A Sword Of Wrath, Book I by K. E. MacLeod (best way to read ebooks TXT) 📕

Julian laughed heartily, "So, the lapdog shows his true colors. Cassius, pick up his sword. Phila, tie his hands."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Honestly?" Julian sheathed his dagger once he was sure Timonus' hands were tied. "I don't know, yet."

"So, the little futatrix sold me out for nothing."

"Ah, don't take it too hard. I've known that girl for most her life and she'd sell her own, well," he started laughing, "she'd sell anything as long as it kept her alive for one more day."

Timonus glowered and looked back over his shoulder but all he saw was a cloud of dust where Hannah had once been.

***

In his office, Euric looked over the faces of his most trusted men: Felix, Castor and T'tembo and declared, "Something dark is happening in this fair city, my men!"

Posides, meanwhile, silently stood to the side and filled his master's wine cup as Felix stated, "Sir, you've been saying that ever since you summoned us here."

Euric nodded to Posides and took the cup, nearly draining it almost immediately before continuing, "I know, Felix, I know, but it's because I don't know what to do. I don't know - I just," he placed his hands on his writing desk and then looked back up at them, "don't know." He took a deep breath, "Gentlemen, the Emperor is not a well man. His eyes... gods, if only you'd seen what I'd seen!" Euric began to pace, gesturing wildly with his hands as he did, "I can't explain it but something is wrong with him!"

The water pitcher within Posides' usually steady hands began to shake visibly, "How-how do you know?"

He stopped pacing, "He had his advisor killed, right there, in front of us all."

Posides gasped as Caster spoke frankly, "Sir, lanista, we are gladiators. Death is not-"

"This was different! This wasn't a man who had willfully chosen to enter the arena or-or a condemned criminal found guilty of a crime! This was an innocent man! Or," he shrugged, "he seemed innocent enough. I mean, I've known the man for many years and, yes, he can be a little shifty as all political being are, but he's always seemed quite harmless." He drifted off into his thoughts, "The Emperor also referred to him as a 'rat god'."

They looked at one another.

Euric shook his head, trying to dislodge the gory scene he had earlier witnessed from his brain, "His eyes seemed so... strange. Like-like they were far away almost, seeing something otherworldly - something that wasn't there!"

Felix shifted his weight from one leg to the other, "What can we do, then? What if there are supernatural forces at work here. We can't fight-"

Euric raised an eyebrow, "I have lived too long in this world to believe in the supernatural. I do not know what is causing the Emperor's madness, but I do know that it's not going to get better anytime soon and in the meantime, we are going to need ideas, plans - schemes - something!" He sighed and ran his hands over his face, "I can think of nothing! And I'm usually so good at this."

"Give us our freedom,” T’tembo said at last.

"What? Your freedom?" the lanista laughed as he quaffed more of his wine, "I've told you time and again, you are free! Just... you know, not to leave or anything."

"Or have money, or land or-"

"But you have your life!" Euric set his cup down on the desk and grasped T'tembo heartily about his bare shoulders. "You're housed, fed, well taken care of-"

T'tembo's face was stern, "If you are correct in what you tell us, it will not be for very much longer."

"I... yes," he sighed again and dropped his arms. "Yes, you're right. Perhaps something can be arranged, then." He began to pace, speaking his thoughts aloud as he formulated their next move, "But first, we must decide what we must do. The main issue is that we are not an army. We cannot fight as one, our training is just not attuned for that sort of thing." He eyed the statue of the Adversary and reached out to touch the angelic stone wings, "We are individuals; we fight as individuals... but maybe we can use that to our advantage somehow."

"How so?" asked Castor.

"I need to work out the details but," the Vandal looked back at them, "if you truly want to be freemen, then the munus might just be the key to that freedom. I can't believe I'm saying this but gather the men," he looked at them levelly, "we have a rebellion to plan."

***

Tacitus was stacking firewood outside of his house when he heard a scream coming from the area of his brother's home across the village. He immediately dropped everything and ran, closing the distance between his and Severus' houses in record time. When he arrived, he found a panicked Severus and a weeping Nona.

"What's happened?"

"Aelia!!" Severus shouted. "She's missing!!"

"What? Are you sure?" Tacitus looked at his brother.

"We can't find her," his face was stark white and it was the first time that Tacitus had ever seen such a reaction in him.

"I'm-I'm sure she's here, just playing in the woods somewhere and has gotten sidetracked about the time-"

"She is not allowed to go into the woods alone." As the other villagers began to gather around, Severus shouted to them, "Has anyone seen my daughter?"

They shook their heads, asking one another about who had seen her last and where she might have gone.

"Please," Nona tried to speak through her sobs, "please, Tacitus, the night... it’s coming. The goblins in the forest, they will get her!"

His voice soothing, he tried to calm her, "Don't fear, Nona. The goblins are a myth - I'm sure she was just playing and got a little carried away, that's all."

Severus swallowed, "We'll go now and look-"

Nona turned to Severus, "I'm going with you-"

He shook his head, adamantly, "No, Marcus needs you here. You must stay for him while Tacitus and I go look for her. Tacitus," he commanded his brother, "grab your horse and join me. Cinna, Lucius, will you search in the Eastern part of the forest? Caius and Tertius, will you take the West? And Decimus, the North?" Severus looked at his brother, "Meanwhile, we will search the South."

