were covered with colored woolen rugs and piles of silken pillows surrounding low wooden tables. These ornate surroundings only added coldness in my eyes. We took a seat away from his friends.

“So, you have no crew?” he asked, “Why is that? You like traveling alone?”
“My crew just retired. I have to get new men.”
“Maybe I’ll come with you,” he said. “I hate these Phoenicians, as much as they hate Romans. So much animosity lately. You see how well we are received here in Egypt.” He gestured to a woman for service for us and eyed her lasciviously. “Although it is still worth my time to come.” He grinned at me.

I nodded, but if the dock master’s attitude was any indication, it was not to be a pleasant stay. “I could probably use you, Vittorio, but I think I’m stuck here for a time, and until tomorrow when I get paid, I have only two drachma on me.”

He started laughing again. “Your Greek money isn’t good here. The Egyptians won’t accept it. There’s a money trader in the port.” I rolled my eyes at this news, as I’d already drunk my beer. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” He smiled, tossing a couple of coins on the table. “It’s not often I get to spend time with a kinsman.” He started to talk about all the latest news from Rome while my eyes wandered around the tavern. The walls were covered with paintings and symbols. One picture, which ran floor to ceiling, had men serving plates of food to some peculiar hawk-headed god. It felt strange to be in such surroundings. I found myself missing the comfortable warmth of the Sailor’s Roost.

“That’s Horus, I believe,” he said, following my eyes. “Their god of war and hunting.”
“Hunting.” I laughed. “But hunting whom…for what?”
Vittorio raised his eyebrow at my babble, but I was already lost in thought. There was something so strange about that gray man. I could still remember his eyes. I wondered if he still did what he did. Did a killer ever retire? He’d fought his own people for pay. I had to agree with Tibs, now that I thought about it. It was a pretty callous thing to do.
“Vittorio, when you were a soldier, did you ever hear of a man called ‘the Snake’?”
“The snake? No, not that I recall. Why would I?”
“My friend claimed he was an assassin or something, used by the Roman army. A barbarian man?”
“Oh, the Celt? A mercenary, right? Yeah, I heard of him. Never knew him.”
The fact that he’d heard of this man made me think it was the same one Tibeus spoke of. He had just said there were thousands of men in these legions, and one name like Tibby’s meant nothing to him, but this man, this nameless man, he knew.
“What do you know of him?”
“Only rumors. Who knows what’s true. He was a loner, a bowman or something, who could hide himself in the brush. They used to say he could lay whole camps flat. No one ever saw him coming. No one ever saw him leave, and that was when he was fighting against Rome.”
The look on Vittorio’s face seemed to intensify his words. “At some point he was trapped, set up by a few of his own people in exchange for their freedom, and some kind of deal was made with him. I don’t know what it was, but the Roman army wanted him badly, and whatever he got, he stayed loyal to Caesar until the end.”
“Until the end?”
Vittorio nodded. “He disappeared at some point. I’m guessing he met his end. If you've ever traveled to the valleys, you know what little can remain of those who fall into the hands of those barbarians.”
I counted myself lucky that I’d never had cause to be in the valleys he spoke about. Tibeus had once told me that the barbarians would leave rotting corpses hanging from their trees as warnings to their enemies, or they would put men’s heads on sticks, just the heads, and use these to line their roads. It was the one tale he had told to me that I truly wished I'd not been told.

We headed back towards the docks mid-day. I was disappointed to see the evil dock master standing over the Junia when I returned.
“Your boat is listing.”
“She’s got a tiny leak” I tried to smile. It didn’t help.
“Well, you can’t leave this here, take it to the shallows.” He pointed past the harbor down the beach. “I don’t need your sunken garbage cluttering up my wharf.” He actually sneered at me after saying it. I immediately fantasized taking an oar to his head and knocking him off into the bay so I could call him ‘sunken garbage’. The thought did me little good though as I hung my head and started to untie her from her moorings.

Vittorio volunteered to come with me, and he brought a crewmate along, so the shoals were more manageable. He showed me where to leave her so she would careen when the tide went out. That would at least keep her dry until I was able to make my repairs, but it left me without a place to sleep. He pointed out the lodging house to me, but he decided to depart with his crew that evening. He was a nice enough man, but something about his deserting our army didn’t sit right with me. I might have panicked in a war, but I’d never have run away. I had no respect for that act.

While I soaked at the public bath, I tried to figure how I’d invest my remaining silver. Getting to the point where I could do a thriving business in trade would probably take me numerous months, and a portion would have to continue to go to Tibeus over time. This all was contingent upon my receiving the money, which as of yet had still not occurred. I sunk down under the water, still feeling at the mercy of wind and tide. It was only clean hair and a freshly shaved face that brought back any civility back to me.

---------

I woke early, expecting my day to be fast payment and a quick arrangement for repairs. On the docks, my two crates still sat, along with countless other crates now piled up all around them. On the advice of the inn’s owner, I took the occasion to climb the inner stairs to the top of the lighthouse, and forced myself to observe the city from this dizzying height for half a minute before making a hasty retreat back down. I can say that I had done it, for whatever it was worth, but outside of a lighthouse, I hoped they’d never again find cause to make a building that tall.

I found a shaded area near the stairs and took a seat, awaiting the appearance of these caravan drivers. After several hours of boredom I grew impatient. The disagreeable dock master from the day before was the only authority I could note on the docks, and not wishing to converse with him, I held out until noon before inquiring on the whereabouts of these men. I tried to check my dislike of him before I spoke, but the second I stood before him, he immediately took an intimidating stance.

“What?” He glared at me.

“I was wondering where the caravan is. If they’re going to be awhile yet, we could move some of these food crates out of the sun before it all goes bad.”

"You presume to tell me how to do my job?" He growled at me, and spat on the dock beside him. "I know it will go bad. Everything is going bad. Look at this fruit! Look at it! The man who was lined up to drive the wagon out with the next caravan has not returned from the last. It is rumored he met with an unfortunate end," he said in his slithering tongue.

"Well, is someone else coming for it?" I asked. I didn't want to anger him by questioning him further, but I hated to think what kind of problem it would be for me if the crates weren’t delivered. Between Simera’s wine god who was waiting to smite me and the uncomfortable thought that the man who gave me the deposit on these goods would presumably hunt me down, not seeing them on a caravan today would not sit well with me.

He crossed his arms tightly across his chest and peered down at me. "And who do you suggest they get, hmm?" He challenged with a raised eyebrow. "No one wants to do these runs right now. Raiders have taken the last five caravans in a row. They have been merciless, these jackals. So, unless you know someone who wishes to meet Set early?"
He stopped, staring me down. The dark look on his face made me think he enjoyed trying to scare me. Towering over me with his piercing black eyes, his hand resting on his sword, he relished my predicament, I could tell. I stared down at the dock, staggered by his response. I knew no one in Alexandria.

"As I thought!” He sneered at me. “Now, go back to your gutted scow and get out of my sight. I have work to do!”

I turned my eyes up the beach towards my boat. The tide had gone out and she was lying to her side in the shallows. It was a pitiful, depressing sight. I found I was in too much of a state of frustration to ponder the situation without drink, and so I went to the nearest establishment I could find, a small tavern right off the dock that appeared to cater to foreign traders.

I choose a dark corner to sit in, one that at least had a wall I could lean against. A maiden clad in a translucent dress descended on me with a pitcher and I nodded towards her. She produced a glass and poured for me. I knew they would charge me a ridiculous amount for this drink simply because they used glass. I would greatly have preferred a plain ceramic cup. The opulence here was galling.

I took a sip and closed my eyes, striving to relax. Sweet incense floated on the air. The intoxicating sound of a reed pipe drifted softly from another room. The drink was cool and I found it refreshing. For the moment, my problems faded. A woman in a long gold silk skirt, hung low from her waist, danced for the patrons, as glittering strands of golden beads dangling from every curve of her body. I drank two beers just watching her.

A servant girl sauntered over, placing a fruit basket on my table. She lay against the pillows next to me, batting her eyes. “You look lonely,” she purred. She reached towards the basket, pulling out an apple. “I could give you some honey for this if you’d like.”

“Ah, goddess, as much as I would like to take you up on your offer, I don’t have but a few bronze left to my name. I’m just a poor cargo man, shame though it is, and about to be poorer still if I don’t get paid today.”

“If you’re looking for work, you could speak to Vashir.” She tilted her head towards a rotund man sitting across the room from us. “I hear he is offering a king’s ransom for caravan drivers right now.”

“Oh, no.” I started laughing and shook my head at her. “I heard all about what’s been going on with your caravans. I’m not ready to die just yet.”

“You are afraid?” She grinned at me, narrowing her beautiful eyes seductively as she did. “You? A man so big and so strong?” She moved closer to me and ran a single soft finger down my arm. “I thought you Romans feared nothing.”

I looked over at this grandiose man, this Vashir. He had several round chins and his stomach folded over itself twice. I imagined a man could lie sideways in front of him and not surpass his considerable girth. He was sitting on a carpet, his legs jutted out one to each side, and between them were plates of steaming foods in ordered array. I could see bowls of rice, a mountain of lamb, and a large roast pheasant, from which both legs had already been consumed. An assortment of sauces and spices added color to the display, and it all was laid out there in front of him, a meal for him alone.

He was surrounded by several lovely women, and he crammed his mouth full of food. My stomach actually tightened with hunger at the sight of it all. In our best weeks as cargo men we could never have afforded such a meal.

“Exactly how much is a king’s ransom?” I asked. It was a crazy question, fueled as much by drink as by greed. I was curious as to what order of wealth could be acquired from a man such as this, but I only meant it as an inquiry. I knew nothing about the desert or camels or caravans, and it was all by good choice. I had a fair enough life as a cargo man on the great sea. I didn’t need to have sweltering hot sand blown up my arse.

“He’s offering quite a lot, or so I heard. Enough to have me for many weeks if you’d like.” She ran her soft hand back up my arm and smiled coyly. “Would you like that?”
“If it meant I’d returned alive,” I laughed, “but I don’t have any experience with the desert. So, how much is he paying really?”
“How should I know this?” She sounded vaguely annoyed. “Go ask him.”
“I will,” I stood, my eyes trained on this man, “but not for a job. He owes me some silver, I believe.”

I wasn’t sure how to approach Vashir. He seemed too wealthy to speak to. A woman was kneeling behind him, rubbing his neck, while another fanned him with two great ostrich feathers. He was wearing a bleached white toga embroidered around the neck with multi-colored threads. A purple cape adorned his back, clasped neatly to his shoulders, and on every single finger he bore a gemmed ring. He was definitely Egyptian, but he was trying hard to look Greek.

He looked up at me with an inquisitive glance that was not unfriendly, but I found myself shuffling my feet nervously as I started to speak.
“I’m a cargo man from Crete. I was owed some money for crates I delivered for the caravan for today, but no one’s been round to pick it up.”
“How much do we owe you?” he asked, giving a shake to his head as if it was a matter of small consequence to him. His Greek was impeccably spoken with only the slightest hint of an accent.
“Ten silver, for the wine crates going to Siwa.”
“Ah, you’re speaking of an independent customer, not one of our own orders then. He’s the one who will have to pay you, not us. What type of arrangement did you make?”
“Well, he just said I would get the money on arrival.”
“I know nothing about it,” he said. “Perhaps he meant the recipient in Siwa would pay the balance. If we can ever get the shipment there, I’m sure we could find out.

I grew increasingly convinced that I’d somehow been cheated. Why did I trust an assassin? Worse, he probably was nothing of the sort. Tibby’s ridiculous story, that I’d no cause whatsoever to believe, had gotten the better of me. That Celt could have been a madman for all I knew. It hadn’t made sense from the start, and here I’d been fool enough to take him at his word.

I cleared my throat, not wanting to sound too irritated. “Well, I was counting on that money. I have no way to get home without it. Do you think you could perhaps pay me now, and collect it from the recipient yourself?”

“I have no way of knowing what you say is true, although I am sorry for your circumstance. Have a seat. What’s your name?” He had a flourish to his voice, and he sounded both rich and articulate.

I sat down cross legged in front of him, with all that amazing food between us. The smell of the lamb was delectable. I think if I were a lesser man I would have cried at that moment. “I’m Mardus, sir.” “From Rome,” I added.

“Mardus, from Rome, and you’re a cargo man, you say?”

“Yes sir, out of Crete. My boat took some damage on the trip. I’ve got her careened on the beach here. I’ve no way to manage repairs without that pay.”

Vashir stuffed another handful of lamb into his mouth, gesturing to his servants to pour us both a drink. He wiped his greasy fingers on a piece of cloth, leaning back to study me, looking me up and down to the point where I felt like I was being sized up as a slave.

“So you’ve a lot of experience transporting cargo? Your skin,” he said, looking me over again, “It’s very smooth. I’m guessing you’ve never worked in the desert. I can see you’re very strong, though. How long have you been on the sea?”

“Ten years, and before that I worked on the docks. It’s been my whole life thus far.”

He examined me at length. I gulped down what was in my cup, feeling truly uncomfortable under his lingering gaze. “I like you, Mardus. I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “I need a driver for my caravan.”

“Not interested,” I said. “I’ve already heard about the last caravan.”

“Yes, raiders have been a problem for us lately, but I’ve hired six paid soldiers for this trip. They’ll be mounted and armed, and if you can drive the wagon, I will personally come along to show you the route. I’m not one to take my own safety lightly, Mardus, so you can be assured you will arrive unharmed. All I’d need you to do is follow us. Set up and take down our camps, make our fires, load and unload goods. Hired muscle as it were. For you that should be easy.”

“Easy,” I repeated. I found myself fighting back fits of laughter at the insanity of this thought. Me, driving a camel wagon into the desert. I may as well have been asked to bake bread. I had about as much experience with each. I couldn’t imagine agreeing to it. No price came to mind for the task. Yet, I had to consider my other choices.

I could remain here broke, begging for scraps until I gained employment, or I could plead my return home on a Roman galleon, to be stuck a worthless ant among honored men for several languid days. If I took such a route I’d be left with full debt for a boat I no longer had, and I’d once again be fishing for coin with no further chance for liberation. The choice appeared simple enough. Roll the dice of fate once again or be bound by its latest cruel cast. Risk death or be as good as dead. I thought the answer clear and yet I still couldn’t bring myself to say yes. I hoped whatever part of me resisted remained susceptible to greed.

“How much were you offering?”

“The desert people have become rather desperate. We’re bringing eight camels and a full wagon, along with a few paying travelers. I could offer you the equivalent of ten Greek drachma for the round trip, and I’ll make arrangements for your boat to be repaired while we are gone at my expense, if that’s a deal?”

“I want thirty,” I said. “Unless I find someone there to pay me the ten that I’m still owed.”
“Are you mad?” He laughed at me. “I won’t pay anything near that for this.”
“Twenty then.”
“You’re insane. Ten and the repairs, I won’t pay a silver more.”
“Fifteen.” I tried to sound sure of myself.
“That’s robbery, plain and simple. Fifteen drachma? For what?”
“I’ll be risking my life.”
“Is your life even worth that much?” he muttered under his breath.

He gave a moment’s consideration. “Fifteen then, all right, and only because I feel sorry for you. But you’re a damned Roman thief.” He smiled as he reached his arms up for his attendants to pull him to his feet. "We’ll be leaving within two hours. You'll need to fetch a wagon from my stables. There are a good number of crates and some large grain sacks on the docks that will need loading. I have men here who can load up the camels. I'll have them brought around when they’re ready, and I’ll send someone to get the girls."

“The…girls, sir?”

“Yes, they are pilgrims, the girls, servants of the Temple of Isis. Seven of them, if I recall correctly.” His robust laughter echoed through the tavern at the sight of my pale face. “What’s wrong? You look mortified, my friend!”

I was mortified. The idea of being an inexperienced man, crossing the desert through dangerous terrain, not knowing where I was headed or what I was doing, with over a half dozen woman in my wake? I seriously wondered if I had gone mad. I almost thought to turn around and run. It was only the idea of a soldier escort that kept me in my place. If we were actually attacked by raiders, a scenario I could barely fathom, between the soldiers and the girls, I assumed I would have a reasonable chance of escape.

The girls would certainly be slower to run than myself and much more attractive targets. If worst came to worst, I could stand behind Vashir. He had to be as good a shield as any. I took what meager enjoyment I could from these morbid thoughts and downed the last of my beer. I had cargo to load.

 

[Kritter]

Vashir’s two hours was a poor estimate, as it turned out. I'd helped my father harness our mule countless times, but this grotesque beast of a camel was an entirely different story. I wasn’t used to dealing with an animal that was trying to injure me while I harnessed it. The area in which to put wagon to camel was a narrow alleyway, with little room for defense.

The harness itself was confusing enough. A padded wooden brace was made to sit before the hump and it was secured by a wide belt that affixed under the camel’s belly. From this brace hung two straps which were fastened to the wagon’s wooden arms. Though the camel was not much larger than a war horse, my height didn’t exactly aid me in getting the brace over its hump. I had to jump from my feet a few times to progress it. Each time I jumped, the camel directed his teeth at me and took a step forward with his long crooked legs, refusing to be backed up. The more I tried to force him, the more he resisted, his wide frothy mouth ever snipping at my side.

"Jupiter, really? A difficult camel?" I complained loudly. "That is exactly what I needed." I gazed up at the sky a minute as I wiped my forehead of sweat, questioning the gods as to why they hated me so much.

My attempts to threaten the animal into place only agitated it, and I found myself sidestepping all manner of violent knobby kneed attacks. It was an all out war, and I was quickly becoming the defeated. I could hear laughter from behind me, cruel laughter, obviously at my expense. I glanced over my shoulder and sighed. It was the sour Egyptian dock master.

“Can’t get enough of my misfortune?” I smiled. I was having enough problems as it was. Chafing the titan sized man was probably not going to be a good idea.

“Wait, I must go get my friends to watch this too, I’m sure they will also enjoy this show. How can you know nothing of a camel? It is incredible how useless you Romans are!”
“Your queen seems to have found some use for us.” I glanced back over at him and grinned.
“She is the user, not the used,” he spat back at me. “What are you doing? That doesn’t go there!”
“Well, we don’t have a lot of camels in Rome, Amun. You wanna help me with this thing?” I held the strap out to him.
“Why should I help you? You don’t even ask my real name. I am not a dog to your republic.”

I stared at the strap in utter frustration, shaking my head sadly as I was forced to lower myself to the depths of the gutter. I could barely look him in the eye as I choked on the word.
“Please….”
He walked up to me in heavy strides, grabbed the harness from my hands and shoved me out of the way.

“You don’t understand the camel.” He started to harness the creature. “They are sensitive animals. Everything you do with them must be done gently. You cannot shout at a camel and expect it to whisper. Look at his face. He is too proud to be treated indelicately. Even though it is twice as strong as an ox, you must treat the camel as if it was small and fragile. Gently.” He ran his hand down the camel’s long neck. I listened to him, transfixed.

He attached a single lead rope to a loop around the animal’s nose, tossing it back to the seat board.
“No reins?” I asked. “How do you…”
“Here,” he said. From the wagon he produced a long thin stick, and he tapped against the camel’s rump. “Just tap, don’t whip, unless you wish to be left in its dust. To stop, a slight pull on the rope and release. Don’t invite the camel to fight with you. You won’t win.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, sincere in my apology. “What, um, is your name?”
“I am Khentimentu, son of Atil, son of Amenophis,” he said, with a pretentious air.

I bowed my head out of appreciation. “Well, thank you, Khenti….”
“Khentimentu,” he said sternly, waiting until I’d repeated it back in full.
Climbing up on the wagon, I took the rope in my hand, giving it a shake out of habit. The camel turned its head and looked back at me, swishing its tail into my face. Khentimentu smacked his palm to his face, mumbling, “Useless,” under his breath.

I did manage to eventually get the wagon out to the docks and started loading the goods. As I reached the back of that pile, I found myself once again staring at the wine crates. I’d forgotten about them, and yet here they were. I wondered who would be there to receive them, and if I might actually discover their purpose. They seemed of great importance to Simera and her friend. But, short of a Cretan wine drinking ritual, I had no idea of what use that could be.

Vashir arrived with his men and his attending slaves, each of whom led two camels. I was amazed there was a camel that could support his weight, and yet the animal did not seem at all burdened by its load. Vashir’s saddle was ornate and had a covering to give him shade. His camel itself appeared decorated, with palm green tassels hanging from its reins and padding. Every camel in his caravan had a single jeweled bracelet around its right front ankle. I wondered if it was a mark of ownership, or if he really loved his camels so much. The soldiers he had with him rode horses laden with saddle packs, and each carried a sword to their side.

Khentimentu walked over by me as I loaded the last of my cargo.

“This is what he is bringing? Six men? That will not be enough.”
I could feel my blood run cold at his words. I had taken Vashir’s word that we would be safe with his soldiers, and now suddenly I felt very vulnerable. I sighed, biting my lip as I looked at the men. They didn’t look all that competent to me. A bunch of bored mercenaries, pacing around each other on their horses while they waited for us to get under way. I would have felt greater confidence had they been legionaires.

“You’re going to need more help,” Khentimentu said. “Wait here.”
He disappeared behind a wall of crates and returned, holding a scrawny gray striped cat, which he shoved into my arms. “Here, take this.”
I looked up at him in utter confusion.
“Take it, go on.” He nodded, indicating I should put the animal on my cart. “For your protection. Now, get off my dock!” He shooed me away with both hands.

A cat. For my protection. 'Of course.' It was insanity. Egypt clearly turned people mad. It explained everything. I placed the cat on the back of the wagon, climbing up into my seat.

I glanced down the shore back at my Junia. She was swaying gently in a low tide, looking peaceful and lazy, but so forlorn. I was struck with the thought that I might never see her again and a heavy sadness fell over my heart.
“Ah, good, you’re ready!” I heard Vashir call to me. “We have to be going if we wish to make Bebashal by nightfall.”

I’d no guess as to where or what that was. Peeking back over my shoulders at the gray man’s wine, I gently gave my camel’s rope a shake. It didn’t move. I looked over at Khentimentu, who eyed me like a fool. He discreetly made a tapping movement with his hand. I nodded and smiled towards him.
I heard him call after us as we made our way off the docks, “Health and prosperity.”

The pilgrim girls, all dressed in identical hooded long white robes, fell in line behind us. One of them began to chant as we rode out onto the sands, and her sisters in Isis joined in. Four of the soldiers rode out in front of us, and one came up along my side.

“It is an affront to Ra to have these women on our trip,” he said. “How are we to be safe if we do not have his eye upon us?”
“I have a cat.” I grinned. I don’t know what he expected me to do. It may have been inconvenient to have women in our charge, but I had found the idea more pleasant than a curse. He sneered at me in disgust, reining his horse off towards the back of the caravan. I could tell the soldiers hated me. I was off to an excellent start.

My father used to say to me, “Any man can make a mistake, but only a fool will keep making it repeatedly.” In my desperate pursuit of coin, I was sure I was once again putting my life to ruin, and I still had not a single thing to show for it all. If only this one time it might work out, and yet I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that accompanied that thought.

We followed the coastline for some time and then turned towards the desert, the true start of our journey. The sands began to overtake the road until the road appeared no more. I felt bad for the women who walked along behind us. They all looked so frail against the harsh desert scenery. Vashir rode up alongside of me. His camel was at least twice the height of mine. I tried to look up at him, but he was only a dark silhouette against the afternoon sun.
“Can’t we let them ride in the wagon?” I called up to him.

“That would defeat the purpose, Mardus. They are to undertake a great journey on foot once a year. It cleanses the soul, so they say. I don’t know. I’ve never done one.”

'Imagine that.' I couldn’t picture Vashir walking more than a quarter mile in any direction under his own power.

“Their Goddess will protect them,” he said, noting I still looked back in concern.

'And who would protect me? A cat?' I wondered. It certainly would not be Tibeus’ beloved Neptune, whose only concern was the sea.

Vashir started chatting down to me from his perch high atop his camel. He arranged to move cargo across the desert as his trade, and I found we had much in common in our professions, except he elicited more pay for his work and was afforded far greater respect.

“I’ve always been a man of my word, and fair with my prices, and I give gifts to every man who has influence. Gifts to the queen, gifts to the vizers, priests, nobles, scribes,” he continued, “military personnel, anyone I could think of who would gain for me some respect.”
“Do you give gifts to your slaves?” I grinned at him.
Vashir laughed. “Actually, I do. I treat my slaves well, much better than most. I give my favorites gifts from time to time. Some of them are deserve it. You see how they love me. I don’t force them to do so, although I could. They are investments, just like everything else. It’s to my benefit to make sure they remain happy.”
“What about your driver?”
He chuckled. "My driver is getting paid very well and has no cause to complain. My regular drivers made this trip for a tenth of what you’re receiving. A shame what happened to them. I don’t like to think about it still. Unfortunately, they’ll need to be replaced. You should consider coming to work for me full time. I could use a good driver such as you."

I chuckled at the compliment. I had managed to keep the camel moving in a straight line. 'Clearly there’s no finer camel driver alive,' and then I frowned at that thought. Of course there was no finer alive. They were all dead. Dead to nomads who cut their throats and plundered their goods without a second thought. It had brought the desert commerce to a near standstill, Vashir had told me. Alexandria herself was starting to suffer from the loss.

"There are very few free to fight these evil men,” he said. “Most of the mercenary soldiers are away now, fighting along with the Romans. Cleopatra will not send even a small portion of her army out here, as I don’t think she trusts Octavian."
“Army? How many of these raiders do you think there are?”
“Oh, not many, I’m sure, although no one has seen them. They’ve left nothing but bodies in their wake. By the time the missing men were found, all tracks had been covered by the winds. Some natives of Siwa claimed to have seen a few nomads in the outskirts of their great oasis city, but never more than two or three at a time. I say army only because no one knows where these men are. The desert and mountains would need to be combed, and that would require an army.”

The afternoon hurried past between our conversation and the boundless desert landscape, which continued to draw my eye with its dreamlike desolation. The land had been flat and featureless when we first entered the desert, but now the ground grew studded with jagged shards of rock and rough dry shrubs. The camels behind us meandered along in an unruly line, sometimes lurching or stopping stubbornly to wait upon a prodding slave. Somewhere far on the horizon I started to see the first thin lines of dark hued mountains. The sun was beginning to descend below the horizon when one of the soldiers shouted out, “Bebashal is ahead.”

I squinted towards where he pointed, but I saw nothing but a well surrounded by some rocks. “This is a town?” I asked.

“It’s a caravan stop. We make camp here for the night,” Vashir said.

I welcomed the idea of resting my eyes, until I remembered the task of erecting the tents now fell to me. I started pulling down what I needed from the camels begrudgingly, receiving a blast of sand to my face with each tug. I stopped every few minutes to wipe the invasive grit from my nose, mouth and eyes. Even my ears were assaulted.

The women all stopped and sat, circled together at a distance from us. I could hear them conversing quietly amongst themselves, barely above a whisper. I amused myself imagining that they spoke of what a charming driver they had – a pleasing delusion at best. I never had girls like Evania fawning for my attention, at least not when Galen was around.

I undid the harness from my camel and brought him over to drink before letting him lie with the others in a landscape all their own. After setting up the tents and fire, I climbed onto the back of the wagon and curled up against a giant grain bag. Something moved between the sacks, causing me to jump up in alarm! I focused, unbreathing, as the reflective glow of amber eyes staring at me in the moonlight.

“Gods, little bastard. Come on,” I said, laying back down and patting my belly. The cat, a boney flea-bitten little thing that smelled like the docks it was drawn from, came forward to lie on my chest. I pulled a blanket over us both as the night temperature dropped steadily, and its warmth became a welcome presence.

My mind filled with worries as darkness fully descended. What if these raiders should attack us in the night? What if I never woke from this sleep? I tried to remove these thoughts from my mind. I needed to rest if I was to be useful tomorrow. The cat began to purr as it slept, luring me into slumber.

 

[Kritter]

Frigid morning air caused the skin on my arms to prickle, bringing me to be both awake and shivering. I never knew much about the desert, other than there was one. Hot barren lands filled with drifting dunes of sand, that was all I’d heard. There had been no mention of freezing conditions. I could be thankful for hard boots and trousers, but they were of no use to bare and blistered arms.

The cat had sprawled itself across my chest and I hated to move it, warm as it was. Gently rolling it off onto the blanket, I sat up and gave a full wide arch to my back. Grain sacks made a decent bed, all soft and pliable and molding neatly to my form.

The smell of oil from a dying lamp in one of the tents reminded me of mornings at home. Lingering on that memory for a moment, I could hear my parents’ voices, the way they sounded in the mornings, playful and good humored, no more a pair of children in their airy little world. It was a fond recollection of two people who had been lovingly devoted to each other, made suddenly unpleasant by the knowledge I’d abandoned them. I hastened to push the vision from my mind, cursing myself for having allowed my thoughts to dwell in that sad place.

