The Leopard Vanguard (Leopard King Saga Book 1) Page 9

  “But why are you giving him to me? Wouldn’t that leave you friendless?”

  “I still have my gambling friends–or perhaps I should call them my victims,” Decimus said. “But I think that you’ll need all the friends you can get now that you’re no longer married to the Guard.”

  “Thank you Decimus.”

  Decimus extended his hand which Tullus shook fervently. “Good luck, Tullus. You will be missed.”

  Tullus nodded, before stroking Septimus’s back. The mule’s ears flickered to attention before he brayed loudly.

  Tullus wondered if he’d ever see Decimus again.

  {V}

  Eliana was eating her lunch in the courtyard when one of her servants interrupted her. “There’s someone here to see you, my lady,” the servant girl said.

  “Who is it?”

  “I believe a Centurion from the Praetorian Guard.”

  Eliana put down her spoon. “Well, send him in by all means,” she said as her pulse quickened. Eliana checked herself in a mirror to see her hair was done up correctly. She was glad her father was busy with senate matters today, that way she had Tullus all to herself. The girl led Tullus into the dining room and Eliana embraced him. She noticed his warm smile—a product of their love. They sat down at the table; the girl brought mulled wine inside a clay pitcher and poured Tullus a cup. He drew his head back and downed the wine with one swift motion; the girl poured him another cup.

  “I have good news,” Tullus said.

  “Don’t keep me waiting…what is it?”

  Tullus took another mouthful of wine and swallowed it slowly. “I’ve left the guard Eliana. I’m truly a free man now; I can do as I please.”

  Eliana’s eyebrows narrowed. “I don’t understand Tullus, I thought you loved the life of a

  soldier?”

  “Not as much as I love you.”

  He finished his second cup of wine; the girl was about to pour him a third cup; he declined politely and took Eliana’s hands into his palms.

  “Don’t you know what this means? We can finally be together.”

  “Tullus,” she said softly, “we are together.”

  Tullus stood up and she studied his facial expression. His initial look of impassion had turned to dismay. “No, I mean we can get married and move away from Rome to start a new life: free from the judgment of others.”

  Eliana looked down at her lunch while the venison and vegetable stew stared back at her. “I am afraid I cannot go with you,” she said placidly, avoiding his gaze.

  “I thought you loved me?”

  His words felt like a wasp sting upon her heart. She looked up to face him, his proud features mired in a scowl.

  “I do love you Tullus but it’s not that simple. I can’t leave my family.”

  “Why not? You’re eighteen: well past marrying age.”

  “I cannot marry you Tullus…I mean…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. I don’t think I’m ready to leave Rome. It’s been my home since I was a child and all my friends are here. But most importantly, I have a duty to my family.” Eliana knew it was a poor excuse, but how could Tullus have assumed she would blindly follow him to a new town or city? The servants brought more food but Eliana waved them away and they dispersed.

  “I cannot believe what I am hearing Eliana. I thought you wanted to spend your life with

  me. Don’t you know how much I want to share my life with you?”

  For a moment Eliana felt like running away with him. But she suppressed the urge.

  What would her mother and father say about this? Her sister Sylvia would probably be ecstatic for her. But Sylvia was an impulsive brat.

  “I’m sorry Tullus. My answer is still the same.”

  “I see. Well then, there’s nothing more to speak of, is there?” He turned around and

  walked off. Eliana followed and stopped him at the door. “Why are you doing this Tullus? We can still be together. Why must you leave Rome? Why not make a life here?”

  Tullus turned to face her. “My family once lived in the country, it’s in my blood, I suppose. Besides, I am a soldier. The Praetorian Guard–it is a lethargic position better suited for politicians. Most of the time my men talk about the Emperor’s political agenda while loitering around the palace like stray dogs. Tullus paused for a moment and swallowed. “I hoped we could both go north. There’s good farmland up there. But I guess that’s not going to happen now.” He kissed her lips and Eliana chided herself for not having the courage to leave with him. She hoped she would not live to regret her decision.

  Tullus removed a small jeweled sheath from his belt and handed it to her. She looked it over before unsheathing the dagger. The blade glowed when she held it up toward a lamp–the same way Tullus’ eyes did when he made love to her.

