Note from Kanuro5: I am getting frustrated that most of my chapters are above 7K words. I know that's a staple of my writing, but I feel it would be easier to read if they were shorter. I don't know, maybe I'm thinking to much. I am still proud of my work. Please enjoy!
XIII
A Day with a Brutus
Vitus awoke from his slumber with a stretching yawn. The bed he was on was soft, the sheets was made of a luxurious material from the East that Vitus could not name, but it warmed his skin. The room was fragranced in a sweet citrusy aroma that graced his nostrils as he awakened.
He got out of bed and looked outside the window of the Brutii Palace of the Governor; he could see the blue oceans of the Athenian waters in the distance, and the bustling Athenian population going throughout their business in the city that used to be the capital of the world. This seemed like a vacation, yet Vitus knew better.
As he looked out in the city from the comfort of his room, he knew the enemy lurked somewhere in the shadows.
He stood out of bed and stretched once more. He called for Evandrus to give him a fresh tunic… but caught himself in mid-syllable. He recalled how his loyal slave was gutted by an Arcani assassin in Genua.
The youthful general inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. He missed Evandrus, he was a loyal and genial servant. This Arcani menace must be stopped.
Vitus did his morning grooming himself. Since it was about an hour after sunrise, it was pleasant enough where Vitus could wear a modest red tunic inlaid with patrician patterning, to denote his status as a son of the Julii. However, he decided to wear his sword-belt around his waist; he was determined not to be caught unaware ever again, at least until the Arcani were destroyed.
Vitus exited his temporary bedchambers to pay respect to his Brutii host. The slaves of the Brutii bowed to him as he entered the triclinium. Breakfast had already been made for the aristocrats. The bread was properly honeyed, the smoked herring was desalted nicely, and grapes were laid out within a ceramic bowl; all these items were presented neatly for the aristocrats to snack on as they moved on their business for the day. Vitus was famished; he took everything on the table and ate to his heart's content.
As he was swallowing his second helping of herring, Vitus heard the high-pitch cry of a child come from the atrium. Curious, he took his plate of food and walked to the atrium. There he saw Marcus Brutus Equestris playing with his young son, chasing the two-year-old around the atrium. He pretended to be a savage monster that would gobble the boy. The child was giggling the entire time as he waddled away from his goofy father.
"Good morning, Julius Germanicus," said Servilia politely, coming from behind him.
Vitus gave a courteous nod to Brutus' wife, "Good morning to you, my Lady."
"Did you sleep well?"
"I surely did. For the past week, I've been subjected to a cot on a ship. It's quite enjoyable to enjoy the comforts of a bed in an environment that is pleasant for the nose."
"Such news lifts the heart. Do you care for some water?"
"Certainly."
"Fetch Julius Germanicus a cup of cool water, will you?" she said to her slave.
Brutus Equestris tossed his son high in the air and caught him coming down. The Brutii governor then laid on his back and balanced his young son on his feet as he raised his legs high in the air. His son was giggling with a shrill voice as he extended his hands and acted like a bird.
"Always," Servilia Brutus muttered fondly.
"What?" he asked.
"He always plays with his son, after he awakens. Unless he is out fighting in the war, Marcus is here with his son every day." Vitus could see a gentle smile forming on her face.
"He seems like a good father."
"He is, Germanicus. He is a good father and a good man. As good as they come."
A house slave came to Brutus Equestris and informed him that his clients were waiting outside to greet him. Equestris smiled and placed his son down and ordered the slave to open the door to the palace. Six clients, four of them wearing Roman-style tunics, and two wearing Greek chitons, all six were inlaid with green and gold, and the Brutii symbol of a downward gladius was sewn into their clothing.
These men were indebted to the Brutii, and Equestris was their patron, sponsoring their endeavors with prestige and money, and these six clients would provide exclusive service to Equestris. It was always a mark of prestige to have a large group of clients surrounding oneself. Vitus had no clients of his own, at least not yet.
As the clients entered, they bowed before their patron and wished him a good morning. Equestris gave them a Brutii grin and welcomed them by having his slaves offer them bread and water.
"He seems to be a genial man to his clients."
"He has to be, all of them were his father's clients."
"His father?" Vitus repeated.
"Yes, his father was the previous governor of Athens."
"Oh. 'Was'… apologies, but when did he pass?"
Her lips tightened, she shivered slightly as she said, "Weeks ago…"
Vitus stopped eating. He placed his plate down and looked at the man who was laughing with his clients. "I see… such is why he was so eager to join us to find those assassins. Revenge."
She was playing with her hands remorsefully, "It was a black night for us. They tried to use a serpent on us to end our lives. I spotted it first and Marcus seized it with sheer courage. He then chased the assassin, but he escaped. Our slaves alerted to us that Marcus' father was in a terrible state. When we arrived, we found that the slaves in his bedchambers were unconscious, having been strangled to the point they passed out. His father was on the bed, convulsing terribly and vomiting from the mouth.
"Before his mouth fell numb, he told Marcus that he felt horrid pain and swelling around his neck. Marcus found two puncture bites of a snake. Marcus frantically ordered the slaves to fetch the medicus, but his father would die five minutes later."
"By the Gods…" Vitus muttered gently. He looked again at Marcus Brutus, holding his son as he conducted business. "He never mentioned the loss of his father to us…"
"Marcus is a proud man. He most like didn't seek pity from strangers such as you and Scipio."
"Hmm… what of his mother?"
"She died a year prior. Pneumonia."
"I see…"
Servilia looked on at her husband, "This mission that you dragged him into, if you may not break words upon it, I understand; but for how much danger shall he be in?"
He told the wife, "Exceeding danger."
She sucked her teeth softly, yet bitterly, nodding her head weakly. "I see. But must he be involved in this?"