The soldiers started to stir as I repacked what I could from the camp. Not a single one had remained awake to watch over us in the night. Their inattentiveness diminished any confidence I’d gained by their presence. Quietly approaching my camel, I held out a handful of grain, trusting in bribery, and lured it back to the wagon, where I gently harnessed it with much less fuss.

Vashir appeared from his tent in fresh clothes and proceeded to rummage through his bags for food. As much fruit as we had in our cargo, I imagined I would still not be afforded any by my employer. I drank my fill of water from the well, enjoying its coldness despite the silted crunch. I filled all the skins and pulled the tents, trying to get us underway as fast as possible.

“How much farther do we have to travel?” I asked.
“Kel-abar by tonight,” he said, as his camel bowed for him to mount, “and we should arrive in Siwa sometime late the next evening.”

Assuming Kel-abar would also be a well, my stomach knotted at the thought of another day without food. The women also seemed to go without food, although I surmised that was part of their pilgrimage.

Morning passed by uneventfully as Vashir continued to prattle on about everything under the sun. The man loved to talk and, as much as I enjoyed a good conversation, he had more stories than I had nerves. He talked about politics, his ancestors, the dishonesty of some merchants, which was followed by the quality of food at his favorite tavern, and how it compared to food at other taverns. That line of conversation in particular did me no favors. I was starving, and hearing lavish descriptions of foods only increased my misery.

Painful waves cramped my stomach, a sensation new to me. I remembered the boys on the docks often complained of hunger. Only now though did I realize what they’d actually been feeling. Hunger, to me, had been not filling myself to full. I couldn’t really fault myself, having had no real idea. Still, I felt guilt for it, and I was being punished well enough now for that crime.
Coolness from the night gave way to feverish heat as the sun rose higher in the sky Vashir droned on, one word starting to become as any other, and I found my eyes growing heavy. The air around me was sweltering, and I had to fight the urge to sleep.

Loud shouts from the soldiers rang out from behind us and I startled to my feet, a sense of panic running up my spine, but a quick glance in their direction showed no raiders.

"Stop!" A soldier shouted out again. "One of the women....”
"One of the women has fainted!” Vashir proclaimed.
Stopping my camel, I felt a second of accomplishment in my driving expertise.
"Bring her to the wagon," he muttered, waving at the air around him. "It's this heat. Give her some water. She’ll come around."

I ran over to her, lifting her slender form easily. As I carried her, the hood over her head slung back, revealing a profusion of long golden brown hair. Sitting her down on the passenger side of my wagon, I gently lifted her chin and poured some water through her dry lips. Confused green eyes focused on me briefly before rolling back in her head.

One of the soldiers from the front came back and eyed the girl with contempt.
"We can't stop here,” he said. "We have to keep moving."

I climbed back to my seat and let her lean on my shoulder as I started my camel forward again. I kept looking down at her, dazed by her face. She was clearly lighter skinned than an Egyptian, but with the loveliest Egyptian features. Her appearance hinted at a mixed parentage, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the other half was. She started to regain consciousness but her breath came so weakly I feared for her wellbeing. She looked up at me, her flushed cheeks red with embarrassment. "I am so sorry, my lord."

I smiled broadly at her beautiful face, a fine feeling spreading through my chest at having been addressed as "my lord." A cargo man never received that kind of respect, and I took great pleasure in hearing it, even if it was from a simple temple servant. She tried to raise her head but could not. I liked having her head on my shoulder, but her circumstance still had me concerned. Vashir began talking again, and I fought back the urge to roll my eyes at him.

“The desert can kill quickly if one doesn’t remember to drink. Three hours without water under this sun is all it takes to induce a deadly delirium. Now camels, my camels, can go four or five days without water. Some of the well trained ones can make six or more, I’ve heard.”

I nodded up at him politely. I pulled out my water skin and made her drink again, and pouring water onto a clean tunic from my bag, I pressed it against her burned cheeks.

“I once heard a story of a camel going nine days without water. It was assumed to be blessed by the gods. They gave it to Ptolemy and it was never ridden after that,” Vashir continued. “When he died, it was entombed with him, if you can imagine that.”

I probably would have found it interesting had I not been so distracted by the girl. He rambled on for a good half hour while my eyes remained on her. She slowly began to appear revived, for which I was both thankful and frustrated. I ran over every lie I could think of to keep her at my side.

A soldier rode up next to me. “They want to know if she can walk,” he asked, ignoring her.
“I can walk,” she said, making ready to stand.
“We can’t afford you fainting again.” I fast brought my hand to her arm to stop her.
“No, really, I’m fine.”
“She means “no.” She’s delirious,” I told the soldier while I began to fan her feverishly. “She really needs to stay here.” I caught the most imperceptible upturn of her mouth. Those beautiful eyes narrowed back at me before she turned to the soldier.
“I’m still a bit weak,” she said. He nodded and rode off. She glanced back at me curiously before looking down at her hands. The girl was indulging me. I broke into a smile. This had to be exploited at once.
“You could have walked just fine. I saw you lying to stay with me.” I flashed a confident grin.
“Forgive me, I must be delirious,” she said, rolling her eyes. She studied my face a second. “You’re not Egyptian.”
“That’s just a rumor.”
“You’re Greek?”
“Gods no, I’m from Rome.”
“Why are you here?” She turned her body towards me slightly.
“I’m cursed.” I frowned, believing my own answer.
“By who?”
“By who? I’ve got a list. Jupiter, for one. Ceres, Neptune…I know I’ve gotten under his skin a few times. Zeus, definitely, although he’s Greek so I’m not really sure if I care. Mercury, he’s got no sense of humor. And Apollo,” I sighed at the sky, “who apparently takes exception to lies.”
“You lie?”
“Only when it’s absolutely necessary.” I grinned.
“Oh,” she said, looking away.
'Good job Mardus,' my mind slapped me. I struggled for something to say. Vashir’s voice broke the awkward silence, the first time this trip I was thankful for his interruption.

“Last time I was in Rome, we attended an exhibition at the circus where they fought animals one against another. They had a tiger fight a lion, a truly amazing sight, and do you know who won?”
“The tiger,” I answered. The tigers always won.
“That’s right.” He looked surprised I would know. “I would have thought the lion for sure, but only because of his size.”
“The tiger’s got better fighting skills. He may be smaller but he’s faster, more agile, more power in his bite,” I said. “They say tigers are the better hunters in the wild.”
“Well, I’m glad we don’t have any here,” he said.
“No, but you have these raiders. Just as dangerous it would seem.”

Vashir was interesting to me. He had as many tales as Tibeus, but his stories were all anchored by fact. I wondered, if the two ever met, how long they could converse without end. It occurred to me that Vashir could know something of the gray man.

“Vashir, did you ever hear of a man called ‘the Snake?’” I asked.
"The Snake? No, not that I can think of. I knew a man called ‘the rat’ once, though. He was a merchant in...."
I groaned as he started to roll into another story. I couldn't hear another word of it.
"What about a girl, an Egyptian girl named Simera?" I interrupted him. "She travels with him. Any idea of her?"
"Simera?” He dabbled with his fingers while he thought. "No, I don't think I know any girl in the whole city by that name. An unusual name, isn’t it?"
"Simera?” The pilgrim beside me whispered. She looked down as if in contemplation. "I recall a story of a girl, Simera. She was the daughter of the city architect.”

I turned and looked at her in amazement. "You know something about her?”
The girl shrugged lightly, her serene eyes remaining on her hands. "Only a story, my lord," she said. "One I was told a long time ago."
"Fascinating!" Vashir called down from his mount. "You’re one of Gabiniani soldier’s daughters, aren’t you? What is your name?"
She squinted up towards him. "Marina," she answered him shyly. "Yes, my father was a soldier."

Her name sounded pure Roman to me, despite being said with an Egyptian sounding tongue, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I heard it.
"Tell me this story you've heard, bella." I prompted her, intentionally using the Latin word to see if she would know its meaning. She blushed up at me.
Whatever unholy god had gotten me into this mess, I forgave him right at that moment. A lovely girl's blush directed at me? The only thing that could have made this day any finer was if Mars himself came down from the heavens and offered me cold beer.

"Well, when I was a small girl,” she said, “my mother took me with her to the Temple of Artemis, where she had once been a priestess. I was forbidden to enter the outer temple so I had to remain outside the courtyard door. While I waited for her there, I noticed on one of the murals on the temple wall, something unusual. A painting of a young girl who appeared to be serving the goddess. When my mother returned, I asked her who was this girl and she told me that was Simera."

"On the wall in the old temple?" Vashir asked. "I've seen that mural before. It was a picture of the builder’s daughter, I'd heard."

"Yes, her father designed and built the temple. As you can imagine, this took many years to do. My mother said the daughter would come there and watch her father work, and she started to assist the temple servants in their rituals whenever pieces of the statuary or pylons would arrive. They were greatly impressed by her willingness to serve their Goddess, and over the years, they spent much time teaching her their heku."

"Heku?" I questioned Vashir.

"It was a form of dark magic," he said. "Much more popular in the old days."

Marina nodded. "Very few people practice such magic now. My mother told me that, just before the temple was completed, one of the high priests brought guests inside to display the beautiful work done in the inner temple. The inner temple had already been completed and was sanctified, and having anyone other than the priests of Pharaoh enter it at that time defiled it. Simera observed this transgression and reported it to her father, and he in turn reprimanded the priest and ordered him beaten many times with a stick.

“The high priest did not forget this embarrassment, nor did he forgive it, and he looked for his revenge against the builder. When the temple was completed, and the rituals for its final sanctification were to be done, the high priest insisted to the Pharaoh that a sacrifice should be made to ensure the blessing of the Goddess, Artemis. He suggested it be the builder’s daughter because he felt she had great favor in the goddess’s eyes.”

“Kel-abar is up ahead!” One of the lead soldiers called out to us.

I pulled my eyes away from the woman, looking off into the distance in expectation of a well, but instead I was surprised to see a small village of baked mud brick surrounded by lush vegetation and palms.

"There it is!" Vashir said. "We've made wonderful time!"

Arriving at the village gate, I could see they had a tavern, and I licked my dry lips in anticipation of a cooled Egyptian beer. “I am sorry I won’t be traveling with you all the way to Siwa,” Marina said. “I can tell you the rest of the story, though, if you wish, before you build your tents for the night.”

“You’re not traveling on to Siwa?” My face fell into a frown, greatly disappointed with the luck of a poor Roman cargo man. I was losing the object of my newly found interest? Was there never to be happiness for me in this world?

“This is as far as the girls go.” Vashir bothered to reiterate as he dismounted from his camel. “They will come back with us to Alexandria when we make our return trip. Don’t worry, it’ll only be a few days,” he said, patting my back with a smile. “Some of this cargo gets unloaded here, but you can do that in the morning when it’s cool. Come, let me buy us some food,” he said. “I’d like to hear the rest of this story too.”

 

[Kritter]

Marina was still unsteady on her feet. I wrapped my arm around her to support her as she walked. The poor girl kept apologizing to me, as if this was some sort of hardship on my part, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Vashir waddled along behind, talking the whole way.

Vigorous greetings were offered by the tavern owner, who didn’t often receive foreign visitors, and he volunteered his sons to unload the village’s goods, for which I was very thankful. He assured us he’d received his supplies from the last many caravans without problem, which only meant to me that wherever these raiders were, they were still ahead of us in our journey.

Helping Marina to a bench at the table, I took the opportunity to sit next to her. Vashir ordered us a jug of beer and some large plates of food, which I ate and drank with tact, trying not to appear too much as a starved man. Three days without food had humbled me and my appetite. I savored every bite.

Marina seemed fascinated with this new surrounding, looking everywhere around us as she ate. I guessed temple servants didn’t get out much. She caught me staring at her, but that didn’t stop me. It was the fault of her eyes, so placid and green, like the sea where it met Crete. If there was anything else to see in this tavern, it went unknown to me, for there was no one here with a knife to my knee to otherwise convince me. She ignored my stare, though, as if I was an object like any other in the room. I tried not to grow frustrated at my complete lack of existence.

"So tell us, Marina, what happened to the girl in the mural?" I asked.
The girl glanced around the room at the rest of its occupants. She lowered her voice, leaning in to continue.
"She was chosen. Her father protested, of course, but the priest was a powerful man. He convinced the pharaoh that the temple could not be complete without a strong offering to the gods. To withhold the girl now would only bring a curse upon their creation."
"So he allowed them to take his daughter?" I felt sickened by the thought. "What in the name of Zeus is the matter with you Egyptians? Sacrificing a human?"

She turned her face directly towards mine, her eyes flashing sudden fury. “You would speak to me of the sanctity of a single human life? You? A Roman? Your armies destroy entire cities full of innocent people, and then you entertain yourselves by watching men die at your games. Yes, we had sacrifices, a long time ago as I said. No one in Egypt does such things now. We have learned to value life. If only the same could be said for you.”
“Watch how you speak, slave!” Vashir said.
She redirected her furious gaze at him. “I’m not a slave. I’m a priestess at the temple.”’

I lowered my brow. A priestess, of course, a far greater caste than me. There’s what I got for assuming her a lesser being to myself, and yet something about this revelation didn’t seem quite right. This girl had a temper that seemed honed by the cruelties of life and the struggle of the streets, not the sound of a well refined soul.
“Still, you will watch your tone with us,” Vashir barked at her. “Unless you wish me to report you to your high priest.”
“No, that’s okay.” I waved him off. The passion and spirit she displayed were intriguing to me. I couldn’t remember ever seeing a woman look at me that way before.
“She’s a hypocrite, Mardus. Her father is a Roman soldier,” Vashir said.
“I can tell.” I smiled with amusement, unable to hide how much I was enjoying that fiery demeanor. “Please, I’m sorry, continue with your story.” I’ll admit, I wasn’t really sorry, but I didn’t want her becoming so upset so soon after she had passed out in the desert. She looked so pale and fragile.
“The girl, Simera, did she manage to survive?” I asked.

Marina turned her eyes tensely back towards me, deciding if she even wished to continue telling this tale. Even in this contentious state, she was the most attractive woman. I fancied had she been a slave, what years of toil I would have willingly endured to possess her for myself. She seemed to shrug off her anger in a moment and started her story again.

“The girl was sealed inside a small tomb, under the alabaster altar that dwells beneath Artemis’s statue in the inner temple. Her father gave her skins of water and many small bags of dried figs to take with her on her journey, and he gave her something special. An amulet that had been made for her by the temple servants, the ones who taught her their magic, inscribed with sacred words to protect her and give her sustenance for as long as could be afforded to her.”

“They entombed her alive?” I coughed, choking on my food.

Vashir leaned forward and gave me a few gentle slaps on the back. He lifted my cup, holding it out to me. “Drink, that will help it go down.”

“Once she was chosen,” Marina said, “she belonged to the goddess, and her body became sacred. No blood could be drawn from her, nor could her skin be broken or harmed, so this is the only way it can be done.”

I had heard of this before, by my father of all people. He had told me once of a tomb that existed near our city gate, where they buried alive the temple’s vestal virgins, were they ever found impure. The reasoning was the same. It was still a frightening thought, made worse by the knowledge that it had been done to an innocent teen-aged girl.

“How long could she have possibly survived that way?” I asked.
“When they sealed the tomb, the servants say, the girl, knowing her fate, used her knowledge of this dark magic to put herself into a deep sleep. She would have needed little in the way of food or drink in such a state, but for how long...who can say?”

"So, did she somehow get out, or does she lie there still?” I grew impatient. Of what use was her story to me if the girl she spoke of lay dead in a tomb.

"No one knows." Marina said, raising her eyes to mine. "But, not many years ago, there was a great tremor of the earth in the middle of the night, and the temple needed repairs as a result. Pothinus had to grant workers permission to enter the inner chamber, whereupon it was discovered that the tomb had been split open, and it was found to be empty.”

“She escaped, then,” I said. “It’s the only explanation. I wonder if this is she?”

“It’s impossible.” Vashir shook his head. “It’s an amazing story, my dear, I admit, but this cannot possibly be the same girl.” He looked at Marina apprehensively. “The timing is all off.”
“You are right, of course, my lord,” she said, lowering her head.
I raised my eyebrow at Marina. They both spoke as if there was something more to this story. Something I didn’t know.
“How long ago was this temple built?” I asked.
Marina barely glanced at me as she murmured, “The temple was built when Alexandria was built, about three hundred years ago.”
I stared at her and then at Vashir, not knowing what to make of what she said.
“How powerful could this magic have been? Could the amulet alone have sustained her so long?” Vashir asked.
“No, it would be impossible. It’s just a story, as I said.” She looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine, and she held that gaze intently. She believed it. I could tell. She believed it, but for some reason, she didn’t trust Vashir to know.

“Imagine the value of such an amulet were the story true,” Vashir said, rubbing his hands together. “Where exactly did you meet this girl, Mardus? We should certainly try to find her!”
Marina closed her eyes and held them shut. I could hear her sigh.
“I met her in Greece.” I quickly lied. “She was traveling to Brittania.”
“Did you notice if she wore an amulet?” Vashir said, not at all put off from his thoughts by the distance I had implied.
“No, she wore no amulet.” I said, although her companion had been wearing one. Her companion that Tibeus swore should be a much older man. But how could such a story be true? Magic and amulets that keep you from withering? Tibeus had told crazier stories that were more easily believed.

Marina seemed to believe it was true, though, and for this reason alone I thought it best not to reveal anything further. “I’m sure it could not have been this girl,” I said. I glanced over at Marina. Her eyes, which were so pleasing to me, started searching my face for the truth.

A soldier poked his head inside the tavern. “Are we going to be setting up camp? It’s getting dark.” Waving at him that I was coming, I finished the last of my drink. I helped Marina to her feet, and seeing that Vashir was unable to rise, we both struggled to help him to his.

As I started towards the door, Marina put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.
“We will talk later,” she said.
“Until then.” I smiled confidently, waiting for my smile to be returned, but she only stared at my face and then continued towards the door. Dejected, I turned around and threw my hands up, questioning which god so enjoyed tormenting me. I turned around again, watching her leave. She lingered there a moment on its threshold and glanced back at me curiously, a faint trace of a smile on her lips. I glared at her. How was I to judge that smile? Her every act was a contradiction.

With the tents erected and a fire made for the soldiers, I went back to the wagon to rest. I lay back, staring up at the stars, imagining I was above them, falling towards them through all that space. It made me feel lightheaded. I closed my eyes, still gripped by that sensation. Marina stirred me from the edge of sleep.

“Mardus, are you awake?”

I sat up as she climbed like a child onto the back of the wagon, seating herself on its open gate. Running my hand back through my hair, I tried to look halfway presentable as I moved to sit near her.

Marina glanced around us before whispering to me. “If you know this girl, if it is truly she, you must make sure she is protected,” she said.
“I really don’t know her, but I would say she is already very well protected.”
She stared off a minute, as if in contemplation. “Let us hope she is. You must remember, regardless of where or how she lives, she is still considered sacred. Any affront to her is an affront to the goddess to whom she is meant to serve. I fear Alexandria could be made to suffer if she were somehow harmed.”

“Marina, not to sound skeptical, but if Egyptians could make these kinds of amulets, wouldn’t they all be wearing them?”
She shook her head. “The magic is a long lost art, and very few would know such sacred words. Even back then, sacrifices were a thing of the distant past. We know the gods do not desire them. The new pharaoh was not from Egypt, and not accustomed to our ways. He trusted the high priest in this matter, but Artemis would only be angered by such an offering. They would never have dared to put those words in writing, had they not thought the girl’s death would bring a curse.”

“Those who knew the words already believed themselves immortal, but to an outsider who may not know the way through the gates, that is another story.” She lowered her voice further. “Imagine if she were to be found by one who is unscrupulous. They might think to harm her and sell this amulet for their gain. You have to be careful to whom you speak, Mardus. It, and she, must never fall into the wrong hands.”
For some reason I knew she meant Vashir when she said this, but I couldn’t help but wonder of the gray man’s motives. He was the one who was wearing the amulet, but was it given to him, or did he take it?
“Before the seal to the tomb was made, her father warned her should she ever escape, she should flee from Alexandria, and never set foot in the city again. He feared for her safety, of course, but also he was unsure if there would be retribution from the gods.”

“How would you know this?” I asked. I didn’t want to appear untrusting, but it seemed much more information than any normal person might have, and I had an inherent disbelief from hearing too many years of Tibeus’ stories.
“My mother was a priestess to the temple, as I said. The builder, before he breathed his last, entrusted this tale to one of the young priestesses, and it passed down with her to each successive priestess there. Over the centuries it became just a story. I would not have told it today had I thought it could be real, Mardus, but now that you speak of her, I cannot help but believe it is so.”

“How old would you say this girl was when they entombed her?”
“I can only guess, my lord, but I know it took eight years to build the temple, and if she was but a small child when he started, she was perhaps…thirteen?”
“And when was this tremor that shattered the tomb?”
“About ten years ago.”
“About the same time as he disappeared.”
“Who is he?”
“The man who protects her, I think.” A man loyal to Caesar would certainly not have wished ill on Alexandria. But Caesar was dead, so where now did his allegiance lie? If he’d worn the amulet from when he found her, their ages could be right. But even if it all fit in place, I still could not believe it. I had long ago lost the innocence by which I believed such things.

“I met them in Crete. They’d ordered some cargo to be sent to Siwa, but it was just plain wine.”
“So they are here in the desert?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out when I get to Siwa – if get to Siwa.”
“The raiders, I have heard.” She nodded. “Be careful then, Mardus. I would not like to think of you harmed.”
I smiled at the sweetness of her words and she smiled at my smile. Her eyes drifted briefly across my body, studying me. “It must be exciting to be a paid soldier, traveling the world as you do.”
A paid soldier? Me? Did she really think me one of the mercenaries? And did I want to correct her? I had to think on that a second.
“Yes. Yes, it is,” I said, displaying every one of my teeth. “I’ve seen a lot of amazing things, some things more amazing than others.” I let my eyes linger on hers. She blushed, looking down at her hands.
“I’d love to hear the stories of your travels some day.”
“I’d love to tell them to you,” I said.

Her lips, which had been so dry and pale in the desert, were puffed full and pink again. I had to think of something to say just to pull my eyes off of them. “Your father was a Roman soldier?”
“Yes, but he returned to Rome when I was still a child. He thought he would be back to Alexandria right away. He promised me it would only be a few weeks, and then we never saw or heard from him again. Perhaps he was killed in a war. I like to think that anyhow.” Her face saddened when she said this. “After he left we started to run out of money so my mother sent me to the temple. I’ve lived there ever since, under their protection.” I wished she could be under my protection, but I would never the status or means to do so.

“I had better go,” she said. “I know you need rest, and my sisters will be worried about me. Return safely, Mardus, and remember what I said.”
I watched her go, though I didn’t want to. If I was to die to raiders in the desert, it would be the greatest tragedy of my sad life, because, I believed, I’d found what I’d been looking for.

 

[Kritter]

The stiff haired, sand crusted muzzle of a camel snorted out a warm breath on my face. I jumped, backing away on my elbows, unsure of where I was. My hands clutched at the grain bags underneath me as I blinked against the sun, trying to identify my surroundings. 'Oh dear gods, I’m in the middle of the desert.' I remembered now. I stumbled down off the wagon, grabbing my last clean tunic. I stared at it a minute. I’d used it to press water to Marina’s face, a thought which made me smile. Had she come and spoken to me last night, or was I only dreaming? Taking my seat, I looked back at the wine crates – my silent companions this whole time. Vashir called out he was ready to go and I let out a sigh of resign.

Marina waved goodbye to me as we moved on from Kel-abar. I kept looking back, wondering if I’d live to see her again. I felt as trapped right then as I did the day we were being chased by the legionaires on the Tiber, and I didn’t imagine Alcides would have a desert barge to save me.

"An interesting story, don't you think?” Vashir called down.
I had to remember what he was talking about. My mind had done nothing but scan the horizon since we left the small desert town. The mountain range now loomed alongside us, and I could hear the sound of hyenas stalking through the clusters of brush.
"Yes," I squinted up at him. "A bit stranger than I was expecting."
"I never heard it before, although I have seen the mural. Just another Egyptian myth, I suppose. We have so many, you know.”
“So do we,” I said. “Some of them are true, though. The myths.”
“Do you think so?”
“I know so. Did you ever hear the story of King Minos’ labyrinth?”
“Where Theseus fought the Minotaur? Of course I have,” he said.

“Well, I learned that story from a scroll of Greek myths. While I was in Crete, my friend Pasha showed me the ruins of the ancient palace of King Minos. Ruins from hundreds of years in the past, and you could still descend into its rooms. He warned me not to wander them because there were hundreds of them, and they connected in numerous ways. You could become lost inside forever if you weren’t careful. It was a maze, a labyrinth, and it really exists. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“I don’t suppose there was an actual Minotaur inside of it?” Vashir chuckled.
“Well no, because Theseus slew it.” I grinned. We both started laughing at once.

Even with good conversation the day wore on at a tedious pace. Sun and heat once again began their blistering assaults and I found my water skin growing thin as I kept reaching for it every few minutes. Sweat poured from my forehead into my eyes, stinging them and blurring my vision. Tall granite walls with bold bands of russet, tan and brown running through their center stood just to our side – great mountain plateaus that I imagined my friends would never see in their lifetimes.

The lead soldier doubled back to us. "I don’t think we’re far from where the last caravan was attacked. If there aren’t many, we should fend them off fine. Feel free to help if that’s the case. Not sure what can be done if they come in overwhelming numbers. Just be ready to leave a few camels and the wagon, if we must. I think that’s all they really want."

I nodded, pursing my lips. I felt responsible for the gray man's wine crates. Losing the wagon was a sad notion. I’d kept my mind off these raiders up until now, trying not to grow unnerved at the thought of them. The other caravans must have been smaller to have met with so brutal an end. Fortunately I was a cargo man, not a soldier, so I had no problem at all with the idea of retreating if it became necessary.

The men picked up their pace ahead, and the slaves followed neatly, each riding an unloaded camel, tugging along the rest of the beasts. Vashir suggested I had better do the same. I tapped at the camel in quick succession, but it continued to lumber on at no faster a step.
Vashir boomed with laughter. "I don't think you'll get very far doing that, my friend. You have to use the whip."

The whip. I looked around myself, trying not to show utter confusion.
"It’s under the seat. Don't worry. We'll make a camel driver out of you yet!"
I pulled the whip from under my seat and gave a gentle swipe towards the camel’s hindquarters. Flicking his tail at me several times, he began to pick up his step. I flashed Vashir a smile at this amazing accomplishment.

“How much further until we reach Siwa?” I asked.
“A few hours. Not long. You’ll like it there, Mardus. They have these great pools of spring water. You can take a long soak once we’re there, if you like. It’s wonderful for sore muscles. I look forward to that myself. The oracle of Amun used to live here. Have you ever heard of that oracle?”
“Just the one in Delphi. I didn’t know there were others.”
“Well, this oracle is the one that Alexander consulted and enemies of Egypt feared her power. In fact, the King of Persia is said to have led a fifty thousand man army to the area to destroy the oracle, but the entire army was lost in the desert.”
“How do you know all these things?”
“Stories told to me by caravan drivers when I was first learning this route. It took me many years to know my way around this desert. You can see there are few landmarks by which one can find their way.”
“Try being in the middle of the sea,” I mumbled.

My eyes caught sight of a rising cloud of smoke that rose from the sands not far from us. “Is that Siwa there?” I asked.

"It can’t be," he said, squinting out towards the horizon. He started to slow down. I stared at it too, long enough to realize it wasn’t smoke I was seeing. It was a wall of dust.

One of the soldiers shouted out. "It’s the raiders!" The others rode by him and they circled each other a few times, watching the wall grow closer. I was about to ask them what we should do when they all broke rank, galloping back the way we came so fast I could barely see them.

"Turn the wagon! Turn it!" Vashir called down to me as his camel wheeled around. "Hurry Mardus!" With one swift motion his camel took off at a speed I'd not seen on the fastest of horses. His attendants took off behind him.

I drew the rope hard to one side, tapping away at my camel as I tried to get him to turn, but he continued to walk briskly towards the oncoming dust. It dawned on me then I’d no idea how to turn the wagon. The only time I had turned it was while walking with the lead rope. I stood, looking back. Vashir was nearly gone from sight. I yanked the rope harder, desperately harder, cracking the whip hard towards its legs. Lurching forward unexpectedly, the creature broke into a gallop so abrupt it knocked me back over my seat. I lifted myself to my hands and knees, terrified to see we were still running in the same direction, directly towards the raiders.

