Lionslayer's Woman

by Nhys Glover

  ‘Galeria?’ he said, drawing her back from her painful and confusing thoughts.

  ‘What? Yes, I’ll go with you and try to stay out of the way. The sooner we know where we stand the better.’

  He nodded his agreement, tightening his lips across his very white teeth. ‘You’ll be safe. No one will touch you while I’m there to protect you.’

  ‘I know. But you don’t need me making you look more obvious…’

  ‘No… no, I don’t. Come on.’ He took her elbow and led her back to where their possessions had been stacked during the journey that morning. It felt strange to be going ashore for the last time. It had been the longest week of her life and now it was over. It terrified her to think about what might now follow.

  An hour later, they stood in the streets of the Macedonian quarter of the crowded lower city considering their options. The heat of the afternoon was getting worse and Galeria felt the prickles of sweat running down between her breasts. However, she felt more hopeful than she had all day.

  ‘So they haven’t arrived. What do we do?’ she asked him as soon as he drew her under the shelter of a nearby residence out of the way of the busy street traffic. She would have expected activity to slow down during the hottest part of the day, it always had at home, but here people seemed to be in a constant state of forced activity. People, animals, goods and chattels, everything moving… constantly moving... and the noise hurt her ears, and the stench offended her nose.

  ‘It’s a little less than a half-day’s ride to Antiochia. I think we go there now and try to establish ourselves. Get the lay of the land. They’ll arrive soon. We need to be ready for them.’

  She nodded, glad that he’d come up with the same plan that she had but wasn’t sure about the riding part. She’d never been a rider, unless you counted the old donkey they’d always used to get from Rhodos city to the southern townships of the island. She wasn’t sure how she’d handle riding a horse for ten miles.

  They made their way across the market place to the Antiochia Gate at the southern end of the city. Here they found a stable where they rented two quiet horses.

  ‘Deliver the horses to my stable just inside the city gates. You’ll get your deposit back there,’ the owner of the establishment said in a business-like manner, even as the sweat poured down his forehead and flies buzzed around his head. ‘You’ll find the road safe. The legions keep the roads free of brigands and robbers. Try to keep out of the way of caravans. They’re slow and go on for miles. They don’t like you riding too fast past them because you’ll kick up dust, but if you get caught travelling at their speed you won’t get anywhere. The passes between the mountains are rather narrow in places, so you may have no choice but to slow down. If that happens, stop overnight at the Springs of Daphne five miles before Antiochia. The Oracle of Apollo there is well worth visiting if you have a serious question that needs answering.’

  With this information, the man handed over the horses and his slaves helped them mount. They clattered out of the stable and headed out the busy city gate.

  The roads were paved in the Roman fashion, but they were still dusty. They had to keep their horses on the sides to save their hooves as they gathered speed. Nexus seemed comfortable on a horse and her beast seemed happy enough to follow his, all she had to do was cling on and hope her mount didn’t make any sudden changes of direction that might unseat her.

  However, the dust Nexus’ horse kicked up was getting in her throat and she coughed. He must have heard her, because he looked back over his shoulder and then brought his mount to a standstill.

  Galeria had pulled her pale blue stola over her head just before mounting. It was hot under it, but it kept the worst of the sun from burning her. It had been a blessing during the long sun-scorched days on board ship. Nexus reached across between the mounts and took the end of the stola. He passed it in front of her face so it covered her nose and mouth, leaving only her eyes uncovered.

  ‘We used this Bedouin trick when Vesuvius erupted. The fabric will keep the dust from clogging your throat. How are you handling the pace? We can slow down if you need to.’

  She shook her head, more aware than she wanted to be of Nexus’ hands as they arranged the fabric. It reminded her too much of the way he used to stroke her cheek, but this was not that sort of touch.

  ‘I’m fine. My horse is happy to follow yours. I just hang on. The faster gait is more comfortable than the slower one.’

