Marius closed his eyes.Material damage...
He had to swallow hard, bile rising in his throat, his blue eyes darkening with anger. He looked up at Julius. “Thank you, centurion. Now, for the course of action... Send a messenger to this swine of a chief and let him know that his insolence will cost him his village if he doesn’t explain himself.”
Julius shifted, uneasy. “He might not have anything to do with it...”
Marius pursed his lips, his grief fueling his anger. “I don’t give a fuck at this point... they think I’m nice? I’m anything but...” He breathed in deep. “I have a dead officer, an excellent one... there’s no amount of explanation that will save that barbarian’s ass.”
Julius frowned. “With all due respect, we can’t erase a village and a tribe out of revenge.”
Marius raised his eyes on him, the glint in them making Julius shiver. “Oh... but we can... and we will... soon.”
Kyle ran and saw Clavius plummet into the water, and he didn’t think, yanking his shirt off, plunging where he had seen him disappear, the cold water biting into his skin, the strong current sucking at his body.
Kyle didn’t care though, his hands frantically darting around in the swirls, his fingers locking onto metal, gripping tight, not letting go, as the current dragged them along. He stayed as best as he could towards the bottom, the heavy armor dragging them down anyway and his hands found the straps which he undid, his eyes wide open, struggling to see in the froth. Kyle let the armor slip out of his hand, holding on to the limp body by his leather armor, swimming hard with his legs to find the surface, his lungs close to exploding. As they got closer to the surface, the current got stronger, making them whirl, but he held tight, memories of his childhood and youth pouring in when this was a game, swimming with his friends in the icy rivers of his homeland, having major fun. His body remembered too, locked into survival mode, his mind only on getting up for air, out to the bank.
Kyle’s head emerged finally, breathing in hard, pulling Clavius’ head up, holding him in a choke hold, his face white as a sheet, with the oozing blood of that horrid wound on the side of his face.He might be dead...but he chased the idea out of his mind, watching the shore from the running tides, swimming on his back, dragging the dead weight of the centurion. The river was larger here, but still tricky, jagged rocks rushing towards them, and it was a struggle to evade them in that treacherous tide. Kyle also unbuckled the straps of the leather armor, letting it go, and the helmet. It was easier this way, just the tunic on Clavius, and his pants.
Fortunately, the river was not too cold, warmed by the summer sun, but still wild, bouncing them around as they slid fast, a rock appearing in the front, making Kyle try to swim around it. It hit his right shoulder, making him grind his teeth in pain, but it was not too serious, just a cut and a bruise, the pain still white-hot. He cursed softly, praying that the river calmed a bit, and somehow the gods listened, because it was tamer now, the current still strong but less frothy, the rocks disappearing.
Kyle was too tired, he could feel it, the water invading his mouth as Clavius’ body dragged at him.Let him go...a small voice in his head...you’ll die with him... His grip loosened when Clavius coughed, making him jolt and hold him tighter.He’s alive... His heart fluttered, and with an ultimate effort, he swam towards an enormous tree trunk drifting down the river. He managed to grip a branch, letting them float with the current, watching the shores in the distance. The farther the better from the place of the attack, but he gathered they were already quite far. Clavius moaned, coughing more water out, and Kyle held him gently, letting him drift on his back, his thoughts going to Marius.He thinks we’re dead... his heart constricted, but he held tight, letting the trunk carry them far.
Dusk was setting in when they finally slowed down, and Kyle felt a bit more rested. He let go of the tree, and swam towards the shore, reaching the pebbled bank, dragging Clavius out. He collapsed then, out of breath, his shoulder killing him, but he steeled himself, rolling Clavius on his right side, listening to him breathe softly, watching in horror that wound running down the left side of his face, the cheekbone visible under that wide cut. It had stopped bleeding though, and he gently probed it, his mind racing. It would have needed a doctor, but obviously, this was not an option here in the wild. He searched for a jagged rock and tore half of his pants off, binding the wound as best as he could with it.Now, food...
His eyes went to the river, lazy here, but huge fish were swimming close to the shore in the shallow river, and he stepped in, softly, waiting, poised. One came too close, and he slammed his hands down, gripping its slippery body, flinging it out to the shore like a bear, going back then for more. He managed to fish three out, and went to gather firewood and dry moss to light it. It was exhausting, but he was rewarded with brightly lit flames soon. Content, he ripped the fish open with his teeth, gutting it with his bare hands, and soon they were roasting on the dancing flames. Kyle sat, warming his soaked body, watching Clavius’ face.He will need to wake soon...