"I never intended him to be, but he volunteered with such… passion, that it was hard to refuse him."
"He is quite headstrong. Such a quality can be seen as virtue or vice. And his reasons are for that of vengeance. But know that I hold suspicion over this all, that this mission came from Sulla and such message was delivered by a Julius and a Scipio."
"If Sulla's friend, Lucullus, would take on this mission and delivered the news, I would happily accept such a fate. Yet Sulla's friends are far away from Rome, and I was summoned on mere coincidence. If I held choice, I would rather be spending time with my family and new wife in Arretium."
Her eyes grew, "Oh, I did not know you were wed, and it was recent, you said?"
"Not quite. We have been married for a year, yet I was called on campaign against the barbarians in Germania, a day after we consummated our union. Since the war ended, I've only seen her thrice on three scattered days. So… it might as well have been a recent marriage."
"A year on campaigning…" Servilia began twiddling her thumbs together as her eyes shifted to her feet. "I know such a feeling of solitude from a spouse. Even worse is the limited correspondence, or when it lessens to a trickle; and you carry your husband's child in your body. Not knowing if your child will grow up fatherless, or at all."
Vitus recalled the night in Rome he spent with Titia. How she jabbed him in his side when he told her that he thought she wasn't worried for him during his campaign.
"I've been guilty of such myself, not sending correspondence," he told her.
She cast him a raised brow, "I know."
"You know?"
"All soldiers are as such," she smiled.
"OH YES! FASTER!"
Everyone present from the triclinium to the atrium turned their eyes to the wall where the screams were coming from. Vitus was amazed that Suba's voice could penetrate the walls from their bedchambers, Scipio Lupus was a damn animal.
"FASTER! YES! GAIUS!"
Vitus inhaled through his noise, exhaled the awkwardness out of his mouth. He looked to Servilia; this noble woman was turning red with fury. Vitus noticed how Brutus' clients were equally flummoxed at the hardcore moans they could here from the atrium. Brutus Equestris, with a smile, politely told his clients to be dismissed for the day and began to walk them out to the door.
"How dare they?" Servilia growled. She was facing the bedchamber wall, but was talking to Vitus. "Rutting like mad in our home, and they are our guests!"
The situation was too awkward for Vitus to even come up with a response. Their moaning was getting louder.
The mistress of the palace turned to a slave, "You! Go in there and tell them to quit such disgraceful behavior! At once! Break word of how loud and vulgar they are acting in our home!"
The slave girl bowed quickly, "At once, domina!" She dashed off as quick as she can.
Brutus Equestris came from behind the two, "Ah, Julius! I did not see you over there. What were you doing with my wife?"
"I was sharing an engaging conversation with her."
"Oh? Pertaining to what?"
Servilia smirked mischievously as she passed her husband, "All about you." She then picked up their son and was hefting him in the air.
Suba then moaned loudly. The adults sucked their teeth in discomfort.
Equestris was growling. "I gave him a bedchamber in my Palace, and this is what he uses it for?"
"I sent a slave in there to quiet them down, Marcus."
"Good." He turned to Vitus, "At least you hold more decorum than that Scipio."
"Not much praise, that be."
Brutus chuckled, "Indeed. I still have not forgiven him for that comment about the horses."
"Truly, not the brightest moment for him."
Equestris smiled at the Julius, "Speaking of, I am to investigate the city, but I must stop by the stables to see my horses, shall you accompany me?"
Another orgasmic moan perforated the triclinium. Vitus was shaking his head quickly, "That sounds enjoyable at this moment."
It took them a while to venture through the city. But once they reached the Elite Royal Stables of Athens, Vitus was glad that it was worth the wait. These stables were massive, about two acres shy of the length of the Acropolis of Athens. The facility that boarded the horses in the stable stood at an impressive 10 meters, it possessed at least three acres of open space near the entrance for riders to walk and ride with their horses, there were racing lanes on the premises of this facilities, training dummies for riders to practice with, and scores upon scores of Greek field hands assisting the equestrians managing the horses.
There were dozens of cavalry men running drills in attacking a footed straw enemy from horseback, others were perfecting the quick-turn on their mounts after galloping in a straight line for five seconds, and several men were improving their accuracy with missiles being thrown from horseback.
Equestris gave a guttural chuckle at Vitus' expression. "Impressive, no?"
Vitus nodded. Not even the stables at Arretium were this impressive.
Equestris smiled, "These stables have existed since the Peloponnesian Wars. The Athenians needed quick horses to recruit soldiers throughout their territories, and they've been expanding this stable for centuries. Alas, not even the stables could stand against my lineage who took this city from the Greeks."
"These men training, are they yours?" the Julius asked.
"Yes, these are all my men. In fact, would you seek to meet my Decuriones Turmae, Julius?"
"Yes, I would."
Equestris shouted for a servant to fetch the three decurions immediately. Vitus was actually eager to see Equestris' squadron officers.
Typically, in a Roman turma (squadron), it would be three decurions who were elected to lead by its own members of the turma. Of these three decurions, one would be the senior and the two would be his juniors. To have these three cavalry officers be directly subordinate to Equestris, then they were the second and third-in-commands of his forces.
The servant brought the three officers before the two patricians. Equestris beamed with pride, "Julius Germanicus, before you are my Decuriones Turmae"
And before Vitus, stood two men and… a woman.
"This is my senior Decurion for my entire turma and my fierce right hand, Vardanes."
Of the two men before him, the shorter approached. He had thick black hear on his head and a trimmed stubble on his jaw. His features were distinctively Eastern, except he had the nose of a Roman, long and hooked. The Decurion gave a modest bow, "A pleasure, Julius," he spoke in a mild, yet noticeable Eastern accent.