  He gave a little chuckle, his stiffness forgotten for a moment. ‘Trotting is certainly not comfortable. We’ll alternate between a canter and a walk. It won’t take us too long to cover ten miles.’

  His big hand cupped the side of her face for a moment and his eyes were filled with compassion. Then, as if remembering himself, he pulled away, his stiff façade back in place.

  Luckily, they didn’t meet a caravan going through the mountains but did meet one coming the other way as they crossed the first tributary of the river. The crossing was shallow and muddy, but it was pleasing to feel the splashes as they cantered through the water. No one cursed them either, unlike those travellers farther along when they started throwing up dust in their wake.

  Nexus took the opportunity to give the horses a rest when they’d been travelling steadily for half an hour or more. They walked along beside the long caravan of mule and ox drawn vehicles and slaves who carried heavy loads on their backs. Galeria had never seen people like the traders. They were very dark skinned but not like Nexus. It was more like Cyra’s olive skin, yet much darker. The men’s beards were very long and they wore the same strange, colourful headdresses she’d seen in the city. Many of them used the end of the fabric just as Nexus had done for her to protect their faces from the worst of the dust.

  ‘This is the Silk Road,’ Nexus informed her, coming to ride alongside her as they walked their mounts. ‘That’s what I was told. It goes all the way to the east to a land where the silks and spices come from. It is a very long journey and dangerous. It’s no wonder silk is so expensive.’

  Galeria had seen silk dresses in Rome when she was a child and on the occasional rich patrician in Rhodos, but she had never owned such fabric nor to her knowledge had her mother. They were not wealthy enough nor were they immodest enough to wear such transparent clothing. But she had touched rolls of it more than once in the marketplace, and it had felt like the petal of a rose and yet was as sheer as a butterfly’s wing. The different colours had amazed her, too, as had the gold and silver threads that often ran through the fabric. No, it was not surprising that silk was so expensive.

  After giving the horses a rest, they increased their pace again just as they crossed the next tributary near Daphne, and by the time the sun was dipping behind the mountains at their backs they were on the outskirts of the city of Antiochia.

  Galeria had somehow expected this land to be a desert, or at least as barren as many of the islands of the Aegean, but instead it was lush and green, reminding her of the rolling hills outside Rome. The river was still deep here, too, and obviously fed the land well. It was an idyllic place, and had she not had such pressing matters on her mind she would have enjoyed the beauty that surrounded her.

  The Springs of Daphne they’d passed through had been very beautiful as well, and she’d wondered if they should take the time to see the Oracle and get advice on their quest; she hadn’t wanted to raise the possibility with Nexus, as it wasn’t rational. No matter their conversation about making different choices if they had known the future, it was unlikely they’d base their plans on anything an Oracle might tell them.

  By the time they’d returned their mounts to the stable and found their way into the city, Galeria was exhausted, sore and filthy. Nexus seemed to be no worse for his afternoon’s excursion. He still walked with a purposeful stride, his shoulders back and head up. Not like a soldier. He didn’t move like a soldier, but more like a foreign gladiator – proud and powerful.

  They found an inn on a quiet back street n
ot far from the busy main thoroughfare. Once they’d deposited the less valuable of their possessions in their room, Nexus accompanied her to the baths. Then, once she was clean and changed into a fresh tunic, he took her back to the inn and left her to bar the door while he took his turn at the baths.

  In the short time he was gone, Galeria enjoyed the comparative quiet and solitude of their tiny, womblike room. She was hungry because she hadn’t eaten since late morning on the ship, and she was so thirsty she thought she could drink the river dry, but there was no food left in their bags and their water bag was empty, too. Nevertheless, for all that she was content.

  Laying back on the reasonably comfortable and, more importantly, clean pallet, she looked up at the low ceiling just four feet above her and tried to relax and calm her mind. They were doing well. It was likely they were now ahead of their prey and might even have a day or more to work out how they would arrange for her mother’s freedom. She wouldn’t let herself think about the treatment the Praetorians were meting out to the matron. She had to imagine them treating her with the respect a Roman patrician deserved. Anything else was too painful to consider.

