The Sword of Jupiter (Imperium #1) - Chapter 27

A banging on his door woke Ky just as the sun came up. They’d worked late into the night again, sending out recruiters into both the prison camp outside the walls and to across the city and its outskirts, looking for slaves to sign up for the legion.

They'd all agreed that the sooner they got these new men into training, the better. It took time to make a legionnaire and they had only four months at the most before the Carthaginians began their march on Devnum. Ky knew they’d continue to get men from further out regions as word of the new laws passed, but they didn’t have time to get everyone together before they started training.

It wasn’t as difficult as Ky had first worried. The Emperor had already started planning for this as soon as Ky started rallying support. Money to pay the first groups of slaves had been set aside and word to the owners had already been sent out. As soon as the vote happened, the entire Seventh Legion was broken into squads, and sent throughout Devnum and the surrounding region, signing up slaves and escorting them to the training grounds.

They’d worked through the night and Ky was hopeful they’d manage to bring in two to three thousand slaves, ready for training, with perhaps another thousand prisoners who’d decided they didn’t want to return to Carthage.

As Ky rode over the ridge and got his first glimpse of the camps, he realized he’d been wrong. Massively wrong. The camp he’d seen, with its lines of empty tents and training fields had been expanded in all directions, and every bit of it filled.

“How many?” Ky asked, a sense of awe in his voice.

“Eight thousand, Consul,” Velius said.

“Eight thousand, seven hundred and a third, plus or minus a hundred, Commander.”

“How did you manage this?”

“The Emperor prepared them well and your senators were persuasive about the need for them, but honestly, it was mostly the calendar.”

“The calendar?”

“Yes. Winter harvests are smaller than the summer harvests. The farmers tend to lose money through the winter months and most sold off slaves, waiting to buy new ones until the planting season started in the spring. Slaves may be unpaid labor, Consul, but they aren’t free labor. The farmers still pay to feed and house them, at least to the levels where they won’t die, which costs money. Worse, since most farmers were under the same pressure, if they did sell slaves, they’d do it for less than they bought them for, hoping to make up the difference in productivity from the spring through the fall.”

“Now the Emperor is offering to pay them full value for their slaves and take them off the farmer’s hands, with a promise of lower taxes after the next planting season and guaranteed purchases of the planters stocks through the winter and into next year to feed those slaves they would have had to feed on their own. So, they make money on the slaves and on the food they would have had to feed those slaves. It’s a good deal.”

“They all signed up on their own though, right? I’d made it clear to the Emperor we didn’t want to draft unwilling men.”

“Yes. We instructed the centurions in charge of the squads to question each petitioner before signing them up. Do you blame them? As things stood, they had no chance of freedom, ever. Now, they know if they can survive, they will not only be free, but citizens with a payment they can use to start their new life. Honestly, we could have gotten more if more farmers would have been ready to agree.”

“We’ll get more once the new tools start getting sold. We’ve made all of the merchants agree that the new plows and other farming instruments being introduced can only go to farms that have sold off their slaves. Once the farmers who didn’t see the difference in productivity, they’ll sell.”

“Can you handle this many men?” Ky asked.

“Maybe. We’ll have to expand and use men from the Third Legion to supplement the ones taken from the Seventh as a training cadre.”

“What about the Ninth?”

“It’s what you see ringing the camp. Most of these men are going to take the opportunity for what it is and will fight, some might even make good soldiers. There’ll be a fair number of them, though, that agreed just to get away from their masters, and are thinking about running, or taking up arms and freeing themselves here and now.”

“Surely you haven’t handed out arms?”

“No, and any they’re given for training will be taken back when the session is done, but the trouble makers will be looking for a way to start something. Once they’re not altogether like this, and mixed in with the regulars, the men in their units will keep them under control until they integrate or are gotten rid of. Until that happens though, we want to keep enough of a force around them to maintain control. With this many men, things could get out of hand, fast.”

“Makes sense. What are those camps over there?”

“It isn’t just camps. It’s mostly training grounds. We’re rotating through men who’ve started signing up to join the guard and citizens who’ll make up the conscript archers and putting both through training.”

“We have enough arcuballistæ for that?”