When the fish was almost ready, Kyle sat down next to him, the sun almost gone, and gently nudged his shoulder. “Dominus... wake up...” Clavius moaned, but his eyes stayed shut, so Kyle nudged a bit harder, wanting him to be conscious, just to be safe.
Finally, Clavius’ eyes fluttered open, his unfocused, shocked eyes locking on Kyle, the pain invading his senses. He gasped; his voice caught in his throat. “K... Ky...”
“Shhh... yes, it’s me. Don’t worry, we are out of the water, but you got badly hurt, your face. Just rest, but stay awake?”
Clavius nodded, his eyes shutting to the pain, but he was alive, he could barely believe it, his eyes opening to the vision of the flames, the roasting fish, the half-naked slave leaning above them, taking them off the fire.He saved my life... this boy...His thoughts drifted to Marius, and Tertullia.They think I’m dead... oh gods... and I might still be soon...The pain was harsh, and his hand went to his face, feeling the bandage.
Kyle was there in an instant. “I can’t do anything better, sorry. You should eat?”
He presented the fish to him on a large leaf, tearing a piece off and pushing it in his mouth, but Clavius couldn’t chew it, each movement of his jaw a nightmare. He moaned, gently shaking his head, and Kyle understood. He took the morsel out of Clavius' mouth and chewed it to bits, mixing it with a gulp of water.
He gestured to Clavius to get on his back and open his mouth.What the fuck...?He did it though, and Kyle gently leant over him, over his open mouth, hooking a finger in his jaw so that he wouldn’t close it, letting the mushed flesh slide into his mouth from his mouth. Clavius was too shocked to protest, feeling the young man’s soft lips on his, the warm food sliding down his throat.
It felt divine, and Kyle smiled. “More?”
Clavius nodded feebly, and they repeated the routine until he signaled he’d had enough. Kyle ate then the rest, and made him drink the same way he had fed him. “Now, let’s rest. Tomorrow, we’ll have to walk if you can manage.” He had gathered a bunch of branches with leaves and made a make-shift place to sleep, rolling Clavius on it, covering him with more leafy branches. “Should be better than nothing?”
Clavius nodded, grateful, his eyes closing, warming next to the radiating fire, and Kyle curled up close on the pebbles. He didn’t care, used to sleeping years on the cold, hard marble floor naked, and went to sleep straight away.
Marius went to his room, his eyes roaming the empty space, the table where they should have been having dinner, having their usual banters, his lover next to him, teasing him... His blue eyes shone in the dark, a vivid pain searing his inside, making him slouch down into his chair, his head going in his hands.
There was a soft knock on the door, and a young camp slave sneaked his head in, carrying a basket. “Your dinner, dominus.” He quickly laid the food on the table, Marius’ eyes not leaving him, and he looked at him. “Should I stay, dominus?”
“No...” He watched him leave and eyed the food, the large jug of wine...Fuck this shit...He couldn’t eat, his stomach like iron, but he drank, downing the whole jug of wine until he could barely see, his eyes drifting to the empty bed.Why, pet? Why did you jump?But there was no answer, and his anger rose, born out of a grief so deep he thought it would choke him. Marius howled then, rising to his feet, his vision blurring with tears of rage and pain, and he hurled the furniture in his room, breaking them with his bare hands, sending everything flying into the walls until he collapsed, panting, out of his mind.
Morning rose on the riverbank, with soft pink lights and birds in the sky. Clavius blinked in the light, slowly emerging, the pain still strong.
Kyle’s face swam into his vision. “Good morning, dominus. Slept well?”
He nodded, unable to speak, and the slave gently pulled him up. “Can you sit?” He steeled himself and sat, vaguely dizzy, but he showed the thumbs up. Kyle put some mushed berries in his hands on a leaf. “Lick it. I don’t have anything better.” Clavius did, painfully so, but it felt good. “So, we should go, walk up the river and we should get to the fort ... after a while...” He seemed unsure, worry chewing at him at the prospect of being in this foreign land with the enemy close.
He looked at Clavius. “We can’t give away that you’re a Roman officer... we need to pretend that you’re just a nobody, a commoner.” Clavius nodded, grim, and Kyle thought hard. “A commoner and his slave. Traveling.”
