Antony closed his eyes as he recalled what he had seen.
“By the gods, Gaius, our own soldiers were slaughtering people in the streets, in droves. I barely escaped the madness myself.”
“Then, the Senate must call more legions from the frontier to safeguard Rome,” Gaius spoke, more demanding, as if he was in the Senate addressing its members.
“It is not that simply, I’m afraid. While the Senate is taken Hannibal seriously now, the bloody Macedonians have started a rebellion. What capable legions we have in Greece are forced to remain there to safeguard our settlements there, and our grain shipments, or else we all starve, Hannibal or no Hannibal.”
Antony led Gaius into his home. To his amazement, the place, which had been pristine upon his first visit months before, was sorry, as the floors were filthy, caked with layers of muddy footprints. Most of the furnisher was gone, as well as the potted plants, marble statues, the family death masks that dominated the far wall, and even the gold tiling had been removed from the floor.
Antony sat down on one of the few chairs that remained in the house, as a slave brought him a cup of honey wine. Gaius, on the other hand, refused his drink, and chose to remain standing as he tried to wrap his mind around the information he had learned in the past hour.
“Then we must do something. We must reform the legions from the survivors, draft new soldiers from the country, hell, and even empty the dungeons if we must. With winter almost over, we won’t have much time before Hannibal has enough supplies to launch his full offensive on Rome,” Gaius spoke, practically yelling as if he expected it was within Antony’s doing to carry out the suggesting he was making.
“And then what? Who will lead them into battle? We don’t’ have an affective government right now. Brand new consuls must be voted into office. And then what should we do, lead the fresh legions to their slaughter? I’m afraid it isn’t as simple as you may wish it to be so, my friend.” Antony rubbed his index finger across his brow, before he took several long swings of his wine.
“You mean well, my friend. I know. However, you haven’t been in Rome to know the whole picture,” Antony added.
“No, I’ve been out there, bleeding for Rome,” Gaius shot back.
Antony couldn't resist smiling.
“Oh, how I wish we had ten thousand men just like you, Gaius. We could conquer the world if we tried.”
“I’m only interested in saving the Republic,” Gaius replied.
“As am I. However, until someone steps up for the task, I’m afraid there is little that can be done right now but wait and let the river take us where it may.”
Gaius finally sat down, and then took a long, deep breath before letting it out. As he ran his palm through is growing hair, it was only when he pulled it back that he noticed the grit and filth from his scalp.
“I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe, and I’m not speaking of the battles or the men I’ve killed.' Gaius’ words trailed when he said,
Antony lessened carefully as Gaius continued.
“The men who fight for Hannibal, his barbarians, and…” Gaius did not know how to form the right words for what he’d seen at the estate further north, now a full week past. “The things they’ve done to our people — women, children, even the fucking slaves; you couldn’t believe if I told you.”
“The Senate has heard the reports,” Antony added.
“Not like this,” Gaius’ words fell silent as, he pulled out from his purse that hung from his waist the ring he pulled from the charred corpse of Decima Felix Titus, where he held the small object tightly in his hand.
After a long pause, Gaius’ thoughts returned from the lingering horrors he had seen. He turned his attention back towards Antony and spoke with an unfamiliar firm tone.
“The Senate may be filled with cowards, and you may even want to surrender,” Gaius directed his angry words at Antony, speaking to him as if he represented the whole Senate. “But I've lost too many good friends to allow what I’ve seen done to our people to go unpunished.” Gaius stood abruptly, clinching his fists shut once he tossed the gold ring of Titus to Antony, who caught it, unknowing why Gaius had given it to him.
“You need to understand; Hannibal doesn’t want to defeat Rome or topple the Republic, but he desires to destroy us, all of us, so that our names may never be spoken again, for all history. I fear that even Carthage won’t be able to pull him back.”
“You cannot make this war personal, Gaius,” Antony said as he struggled to understand what his friend had gone through.
“Tell that to those people beyond our city gates, or the widows and orphans of our fallen brothers.”
Gaius was about to leave when he stopped, as he saw Julia standing in the doorway, blocking his exit.
She had just walked in, and dropped the package she had been carrying, as apples rolled across the dirty floor. Her eyes quickly began to water as she first uttered, “Gaius,” before she cried out his name once more, and rushed over to him, throwing herself into his waiting arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Gaius, I thought,” Julia swallowed hard as she struggled for words, “I thought you were dead.” She held him tightly, refusing to let him go. The smell of the oils in her black hair rose around him, covering the months of death, battle and exhaustion that shrouded him like a heavy cloak. He hadn’t realized how much he longed for her, to feel her warm and loving embrace again. In light of what had happened over the past few months, his last words to her before he set off for the north, were meaningless.
“I am alive, Julia,” Gaius replied with a soft voice.
Julia stood back, staring up at him with swollen eyes. Carefully, Gaius wiped away her fallen tears, which left behind a streak of filth across her cheek.
“When I heard about Sempronius, and then Flaminius, I feared the worst.” She threw herself back into his arms. Gaius could hear the beating of her heart against his chest, even though his armor.
A part of him felt guilty as she hadn’t been in his thoughts as much as he would have liked over the months. Now she was in his loving embrace again, and he realized she was what he needed to allow the weight of his burden to lift, just for a moment. He wanted to say so much to her, to confess his endless love and affection, and resend everything he had last said, but Gaius held his tongue, as he feared what it might unleash.
Gaius’ attention was as he heard the voice of a man enter the house, soon followed by the footsteps of several individuals as they came across the room that Gaius, Julia and Antony occupied.
When the voice became clear, Julia pulled suddenly away from Gaius’ hold, and quickly wiped her face of tears, but could do nothing about the redness under her lids.
A moment later Gaius recognized Paullus as he entered, with him, trailing close behind were two other men, bodyguards it seemed from their close military haircuts, and burly build.
“Ah, there you are Antony,” Paullus spoke, but held his words when he saw Julia’s sorrowful expression. Concern quickly filled his eyes as he stepped toward her, holding out his hand so that he may caress her face.
“What is the matter, my dear?” Paullus asked, concerned.
Julia managed her best smile, replying with a soft giggle as she answered, “Oh, it is tears of joyful glee, my love, for my old friend Gaius has returned from the dead it would seem.”
Paullus stared at Gaius for a moment, seemly trying to place his face. A moment later he smiled, either recognizing the young officer, or pretending he did.
“That is wonderful. You were with Flaminius I presume, with the rest of your legion?” Paullus asked.
“No sir, I was with Sempronius at Trebia. I was tasked with another assignment after the battle, so I missed the battle at Lake Trasimene, I’m sorry to say,” Gaius replied as respectfully as he could. It was obvious how uncomfortable he and Julia were at the moment, and a part of him could not help but be angry at her sudden shift, from loving embrace to cold distant friendship.
“Then it is a fortunate thing you were not with that fool Flaminius, I must say.”