  We’ll get her back safely. Nexus will make sure of it, she kept saying to herself over and over.

  When Nexus returned, clean and freshly dressed, she was more relieved than she could have imagined, and looking at his handsome face alive with interest after his time away made her heart ache with longing.

  ‘Hungry?’ he asked as he crawled into the low ceiling room that was only big enough for a pallet and a window. Their bags had to be piled up at the end of the pallet, which meant Nexus would not be able to lie flat that night.

  ‘Yes. Did you discover anything?’

  ‘I got the lay of the land, especially where the slave markets are located. I asked a few questions and have a good idea who the main traders might be that the Praetorians would use. I’ll discover more in the morning. We have at least a day to prepare, maybe more. I’ll need to set up a watch at the southern gate to let me know when they arrive. It’ll be costly but worth it. We can’t possibly keep track of the comings and goings in a city this size. It takes locals to do that.’

  ‘How will you know you can trust them?’

  ‘Money. They won’t be paid unless they deliver the information I need. The word will get out, I’ll know before the Praetorians themselves realise they’ve entered the city!’ He gave a little laugh as he reclined on the pallet next to her. She could smell his clean familiar scent and it made her ache even more.

  It was nearly dark now and Nexus lit a small oil lamp and put it on the window ledge. It wavered in the slight breeze coming in through the open space, but the air did nothing to ease the stifling heat in the room.

  ‘Do you want to go out for food, or would you prefer to stay here while I get us some wine and whatever passes for local delicacies here?’

  She lay back and looked up at the low ceiling above her in the flickering light. To be honest, she was so exhausted that the idea of going back out into the noise and chaos again was too much. If Nexus were willing to bring back food, then that would be the best solution.

  ‘I’ll stay here. I’m more tired than I should be.’

  ‘Not should be. It was a hard ride and neither of us was used to it. Tomorrow our legs will ache and sitting will be difficult.’ His voice held amusement, but the humour dissipated as he continued. ‘I’m tired, too. There’s no shame in that, Galeria.’

  ‘I know. I just don’t want you to think this is all beyond me. I am coping. I’m not slowing you down. Am I?’

  He leaned across and stroked the side of her face before he realised what he was doing. Then he drew away and sat up. ‘No, you aren’t slowing me down and I’ll need you when the time comes. Your mother will need you. I’ll be back in a little while. Keep the door barred.’

  And he was gone again and only the ghost of his touch was left to remind her what had occurred.

  He was fighting himself. It was so clear now. And in moments when he forgot himself, he reacted to her as he always had – with kindness and gentle compassion. It was only when memories of last night returned that he became a distant stranger again.

  Could she tempt him into forgetting his reserve again? Did she want to? What would happen if he allowed his body to take control and she did the same? It would probably hurt him too much. He was a man who lived by a code of behaviour and if he broke that code, he’d never forgive himself. He carried too much of a burden of guilt already to add to it further.

  By the time he returned, she had convinced herself that the sensible thing was to keep their relationship as it had been, for both their goods.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Nexus hurried back up to their room. Night had fallen completely now and leaving Galeria alone, even with the bar on the door, felt uncomfortable in this strange city. It was unlike anywhere he’d ever been before, and considering he’d seen so many places across the empire and beyond it, that was saying something. Even compared to the opulent, Hellenistic Alexandria to the south, this city was startling. Only in Rome itself had he seen such indulgence, such outrageous displays. But even there the licentiousness was hidden beneath a veneer of republican morality. Here, there was no such civilized layer.

  In this city, women walked the streets in next to nothing and men caressed them freely and openly. No one seemed to care, and even though some were clearly prostitutes, others weren’t. It was jarring and slightly shocking.

  And the wealth on display, even amongst the lower classes, was strange. It was as if everyone from the highest to the lowest rungs of society wanted to display what they had and competed for status using the richness of their fashionable costumes and outrageous possessions. In the markets, he’d seen every imaginable luxury item for sale, and the abundance and variety of food was far greater than even Rome boasted.