“We’re starting with the ones we have, with minor modifications, we can make them close enough to your design to allow the men to get a feel for the function, if not the range. They might not be able to work on accuracy, but we’ve started drilling on synchronized loading and firing, as you suggested.”

“Good, Good. Talk to Hortensius about getting the first prototypes in their hands. We don’t have a lot of time to run them through training multiple times, and we have a lot of men to train.”

“I’ve already spoken with him. The first shipments of the new material should leave the northern forges next week and be here the week after. By his count, we should have the first prototypes in maybe three weeks.”

“That knocks off almost a third of our training time.”

“I know, but it’s the best we can manage.”

“Well, do what you can. How’s the guard coming?”

“Slowly, but as expected. We’ve set the bar high for what we’re looking for. As you said, it’s not intended to be a military force, so we’re trying to find men with more than just skill at arms.”

“Level-headed, that’s the key. They need to be able to stop trouble, but they also need to know how to keep it from starting. We can’t waste men getting slaughtered for brawling or simple disagreements.”

“They know what they’re looking for.”

“Good, good. Well, let’s get to work training these people. Hopefully, there will be more coming behind them.”

The Legates slapped fists to chests and turned their horses away, until Ky called out.

“Velius, Aelius, please stay back. You can send the rest of your men on and catch up with them.”

The men looked confused, but obeyed, returning their mounts back in front of Ky.

“I haven’t been to the First or Second Legion’s camps yet. Are they interacting with your men at all, or staying separated?”

“They moved to the other side of the city, Consul,” Velius said. “They have made it clear we are not welcome either, but the men have been traveling back and forth, as units do when in proximity.”

“Doing what?”

“Trading supplies, trophies, war stories, drinking. Men who served in other legions and moved, visiting old friends, that sort of thing. You must remember, most of these men spend all their time with their comrades and, umm, avail themselves of the same camp followers, for years. Sometimes, they just want a change of scenery.”

“Do you know what they’re up to when they visit? Do Eborius or Pius know what your men are up to?”

“No, at least we don’t. While I can’t speak for either of the other legates, it seems unlikely. They have several thousand men under arms, tracking a handful of visiting legionaries would be a poor use of their time.”

“How are the improvements to your camps coming?”

The men looked at each other, unsure of where this was going.

“Well. We’ve moved the latrines away, as you said, and keep the water separate and drinking water is boiled. We’ve improved the meat and bread, looking for the signs you described. The cost of provisioning the men has risen as we predicted.”

“The sick?”

“As instructed. Those with fever or sweats are separated from their fellows and any who treat them stay separate from the rest of the legion.”

“How’s the men’s health?”

“Improving. Cases of the grip have decreased noticeably.”

“Good. I want you to talk to some of the men you know well. Men you know can be discreet or wily. Have them invite any of the men they know from the First or Second Legions to come visit. Give them tours; point out the better conditions of food and the decreased instances of disease.”

“You want them to sell the men of the other legions on how much camp life has changed, Consul?” Aelius asked, understanding what Ky was thinking. “Are they doing anything else? You understand that it is considered an insult to ask men to switch from one legion to another. It will increase tensions.”

“Don’t have them offer anything. I just want as many of the men from their legions to see the improved conditions as possible. That’s it.”

“I don’t understand, Consul,” Velius said.

“That’s fine. I promise you I’m not asking either of you to do anything dishonorable. I just want the word to spread of how much better the conditions in your camps are.”

“I’ve heard there is an outbreak of the grip in the First, Consul. The men will notice, and it will cause unrest in those legions.”

“Will it?” Ky said, turning his horse away from the two men. “I think I will ride through the camps and see them for myself, perhaps talk to some of the men. I will speak to both of you later.”

Ky spent several hours with the legionnaires of the three legions still open to him, as well as talking to the men trying out for the guard. For men in camp, he found the majority of them in good spirits. Word of the change in pay had spread and the men had seen the benefits instantly.

Booty was good, but it only came after victories, which had been few and far between over the past several years. What victories they'd had had been mostly against the north men, whose homes were little more than hovels and who considered owning a single goat as having great wealth.

When they were in camp, which usually meant the entire winter, they got little more than food as payment. Within the month they would start seeing monthly payments. They also wouldn’t be responsible for the cost of their equipment, which meant some men whose current armor was far from satisfactory could get it replaced or repaired without wondering how they would pay for it.

