Chapter Five
Three days had passed since Aelia had safely returned home and Tacitus was at his brother's house checking on her as he had done everyday. But, as the little girl enthusiastically greeted her Uncle with a leap from a nearby tabletop into his arms, he soon discovered that any lingering concerns he had over her health were completely unfounded.
"Ooof!" he grimaced as he caught her. "Well, my dear girl, you appear to be quite healthy indeed!"
She grinned, the little white speck of her brand new tooth just beginning to poke through her gums, "Mother says I can join the Order now!"
Tacitus looked over Aelia's head and smiled slightly at Nona. She nodded as she spoke, "Yes, but only good girls can do that and right now you need to stop jumping off of things." Nona then stole a quick peek into Marcus' basket, relieved to see that he was still sleeping quite soundly despite his sister's exuberant aerobatics.
"Uncle?" Aelia asked, ignoring her mother's scolding.
"Yes, my dear?"
"What is that?" she pointed to the bit of scarred flesh that she could see peeking out from beneath the unlaced collar of his linen shirt.
"Aelia!" Nona exclaimed. "Don't be so rude!"
Tacitus paled for a moment, then recovered, "No, no, it-it's alright. It's nothing, I just... I got hurt a long time ago."
"But you're all better now?"
He nodded slightly, smiling, "Yes, I'm all better now."
"Good! Put me down. I want to go play!" Tacitus chuckled as he set her down upon the floor and she disappeared into the back of the house.
Nona sighed, "I just don't know what to do with her sometimes!"
He glanced at her, watching as she mended shirts from the basket beside her. He thought she was beautiful, the way her hair fell into her eyes as she worked. "Well," he spoke, "I'm glad that she recovered so quickly at least."
"Me too," she smiled. "Although I'm sure your stew had a lot to do with it."
He shrugged, "Maybe, but I find that when it comes to certain illnesses, children are very resilient." Tacitus then reached down and picked up the medical bag he had brought with him, "I'm afraid that I have something important to take care of at home. Will you tell Severus that I think every-"
"Tacitus," Nona spoke matter-of-factly, her face showing a deep concern, "there is something you aren't telling me, isn't there?"
His eyebrows knit together as he laughed when he said, "Where did you get an idea like that?" He smiled to reassure her, "No, no, no - I just have a lot to tend to with the coming winter. In fact, I have a new brew that I'm working on that may help a lot of the village's recent stomach issues."
She searched his face, not believing anything he said for a second, "Are you sure? I know that the Ways say that women should not be privy to the concerns of men but you would tell me if something were wrong here in the village?"
He nodded, "Yes, absolutely!"
"Alright... I suppose." She was unconvinced.
"Listen, for now I want you to keep your eye on Aelia and tell me if anything - a slight sniffle, a cough, a sneeze - anything happens. Alright?"
"Of course." Nona walked Tacitus to the door and as she opened it for him, said, "Thank you again, Tacitus, for bringing my daughter home."
"But it was Severus-"
"No," she smiled and shook her head. "He told me how you were the one that found her and... thank you."
"Yes, well," Tacitus said, slightly embarrassed. "He-he's a good man, Nona. A good honorable man." He wished her goodbye, then turned and walked into the direction of own home.
As he did, he took a deep breath in order to steel himself, mentally cursing Nona's uncanny ability to read the slightest change in his demeanor. She had indeed been correct in her concern that there was something he wasn't telling her and it was something very dark and very worrying.
Tacitus entered his home and nodded to the group of men from the village that were already gathered around his dinner table, Severus among them.
"How's Aelia?" his brother inquired from where he stood looking down at a map that had been placed on top of the table.
"She's grand."
"Good, good." Severus continued to scan the old map, which was beginning to show signs of wear. "Now, Tacitus, come over here and show us exactly where you saw the remnants of the Giants' camp the other night."
Tacitus looked over their shoulders and pointed to the area of the forest that was on the right side of the map, "Here, I think. It was dark and very difficult to know my exact whereabouts that night."
"But you're sure it was Giants?"