"Likewise."
Brutus patted the decurion's shoulder amicably, "Vardanes has been in my father's employ for years and has been in the thick of the fighting with me since I could recall. His father is Parthian, while his mother is Roman."
"Truly?" Vitus asked.
"Yes, my father visited Rome where he met my mother, and she ran away with him to Parthia."
Equestris had an amused smirk, but rolled his eyes, "It still confounds the mind how a Roman could leave the great city for a sty such as Parthia. No offense, Vardanes."
Vardanes bowed humbly, "I understand, Governor."
Brutus motioned to the next man, who was taller than him and had plenty of scars on his scalp, "This fine Roman here is Placus Lucceius, an equite whose family has been in the service of the Brutii Athenii for many years."
Lucceius whistled at Vitus, "First time I met a Julii. I heard many things about your family."
Vitus politely chuckled, "All good things I would hope?"
Lucceius smiled, "Nope. None of them are good. Snails and oysters receive more praise than your family within these territories. They say shit has a better aroma than a Julii."
That definitely caught Vitus off-guard. "Uh…"
Brutus slapped him on the back of the head. At the same time, the woman next to him slammed her fist into his balls. Lucceius bent over with a loud grunt.
Brutus was laughing awkwardly, "Do not pay him mind, Julius. He speaks before he thinks. That is what occurs when one takes too many blows to the head. He's not the brightest, but he is the bravest, he always wants to get into a fight. This man is dependable."
"Right, I shall remember that…"
Vitus then turned to the woman. She was taller than most women; she was a few inches taller than Vitus. Her dark brown hair was braided into a ponytail and stopped between her shoulders. Her nose had been broken at least once, and she was missing one of her front teeth; despite this, her face and lithe figure held wells of attractiveness.
This woman smirked smugly, "I can tell by your gaze that you have been captivated by my beauty, haven't you, Julius?" Her accent was Eastern as well, but thicker than Vardanes'.
"Wh—What?! No! I w-wasn't gazing as—"
The woman and the other decurions laughed playfully. Her smile was earnest, "Apologies, Julius, I only jest."
"Indeed, she does that with everyone she meets," Lucceius laughed.
She continued, "I know you only look at me in surprise, not expecting a woman to be a decurion, didn't you?"
"No, I certainly did not. Must be a testament to your strength for the other men to choose you."
"Exactly, I am just that spectacular," she said with her eyes closed, raising her nose in the air with a grin.
Brutus extended his arm to her, "This modest maiden is Serapia, a Head-Hunting Maiden of the aristocratic blood of Scythia. The Scythians do not discriminate against their warriors; be they men or women, if you have the strength to kill, then you are a warrior."
Vitus took a look at the three of them, "A Roman, a Parthian mix, and a Scythian. And you command cavalry, I know many Romans would have their cavalry commanders be of aristocratic blood, but here, you have your leaders chosen based on merit."
"Merit is the best way to succeed in a battlefield. It pleases me that you are aware of such."
Vitus' eyes rose to the stables in front of them, "So how many horses are in these stables?"
Marcus Brutus raised his nose and smirked, "I house two hundred horses."
"Wh—? 'Two hundred? Incredible… to believe that this holds that many stalls for your horses…"
"I am glad that you are impressed. This is just the Elite Stables; I also have stables outside the city which house collectively three hundred. They are mostly from Eastern stock, Serapia and Vardanes have people in the East that we trade with. These mounts are smaller than their Western counterparts but are more slender and graceful. Their speed is greater as well and they hold the constitution to traverse through sand, rain, and swamp. Perfect for the humid and arid temperatures."
"Impressive."
"Quite. What of your cavalry?"
"Mine consist mostly of heavy cavalry, with a few of the light quality. Pure shock. I need the heavies to punch a line through stubborn and mad Germanians. We receive our stallions and mares primarily from Hispania, fine horses the Iberians possess."
"I would love to travel to Hispania and ride the fields with the Iberian sun warming you."
"It is beautiful," Vitus smiled.
"Is that where your stallion is from, Julius?"
"He is. Actually, I've been busy with the assassins that I haven't checked on him."
Equestris smirked, "Your horse is in this stable and I requested that he be brought out to you."
A slave led Romulus to the aristocratic Romans. Equestris was smiling warmly at the grand horse and extended his hand out to pet his side strongly and in rhythmic fashion. Romulus lowered his head and brought it closer to Equestris.
"He is a beautiful stallion, Julius. What is his name?"
"Romulus," Vitus said proudly.
"Majestic." He continued to pet him fondly. "Do you mind if I examine him further?"
"By all means."
"His coat is healthy and smooth…" he moved his hands slowly, in order not to spook him, to the horses' mouth. He slowly and gracefully opened his mouth, His teeth are strong and a bit of creamy-white… his teeth slant a bit, but still sturdy… let me guess, Romulus is ten years old?"
Vitus chuckled, "Correct."
Equestris grinned in triumph, he fondled the stallion's leg muscles and petted his strong neck "He's in the prime of his life, strong and regal." He snapped his fingers and a slave with a wettened towel came to clean Equestris' hands. His eyes slimmed at the sight of a scar on the stallion's body.
"This wound? From battle?"
"Yes, the most recent, he took a spear by a Germanian, but he kept fighting on."
"Your horse is fortunate; I have seen stronger stallions be felled by less."
"Indeed, Neptune and Mars watched over us in that battle."
"He has other scars, as well. You do have a proper warhorse, Germanicus. And despite the wounds he received, he trots and gallops with alacrity and strength. I'm impressed, Germanicus, you take quality care of your mounts."
Vitus raised his head in pride, "I do not go into battle with anyone or anything that is subpar, especially Romulus." He petted his loyal steed, in which the horse whinnied affectionately and rested his head on Vitus' shoulder. "I had him for three years now and going on four, and I intend to ride him for many years to come."