A few moments later, after the men were dispersed to their designated regions, Severus said goodbye to his wife. He and Tacitus, who was leading Bellona behind him, made their way through the Aulus Forest, each shouting Aelia's name as they did.

"Where would she have gone?" Tacitus asked.

"I don't know, she's rarely away from me or Nona."

"Did she say anything earlier?"

"No," he shook his head, his face a grave mask but his eyes full of terror.

It was the first time Tacitus had ever seen his brother show any sign of nervousness or fear and it worried him quite deeply.

Severus looked up through the canopy of trees above, "We must hurry. The sun is setting and it's going to be a chilled night."

"Don't worry," he placed a comforting hand on Severus' shoulder. "We will find her Brother. Here, take some of this, you're too tense right now and this will calm you down," Tacitus then handed Severus a bladder of his strongest Two-Crows Ale that he had hung from his neck.

"I'd rather not. I need my wits-"

"Brother, it's your wits that are making you so tense."

Severus stared at the flask in Tacitus' hands, then took it and downed a large mouthful. He wiped his chin, "Thank you, Brother."

He tried to give it back but Tacitus shook his head, "You keep that for now."

"It's strong."

"I experimented with a new recipe in order to help calm people that I sometimes must treat by cutting."

Severus took another large gulp and a pinkish glow already began to form in his cheek, "It's good."

"I'm glad. Now, let us go find Aelia."

They scoured the forest floor over the next half hour, looking for the minutest clue that might lead to the child's whereabouts but finding nothing nearby after awhile, they eventually decided to rest a moment beneath a large tree.

During the search, Severus had continued to nurse the ale and had nearly drank all of it by the time the sun had begun to slip further down in the sky. "It will be night soon," he slurred slightly.

"I know," Tacitus nodded, "but we'll find her. Don't give up hope."

Severus shook his head, feeling slightly dizzy as he did, "We have to find her, Tacitus. I can't... my life... I-"

"Don't speak, Brother, you're drunk."

"I am," he nodded. "I really am. Where could she be?" He clumsily attempted to draw his sword from a sitting position, "I will ki...kill anyone that harms her!"

"Calm down, Brother. We don't know anything yet. There is no reason to get angry and who knows, maybe the others have already found her or she went home on her own."

Severus took another draught from the bladder, "I should've paid more attention to her today, but I was in a bad humor and wanted no one else around me."

"Why so?"

"Today... is the anniversary of our father's death."

Tacitus shoulders sagged as they could hear Bellona munching on tufts of grass nearby, "It is, isn't it."

They sat in silence for a moment, both of their thoughts torn between Aelia and their father.

Severus broke the silence, his voice sharp, "If you'd gone along with us that day, he may have lived."

The statement stung Tacitus slightly but he attributed it to his brother's current state, "Maybe but neither of us have ever had much time for 'what-ifs'."

Severus laughed derisively as he took another mouthful, "What ifs... I think about the 'what ifs' alla'time. I just can't do a damned thing about them."

Tacitus grew nervous at his brother's harsher tones and was beginning to regret that he had ever passed him the ale bladder in the first place.

"For instance," Severus continued, his eyes growing bleary in the dwindling light, "What if-what if you had gone with us up against that Giant like you should've that night?"

Tacitus narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

"Or, even the night that Otho attacked? What if? What if you'd had a sword?"

Tacitus stomach churned with dread at the mention of the thief’s name.

Severus kept talking, "What if you had gone with us?"

Tacitus stared out at the trees as he answered, "My wife and my daughter would still be dead."

The statement temporary stunned his older brother, "Aye, this is true." He took another drink. "I'm sorry."

"Perhaps you should give that back to me, Severus. I only meant for you to have a little-"

He laughed louder, "Really? You would take something from me, Tacitus the Cauda?"

Tacitus face paled, then flushed, "That is... uncalled for, Brother... and needlessly cruel."

"Cauda," he shoved Tacitus in the chest. "It is not cruel. That is what you are. Father should have been more cruel with you."

"Severus," Tacitus warned his older brother, "you are going too far with your words."

"Am I, Cauda?" he shoved Tacitus again, this time harder. As his brother fell back, Severus sat up on his knees, his face flushing a bright crimson. He was angry and Tacitus wasn't entirely convinced it was only from the ale as he roared, "Maybe I haven't gone far enough with you! Maybe that has always been the problem!"

Tacitus stayed frozen in place, "Go ahead then, Brother. Say the things that must be said."

"Fine!" Severus pointed at himself as he shouted, "I stood in the Purification circle that night and took the lashes that should've been yours! I bore your shame! Me! I have the marks of your cowardice upon my back! And-and how did you thank me?" He sat back on his ankles and gave a defeated sigh, "By kissing my wife..."

Tacitus eyes opened wide with the revelation.

"Yes, I witnessed it! Of course I saw it..."

"Severus, I-"

Severus vainly attempted to punch Tacitus