"Absolutely, no question."
"And the campsite? How fresh did it seem?"
"Not very, maybe two weeks. There was rotting food and bones all around."
The men of the village looked at one another, a sense of dread filling the room.
Cinna, a short and squat man with a beard in the style of the Hairy Men asked, "But why are they back in our part of the forest? You and your father drove them out of here decades ago!"
"We did," Severus nodded.
"You even killed one of them, right?"
"That I did but it was no easy feat and I was in my prime. I don't know if such an act could be repeated. They are ruthless bloodthirsty creatures who seem more like animals than men!"
"Does this mean that we will have to fight them again?" asked another at the table.
"I hope not but I think it is too soon to begin speculating their plans. I feel we should watch and see what their movements are in the coming days. Tacitus?"
"Yes?"
"How many would you say that you saw evidence of?"
"Hm," he tried to recall the scene that he had stumbled upon that night three days before as he had walked back to the village alone, "I'd say... thirty, maybe forty? It was a large camp, with a mass of horse hooves and wheel ruts left in the soil."
Severus shook his head, "But they never used to travel in packs larger than ten! There must be a reason, but what could it be?" His mind formed a million different possibilities, "Maybe it's a new Thrax directing them."
"Thrax?" asked the one called Decimus.
"It's what they call their leader and one of the few words I ever understood from them."
"If that's true," Decimus asked the Giant-Killer, "then what do we do?"
"We send a runner to each village and request an immediate audience tonight with all of the Elders." He shook his head as he looked at them, "I don't know what the reappearance of Giant's means but I do know nothing good can come from it."
***
The Lupa Faction's transient camp was spread out over a disorganized patch that was comprised of both the stony outcroppings of the cliffside area and the overgrown green fields that led into the sparse forest of East Odalia. Julian clambered over the rocky ground as the new day dawned and threw a piece of hardtack at the Legate's head in an attempt to wake him up. Unbeknownst to him, though, Timonus had been awake since well before dawn as old military habits died hard. The Legate grasped the hardtack in his hands as he struggled to sit up in the restraints that were tied across his wrists.
For the last three days, the members of Lupa Faction had left him cold, hungry and dirty. As per Julian's orders, they had stripped him of his armor as well as his sword, leaving him only in his tunic and sandals, which were not much protection against the nighttime chill. In addition to his lamentable state, Timonus was also in desperate need of a shave and his wrists were red and raw where the ropes had been constantly chaffing at him.
He was also unsure of their location as Julian had insisted that they periodically double back and go in different directions so as to purposely keep Timonus confused. Little did Julian know that the experienced Legate had begun leaving markers on various stones within the camp and at night watched the stars so that he soon had a vague idea of what direction they were moving in. Despite Julian's misdirection, Timonus knew that they were traveling west, towards Odalia.
"Eat that," Julian pointed at the hardtack in Timonus' hands.
The Legate held it awkwardly, "How? I'll break my teeth!"
Julian took a ravenous bite of his own portion and spoke with a full mouth, "Yeah, well, I grew up on it just fine and I still have most of my teeth! Besides, you'll starve if you don't."
Timonus was quite hungry, having only been given small amounts of millet mixed with water to eat over the last few days. He tentatively tried to bite into the hard biscuit but only managed to chew off a corner, which sucked up all of the saliva in his mouth and yet, still refused to soften.
Julian sat down beside him, "So, I bet you wonder where we're going, huh?"
He shrugged, "Does it matter?"
"Yes! I mean, you want to know what our plan is, right?"
Timonus sighed, exhausted, "Julian, I've been in this camp long enough to know that you don't have a plan. You told me as much in the beginning."
"Yes, but what if I told you that just to confuse you?"
The Legate eyed him snidely, "Trust me, boy, you're not that smart."
Julian scowled as he stood back up, "What do you know anyway?" He walked a little ways away from the camp to relieve himself, though he remained in shouting distance.
"I'll tell you what I know," Timonus called out to him over his shoulder. "I know that this so called 'Lupa Faction' is a farce! You talk like you're going to rush into the Palace, bows drawn and take it over."