Scrambling to my feet, I planted a leg over the seat board, reaching out for the rope. I jerked on it again, hard enough that the camel would have no choice but to turn or fall over, but there was a third choice, apparently. It dug its feet into the sand and skidded to a stop, an abrupt lack of movement that sent me flailing headfirst towards the floor. I gathered myself unsteadily back to my knees, shaking my head to clear it.

I blinked my eyes towards the dust. Twenty some odd raiders thundered ever closer, with long white robes and linens wrapped around their heads and faces.

There was hardly more to be done. I climbed to the back of the wagon, grabbed the cat and fell over the side rail. My feet sunk deep into the sand, which worked to hinder my running. I think I’d moved all of thirty feet before the sound of snorting horses walking casually behind me made me realize the futility of that act. I stopped, turning around slowly.

"I’m just the cargo man," I said, raising my one free hand up, to show I carried no sword. "I’m unarmed, unless you consider a cat dangerous." I held the cat forward a bit and tried to laugh, weak as it was. They all sat there on their horses, staring at me.

A few men dismounted and moved towards the wagon, while another went to gather the camels. I slowly backed away thinking they may have accepted my surrender. They rummaged through the crates, and I saw one man open an amphora from the gray man’s wine. I cringed at the sight. I’d come so far to deliver that wine and now it was about to be lost.

The cryptic language in which they spoke sounded nothing like words to me, but they conversed the entire time, both to and over each other. I edged backwards a bit more. I peeked over my shoulder but my traveling companions no longer appeared in my field of view. The soldiers had been worthless, but that wasn’t unexpected. Discussion among the raiders had taken a turn, as they all stopped and looked at me.

“I have a cat!” I threatened towards them. What use was this animal anyways?

One of the men waved his sword above his head, and every man still on a mount pulled his weapon as they suddenly charged at me, causing me to toss the cat into the air and turn on my toes.

“Oh gods, help!” Panic completely overtook me, and I tried to make it to the closest mound of brush. I could feel the earth below my feet vibrate as the horses closed in, and I threw myself to the ground, covering my head in despair. Death was here upon me. It hadn't seemed truly possible before this very moment. Bracing myself for whatever was coming, I gritted my teeth, hoping for it to be done quickly.

A sword sliced with a sickening sting across my back, causing me to scream out in shock. The sound of swiftly releasing arrows came whining over my head. A man fell to the ground beside me. I peeked through my fingers. He had an arrow protruding out between his eyes.

I covered my head again, horrified at the feel of my flesh so deeply opened. I wondered why they stopped, but there was only noise and confusion. The nomads were shouting to each other as the arrows continued to rain down on them. I heard another man fall near me. I clutched my heart, praying it was the soldiers who had returned, but I hadn’t recalled them having carried bows.

I took another peek, not wanting to remove my face from its safe place in the sand. The hooves of horses turned all about me, as if their riders were looking for the source of this attack. It seemed to be coming from every direction. I thought about getting up and trying to make a run for it, but the extreme sting of my back said otherwise. I laid my face back into the sand. Hopefully they thought me already dead, in which case moving might not be a good idea.

As men circled and fell, one of them shouted out something repeatedly. I could hear the horses begin to move away from me. I peered up cautiously, just enough to see they were retreating. But they had my wagon. I'd lost my cursed wagon and the wine crates. To make matters worse, I saw the last unmounted man scoop up my cat before he rode. I pulled my shaking hands up to my face, covering it a minute. My fast growing list of “most horrifying things that had ever happened to me in my life” had just been topped by one. I could feel warm blood pouring freely from my wound, and the sensation of being sliced open made me feel a bit nauseous.

I tried to pull myself up on my elbows, but the pain wouldn’t allow it. Afraid to cry out, I bit my teeth into my lip, just bearing the excruciating sensation. I realized I’d probably die anyhow, bleeding to death here in the middle of a blazing desert. No one would know what became of me. Neither Tibeus, nor Galen, nor Marina. It was best they didn't know if I was to be food for the hyenas in the night.

I closed my eyes. The pain was receding. My thoughts grew fuzzy and faded. “A sailor dying to desert raiders. That’s a good one, Neptune, really….” I laughed. I heard a voice, a woman’s voice, call out from somewhere behind me.

“He’s alive, Bakhu! This one still lives!”
I felt a touch of softness against my shoulder. I tried to look up.
“Be still, brave one,” she said. I turned my head towards the voice.
I saw only eyes. The lovely almond eyes of a cat. They stared back at me, full of compassion and concern.

“Simera.” I whispered. My mind went black then.

 

[Kritter]

I became gradually conscious of pain, slowly gaining in severity as my brain regained its function. I was alive, I could figure that much out, and I was lying on my back. I craned my neck, trying to figure out where I was. I seemed to be lying on a raised bed. My hands explored the surface beneath me, feeling layers of animal skins and blankets. It was at least soft, an obliging fact considering the butchered state of my flesh. I turned my head, trying to focus my eyes on the room around me. It looked to be carved from rock, hand carved, like an old mountain dwelling or tomb. I could smell burning wood and moisture in the air, which felt wet and metallic on my lips. Dusky light poured through some opening just out of my field of sight.

A figure emerged from the dark side of this cave, tall and strange. His head was shaved smooth, an Egyptian perhaps, as very few others did likewise. I could see his eyes now, clear and gray, even in the dim light. He had on light trousers and boots so worn as to have little of their original surface left. Both boots had thin leather straps wrapped around them, and I could see a small knife tucked in each.

"You'll need to stay on your back for awhile," he said. "No point in trying to sit up yet."

I tried to lean up on an elbow and felt the ripping bite of my back. "I don’t think I could anyhow," I said. He walked up to the bed. I could see him clearly then, with that ashen skin that crossed his eyes like a mask. "You're the gray man," I said, with a bit of surprise.

The man pondered me. "I've been called many things in my day, but gray?" He narrowed his pale eyes at me.
"I meant no offense, sir." I opted to be respectful on the offhand chance he was an actual assassin. "It's just, your hair. I mean, when you had hair."

The gash on my back stung as if someone had undone my skin and stowed some hot coals inside. The pain continued, unrelenting. I tried not to grimace like a child. He handed a cup to me, and picked up a roll of blankets from the floor, tucking them behind my head so I could be at least inclined. I tried to tilt the cup near my eye without spilling it, unsure of what it contained.

"Some wine. Should help ease the pain for you a bit.”
“Well now, there’s good news at least. Pain aside, I haven’t had a taste of wine in over a week.” I tipped the cup to him in thanks, taking a long sweet drink.
“I remember meeting you in Crete. The cargo man, right? I didn't realize you drove camels as well. I have to tell you, that was quite the display, boy," he said. "Never in my life have I seen one man ride full long into such odds. You're either very brave or very foolish."
"It's the latter, I assure you," I said, though I was too embarrassed to explain why.
"Well no great damage is done to you," Simera said.

Her voice reminded me of Marina’s – that sweet Egyptian accent. I recalled now having seen her before I fell unconscious. She walked up, joining her companion by my side. She wore none of the gold or jewelry she had on the first time I saw her, just a plain tan sheath dress, with a leather strap around her waist.

"Ah, but the wagon,” I said. "I hated giving up your wine. You came so far to get it, and I brought it all this way…and now this.” I started to feel distraught. “I’m so sorry." I groaned, covering my face with my hand in frustration.

She smiled mysteriously, her arm reaching around the gray man's waist as she leaned against him. "Do not worry about that, driver," she said. "The wine went exactly where it was supposed to go."
"We thought they might grow suspicious when you didn't turn around, but sure enough, they took it just the same," the gray man said.
"Wait, you meant for them to have the wine?” I asked, confused. "What on earth for?"
"We're throwing them a bit of a party later on tonight," the gray man said. "They've been disrupting the trade chain here far too long. Siwa is where I get our supplies, and I don’t like to go hungry."

I smiled with confusion at them both, still not making sense of what the man was saying. "Your name is Bakhu?" I asked him.
"That's just what she calls me, mate. It's some Egyptian crap, a mountain god who holds up the sky."
"The sun." She corrected him.
"Whatever," he said, waving a hand at her. He leaned in closely, whispering to me, "Though you and I, we both know it's Belenos who holds up the sun".
I wasn't sure if he mistook me for a fool or he honestly thought I believed such nonsense. There was a reason Sol was called the god of light, but I wasn't about to argue with either of them as to who held up the sun.
"My name would be Cayden. And you, what's your name?" he asked.
"It's Mardus, sir, from…Rome, remember?"
"Well, that much anyone could tell. The way you've been crying over that tiny cut in your back."

I tried to look over my shoulder at my wound, a bad move all its own in that I both couldn't see it, and it caused the pain to sear once again. I bit down hard on my lip. It was embarrassing to be laughed at by a Celt. I imagined the barbarians must have a much greater tolerance for pain. Had I received this wound in Rome, I could have been assured an immeasurable amount of sympathy from my friends.

"Is it bad?" I asked him. I attempted to look again, regretting it immediately.
"No.” He laughed at me. “It’s barely a scratch, and Simera’s a good healer."
"Well, thank you." I nodded towards her.

She smiled, her almond eyes sparkling. She picked up a handful of what looked like dried willow leaves, shredding them into a cup, and poured steaming water over it. I laid there on the bed for quite awhile, alternately putting on a brave face about my misery and whimpering like a dock gull. I did try, though, to be a man about it. Even with the wine it was not going to be easy.

"Drink this. It will help you,” Simera said, holding the hot drink out to me as she sat down by my side. I would have much rather had more wine. Much more wine. “You’re lucky, it could have been much worse. These raiders take pleasure in removing a man's head. They're the worst breed of animals. When we visit them tonight, they'll be very lucky we grant them a fast death."
"So, you've got a raid of your own coming, then?" I asked. "How many men?"
"One man." Simera looked over at Cayden. "Two, if you'd like to help us."
I looked over at the gray man, who had pumped up the fire and was busy notching arrow shafts by the dozen. The back of his freshly shaven head displayed some variety of marking or tattoo, but I couldn't clearly make it out from where I sat under the dim light.

I turned, narrowing my eyes at her. "I think you underestimate how many of these raiders there are. I saw at least twenty of them."
Simera gave a wide confident smile. "More like forty, but that is where the wine comes in."
"Is it poisoned or something?" I asked. "Is that why you wanted them to have it?"
"Well, it certainly wasn't to offer them a friendly drink," the barbarian piped in from his seat by the fire. “They’re going to be enjoying the sweet taste of belladonna.” He turned his head, grinning at her, and she beamed back in return.

I’d come so close to drinking that wine while I was on the sea. I imagine I would’ve arrived in Alexandria a ghastly floating corpse, and none would have known why. It explained why they needed the wine to ride out on this caravan, but why wouldn’t they go to Alexandria for it? My mind started to argue that she was the girl from the mural, who had been warned never again to set foot in that city. It made sense, but it made no sense.
She looked so normal, not like a girl who had been in a tomb for centuries. She seemed quite affectionate, even enamored with this man who was her protector, despite his being quite a bit older.

'Or is she older than him by three hundred years?' I questioned in my head. I looked her over once again, carefully, as I knew well how the gray man responded to my having done so the last time.

The man removed something from the cooking pot that rested over the fire. The glow of the flames illuminated the room enough so I could see it clearly. Individual ledges had been carved into the limestone wall in rows. I could see where steps had been cut down into it. It was definitely a tomb at some point, or had been meant to be one.

I could make out a table and chairs, and a cabinet made of worked wood, which looked like it had been salvaged from an old deserted cart. Metal bowls and ceramic cups, and several assorted jugs and baskets sat against the wall. A hole in the ceiling above the fireplace appeared to vent the smoke away.

On one of the walls was a faded painting with some kind of Egyptian god seated on a throne. The picture was primitively drawn. I could only guess it must have been done at one time by Simera herself. I pressed my hand up against the wall. It felt cool, even with the fire going.

Cayden handed us both some food. I noticed the amulet again, trying not to fix my eyes on it. I turned my face down towards the plate.
“What is this?” I poked like a child at what appeared to be boiled lizard.
“That’s fish,” he said. “Desert fish.”

I wrinkled up my nose, handing it back to him. “I’ve eaten today.” My stomach perhaps would have appreciated the food, but my mouth refused to consider it.

“Why would you want to live out here, way out in the desert like this?” I asked.
“I like it out here,” Cayden replied. “It’s quiet. No one bothered me until these nomads decided to settle and started using the caravans as a way to help sustain themselves. I don’t care for intrusions.”
“We have water, some goats, and our own date tree,” Simera said. “Cayden goes to Siwa to get us grains and vegetables, fruit sometimes, and he sells them the skins he traps here.”

I nodded politely, but my mind had only begun to race with questions. Simera poured out more wine for me. Their courtesy was welcomed, but I wondered how they really saw me. I couldn’t imagine being legitimately trusted by two people who had so much to hide. Tibeus had stressed this man’s dangerous nature, and I’d already made the mistake of underestimating him once. If they imagined I knew about that amulet, I didn’t doubt that man might see me as a threat, and that could lead to something bad. The thought of this caused me to take another lengthy swig of the wine.

Cayden stood up, walking towards me, and in the line of thought I was in, I actually tensed. "Do you think you can stand?" he asked. "We have to go soon. It would make for much faster work if you came along."
"I wouldn't be much use to you," I said with honesty. "And I don't mean my injury, although that alone would make me say so. I'm not a soldier by any means. I've never used a bow or sword in my life."
"Oh, I think we can find a use for you." He winked at me. "A man who charges his camel into an entire army of desert scorpions and survives? You must have some constitution, boy. Let's see how you are on your feet first, though, eh?"

I pondered faking a horrible faint on standing, not wanting to get involved in a two man attack on a camp of raiders, but once I’d advanced past sitting up, I found myself able to stand with no problem. I was fine, from head to foot, save for my back and its soreness. I’d recalled the wound being horribly bad, but now it barely hurt me.

"Grab some arrows," he said, tossing me three good sized, worn leather quivers, each decorated with strips of fur and covered with colored beads. 'Now there’s the handiwork of a very bored girl,' I thought reasonably to myself.

I walked slowly towards the table and knelt carefully to the floor. Bending was not an option. I started to pile stacks of feathered reed arrows with barbed iron tips into the quivers. I couldn’t imagine attacking so many men, just us two, even with the stories I’d heard about Cayden. How could one man not become overwhelmed in such odds? Although, I remembered hearing all the arrows flying when I’d been attacked. I’d assumed I was hearing a small army, and that was just one man.

I looked over at Simera, who was covering her face and arms completely with kohl black ash. One man and one woman, I corrected myself. If she had been living here with him for so long, she was no doubt as accomplished a killer, but it was hard to imagine there could be anything ruthless behind those feline eyes.

Cayden reached under the bed I’d been lying in, pulling out a small crossbow, which he loaded and fastened to a strap of leather around his upper leg. He walked back towards Simera and started rubbing ash on himself. I could see it clearer then. It was the double arrow crossbow. I stared at it, my mouth near falling agape.

'Oh, Tibs, if you could see this now,' I thought. As if there was no clearer sign as to the truth of Tibeus’ story, when Cayden turned from me, with the light of the fire I could clearly see the tattoo on the back of his neck. It was a snake.

 

[Kritter]

“Where we are right now is on a plateau,” Cayden explained while I finished loading the arrows. “Their camp is in a cove on its east side not far south of here. The part that overlooks their camp isn’t climbable from where they are, but I guess they don’t consider that anyone can get up there from farther north. Ride south from here and it takes us right above them. There’s a narrow pass out of their cove which they blockade with wagons at night, which just works in our favor.” He laughed.

“They’ll drink the wine, but only with their evening meal. That poison works slowly but the symptoms come fast. We should reach the spot I’ve chosen just in time to watch them die. Some of those men don’t drink, so….” He stopped, grinning at me, his eyes gleaming at the thought of live prey. He poured himself out some wine and continued.

“We’ve been over there a few times now. There’s one small steep cliff that we’ll need to climb, but I’ve already knocked in a few stakes. I left a few crossbows up there last time we went. They’re already propped around the top. They’re set up to go off on the pull wire, but they’ll only be good for the initial attack. If they take out a man or two…” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I just want them real confused.”

He pulled two wrapped cloths from one of his bags, holding them out to me. “Powder. It hangs in the air, gets in the eyes and makes you cough. I’m giving you two of these. We don’t want to use them right away. I like to be able to see what I’m aiming at, but when they start trying to move out through the pass, drop these behind them at will. Then -- arrows, rocks, anything to make them think we’re still up there and not coming down behind them. You need to be three people for a minute. We won’t need more than that.”

He dragged a sack to the middle of the room. Before he tied it shut, I noticed it was full of what looked like dead scarabs and dried out pieces of palm. He fastened this sack to his belt. This man thought ten steps ahead. I was starting to see why he could do what he could do.

Simera motioned for me to come to her, and she started covering my face and skin with ash. Each stroke of her hand lingered deliberately across my flesh. Had it been the touch of a desert pilgrim I might have found it enticing, but I couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling that this woman was as ancient as the tomb in which we stood. When she finished, she handed me her silver mirror box.

I liked being hidden underneath this dark veneer. Cayden pointed to armor pieces that hung fastened to his wall. “Give him those,” he said. She handed me bracers and a hardened leather chest guard. I shivered putting them on. Between the ash and the items I had strapped to me, I felt like a seasoned soldier. My blood began pumping more in excitement than in fear.

“We’ve got horses,” Cayden said. “I hope you know how to ride.”
“I have never in my life sat on a horse,” I said, more enthusiastic than apologetic.
“Well, you can’t be any worse than the Roman cavalry. We’ll go a bit slower, just try to keep up. We’re not bringing them all the way. Last thing we need is a snorting horse announcing our arrival.”
He handed me a small bow partially covered with strips of leather. It was curved inward on both ends, very different from the longbow he had slung over his back. “Made this one myself,” he said. “Should be easier for you to use, considering your injury.” I took it over my shoulder as he nodded. “Now you look the part.”
“I might look it, but I still don’t know what I’ll be able to do.”
“Well, you can always just stand still,” he said. “Better they shoot their arrows at you than at me.”

I flicked my eyes up at him and he grinned. I feebly returned his grin, but in the back of my mind, I knew it was probably exactly what he was thinking.

I took the liberty to refill and empty my cup. Whatever Simera had given me had numbed the pain well, but for steadying nerves, there was nothing quite like wine. Simera coiled a rope, securing it to a loop on her belt, and we all stepped out into the crisp night air.

For what distance I could see, the lower face of this mountain seemed full of small dark openings. “These were tombs at one time. I can’t guess how old,” Cayden said. “I cleaned out what was left of the bones, but there wasn’t much.”

It was a disconcerting thought to me that Simera may have been a girl who laid in a tomb for three hundred years, only to come out and reside in one.
They had gated one of the tombs, and he produced from inside of it two worthy horses. In the pallid light of a low hanging crescent moon, their coats appeared as black as the ash we wore. Cayden gave me fast instruction on drawing and releasing my bow, making sure I understood the basic idea, and then I slung it back over my shoulder as he helped me to my saddle.

We started off silently, making no sound but the gentle rhythm of hooves against the stones. Simera rode with Cayden, her body pressed up tightly against his. The ash worked well in the darkness. My eyes strained continually to make out their forms ahead of me.

I savored the feeling of riding like a soldier. It added to the dreamlike atmosphere of this night. If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I’d soon be riding in the middle of the desert prepared to declare war on a camp of raiders, I would’ve laughed them straight out of the pub.

We rode briskly for half an hour before stopping to dismount. As I carefully lowered myself from my saddle, I saw Cayden pull Simera to him. He placed the amulet around her neck, whispering to her, “No argument.” I readjusted the straps across my chest, not wanting my eyes to linger. I’d have regarded it a noble act, but the amulet was hers to start with. I still didn’t know what to make of him.

“Let’s go,” Cayden said.

My vision was slowly adjusting to the shadowy darkness around us. I could barely see twenty feet ahead, but that worked in my favor. Had I been able to perceive the cliff we were about to climb, I would reasonably have turned back around.

“So how many men do you think we’ll have to fight?” I asked, my pulse beginning to quicken at the thought of confrontation.
“We’ll know when we get up there. Shouldn’t be too many, but I can hope.”
It sounded like he’d meant to imply he wanted longer odds. If this hunting was such sport for him, I would have been happy to accommodate him by staying behind at the cave. My foot caught in a tangle of brush and I worked to yank it free. “I wish the goddess would grow her moon,” I said.
"Embrace that shroud of darkness," Cayden said. "They’ve got torches in their camp, and torches are a wonderful thing. Illuminates your target for you while blinding them to anything that sits outside its cast, and they can’t kill what they can’t see. That's the key boy. Remember that."
"Okay." I nodded my head. The assassin was imparting a lesson to me. I found myself having to stifle laughter. Would I live to tell this story, no one would believe it, except maybe Tibs, since he’d known this man. I wondered who taught Cayden these things, or was he just by nature born the way he was?

Approaching the granite rock face, I gained a sense of its height. It was a sheer vertical climb of some twenty feet. I could see the iron spikes he’d applied, protruding from a natural crevice which ran the wall’s length. Simera started up first. Watching her climb reminded me of when I was a child, watching the masons scale the scaffolding around the basilica. I used to get nervous seeing them up so high. The same feeling applied here. I started up behind her. The stakes felt loose in their holds. My mind at once began sabotaging me. 'The further up you climb, the more deadly that fall will be.' My hands began shaking, despite a valid attempt to stave off that unease. Each time I looked skyward to gain a fresh hold, I was overcome with a dizzying sensation. As Simera disappeared over its crest, I glanced down, gaining an alarming perspective to my height.

I closed my eyes tighter than I’d ever shut them before, sucking my lips into my mouth and biting down on them, trying to control my nerves. It was like being up in the lighthouse. The elevation was disorienting. My muscles locked into a tight grip, and I found myself clinging for life.

“Mardus.” Simera called down to me in a hushed voice. “Mardus, are you okay?”

Cayden was climbing just below me. I could hear him let out a heavy sigh.
“This is what I hated about the Romans,” he said. “Their soldiers had no nerves. They were so weak compared to my people. The barbarians live for war. Greatest warriors on earth. Do ya know what your Caesar gave me to help him fight the Celts? More money than you’ll ever see in your lifetime, and you know why? Because he knew his own men were too weak to do it. The only way they won their wars was by the sheer size of their infantry. In an even fight, there’s no way they could win.”

My eyes flashed downwards at him. “We won plenty of battles where we were outnumbered. Caesar took out an army that outnumbered his two to one.”

“Nah, he just got lucky,” he said. “His mercenaries did most of the work. I don’t know how you can imagine otherwise. You’re all so small. We’re obviously superior. The Greeks are superior. They’re more intelligent than you. The Egyptians have made greater advancements. The Parthian cavalry has a good long laugh at Romans every day. And you’re all so ugly, and your women are....”

“Our women are what?” I shouted back at him. He was starting to infuriate me. I began climbing again, steadily. I could hear him chuckling smugly below me. Simera gave me a hand up as I ascended over the threshold, and I turned, waiting for him, my fists ready to fly at his arrogant head.

The second he planted both feet firmly I took a single swing. He ducked it off and crouched, wrapping me up with his head against my side and lifting me sideways over his leg onto the ground. A new shock of pain roared across my wounded back. His leaned forward, smiling at me, resting his forearm taut against my neck.

“You froze up. I had to light a fire under your ass. Get over it.” He whispered calmly. “We don’t have time for this now, boy. I need you on your feet.” He stood up, holding his hand out to me. I lay there a second, staring at him, trying to catch my breath. I finally took his hand, glaring at him while I did it. “You can show them what Romans are made of,” he said, nodding towards the camp beneath us.

Dozens of glowing torches and fires burned far below us on the opposite side of the mountain. We descended along a narrow ridge, our backs pressed up against the rocks as we nimbly edged down its precarious path. We reached a small stretch of level ground. Cayden pointed out to me the wire he had left there and to the three spots along the rock face where he had propped his preloaded crossbows.

“I have some things I need to do, so for now, you two are both quiet and out of sight,” he said.

Simera flattened to her belly and I did the same, peering carefully over the ledge.

I could see the men in the camp before us and hear their wailing cries. Many of them were doubled over, moaning or heaving, while others staggered blindly about, grasping at their heads. There were men on the ground convulsing, and others already stilled. The vagrants who appeared healthy were lamenting in sorrow or screaming in fury at the condition of their friends. They were all suffering in some way, and though they were our enemies, I found the scene disturbing. I’m sure they never expected their deaths to come so underhanded. They dreamed of deaths with glory, if they dreamed of death at all, and now they laid there in humiliation, writhing in their own spew.

Angry bursts of chatter came between the living men. I knew they questioned who to blame. I beseeched Mars not to let us see failure, because I didn’t doubt their next stop would be Kel-abar.

The cove was more extensive than I’d imagined. I could see wagons and some two-wheeled carts, along with the wares they’d plundered from ravaged caravans. Numerous crates and sacks were randomly stacked along the walls, some emptied, some still full. Their horses stood tethered along with some camels at the far end of the camp. Closer to us large gutted remains suggested a few camels had served as meals.

Cayden secured their rope to a stake he must have left before. Crawling back around us, he crossed silently to the part of the ledge that overlooked the pass. He was barely visible to me in the dark, but I could still make out his form, tossing bugs and leaves from his sack somewhere down into the darkness below him. Simera lay so close to me I could feel our shoulders touch. She leaned up on her forearms, watching him, and my eyes drew unwillingly to her amulet. It appeared some manner of lustrous dark metal, with three symbols seared unto its surface. Simera turned her head towards me. I lifted my eyes away from her neck. She had the same look I first saw in the tavern. That longing loving gaze. The kind of impassioned look you would expect from a lover, not a girl you’d first met. It made me uncomfortable, despite her appeal.

Cayden returned to us, dropping to a crouch. “Looks like we’ll only have about eighteen of them to fight.” It sounded like an easy number, until I remembered there were only three of us. “If we wait a few more minutes, we can be sure everyone who drank will be incapable of helping.”

Simera leaned on her side, staring up at the sky.
“Will I ever be as the stars, Bakhu?”
“Not if I can help it,” he said.
“But it is an honor to become such stars.” She turned her head back to look at him.
“An honor for the dead,” he said, “which you are not, and won’t be in my lifetime.”
She frowned at him, appearing wistful at his answer.

Those keen gray eyes remained fixed on the men below us the entire time he spoke, like a predator watches its prey. It seemed to me this was all he really knew. Hunting, stalking, killing. He was the consummate protector for the Egyptian girl beside me. I wondered how they could have met, and if she had been a young girl at the time, why he would’ve chosen to take her under his wing.

I was removed from my thoughts by the sensation of something crawling over my skin. Glancing down at its lobster like claw and long raised pointed tail, I sucked in my breath. I knew what it was because I had seen one before, in a wooden box at the market in Rome. A foreign trader was selling it as a curiosity. I was fascinated with it as a boy, but here on my hand, it brought about an entirely different emotion.

I shrieked, flinging my arm into the air.

“Gods preserve us!" Cayden shouted quietly, "Do you want to get us all killed, boy?"
“It was a scorpion.” I whined. From below us I could hear a sudden roar of activity.
"I think we've been seen," Simera said.

Cayden glared at me as they jumped to their feet, donning their long bows. Before I could rise up to my knees, both had already released arrows and were reaching for their quivers. Grabbing the bow from my shoulder, I tried to load it with a trembling hand. An arrow whisked past my face. I ducked nervously behind Cayden, releasing my first arrow without giving thought to aim. It descended weakly down into the camp, falling over on its side in the sand. I nocked another and tried again. I felt ridiculous next to Cayden, who stood aiming and releasing with an unbelievable swiftness.

Simera glanced over at me. “Mardus, keep shooting! There’s nothing down there we don’t wish to kill.”

Attempting to aim my next shot, it flew far from its intended course. “I…I hit a camel!” I gasped. The poor animal reared up and ran wild about the camp, adding to the confusion.

Cayden hit his wire and arrows discharged down on them from all sides. Deceived invaders shoot up the mountain, in the directions from which the arrows had come. Men slumped and fell everywhere, succumbing to the barrage which assailed them, as the gray man was deadly accurate with his bow. If they darted about, they couldn’t return our attack. If they stood still, they were dead. Shouts of confusion rang out, as the men started backing towards the pass.

I loaded arrow after arrow onto the bowstring, trying desperately to pierce a single limb. A few of the nomads’ arrows whined dangerously close, but I could hear most of them ricocheting off the rock face, short of where we stood.