"An admirable goal, Julius."
"Yes, if only he could have eternal life…"
"Indeed. To have one steed last you for your life. Impervious to the ravages of age and the sacrilege of battle-scars. If I could ride one stallion in all of history…"
Vitus gave him a wry smile, "Allow me to guess now, that stallion be Bucephalus?"
Marcus turned around slowly, his eyes shining in appreciation. He opened his mouth and drew out a long, but raspy, "Yes!"
Both Romans laughed. Marcus was nodding, "To ride that magnificent stallion to the ends of the earth… If I wasn't born a Roman, I beseech the Gods to turn back time and allow me to be a Macedonian noble in Alexander's time… to ride with his Companion Cavalry!"
"I believe such a fantasy is what we all desire to indulge, to be in the time of the great Alexander." Vitus' smile was beginning to disappear, "And there shall never be another of his like."
"No, there shall not."
Vitus' eyes lingered on Marcus. He smiled as he said, "You know, truth dictates my tongue in this manner, but I believe I held you wrong."
"How so?"
"I initially thought you arrogant and proud upon meeting of yesterday. But you are a caring father, a respectable horseman who cares for all creatures, you have foreigners in your employ and in positions of command and loyalty, and you have an admirable goal. And I thought you an arrogant ass."
"Oh, I am," Marcus Brutus said without flinching. "I can admit so, as can my wife. My nature is temperamental, and I can be prone to anger. But gratitude for saying those words. Yet in fairness, you just met me two days ago, your opinion on me my might still change. And to be honest, I find you more enjoyable in conversation than your compatriot, that Scipio."
"He's vulgar, but I do believe that he means well, there's more to him than the surface provides."
"You are an interesting Julius, are you aware?"
"Believe me, I have been told."
Equestris grunted warmly. "So, care to join me in a ride through Athens. I am quite sure our men have something to report on this dread business."
"I thought you would never ask."
The two Roman aristocrats were on top of their mounts as they trotted down the street of the marble quarter. They were surrounded by their respective bodyguards who were on foot and parted the worried crowd of Greeks.
"So, 'Taurus' and 'Vipera', eh? These two mongrels command this bunch of assassins?" Equestris asked him.
"We believe so. Based off of what that captured Arcani muttered."
"Do you believe these two to be alive or dead? What if they took part in the Ides?"
"We do not know. But I suspect we shall be aware soon."
Over his shoulder, Vitus witnessed several Roman watchmen shaking down a merchant with vile words and curses, asking him about the assassins. Of course, the Greek replied in Greek.
"How many men of the Town Watch do you have?" Vitus asked.
"For a city as big as Athens, the Town Watch is a thousand strong. More than half of the Watch consists of Greek citizens; the other parts of the Watch consists of two hundred Romans, another hundred are mixed Roman-Greek citizens, a hundred of them are a mix of Dacians and Thracians citizen, and the rest are comprised of Jews."
"The officers?"
"Most of them are Romans. I have ten officers who are Athenians. Surprisingly, some of those Greeks are more competent than Romans. The Prefect of the Watch is Roman, he's from Tarentum."
They came upon one of Vitus' centurions, Titus Ennius of the Second Cohort, First Century. The officer was overlooking his men with the Brutii Town Watch as they all were reading a map of the Athenian city. Ennius called his men to stand at attention at the sight of Vitus, and they saluted. Likewise, the Town Watch also stood at attention at the sight of the governor.
Vitus gave the centurion a polite smile, "How does the investigation fare? Is the Town Watch helpful?"
"Salve, Legatus," Ennius replied, "Uh… the search has not been… as fruitful as we hoped. The Watch are trying their best, but most of them speak Greek and very little of our boys can speak Greek. Fortunately, they had Romans in their ranks, so I divided the officers and Romans of the Watch to be assigned to each century to serve as translators."
"Excellent work."
"Any reports?" Marcus asked the officer.
"We questioned many Greeks and they claim they have not witnessed any gathering of Romans. But they suspected that such hardships was brought upon them by the foreigners, like the Thracians and Jews. We then interrogated the Jews."
"What did those monotheists say?" Marcus muttered.
"The same as the Greeks, they did not spot anything amiss within the previous days. But they blame their troubles on the Greek and the Thracians."
"Of course," Vitus exhaled. "So, what did the Thracians say?"
"They told us all to fuck off, as well as those who blame them, Legatus."
Vitus broke out into a sudden laughter. Equestris looked at him strangely, "What is so amusing?"
Vitus recovered, "Because that is a Thracian response all right, Equestris." He then turned to Centurion Ennius, "Have you called for Ligadis or any of the Thracians?"
"We did, Captain Ligadis and his men are currently speaking to them. The Thracian citizens requested only to speak to their own kind in private, so we left them, Legatus."
"Hmm, that is most like for the best. Where is the whereabouts of Aelianus within the city?"
"Sir, Primus Pilus was last seen around the Acropolis leading a quarter of the First Cohort to search thoroughly around the area."
"I see, good man. Gratitude for your report, Ennius, as you were."
"Yes, Legatus!" he saluted proudly.
A Roman Town Watchman stood straight in front of Brutus Equestris, "Governor! Do you request a report from the Militia?"
"I do not. You all are doing an excellent job, keep an eye on these Greeks. And recall what I told you before, you are to assist the Twenty-Eighth in any manner. This city once fell to intrigue, that shall not happen again."
"Yes, Governor!"
The Twenty-Eighth soldiers and the Brutii watchmen marched away, back on duty.
Vitus questioned the Brutus. "Those words, 'keep an eye on these Greeks', you refer to your own militiamen as well?"
