They left, and Marius watched them go, drawing on his training to bear the hunger and the cold. His whole body ached from being cramped up in the cage, jostled all day on uneven roads, the unyielding iron wheels bouncing on every rock and into every hole.
Kyle came back much later in the night, his heart clenched, just to find Marius collapsed on the hard, wooden floor, his body having given up out of exhaustion.
Next morning, they left, and Kyle hadn’t fed Marius at all nor given him water, wary of Lothar’s prying eyes, smiling at him with satisfaction when he noticed Marius’ parched lips.
He rode next to the cart, grinning. “I see you got a taste of making him suffer? Good. He should too.” He spat square into Marius’ face, the Roman just wiping it off, not caring.
The sputtering mud from the road and horses had covered Marius' body, his muscles clenched against the chilly weather, and in the afternoon, a torrential rain poured down on them. The top of the cage was made of wooden planks, but the rain filtered through the cracks and the wind blew it inside, drenching him. Marius pressed his knees into his chest, hugging them, the water streaming down his uncontrollably shivering body, his bruises aching with every move. His shackles had rubbed his skin raw, and the water bit into them, making him even more sore, the burning pain constant. He whimpered, slowly losing it, not knowing how he could hold any further, but he licked his arms, the small rivulets of water somewhat quenching his thirst.
Kyle turned back at the sound, worried sick, watching alarmed, Marius hug his knees, his face buried in his arms, his whole body shaking. He gestured Lothar over. “I know he needs to suffer, but if we don’t do something, he’ll freeze to death before we arrive, or worse, become sick and die on us...”
Lothar watched the shivering wretch, and his lips curled into a smile. “Yes, I see...you’re right. Do you have your horses’ blankets?” Kyle nodded. The crude blankets were under his seat, stacked with the rest of the supplies. “Let’s throw one on him. That should keep him alive, hopefully.”
Kyle reached down and pulled the blanket out, the rain thankfully stopping. They stopped to allow Lothar to open the cage, and he threw the blanket on him. “Here, Roman scum... don’t you die on us!” He laughed and banged the cage shut, Kyle starting the cart again.
With his strength dwindling and his hands a bunch of pain, Marius managed to pull the blanket around his shoulders. It felt divine, even if he was still cold, his body was at least sheltered somewhat from the wind. He rested his head on his arms and fell asleep, exhausted, his hunger and thirst burning in him.
Marius and Kyle could not speak, the riders too close on the roads winding towards the mountains. Pain and cold had become Marius’ companions, his mind numbed to them, as well as hunger and thirst.
Whenever they camped, the kids came and poked him with long sticks, making him move around the cage, laughing, and Kyle had to let them until they got bored with it. Sometimes, it was the warriors who, drunk, made fun of him, rattling the cage with their swords, not letting him sleep, and they provoked him to lose it and bang his body into the grates, just to collapse, heaving, in tears.
He’d been locked up for a week and hadn’t been able to stand at all, wrapped most of the time in that filthy blanket, his eyes dull, lost in some distant space.
Finally, they arrived at the mountains, the single path slowly rising, and they had to ride in a single file, the path narrow, barely allowing the cart to fit, winding upwards into the woods.
Marius sat in the cage, his back to Kyle, oblivious to the jolts of the cart on the uneven path. His hunger tore at him, slow tears forming in his eyes at the pain, when he felt a small poke in his back, the gentle jab of an elbow. He slowly slid his hand down, moving it against the cold bars, stretching his fingers, and he felt Kyle’s warm fingers locking around them, gently squeezing. He shut his eyes, overcome with emotions, their intertwined fingers hidden by Kyle’s back and cloak.
Kyle felt how icy Marius' fingers were, a shadow of concern on his face, and he tried to convene some warmth and comfort through their skins touching, his heart beating fast. Slowly, he pulled his hand out and heard Marius whimper, but he then pushed his fingers back, a piece of bread in them. Marius took it and brought it to his mouth, his face hidden in the blanket. The riders could not see what was happening, riding in front and behind the cart, and Kyle fed him bit by bit, until he ran out of bread. Kyle held Marius’ fingers then, gently stroking through the icy grates, not caring that his fingers froze too, their backs inches from each other.
XVIII
NewsofMarius’capturehad reached Rome fast, the messengers riding like crazy, straight to the imperial palace.
The emperor read it, and his face clouded in anger. “How dare they?! Get my brother and inform Marius’ wife too...” His advisors watched him, their faces alarmed, as he paced the room. “These bastards! They think they can blackmail me?” But this was Marius, his nephew… he wavered, his hands flying to his balding head.
He paced for hours, debating with his council, when finally, Gaius arrived out of breath. “My son...”
“I know... shit, shit, shit!”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know what they want... I have to leave them a message in a shithole tree...” He clasped Gaius’ shoulder. “I will not let them kill him. He’s my nephew.”
“What if they ask you for their lands back?”
The emperor quieted. “We’ll see... I don’t know until they tell me what they want...”
Gaius felt dizzy and sat down, drained, his mind on his only son.Marius...
Seraphina listened to the messenger, her face white, her dark eyes widening at the news. “He’s dead?”
“No, My Lady, just taken prisoner.”
Thais’ hands flew to her mouth, and Seraphina slapped her in the face. “Stop it! So, the noble emperor will get him out of there, right?” She smiled, rising. “Nothing to worry about. I have a party to attend, so if you will excuse me...”
The messenger saluted and left, Seraphina crossing the dining hall to go to her room. “Thais, come and help me get ready...” She bumped into Melissa carrying her daughter. “Oh... here you are. Listen, your dominus was taken prisoner in the North by some barbarians... the gods know when he’ll be back... anyway, I am going out, make sure she’s fed and put her to bed on time.”
Melissa blanched, clutching the child. “Yes, domina...”