"They can barely reach us!" I said, realizing that had been Cayden’s point in attacking from this spot. I stood a bit more assertively with increased confidence in my safety, gaining some poise in the use of the bow. More forcefully released, my arrows properly hissed as they streaked towards their intended destinations. I managed to puncture one man through his leg, watching him stumble into the dirt. I flashed a smile at my companions.
The ten or so men left standing in the camp rushed the pass together.

“Go now!” Cayden said to me. He and Simera bolted towards the rope he’d anchored. They waited on me, ready to toss it over and descend. I ran towards the overhang above the men. The raiders frantically hurled crates aside to get past their own blockade. I threw the powder laden cloth down on the ground behind them, and started engaging them again. Thousands of tiny white particles rose up in a cloud, swirling around them like desert snow, obscuring them from my view.

An arrow ruffled past my face. I felt its bite as it grazed my cheek. Stumbling backwards, my heart began beating at an almost unbearable pace. I closed my eyes, drawing a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. I had to keep attacking. Anything to keep them from looking behind them, or Cayden and Simera would be trapped.

I stepped to the edge again, starting to unload arrow after arrow in fast succession without concern for aim. I needed to seem like three people, Cayden had said, so I let them rain down unending. An arrow ripped through my quiver, its shaft taunt against my neck – but I maintained my assault. I saw one of the men double over and collapse, my arrow sticking from his chest. Blood from my cheek dripped hot across my lips. I could taste it with my tongue. I wasn’t a killer, not like Cayden, but I was beginning to feel a bit dangerous myself.

My friends became visible as the powder began to settle. They were on the ground with raised bows. The bandits now fled into the ravine, with the two in pursuit behind them. I hastened to the rope, tenderly lowering myself down, hand over hand. I caught up just as they slowed their steps. The raiders had moved around a corner. “They’ve stopped, they’re regrouping,” Cayden said, holding his hand up to back us off. I’d no idea how he could tell this, but I trusted him to know.

I expected us to return to the rope, content in the victory we’d achieved. We’d leave nine men at most. A good sized caravan could fend that off. Cayden pulled a short sword from his belt and held it out to me. I took it in my hand, studying it, and studying him. Outnumbered in close quarters seemed a bad idea, and had he forgotten I’d told him that I’d never used a sword?

Backing up against the wall, he and Simera stretched their bowstrings, standing alert and ready. I could hear Cayden’s labored breathing. He sounded exhausted. I’d forgotten his age until now, as he moved with the grace of a much younger man. A raider stepped into our line of sight, but Simera released her bow, striking him in the chest. His grip gave way as he fell and his arrow wavered towards me, bouncing off the wall between my legs. I looked down, laughing nervously. Simera crept back into the middle of the pass, readying another.

Two men appeared in succession, downed by a pair of fleet releases. I realized then what my companions reacted to. It wasn’t sight, but sound. The sound of men stepping on crunchy dried leaves and bug shells. Each time men moved from the unseen side of the pass, we could hear them advance. Cayden knew they’d stop around that bend, he’d thought that far ahead. I was dazed by the very idea of it.

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence.

Cayden shot a questioning look at Simera. She held up six fingers.
“They know better than to trade arrows with us now. They’ll either run or try to rush us.” Cayden whispered.

They both edged out and backwards with their bows pulled taunt. I backed up too, along the wall, waiting on the sound of men rushing forward or away. I held the sword ready, the way I had done with my wooden stick when I had been a boy. I’d copied the soldiers hundreds of time, from up on the barracks wall. I may not have ever fought with a sword, but I still knew every move I could make with one. Even with that comforting knowledge, I prayed these men would run.

There was the rush of sound as all six men came racing forward at once. I swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to flee towards the rope. Cayden managed to send an arrow directly through one man’s throat, and then there was no point in bows.

He pulled both his daggers as Simera retreated, and we started struggling fiercely -- two men against five. Three of them went towards Cayden, who was closer, and two of them towards me.

My most immediate desire was not to die. I inched away continually as I carefully fended off their swings, deflecting one as I dodged the other, scraping steel against steel for what felt like an eternity. I could see Cayden from the corner of my eye, his daggers flashing in all directions, but there was nothing wild about his movements -- they were all discernibly methodical, each swing and parry flawlessly executed with beautiful precision. Simera held her bowstring tight, trying to gain the right angle, hoping to hit one of the men without hitting her partner. She finally let her arrow fly. It grazed Cayden’s upper arm as it plowed through one of his attackers. Cayden looked down at his arm and then back at her. I swore I could hear him laughing.

My eyes jerked away from them as I ducked off another swing, coming into contact with granite. I’d backed myself against the wall. I braced myself as both thieves now attacked with renewed and unending ferocity. A sword slit across my shoulder, and then my thigh cried out in pain. This wasn’t going well. I called out for help, a ridiculous reaction, as the gray man had his hands full enough.

Cayden glanced in my direction, and dropping one of his daggers, he grabbed the crossbow from his hip. With one hand still fending off the two men who fought him, he squared his weapon towards me. I ducked and covered, terrified, and then both men in front of me collapsed to their knees, an arrow in the back of each.

I gasped out with an incredulous laugh, shouting at the sky, “Tibs!” Somehow that damned old fool had just saved me. I rushed forward to aid Cayden, circling behind the men he fought, drawing one around to me. Now with the contest even, I was able to go on the offensive. Swinging that sword felt natural to me. I loved every second of it.

Fear sparked in my opponent’s eyes. That only served to make me swing harder. I knew before he moved that he was thinking to try and run. Breaking from combat, he spun on his heels, and I tackled him hard to the ground. I most likely should have stabbed him then, but instinct from the streets took over. I tossed my sword and swung at his face with a flood of gratifying punches. He pulled his arms in to block my fists and repeatedly tried to throw me. He finally managed to shove me off, and he scrambled to his feet. I rushed to pick up my sword and turned, ready for another round, but he was running towards Simera, not me. I gasped, sprinting after him.

From the side of my vision, I could see Cayden. He was ripping his bleeding dagger from his assailant’s prone form, and we both rushed towards the last man in unison. Simera lifted her bow towards the man, standing fast in her spot, and she released an arrow into his chest at very close range. The men fell to his knees at her feet, viciously thrusting his sword outwards and into her stomach as he crumbled forward. Her eyes grew wide with shock as she took an unsteady step backwards, slumping pitifully to her side, her face an unearthly white. The man struggled back to his knees, but Cayden was on top of him, grabbing his head and slitting his throat in a single efficient movement.

He rushed to Simera’s side while I climbed to my knees, my hand tightening on my shoulder to hold in the blood from its wound. He pulled her into his arms and held her, kissing the top of her head. The color in her face slowly started to return, and she turned her face up to look at him. She smiled up at him peacefully.

“Are you hurting, love?” he asked.
She nodded, pulling herself up to sit; her head leaning against his chest.
“Now, that was a decent fight. I have to say I enjoyed that.”
“Me too,” she said.
“And what was this?” He pointed to where her arrow grazed his arm, raising his eyebrow at her.
“You got in my way.” She laughed.

It was like they’d just played a round of king of the hill, not fought a camp of murders. She turned her head, looking at the raider who perished at her feet. “No one will ever again speak your name, nor will they open your mouth,” she said, kicking his corpse with her heel. Cayden stood, helping her to her feet, and I watched it all with complete understanding. She would be fine, regardless of the mortal injury she had received, because the amulet truly did sustain her.

“Are you okay, Mardus?” she asked.

“Me?” I laughed, looking down at my bleeding thigh, “I’m fine, just a little scratch.” I grinned at Cayden, sure he would appreciate my barbarian response. “I was more worried about you.” I reached my hand up to wipe some blood from my face, blinking the sand from my eyes. I felt stinging and pain from every part of my body, and I could feel the blood flowing freely from my back again. “I could use that,” I half joked, as I nodded towards her neck.

I rose slowly back to my feet, bending over my knees a minute as I felt momentarily dizzy. “I’m going to be a dead man if I lose much more of this blood.” I grinned at them. They both stared oddly back at me, Simera with surprise, Cayden with narrowed eyes. I was about to ask them, “what?” when I realized what I’d done. I put my palm to my face, dragging it down over my mouth.

“I am a dead man,” I whispered to myself.

It was an inadvertent slip, innocently said, as I’d thought it to myself out loud. My mind had already accepted as fact the uses of the amulet, and I simply meant I would’ve loved to borrow it until I’d healed. The action was unforgivable, though, as Cayden now stood there looking at me as if I’d become the prey. I hoped to think that, after this fight, they might at least be inclined to trust me. Somehow, I couldn’t really picture him killing me, but I didn’t doubt he was contemplating it. Were I in his shoes, I know I would have thought it. I had nothing I could think to say at that point. My eyes pleaded at both of them, but most especially at Simera, because I believed she could intervene on my behalf.

“We’ve got to get all this stuff loaded onto these wagons,” Cayden said unexpectedly. “One for Siwa, what’s left of the foods and grains, and whatever else was headed there. The rest of this stuff,” he said, picking up the sword from one of the dead raiders at our feet, “can go in another.” He tossed the sword over towards the wagons.

I stood there, hesitating. I didn’t dare believe he was going to just let me off on this.

“After you, cargo man,” he said, putting his arm out, inviting me to precede him back into the cove. I started walking past him slowly, glancing at him once before looking towards the crates. I felt uniquely uncomfortable having him at my back. Was he going to have me do all the work and then kill me? I looked over at the rope. I’d never make it up that wall. For the fourth time in as many months, I felt hopelessly trapped.

I grabbed some strips of cloth from around the raider’s camp, using them to crudely bandage my wounds. Pulling my wagon to the middle of the camp, I started piling what I could on it. I kept glancing over at them, watching them converse in the pass. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I caught him looking back at me several times, and he did not look happy.

There wasn’t much left of the perishable foods, but the grain bags from our caravan were still full, as were a few of the others. I dragged them over and tied them on to the camels that were lying down, as I’d no idea how to make the standing ones sit. The rest of the crates were random goods and these I loaded slowly, minding my back -- not wanting to rush anything that might be coming when I was done.

Cayden was moving around now while they talked, taking anything he found on the raiders we’d killed in the pass and tossing it all into the back of one of the wagons. He was checking their pockets too, helping himself to their coins. I saw Simera remove her amulet and place it in his hands. If I lived, I’d be suffering my wounds for months. Hers were already healed.

When the last of the crates were loaded, I started gathering weapons too. I contemplated hanging onto one, but I knew I had no chance against that man in a fight. He fought three raiders with his daggers, while I essentially backed away from two. The pile grew substantial as we looted what was left, and I bothered to pocket some coins as well, should I somehow be spared the inevitable.

I started tying the camels together in a line while Cayden gathered the horses. Simera was loading up empty crates, I guessed to salvage the wood, when she suddenly gave a loud gasp. We both looked over at her as she bent to the ground, picking something up from inside the last crate.

“Aw, that’s my cat!” I said, going over to give its head a rub. “Came with me all the way from Alexandria.” Simera went to hand it to me and I stopped her. “Keep it. My gift to you.” She smiled at me with a child like delight, holding it up to her face.

I turned around to notice that Cayden had finished roping up the camels. Every crate, sack, cart and wagon had been accounted for. Simera went to deposit the cat on the back of the lead wagon.

Cayden walked up to me with a smile on his face and forcefully grabbed my arm, twisting it behind my back, and pushed me face into the wall.

“Oh gods, don’t kill me!” I gasped, looking over my shoulder at him.
“Let’s talk.” I heard him pull his knife from its sheath, and I nearly passed out at the sound. He turned me around and held it up to my neck, his face an experienced mask of calm. “How did you know about the amulet?”
“A girl…on the caravan,” I said.
“What girl?”
“She was a pilgrim, from one of the temples. I had been asking if anyone knew who you both were, and when I mentioned Simera’s name…”
“Go on.”
“She told me the story of the mural on the wall.”
“And how did she know it?”
“Her mother, her family, they were priestesses or something, in that temple, and they had passed it down for generations. She told me if it was the same girl that I should look to protect her, but…she’s already protected, so…”
“Who else heard her tell this story?”
“Just the caravan owner, but he only thought it a myth,” I said.
He pressed the blade into my neck and I could feel the sharp sting of its well honed edge. “Who else?” he asked again.
“No one else,” I said, shaking my head.
“The girl, what was her name?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” I answered too quickly.
“Her name,” he asked again, pressing the blade harder.
“I don’t know,” I shouted back at him, struggling against the wall. I’d rather have died than put Marina in danger, on that there was no hesitation.

“Bakhu,” Simera called to him softly. He looked over his shoulder at her as she said something in Egyptian. He looked back at me again, his gray eyes searching mine for what felt like a very long time, and then he returned his knife to his side and released me. I touched my hand to my neck, pulling it away, looking at the blood on my fingers, and I looked back at him with a glare that couldn’t be helped.

“You’re going to lead all this back around to the desert plain, and when you get back to the oasis, you’re going to deliver that wagon to Siwa,” he said. “Simera will show you the way there. I’m going to retrieve our horses, and then we’ll take the rest of this back to Kel-abar.”

I nodded silently and walked towards the wagon, glad to be alive, but angry at his assault. My ego had had enough of being demoralized. I felt wounded and tired, and I sincerely just wanted to go home, but I had no home. I had nowhere in the world to turn for comfort anymore. They each took one of the raiders’ horses and started working to get all the animals moving as I led the massive caravan out of the pass.

Simera finally rode up aside of me, and Cayden alongside of her. He leaned over and grabbed her hand, flashing me a look of unmistakable warning before galloping off ahead. I turned to look at Simera. Her face and arms were still streaked black with ash, her dress stained red with blood. She was as efficient an archer as her companion, and apparently had the same enjoyment of the hunt, and yet even here in this battle worn way, she looked so very innocent. I thought I had admired Cayden, but I hated him at this moment, and the question greatly burned in my mind

“How the hell did you end up with him?” I yelled at her in frustration.

 

[Kritter]

Simera seemed surprised by my shouting, and I felt bad in that instant for having taken out my frustrations on her. I hadn't intended to. An apology was forthcoming when her face broke into a smile.

“You don’t like Bakhu?” she asked.
“Well, he’s not exactly friendly,” I said, trying to restrain my irritation.
“He likes you.”
“Hate to see how he is with people he doesn’t like.”
“He kills them.” She shrugged. I hoped she meant it in jest.
“Well, whatever you said to make him stop, thank you,” I said.
“How could I stop him from anything he meant to do?” she said to me. “I just said I trusted you. It would have made no difference, though, if he hadn’t thought the same.”
“Thanks for the trust.” I still felt depressed, but the point she made now interested me. “So it was his choice to let me go?”
“I told you he likes you,” she said.

I tossed that thought over in my head for a while, and ended up with a foolish smile on my face. I was in the better graces of the most lethal man I’d ever known. An assassin liked me. I felt a bit privileged, as I doubted many people could say that.

As the first amber bands of daylight reached into the sky, our giant caravan plodded slowly around the bottom of the plateau. We rounded through the break between the mountains and now, with the mountains on our left, we rode back towards their oasis.

“Why are we going back to the oasis first? Why not go right to Siwa from here?” I asked.
“Have you seen yourself?” She laughed at me. I looked down at my arms and shirt, which were covered with blood and ash, and speckled white from the powder. Had I a few feathers, I would look like one of my mother’s hens. I noticed my shoulder had been dripping blood down onto the wagon board the whole time we’d been moving. I felt a bit rugged, like a soldier fresh from war.
“So, how did you hook up with him?” I used a kinder tone."

“Cayden? I met him right here near the mountains,” she said. “I’d been wandering in the desert at that point for six or seven days. I couldn’t find a village or water. My father had told me to go to the desert, but he never told me where, so I didn’t know what I was looking for.”
“Without water, every part of me thirsted. My tongue was dried and swelled, and I couldn’t swallow. My skin burned, and it blistered and healed, over and over. The pain was bad, but I kept on walking.” I could hear anguish in her voice. I couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for her. We’d once been stuck in a windless stretch of sea and we’d rationed our water for three days. We took just enough to sustain ourselves, and that almost drove me mad.
“When mountains rose in the distance, I knew they would bring shade. I reached them by evening, exhausted. I was still alive, but I should have been dead…a terrible state I hope you may never know,” she continued.

“Then, I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. I just stared into the darkness. I could hear the sound of an animal moving on the rocks above me. A jackal watched me, and it was soon joined by another. I didn’t have the energy to move anymore, so instead I just prayed. I wasn’t sure what god would heed me in my forsaken state, so I cried out to the unholy one, Nehebkau, the great protector of the underworld, although the sound that came out of my throat was probably nothing at all like words.
“The jackals closed around me with their sorrowful cries, a sound more like sadness than hate. A truly deceiving sound. I gathered my legs to my chest. That very movement provoked their attack, one from each side. I raised my arms to fend off one as the other bit down on my leg. I screamed out in torment, believing myself lost, and this figure appeared from the darkness. The way he appeared, Mardus, I thought it was Nehebkau himself.” Her face blushed considerably when she said it. “He raised a bow and shot one dead, and the other ran at the sight of a second human.”

“Cayden, obviously. He must have heard your cries.”
“He’d been hunting.” Simera nodded. “He started shouting questions at me, how long had I been out here, how had I become separated from my camp, but my dried throat and tongue were unable to speak coherently. He brought me here, to his home and he made me drink and bound my leg for me. I slept for a long time after that.”
“When I woke up, I was already healed. I just needed water, lots of water,” she said. “It didn’t take long for me to recover fully after that. Cayden tended to me the entire time. He saw no trace of my wound remained and I was returned from death very quickly, and he wanted to know how this was done.”

“And you told him.” I rolled my eyes at her.
“Don’t think me naïve, Mardus, but I honestly believed he’d come to protect me. The way he had appeared to me, right when I had prayed, and to live inside a mountain of the dead the way he did. The paleness of his eyes and skin and the unearthly mask of darkness that shaded his eyes. He looked like no man I had ever seen before, and so I assumed he was Nehebkau, and trusted he would help me. I told him why I had called upon him, and all that had happened to me, but he only seemed interested in the amulet– what the words meant, how they worked.
“I grew suspicious then that he did not know the language of the ancients, so I told him they were words of sustenance, nothing more. The next day he took me on his horse to Siwa, for supplies he said, and when we arrived there, he took the amulet from me, and he said I wasn’t his problem. And then he left me there.”

My eyes widened at that revelation. Cayden, that heartless bastard. He had a lot of nerve judging me, if he’d not considered her wellbeing. He’d let her live, though. A small but significant gesture, I guessed. Simera had stopped speaking. I glanced over at her, observing the pain in her eyes. She appeared so wounded at the memory of that one act. I suffered for her in that moment.

“But, you’re with him now.” I questioned her.
Simera nodded, a smile in part returning to her face. “I wouldn’t speak to the strangers in the village. I missed my father and my home. To me, the time between when I had last seen him and then, had been but a few days. I failed to discern how much time had passed. I realized Alexandria had changed, but I never imagined…”
“So I took shelter in a stable, praying my father would arrive for me, not knowing he had been centuries across the Styx. Cayden returned to Siwa several days later. I don’t know if he sought me out or if he just happened to see me. I just know he sighed when he saw me, and he nodded me towards his horse. I’ve been here with him ever since. At first, he just watched over me, and then he taught me to hunt with him. He treated me no better than his dogs when I was a child, but I was content to have a home.”
I sighed at her. “Sounds lovely. Did he ever give you your amulet back?”

“No.” She laughed, shaking her head. “No, he wasn’t giving that up, but it didn’t matter to me. I was a young girl. I had no reason to desire such a thing. I wanted to grow older, and I did. For ten years I did, but the last few years have been hard.” She sighed aloud, biting on her thumb, looking suddenly distant. “I want to stay here and make him happy, I owe him this, I know. But I’ve been…” She struggled with the next word, perhaps never having put her thought to words before, “I’ve been lonely here.” She didn’t have to say it. I could see it in her eyes. How desperately she looked for someone to love her.

“Cayden not good company?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “He refuses to see me as anything other than a child.”
“Are you sure of that?” I asked, remembering how poorly he had reacted to my staring.
“Believe me, Mardus, I’ve tried.” She sighed, frowning, looking away, frustration in her eyes. She was young when she met him. I had to understand his rejection. He apparently thought her more of a daughter, but she clearly never thought him a father.
She glanced back at me with shyness. “I guessed I would just have to live like this, but when we traveled to Crete, it was the first time I had been back among civilization, and I found myself longing to be…closer to…others,” she picked her words carefully.

I could remember well the way her divine eyes met mine in the tavern that first night, how much desire there was in them.
Suddenly, I sat up straight. Was she talking about me?
I looked back at her. Her eyes were set on mine with a far too inviting look.
My thoughts went in several directions with that look. A few days ago I might have found this an opportune situation, and I still wasn’t sure that it wasn’t. 'Play this right, Mardus, and that amulet could be yours. You know you’re smart enough to pull it off.'

And yet I knew right away in my heart that I couldn’t love this girl, nor could I even pretend to do so. Had Marina never told me her story, it may not have been so hard to picture, but the troublesome vision of kissing three-hundred-year-old lips hindered me severely. 'No, that doesn’t matter. We’re talking about that amulet here.'

But it did matter. It mattered because I had just met a woman I was sure I could love, and I’d give anything to have, and she would be lost to me if I showed back up with Simera on my arm. What were the chances, though, that Marina would give me any further consideration? Did I dare throw away a chance at ancient magic on the pitiful hope of winning such a girl? And despite Marina, I couldn’t leave this poor girl here to suffer without even the chance of a return to civilization.

I knew though it was the best I’d be able to offer her. I couldn’t play with an innocent heart that way, even for a bounty of this magnitude. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I sighed at what I was about to give away. “I can return you to Crete, if you want,” I said. She read my answer plain enough.
“You have someone you love,” she lamented.

“Sort of.” I cringed, hating that I couldn’t even sound sure of my answer.
She looked as if she was about to cry. That look destroyed my heart.
“I’m sorry.” I felt horrible. “But I have friends.”
She shook her head at me. “Don’t be silly, Mardus. I just thought they might have sent you–the way you came to me as you did.”
“They?” The gods? I smiled at her that she would even think that.
“Really, I love Cayden. But he’ll never leave here and he’ll never love me, not the way that I love him. I just wish I could live a normal life, the way that it was made to be lived.”

“Then come with me. You want to live life the way it was made to be lived? Well, life doesn’t come with an amulet or a protector. You have to learn to protect yourself. In fact, you already can, damn well better than most women could. But you’ll never find what you’re looking for if you stay here, Simera.”
“He’d come after me if I left.”
“Why? He has what he wants.” She winced when I said this, and I regretted having spoken those words, but it didn’t make what I’d said untrue. She fell silent for awhile, and I took to staring at the stark landscape ahead of me.

I could only guess what went on in Cayden’s mind. The amulet obviously had more meaning to him than Simera did at one time, but he did seem to at least care about her now. He certainly didn’t like me gazing at her in the tavern the night we met, although that might have been because he knew she’d been in such a forlorn state, and perhaps that was his problem. If she left, he’d want her to have the amulet, so of course he fought to keep her.

The sound of a whinny from high above us pulled me from my speculation. The horses were still on the plateau where we’d left them.
“I thought Cayden went to get those horses.”

“You can’t get up there from here, Mardus. You have to go further south to climb the plateau, and then ride back along it.”
“I don’t see tracks ahead of us. A galloping horse would’ve left tracks.”
“The desert sands shift and hide tracks with one wind,” she said. “That’s why it took us a few weeks to track the raiders after they attacked the second caravan.”

“You’d found them that long ago? Why did you wait until now to send the wine? You could’ve saved the other three caravans. All those men.”
“It wasn’t the right time,” she said. She looked at me pointedly when she said it, as if I’d somehow understand what she meant by that, but the grin on her face seemed to allude to some fiber of knowledge hidden to me.
“What do you mean, the right time?”

“After we found the raiders’ camp, I consulted with the oracle. One does not take on so great a challenge without first soliciting the advice of the gods. I wanted to know if we could defeat these raiders, and she told me it could only be done with the aid of the crescent moon.

“I assumed it meant we should wait until now before we attacked, and so that is what we timed our delivery for, but when we went to Crete to get the wine, we realized they weren’t speaking about a time. They were speaking of you.”
“Me?” I laughed out, shaking my head. “Why would you think me?”

“We didn’t think we would have trouble getting someone to transport the wine in time for the caravan, and it had to go on this caravan. There was only one cargo ship in the port, which the man on the docks insisted was not able to make the trip. We told him we were paying well for the job, if he could find someone who could assist us, but he said there was no one.

“Just before we were due to leave, we asked him where we might find the owner of that vessel, and he simply pointed us towards the tavern. We had no idea who we were looking for. But you came to us right away, and then we knew.”
“But how did you know I was the owner?”

“We didn’t. Cayden assumed it, because it was there around your neck. The crescent moon. He pointed it out to me the minute you came to our table.”
I reached my hand up to touch the necklace Eva had made for me. “What, this? This is just a necklace someone gave me.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how it came to be with you. The gods knew, and they were right, because we couldn’t have won that fight without you. We only believed the sign meant you would transport the wine. We never had any idea it would bring you this far.”

“It makes no sense, though. What use did I have? I’m no one special.”
“Sorry, Mardus,” she said. “On that I don’t agree. We were only watching your caravan to make sure the wine was taken. Then I saw it was you who charged into the raiders. So I attacked, and Cayden followed. He did it because he knew then. We’d need you to defeat them.”

“I’m pretty sure your gods were talking about the moon.” I laughed. “Because I can tell you right now there’s no way at all I helped you win that fight. I killed one man out of forty, and a camel, I’m sorry to say. I kept a few occupied but…” I shrugged, yet it dawned on me what she said was probably true. Their plan required three people, and I doubted it could have been done with two.

The oasis finally came into sight, and with that, the realization that I still hadn’t seen Cayden. I could see the rise to the plateau in the distance. It’s where he would’ve turned around and gone back north, but he never passed us. A strange feeling began to overtake me. He’d never gone this way at all. My stomach clenched with a sickening twist. I turned in my seat and narrowed my eyes, staring off at the desert behind me.

 

[Kritter]

I turned towards Simera, my words forceful in my anger. “You have to take me to Kel’abar!” She looked bewildered by my request, and I couldn’t tell if she was covering for him or if she honestly hadn’t drawn the same conclusion. I grew frantic, but as much as I would’ve liked to grab a horse and go after him, I had no idea how to get there on my own.

“You’ve got to take me there!” I shouted, my agitation increasing by the second.

Jumping off the wagon, I ran up to her on her horse. I didn’t want to use force against the girl but I would if I had to. She searched my face, struggling to understand the reasoning behind my distraught state.

“He’s gone after them. Can’t you see he’s gone after them? He thinks that they know. The girl who told me you needed to be protected. She wouldn’t do anything to harm you. He left me alone because he thinks I was sent here, but her, he thinks she’s a threat, and she’s not. She’s innocent. He’s making a grave mistake, Simera. Please, you have to help me!”

“I can take you, Mardus, but that is many hours from here. What about all this?” She nodded towards our giant caravan.
“Leave the cart for Siwa here. You can bring that to them later. The rest, we’ll take with us. We were going to anyhow.”
“That will only slow you down. The animals will move for me, I can bring them.” She dismounted from her horse. “Do you see, way out there towards the horizon, where the plateau comes to a point? It’s about an hour away from here.” I followed her pointing hand with my eyes and nodded.

“When you reach that point, the plateau recedes back, but it comes to a point again, like a crescent. You’ll be able to see this when you get there. Ride straight across to the second point you see, about another hour’s time. When you reach it, put it to your back, always to your back, and ride straight out into the desert. If you do this, you’ll be able to see Kel’abar in not more than thirty minutes.” She handed her reins to me.

“Thank you,” I said, as I took them from her hand.
“You gave me a cat. It’s the least I can do in return,” she said with a sincere smile. “But, Mardus, do not think you can stop Cayden by force if this is what he means to do. Talk to him. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”
“Talk to him.” I repeated caustically. Talk to him. It was like trying to talk to a loaded catapult while you stood under its arm.

With a foot to the stirrup I threw my leg over the horse, my back reminding me that unlike Simera, my wounds didn’t heal overnight. Pain ripped up my spine, but I didn’t have time to cry over it now. I started the horse into a gallop, tearing across the sand.
I rode along the plateau walls for an hour, pushing the Arabian to go at its greatest speed, slowing only when it’s heaving breath concerned me. Scorching air burned our very lungs. Completely parched, I felt about myself for the water skin, discovering that in my rush I had neglected to remove it from the wagon. I wiped my hand down my face. Thirst might make the second leg of this trip harrowing, but it wouldn’t kill me. Not yet. Vashir had said three hours until delirium. I had less than that to go. I would arrive, I decided, alive if nothing else.