"I do. You are keen of mind, Julius. Some of the Greeks in the Watch collude with the citizens, they warn them ahead of time if an inspection is due. This hampers our efficiency and most like allows those murderers to flee from my men. Yet I can discipline, but cannot arrest half of my militia, especially in a city that already harbors anger to all things Rome…" Marcus Brutus then sighed, "It has been difficult."
A voice came from behind, "Rejoice, Brutus, for the difficulty shall ease in the future!"
Gaius Scipio Lupus was strolling down the street with three bodyguards comprising of his marines following him. "By Neptune, such a challenge tracking you two down!"
"Scipio," the Brutii governor soured. "I fancied you would still be buried inside your woman come the noon hour. What happened? Are the sheets not to your appeal?"
"Oh, they were! It made the sensation of climax even more enjoyable. I did advise your slaves to put in extra muscles to scrub the stains off. Suba and I…," a lecherous cackle exited his lips, "Well… we made a mess."
Brutus Equestris was seething. Vitus decided to speak first, "Did you just awake? We have a mission to do, and we cannot accomplish such if you are in bed all day."
"Ha! You believe me slothful, Julius? This morning, I sent my body slave, Auctus, to order my sailors to procure information about the Arcani from all those at the docks. And my marines have visited the inn and taverns across this ruined city, and I have spoken with the innkeepers and tavern owners. And they found some information of worthy note."
"What is it?" Vitus asked.
"The innkeepers and tavern owners have disclosed that no Romans have purchased rooms for themselves or visited the taverns in the past two weeks."
"How is that news?" Equestris asked.
"Because they have heard the grumbling of their Greek patrons who visited their establishment with an influx of Romans who enter and leave the city. And how several Romans skulked in the dead of night when curfew is enacted." The Scipio's eyes lit up, "Do you understand the meaning of this?"
Equestris instantly picked up on it, "If they have an influx of Romans immigrating and emigrating from Athens, and yet not one of them purchases an inn room to retire for their "travels"… then they must all have a residence within the city where they don't need public beds at public establishments."
"Exactly! The Romans have their own homes or hideaways."
Vitus looked to Equestris, "It seems we need to investigate the Roman quarter more thoroughly."
"That we shall. We should also investigate the Greeks once more, to see if any of them are complicit with the Romans. And any location that could harbor residence, if not in the inns."
Scipio walked between the two horses and smiled brazenly, "Not bad for a man who had just awakened?"
"Hmm, I considered you a hedonistic fool, perhaps I was wrong."
"Half wrong, Equestris," he added, drinking a considerable portion of his wine pouch.
Vitus had to chuckle at that, as did Lupus. Equestris was going to chuckle as well, but someone screaming for him got his attention. It was a militiaman who was sprinting down the hill, screaming, "Governor! Governor!"
Equestris started his horse over to the man, "What's with the panic?"
The man was out of breath, "We just received a report of urgency from the Palace!"
Marcus Brutus' mouth hung low, "What?! Did something happen to my family?"
"No, Governor. Nothing has befallen your family. We received report that a Greek village was just attacked and destroyed by a considerable armed force."
Brutus' mind was racing, "Attacked? What? Was it the Pontians?"
"We do not know, Governor. But men from an outpost rode back to the Palace, they have delivered the sole survivor of the attack. The governess requests your immediate return, Governor!"
The three noble Romans rushed back to the Palace and stormed into the atrium. Marcus Brutus instantly went to his wife, "Servilia! Are you all right? What happened?"
She smiled softly, "I am fine, but I bring news of a Greek village that was razed by brigands, and here is the sole survivor of such a slaughter."
She motioned to a filthy Greek boy in simple peasant clothing. He looked to be between eleven or twelve years of age. By his side stood two soldiers of the Brutii who wore the armor of frontiersmen, tasked with guarding the watchtowers and providing a quick reaction force in case of small-scale brigand attack.
Equestris pointed to the two frontiersmen, "You, state your names and unit."
Both soldiers stood at attention and saluted. The first one said, "Aulus Sequatus, 1st Frontier Century!" The second one said, "Quintus Morso, same!"
"Report, what happened, and who is this boy?"
The first soldier said, "Yes, Governor. Our unit was stationed on the borders between the Thessalian region and the Athenian region. Twenty of us were stationed at the southern watchtower. It was a normal day for us, all was quiet. Our patrols did not indicate anything amiss. Then we saw this boy climbing over the horizon, running to the watchtower, screaming to us in Greek. This boy was filthy and hysterical, his feet were bleeding from how hard he was running. From his eyes, we could see that he had witnessed horror. He pointed to the direction of his village in the horizon, and that is how our scouts found the village."
"And the village?"
"Slaughtered to the man," the second man said bitterly. "The scouts claimed the bodies of the Greeks were littered everywhere, women had their clothes ripped and were raped, homes were razed to ashes, and most livestock were seized, but those animals that were dead were carved up and eaten. The entire area reeked of blood and smoke by their reports. This was a large brigand attack to have completely slaughtered a village."
Equestris' teeth were gnashing softly, "Understood… all right, so what did the boy say of what happened?"
The first soldier cleared his voice, "Sir, we uh… we do not know the Greek tongue."
Equestris was astonished, "You possess twenty men? Not one of you at the watchtower spoke Greek?"
"Uh, no, Governor. Such is why we brought the boy to Athens," said the first man.
"We rode for two days to reach Athens," added the second man.
Equestris sighed and he turned to the boy. The boy had eyes that were strained with confusion and terror.
"Boy, what is your name?" Brutus Equestris asked in Greek.
The scared youth looked up at Equestris, his eyes then parted to the side, "Demetrius."
"Demetrius, what has happened? You may tell me."