"So?" Julian called back, "what's wrong with that?"
"The Palace is home to a military the size of a small village. You won't make it past the gates, let alone into the Emperor's chambers."
"He's right, Julian," the N'bari girl named Camilla joined them and, after getting comfortable across from the Legate, began to sharpen a small pile of arrowheads that were resting in her lap.
Julian returned, sitting beside Timonus again, "Then what are your grand ideas?"
She didn't look up from her task as she answered, "I don’t have ideas. I just shoot the things that people pay me to shoot."
Timonus chuckled, which irked Julian, who spat out at him, "Fine. Then what about you, old man? What would you do?"
"Well, I wouldn't attack the Palace."
Julian looked at him matter-of-factly, "I have to. I started this group to rebel against the Emperor. If I don't attack the Palace, how will we be considered any kind of threat to the Empire?"
"You're a group of degenerate kids from the poorest district in Odalia. You can't defeat an Emperor. He is a man like no other in existence, with more power than you can imagine."
"Why do you still defend him? How can you when you know he is a murderous tyrant?"
The Legate's face grew grim, "Because I know a very different man from the one that you see now." He leaned back against the rock, glancing up at the sky, "You have to understand, he wasn't always like this."
"But he is now and we can't let it keep happening! He's murdered fifty-two men and women in the last month alone - simply for the worship of 'false' gods and blasphemy against the Twin Brothers! These were gods that we have been worshipping since we were born! The same gods he was brought up on!"
Timonus nodded, "I know." He knew because he had personally signed the death certificates for each one of the fifty-two.
"And now he's killing people for who they choose to love or marry? Tell me that isn't a man you still wish to serve!"
He looked at Julian, "I... I'm not really sure."
"Pff, can you believe this man?" he asked Camilla.
She shrugged as she set the arrowheads to the side and began to restring her bow, "Yes, but the Emperor is not just his commander, remember. He is also his friend."
"Aye," Timonus nodded. "Or at least he was."
"Well," she looked at him, "then I guess you have to ask yourself if what he is doing to your people is worth keeping that friendship?"
Julian declared, "Exactly! How long will you accept his tyranny? At what point do you walk away? When he starts slaughtering babies?"
Timonus looked at him in alarm, "He wouldn't dare-" but he couldn't even finish his own sentence because the truth was he no longer knew what Tiberius would or wouldn't do. No one did.
Camilla continued, speaking wryly to Julian, "Now, if I was the thinking type, I would say that the Legate here would make a much better ally than a prisoner."
Julian looked at her, hesitant, "You... would say that, would you?"
She continued to pull the string tighter, "If I was the thinking type, I would, yes."
He looked back at Timonus, "Well? How about it, then? Will join us, Legate?"
"Join you?" Timonus asked disbelievingly.
Julian attempted to make his case, "We've been out here for months, with no clear idea of what we should do. You could be the man that leads us to our destiny!"
Timonus thought the idea over. It seemed so far-fetched, so unlikely but as he looked around over the scattered members of the Lupa Faction he wondered if maybe the Mother Wolf had indeed answered his prayer after all. Maybe leading the Lupa Faction against the Emperor was what he needed to do to right the wrongs of the last few months.
The Legate started to nod, slowly at first, "Yes. Yes, Julian, I will join the Lupa Faction."
Julian jumped up immediately and began to run back into the direction of his bedroll, "I'll go get your sword!"
"Wait, Julian! You could've untied me first!" Timonus called after him.
Camilla plucked at the string on her bow then, satisfied with its tension, she took a small dagger from her belt and cut away the ropes that were on Timonus' wrists. "He's resourceful, that one, but he's not very smart."
"What about you?"
She shrugged, "There are some people around here that would say I think too much." She smiled at the Legate as she put away her knife.
***
"No!" Euric angrily rose to his feet from his seat within the Emperor's box in the arena. "You're still not doing it right, you filth!"