When I finally made the second point, my horse sounded worse off than me. I’d have to take it easy on the poor animal if I wanted it to keep moving at all, and so I half walked it the next thirty minutes, until I was ready to collapse. I kept going though. Cayden had a good lead on me, and every second counted.

The smell of water came to me before the oasis was in sight. I followed that smell, pouring with sweat, staggering towards the distance. My eyes stung, and I could only blink continually, until I saw the long line of green palms among the sands. I mounted the horse and pushed it one last time, hoping I didn’t have to add its poor life to my rising list of kills.

I stopped at the outskirts of the village, by the far edge of its life-giving lake, and fell into the water and drank. I noticed that the horse Cayden had ridden was tethered among the reeds. He was here, as I suspected. I knew him well enough already. I stood and looked around me, trying to think what he might do, where he might be. It wasn’t his style to walk into the village and start putting arrows in people. He would be stalking somewhere, unseen, blended in with the sand or the brush, waiting on an opportunity to execute a plan.

My eyes scanned the whole of the landscape around the camp, attempting to take in every minute detail, but I still couldn’t see him. I looked back towards the village. People milled about its gate with horses and a camel. I squinted my eyes, moving closer around the side of the lake, trying to get a better view. The mercenaries who had abandoned me and a few hooded sisters gathered together their bags. They were getting ready to leave. With few camels and no cart, not much could return with them other than water. One of the girls kept walking away from the others, looking off into the distance. Marina, I thought. I wanted to believe it was.
I started scouring the terrain again, trying to think. He’d need a clear shot and a way to disappear. I had to find him if I was going to stop him. If I stepped towards the village, he would see me, and he’d take his shot before I warned them. Vashir walked out now, standing out like a giant white ox among a field of sheep.

My eyes ran back and forth over the sands in every possible direction. “Where are you?” I whispered under my breath.
I realized that the lake where I stood afforded the most cover. I turned around and eyed the reeds along the water line. It was his eyes I spotted–just his eyes, and that led to the rest of him. He was there on his belly, half in the lake and half in the stalks, with his loaded bow lying in his hand by his side. His face and body were covered with mud and I almost couldn’t see him even looking right at him, but he couldn’t take his shot. I was standing right in front of him. I stepped onto the bank, walking over to him. He stood up in response, but his pale eyes remained fixed on Vashir.

“That looks like a caravan owner to me,” he said, raising up his bow.
“Please don’t, Cayden.” I tried to sound reasonable, desperate as I was.
“And who’s gonna stop me? You?” He turned to look at me.
“Come on, he owes me money, and if I don’t get paid after everything I’ve been through, I will seriously lose my mind.” I smiled, trying the good natured approach. I dared to put a hand towards Cayden’s bow, hoping to coax him into lowering it. His lightning fast fist hit me in the jaw before I could finish that movement. I shook my head, trying to free myself from the stun, at least able to take a punch better than I did in my early days.
“I’ll make sure you get what you’re owed.”
“Where have I heard that before?” I asked, putting my hand to my jaw.
“You’ll get what you’re owed,” he repeated. Marina stepped away from the sisters again, pacing the parameter, looking for me. I knew it was her, and I knew he knew. I watched his dangerous eyes lock onto her.
My tongue ran over my split lip, tasting the blood he had drawn. “She’s innocent.” I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“If she goes around telling that story to strangers she’s no innocent.”
“She didn’t realize that there was any truth to it, not until I asked. She won’t speak it again, I promise you. She believes Simera sacred. She wouldn’t do anything to harm her. If you could look into her eyes, you could see that.”
“You lied to me about her. I’m guessing you know her name. Brave thing to do for a total stranger.” He looked down at me. “Or is she with you?”
“I wish.” I sighed.
“If you care so much to want her alive, make sure she is when you leave Alexandria, and make sure she never returns. And I’ll hold you to that promise. If anyone ever shows up here again with that story on their lips, it’s you I’ll come looking for.” I swallowed hard and nodded.
“And what about Vashir?” I asked.
“You’re not going to tell me that you’ve looked into his eyes too?”
“No, but he has to lead us back. I don’t know the way,” I said.
“You seem to have found me just fine. I’m sure at least one of those soldiers knows the way.” He started moving away from me, watching Vashir still.

It wasn’t that I in any way had known Vashir long enough to really care what became of him, but I did. I did because he’d been decent to me, and because he was a good man in my eyes. I knew the story of the amulet would linger in his mind, the same way it still did in mine, but on that I believed they would have to take their chances. I wasn’t sure what I could say, but I felt the need to save him.
“Well, I don’t care.” I called after him. “Do what you want with him. But I’ll tell you this. That man is friends with some high ranking people in Alexandria. He gives gifts to the Queen, in fact. He’s a rich man, well known, well respected, and if he turns up dead in this desert, that could very well be the catalyst that motivates that woman to send an army out here, looking for these raiders. And you know if they come, they’ll leave no tomb unexplored. A thousand men descending on your hidden home, asking you questions, examining your…property. So, unless you like drawing a mass of attention to yourselves, I wouldn’t do it. But that’s just me.”
Cayden stared at me for a moment, and then raised his bow up towards Vashir. He held it there with the bowstring pulled back, lingering on his target. I held my breath as the seconds ticked away. He was thinking on it, I could tell. Then, very slowly, he lowered his bow and slung it back across his shoulder.

“If I see him anywhere near us again, he’s fair game,” he said. I shrugged. It was the best I was going to be able to do, and I was glad enough for that. “Where is she?” He turned to look behind us.
“She’s bringing the caravan.”
“You shouldn’t have left her alone.” He ran for his horse.
“That wasn’t exactly my fault.”

We rode back together, meeting up with Simera an hour away. I prayed the caravan wouldn’t leave without me before we’d returned with our own.
When the line of green palms finally came back into view, Cayden stopped to speak to me. “This is as far as we go, boy. You’re on your own with this now.”
“Well, what am I supposed to tell them about all this? And about the raiders?”
“Tell them whatever you like. Seems like you’re good at lying,” he said.
“Oh, and speaking of lying,” I said, staying as straight faced as he’d been with me, “You owe me money.”
He smiled with amusement. The first real smile I’d ever seen on his face. It made him likeable for that moment. “That I do.” He nodded. He untied his coin satchel from his waist, and handed the entire thing to me.
“You don’t need to count it. It’s all there and more, in case you need it.” I tucked it away in my pack. I started to remove the leather armor he’d given me, but he waved it off with his hand. My mouth widened into a healthy smile. I stuck out my hand, and he shook it. “Thank you.” I said. As he went to get back on his horse, I traded my horse to Simera for the wagon.
“Goodbye, Mardus.” She touched my shoulder where it had been cut, and I could feel the immense warmth her fingers conveyed. She looked sad and lonely, and I knew it was only because of the story she told me, but at that moment I wished I could have been the man she looked for.

“If anything ever happens to him,” I said, nodding towards Cayden, “I’m sure your gods can help you find me.” She smiled, her feline eyes closing and opening demurely, a look of appreciation on her face. “Thank you,” she said.
She started to turn and I grabbed at her arm, whispering softly in her ear, “It was your goddess who saved you from your fate. Don’t waste the gift she’s bestowed on you. When you’re ready to have a life, come find me, Simera. I’ll help you.” She recoiled from these words, frowning at me, and turning away, never looking back again. I stood there, watching them both ride away, two images side by side, until they turned into slivers in the rolling waves of desert heat and disappeared from my view.

I rode slowly towards Kel’abar, a lone man, leading twenty camels, three wagons, two carts and thirty horses, all of whom moved with some compliance in desire of the lake that stood before us. I’m sure to any sane person I must have looked like a moving mirage. Vashir’s caravan had left, and was just within view, about a quarter mile ahead of me. I wondered if they would be able to catch sight of me, as far as I was behind them. That question was answered by the sweet vision of a hooded girl, rushing back towards me at full speed.

 

[Kritter]

The entire caravan returned to me as I climbed off the wagon, and Marina actually embraced me. “I knew you were still alive, I could feel it. I kept begging them to wait, my lord!” I don’t think I heard a word she said. I only knew that satisfying embrace. My arms locked into it, taking charge of its course. I grinned when she tried to escape me. 'Fraid not, dear girl, you put yourself into my arms. There are consequences to that action.'

Vashir and the soldiers arrived side by side. It was only then I released Marina, her insolent eyes narrowing at my brashness. A cocky smile cracked my lips as six worthless soldiers stared at me, their mouths all foolishly agape. “You should have stuck around,” I called out to them. “It would have been much easier to take them all if I had had your help. Those raiders will no longer be a problem to you, Vashir.”

I could see Marina staring at me, as battered and bloody I was. Her eyes flitted up at me as she tilted her head. “You must be an amazing soldier.”
“Yeah, that’s me.” I smirked.
“But how can this be? How is it possible?” Vashir said.
“Eh, I had a little help. The cat, a snake, the moon.”
“You’ve been without water too long, Mardus.” He looked at me with grave concern. “Come. Let’s get you something to drink.”
The rest of the caravan retreated to the shade as he walked me to the tavern.
“We’ll need to talk about what you’re to get for all this, but my camels and wagons will of course need to be returned to me.”
“Of course,” I said, not having thought any differently.

“The horses are exquisite though. I can’t bring them all back right now, we couldn’t carry enough water, nor handle enough camels that could, so I’ll have to pay to keep them here until they can be transported. I’m going to minus that from the price I offer, but with the weapons, the rest of the goods, and a reward for the recovery of my possessions…” He stopped, looking up at the ceiling while his lips counted silently.

“Really, I wasn’t expecting anything, Vashir.”
“Don’t be silly, Mardus. I’ll make more money off those horses alone than I offer you now, so there’s no point in being modest about it. We can bring back the dates and olives, I was about to leave without them. Plus, you saved my life when you charged those raiders. I’d be a dead man right now I’m sure. I’ll give you five hundred roman denarii for all of it. I’m including your wage in that. Still a fair amount of money, I’d say.”

I stared at my cup for a minute, letting that thought sink in. My chest heaved heavily, letting out a sigh of relief. To be free of worry as to where my next coin would come from. I could pay Tibeus what I owed him on the Junia and still have a year’s worth of silver to spare, and I would need it if I had to bring Marina with me. Knowing I could at least provide for her a while would make explaining Cayden’s demands much easier.

When we were ready to depart again, I asked Marina to ride with me, and she willingly complied. Vashir rode alongside us for quite awhile, until I gave him the look of a man desperate for some privacy with a girl. He winked at me and made his excuses. The second he rode away from us, Marina impatiently brought up the subject for me.

“Mardus, I can tell you saw her again. Tell me, was it her?”
I nodded. “It was her. I have no doubt of it.”
“And this man, “the snake” that you spoke of?”
“Cayden. Guards her with his life.”
“That story must end with us, then, on your word you must promise it does.”
“Believe me, I’ve no desire to put anyone in danger, least of all you, but I’m afraid that I already have.” I sighed. I’d tried to think up a convincing story instead of the awful truth, but it was one of those times when only the truth would convey the real danger involved. “I accidentally made note of the amulet, and it took some doing to keep Cayden from my throat.” I pointed out the scar there just to prove the situation.

“He asked me from where I’d heard the tale. I didn’t say your name, Marina, you have to believe me on that, but he saw you…and he knew. It was only with my promise, that I would take you with me when I left, that he was willing to lower his bow.”
“He does his job, as the goddess deems. I wouldn’t have expected less. It’s my own fault that this danger comes to me. I should never have spoken the tale. I’ll have to hope he doesn’t make good on his threat because I’m afraid I can’t go with you, Mardus.” “Because you’re a priestess? I mean, I know I don’t have much, but I have the money to at least make sure you can go to a safer place. You don’t have to stay with me, if you don’t…want.” I hated rejection. It was already starting to chafe away at me before I’d finished my sentence.
“I…um…” She bit on her lip and looked away from me. She started tapping her foot nervously against the floor board, her fingers fidgeting on her lap. “I wasn’t exactly being truthful when I said I was a priestess to your friend. He just made me mad, the way he spoke to me.” Her face grew flushed with embarrassment. “I’m not really exactly free to leave the temple.”

“So, you’re a slave?”
“I’m not a slave!” She seethed under her breath. “I am a servant. There’s a difference. If I were to pay them the money that was paid to my mother for me, they must give me my freedom. It’s just…money is in short supply for servants, as we aren’t paid. So, unless you wish to also pay this debt….” Her voice softened to a mournful tone, “I’m not free to come with you.”
I smiled wide at her. I could tell she hadn’t expected me to.
“I don’t suppose you’d want to do that?” She squinted at me with half a smile.

Would I want to pay to free a lying slave girl? It wasn’t even a question. “Wasn’t exactly being truthful?” Who was this girl to tantalize me with such words?
“When we get back to the city, just get your things and be ready to leave, because you’re coming with me.”

She bit her lip and narrowed those distracting green eyes at me, a small pleasant huff escaping her throat. “Okay,” she said cautiously. Her smile started to widen as she tilted her head at me with an adorable curiosity.

She started asking me questions about my life, and how I came to be here. I told her about my friends, our travels, and an entire glorious tale about being a mercenary. She seemed intrigued by my stories, but then, I don’t think much could have swayed her favorable mood at that point.

The next day she was asking about my interests, and about my hopes and dreams. No one had ever asked me such things before. Of course, I loved talking about myself, but I had to think up some answers, and even then I wasn’t sure. I’d never authentically had a dream after I gave up my childhood ones. What was the point? But she prodded me about it until I came up with one she liked.

“You have to have something you wish for,” she demanded.
“I’d just like to return to Rome,” I said. “And maybe have a farm like my father did.”
“How hard could that be?” She smiled at me. “You’ll have it someday, right?”
“Someday.” I nodded. I didn’t want hopes I’d never attain, but I did find the thought of it appealing. “So what do you wish for?”
“Me? I only want normal things. A home…and to have lots of children.” She laughed. “And maybe to find out what became of my father.”

At our last caravan stop, I looked over the goods I’d retrieved from the vanquished raiders. A dagger with a sapphire laden handle had caught my eye earlier, and when I managed to find it, I tucked it away in my pack. A gift for a man whom I owed a debt to, although I still didn’t like him.

Alexandria sat bathed in rays, sprayed out from behind clouds by the afternoon sun. I hastened directly to the temple Marina resided in, and arranged for her release to me. Her freedom did not come cheaply. I’d paid the equivalent of sixty silver when I’d worked it out from debens to denarii, all in settlement of the debt.

“Will she be returning home to her mother or does she go with you?” The high priest was a sinister looking man, with no eyebrows or lashes.
“She’ll be with me.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Good luck to you then, Roman, I hope you’re not easily provoked. I can’t honestly say we’ll miss her here. She’s not been the most affable girl, and I don’t just mean her temper. I’ve caught her stealing more than once, and her tongue weaves lies as thick as carpets. You’d be wise to unload her as quickly as possible, unless you enjoy such strife.”
“I love strife,” I said to him pointedly. He laughed out at my words.
“I’ll just leave it at good luck then.”

Marina reappeared at the gate with a single bag in her hands. She wore a fresh tan tunic that hung to her knees, tied at her waist with a small strip of beaded linen–a pleasant contrast from the long robe she’d worn when last I saw her. Plain straw sandals with a single dangle anklet embraced her naked feet. I was given a receipt for her, meant to convey her freedom, but I kept it so I could remind her at what dear cost she came to me.

As she walked out, she whispered, “I hope you’re as kind as you seem.” She was placing immense trust in me. I understood well enough.

I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips against her head, without thought to propriety. “How could I not be kind to you, nefer?” My arms tightened protectively. Her heart raced against my chest. . I amused myself it was my touch that caused it, and not just abject fear. There was pleasing exaltation in her acceptance of that embrace. If not for having been on a city street, I could have remained there quite a long time.

Instead, we left to seek out the Junia. She floated blissfully at the port, repaired both inside and out. Just seeing her in a healthy state made me deliriously happy. They’d even put new woolen blankets over fresh straw mats in the deckhouse. Vashir had kept his word and then some. I knew he was a decent man.

“This is your boat?”
“Yeah. It’s a merchant ship. What I do in between mercenary jobs.” I wondered how much of this she was really buying.
Marina stepped cautiously onto the boat, apprehensive of its sway.
“You’ll get used to that,” I said.
She peeked into the deckhouse and narrowed her eyes. “This is where you sleep?”
“That’s the beds, and there’s a chest for clothes and…things,” having no idea what else a woman might carry, “and back here,” I led her over to the hold, “is where we carry our cargo.” I opened the hatch and let her look down inside.

She peered over its edge. “It’s dark.” She folded her arms against her chest and looked up at me.
“We can put a lamp down there,” I said, trying to accommodate her. She gave me a pained but appreciative look.
“Really, I don’t mind,” I said. “Whatever you need, whatever you want to make you more comfortable here, I’ll get it for you, okay?”
She sighed. I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or relief, but she attempted a smile as she nodded.
“We’re going to need a whole lot of supplies. We may as well go find the market.”
“I know where it is.” Her smile brightened.
“Of course you do.” I grinned.

The principal thoroughfare in Alexandria was easily four times the width of any Roman street, and filling its length from end to end, merchants touted wares. I took Marina by the hand at the threshold and repeated my offer to her. “Anything you want here is yours.”

“Anything?” she asked. I nodded. A covetous smile widened over her face as her eyes lit up at the road before us. That look suddenly concerned me.

“Within reason.” I added quickly as she bounded off like a lamb.

Keeping up with her became a task as she darted from booth to booth. “Do you like this?” She held out a robe to me. I shook my head. I never cared for robes. “Or maybe this?” She grinned, the barest scraps of silk material in her hand.
“Definitely that.” I grinned back. She blushed and grabbed two more like it.
She held up a hideous black beaded wig. “Gods, no!”
“But I’ll look like the queen!” She pouted. I shook my head sternly. She shrugged and tossed it carelessly aside and went dancing off towards the next trader, leaving me to barter for her purchases. If it glittered or shone in any way, it was fast into her hands. She held a thin veil across her eyes. “This?” she asked. I nodded. I liked it. I’m sure she knew I would. That she sought out my opinion on every item was surely by cunning design. I had to admit, though, we were both having fun, and I hadn’t had fun in ages.

“You should buy this,” she said, handing me a leather bracelet. I bought it since she liked it, and I wrapped it around my wrist.
I picked up a ceramic hippopotamus and stared at it.
“I don’t think you need that,” she said.
“I don’t even know what it is.”
“It’s a river horse.” She laughed at me. “You don’t have those where you live?”
“Uh, no,” I said, putting it down.
With every step we took now, behind us, a small boy with a mule cart edged closer. I finally stopped and turned. He caught my eye, slowing his next step. I raised my brow at him.

“She buys many things,” he said, gesturing towards Marina. “I thought maybe you need some help.” He nodded towards his cart. A quick flick of my head brought him eagerly alongside of us.
“Salih has good bargains,” he began to advise us, pointing down the road.
“Does he pay you to say so?”
“No, no.” The boy grinned impishly, waving his hand at me. “He just gives me food sometimes. He’s a very, very nice man.”
“I’ll be sure to buy something from him, then,” I said.
Marina turned towards me with a radiant smile. “You are a very, very nice man,” she said.

I’d no doubt it seemed that way to her. She’d had the good fortune to fall in with a man who’d just come into a whole lot of money.

With a mule cart full of goods and supplies, we headed back to the Junia. I let the boy load it all onto the boat and paid him fairly for his work.
“I used to work on the docks like you, loading cargo for coins,” I said.
“And now you have all this?” The boy looked over the Junia from end to end.
“Yeah.” I grinned, realizing I was still a bit surprised by that myself.
“Maybe someday I too will own a boat.” His eager eyes now glistened.

That day passed too quickly for me. I could have enjoyed it much longer, but if nothing ever got better from here, I still had this one small moment in time where life had met perfection. I sat on my bed, leaning back against the headboard with one leg stretched out in front of me, and sighed with honest contentment.

Marina sat down next to me, the beer jug in her hands.
“Do you have cups?” she asked.
“Somewhere in there.” I leaned my head towards the chest.
She kneeled down in front of it, opened it and rummaged through its contents. She pulled out my knife and stared at it. “Is this yours?” she asked. I nodded with a smile. “Hmm.” She grinned, flashing me a delicious look, as if this aroused her interest. I’d stopped carrying it at some point as I rarely had need of it. She could be guaranteed I’d wear it continuously now. She really liked the dangerous type. I wondered how long I could possibly get away with pretending to be that man.

After sharing some drinks, she leaned against me, sweetly drowsy. I wrapped her up in my arms. I had to keep reminding myself I hadn’t actually purchased this girl, but the idea of it still kept pleasantly invading my thoughts. We dozed off under the rising moon, the Junia rocking us gently in her berth.

The next morning, with the sky showing no sign of conflict in its mood, I felt confident it would be a good day to depart. We used to have a door on the deckhouse. It had been ripped off during one of my crewmates’ fights. I pulled it up from the hold and worked to fix its hinges, intent on hanging it again.

Marina emerged in a sleepy state, guarding her eyes against the morning sun. She yawned and smiled peacefully, running her hand through her hair, and walked barefoot over to where I worked, kneeling down beside me. I was glad she seemed so comfortable with such considerably new surroundings.

I held the door up to the deckhouse with the hinges realigned and handed her the nail and mallet. “Give it a couple of good hits. You can pretend it’s that priest from your temple.” She whacked that mallet so hard I yanked my hand away in alarm. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.” I grinned. She smiled and continued to smack it.

We shared a morning meal with Vashir at his request and I thanked him profusely for the repairs. I suggested to him, before we left, that he should abstain from further trips into the desert, since we’d used up all our luck on the one we had just made. Thankfully, he agreed with this sentiment. I’d done my part to keep him safe, and that was all I could do.

I made Marina run back with me to the market one more time to grab a few amphora of Egyptian beer, which we slung over our backs and lugged back to the ship like a pair of Roman camels. As beer went, they had the best around, and I’d developed a real taste for it. I stopped on the docks just short of the Junia to greet Khentimentu.

“I thought you dead until I saw you this morning,” he said.
“I had your cat.” I bowed my head. “It worked like magic. And I have a gift for you in return.” I pulled the sapphire handled dagger from my bag.
He took it from me and looked it over with wickedly gleaming eyes, his chest puffing out as if he’d gained new importance. “I like this,” he said. He gave an approving nod, and tucked it away in his belt.

“I suppose I will now tell you. A man was here not an hour ago, and he was looking for you. He was one of your soldiers. A Roman legionaire. He saw your boat and started asking everyone here if they knew where he could find the crew. I told him there was only you. He recognized your name. He said he had been looking for you for a very long time.”

I frowned at this news. I hadn’t thought it possible that the Roman guard might still be looking for me or the Junia. It had been half a year since we were pursued in the city.
“Where did the man go after that?” My eyes scanned the docks.
“He boarded your vessel. I believe he sits inside your deckhouse still.”
I turned to Marina and smiled feebly. Waiting was not an option, as he might have alerted others to my presence. The longer I put off dealing with him, the more problems we might have. “I hope you don’t mind a little adventure,” I said. Her eyes narrowed with curiosity.

“I have something I need you to do. I’ll explain the “why” part later. Unfortunately, we’ll have to leave these jugs here. I’m going to untie the Junia, and once I’ve done that, we’re both going to have to jump onto the deck. I won’t have time to pull the plank. I have this powder, something I had left over from…well, that’s not important, but I’m going to throw that into the deckhouse the second we get onboard. You’ll need to use that pole there to push the boat off from the docks. Can you do that?”

She examined the boat where I pointed, and nodded to me again.
“Good, while you’re doing that, I’m going to grab the man in the hold and…um…throw him overboard.” I gave her my best roguish grin, hoping she wouldn’t balk at the idea.
“Okay.” She shrugged her shoulders. She had no problem at all with me saying we were throwing a Roman soldier overboard. To me, it was a good sign, as I assumed if there was one, there was more somewhere.
“Let’s go,” I said.

Uncoiling the ropes that bound the Junia to the docks was easily done without being viewed, but I kept trying to catch a glimpse of the man who was on my boat. I was unable to see but the hem of his garment and one of his legs, which bore a standard soldier’s heavy sandal. He was definitely a legionary and he was sitting on my bed, his back against the far wall, perhaps waiting with sword in hand to spring out at me when I boarded, unsuspecting. I was glad I had befriended Khentimentu, as much as one could be friends with that man…because had he not mentioned encountering the man, I’d have never known what hit me.

I stepped back and grabbed the balled cloth in my hand. Cayden had given me two to use, and I’d only needed one. The second would be put to ideal use here, as the man would be rendered near blind and unable to breathe for a few seconds. Enough time and advantage for me to at least make a good attempt at wrestling him off the boat.

“You can make that jump, right?” I double checked with Marina. The last thing I wanted was for her to end up in the water.
“I guess we’ll find out.” She grinned at me. I looked at the boat and then back at her, smiling at her answer. I know how stupidly smitten I must have looked at that moment, and I truly didn’t care.
“Ok, ready?” I asked. She nodded. “Go!”

We both made the jump and the Junia lurched. I swung the cloth into the hold and the smoke wall from the powder filled the deckhouse. I could feel the Junia pull from the dock. Marina was doing exactly what I needed. I could see the form inside the hold, covered head to foot in white powder, moving towards me. He was coughing and gasping and had his hands to his eyes. He held no sword, fortunately. I grabbed him and started to force him over the side of the ship. Marina came over and pulled his leg from the deck, and between us he had no chance, although he fought with amazing ferocity, trying to gasp out shouts the entire time.

He splashed into the water and started screaming. “Mardus. I’m gonna kill you! Mardus! Mardus, I know that was you!” I ran to the railing and looked towards the man. I knew his voice to well.

“Leo!” I shouted. “What the…?” I ran and grabbed the oars and pushed the boat back towards him. Marina looked stunned with confusion.
“Friend of mine.” I smiled. I know she must have thought me mad, at least for that minute.

I rushed back to the rail and put out my hand to him, and he grabbed on. “Marina, help me.” She reached out for his other hand, and together we pulled him back onto the deck. He climbed to his feet, soaking wet.

“Well, hello.” He extended a soaked hand to Marina with a wide smirking grin, “And who are you?” She looked back at me with bewilderment. I started laughing, embracing him warmly as the long lost friend he was.

 

[Kritter]

Leo pulled away finally and grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me in jest. “Hell of a way to greet me, you bastard. Look at this.” He put his arms out wide, dripping wet from head to toe. “Now I’ll smell like Egyptian harbor scum.”

“On you, that will be an improvement. How on earth did you find me, Leo, and how did you get away? And why in hades are you wearing a legionary’s clothes?”

“Let’s get her underway first. I know it won’t come as a huge surprise to you, but I’ve got a few people after me at the moment. The sooner we’re away from here the better.”

“Well ‘sooner’ will have to wait a minute, because I’m not leaving that beer on the dock.”

We were underway fast enough, crawling out of the harbor and into the sea beneath the dark cast of the lighthouse, gentle wind gracing the sail. Fortune seemed on my side for once. I offered thanks to all the gods, unsure of who was responsible.

“Course?” Leo asked.

“East, for now, then up the coast. Only chance of favorable winds.”
Marina clung tensely to the railing, but serenity marked her face. I tossed a walnut at her from the sail, trying to gain her attention. She broke into a smile at me, her excitement quite evident. Scared maybe, but fearless.

Leo bumped up against my shoulder, whispering towards me, “She’s beautiful, Mards, where’d you find her?” I could see her watching us while we whispered, her tilted head and narrowed eyes telling me just how much she died of curiosity to know of what we spoke. I drank that look in with the thirst of a desert hour.
With the sun full and warm above our heads, we set our course and relaxed. Marina settled down against the rails and I sat to join her, a jug of tepid Egyptian beer in my hands. Leo pulled off the wet leather and metal armor that had covered his tunic and tossed it onto the deckhouse floor. He came and sat in front of us, pulling his knees up to his chest. He stared at Marina a few seconds before holding his cup out to me.

“I hope you’re sharing that,” he said.

“The beer, yes,” I answered with a grin. “So what happened to you, Leo, I thought they would have caught you for sure?” I knew the conversation we were about to have would make us sound a pair of thieves to Marina. It did, though, seem she was “one of us,” and there wasn’t much point in trying to hide it.

“What I’d like to know is what happened to you,” he said. “I ransacked the Aegean end to end. It was like you had all disappeared.”

“We got caught in a storm, had to port in Knossos, and we met rocks on the way. She needed a bit of repair after that, and the old man wasn’t forthcoming with the money. Long story,” I said.

“Ah, Crete? I never would have thought to look for you there. Why wouldn’t he get the repairs done? Did he forget me so quickly?”