The boy was shivering hard. Equestris approached the boy, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and kneeled down to eye-level. "It must have been terrifying for you, it must have been. You may not be at peace, but for those that you loved, I shall avenge them. Those that killed your family, I shall see them dead. To do so, I must know what happened. Collect your thoughts, Demetrius. Calm yourself and recall what had happened."
Equestris snapped for his slave to give Demetrius a cool cup of water, which he drank voraciously. His cup was refilled, and Demetrius looked into the Brutii's eye. "Everything was normal that day. I recall my father asking me to fetch water from the stream outside the village and I departed to do so. I filled the buckets with water, and I sought to return to the village.
"As I approached, I heard a loud commotion from the outskirts of our village, then I saw these horsemen galloping down. Hundreds of them. They surrounded the village completely, there was more of them than there were of us. I dropped the water and fell to the ground and hid in the grass." He then drank from his water again.
Marcus Brutus nodded understandably, "How many did you spot?"
"I don't know, a lot. There was a lot of them. We had about a hundred people in this village of ours. And there were like… three times as many. First thing they did was seize the Elder, Alexios, and then took our grain and livestock."
"I see. What did they do with Alexios?"
"I stuck to the grass and crawled as close as I could without being spotted. They seemed to have been asking him a lot of questions, I was too far away to hear all the questions clearly. They asked him for any currency we may have possessed and along with any weapons… uh, they then asked when was the last time the Romans patrolled around our village."
The boy was then shivering, a tear strolled down his cheek. He continued, his voice wavering, "The man asking him the questions unleashed a sword and drove it through the Elder's neck. Everyone was screaming… Alexios fell to the earth… h-his blood…"
Vitus, and even Lupus, had a face of discomfort from listening to the story.
Marcus patted the boy's shoulder tenderly, "Did you recall anything that they said? Any names, locations, groups? I know such a task is difficult, Demetrius, but I implore you to recall anything that stuck out. Any little thing could be of value."
Demetrius thought long and hard, for a minute. Most of his answers were "uh's" and "um's"; but he thought hard. He muttered, "The man questioning Alexios was speaking in the Greek tongue. Yet he was not in charge. The man who ordered everyone around was… I think they were saying something… in the Roman tongue. I don't know your language, Governor Brutus."
"I understand, our language is probably difficult for young Greeklings," he smirked briefly.
"But his men kept repeating something..."
"What was it?"
Demetrius was trying to sound it out, "Ta-Tars? Tars-Tarso? I believe they kept saying, 'Tarso'?"
Equestris blinked in uncertainty. Lupus looked at Vitus with equal confusion. That word wasn't in the Latin lexicon, so what could "Tarso" possibly…
Vitus' eyes' shot open. He moved to the youth and said, "Did they say 'Taurus'? Tau-rus?"
Demetrius was nodding surely, "Yes, I believe that's what they said!"
Lupus gasped. Vitus and Equestris gave each other looks of surprise. Vitus continued, "Demetrius, when they said that name, were any of them wearing black? A black cloak, or a black mask?"
"Yes! There were two men who were wearing black masks. They did not wear black armor, they had thick brown cloaks over their bodies. But I do recall those two wearing black masks. One of those men were normal size, and the other was quite large. They spoke Greek to the invaders, but between themselves, they spoke Roman."
Vitus turned to Equestris, "Perhaps one of them was Taurus?"
"Or maybe neither of them were and they only spoke of him in absence. We do not know, Germanicus," Equestris countered.
"But we do know that the assassins were present at the slaughter," Lupus said from the back. Lupus walked up to the boy; his voice was the gentlest that Vitus recalled hearing. "Demetrius, I can figure that after Alexios… fell… the monster horsemen then… turned on your village?"
Demetrius solemnly nodded as he fought back tears.
"Did any of them escape?" Lupus softly asked.
"No… they took some of the women on their horses… but I didn't see anyone escape. My parents…" A tear fell from his eyes, he wiped them promptly. "They killed them."
Marcus Brutus looked the boy in the eyes, "I am sorry, I should have been able to protect them."
More tears fell from Demetrius' eyes, "Are you going to catch those that did this to my home?"
Brutus Equestris' eyes hardened, "I shall. Do you recall which way they went?"
"West. They were boasting how they would scorch the lands west to us and regroup with the… 'rest'."
The Brutii's eyes grew in horror, his mouth snarled in rage, "They're going to scorch the west? They're going to burn my lands and it's people?"
One of the frontiersmen stepped forward, "Governor, we can validate the boy's word. Upon inspection, we could mark out a force of cavalry and footmen moving westward. And by the size of their trail, it was easily over a hundred."
Brutus' decurions, who came at his urging as he raced back to the palace, were talking amongst themselves. Lucceius, stepped forward from the back, "Apologies Equestris, but I don't understand. If this boy is correct, how come we have not seen any signs of a force of 300 cavalrymen? They would have passed our outposts, surely."
"Or perhaps they took out the outposts before they ravaged these villages," Lupus looked to him.
"To have wiped out an outpost…" Equestris muttered out loud in thought. "If they were to ride to the west, and they came from the directions of the northeast to regroup with the 'rest' of their forces. These were scouts and pillagers, to reinforce the main force." He then looked to peasant boy, "Demetrius, do you recall what the horsemen were wearing? Did they hold any armor of distinctive pattern? A banner? Were they Thracians?"
"Well… they entered from the north where the Thracians would have been, but they wore no Thracian armor nor held a banner. They had armor of different kinds, very few of them were uniform, and they stuck to a green and brown colored of clothing and armor. Several of them were speaking different languages that I could not understand."
The three Romans of the noble families had gritted their teeth. Lupus was the one to speak out loud, "Different armor, different languages, green and brown coloring… those bastards were mercenaries."