They’d also heard from where the new rules that had clearly led to less sickness in camp had come as well as the improved quality of the rations. Several groups cheered him as he rode along.

He’d also witnessed the training, both of the conscript crossbowmen and the ex-slaves. Overall, it was well done, but there were areas he saw for improvement. The biggest one was how the trainers were treating the ex-slaves and rehabilitated prisoners. The best were belligerent and looked down on them, the worst resorted to open beatings when the men didn’t respond well enough.

Ky had words with the Legates about it, but he wanted to make sure the behavior would stop before he went back to the city and left them to the training. Poor treatment was sure to make the men feel more like the janissaries of Carthage instead of true members of the legions, the slaves especially. They’d been told they were freed from service. That was an easy thing to hear, but much harder for many of them to believe. Beatings made that even harder, and if they felt like slaves still when the legions marched, they would cause problems. Ky needed them fighting for Rome, believing that their full effort was in their best interest, not fighting to avoid the master’s whip.

He was just going to camp with the Seventh, until Auspex made a good suggestion. All of the men had pride in their units, and wanted to think that theirs was the best legion in the Empire. Constantly showing favoritism to one legion was picking a winner, which helped the Seventh, but harmed the morale of the other two. Auspex suggested that Ky always stay with a different legion, rotating through, which was good, but not as good as his second suggestion.

“Consul, the men spend a lot of their day just counting time. We give them training and duties, but camp life can still get boring. Instead of just picking either the Third or the Ninth to camp with, why not have them compete for it.”

“Like what?”

“They already hold wrestling competitions, as well as spear throwing, strength competitions, and the like. We can pick, say, five competitions and have each legion nominate a champion for that. The legion with the most wins gets the honor of hosting you at their camp for the evening. It will be good for the men’s morale.”

“We can do that. Do we know where it will be?”

“We’ll set up in the field over there, between the Seventh and the Third Legions. Neutral ground. Give us an hour to spread the word and set it up. I’m sure the men not on duty will want to attend.”

“Just make sure that the men on guard around the training camps don’t get distracted. This law has only just been passed; we don’t need our enemies to start having reasons to say they were right.”

“I’ll make sure the men know what’s at stake,” Velius said.

Ky took the time to continue riding through the lines, talking to soldiers. In a way, this felt more comfortable than anything else he’d done since crashing on this version of Earth. They might be using swords and spears instead of auto-cannons and plasma mounts, but soldiers in camp were still soldiers in camp, and it reminded him of his time in the barracks, with his squadmates.

By the time a runner caught up with retrieving him, Ky was the most relaxed he’d felt in weeks. He realized he should be doing this more, getting out of the palace and its stuffy rooms and out here, with the soldiers.

Ky was almost smiling as he reached the small field set out by the legions, with tents and seats in the center of one side, clearly meant for him. Ky was surprised, however, to see they were already occupied. Lucilla was already in the tent, having had a second stool added next to the one set up for Ky to observe the contest.

“My lady, I’m surprised to see you here,” he said, dismounting his horse and handing the reigns to one of his men.

“I heard you were out staying here tonight to be with the men and I thought I’d come and visit for a bit, only to realize you’d arranged for some entertainment.”

“The Legates made an argument that the legionaries could use some fun and that they all wanted to fight for the ‘honor’ of my staying with them for the evening. It’s ridiculous of course, but I understand the need for soldiers to blow off steam.”

“It’s not ridiculous at all. These men, well, many of them, fought with you outside the city gates. Under your command, they had the greatest victory since Cannae. They worship you, Consul.”

“That, I don’t want.”

Lucilla rolled her eyes, “I did not mean it that way. I just meant that they hold you in the highest esteem, and want to feel that you favor them.”

“Well, I’m just happy to be here. They’re all good men and I’ve truly enjoyed spending the day with them.”

“I saw your new recruits have started training. How is that going?”

“It’s too early to tell.”

“I guess that’s true. Be careful though, I wouldn’t put it past Silo to have his own men slip in and foment revolt.”

“We’ve thought of that and the training cadre and camp guards are on alert.”

“Good, it seems like you have everything under control here, unlike some of the other camps.”

“You mean the First and Second Legions?”