  “Goodbye Eliana.” Tullus turned to leave. “It appears there’s nothing left for me here.”

  After Tullus left, Eliana burst into tears.

  Part II: Rise of the Leopard King

  {May to August, 37AD}

  “Alta alatis patent.”

  “The sky is open to those who have wings.”-Latin phrase

  Five/Quinque

  Tear drops of rain sprinkled Tullus and Septimus.

  Much to the mule’s credit he was a stalwart companion. Tullus decided to reward him with a carrot the next time they stopped to make camp. Tullus was happy to leave Rome, the city held little appeal to him now, especially after Eliana’s rebuke. Did she still love me? Tullus wondered. Whenever he’d talked about his past travels and adventures as a Centurion she’d always listened attentively, especially after they’d made love. But the Eliana Tullus spoke with earlier today was distant. Perhaps her feelings for him were a farce; perhaps she only desired the excitement of laying with a Praetorian Guardsman. Whatever her intentions, he felt a knife stab his chest whenever he remembered her. How could something so wonderful turn to bile? A small part of him understood Eliana’s rejection, after all, he was below her station. Despite his post as a Centurion in the prestigious Praetorian Guard she was the daughter of a wealthy patrician; and he, the son of a humble winemaker.

  The Via Aurelia: a union of dirt, cobblestones and mortar, stretched out before him. As the day came to a close, the sun started its slow descent from the sky as the rain tapered off. When they found a dense patch of woodland, Tullus decided to make camp at the side of the road where chaparral surrounded a small clearing. After raising the tent, Tullus fed Septimus a carrot and settled down to build a fire. Tullus didn’t know how far they were from Pisae–the next city on their path–since he had not paid attention to the last milestone they had passed.

  “Be glad you’re a mule,” Tullus told Septimus, “that way, you don’t have to deal with women.”

  Septimus brayed. Tullus laughed before settling down to sleep inside his tent.

  In his dream he was walking through a forest where bright lights filtered through the tree branches above him. Around him trees stood out like morose giants while their twisted branches resembled hands grasping knives. “Septimus? Where are you?” Tullus called out but the mule had disappeared before the outline of a human figure appeared in front of him. When Tullus approached the figure he realized it was a woman. Tullus wondered what she was doing in the forest alone. She wore a transparent shift which highlighted the curvature of her body, and her face, was shrouded in shadow. He found himself asking the woman to reveal her identity. When he approached her to get a closer look at her face she faded from existence.

  He awoke in a rush of sweat and curses before exiting his tent. Outside, spry tree branches above him clutched the moon. Septimus brayed again. Tullus stroked the mule’s muzzle to calm him. “Only a bloody dream,” Tullus said as Septimus looked at him with doleful eyes. Tullus gave Septimus a few pieces of sliced apples and settled back to sleep inside his tent. Before he could drift off Tullus heard whispers coming from outside his tent. He opened his eyes and poked his head outside the te
nt; the whispers ceased. He closed his eyes again and a few moments later the whispers returned. This time they were accompanied by the sound of shuffling footsteps as they made their way through the undergrowth. From where he lay Tullus stretched his arm out until he gripped Cutter’s leather scabbard. He grasped Cutter and pulled it out of its scabbard before slowly crawling toward the tent’s opening. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he eyed two men making their way toward Septimus. Tullus eyed them suspiciously: they were rummaging through his supplies and muttering amongst themselves.

  “Looking for something?”

  Both outlaws turned around. Tullus eyed two grubby faces looking back at him. “He wasn’t supposed to wake up….now was he?” one of the outlaws said. Under stray shafts of moonlight Tullus could make out their features. One had a hooked nose while the other robber, a long-haired man, scowled and drew an axe from his belt. “Then I guess we have to gut him,” Long-hair said.

  Tullus raised Cutter. Hook-Nose drew his dagger as he and Long-Hair crept toward him like hungry wolves. From where Tullus stood he could smell their unwashed clothes—which smelled like spoiled cheese mixed with sweat.