“Believe me, I tried to talk reason into both of them. Like I said, long story. So how’d you make it out of that field?”

“I plowed into the woods, climbed a tree, and waited on the laggard to get his horse across the Tiber. Took him forever to do. Fool came up right under me, looking around like some bewildered recruit. So I jumped him. Pulled him off his horse and hit him in the face with a rock.” He turned to Marina. “I learned that one from Mardus.” He looked back and winked at me.

Marina glanced over at me, an uncertain furrow on the brow over her beautifully perplexed face.
“Mercenary thing,” I said, shaking my head as if that was nothing.
“Are you a mercenary too?” Marina asked Leo.
“Too?” Leo glanced at me.
I gave him a desperate smile.
“Ah, no, well yes, I was, I am, just…not at the moment, anymore.” He winced, looking flustered. “Are you still a…um…mercenary, Mardus? It’s so hard to keep track these days.”

“Yeah. So, how did you get out of Rome, Leo?” I quickly returned to the prior subject.
“Well, I borrowed the fellow’s uniform and horse, and his travel papers.” He waved the soggy roll of parchment towards me before unrolling it carefully, pressing it to dry in the sun.
“Then I rode down the coast to the Appia road and went clear across Italia from there. The fools at the cross posts even gave me meals and fresh horses, and dispatches to Polignano. I still have ‘em, if you want to read ‘em. Anyway, I figured I had you beat by a week, so I bought myself a bag, some clothes and supplies and took up in the woods, but the Junia never ported.”
“We pushed past it.” I sighed.
“Eventually, I figure this out,” he said, putting up a finger, “So I rode up to Croton and found out you’d all just left. I found a fellow thief willing to buy the horse cheap and I tried to gain a ride. You’ve no idea how difficult that task. No one makes port there anymore.” I winced, recalling Phylo’s recounting of the same problem.
“Took me a damned week, and I had to pay dearly for it. I finally get to Olympia and discover I’ve only just missed you again. Still wondering why you stayed there a week.”
“Yeah, remind me to tell you that story another time,” I said, glancing towards Marina.

He cocked his head and raised his brow. “Sorry I missed it.” He grinned. “Well, I figured I wouldn’t catch you then, so I just waited in Olympia. Started running out of money after awhile, and still no sign of you three.

“Eventually I took a job on a merchant ship, figured at least I could keep looking for you while I was getting myself some pay. I was starting to think you’d been sunk in that storm everyone had been talking about. I still kept asking about the Junia though in every port we made. So, last week, we end up in Tyrus, and I find a Roman guy who claims he’s just seen the Junia. Told me he met you here in Alexandria just a few days before, and that you had the Junia careened on the beach.”

“Vittorio,” I said. “Yeah, he was a great guy. He helped out a lot here.”
Leo laughed nervously. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that, because I um…‘borrowed’ his boat in the middle of the night, and headed straight here on my own.”
“Ah Leo, that’s not good. But you made it through those shoals okay?”
His face contorted. “No, not exactly, but their boat did make it into the harbor. Well, pieces of it anyways.” He smiled and shrugged. “He and his crew showed up here this morning on a Syrian ship, and they were all over this dock looking for me. That’s why I put the uniform back on, figured they wouldn’t be looking for a soldier.”
“Unfortunately, the uniform is what brought you the greeting we gave.”
“Fair enough, I guess.” He lifted his cup to me. “So how did you end up in Alexandria alone?”

I related the story of our travels after we last saw him from the time we hit the storm. His eyes lit on hearing of my anger with Galen. It obviously pleased him. I repeated Galen’s words to me, despite not wanting Marina to hear it.
“He always thought too much of himself, Mardus, and you only made it worse.”
“Me? How?”
“You idolized the man, and you can’t tell me you didn’t. You made him insufferable to the rest of us, the way you fed his ridiculous ego. I’m betting he didn’t fare as well after you left, without a single soul left who looked up to him. He needed us more than we needed him. What’s a commander without his army? Just a plain old man. I bet he’s in poor shape by the time that we get back. We should take him down, Mardus, you and me, I swear. You know he’s gotten too carried away. It’s the perfect time for us to do it. Can’t let him keep thinking that way.”

I stared at him a minute, absorbing his words. He was still obsessed with that thought, and he was looking for me to help him, the way he’d helped Galen when they were kids. I shook my head at him, laughing. That he would still be eaten up by the fact that one man stood ahead of him. I felt so far beyond all that now. It seemed an endless and childish game.

“He probably doesn’t care anymore, he’s got Eva now.”
Leo laughed. “That’s good. Works for us. Just in case. Right?”
“I guess,” I said. “But Leo, what’s the point?”
“He has it coming. If he thinks I’ll just forget…” Revenge. For years of being on the receiving ends of those fists. I shrugged, guessing it was reason enough from Leo’s point of view.
“Good for you though, leaving him behind and striking out on your own. I’m all for going back to making the rounds.”
“Me too,” I said. “I just need to pay Tibs off for the boat.”
“How did you come up with so much money?”

I grinned. “Well there’s a story all its own.” I stretched my legs out straight and leaned back against the rail, crossing my arms behind my head. Marina gave up on refusing Leo’s continued offer of beer, and finally gave in to taking a cup. She leaned on her side with her feet curled under her, her head against the rail. Her honey golden hair laid long and loose in curls around her shoulders, the wind whipping it occasionally across her face. She looked completely at home on the deck, and did not once appear to lose interest in the stories she was hearing. I grew lost a minute in her tranquil green eyes, and it only made it worse that she returned my gaze with equal affection.

Leo finally moved his foot to kick my leg. “Well?” he asked. “The money?”
An hour passed relating the story of all that had happened to me from the time I’d first met Cayden and Simera. I left out nothing, except for the amulet, knowing better than to repeat that part of the tale.
“Gods, you’ve had more a time than me,” Leo said. “And a damned lot more to show for it.”
“Well, what’s mine is yours, brother. Coin wise…at least…”

I put my arm out to Marina and she moved closer to me, nestling her head against my shoulder. That she came to me so swiftly, it didn’t go unnoticed. The sweet smell of Egyptian incense still clung to her hair. I breathed it in deeply and smiled. I’d spent more time with her in the last few days than I’d spent with any girl I’d ever met. Merchant sailors couldn’t gain attachments. I used to think that was a benefit of the job. Now I wasn’t so sure.

I had to honestly think on what I planned to do with her. I hadn’t expected this turn, not that it wasn’t a pleasant one, but here I faced the reality of it. If she was going to be with me, somewhere down the road, I’d have to make a home for us, and I’d never been good at staying in one place. Whether or not I wanted to deal with that fact, I’d have to deal with it soon. There was still time, I could save myself, I reasoned. But I wasn’t sure that was true.

In two days time we’d managed Leopolis. Even with two men, the going was slow. We could pick up another hand or two, but I didn’t like the idea of having strangers around Marina. Leo seemed to enjoy her presence, going out of his way to tease her. It was funny to watch them both at first, but he always seemed to use these occasions to grab at her hands or wrists, which I fast found myself not liking. We were all on this boat together, though. It wasn’t like he could avoid her.

We all walked over to the warehouse row and huddled outside together.
Leo stood there shaking his head. “Ivory or silk, mate, you make the call.”
“Well, silk we know will sell, right?” Tibeus had always handled these things and Galen sometimes when it was needed, but us two? We’d never paid attention to any of it, and now we stood there as fools.
“What is this stuff, anyways?” Leo asked, running his hand across the fabric.
“It grows on trees,” I snapped. The purchase was tying my stomach in knots, since the investment would be all mine.
“You know it will sell in Rome.” Leo winked.
“Let’s hope it sells long before then.” I made the purchase despite my misgivings, and hoped fortune was still on my side. I started loading the cargo while Leo sat there drinking the beer.

“Are you going to help me?” I finally asked.
“What…are you Galen now?”
“Galen would be on your ass right now, but me, no, I bothered asking.”
“Fine.” He sounded annoyed with me. I was relieved at least he helped, but the entire time he acted as if he was doing me some great favor. It took us an hour to load the rest while Marina sat nearby.
“I can help if you like,” she said.
“What’s a girl going to do to help? Stand next to us and whine?” Leo laughed at her.

She scrunched up her face and drawing from our supplies, threw a chickpea at his head. Leo made to chase her. Marina screamed and ran into the deckhouse, slamming the door behind her. He walked up and leaned against the door with his arms crossed a minute, smiling ear to ear. “Don’t think being in there will save you,” he said. “You know you have to come out sometime!” He grinned at me. I laughed.

I fetched her when we were done, as she didn’t dare tempt his revenge. I just wanted a fast run through their market place since we’d never been here before. A unique silver bracelet with ivory charms drew Marina’s eye, and I wouldn’t let her leave until I’d clasped it on her wrist. She was still playing with it when we walked back to the ship.

“My father used to buy me such things. Not as delightful as this, of course, but little things I liked. My mother came to see me just once after she sent me away. To tell me she had remarried. I wished she hadn’t come at all. It was the vilest news to me. I hated her for that.”

“So she had been married to your father?”

“Of course.” She frowned at me, sounding angered. “What kind of woman do you think she was?”

‘The kind that sold her daughter into slavery?’ I thought, but I left that unsaid. “No, Marina, I didn’t mean any disrespect, it’s just usually soldiers aren’t allowed to marry. Not during their service, in any case.”

“Oh.” She laughed. “They didn’t care. He and his men had been there so long, I think they stopped abiding by Roman rule. They did their jobs as was required, but they believed themselves forgotten by the man who sent them here. Those men belong to Egypt now. They all have Egyptian wives.”

“His men? He was an officer?”

“He was a centurion.” She nodded. “The only one they recalled.”

“Wait…” I said slowly, not believing my thought. It was a decade old memory. I struggled to remember. “They were here to keep Ptolemy on his throne, those men?”

“Yes,” she said.
“Your father, the centurion… he wasn’t Kostas…something, was he?”
“That’s right.” She nodded, looking at me strangely. “You knew him? You knew my father, Mardus?”

I reeled from her answer. I actually set my hands on her shoulders to steady myself. Her face searched mine desperately seeking an answer.
“I knew him. No,” I corrected myself, “I met him just once, when I was still a boy. He knew my father. They were old friends. He gave me his sword to hold,” I smiled wide at that memory, growing dazzled by the thought. “I’d not be standing here right now, if it wasn’t for meeting that man.”

“Well, where did he go, what was he doing?” She grabbed onto my arms, imploring me. Excitement and agitation mixed in her voice.
“He was headed to Gaul, and he hadn’t expected to be,” I answered. “I’m afraid that’s all I know. I’m sure if we ever go to Rome I could find out the rest for you.”

I took her hand as we walked back towards the ship, loving the feel of her delicate fingers gripped tightly between mine.
“You knew my father.” She gazed at me with a still open mouth.
“Gods, I was so impressed with him. I’ll never forget that man.”
Marina smiled. “He was handsome.”
“He was tall” I laughed.

Leo was waiting as we stepped on board. I saw his eyes flick down to our hands, before rising slowly back to my face.
“Why do you say you wouldn’t stand here if not for meeting him?” she asked.
“I wanted to be a soldier, but my father abhorred unjust wars, and he felt the need to show me kids he felt were victims of those wars, like Leo…, “ I joked towards him, but he raised his eyebrow at me.
“Are you gonna start with me now, Mardus?” he asked, leaning towards me, a harsh look in his eye.
“Ah no, I didn’t mean it in…that…way.” I winced. He stared at me, looking sadly hurt, then he walked over to the rail and stood there looking out at the sea. Marina frowned at me, immediately going over to comfort him.

I felt incredibly bad for a second, but did I actually say something wrong? I’d never known Leo to show hurt like that before, let alone pout over anything said to him. Galen had said ten times worse to him and he’d never put on a display like this. Marina put her hand on his back, soothing him. He peered over his shoulder at me, before turning to her. She put her fingers to the sides of his mouth and tried to force him to smile. Just briefly his hand grazed against her cheek. I narrowed my eyes at him.

I had to take and hold a deep breath to rid myself of the awful feeling that tried to invade my mind. I couldn’t let myself be consumed with paranoid assumptions. I remembered all too well how weak Galen appeared to me when he started his similar display. Leo was my ally, my last true friend. Marina was with me, she’d made it clear she was. But somehow this seemed like a well contrived act aimed on bringing her to his side.

I could hear Galen’s warnings about him lurking in my head. If he’d never spoke them, I doubt I would have realized much in that moment, but now I started seething in my skin. I pressed to get us underway quickly, not wanting to see him get away with another second of it.

With Tripoli looming somewhere three days due north, we headed back out to sea. The winds were useless though, coming head on. We had to zigzag up the Mare. The entire day we were forced to work and by evening time we were exhausted.
I’d all but forgotten that morning’s annoyance by the time we took a break, sharing some spiced wine and still fresh bread and stories all around. Leo started recounting to us about a man he’d sat next to while watching a boxing match in Olympia. His impersonation of this man put us all into hysterics.

-"Wait until you see this tremendous man, the fighter Philabenus. What an amazing physic he has. Long of limb and chiseled to perfection, just like one of Myron’s sculptures. When they oil him down, oh the shivers I get!’ I spat out my wine when he said it. "I hope he wins, I’d love to see him on a pedestal, decorated in nothing but laurels!"-

“And then, oh gods, I’m not lying, Mardus, he started bouncing in his seat, clapping his hands, shouting out at the competitors, "More oil! More oil!"

I fell over on my side rolling with laughter. It definitely set the mood right for awhile. The ridiculously strong Egyptian wine started going to my head, and I closed my eyes for just a minute, but it led very quickly to a deep and thoughtless sleep.

I woke in late evening to the soft shushing sound of the Junia, still forging her way across the dark waters before us. Marina was laughing, a beautiful sound. I opened my eyes and looked for her. She was sitting with Leo on the deck by the rudder. He was leaned up close to her, explaining to her how to steer the boat. I sat up straighter, and they both turned their heads around to look at me simultaneously. I glared at Leo a second, quickly assessing him.

I didn’t want to become like Galen, jealous and insecure, but in that moment it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t like the interest he was taking in her, nor the fact that my glare seemed to be met by one of his own. I stood, walking towards them, and he smiled at her when I did.

“I should be getting some sleep,” he said, putting a hand out to pull her to her feet. His stood, heading for the deckhouse. His eyes met mine again, and he dared snort at my challenging face.

I shot him a look that could kill a dead man.
“Relax Cretin,” he said with a disarming smile, patting his hand on my back.
‘Relax? No way. I’m just getting started.’ I gasped out in pain, loudly, as I twisted my back away from his hand. “Ah careful, Leo, that wound still hurts.”
“Oh, Mardus!” Marina frowned with concern. “And you worked so hard today.” She came over to me swiftly, lifting my tunic to check on my back. “You poor thing.” I flashed a grin at Leo as he narrowed his eyes at me.
“It’s really painful.” I pouted to her.
“Let me put fresh linens against it,” Marina said, fussing over my state.
“Price you pay for being a mercenary, I guess.” I gritted my teeth with a perfectly dark voice.
Leo stood there with his mouth half open.
“Weren’t you headed to bed?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He turned and walked down into the deckhouse, slamming the door behind him. I laughed to myself when he did it.

I sat down and she kneeled next to me, tending to my back.
“Have you slept at all?” I asked her.
“Just a few minutes, not very long. I’m been too excited to sleep. There’re so many places I can’t wait to see.”
“What would you like to see first?” I asked.
“Rome,” she answered, her eyes lit at the thought.
I hesitated a second and started to laugh. “That might take some doing…”
She smiled at me, wide and sweet and I realized it was all in response just to my having laughed. She had no idea at all the trouble she’d taken up with. Her eyes stared up into mine a second, as innocent and alluring as ever.

“I wonder how I came to be on the same caravan as you?” she said. “Do you not think it’s fate, Mardus? As far as I know Simera’s story was only told to me, and there you were asking about her. It’s like we were both meant to help her.”
“I’d have helped them regardless.” I shrugged. “It made no difference that I knew. It still makes no difference now, that I can tell, except that you’re with me.” I brushed my hand slowly across her cheek and she smiled up at me.
“Perhaps the real reason has not yet been revealed.” She searched my eyes. “For all you know, your true purpose has only just now started.”
I laughed. “Only if my true purpose is to do cargo routes in Greece.”
She finished wrapping a fresh bandage around my back.
I pointed to my shoulder and whimpered, “My arms still pretty cut up too.”

The next morning before making port in Tyrus, Leo pulled me aside. “You said you could spare some of the money you’d gotten. I can use some, I haven’t much left. Been growing really short on supplies for myself, even ten silver would help the cause.”

I was more than happy to give it to him, having been in that position myself not long ago.

At port while I tried to gain us a sale, Leo escorted Marina to the market. The whole time the trader spoke to me, my eyes stayed glued to her in the distance. Leo was bumping shoulders with her while he walked, and he looked back over to me more than once, both times moving to block my view. ‘Bastard’

“How much do you have? I’ll take all of it,” the buyer offered. He waved his hands in front of my eyes. “Merchant? Hello?”
“Ah, sorry,” I said, pulling myself away long enough to make the transaction at hand. I’d just made my first profit and fairly well, but it hadn’t entered my mind. I walked back towards the boat, my eyes only on her.

Leo displayed a bronze dagger in a leather scabbard hanging from his side when they returned. “Always wanted one,” he said. “You like it, Mardus? Marina picked it out.”
“It’s nice,” I lied. I hated him in that moment. And what’s worse, he’d used my money to buy it. “Should come in useful if we get jumped by pirates. A lot more useful than that tiny toy fishing knife he’s got,” he said to Marina, smirking.
“It looks very handsome on you.” She smiled, squeezing his arm.
‘Leo, if I have to strap a damned long sword to my back, I will beat you at this game.”

I tried to stay unruffled since we still had work to do. “He’s buying it all. We’re gonna have to unload this, and decide what we take from here.”
Leo sighed loudly. “Pay one of these slaves to unload this junk, and why take anything now? I don’t feel like loading cargo, come on, Mardus. Let’s just get to Crete.”
“I’m not sailing with an empty hull. Didn’t you say you wanted to get back to routes?”
“I do. But does it have to be right this second?”

I was about to enter into the same argument with him I had heard Galen have with him a hundred times, although now that I was opposing side I was discovering just how frustrating he could be, and worse because I was not prone to threaten him to get the work done, I was left with begging, which I’m sure looked a poor state in Marina’s eyes. It took us forever to unload that ship, as much as he kept taking breaks. I resolved to hire a hand for the loading, but I still wasn’t sure what to buy.

“Just buy that.” He pointed haphazardly at a mountain of iron.
“What, were you hoping to sink us?” I asked. He shrugged at me. He didn’t care. It was once again left in my hands. They had so much to offer here and none of it was cheap. One bad investment could put me to ruin. There was no room for mistakes. Marina crossed her arms and tapped her foot while she rolled her eyes.
“You wanna keep having silver to spend you’d best learn to be patient.” I was stern with her, but she smiled.
“The spices.” She nudged her head towards them. “Who doesn’t want them? We never left the market without some.”
“A few sacks of each?” I asked. She nodded, and I nodded to the merchant in kind. “If this doesn’t sell, you’re in big trouble ‘Priestess’.”
She hugged me from behind. “It’ll sell, ‘Mercenary’.”
I turned around and smiled at her. She bit her lip and swayed side to side, raising her brow at me.
“Yah, I know, you think you’re smart,” I said, roughly pulling her closer.

She leaned up on her toes and kissed me, and I kissed her back, much harder. I glanced at Leo when I let her go. The look in his eyes was pure darkness. Something inside my mind warned me right then that this could get bad very quickly.

Each successive day brought new attempts from him to gain her attention, and I had to counter every one. Marina had to be aware of the subtle war being waged over her, but she made it none the easier, as her interest seemed easily swayed. Whether innocently or by impish desire, she toyed with our affections, but I don’t think she had any idea how dangerous that really was. Her shipmates were both short tempered armed men growing madder at each other by the minute.

No matter what transpired between us each day, when sailing we both had to work hard, and we still managed to work as a team in getting that job done, but over a week of dealing with headwinds had only now brought us to Cyprus.
We spent the night harbored in its quiet port, a nice respite from anchoring at sea, and we all descended on the tavern there, starved for some decently cooked food. With four seats at the table he and I sat on opposite sides, and Marina, lagging slightly, came and sat down next to me. I rested my arm behind her back and gave him a smug grin.

Leo clasped his hands in front of his face, and then leaving his left hand there alone he started tapping anxiously against the table, while we waited on the servant with our drinks. He almost looked on the verge of becoming unhinged, his glare persisting on me the entire time. Finally he leaned back.

“Mardus ever tell you about the swimming hole at Attalia? The water falls from a height of fifty feet into the lake below.”
‘Fifty feet my ass.’ I glared at him.
“I dove off the top,” he told her proudly
‘Dove? Try plummeted…screaming.’
“A seriously insane thing to do. I tried to get Mardus to join me, but he was afraid to even go up there. Not much he’s not afraid of.” He laughed, unconvincingly.
“I know that isn’t true,” Marina said, “He took on a camp of raiders. I’d say that was a very brave thing to do.”
I raised my entire brow at Leo, mocking him with my face.
Leo frowned. “Yeah but he had the help of that assassin. Who wouldn’t have done the same? I could’ve taken every one of those raiders, all by myself if I had to.”
“Oh, I’m sure you could have.” Marina rolled her eyes at him.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud. The frustration on his face was pure heaven, but he wasn’t giving up yet.

“Well, he’s yet to beat me in a fight. I can still rip him apart.” There was blatant antagonism in his voice now. “He’s tried me more than a few times, and it never works out well for him. Does it Mardus?” He glared at me intently. This attack came unexpected, and I could think of no fast answer back. It was clearly said as a threat. I hadn’t thought we’d come to this point, but obviously he had. I glowered back at him a second, but I didn’t maintain that gaze. The problem of it being that it happened to be true.

He smiled, extremely satisfied with himself, and what’s worse, she grinned at his smile. As my confidence staggered backwards, he was fast to knock me down.
“Stop kicking me, Marina.” He laughed.
“What?” She gasped. “You kicked me! Now this…is a kick!” She flung her foot under the table.
“Ow! Gods, you savage mule!” He grabbed at his ankle.
She laughed at him. “There, I’ve beat you in a fight.”
He looked up at her from his bruised foot, his dark eyes fairly gleaming.
“I dare you to tangle with me, nymph, you’d be on your back faster then you could bat those eyes.”

She tilted her head at him, smiling seductively. I buried my head in my hands. I knew he laughed at me now, and it ate me up inside. The rest of the night they both drank away, just as talkative as could be, while I mumbled into my cup. To make it worse he took her hand when we walked back to the ship, through the tangle of darkened streets.

I tossed the idea of fighting him all the way back to the port. We’d had lots of fights but I’d been a boy. He’d always had size on me, and because of that one time he’d knocked me out, I’d always been on the defensive. I’d go in scared and cover up and just try to come out unscathed. But that was so long ago.

He no longer had the advantages he’d had when we were young. He’d barely two inches on me, and I thought myself stronger and more agile than him, so I’d have to fair better now. I was sure that I could beat him, but the idea of it still scared me.

I knew he had inside of him somewhere that rage he held on to so tightly, and I could be sure he’d find it fast if I was to challenge him now. I looked back at Marina, lit under the moonlight, and questioned if I cared enough for that.
I could be free of her if I just let her go, and any burdens that came with her care, but the very idea of that now wounded me. I wasn’t sure if it had been due to his intervention, or the time we’d now spent together, but the truth was there before my heart. I was in love with that impossible girl, and I wanted her now more than ever.

 

[Kritter]

We all fell asleep on the deck that night, drunk and desperate for the cool night air. Leo was more than amiable the next morning, sure in his victory over me. He pulled up the last jug of Egyptian beer and offered it out like a peace treaty. I took it from him reluctantly, not willing to surrender just yet.
Marina stirred from her sleep on the deck, lifting her head from her arms and rolling onto her back, covering her eyes with her forearm. “I’m going to burn under this sun.” She pouted.

“And you’ll still look as beautiful,” I said with a certain smile. She stood up and started walking towards us, but I stopped her mid-way.
“Bring us the cups from the deckhouse.”
“You say that like I’m your slave.”
“Don’t make me pull out the receipt.” I pointed to my pack with a grin.
“Oh, excuse me, yes right away…Dominus,” she said sarcastically as she went to retrieve the cups.
“She is too much fun.” Leo smiled after her.
She sat down beside me with cups in hand and held one out as she rolled her eyes at me, “Your cup, Dominus.”

I grinned as I took it from her hand. She was as adorable as she was beautiful, and I loved her in every way. I couldn’t lose her, whatever the cost, yet I feared she was slipping away.
I wracked my brain to an obsessive point trying to think of what to say. Some brilliant plot I hadn’t yet launched, but nothing came to me for hours. I grew to a point of frustrated abandon when it dawned on me with complete clarity. I knew her dreams, and I knew him, and I knew right where those paths collided. In fact, I could end this battle right now if I maneuvered my troops just right.

“Kostas’s daughter.” I looked her over. “I still can’t get over that thought. What amazing sons you’ll have, Marina.”
“I know.” She smiled at me.
“What would you want children for?” Leo started laughing. “Whiney little mouths to feed, they don’t do you any good whatsoever.”
I sincerely wanted to hug Leo in that moment.
“They’d have to all be centurions.” I ignored him. “No, wait, commanders in the army. One to conquer each corner of the Earth. You’d have to have four at least.”
“At least.” She beamed at the thought.

“Four? Who can even afford one of the things? Not him.” Leo sneered at me. “May as well just burn your money, its faster and causes less trouble. Why saddle yourself with ungrateful whelps? There’s the stupidest thing a man could do for himself.”
“I can’t even imagine how great they’d all be.” I gazed at her with adoration.
“I can.” She laughed. “They’d all be handsome and strong…”
“With black hair and blue eyes.” I suggested, confidently. She blushed to an absolute crimson as her eyes glittered at me. “And daughters as beautiful as their mother…”

“Daughters?” Leo spit out. “Now there’s a useful thing. Why not wish for a swarm of locusts to descend on yourself while you’re at it.”

“…And they’d all be adorned in the finest of garments, with lotus flowers in their hair.” I continued.

Marina smiled, showing every one of her perfect teeth. “That would be a dream.”

I grinned, which widened to a smile. In honesty, I’d never even fathomed fathering a child, let alone from such a bloodline, but now that I was suggesting it, I had to admit I liked the idea.
“Someday.” I winked at her.
“Someday,” she whispered back, her eyes now lovingly glued to mine. I reached down and took her hand. She pulled my hand up to her chest and clasped it there with both hands.

Leo threw his arms up in the air. “Don’t listen to me then, what do I know.” He got up and started pacing about the ship, looking for something to do. I may as well have handed him a shovel, as he’d buried himself so completely.

We had open water to sail that day as we pushed now west towards Crete. With the wind finally coming from an adaptable angle we were able to cover some ground. I noted Leo’s attempts to draw her attention began producing seldom effect. I could see his frustration grow at her lack of interest, and I knew he had no idea what had changed. He even grabbed her arm at one point and stared questioning into her eyes, demanding answers with the look he fired at her. The force with which he grabbed her though now just made her pull away.

More than once over those two days I caught him staring at me, trying to figure out what I had done. That evening he withdrew into the deckhouse after drinking a good half amphora of wine.

It was pleasurable to have time alone with her as I kneeled down by her side. She beamed at me, and looked back into the blackness of the night, adjusting the rudder. “Do you know where you’re headed?” I asked, finding amusement in seeing her take the steering of the boat seriously.

“Um hmm.” She nodded with enthusiasm. “Leo showed me. I follow that star.” She pointed towards the bright object low on the horizon. “He said…”
“That’s not a star,” I said, cutting her off, not wanting to hear his words from her lips. “That’s an entire other world that orbits around ours. The Greeks call it Aphrodite, but Romans, we call it Venus.” I brushed the back of my hand against her face as I said it. “Named for the most beautiful Goddess. So beautiful that all men desired her, but only one God could possess her, Marina. Only Mars could have her.” She blushed up at me, and as my hand reached her chin, she embraced it with hers and lowered her face, gracing my knuckles with her soft lips.

“If only he could possess her, it was clearly by her choice,” she said, flicking her eyes up at me demurely. I freed my hand and entangled it forcefully in her hair, and drew her to me for a kiss, as raw and passionate as any I had ever in my life given, fueled by more than just desire. I wanted her love, her heart, her willing obedience to my every word, and she surrendered with no sign of disagreement to any of it. I stopped for a second to look in her eyes which simmered with the Roman fire I knew she possessed.