“Yes. I rode out there this morning, ostensibly to visit the legates and offer them my welcome, since I did not see them before they stormed out. Father thought it might help breed a little goodwill.”

“I somehow doubt it. They are set against change as it was, but Silo has been whispering in their ears.”

“Yes, they were not all that pleased to see me. That, however, wasn’t the notable part. It seems disease has struck their camps. The healer’s tents were full when I rode past.”

“Velius mentioned that earlier, apparently there is a case of dysentery going through them.”

“Dysentery?”

“I think you call it the grips. I asked them to start having their men bring friends from those legions over to visit.”

“To show them what they could have?”

“Exactly.”

Ky had been concerned at first that this competition would be like those he’d seen at the arena. Bloody, wasteful events that Ky would prefer to never have to see again. It reminded him too much how little the people of this time valued life, throwing it away for entertainment.

This, however, was pure enjoyment. It was still violent, as the men who competed did so seriously, but everyone understood it was in fun. There was some blood, but only superficially with no death and no maiming. The men wrestled, threw spears, and fired bows. The crowds booed and cheered at the victors and, in one particularly close wrestling match, gasped en masse when the much smaller man suddenly reversed his opponent, climbed him like a tree snake, and choked him until the larger man tapped out.

By the end, everyone’s mood was uplifted, even those men from the legions that ultimately lost. Ky made sure to go out and congratulate both the victors and the losers in every competition, saying a few words about their strength or bravery or skill at arms. It was well into the evening by the time they finished, the last competitions happening under torchlight, but Ky wasn’t even tired. Lately, he’d barely been able to drag himself back from whichever meeting he’d been locked in to write more notes before passing out, but tonight, he still felt awake and buoyant.

“They rushed off to set up my tent and show everyone their victory.”

“Grown warriors are running around like excited children. It does the heart good.”

“If we walk slowly, I bet they will have it set up by the time we arrive. Did you want to accompany me, maybe have a glass of wine for a bit before you return to the palace?”

One of her attendants made a small gasp behind Ky, confusing him. The sudden silence of the attendants and soldiers around them told him he’d misstepped, but he wasn’t sure how.

“I’m afraid you might have just made a very indecent proposition, Consul.”

“I don’t understand, I just meant …”

“I know you don’t, but for us, that kind of invitation is considered very uncivilized, a man and a woman, alone in one of their tents at night.”

“Then I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any offense. Please, continue back to the palace and forget I asked.”

“I’m not offended and I’m certainly not going back to the palace. This is the most fun I’ve had in forever. However, some niceties must be observed. How about we sit in front of your tent and have that wine, where everyone can see we are well behaved and scandal-free.”

Ky was happy she didn’t have to go, even though he still didn’t understand what was wrong with what he’d just suggested. As he’d said, the legionnaires did indeed have his tent set up by the time he arrived, the eagle standard of a consul on its post in front, signaling the Consul was present. They’d even set up a small table and two camp chairs, which meant someone had slipped off and run ahead to inform the men of the plans. Ky still found the level of service he received uncomfortable, not used to having others wait on him so freely. Lucilla, of course, took it in her stride.

The tent was set back slightly away from the rows of soldiers’ tents, to allow for a ring of guards around it, to protect him. Considering he was probably more able to defend himself than all of his guards combined, it seemed a bit of a waste, but it made the men feel better. They were set to one side of the entrance to the tent, in sight of guards and attendants but still alone, allowing them to talk freely.

“You confuse me,” she said, once they were seated comfortably. “You have all this wonderful knowledge, probably so much more than you’ve shared with us yet. You can do things that no man outside the poets’ tales can do but you seem, normal, usually. I’ve watched you today joking with the men, trading stories, acting like a normal man.”

“I’m just a man, like them. I have some advantages they don’t have, but when that is all stripped away, we’re not so different.”

“That’s what confuses me. You’re like us but more, and yet in some things you seem, confused. Things that seem natural, everyday things to us and I watch you trying to figure them out.”

“I think it’s natural to have some culture shock, when you change from where I came from to here.”

“That’s true, but that isn’t what I’m talking about.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I understand.”

She looked around, as if checking to see if anyone was in earshot, before saying, “I see how you look at me sometimes. I think you like me in the way men sometimes like women, but you act like you don’t. Worse, when I try and show you that I feel the same, it seems like you don’t understand what I am saying, or even why. It confuses me.”