  “I give you one chance to leave in peace,” Tullus said. Both of his opponents snickered at him.

  “He’s scared of us, isn’t he?” Hook-Nose said.

  “Probably lots of gold on him, that’s it,” Long-Hair replied. Tullus heard a noise coming from the bushes in front of him and a third man, with a bearded face, sword in hand, emerged from behind a tree.

  “Took you long enough, arsefuck,” Hook-Nose said to Beard. “Look, we have ourselves a Roman here, lots of gold on him too.” Hook-Nose launched himself at Tullus and slashed his dagger at Tullus’ neck before Tullus parried the attack. Hook-Nose produced another dagger from his belt and smiled. “Am I too fast for you? I have killed many Romans,” he said before lashing out again at Tullus–this time with both daggers. Tullus evaded the attack while Hook-Nose cursed. Tullus found an opening, then, launched a fearsome counter-attack which caught Hook-Nose off guard. With a quick thrust, Tullus sank Cutter into Hook-Nose’s belly and tore open a gaping hole. When he twisted Cutter, Hook-Nose screamed so loud it startled Septimus, who brayed loudly, and jostled around nervously. Tullus withdrew Cutter from Hook-Nose, who dropped his daggers, and fell to his knees. The wound in his belly leaked grey intestines and he sobbed uncontrollably as the tube-like organs unraveled around his knees.

  Upon seeing Hook-Nose’s condition the two remaining outlaws charged Tullus. Tullus parried both attacks, one after the other. He severed Beard’s arm from his elbow during one concentrated attack; Beard stumbled, face-down into the campfire where his hair caught fire; he howled in pain. Long-Hair dropped his axe and scurried off like a frightened hare.

  Tullus sheathed cutter and ran after him, he couldn’t let this robber escape to alert others. The last thing Tullus wanted was to face a horde of hungry, smelly, angry thieves. Long-Hair tripped over a tree root and fell before Tullus closed in. Long-Hair collected himself and turned to face Tullus. The moonlight glinted off the small dagger he produced in his hand before he launched it at Tullus’ throat. The blade whistled harmlessly past Tullus’ head. He readied Cutter; Long-Hair looked at him through tremulous eyes. Tullus closed in on his target and swung Cutter, slashing Long-Hair’s throat. Blood erupted like a lava blast, leaving bloody tendrils of skin and torn muscles in its wake. Long-Hair collapsed. Dead. The metallic smell of blood reached Tullus’ nose and he paused for a minute to catch his breath before dragging the corpse back to the camp.

  Tullus found the disemboweled Hook-Nose still clinging to life, intestines spread out all around the campsite. Tullus dropped Long-Hair’s corpse and put an end to Hook-Nose’s suffering by driving Cutter through the man’s eye socket. He wiped the glutinous remnants of the ruined eye from Cutter’s blade onto Hook-Nose’s tunic. Beard’s life had expired near the campfire—his arm less than two paces from where the charred remains of his face remained. The smell of burnt flesh and human hair tainted the campsite.

  Tullus shook his head ruefully. “What a bloody mess,” he said.

  Septimus brayed in agreement.

  {II}

  The next day Tullus set the three corpses alight and left them there to burn. It was perhaps a better burial than any of the three outlaws deserved. Much better than having the crows pick at them. He was weary from his restless night but a warm sunrise gave color to an ashen sky and raised his spirits.

  They walked for hours upon the barren Via Aurelia without encountering anyone. By the time the afternoon sun reached its zenith Tullus’ chest was soaked in sweat and he removed his tunic. The air felt cool against his skin as a gentle breeze caressed his bare chest. Tullus and Septimus stopped under the shade of a tree to rest. He took out his provisions and water skin and shared stale brown bread with Septimus before washing it down with water. Under the shade of the tree Tullus drifted off to sleep but was later awoken by a voice. At first Tullus thought it was another group of outlaws but soon realized it was only one person. He donned a fresh tunic and left Septimus alone in the shade. Cutter in hand, he heard the voice getting louder until he realized that it was the sound of someone singing. Tullus came upon a small clearing where an old man leaned against a bullock cart, playing a harp. Behind the cart a large ox grazed. Tullus watched from behind a thicket while the old man continued singing.