Juko, sweating in the midday sun, held out his hand to his teammate, Kai, who lay on his back in the dust of the arena. The Golden Man took it with his free hand and nodded, saying in a broken accent, "Thank you." In his other hand he held a spear.
Juko looked up to Euric in the stands and shouted, "What's wrong?"
"You're not convincing! What about to you, Felix? What does it look like from over there?" He shouted at the trainer who was standing at ground level against the back of the arena.
"I think Kai needs to hit the ground harder."
Euric then gripped Posides, who was standing beside him holding on to his ubiquitous sun umbrella, and pushed him a little ways over from the royal box. "You stand there," he barked and then shouted back down to Juko, "do you see where I have Posides standing?"
"Yes."
"That is where the Decanus will be! If there is any doubt of the authenticity of this fight, this man, the Centurion beside him and the Legate beside him will see it. And those are not the men we want to be able to see through our little ruse!"
Juko stared up at the Emperor's seats and, picturing the Decanus standing where Posides was, took Kai's spear from out of his hand and launched it into the stands. It landed just a hair's breadth from Euric's servant, bouncing uselessly off of the seats.
Posides face went pale as Euric laughed deep and loud, "My boy, if you can manage to do that before anyone suspects anything, the Decanus won't know what hit him!"
"Though I sincerely hope that he does," Juko brooded.
"Well, once you do manage to do that, the entire arena will be thrown into chaos. We will have, at most, mere minutes to get down below into the catacombs where the High Priestess will be waiting for us." He addressed the rest of the gladiators out on the field, "Once Juko and Kai take to the dust the rest of you had better be well enough away with your freedman papers in hand. I might can guarantee your freedom but I will not be able to guarantee your safety." The lanista then looked gravely upon the figure of Juko, "Son, I hope this is what you wanted."
The N'bari fighter nodded stoically and Euric muttered, "Then gods help us all..."
***
As night fell, the entire membership of the Cavalli's Elder Council met around a large fire that was lit within the middle of the village of Two-Crows. Severus stood before them and looked upon many of the faces that he had fought beside in years past. He addressed them, "Gentlemen, I have called you here to tell you that something ominous looms upon the horizon. We have recently had a report that the Giants have reappeared within our borders." He paused, giving them a moment to grasp what he had just told them before continuing, "But that is not the only reason I have called you, for I have also had reports from my scouts in the North. They tell me that something unsettling is happening in the capital of Lycania as well."
"What are we to do then, Giant-Killer?"
"I must admit," he paced as he spoke, "that I do not have the answers, which is why I've called us all together. I am asking for any aid that your village can spare but I do not know which course to take. I do not know if we should go to the Eastern Shore to try to gather information about the Giants or if we should travel through the dangers of the Unclaimed Desert to Odalia and see what strange things are happening there."
"We cannot fight the Lycanians now!" cried a detractor from the Silver Leaf village. "Yes, once maybe, in our fathers' time when we numbered many - like the leaves on the trees. But now," he shook his head, "we are not even half that number."
"Aye," Severus agreed, his voice rising, "but we also cannot sit back and do nothing, for that is not the Cavalli way!"
The rest of the Elders shouted in agreement.
"For the Cavalli do not run!"
The shouts grew louder.
"The Cavalli are not cowards!"
The men jumped up from their seats and raised their voices as their patriotic fervor increased.
"Enough of this!" Nona's voice cut across the Elders' cheers of bravado as she entered from the shadows and joined her husband.
Severus turned, surprised to see her, "What are you doing here? Where are the children?"
She turned her back slightly to him so that he could see Marcus tied securely to her as Aelia's smiling face appeared from behind her legs, waving excitedly to her father. Nona boldly stepped forward, "If I may, I, too, wish to speak to the Council."
Vibius, the Elder from the Little Fish village, sneered at her, "Women are not allowed into these meetings. Severus, isn't this your wife? Control her so that we may continue!"
Her eyes narrowed at him as she hissed, "I have just as much right to be here as any of you! Is the Cavalli blood that flows in my veins any different than the blood that flows in yours?"
Vibius did not answer.