“Ohh,” Ky said, looking away.

“There, that’s what I mean. If I was to say that to another man, he would say ‘I do like you’ or ‘You’ve misread my intentions’ or something. You look away and don’t respond at all.”

“I … I’m not sure how to answer, I guess,” Ky said. “Where I come from, men and women don’t … there aren’t pairings like I see among you. When we have done enough service, we have a partner selected for us, and we are … matched. That isn’t a good word for it, but we are selected to produce offspring that will have the best of each person.”

“We have that. Men and women are arranged by their families to create alliances or bond families together. My father has tried to get me to marry several times, to strengthen his position. Even with those kinds of relationships, both people eventually find a way to exist. They do things that couples do. Share things that couples share.”

“This isn’t like that. We don’t … do the things that you do. We have genetic material taken from us, to create offspring. The child is taken from the pair as soon as it leaves the … place where it is made. Often the two paired individuals become friends, but that is the extent of it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know. It requires a base of knowledge well beyond what is here. The key thing is that we don’t form relationships as you do.”

“So, you don’t feel things for others. You don’t fall in love?”

“No, or, not normally. It has happened, but it is rare.”

“Ohh,” she said, looking away from him.

“I … I feel something though. I don’t understand it, which is why it might have been confusing for you, since it is confusing for me. Here, everyone knows what it is to, be with someone, but it is completely foreign to me. I have been trying to understand it.”

“Let me help you. Tell me what you feel and maybe I can tell you what it means.”

“I … sometimes, when I see you walking towards me, in the plaza, I feel excited, like I know something good is going to happen. When you sit next to me as we talk, I feel like I am at the center of the world, and everything else has vanished into a fog. When you leave, I feel sad, like I have had something taken from me.”

“Ohh,” she said again.

“I understand the feelings themselves, but not why they are happening or what they mean. If I were in battle, the excitement would make sense, but not standing watching someone walk. If I was denied an assignment I desired, I would understand the sadness, but not at watching someone I know I will see again leave.”

She surprised him when she burst out into laughter.

“What? Why is that funny?”

“Because of you. You can cut a man in half and leap over scores of soldiers, and now you sound like a child who just discovered girls for the first time. Which, it sounds like, in some ways, you are. Just know you are feeling the right things and I feel them too.”

Ky looked at her profile, still working it through. Just looking at her now made his pulse quicken and fill him with a sense of contentment at the same time. He shook himself and looked away, reaching into the sealed pouch on his leg and pulling out a small, clear disc.

“I wanted to give this to you,” he said, holding it out in the palm of his hand.

“What is it?”

“You put it in your ear and it will transmit my voice to you, even if we are far apart.”

“What? How?”

“This is one of those things I’m not sure I will ever be able to explain in a way that makes sense. You’ll just have to trust me and your own senses to know they work.”

“How do I use it?”

“Put it in your ear. It will allow water and air to pass through it and after a time you won’t even feel it is there. You will always be able to hear the messages I send you, but to send your own, you press your finger in your ear, against it, and it will activate. It will stop when you remove your finger.”

“So, I put it in my ear?”

“Yes. Pick it up with your fingertip and place it in your ear, it will mold itself automatically.”

She reached out and touched the comms unit with the tip of her finger, almost jumping as it adhered to her, molding around her finger.

“Just stick your finger gently in your ear.”

She stared at it a moment before doing as instructed, sticking the coated fingertip into her ear. This time she squeaked as the small device released from her finger and filled her ear cavity.

“I can’t hear,” she said, a little too loud.

“You can still hear from the other ear, and it’ll pass in a few moments. It should feel at first almost like your ear is full of water. Just sit calmly, don’t shake your head or touch the ear. It is detecting the shape of your ear canal and molding itself to it. I understand it’s a weird sensation, but it’ll pass.”

“You have one of these in your ear?”

“No. When I signed up to serve in our military, they cut me open and placed small devices along my skull and jaw. It offers advantages over the portable earpiece I gave you.”

“You let someone cut open your head?”

“Where I am from, that is not unusual. Our physicians have the technology and skill to do it. I’m afraid to think how you’re going to react when I mention the small device they inserted into my brain.”