  Tullus sheathed cutter and emerged into the clearing. As he made his way toward the old man he heard a loud growl and a four-legged creature appeared from thin air behind the cart before it took up a defensive posture in front of the old man. When it fully formed, the creature resembled a large spotted cat. Gods be damned. That creature materialized out of nowhere.

  The old man stopped playing his harp. “Now, now Celestra, if this young man wanted to harm me I believe he would have his sword drawn.” He put the harp in the cart and approached Tullus while the strange creature padded next to him.

  “You must forgive Celestra, stranger, she is wary of strangers: having been mistreated as a cub by a cruel creature trader.”

  “Who are you?” Tullus asked the old man who smiled warmly at him.

  “I’m a traveler, such as yourself….but if you’re referring to our names I’m Paullus Gabinius and this is my friend Celestra.” The creature looked up at Tullus and growled again, its yellow eyes sparkling like gold medallions. “I assure you once she gets to know you she becomes friendlier,” Paullus said.

  Tullus nodded. “Please excuse my interruption, Paullus, but I heard noises, and came to investigate. Last night I almost became a victim of three outlaws.”

  “No, no quite understandable, quite understandable, noble Roman. These are dangerous roads. I was on my way back to my companions. I brought Celestra along for protection, but still, one cannot be too safe. Especially an old man travelling with newly purchased supplies.”

  The creature nuzzled its head against Tullus’ leg and Paullus laughed. “See? She likes you already.”

  Tullus kneeled down and stroked the creature’s back. Her warm golden fur was covered with black spots mixed within cream swirls. “What type of creature is this?”

  “She’s an African Leopardess.”

  Tullus nodded. “Sometimes these poor creatures are brought to the Circus Maximus to fight other creatures brought from faraway lands–but I never really cared much for those fights.”

  Paullus’ face assumed a mournful look. “Yes, despite its popularity, killing innocent creatures to entertain the masses is barbaric. That might’ve been Celestra’s fate as well if I hadn’t purchased her from that sadistic creature trader I mentioned to you earlier. You see I have a much better fate planned for her–she is an Incantra.”

  “Incantra?”

  Paullus smiled. “A race of magical creatures that populate our world. Born like regular creatures but blessed by the Gods. They look like common creatures to most people but to others they are more than that. Look closel
y into Celestra’s eyes.”

  His curiosity aroused, Tullus squatted in front of Celestra to get a closer look. Peering into her golden eyes were two white lights emanating inside her pupils, burning brightly like stars.

  “I see two small stars.”

  “Yes…yes,” Paullus said excitedly. “She’s special I told you. Incantras also possess a high degree of intelligence.”

  Tullus stood up. “So she can understand what we’re saying?”

  “Yes. Even though she cannot speak our human tongue. She understands. She can also cast spells if given proper spell training–they’re fast learners, these Incantra.”

  “A sorceress as well” Tullus said. He was recalling how Celestra had unexpectedly appeared from within her invisibility shroud. “But I thought magic was dead.”

  Paullus grinned. “No. Magic is still around. Although nowadays those who wield it are careful not to reveal themselves.”

  Tullus considered Paullus’ words. All his life magic was a topic shunned by Romans everywhere. In the Legions it was considered bad luck to speak of it. But still, that didn’t keep Decimus from sharing the old stories with Tullus. His favorites were the ones involving the Air Paladins and their faithful Combat Griffins who fought in the old Serpent Wars.

  “Celestra’s learned three basic spells using the Fortis scrolls I gave her to read,” Paullus said before Tullus snapped out of his reverie.

  “I see,” Tullus replied, wondering how a Leopardess could read.

  “Yes, she is a valuable part of my family. I’m the ringmaster of a traveling Troupe that performs in cities and towns across Italy. Our lives aren’t filled with great riches but what we make is enough; we have each other, and possess the greatest wealth one can ask for–friendship.”

  Tullus wiped his brow. “Well I thank you for the good conversation Paullus but I must be taking my leave. My mule is alone and I’d hate for him to get stolen by outlaws.”