“You’d better have made that choice,” I said, sincere in my demand.
She moved closer to me, pressing against me, seeking out my lips on her own. “What choice?” she murmured, “Only Mars could have her. You said so yourself.” Her kisses were soft, sensual, and they pushed me to a near savage state. My hand moved gently around her neck as I pulled her down onto the deck beneath me.
“You’ll stay with me forever, then.”
“May the goddess make it so,” she whispered. It didn’t require a complicated response, just the one that she had given, and once it was said, I wasn’t going to leave her any room for question.

We’d fallen asleep there at some point. I couldn’t remember when. I just knew I now leaned against something, with Marina still in my arms, her head against my chest, her legs entangled with my own. I didn’t want to move.
“Go away.” I growled, annoyed at Leo, who for some reason was bent on waking me. Feeling started returning to my limbs from whatever limbo enveloped them in sleep. My arms tightened. She was still there. I hadn’t dreamed the whole thing. If he would just go away, I could start it all over again. But, he wasn’t going away.

“Come on, Mardus wake up,” he said again. He sounded distinctly peeved.
“Gods, why are you badgering me, Leo?” I tried to sit up, realizing now the object that I leaned against, was in fact, the rudder. The rudder. I turned my head and looked at it, suddenly terrified.

“I hate to interrupt your little tryst but I’ve no idea where we are,” he said.
“Somewhere between Cyprus and Crete…still…right?” I squinted now at the vast and endless sea in all directions. I sat up straighter, and then went for my feet, pushing Marina abruptly aside.

“Okay, hang on, we can figure this out,” I said, trying to get my bearings.

“We’ve no doubt been going in circles for hours,” he complained, and not unfairly. “Seriously Mardus, what are we going to do?” He backed up and started biting his nails while the other hand grabbed the mast pole. There was the Leo I knew and loved. The one I could count on to panic.

Circles were good, if that’s what had happened. Heading south, somewhere, was not. “Let’s get her east and keep her straight and we’ll keep an eye out for land. If we didn’t pull south we should be fine. We’ll see something by later today.”

“What I get for leaving for leaving a loose woman at the helm,” Leo mumbled.

I saw Marina raise her eyebrows, but I shook my head at her carefully. He was taking this all well enough in my eyes, and I needed him to remain sane. She nodded, ever so slightly, as if she’d read my mind.

An overwhelming feeling of love washed over me, looking at her sitting there. I don’t know how my face must have looked but she tilted her head and smiled at me as if I’d shouted my thoughts to the air. I walked over and helped her to her feet.

“Forever.” I reminded her with an authoritative look. She grinned, embracing me. I broke her embrace sooner than I would have liked, not wanting to further press the point with Leo. At least not until we knew where we were. Should he at all decide to take a bad turn, it would be best done close to land. Preferably on Crete, where I could be in the company of friends.

We kept on our course for hours, watching off the bow and port for any sign of land. I could hear Leo tapping his hand frantically against the rail. Had we somehow sailed south at any point while I slept, we both knew how bad off we’d be. I knew we’d still been near a half day from land when the steering got lost to much more interesting pursuits, but as the hours progressed, even I grew increasingly anxious.

“Marina, I need to know exactly how much water we have left,” I said. She lowered her brow at me and bit her lip, walking towards the hold. She’d not more than descended down into its depths when Leo shouted out, “I see Rhodes!”

“Oh thank the gods.” I gasped out in fast relief. “And right where it’s supposed to be.”

Leo ran over to the open hatch. “Forget the water, you fickle girl, and bring us up that wine!” I laughed at him. He looked up at me and smiled wide.
I could hear the pout in Marina’s voice as she shouted back, confused. “I can’t lift a wine up there all by myself!”

We drank enough of that wine in fast enough time that we were singing when Karpathos came into view. Some ridiculous song that Tibs used to sing whenever he’d had way too much. We’d always thought it absurd of him, and now we both sang it with zest. The dusk gave way to darkness as we rounded the smaller islands and the farthest edge of Crete came into view.
Marina excused herself to get some sleep and I walked her to my bed. I knelt down beside her for a minute, laying my head on my arm, gazing at her. She reached her fingers out and traced across my lips.

“How did you get this?” She ran one finger against the scar there.
“Leo and I, we had to kill a man who’d killed a friend of ours. It’s why we…can’t go home.” I found it odd that after seven years, the memory still depressed me.

Marina leaned up on her arm and kissed me. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s funny, back then I was excited to leave, and now I’d give anything to return,” I said.
“I’ll never feel that way about Alexandria.”
“Give it time.” I smiled and left her to her sleep.

I returned to Leo and sat by his side, pouring out more of the wine.
“You okay?” I asked him carefully. If I had to fight him, so be it, but I wanted to know if it was coming.

He shrugged and flicked his palms out, with not so much surrender as resign. He knew he could do little about it now, which was a good enough response for me.

“We’ll be in port by morning. I can’t believe we’ll all be back in one place.”
“We’ll have to pick up more crew there, Mardus. A two man crew is exhausting. And you don’t plan on bringing her on the trade routes, right?”
I sighed. I had planned on it. With a full crew though, that would be hard.
“I um…no. I mean…I can’t…right? So…no. I’ll just get her a room where I can see her twice in every crossing.”
“Yeah, Rhodes or something.” He nodded. I frowned. I hated the idea. How could I leave her? Who would watch her? It didn’t sit right with me.
“Or maybe I’ll just bring her along,” I said.
He shook his head at me. “There’s a perfectly horrible idea.”
“My specialty,” I bowed.
“That and lying through your teeth. A mercenary, Mards? What were you thinking?”

I smiled. I’d concede him that. “That reminds me, actually,” I said, cringing at what I had to do. “There was something I wanted to tell you.” Better he heard it now, from me, than from Galen when we made port. Leo tilted his head at me. He looked half asleep and as drunk as me, which would surely help soften the blow.

I took a deep breath. “Sorry to say this since its long gone on, but you were right about me, when I was a boy. I lived on a farm with my parents.”

“Oh gods, I knew it!” He shouted out with an enormous smile. “I had you figured out from the start, I knew it. I’ve been right this whole damned time. Gods, that’s gratifying!”
“I am sorry,” I said, but I couldn’t help but laugh at his pleasure in hearing it all.
“Ah, I knew it. Gods, let me revel in this moment!” he said, raising his hands in the air above him. “Damn, Galen used to give me such a hard time for saying it. Ah, what does it matter, long time past as you say. I’m guessing Galen knows?”
I just nodded.

“So, what are we going to do with him when we get back to Crete?” he said, changing the subject without further thought. “Bastard didn’t care to look for me. Really, Mardus, we have to do something. You know I’m right, right?”

It was still sticking in his mind. He’d been obsessing on the thought. He was slick, just like Galen had warned. Behind that cool reserve, he wanted it bad, and he was willing to shrug off what I’d just told him because he needed me behind him.

“I was hoping to just pay Tibs off for the boat. I don’t really care to talk to Galen, unless he’s got something to say.”
“Well, you know I’m gonna be talking to him.” His eyes started to glisten, like he really couldn’t wait.
“What makes you think that will turn out any better than anytime you’ve ‘talked’ to him before?”
“I’ll have you backing me up.” He said it like it was fact. He wasn’t letting me out of this. I owed him, I guessed, that much at least. He’d stood up for me more times than I could count. And even though he’d said nothing more on Marina’s choosing me, I realized now why he wasn’t bothering to push that to a fight. He’d looked to trade it off for my help on this, his much more desired goal.
“You’re behind me, right?” He nudged me, already sounding hungry for the encounter.
“Yeah.” I nodded, but inside, I found I really disliked the thought.

 

[Kritter]

Two dolphins joined us in our wake as the port came into view. Marina screamed with ridiculous joy as they dipped and glided in glistening splendor aside the Junia’s bow. Familiar sounds reached my ears, of fishing boats starting their day. I could hear Pasha’s voice call out to me as soon as we made our berth.

Despite Leo’s wishes, I silently prayed we’d manage this stay without a fight. I’d seek out Tibs, he’d sell me the boat, and we’d be on our way. I didn’t want to press things with Galen. I wasn’t even sure I was still mad at him. I also didn’t like the idea of Marina being around him. As much trouble as I had with Leo, I wasn’t going through that again. Just get in and get out. That was all I wanted to do.

“Marina, wait at the boat, we won’t be long,” I said.
“What? No, come with us, Marina!” Leo pleaded.
She started to step off from the boat but I waved her off with my hand. “Wait in the boat,” I repeated again.
“Gods, that’s ridiculous Mardus, don’t make her stay on the boat. Come on, Marina.”
“I captain this boat, if you haven’t noticed. My crew takes its orders from me.”
“Crew?” I heard Marina flare at me from the deck.
“Wait…are you afraid to introduce her to Galen?” Leo goaded. “What’s the matter, farm boy, is he too much competition for you?”
‘Farm boy. There we go.’ I knew he couldn’t resist taking shots at me for that. His words about Galen grated me though. Worse, because it was true and now I’d be forced to prove him wrong.
“Fine, Marina, come on.” I sighed. She eagerly sprung from the deck, running up behind us. I could hear Leo snicker under his breath. He’d manipulated me far too easily.

“Mardus!” Pasha ran up to me. “You made it huh? How was the trip?”
“Yeah, I made it. Barely.” I said. “But it all worked out okay.”
“Looks like you picked up some new crew.” He glanced at Marina with interest. I rubbed my hands over my face as she smiled into his eyes.
“Where’s Galen?” Leo interrupted, looking up the dock.
“He’s been staying in a room in the tavern.” Pasha directed his answer towards me. “He knows better than to come down here.”
“Problems?” I asked with a raised brow.
“I’ll let him tell you, my friend. My boat waits.” He gave a flick of his head towards his crew, flashing a proud smile towards them. “When I get back, we’ll talk.” He nodded towards the tavern with a wink. “You going to be staying very long?”
“Not if I can help it.”

The tavern was empty and unattended, and smelled like cold rusted water. The second we stepped inside its door, Leo started shouting for Galen. “Not now though, Leo.” I whispered to him. “She doesn’t need to see this.”

“Nah, don’t worry.” He smiled at me, studying my face with great pleasure. “It’s good to see you’re finally behind me for once.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. I was with him, but begrudgingly, and still very much unsure.

“Galen, you bastard, I know you’re here. Come out and give me a kiss!” Leo shouted. He turned to me with an open mouth grin and we both started laughing like fools.

“Galen!” I shouted. “Where are you, man? Leo has returned from the sea!”
“And he wants something to drink!” Leo shouted. “Where are the drinks in here, anyways?” Leo looked around the stark hall. He walked right through the kitchen entrance, and then popped his head out the door. “Marina, come here.” He waved her towards him. She glanced at me with narrowed eyes before going to see what he wanted. They reemerged with filled jugs and cups, and a loaf of hard crusted bread.

“Are you sure this is okay?” She glanced nervously around the room.
“Of course,” Leo said. “If they have a problem with it, they can talk to my man Mardus here, he can set them straight.”
“You mean I’ll be pulling out my coin satchel.”
“So long as I got what I wanted.” He laughed. “All that matters to me.” He poured himself out a cup of mead, drinking it down like it was water.
“Galen!” he started shouting again, “Come on, I’m back. Wake up and come take a few swings.”

Galen finally emerged a hallway, his hand to the back of his head, looking freshly awakened by our noise. “Oh gods have mercy. I thought I heard your voice. When did Hades spit you back out?”
“Good to see you too, mate.” Leo raised his cup.
“I hope you plan on paying for that,” Galen said dryly, looking over our table.
“Of course we will.” Leo grinned. “If someone happens to notice.” He stood up, walking over to Galen, who extended a hand. Leo stared at him a second, and then smiled, giving him a shake and a hug. It was a lovely warm greeting, deceptively warm, knowing how Leo thought. Myself, I didn’t even bother to stand.

“Mardus.” Galen nodded at me curtly. I stared at him in greeting, but his eyes passed me to her. “Were you going to introduce me?”
I stood and put a hand out to Marina and she came directly to my side.
“That…,” Leo interrupted before I could speak, “is Mardus’ slave, Marina.”
“Slave?” She ruffled, giving Leo a hard shove with both hands.
“Gods, you contrary girl!” Leo grinned, “You’re as unruly as the wind in a storm!” He tried to swipe her back as she quickly retreated behind me to save herself. “Mardus, you’ve got to control your woman. She’ll only grow worse over time!”
“Like I could control the wind in a storm,” I said. She gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek when I said that, then she reached from around me and tried to shove at him again. I could see Leo was relishing the fight, as childish as it was. I wrested her out from behind my back and restrained her between strong arms.

“Marina, this is Galen” I’d told her all about my friends when we’d journeyed back from Kel’abar, and she’d heard about the fight when I related it to Leo. She knew enough to know I didn’t care to see her greet him, and she nodded towards him vaguely, with an aloofness that made me proud.

“She’s actually much nicer once you get to know her,” Leo said.
“Well…” Galen responded, not knowing what to make of a girl who displayed no interest in him. He pulled a chair towards our table, joining us. We both now noticed that Galen’s face was marked with cuts and bruises. I raised my eyebrow at Leo. He’d been in some recent scuttle, it seemed, and not come out on top.
“Go grab us a cup for him, Marina, my love,” Leo said.

“Sorry, Leo, ‘my love’,” she said, “But I only take orders from the captain.” I nodded her towards the kitchen. I smirked at Leo. He raised his eyebrows at me.
“Well, I’m impressed now, Mardus. Maybe you do have her under control.”
“So where’ve you been, Leo, you stray old dog?” Galen asked.
“I was crossing the Mare, searching for my friends, and I actually managed to find one. No thanks to you.” Leo’s voice descended into darkness. He didn’t not looking up from his cup. Galen turned his eyes towards him. I could see his weighing those words.

“Where’s Tibs, by the way, we need him here,” Leo said, giving him a bare glance.
“Afraid I have some bad news for you both about Tibs.” Galen sighed. I held my breath. Galen frowned and shook his head.
“Gods, what’s happened?” Leo asked.
“He’s gone and gotten himself married.” Galen started snickering, no longer able to keep his straight face.
“That is dreadful news,” Leo agreed. His perfectly smooth return brought the first smile to my face.
“Speaking of which, where’s Eva?” I asked. Marina returned to hand him a cup, sitting back down next to me.

Galen sighed. He reached for the jug and poured himself out a drink. “In truth, I don’t speak with her anymore. She just started to bore me after awhile. Really not long after you left.”
“What did I tell you?” Leo swept his hand towards Galen. “Do I know this man or what?”
“I mean, she was a lovely girl, but I swear, that empty mind,” he said, ignoring Leo’s words. “It grew painful trying to engage her in conversation, and after awhile I tried to, you know, back out of our acquaintance. Obviously, it wasn’t well received.”
“Did she come at you with her claws out?” I laughed, nodding at his scars.

He shook his head. His voice now sounded distinctly upset to me. “No, but her brother certainly took issue with me. Damned crazy Greek was all over me for weeks. It led to some nasty fights, both with him, his friends, his crew. I swear they all ganged up on me.” He stopped to take a stiff drink from his cup, his hand ever slightly shaking. “And then of course his mother became involved, and the family I was staying with showed me the door.” He shook his head in disgust. “I’ve been keeping a room at the tavern here, but it was starting to break me. I was actually kind of hoping you might swing back around here with the boat.”

“Well, you’re welcome to be on it,” I said. We both knew he owed me an apology, and he’d have to give it before that applied, but he’d never give it sitting here. I also knew I owed him one of my own, but I’d never give it at all, because the boat was mine as far as I was concerned, and there was nothing he could do about it. I knew that would irritate him, and that was my sole reason why.
He nodded at me with half a smile, and awkwardly stared down at the floor. Leo’s eyes alit towards me, near salivating at his distress.

“Go get Tibs for us.” Leo suddenly directed at him, pointing his chin towards the door.
“Yeah, okay,” Galen said, uneasily backing from the table and heading for the door. His demeanor spoke volumes for all it was worth. His pride had taken some punches from Pasha and his buddies while we’d been gone, and it wouldn’t be smoothly regained. I felt a little bad for him, but there was also an admitted amount of enjoyment in seeing him knocked down a bit.

Leo grinned at me after he left, and we both had a laugh at his woes.
“This is gonna be too easy, Mards, he’s already face down in the dirt.” Leo stood and walked back towards the kitchen. I could hear him rummage loudly through their stores.
“Marina, you wanna cook some eggs for us?” he asked, leaning out.
“What’s an eggs?” She looked at him confused.
“You don’t know what an egg is? Are you saying you don’t have chickens in Egypt?”
She blinked at him with a blank expression on her face.
“Gods, never mind.” He cringed, disappearing back through the door.

Marina glanced at me with an ever so slight upturn of her lips. I could see her struggling to hold in that laugh. She nearly lost it when she looked at me.
“You are the most beautiful thing on this earth.” I whispered to her. She couldn’t hide her intelligence from me. I just wondered why she guarded it as she did.
“We need a woman to cook us some food.” Leo complained from the kitchen.
“You’ll just have to break down and get yourself a wife, Leo!”
Leo’s head peeked back through the door. “Mardus, I’m hungry, not insane.”
He returned to the table with a large plate of cold foods.
“You know that’s gonna cost me plenty.” I sighed.
“Who cares, you’ve got the coin. Or were you planning on buying a few more of these,” he asked, nodding towards Marina. She pouted at him rudely.

Galen returned with Tibeus, and we stood to give him greetings.
“I hear you’ve burdened yourself with a bride,” Leo said. “I thought you knew better than that, old man.” Tibeus gave him half a smile, but he wasn’t his boisterous self. I could see he wasn’t thrilled to see Leo, nor was he thrilled with me.
“I’m still angry with you, Mardus, if you must know,” Tibeus said as his greeting. “You took the Junia even though I still wished to discuss it further. I understand you needed to get out of here, but that bordered on stealing in my eyes. I’ve a half mind not to let you buy her now. I didn’t expect that from you.”
“Sorry, Tibs.” I winced, not having expected the lecture. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. But you’ve gotta sell me the Junia. I’ve got all the coin that you need.”
“It’s not about the money, Mardus. It’s about doing what’s right.”
“Gods, now you sound like my father.” I snapped.

Tibeus appeared freshly annoyed at my words. I sighed, hating the idea of begging. “Come on, Tibs, I’m sorry. Please, you can’t deny me this. We’ll all be back at sea on her. All three of us back to the routes.”

“I’ll have to think on it, like I said. Now, Leo, where have you been?”
Marina raised her brow at me as Tibs dismissed me completely. I folded my lips, burning inside.

While Leo retold his story I found I’d no desire to tell mine. As fantastic as it had been it almost seemed a dream to me now. I kept the report of my travels short, save for the part about Cayden really being the snake, and how that double arrow crossbow saved my life. Tibs smiled proudly at this news.

“He still uses it after all these years? See, I made it well for him. I’m sure he’s put it to good use more than once. Those springs in Siwa must be as healthy as they say. He really didn’t seem to have aged much.”

“Desert living I guess,” I smiled. “So Tibs, about the boat?”
Tibeus looked at Galen, who just shrugged on my behalf.
“So you’re planning on returning to routes then. And who’ll maintain the trades?”
“I will,” Galen responded before I even opened my mouth.
“And you’re clear on what you’re doing?” Tibeus asked him.
“I think so.” He nodded.

It was like I didn’t exist at all in the conversation, besides being the one who was about to provide the price in full. I could feel my irritation with them both rise at an uncomfortable rate. I glanced at Leo. He leaned his hands against his mouth, but I could still see that smile. He knew damned well I was furious, and he was enjoying my state. I had to keep reminding myself how carefully he played this game. Galen was weak, he wanted his blood, and he wanted me willing and ready. I took a deep breath trying to keep my wits, but I’d no desire to keep them.

“I plan to be on this boat too,” I said.

“Yes, but let Galen take care of the proceedings, Mardus. The Junia had a good reputation, and I don’t want to see that trust misplaced.”
I leaned forward on the table, boiling at his words.
“What makes you think I would cheat anyone,” I asked.
“You took off with my boat! And, as if that were not enough, you sailed it, alone, across a dangerous stretch sea, while she was still in disrepair. I wouldn’t call that being responsible, Mardus.”

“One bad day,” I mumbled under my breath. He had nerve holding that against me. And Galen, who stood there with barely a word, how somehow managed to displace me. I took Marina by the hand. “I’m going back to the ship.” I barely nodded goodbye. If I stayed another second I would not have withheld my thoughts.

The Junia would be mine soon enough. I could deal with the rest of it later.
I laid down in the deckhouse with Marina so warm in my arms, appreciative of her comfort for me. The entire conversation probably didn’t paint me in the best light, but she seemed to have little care. She was with me, regardless. I loved her for that. She turned to me and smiled.

“Your face, when you get angry.” She ran her teeth across her bottom lip, “You get so intense. I kind of like it.” She blushed up at me.
“Yeah, I’m sure you do,” I laughed. I felt instantly better. The wonders she did for my ego were priceless. I’d never let her go. “So, you’d better be careful when you mess with me,” I said, raising an eyebrow at her. She grinned at me flirtatiously. I sighed, wishing I could be half as dangerous as she really wanted. She leaned back against me and folded her arms.
“I don’t like your friend, Tibeus. He seems a mean old man.”
“He’s not all bad. He’s just a bit mad at me right now.” I laughed, suddenly finding the humor in the situation.
“And Galen…,” she said.
“What about him?” I felt tension at her speaking his name.
“He’s so quiet and disheartened. He’s like a wounded dog. I can’t imagine him having ever been of any bother to you.”
“Oh, give him time, he’ll be irritating again soon enough,” I said. She was right though. It was almost painful seeing him in that cut down state. I probably was wrong to be mad with him now, as he’d not really been at fault for Tibs’ words. He was trying to reassure the old man, I knew that well enough.

“Mardus,” Marina turned her head towards me and frowned.
“What’s wrong, nefer?” I asked.
“I hope you never find a reason to back out of our acquaintance.”
I wrapped my arms around her tighter. “I told you you’re with me forever. Besides, I paid all that money for you.” I grinned.
“Gods, that receipt,” she said, pushing at my chest, “Let me have that thing!”
“When did you start saying ‘gods’, Marina? You’ve been around us too much.”
She smirked at me as she looked around the room, trying to locate my bag. Her eyes locked onto it.
“Ooooh no.” I laughed, “That’s not going anywhere.”

“You know I’m gonna get it!” She bit on her lip smartly as she sprang to her feet. I leaned out, grabbing its strap with much longer arms and pulled it behind my back. She climbed all over me struggling to get at that bag, and she wasn’t all playful in her attempts. I grew exhausted trying to fend off her heated attacks, as enjoyable as they were. Finally I rushed out of the deckhouse and tossed my pack on its roof.

“Get it down and you can have it,” I said. I grabbed a piece of bread and sat down at the rail to watch her.

She stood there staring at it for quite some time before going for the pole, but she was too short and the bag too far for her to get the right angle. She tried jumping a few times but she still fell too far short.

“Nice attempt though,” I said. She only glared at my cocky smirk. She was determined. I could see it in her eyes.

She walked over to the hold and threw open the hatch, and she climbed down in it and rummaged around before dragging an empty crate noisily back up the rungs. She plopped it upside down on the side of the deckhouse. Stepping up on top of it, she tried to pull herself up to the roof, with desperately dangling kicking legs, so incredibly distracting, I told myself right then I would have to throw things on the roof more often.

She didn’t get far with that endeavor though. She didn’t have the strength. Finally, she stepped off, and pulling the crate backwards, then stepped up on it with the pole in hand, and started working my pack over the edge. She’d got it well enough. When it finally fell to the deck, she glanced back at me to make sure I wasn’t going to give pursuit, before dragging it off into the deckhouse with her. About ten minutes later she reemerged with my pack in her hands. She threw it at me indignantly.

“It’s not in there.”
“I know,” I laughed.
She walked over and kneeled down next to me, pouting like a spoiled child. “Where is it?”

I pulled it out from a pocket inside of my shirt. “I keep it here…so it’s next to my heart.” I held it out to her. “Take it, you earned it.”
She stared at me a minute, her eyes searching mine, and then she shook her head at me. “No, you keep it.” She sighed. I tucked it into my pocket, pulling her back in the deckhouse with me.

 

[Kritter]

Leo returned not a half hour later, a full jug of mead in his hands. I left Marina asleep on my bed to hear what he had to say.

“I swear that old man just vexes me. I never liked him, Mardus. I’m glad we’re done with him after today.”
“I don’t know where he gets off playing moral with me,” I said. “He’s done plenty of things for Alcides.”

“Don’t worry on it, brother,” Leo said, “Tomorrow he’s long behind us.”
“Tomorrow? Why not today?”
“We’re gonna stay one night in port before we get underway. We’ll need to restock, maybe pick up one more crewman.”
“I can get that done right now. I was hoping we’d sail tonight.”
“The only thing I’m doing tonight is drinking myself blind, and then handing out some justice.”
“Oh, come on, Leo, look at him, he’s already beat down as it is. You won’t gain a thing by this now.”
“Oh, yes I will.” He licked his lips. “Satisfaction.”
“Well, I don’t like it, broken as he is. I don’t know that I want to be part of it.”

Leo narrowed his eyes at me, a simmering look upon his face that almost bordered on hate. “Don’t even think about backing out now, this has to come from both of us, or he’ll be the same as he always was the second we leave this port. You know damn well it’s true. He thinks himself a god over us. He’ll never change his ways. I know it’s easy for you not to care, but I swear, Mardus. I’ll make sure to give to you ten fold anything he gives me, and right in front of your girl, and maybe when my pain is your pain, you’ll rethink at whose side you stand.”

“Don’t threaten me, Leo.” I glared at him.

“It’s not a threat, if you do what’s right. Just think on this carefully, brother.” Leo softened up his voice, “He’s the one who started all this. We can finish it now and be done with it. Smooth sailing from here on out, nary a hostile word from his mouth. Isn’t that what you want? You want things to be peaceful? So let’s just make this one tiny point with him, and then everything will be fine.”

I took a deep breath and sighed.

“Look, I’ll go real easy on him, I promise. All you have to do is hold him for me, just one minute, that’s all I’ll need. You can do that, right?” He gave me a friendly smile. “There’s no need to make this bigger than it is. Just a little settlement between friends. In a couple of days, he’ll get over being mad and go right back to being your pal.”

I rubbed my face with my hand a few times. I still hated the thought.

“He’ll respect you, Mardus, for doing it.”
“Oh stop it. He respects me now.”
“He doesn’t respect you. He owns you. The same way you own your girl” He snickered.
“Shut up, Leo.” I shoved him hard, and he started laughing at me.
“Ah, there we go, servant boy. I knew I’d find your bait. See, there’s why he always went easy on you, he knows you’re in your place. And you and I both know he’ll never own me, and that’s why he hates me. The only reason he’s nice to you is because you’re just like…part of his property.”
“Leo, I swear.” I growled at him, ready to come to blows.
“He’s the one you’re mad at, Mardus. Think about it,” Leo said.

I turned and looked at the tavern again.

“That’s right.” He smiled at my questioning face. “Who does he think he is? He’s no one’s master, and we have to make sure he doesn’t forget it. Maybe then old Tibs will finally stop treating you like he is, hmm?”
I stared at him a minute, feeling angry and confused.
“I need you, Mardus. We have to be together for this. He has to see you’re with me. That will be the killing blow. From there, this’ll be easy.”
“Let’s get it over with quickly then.”
“That’s what I intend to do.” He grinned.

---

It was just the three of us who drank that evening. I left Marina on the boat, as was our design. I couldn’t find much to speak on, though, and stayed mainly to my wine. I found while I’d never had a problem lying, deception was a far different game. I couldn’t pretend to be friendly. Leo, though, was all in good cheer.

“Let’s head back to the ship.” Leo laughed, an arm around Galen’s shoulder, guiding him towards the door. “We can drink more there for cheaper!”
“You’re quiet tonight, Mardus,” Galen said as we stepped out on the path. The true care in his voice made me feel bad.
“I’m just thinking on the ship.” I lied. “Since we’re headed back out for rounds.”
“Did you make any trades on your way back to Crete?”
“Yeah, I did actually. Filled the hull with silk. And not three days later, I’d unloaded it. They took every bit, didn’t even argue the price. I probably could have gotten more for it. In fact, I’m sure I could have. When I figured it out, investment to profit, it was better than carrying glass.”
“Well, let’s pull out the racks then and deal silk straight up. We can probably carry twice as much that way,” Galen said.
“And I could have doubled the profit I think, if I’d held out and sold it in Greece.”
“How many bolts do you think we can carry if all of the racks come out?” he asked, stopping on the path.
“I can figure it out if you give me a minute,” I answered, feeling somewhat enthused.
“Well, leave room for a few crates of wine,” Leo said.

