"Thank you," was all I could think to say,and I meant it.
I realized I still had my hand on hisshoulder, but I was no longer squeezing it.
Taking a deep breath, I asked Charax softly,"Is there any way for me to change your mind? What if I orderedthat you and your family wouldn't be taken as prisoners?"
"As I said, it's too late for my family,"Charax reminded me, and there was no missing the bitterness in hisvoice. "Besides, what would I do, if you freed me? Where would Igo?"
"This isn't the only Moesian town," Ipersisted. "Surely you have kin with other branches of your tribe,even if they are distantly related."
"I do," he conceded. "But I failed thepeople of Naissus. I could not stop this from happening, so whatuse am I to anyone else?"
"But nobody can stop us."
In my own admittedly clumsy way, I wasactually trying to make Charax feel better about his failure. Onlynow, looking back, can I acknowledge that being told by a Romanthat you are powerless to stop Rome from doing whatever it willswith not just you but your people, is not likely to provide anycomfort. But when Charax shook his head impatiently, I learned thatwas not what he was talking about.
"I'm not talking about with your Legions.I'm talking about with Aderbal. I was unable to stop him fromsetting that ambush. The gods know I tried, but too many peoplewere still angry over what happened five years ago, so he had areceptive audience when he started talking about how this was thechance to exact revenge."
"He didn't know that even if he didsomething like he did, that we would force a reckoning?"
I admit that this was something that hadpuzzled me, no matter how convenient it may have been. The lookCharax gave me did not need the full light of day tounderstand.
"I was always surprised when I saw Aderbalwith his boots tied correctly," Charax said contemptuously. "So toanswer your question, no, he did not. He thought that he and histhree hundred men would be as Leonidas at Thermopylae, and win agreat victory."
"He did at least know that Leonidas andevery one of his men died, didn't he?" I asked dryly, prompting asnort from the other man.
"I do not think he thought that far ahead.In fact, he was surprised that you reduced our walls so quickly. Isuppose he died surprised."
Charax stopped talking then, and turned oncemore toward the town before facing back.
Heaving a great sigh, he looked back into myeyes, and said, "Forgive me, Prefect, but I grow tired of talking.I am ready, if you are."
I swallowed hard, but I nodded. However,when I gave him a gentle push downward on his shoulder as a signthat I wanted him to kneel, expecting that I would perform thequickest execution by beheading him, he shook his head.
"No," he said firmly. "I want to die on myfeet, like a man. Looking you in the eyes."
I will speak no more about this, other thanto say that Charax, the Moesian and an elder of the town ofNaissus, died as well as any man I have ever seen. I hope to meethim again.
Gaius finally reappeared shortly aftersunup, dirty, blood-spattered, and exhausted, but otherwiseunharmed. His mental state, however, was another matter.Hollow-eyed, he was unsteady on his feet as he approached my perch,but even from a distance, I saw his agitation. Struggling back up,I hobbled down the steps to greet him standing up, as befitting atriumphant Centurion of Rome. Before I could say anything, however,he took his helmet off and tossed it to the ground, then gave it akick. Unfortunately, his aim was either very poor, or very good,because the helmet came flying at me and struck me square on myinjured thigh. I do not remember anything immediately after that;my next recollection is staring at a sky that was still pink,framing Gaius' bare head as he looked down in clear alarm.
"Uncle, I mean, Prefect, I am so sorry," hegasped, offering his hand to help me up.
Frankly, I was not ready to regain my feetat that moment, as Gaius' head seemed to be rotating around me, thepink clouds that framed his head seeming to follow along.
"Give me a moment," I told him throughtightly clenched teeth.
My thigh, which had settled into a dullache, had resumed its throbbing with an intensity that was onlyslightly less than immediately after I was wounded. Finally, I feltrecovered enough to let him haul me up, which he did with anenormous effort. I knew I should have been angry, but the distressthat I had seen so clearly on his face as he walked up to me waseven more acute. The truth is that I was just happy to see himsound and whole. Leaning on his shoulder heavily for a moment, Iwaited until my head cleared somewhat before I began speaking. Heseemed content to wait as well, and the silence drew out betweenus.
"I heard what happened," I told him quietly,at last breaking the quiet.
His eyes widened in surprise and he staredat me intently.
"How? My men are still in town, and we werethe first in."
"It's a long story," I replied, then shookmy head. "But it doesn't matter how I heard. Are you allright?"
Gaius' mouth twisted into a bitter grimacethat I supposed was his attempt at a smile.
"Not a scratch." He looked down at the bloodcaked on the front of his mail shirt. "This isn't mine. Most of itbelongs to Valens."
"Is he...." I did not finish, nor did I needto.
Gaius answered with a nod. "Yes, he's dead.That Moesian bastard had me; I was a plucked and cooked goose, butthen that stupid bastard Valens threw himself on top of me."
That was when the tears started, and mynephew began to weep, covering his face with his hands, I supposeto keep me from seeing this outpouring of emotion, which we aretold from birth is a shameful display and a sign of weakness. Igently took both of his wrists and pulled his hands away from hisface so that he had no choice but to face me.
"Gaius, you have no reason to be ashamed," Itold him