Aelia ran to her father and grasped him around the leg. Severus smiled down at her as he placed his hand protectively upon her back and motioned for her to be quiet.
Nona continued, looking from one Elder before her to another, "The Ways say I am not allowed here. But by what right do you claim that?"
They remained silent.
She continued, undaunted by their reticence, "Is it simply because I am a woman and nothing more? Is that why I am ordered away?"
"The Ways," one of the members of Five Bears began to speak, "state that you cannot comprehend the sacrifice that is required for the good of the Cavalli."
Her face flushed, "I dare any of you to claim that I, or any woman, have not sacrificed as much as you for our people!"
"Women do not go to war," another of them ventured. "A man does. A man must sacrifice his life for his people. What have you done that would equal such a thing?"
Her face grew stern as she answered the question with her own, "You wish to know what a Cavalli woman must sacrifice for her people?" She briefly cast a glance back at Severus before she began to speak, "A Cavalli woman must sacrifice her thoughts, so that she may concentrate on hearth and home. She must sacrifice her desires, so that she may tend to those of her husband. She must sacrifice her body in order to breathe new life into the world."
Nona looked at the Council, "Tell me, is it not taught among our people that to be a true warrior of the Cavalli you must be brave in all things? Then, I ask you this: would any of you stand up now and say that I am a coward?" Nona began to walk down the line of Elders, looking at each one of them in the face as she spoke, "Do you wish to know of my stories? The ones that will never be passed down as yours will be? Do you truly wish to compare your bravery to mine? Fine! Then I will do just that!" Her green eyes flashed as she continued, "Tell me, then, my brave Cavalli brothers, have any of you given birth by yourself in the dark of the night? With no one but the Owl Mother to guide you and the Deer Woman to comfort you?" Her voice rose as she continued to demand of them, "Have any of you cradled a child that you pulled forth from your own body? A child that never had a chance to take its first breath and that was put away in a grave so tiny that digging it seemed almost a mockery to life itself?" Nona's voice faltered slightly as her gaze fell to the ground.
Severus remained stone-faced behind her even as his heart felt a twinge of sadness at a memory he thought long past, but still he did not stop her from speaking.
"Tell me, men," Nona looked back up at them, "now that you know one of my stories, am I not Cavalli just as much as you?"
An ancient Elder, who was older than everyone else present, stood up shakily from his seat at the end of the line - although his voice was clear when he spoke, "What would you do then? Carry a sword? Fight a Giant? Lead an army?"
"I would do what needs to be done, for the good of our people and the protection of our land."
Severus stepped up beside her, "She is right, my friends. For far too long we have overlooked the assets that we've had beside us all along. While our numbers may never equal those of the Lycanians, with women added to our ranks, we nearly double our fighting forces and increase our chances for success!"
"And what would you have us do, then?"
Nona looked around at the faces of the elders and realized that they were, for the first time in her life, truly listening to what she had to say. "I would," she cleared her throat, then took a deep breath and began again, "I would have you, and those women that wish to accompany you, track the Giants. They are gathering for a reason and the stronger and larger their packs grow, the less the Lycanian forces will matter to us in the end."
Severus nodded, then looked out among the others, "What say you, Elders? Do we arm the women and let them join us if they so wish?"
It was quiet at first, until one of them - a man who appeared slightly older than Severus, stood and spoke, "The Silver Leaf village respectfully withdraws its aid to the village of Two-Crows. We will make preparations on our own to defend our village in the case of an attack." He turned and left the Council.
"Little Fish also withdraws," Vibius stood and left.
"Big Oak does as well."
One by one, Elder-by-Elder, they each withdrew their positions until there remained only the eldest Elder still standing.
Severus stepped over to him, "Does Running Deer village withdraw as well, Elder Cato?"
"No, my son," the ancient's voice spoke. "The Running Deer will join you but I'm afraid I only have a few fighters of age, including myself and two horses."
"We accept your offer," Nona answered before Severus could speak, "though I feel your wisdom and courage would be much better served here with us in the village."