  It all made him deeply uncomfortable.

  He carried the two bowls of spicy goat stew, a small cask of wine and several honeyed pastries back up to their room. His preference would have been for water, but as he wasn’t sure it could be trusted to be pure in this impure city, he had chosen wine instead. He knew it wouldn’t upset their stomachs, even if it didn’t quench their thirst as well as water might.

  When Galeria unbarred the door, he was relieved to see her even though he’d only been gone a short time. He tried to convince himself it was only his concern for her safety that made him feel that way, but the reality was being away from her for any length of time was becoming increasingly difficult. It gnawed at him and left him feeling like something was missing, as if he’d forgotten something important. He’d never felt like this before. Not even when he’d been separated from Niobe had he felt this nagging emptiness. Even now, Niobe’s absence from his life was more a heavy weight around his shoulders than a sense of emptiness. He knew it. He understood it. It didn’t leave him edgy and unsettled like this did.

  He tried to imagine what it would be like to be separated from Galeria for a year as he had been from Niobe while he went home. During that time he’d missed his woman, had wanted to be with her, but he hadn’t felt an obsessive need to be back with her. Maybe if he had, he’d have been at her side in time to save her; if that had been possible, which he was now beginning to doubt.

  Maybe this nagging sense of worry was just because he’d lost Niobe. Maybe he was just worried that he was going to let Galeria down, too, and that something might happen to her when he wasn’t there. He would never forgive himself if that happened.

  Whatever the reason, it was impossible to deny the relief he felt at seeing her again. Even when her eyes were heavy with exhaustion; even though she was on edge because of her worries; even though she looked at him with a mixture of joy and fear, like an abused dog looks at its irascible master; it was still a respite, a completion, to be at her side again.

  They ate quietly of the heavily spiced food and drained the small cask of wine between them. It was stronge
r than what Galeria was used to, but she was obviously thirsty, and by the time she’d quenched her thirst, her face was flushed and her eyes unfocused. She nibbled on a honey cake and kept silent, waiting for him to decide when they would talk again. It irritated Nexus that she had become so cowed by him. But then, she’d been through so much, and his coldness since last night must have hurt her. It only made sense that she’d be tentative around him now, wondering how he’d react to her next.

  Replete and mellowed, for all his worries, he laid his head on one of the leather carryalls and closed his eyes.

  ‘We’ll get her back. I know we’ll get her back.’ Her voice was so soft it took a moment before he realised he’d actually heard her.

  ‘Yes, we’ll get her back. We have the advantage now. We’re ahead of them and they don’t know we’re stalking them. It will help.’ He tried to give her only the positives in the situation. He didn’t want her to focus on the obstacles in their way. It was enough that he had to consider them.

  ‘I know you feel guilty because of what happened last night, but you shouldn’t. I know it meant nothing, and Niobe would know it, too. Wherever she is… she knows how much you love her, and… and what happened… well, it doesn’t change the way you feel about her.’

  He felt a stab of pain in the centre of his chest so intense he gasped. Her innocent assurance was like a cruel twist of a dagger that he’d already driven home himself.

  ‘It didn’t mean nothing, Galeria. Don’t reduce your first kiss to nothing. It was sweet and beautiful, as are you. And I… wanted you. But I have nothing to offer you, not even love. I’m just a shell of a man now and you deserve more. I can’t take from you what should go to another.’ He tried to keep his voice even and gentle but he could hear the harshness in his tone. It had been too hard to talk about.

  ‘I never planned to marry. I never planned to lose my innocence. Not because I see it as something valuable but because it never interested me, what men and women do together. Cyra tried to tell me it was… worth doing, but I didn’t believe her. Last night… last night I finally understood what it must be like and I wanted to experience… that. I still don’t plan to marry. I prefer the Stoic life of the mind. But now I do wonder what it’s like…’