“Leo, we’re not going to slaughter our gains just because you want constant drink,” Galen said. “Every amphora we carry is one less bolt we get to bring.”
Leo flicked his eyes at me before slowly turning them on him. “Actually, Galen, before we sail, we need to set a few things straight. We’ll bring whatever we want to bring, and you just sell what we say.”
“I have a better idea, Leo. How about you just load what I tell you to load and leave the business to the men,” Galen said. He smiled at me. That smile crushed me. Something inside of me, right then, started begging me not to let this happen.
“Galen, you won’t be telling me anything,” Leo said, “and you’re in no position to think otherwise.” He rubbed at his knuckles, the distinct look of fight in his eyes.
Galen looked at me and laughed at him as if it was a joke. “Do you really want to start this all over again? Don’t think to test me, Leo. I’d be happy to prove you wrong.”
“Us wrong. You’ll have to prove us wrong, Galen,” he said.
Galen turned around, looking at me as I stared him back in the eye.
“Mardus?” He questioned me solemnly.
“Sorry, Gal,” I said to him and I meant it in every way.

His face registered at once the betrayal. He really looked hurt, as sincerely wounded as if I’d thrust a knife in his back. That look just killed me inside. Galen glanced back at Leo, and started backing up the path. Leo moved fast to block him, shoving him directly into me, and that’s when I wrapped him up tight.

I closed my eyes, grit my teeth, and let Leo take his shots. Galen struggled hard with me while Leo unleashed an unending barrage, and for all his talk on “going easy,” he held nothing back at all. It had to be done, as Leo had said, but even now I questioned that thought. It was years of trust I was throwing away, and a friendship that could have been saved.

I let him go when he grew weak in my arms, and he hit the ground, unable to even stand.

“Come on, hit him, Mards, just once for me.”
“I’m not hitting him, Leo,” I said, “That’s enough already, just leave him alone.”
“I’ll decide when he’s had enough. But if you really wanna see this end, then hit him. I’m not gonna stop until you do.” That sadistic grin just worked to anger me now. He looked to add insult to injury and I wasn’t going to further his cause.
“I’m not going to hit him.”
“Then he still owns you.” He laughed out at me. He bent down towards Galen to hit him again and I grabbed him by the arm.
“I said, that’s enough.” If he was going to throw another punch, he’d have to go through me.

Leo hesitated a second, staring at my face, and then he got back to his feet. He was panting so hard he could barely breathe, but he broke into an enormous smile.
“Now say something, Galen, come on, I dare you,” he said, and then he started laughing. “Just do what I say without question and we won’t have these kinds of problems.”
“He’s unconscious, Leo,”
“He can hear me, believe me he can.”
“Let’s get him back to his room.” I bent down to lift him.
“Don’t you dare,” Leo said. “Let him crawl to his room. I want him to remember the pain.” I glared up at him and he just laughed. “I don’t know why you’re mad at me. I’ve liberated you,” he said. “And you’d have been entirely happy to keep slaving away for him, wouldn’t you have, Mards? He can’t even hurt you and you won’t touch him, he’s still a god to you.”
“He’s never been a god to me, Leo. But he’s always led us well.”
“And what, you think I can’t lead us? Anyone can lead. All it takes is a bit of this,” he said, rushing towards Galen to try and hit him again. I moved again to stop him, and he went right on laughing at me.
“You’re pathetic, really. Both of you. But now, you work for me.” He smirked. “And don’t think your god will help you now, because after this,” he pointed at Galen still out cold on the ground, “he’s gonna hate you.”

I almost thought to spring at him then, but he swung an arm around me.

“Ah, relax, come on. I’m just joking around. You did what I asked you to do. Everything will be good now, right? Let’s go grab a drink and get some sleep. Tomorrow you’ll be thanking me.”

------

I woke up the next morning wanting away from Crete in a bad way. That island had been nothing but woes for me. Leo seemed eager enough to get started the second we’d stepped on deck.

“Marina, I’ve got something for you,” he said. He handed her a small basket. “For staying by yourself last night while we were out having fun.”

She glanced at me and raised a brow. I’d told her we had business.
“Thank you. Leo.” She smiled at him.

I would have liked to remind her of the near hundred silver I spent on her myself, but it would be pointless. When did he buy that thing anyhow? It had to be the day before.

“I’ll go check around about an extra crewman, Mards, if you wanna get the supplies. And you can go fill that with flowers.” He pointed Marina towards the woods, “That should keep you out of our way.” He smirked at her, and she grinned back. He smiled at her face. He seemed on top of things enough. It lessened my immediate concern.

I went to see Tibeus to pay for the boat and buy our bread from Celeste. I was worried he’d not want to sell it to me if he’d heard what we’d done to Galen, so I made him my first stop. He was fair enough on the price to me, as the ship had seen better days.

“Tibs, you remember that Egyptian girl, the one who was with the assassin. If she happens to come to Crete looking for me, can you make sure you help her find us? I’ll try to send word with our whereabouts when I can.”
“I suppose,” he said, “if it’s that important. What makes you think she’ll come?”
“Just a hunch. I really can’t explain. But if it’s Cayden who comes looking, please, you’ve no idea where we are.”

He stared at me with a frown. “What order of trouble are you bringing me, Mardus? I warned you about that man. I’m sure he can find you easy enough, without any help from me.”

I sighed. “Well, hopefully he won’t have reason to. And Tibs, if I don’t happen to see you again, thank you for everything. I appreciated it. Really.” With that he gave me a fatherly hug much more in line with his friendly nature.

I refilled two large water jugs and lugged them back to the boat, and then waited at the merchant who could sell me the rest of our supplies. It was still early, and he’d not yet unlocked his door. I caught a glimpse of Galen then, sitting high up on the side of hillside under a canopy of trees. I wondered how long he’d been sitting there, and if he’d been watching me.

He didn’t even look at me as I climbed up and sat down next to him.
“I’m sorry, Gal, really. It wasn’t the best time for that, I know,” I said.
He laughed at me under his breath, “The best time?”
“Look, things will be better once we get underway. We’ll be back at sea.”
“You think I’m going with you, Mardus? After what you did to me?”
I frowned. “No, come on, Gal, you have to go. We want you to.”
“I don’t care what you want. I won’t take orders from him,” he said. “I knew he’d get you eventually. You held out longer than I expected, but in the end...” He huffed, not finishing his sentence. “He’s persistent. I’ll give him that.”

We both sat there quietly a minute. His face was swollen and bruised and it was covered with fresh scars. He looked really bad to me. I felt horrible right then for having been part of it.

“Oh gods, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.”
“Then why did you? What the hell did I ever do to you, Mardus, really? In all the years I knew you, I never once came to blows with you.”
“You sure threatened it a lot.”
“But you had enough sense to heed me. Unlike Leo, who felt convinced that he knew better. It was my job to keep us running straight. If he didn’t like it, that was his problem. You have no idea what you’ve put yourself in for, Mardus. He’ll run all over you now.”
“Nah, he shouldn’t be a problem from here on out.” I said. “He has all he ever wanted. What point would he have in causing more problems? He’s nothing left to gain.”
“I’m sure he’ll think of something. If he hasn’t already,” Galen said, pointing out Leo on the street far below.

He was leaned up against an alley wall, peeking occasionally out into the street. Marina walked past him towards the boat with the basket of flowers. He fell in right behind her, ran up and grabbed the basket from her and started slowly backing away.

I could hear Marina gasp out a laugh. “Thief! Give it back!” She started walking towards him.
He held it over his head, teasing her, not letting her grab it away, and all the time he continued retreating up the path.
Marina stopped following him, and stood there, crossing her arms.
Sitting down in the middle of the path, Leo laughed to mock her.
She sprinted towards him with a growling noise, and he barely made it back to his feet to avoid her.

“That doesn’t concern you?” Galen asked, surprised.
“Why? He knows he lost that fight.”
“Doesn’t look like it to me.”
“He’s always been like that with her.” I looked back at them, smiling. Leo was circling her, trying to provoke her, staying just out of her reach.

“You are a tyrant!” She laughed. She took off her sandal and threw it at his head. He barely ducked under its aim.
“You’d attack me? Rebellious minx, you won’t get this back either,” he said. He picked up the sandal and tucked it behind his back. She started after him, stepping gingerly on the rough stone street with one unshod foot. He kept backing away, a mischievous grin growing wider by the step.
“Let me have it,” she said with her hand out. “Come on, Leo.”
“You’ll get nothing from me, you ludicrous girl! You’re lucky that I don’t thrash you.”

“Follow me,” Galen said. He led me behind one of the buildings down below where we could have a better view.
“I feel like I’m spying on Marina, that’s really not…” I stopped.
Leo was backing her into an alley.
“Why do you trust him?” Galen asked. “I told you how he is. You still think that won’t apply to you? That you’re somehow his friend? You’re kidding yourself. That girl is still fair game as far as he’s concerned, and it’s obvious he wants her. You’re not going to stop him?”
“I did stop him,” I answered uncomfortably, but his words now bothered my mind. He’d stopped because he needed me, but he didn’t need me now, and he knew the one person who could help me, wouldn’t help me anymore.

She stood at the entrance to the alley, her hand still out. “Just let me have it.”
“Come get it.”
She put her hands on her hips and waited. He stepped back towards her and waved it just out of her reach.
“I’m not chasing my shoe,” she said stubbornly.
Tossing it down the alley behind him, he smirked. “It’s all yours, then.”
She cautiously rounded him, staying against the wall, and then ran for her shoe and kicked it back onto her foot. When she turned to leave, he stepped forward to obstruct her path.
“Leo, that’s not even funny,” she said in a serious tone.
“Why? I’m not dangerous.” He put down the basket behind him and put his palms out to her. Marina continued trying to pass him, but he blocked her each time.

We moved up carefully, silently, until we stood just around the corner from him.

“Leo. I love Mardus. Please, just leave me alone.”
“Love him? Why? What use has he, really? Look, I don’t know what he said to turn you against me, but whatever it was, he lied. Just come take a walk with me, Marina. I’m sure there’s some way we can set this straight.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t trust me, Marina. I’ve been more than restrained with you.”
I peeked around the corner as she backed further away from him.
“Come on, Marina.” He sounded truly dismayed, “How could you possibly choose him over me? Because he has money? I have money. And I can get plenty more, easily.”
“I know how you get your money, thief. Get away from me.”
“Oh what? You think him more virtuous than me? Let me tell you the grim truth of that man, he’s killed more men than I have.”

“One,” I whispered to Galen. “I’ve killed one more man than he has. Where is he getting off?”

“And he’s no mercenary, nor could he ever hope to be one. He’s just a petty liar, and a greedy one at that.”

“Well, he’s got you down pretty much.” Galen snorted at me.
“I never knew I was so charming.” I frowned.

“Look, you belong with me. How can you not see that? That amateur doesn’t even know what to do with a girl like you, but I guarantee you I do.” He started walking towards her.
“Stay away from me, Leo.”

She shouted out my name, looking desperately towards the street.

“I don’t owe you help right now, and I don’t wanna give it, but I’ll be honest, Mardus. I’ll still help you if you ask, but for her sake, not for yours,” Galen said.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “There’s only one way to end this now. This is my mistake. I’ll fix it.”

“Mars go with you,” Galen said. He shook his head, expecting a very poor outcome. I swallowed hard and peeked at them again as I added his prayer to my own.

Leo had grabbed her by the waist, and he was trying to kiss her.

“Leo, stop. What are you doing?” She shoved away from him, but he had her by the wrist and he wasn’t letting go.

“No, no, no, Marina. Please, I beg you. I love you. You know I do.” I could hear true anguish in his voice. He really loved her as much as I did. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. She pulled desperately away from his hold on her wrist, but he grabbed her back with greater force, gazing down at her with darkened eyes. “Is it because of him? I’ll take care of him.”

She struggled against his embrace, pushing at him violently. She screamed again for me. He let her go, wincing.

“There’s nothing he can do for you. You know that he can’t stop me. So why play hard to get, Marina,” he said.
“What part of ‘I love Mardus’ do you not understand?”
“ALL OF IT,” he screamed at her. He was really coming unglued.

But I was right behind him.

As distracted as he was, I could have ambushed him right then, but I wasn’t going to do it that way. I wanted it clean from start to finish so he’d have no room to think he wasn’t legitimately beaten. If it was possible I could win this fight, I’d make sure he was left with no question.

I took a quick breath to clear my mind of everything but the consequences. That, I wanted to stay real clear. This fight was for her. To me, that meant this fight was all or nothing.

 

[Kritter]

Relief emerged in Marina’s eyes as I stepped into sight.

Leo turned on that look. He knew from my face I was ready to fight, and he glanced at Marina and smiled. “I’ll show you how worthless he really is.” He beckoned me forward with both hands, his lip curling into a smirk, more than confident he’d have no problem with me. “Well, come on, Mards. Let’s have it.”

I raised my arms in front of my face. He’d expect me to keep them there, but before he even took his guard, I landed a right across at his cheek. He staggered back a second, his eyes flashing anger. Then, he started laughing.
“Oh, you came to fight this time.” The side of his hand wiped across his cheek.
I was sure at least it had stung him.

He grinned, beckoning me towards him again, the fire now lit in his eyes. I knew nothing else would land easily as this fight was just now started. I tried to bring that right again, but Leo dodged it smoothly. He countered fast with one of his own, which rang into the side of my face. With the shock and sting that reached my brain came the memory of previous beatings. It was a clear and painful reminder that I wasn’t the only one hungry to win.

He shook his head as he closed in on me. "You're not gonna land another."

I tensed up a minute, my hands locked in defense. He came at me then with a flurry of punches while I dodged and tried to cover. He clipped me with a right and most of a left. His punches still hurt badly. I twisted and backed away a second. ‘All or nothing. Remember. Don’t make these mistakes, Mardus. Come on, you’ve got to take your shots.’ I gritted my teeth with determination.

Ducking around his next barrage, I countered with some shots to his ribs, waiting for an opening. He brought a wide right. I bobbed underneath it and sprang back with a stiff right hook. The impact rippled across his face as blood sprayed from his mouth. My knuckles flashed with unexpected pain, like I’d slammed my hand in a door. I shook off my hand as he backed away and eyed me with newly found caution. He wasn’t laughing now.

He advanced quickly towards me, growling with rage. It’s what I had been afraid of. His fists came flying wildly in. My face barely cleared each swing. I returned every attempt with a jab to his side and he grunted with each hit. His attacks became more chaotic and messy with each successive pass. Momentarily dropping my guard, I tried to provoke him further. It seemed to me the madder he got, the more he was missing my openings.

With his next violent flail, his chin opened up and my fist quickly connected, sending him sliding across the dirt. He’d been off balance from that swing. It didn’t feel as good as it could have.

“Get up,” I growled. I stepped back and waited.

His eyes remained glued on me as he put his hand to the ground. Suddenly, he exploded back to his feet and rushed me, tackling me hard to the wall. Paralyzing cold spread across my chest as the wind rushed from my lungs. Leo drove his fists into my body, his fury really burning. My mind almost gave way to panic as I fought to both breathe and shove him off.

Marina called out my name in fear. It snapped me out of the pain. He was low, low enough for me to grab his head and ram it down into my knee. It was Leo’s trick. I borrowed it. It worked damned well right here. Blood poured from his nose as I pushed him away.

Stunned disorientation showed in his clouded eyes as he reeled, barely able to keep his legs. He backed away from me as I closed the distance. Lashing out with a few weak punches, he managed to land a fist weakly on my chin, but I didn’t feel it. Composed and focused, I countered with a stiff right hook and a couple of straight body punches. He threw one last sad left in pure desperation and then my elbow met his face.

I could see the flame leaving his eyes as he wobbled backwards. It was all I had to see. Pouncing on him with a flurry unending, I knocked him down to his knee. He grabbed at my body, trying to pull himself up. With a hand firmly clamped on his shoulder, I held him down. Three overhand rights in fast succession quickly flattened him back to the grass.

“More?” I asked him. There was no response. I looked up at Marina and grinned.
Leo laid there in a bloody daze and I wasn’t even hurt.
“I just wanna make sure we’re clear on this. All of this ends now.” I glared at Leo and glanced at Galen, as I’d meant it for him as well.
“Leo? You understand? It ends.”

Leo somehow pulled himself up to sit against the wall. With his hand wrapped around his side, he started snickering to himself. His hand swiped across his face a few times before coming to rest against his nose. He closed his eyes and took a few breaths.

I allowed him to think on it. There was still plenty of fight left in me if he wanted to go another round. Only, this time, I’d look to maim him.

Finally, he let out a sigh and nodded in agreement. He held a hand out to me. As I reached out to help him up, he locked his right hand onto mine, pulling himself to stand. His left hand moved from his hip with his dagger in his grasp. and as he did, his left hand moved towards his hip. It came back up with his dagger. Marina screamed as he raised his hand, a murderous look in his eye. I grabbed at his wrist with my left hand, and swung him around into the wall.

“Drop it, Leo,” I shouted at him.

“You…don’t get to end anything.” He laughed, shaking his head at me.
I struggled to hold him as I roughed him back against the wall. I yanked hard with my right hand and turned him around, twisting his arm behind his back. I pulled up on it until he had no choice. I broke his arm or he dropped it. The second that dagger hit the ground I grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall twice before letting him go. He slid slowly down each brick, leaving a blood red streak. I made him eat some kicks to the ribs, still caught up in a furious state.

Galen walked over and picked up the knife. “He’s out cold, Mardus. What a rat.” He shoved Leo once with a foot of his own. “He got what he deserved.”

Marina ran into my arms and covered my sore raw face with hungry heated kisses. I winced, but there was no way I was going to stop her. It was the best feeling in the world. I half thought to drag her down into the deckhouse, but we had more pressing matters at hand.

“Let’s get our supplies and get out of here. And…he’s not getting on that ship.”
Galen smiled. “No argument from me. I’ll let Tibs know we’re on our way.”
“And make sure you warn him.” I shouted behind him.
I turned back to Marina and grinned. “Galen’s coming.” It was all too perfect now. I pulled her back into my arms and hugged her tight, not caring about the pain.

I felt an odd sense of urgency in getting us away from there. Either Leo had gone mad or he really thought nothing of trying to kill a friend, but both were contemptuous states. I knew Pasha and his friends would handle him fine, but I hated leaving Tibeus to deal with it.

I bought just enough to make the next port, so we could load it quick. The shop keep’s expression at my battered face made me feel only slightly better. We waited for Galen to reappear and we all headed back towards the boat. I could see Leo still in the alley. He was leaning up on one arm.

We rummaged through the deckhouse, making sure we left him his things, but not that legionary’s armor. That I kept, as my spoils of war.

Untied, we pushed off from the dock, as Leo showed up on the path. He started running towards us.

“You’re just gonna leave me? You can’t leave me! Come on, it was just a fight.” He reached the berth as we cleared the other boats and started heading out of the cove. “Look, I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.” He laughed in desperation. I half expected him to jump in the water, as he started pacing up and down the dock. “Galen, come on, you’d abandon me? Don’t do this to me, brother.”

Galen huffed out a laugh towards him before turning around to me. “No clearer evidence of all I’ve ever told you. He’s a rat right up to the end.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I mumbled.

“Marina!” he shouted. “Last chance, foolish girl. I won’t give you another. You’re making a big mistake.” She buried her face against my chest and covered her ears with her hands. “Ah, come on, Mardus, don’t leave me. Please? I know we can straighten this out!”

I turned and looked away.

“Okay. That’s okay. I won’t forget this, Mardus. You know I’ll catch up with you eventually! I’ll find you. And when I do, you’re gonna be sorry! You’ll all be sorry.”
It was the last thing we heard him scream.

The island slowly faded to just a line as we took to deeper waters. With the ship now moving fairly well, I stopped to deal with my wounds.

“He’s dangerous,” I said. “He’s lost it completely. I don’t doubt at all he’ll look for us.” I wrapped a bandage around my ribs as tightly as I could. I winced at the pain. I was feeling it now. I was moderately sure I’d live, though.
“Well, there won’t be much avoiding him if we go back to doing the routes. He knows exactly where we’ll port. He’ll just wait for us,” Galen said.
“We’ll have to go elsewhere, at least for awhile. Any ideas where we could go?”
“We could probably work the west coast, but I’d have to learn the ports. How much silver do you have?”

I dumped the contents of my satchel on the deck and started counting out the coins.

“One hundred and thirty five denarii.”

“I thought you had five hundred.” Galen sounded suddenly concerned.

“I did.” I sighed. “I gave three hundred to Tibs for the boat, and there was the market and supplies. And my slave over here cost me sixty.” She punched my shoulder. I grabbed her hand and kept it tight in my own. “I made some money off the silk and the spices, but that’s all in there.” I frowned.
“You have other money still,” Marina said. “I saw it in your bag.”
“What other money? And what are you doing in my bag?” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I was looking for the receipt.” She dared give me a stupid look. “There was a satchel in there with lots of coins.”

“Oh, that’s right. The money Cayden gave to me. I’d forgotten completely about that. How much was in there?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll go get it.”
“How much is that about?” Galen asked.
“It’s got to be at least the ten silver he owed me, and he said there was more than that.”
Marina returned to me with the satchel, and I spilled its contents in front of us. The coins, although large in number, were mostly all odd colored and strange. “What is this? Some type of Celtic coin?”

Galen picked one up and looked at it. “Probably Celtic, that would be my guess. Looks like he paid you damned well.”
“Well? This is well? This is worthless! What good are these to me?”
“No, no, Mardus, look at it. Look at it close. I don’t think you understand.”
I flipped the coin over in my hand a few times. It glinted like fire in the sun.
“It’s gold,” I whispered.
“Definitely is,” he said, smiling.
“Well, what do you think its worth?”
“Best guess by the size? I would say about a hundred denarii each.”
“How much is that?” Marina glanced back and forth between us.
“A whole lot.” I started laughing.
“It’s more than that. Judging by the number of coins in that bag, I’d say it was a small fortune.” Galen grinned.

My mouth stayed opened a good long time while I contemplated this turn.
“Rome!” I gasped out suddenly. “Could I get that sentence removed?”
“Alcides, I’m sure, could handle it.”
“Favor heading home, my friend?”
“Do you even need to ask?”
“I can’t even believe this.” I felt in shock, “Marina, bring me some wine.” I must have looked awful pale because she rushed right away to get it.
“Do you think he meant to give you so much? Maybe this was a mistake,” Galen said.

“Gods, I hope not, or he’ll be after us soon enough. But, I don’t think it’s in his nature to make a mistake like this. This was probably worthless to him. He said he was paid in just a few years more than I’d see in my lifetime, but he had no use for it. He had no interest in living among others. If you’d seen him, you’d know what I mean. He probably never did his job for the money. He did it purely for sport. I have a feeling he meant it as payment, though, just to make sure we’d never return.”

“Why would he care if you returned?”
“He had his reasons.” I glanced at Marina. We both knew damned well why.
“Well, may I never meet him.” Galen lifted his cup in a toast.
“I may have to drink to that myself.”
“So do you want to still bother to pick up cargo along the way?”
“You can decide that, Gal,” I said, “You’re the captain.”
He stared at me and broke into a smile, before looking away. “Well then, yeah, I think we should make the stops. We have to stop in Olympia anyways. I know what to buy there.” He walked over and ran his hand across the rudder, taking a stiff breath in. “Okay. Well, let’s get started on removing those racks. We need them completely disassembled before we arrive. Marina, you can help if you want.”

She nearly left her feet at that offer. “I would love to!”
“Good, Mardus says you know how to steer, so just keep us along this coast.”
She ran to the rudder and flashed me a smile, looking radiant in her joy.
“You know,” he said, “When we get back to Rome, we could still send the Junia on routes. Just hire up a crew and send them out. From there it would be all profit.”
“Why stop at one boat?” I said. “We could probably run a few.”

“Now you’re dreaming Mardus. This money won’t go that far. Well, not yet anyways…but if we’re careful and smart, over time…who knows.” I could hear the confidence back in his voice. It felt amazingly good to hear it. I grabbed some tools from the deck house.
“Let’s go beat up some racks.” I held out a mallet to him.
“Mardus.” He said gently, under his breath. “Thanks.”

I grinned, shaking my head.

 

[Kritter]

The masses at the market had multiplied to an intolerable size from when I was a child. Shouts from the vendors grew deafening and obnoxious as they competed with the noise of the crowd. I was hoping to find fresh saddle blankets and some workable leather, but Marina kept running ahead of me. I caught up to her with a hand to her arm and pulled her back to my side.

“You are the most ill behaved woman in all of Rome.” I whispered into her ear.
She pouted at this revelation, a display meant only for me, as I’m sure she felt no real regret in this fact.
“You’ll stay at my side if you want me to keep bringing you here.”
“Humph,” she said. “What good is being free if I can’t go where I want?”
“You’re not free, you’re my wife.” I grinned. “Or is this a hardship to you now?”
She softened with a smile and shook her head. “I don’t see anything here that I want today. Where is the man with the glass beads from last week?”
“We’ll find him soon enough if you’ll just…”
“There he is!” she said, interrupting my thoughts as she bounded away from me down the aisle ahead of us.

I sighed, far too in love to start disciplining my wife in an open market. Her very spirit was what I so loved – how could I think to take that from her? So long as she understood it was I who granted her this privilege, and I know well she did.

“I’ll need two denarii.” She returned to solicit me with an open palm and a flutter of her eyelids.
“No, you don’t get them, since you think my words so unworthy of merit,” I said, keeping a serious face.
“Ooh noo, Dominus, please…” She wrapped her arms around me. “How can you expect a poor Egyptian girl to live by these ridiculous Roman rules?”
I shook my head. “These aren’t Roman rules, they’re mine. But if you miss Egypt so much, priestess, I can always send you back.”
She frowned at me and shoved at my shoulder, “Now you are just mean!”
I grinned at her as I pulled the coins from my satchel. “Stay beside me,” I said, as I handed them to her. She rolled her eyes at me. I know she’d forgotten the threats we were under, between Cayden and Leo – but I hadn't forgotten. I'd never stop watching the streets.

Finding all we’d come to buy, we strolled back together, heading for Nomentana road. The very man who almost took both our lives had afforded us a life we could have only dreamed of. The Celtic gold he’d given me had immeasurable value to the money changers. Enough to wipe clean old charges brought against me with a single well placed bribe. With that gone, by virtue of birthright alone, I regained my citizenship in Rome.

With the help of a few men from the local guard and hours of digging through archives, we discovered for Marina that her father had died in an ambush somewhere in Gaul. I delivered this sad news to her, but she was happy to hear it. “He didn’t abandon me,” she said. It was all that mattered to her. I read off his multiple commendations to her. He’d died a senior centurion and he’d had holdings he’d left for her. It took near a year to claim them.

I was able to purchase land for us, although sadly not the parcel I wanted. It was a full thirty minute walk from the Collina gate, much closer to the Aniene. Galen chose to remain in the city, overseeing all three of our crews. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to be near the docks. The farm life wasn’t exciting, but it was where I was happiest now.

“There’s your mother,” Marina exclaimed, starting down the road ahead of me. I cleared my throat and stopped walking, crossing my arms as I waited until she returned, frustrated. “Well, walk faster then,” she protested, rounding behind me to push me up the road.
“Marina!” my mother called out, ignoring me for my much more interesting wife, “Come here and let me see you!” We walked to the edge of her garden, which grew an over abundance of vegetables for us all. “Good Juno!” she said, patting Marina’s swollen belly. “That looks like a boy to me.”
“I hope so. You made me drink enough honey!” Marina pouted, “And he’s kicking all the time.”
“That’s because he’s Roman,” I said. “He’s ready for a fight.”
“He’s part Egyptian too.” She mumbled at me.
“Yeah. That’s the part that will dictate his height.”
She smirked at me and I hugged her. I couldn’t ask for a better life.

--------

Galen came to tell me one night that the Junia hadn’t returned from her rounds. Over time and through slow communications we found she’d never made her third port after a storm and we could only conclude that we’d lost her. But, every time I was near the docks, I still found my eyes searching the berths. I also found myself searching through the faces of travelers as they’d arrive. I never gave up searching. Something in my heart just told me that someday I would see Simera again.

 

[stjwelding]

Kritter what a fantastic story, set in a time of long ago, it kept me reading long into the night and while I should have been working. You are truly a gifted writer, again thanks for the great story.
Wayne

 

[Vtshooter]

Thank you for this story Kritter. It's very good, and really grabs your attention. And thanks to Wayne for his comment that caused this thread to bump up where I discovered it.

 

[Petunia]

I enjoyed this tale, Kritter. Thank you for sharing it with us.