"Agreed," Vitus exhaled in frustration.
"Why are they working for the assassins?" Equestris asked open-endedly.
Demetrius closed his eyes, "Governor, I recall something else. I-I recall them mentioning, Heracles."
Equestris recoiled slightly, " 'Heracles'? The hero of legend?"
"I believe so, but the man that they had addressed with such a name did not reflect such a manner. He was fierce, but not beautiful as Heracles was, and he had this leather patch covering his nose. And he was the one who killed Alexios, he was the one who used the sword on the elder's neck."
Equestris' eyes narrowed suddenly, " 'A patch covering his nose'? Was he missing his nose?"
"I-I was too far away, but I think he was."
Brutus Equestris suddenly shot up and cursed in Latin, "Shit!"
The men of his retinue were groaning as well. Germanicus and Lupus were lost.
"What is it?" Lupus asked.
"That only confirms that it was mercenaries!" Equestris roared.
"Who is this man called, 'Heracles'?" Lupus asked louder.
Vardanes faced them, "His name is not 'Heracles', but that of Heracleo. A vile Mercenary Captain in command of the group, The Fist of Kronos. He's notoriously anti-Roman, never forgave Rome for despoiling Greece. He is utterly ruthless in war and is not above razing the lands of those who hire them, if only on a whim. Even if it is those of his own country."
Serapia spoke up, "From what I recall, if a Roman hires his unit, he shall obey their every whim. But inside his heart, he utterly despises his Roman employer. He is missing a nose from battle and wears a leather patch to cover it."
Equestris was nodding in agreement with his subordinates. "If he is employed by the assassins, then they truly mean to butcher all Romans! And he is heading west in Brutii territory!"
Lupus scoffed, "A mercenary who actually wants to wage war against Rome? Is he truly mad?"
Equestris stopped pacing and turned sharply to the Scipio, "Yes. He is that mad. And to so brazenly attack a village under the territories of the Brutii, he has indeed declared war upon the Republic."
Vitus stroked his own chin with his hand, "How many men are in the employ of The Fist of Kronos?"
Vardanes sighed before answering, "Last we encountered them, they numbered 7,000."
"What?!" Vitus exclaimed.
Lupus was equally in shock. "A mercenary group of that size? It's more than a fucking legion!"
Vitus shook his head, "To finance a mercenary group of that size, you'll need to be a city-state or a king."
Lupus nodded, "Indeed, the treasury alone to compensate them would be…" The Scipio raised his head. He looked at Vitus, and both came to the same realization, "The treasury… that's their plan with the Republic's treasury…"
Vitus asked, "What are we to do?"
Equestris was pacing, "If an outpost does not report and these horsemen are ravaging the countryside, then they must be stopped, at once. I shall not allow anyone to harass our lands. Serapia! Mobilize the turma! We shall find these men at once and destroy them!"
The female decurion stood straight, "Understood, Equestris! How many do you wish to mobilize?"
"All of them."
Her jaw fell slightly, but she nodded and dashed out of the Palace.
Equestris turned to Lucceius, "Lucceius! Ensure that our supplies for the baggage train can be fixed to supply stallions, we shall forgo any baggage train, we take what the stallions can carry. Speed is our greatest factor. Go!"
"At once, Equestris," he saluted. He too, ventured out of the palace.
Germanicus approached Equestris, "How many cavalrymen do you have under your command?"
"In Athens? About 500. In total, I command around 2,000."
"2,000?"
"Yes. The other 1,500 are stationed throughout Greece, Macedonia, and Epirus."
"How can 500 horsemen go against a force of 7,000?" Lupus asked
"Those brigands are just a cavalry force, small in size and not connected to their main group. I shall not allow them to ravage Brutii lands with impunity!" Marcus Brutus looked to the two men; his mind was calculating his options. He then said, "I… it pains me to say, but I could use assistance in this. Would you accompany me?"
Lupus unearthed a ruthless grin, "Finally, some action! I shall accompany you on this!"
Vitus didn't respond immediately. Their mission was to track down the Arcani, not hunt down mercenaries. And yet, Marcus Brutus Equestris has been most gracious to them, allowing them access to the city and even allowing them to stay inside his own home. Such charity must be repaid. And besides, though Vitus seldom admitted, he miss the clanging of swords and rush of a battle. Vitus shook his head surely, "I shall assist you as well, Equestris."
"Gratitude." Brutus had a nice genial smile, Vitus noted. "I know I ask a lot, seeing as this may put you in danger, but I may need all the help I can get. Since they are cavalry, we need to move quickly."
Vitus said to him, "Agreed, the infantry must be left behind."
"You move to battle, absent the Twenty-Eighth?" Lupus asked him.
"I do. I shall take my Thracian cavalry, along with a contingent of my Gallic archers."
Lupus chuckled, "Well then, I shall join you all as well, provided you provide me and my men some cavalry, Brutus."
Marcus Brutus eyed the bearded man, pursing his lips in contemplation. "No, you shall not accompany us, Scipio."
Vitus recoiled softly, as did Lupus. The Scipio tilted his head forward, eyebrow raised, "You command me?"
"I do. I believe it better if you stay in Athens, as Julius and I search for these bastards."
"I am to stay here with my hand up my fucking ass?"
"I rather you stay here with your fleet."
"I see, does such mean that I am temporarily in command of Athens?" Lupus inquired with a smirk.
"Ha!" Brutus scoffed. "Do not insult me, Scipio, that I would have you in command of my city! The Urban Prefect shall have the honor of governorship."
"Hmm, so why decide to take Julius with you, and not I?"
"Because Julius has cavalry with him, did you bring your own cavalry on your ship?"
Lupus did not answer.