He smiled and the wrinkles on his face grew deeper as he did. He looked at Severus, "This one reminds me of my daughter. She was a good woman and she died fighting in the Desolate Wars many years ago."
Severus seemed surprised, as he had never remembered his father ever mentioning female fighters during the Desolate Wars.
The Elder saw Severus' confusion and chuckled, "Not all the men that fought beside your fathers were men beneath their war stains."
"Well, then we are very honored to have the fighters from Running Deer join our ranks, Elder Cato."
He bowed slightly, "I will immediately send a scout and you should have your fighters and horses in the morning."
***
Timonus stood dressed in his full military regalia atop a boulder before the members of the Lupa Faction. As the stars shone behind him, he looked rather imposing to the twenty or so youths that stared up at him expectantly. He eyed them back, all young men and women, none older than two decades. They were a sad group, he thought, underfed, unwashed and unorganized but, the Legate reminded himself, he had led worse forces in his days.
"Our best time to march on Odalia," he began, "will be during the munus. The people will be distracted by the festivities and most of the military will be contained in the area of the Amphitheater, guarding the Emperor."
"And when will that be?" Julian asked.
"In three days time, which doesn't give us very long to prepare. Thankfully, most of you are damn good shots."
They smiled at one another, patting Camilla, on the back as they did.
"But," he cut them off, "being a good shot will only get you so far - especially since we do not march upon Odalia with the intention to kill anyone."
"How will that ever work?" Julian sounded disappointed.
"As far as anyone there knows, I am still the Legate of Lycania and while I may have turned against my Emperor, I did not turn against my country. I believe the men there will still answer to me and I do not want the Emperor harmed in any way. He is to be taken prisoner and given a trial. Lycania will then fall under military rule with my command until a proper Senate can be formed."
"What will happen to-"
"Wait!" A far off voice cried out from behind them. They turned to see that one of the lookouts who had been stationed towards the south was running towards them under the light of the full moon, waving his arms above him, "Wait! Hold everything!" He joined them a few moments later as his words came spilling out of his mouth in a breathless rush, "Wehavetoleavenow!"
Timonus stepped down from the boulder and went to him, "Slow down, boy! What is it that you're trying to say?"
"Gigantes," he gasped, "they're headed this way!"
Timonus felt a familiar sense of fear wash over him at the mention of the Giants, "Are you sure?"
He nodded, gasping, "I saw them in the distance... Hundreds of them! And based on the direction that they're going, I'd say they are heading to Odalia, which means they will cross this place soon. We need to move camp, now!"
"How far are they behind us, then?" Timonus inquired.
"A couple of hours, at most."
"Dammit!" he swore. "Then we need to leave and regroup in a more northern location, closer to the forest so that we stay upwind." He turned to address the group again. "Everyone, grab up your supplies-"
"Wait - there's one more thing," the lookout said, panting as he was still trying to catch his breath.
"Yes?"
"The have that venefica girl with them."
***
"Please let me go!" Hannah yelled out at the top of her lungs from behind the wooden bars of the rolling cage in which she had been placed. The Giant foot soldier that walked alongside the cage growled at her and banged on the bars. She jumped back as he gave a guttural laugh.
Frightened, she crawled back into the corner of the cage and wrapped her arms around her knees as she looked around at the mess of fetid wet straw that surrounded her. As she did, she tried not to ponder the fate of the two Golden Men that she had seen in the cage during her and the Legate's first encounter with the Giants. Hannah rested her head on her knees as the cage continued to rattle on and wondered if maybe she was just getting what she deserved for betraying the Legate over to Julian.
The Giants' caravan lumbered to a stop a short while later. She looked around but wasn't sure of exactly where they were. In truth, she hadn't been sure of their location since after they left the cliffside path, for she was unfamiliar with much of the territory outside of the Caves of the Veneficas. She did know that she could see the lights of the White Palace glowing in the West after the sun had set and could also tell that they were steadily traveling closer to it.
The Giant foot soldier flung open the cage door and grabbed Hannah roughly by her hair as he dragged her out. She tried to scratch at his flesh but his skin was too thick and her nails useless against i