“Barbaric!” she said, shocked.

“No. It is partly what allows me to do things like grabbing an arrow out of the air. As I said, I am human just like you. The only reason I can do things you cannot is because of technology we have developed and the ability to put that technology inside my body.”

“I … I can’t feel it anymore,” she said, her sudden realization distracting her from her revulsion over Ky’s surgeries.

“See. Now, we can test it, but you must be calm as we do. It will be a strange sensation and probably scary, but if you react too much, it will bring soldiers to check on you. One of the reasons I am giving you this is to protect your safety, and it only works if no one knows you can do the things this lets you do.”

“Very well, I will try and stay calm.”

“I am going to walk away from you now, out among the soldiers. A few minutes after I walk away, you will hear my voice in your ear. If you want to respond, all you have to do is press against your outer ear, which will turn on the device and send any of the words you say to me.”

“Won’t the soldiers become concerned if you just start talking to the air?”

“No. One of the things my implants give me that the device I handed you cannot do is allow me to speak in a way that no one can hear me. I also do not have to touch my ear to activate my communication, so I may talk to you in front of a room of people with no one being the wiser.”

“Go then, show me this magic,” she said, smiling, almost looking excited to test it out.

“It’s not magic, it’s …”

“I know, I know, it’s technology. It still seems like magic to me, and I will keep calling it that.”

“Fine,” Ky said, standing and giving her a slight bow before walking away.

His four Lictore broke away to follow him into camp until Ky held up a hand.

“Two of you stay with her. I’m not leaving camp and will be perfectly safe.”

They looked at each other, unsure until Carus waved two of the men off.

“Thank you, my friend,” Ky said before turning and continuing among the rows of tents.

“Can you hear me, Lucilla?” Ky sub-vocalized.

For a moment, he was concerned the earpiece might not be working, since there was no reply. He continued walking, stopping from time to time to talk to a soldier here or there, until her voice finally came through to him.

“Sorry, I forgot to touch my ear. Your voice was so loud and clear, I forgot. I just babbled to the air for several minutes until I remembered.”

“No problem, I know it’s a shock.”

“It’s just like you said. It’s as if you’re standing next to me, except your voice sounds different. Deeper.”

“That’s an effect of how the sound is transmitted. You are getting just my vocal cords, unaffected by the rest of my throat or mouth to create the sound. I understand it does sound different, although to me it sounds the same.”

“How far can you do this?”

“Probably as far as the moon before the quantum tunneling starts to degrade. The signal impulse from my transmitters run off bioelectricity, which doesn’t give it the power a full field unit would have.”

“Very few of those words made sense to me, Ky. Did you say you could send me a message if I was on the moon?”

“Sorry, I sometimes forget. Yes. Although the signal would be weak.”

“So, you can always speak to me?”

“Yes. If you do not want to hear me. Press your finger on your ear three times in rapid succession, it will deactivate the device. The same motion will turn it on again.”

“This is … amazing.”

“It gets better. You can turn it on so I can hear around you by pressing once and holding for a three count. I can also let you hear what is happening around me.”

“Really?”

“Yes, wait, I will show you.”

Ky stopped at a soldier’s tent and began to talk to him, asking questions about how the man was doing, if he was comfortable, and if he had enough to eat, leaving the transmitter open the whole time. The man was in good spirits and asked Ky to sit and have wine with him. Ky begged off, telling the man he wanted to visit as many of the men as possible that evening, but agreeing to take the man up on his offer another time.

“That is amazing,” Lucilla’s voice came to him. “These men really love you.”

“They’re good men, although I hope to get them to love the Empire just as much. It is why I want men to rotate among the legions more. We want them forming an allegiance with the Empire as a whole, not to their Legate.”

“You aren’t their Legate. I think they would love you regardless. They knew the odds on the field and saw what you did.”

“Maybe,” Ky said, walking back to her and sitting back down. “They’re good men and it saddens me how many are going to die when we face the Carthaginians, regardless of how many advantages I give them.”

“They would die the same if you weren’t here. The difference is, so would their wives and children.”

“I know, but it still troubles me.”

“Well, thank you for your gift. This is amazing.”

“I gave it to you because I worry about your safety. The Carthaginians tried for you once. I would not be surprised if they tried a second time. If you get in trouble, I want to know as soon as possible, so that I can come for you.”