"Besides," the Brutus continued, "I need to investigate this personally if a large army is moving through Brutii territory. And I do not feel comfortable leaving two men of the Scipii and Julii within my city without me present."
"So, you pick, him, eh?" Lupus remarked with a snort. "Between Scylla and Charybdis*, huh?"
"Yes."
"The fucking balls on you, Brutus. But I understand. I shall stay in your city and do your job for you; I shall find the Arcani vermin that lay in the heart of this place."
Equestris nearly scoffed, "I wish you fortune on that, succeed where my men have failed, you and your band of pirates."
"Enough," Vitus said firmly. He was beginning to loathe Sulla even more for assigning him this mission.
The two men didn't even pay attention to Vitus, their glares were fixated on one another. "You think so little of me, Brutus?"
"I do, Scipio. It is my fucking city, if such was not obvious? I agreed to aid you and house your men. But the rent is due, and I'm here to collect."
"Hey, hey, hey," Germanicus said in a low voice, coming between them and pushing them apart with his arms out. "Is this what we are? Boys? Now is not the time for this."
Both of them quickly turned on him. "By what fucking right do you speak to me that way?!" Lupus snapped.
"Do recall you are not in command, Julius," Equestris added.
"I don't give two shits for who is in command! You both must be children if you seek to quarrel who is in charge! I desire to catch these bastards at all cost, and that shall not occur if you two continue to bicker!"
Servilia shouted through her teeth, "Marcus!"
All three looked at her making subtle motions with her head. She brought their attention to the atrium, everyone present was staring at them. Uncomfortable awkwardness descended on the three patricians, by the Gods, was this how immature they were acting?
The temper of Equestris flared, "What are you all, deer? What are you staring at?! Get back to fucking business! Soldiers, prep the cavalry! Slaves, back to your business and tend the palace! Now! Now!"
Everyone started moving with alacrity. Servilia sighed unpleasantly.
Equestris moved to the two frontiersmen who were still standing at attention. "You two? What is the state of your mounts?"
"They need rest, Governor," said the second man. "We rode them hard for two days."
"Then you shall receive quicker mounts. You shall lead the turma back to the village. Your horses will be treated well here. Vardanes, take these two men to the stables, provide them two Thessalian mares."
"Understood," the second-in-command grunted.
Marcus Brutus then took a look at the wide-eyed Demetrius. The boy asked the Roman, "What is going on?"
"We are going back to your village, Demetrius. And I am assembling my cavalry, and we shall avenge you."
"Y-You shall? I… am so grateful. I-I desire to join you."
"Indeed, I planned on you joining, I need your insight. You shall ride with me, brave Demetrius."
As Brutus Equestris was finishing speaking with the Greekling, Scipio Lupus approached Vitus quietly, "Julius, a question I have for you."
"What is it?"
His eyes leered to the governor, "That pretentious Green fuck, has he forgotten that if it was not for I, we would hold no knowledge of the Arcani's whereabouts?"
Vitus exhaled, "That is true. But I do believe you should stay behind, you have command of the navy, such is crucial. And you can continue investigating the city for the Arcani. Your sailors and marines have already visited the inns and taverns, they can use subterfuge and investigate the lower dregs of the city."
"Indeed, I have already put such plans into motion."
Vitus smirked, "The Wolf using his nose to sniff out danger, eh?"
He grunted with pride, "That is correct!"
"Think of it this way, you will be in command of the city, even if there is a prefect running Athens. You have a Navy and an Army."
"Huh? 'An army'?"
"Before I leave, I shall speak to my Tribune and Primus Pilus, but… and it's hard for me to say, if trouble shall arise, then I grant you command of the Twenty-Eighth, of the advisor capacity, the role of true command shall fall to Tribune Rupilius."
Lupus' bravado faded. His eyes could not stop blinking, "Truly?"
"Yes, but this is a temporary measure. As I said, Rupilius shall be in command, but if anything shall occur with him…"
"Why? Why do this, Julius? You offer me command of your legion; I wouldn't have even granted you command of my fleet. So why give me such a command? Am I not a hedonist in your eyes?"
Vitus chuckled softly with a smirk, "I ever tell you about my brother, in detail?"
"Just that he was wounded by the assassins. For what purpose do you mention him?"
"You're like him. Oh yes, you are. In the past, my brother, Proculus, would drink and whore with fervent passion. He's handsome, strong, blessed with a tongue of charm, he was the sculpture all men dreamed of being chiseled into. You two would be the best of friends.
"But although everyone thought he was a man ruled by his vices, he wasn't a fool. Oh no, he was no fool. I mean, he did foolish things from time-to-time, of course, but he was no fool. He thought behind his actions, he perceives things many would not consider, and everyone held the tendency to underestimate him.
"And the same can be said of a man like you, Lupus. You are no fool, you wouldn't have built a reputation of naval prestige if you were. If not for you and that captured Arcani, we wouldn't even be in Athens at this moment. In ordinary times, you, me, and Brutus over there would never even speak, but these are difficult times. We cannot war with one another, and we need to demonstrate trust. And this… is my first step towards trust."
Gaius Scipio Lupus' mouth was pursed tightly, his eyes were locked upon Vitus'. He didn't say a word, but gave a solemn nod.
Vitus' eyes fell upon Servilia and Marcus speaking with Demetrius, "Lupus, there are higher priorities in this world than our egos. Such as our fallen kin. We owe it to them to cease this petty bickering, and to bring to justice those that would tear down our worlds in the name of spite. That, is our duty."
*The phrase "Between Scylla and Charybdis" was a term used in the ancient world is basically the modern-day equivalent of "between the lesser of two evils". Scylla and Charybdis are monsters that Odysseus faces in the Odyssey
Thank you for reading.
-Kanuro5
