“Next? Hell, I think we’re lucky to have got this far! I…”
Without warning the man suddenly collapsed as though his legs had been swept from under him, landing with a crash among thick tree roots. Salonius rushed over to him, bearing a look of extreme concern.
“What is it?” Catilina was suddenly next to his shoulder as he grasped Varro by the shoulders and tried to haul him into a seated position.
“I don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s not good.”
Salonius gently raised the captain’s face and a dark gobbet of blood blurted from the older man’s mouth and ran down his chin onto his chest, leaving a slick trail. His eyes flickered open and he looked around in confusion.
“I…” He choked on another gob of blood that ran down his chin, following the trail of the first. His look of confusion cleared and he frowned.
“I think I’m getting a little too close to Phaianis for comfort now. Argh!”
He suddenly clutched his side. Salonius pointed back at the captain’s bag and addressed the lady beside him.
“Get his medicines. He needs the small bag. The strong one.”
As Catilina nodded and spun away to the other packs, Salonius realised she was forcing herself to stay in control. He could see just how close to panic and despair she truly was and wondered just how long she’s been hiding that beneath a veneer of optimism. A marvellous woman.
Turning his attention back to Varro, he undid the belt around the man’s waist and hauled his tunic up to examine the wound that had begun all this. As the meagre light afforded by the moon shining between the leaves hit the man’s pale skin, Salonius recoiled in shock and almost dropped the captain. The wound was no longer a neat and tidy scar. Repeated reopenings had given it a torn, jagged look and the edges of the wound were clearly badly infected. That wasn’t what had struck Salonius though. He was aware that the captain had been pushing himself further than he should and that the wound would likely be a mess. What truly frightened him was the area of skin surrounding the wound. Most of the man’s side, almost up to the armpit and half way around the torso was a dark purple-green colour and the veins stood out as black lines wriggling among the sickness.
“Shit!”
“What?” Catilina looked up from where she rummaged in the bag for the medicine, hampered by the lack of clear light.
“Er… nothing. His wound’s a little infected.”
Salonius concentrated on pulling the tunic back down and fastening the belt, unwilling to look at the young lady in case she saw the concern in his face. He had no great knowledge of medicine, but nobody that looked like that was going to last long.
Varro grasped him by the tunic below his neck and drew the young man down to his face level.
“Say nothing to her,” he whispered. “Let her hope.”
Salonius nodded, suddenly aware that there was a tear in the corner of his own eye. Clearing his throat, he wiped it away and turned to Catilina.
“I think we need to give him a dose of each of the three.” He was acutely aware now of the warnings Scortius had given him about the administration of medicines. Under no circumstances was he to allow Varro to take the strong one close to the others. It was a judgement call that wasn’t his to make. He leaned over Varro and whispered.
“You know what that means?”
Varro nodded.
“How could it make me worse, eh? You and I both know I’ll be lucky to leave this wood now.” Varro’s voice tailed off from a whisper to nothing.
Catilina approached, undergrowth crunching underfoot.
“Here. I’ll return in a moment.”
“Where are you going?” Salonius asked with concern.
“Just look after him. I’ll be back in a moment. The Huntress might listen. It’s her wood after all, and I’m not about to make a sacrifice of him.”
Salonius stared at her as she walked across the clearing and began to push her way into the brush.
“Don’t go far. And don’t be long.”
“Yes father!” she called back to him, without a trace of humour.
The young man watched the silent dark trees for a long moment and then drew his eyes back to the captain slumped in his arms. Varro smiled weakly.
“She’s gone off to cry. You know Catilina. She won’t snap in front of us again.”
Salonius shrugged sadly.
“You never know. Perhaps Phaianis is listening after all.”
“I wouldn’t rely on that.” Varro tried unsuccessfully to pull himself upright. “Alright. The three medicines. You’re brighter than me, lad. We both know I’m dying and we both know that mixing these three is probably going to place the coins on my eyes for my final journey. The only question I have is how long can you keep me upright. I need to feel strong and healthy for a little longer yet.”
“I can’t guarantee anything” the young man frowned. “I just don’t know what it’ll do.”
“Shh!”
Varro waved his hand in front of his young companion’s face and point out back along the deer trail. As Salonius concentrated, he realised someone was shouting outside the woods. Varro grasped the medicines from him and began to ingest them as fast as his laboured breathing and strength would allow. Salonius stared.
“That’s more than a dose of each!”
Varro tried to shrug, but winced in pain.
“Who gives a shit now? Help me up and get me within earshot of that arse.”
Salonius gingerly lifted the captain to his feet, aware unhappily that the front of the man’s tunic was spattered with his own dark blood and noting also that fresh trickles of blood ran from the corner of his mouth occasionally as he spoke.
Very slowly and endlessly carefully, the two of them limped along the trail for minutes that seemed like days.
“Captain Varro!” the voice came once more from outside; still distant, but now clear.
Varro cleared his throat and wiped the blood from his mouth.
“I can hear you, you traitorous dick shit!”
There was a long pause and Varro grinned at Salonius; a grin that, with the rivulets of blood on his pale, moonlit skin, looked far more frightening than any war paint Salonius had ever seen.
“If you surrender now, I give you my word that the lady will go free. You and your companion are a different matter, but I’m sure you can see that’s a generous offer.”
Varro frowned.
“Huh.”
He took a deep breath and bellowed out of the woods “Very generous. But liars and traitors can afford to sound generous, can’t they. Who are you?”
Another pause.
“My name is captain Crino. I’m prefect Cristus’ adjutant. I am authorised to speak for him. I given you a promise that Catilina Sabianus will be escorted to safety. I pledge that by the flag fo the Fourth.”
“Piss off.” Varro sneered audibly. “I wouldn’t trust you to fasten your shoes right now.”
“Then we are at an impasse, captain” the soldier called. “I would prefer not to violate the sacred wood to come get you, but I don’t think I really need to. How much food and water do you have in your packs? Not a lot I would suspect. We can sit here for days.”
Salonius cleared his throat.
“The woods are full of rabbits captain. I expect we’ll eat heartily. And there’s a stream.”
Varro grinned at his young companion and Salonius smiled back.
The voice came once again. “I do have some unscrupulous barbarian scouts with me who don’t really believe in Phaianis. One of them already offered to burn the woods down for me. Obviously that would be irreligious and I could bring myself to give that order. But it’s possible that if I don’t keep them on a tight rein, they might do it