“I don’t think they will, but I appreciate your concern. I feel safer already, knowing you are listening,” she said, reaching over and placing her hand on his forearm.

Londinium

Maharbaal sat perfectly still, maintaining an air of unconcern to those around him. Inside, he was a seething mass of rage, wanting nothing more than to smash something to release the tension built up inside him. He had demanded his spy send him word more than a week ago. Since then, he’d heard nothing until an hour ago, when sentries outside the city sent word that they had intercepted someone claiming to represent his spy. Since that moment, all he could do was wait, trying to keep from seeming anxious.

Any day now, word of the loss would reach the Great One. Unlike his spy’s messenger, anyone dispatched to Carthage knew better than to take their time. Any messenger who didn’t wish for a long and vile death would arrive exhausted with horses dead in his wake, proving he’d done everything in his ability to deliver the messages quickly. He was certain that his report would only beat those sent by the Acolytes, who only answered to the God-Emperor alone. He did not need follow-up reports explaining his lack of nerve and uncertainty while he recovered from the disastrous defeat and rallied new forces.

A man looking disgustingly fresh and unbothered entered the throne room at last, bowing in Roman fashion before him, not bothering to scrape the ground like a man who knew his life was forfeit at Maharbaal’s will.

“Why have you taken so long?”

“I am sorry, Governor. My lord only just dispatched me with messages for you. I rode with all speed to reach you as soon as I could.”

“I somehow doubt that. Speak your lord’s words. What happened? The reports for the battle are scattered and incomplete. He promised us two legions, scattered and ill-prepared. How did the Romans defeat Zaracas and his larger host?”

“There was a new factor my lord could not foresee. A man, of sorts, arrived in Devnum with the Emperor’s daughter on the eve of the battle. It is because of him that the Romans prevailed.”

“We’ve heard impossible rumors of a demon that melted men where they stood and dispatched men by the dozens. Are you here to tell the same fairy tales, to hide your lord’s incompetence?”

“It isn’t a fairy tale, your Magnificence. A man has come to Devnum. I have seen him with my own eyes, although he is not a demon. Some say he was sent by the gods, fulfilling the prophecies of old. The remnants of Lucilla’s security detachment told tales of him falling to the Earth on wings of fire, but we believe they were exhausted from combat and dehydrated. He is, however, no normal man. He has knowledge from a far-off land that he has begun giving to the Romans. He teaches them how to make new weapons, new techniques in metalworking, and new ways of farming.”

“Are you saying he defeated us by teaching new ways of farming?”

“No, your Excellency. Those are things he has done since the battle. In the battle itself he rallied the remnants of another legion and deployed trickery. Some kind of smoke that obscured the Roman lines, which in fact held part of just one legion. Once Zaracas engaged, the bulk of the Roman forces, which had been lying in wait, sprang the attack, falling upon Zaracas from the rear.”

“Did Zaracas not have scouts out, to keep such a thing from happening?”

“We are unclear about that part, but word has come that he somehow had a hand in removing those scouts without Zaracas becoming aware of it.”

“He always was a fool, charging in without understanding the field he was to fight on. So, it wasn’t magic, but incompetence. Zaracas stuck his head in the lion’s jaws and asked it to bite.”

“Yes, Governor. We do have first-hand reports of him slaying dozens of men by himself without a blade touching him.”

“Tales of frightened men trying to absolve themselves of cowardice.”

“These stories were from the Roman side, my lord.”

“I still find it hard to believe this man could cut armored soldiers in two with one swing.”

“I understand, my lord. I am merely passing on what we have been told by soldiers in the field.”

“Then why should I honor any deal with your master, when he passes me second-hand lies as fact?”

“My master understands he bears some responsibility for what occurred outside Devnum and has a proposal for you.”

“I am listening.”

“He still asks for you to honor your bargain with him. In return, he will not just deliver information about the Roman forces and new technology, which I have with me now, but he will also ensure a civil disruption inside the city itself.”

“If he can guarantee this, then we will uphold our bargain. If he fails again, I will see him flailed upon the gates of that city before I burn it to the ground.”

“He understands, Excellency.”

“See that he does. Now, give me the information he has sent.”