by Nobilis Reed
Wotanake’s slurred voice cut through the noise outside the hut. He spoke in his own language and I couldn’t understand the words, but I knew the intent. He was coming to claim his wife.
Terror flashed in Livia’s eyes. “Marcus!”
I swore under my breath and gripped the only weapon available to me—the stake I had used to dig my way into the tent. “He won’t touch you, Livia. You have my word.” Crouching, I prepared to spring. As soon as the tent-flap moved, I lunged, ripping the hides from their bindings.
Wotanake shouted in surprise as the hides enveloped him, and then grunted in pain as I smashed my elbow into his skull and drove the tent-spike down through the hides. Without waiting to see whether I had incapacitated him, I grabbed Livia’s hand and sprinted towards the river and the canoes waiting there. I dodged between the stunned warriors, shouldering them aside when I needed to, knowing that my only hope lay in reaching the water. Most of the canoes were well away from the shoreline and flipped over to keep them dry, but there was one left nearer the water. I angled my path toward it. Somehow, I managed to scoop up a paddle, drag the craft into the water, get Livia situated in the bow, and then clamber in after her before anyone could stop us.
The canoe turned out to be remarkably responsive. It was made of a light framework of bent wooden slats covered with hides and sealed with tar. It cut through the water with hardly a ripple and every push of the paddle launched us forward. I was glad of it, because soon after we started moving, javelins began zipping through the air around me. I spared myself a single look over my shoulder to see Wotanake staggering along the beach, shouting commands and pointing at us. Getting the overturned canoes ready for the water took time, and with each passing minute I was getting further away, increasing his frustration. He finally stumbled into one of the canoes, and he and a dozen or so of his men followed after.
As hard as I was working, I knew there was no way I could stay ahead of them. Three men can paddle harder than one. Nevertheless, I resolved to make it as difficult as I could for them. They would not take us soon, and they would not take us easily.
Livia’s eyes fell on a leather-wrapped bundle in the bottom of the canoe. She shifted forward, reached down, and pulled out a steel falcata along with its sheath. The chopping sword wasn’t as elegant as a gladius, but a heavy blade as long as your forearm is better than nothing. The only way it could have gotten there was if the men who had freed me had put it there. In fact, the blade, and the canoe had no doubt been positioned to enable our escape. I resolved that if I ever found Narosapa and his brothers again, I would reward them handsomely.
But I wasn’t free yet. I could hear the splashing paddles of the men behind me, coming closer and closer. My back itched where I knew at any moment a javelin could sprout. I growled in frustration that we should be so close to freedom and yet be forced to watch as it was taken from us, one foot at a time.
The sword, at least, was one surprise I could spring on them. If I could kill Wotanake, that might take the fight out of the rest of them. It was possible, but I doubted it. The other option was to tell Livia to take her own life. I had no doubt that with the fate Wotanake had in store for her, she would do it.
But I couldn’t. Not while there was still hope. “Slide it over to me” I said, nodding at the blade. “Don’t let the men behind us see it.”
Livia complied, making sure to keep it low. I would protect her or die trying. The boat tilted backwards dangerously as she did so, making it unstable and wobbly, and I told her to get back in the center of the long, narrow craft to maintain some stability. There was just too much weight at the back end making it impossible to keep going straight.
And then I smelled it: the acrid, heavy scent of coal smoke and steam. The scent of salvation. I looked up; the wind was coming from dead ahead. Above some trees off to the left I could see smoke, diffusing as it rose, and if I listened hard I could hear the annoying whine of an aeolipile.
“Thank you Risen Lord!” I shouted. Finally, finally, my god was smiling on me! Now all I had to do was live long enough to enjoy it.
I renewed my efforts. I was no longer running a marathon; this was a sprint. The point of land that hid the ship was no more than a couple stadia in front of us. If I could stay ahead of our pursuers, I had a chance.
A javelin whistled over my head, and I couldn't help looking back. One of the warriors fumbled with his spearthrower, trying to fit a javelin into its groove. There was little I could do but paddle harder. He was having trouble, though, and when he launched a second missile he nearly fell out of the canoe. Wotanake shouted more orders, and he put the javelins down and drew knives and hand-axes. They were drunk, every one of them. There must have been a lot of brandy-wine.
As soon as the first canoe caught up to us, its nose edging alongside mine, a warrior poised to leap upon me. I grabbed the falcata, unsheathed it, and brought it down on the prow of his canoe. It cut easily into the wood, splintering the thin spars and slicing into the hide sheath. It immediately fell behind as water flowed in, swamping it. Before another boat could come alongside, I quickly sheathed the weapon, slung it over my back, and resumed paddling.
The remaining two canoes took a more cautious approach. They maintained their distance as they came up along either side, too far for me to get at them with my blade.
I could see their plan. They were going to get ahead of me and then turn suddenly together, forcing me to ram them.
“Shift towards me again,” I told Livia.
“But won’t we flip?”
“It’s just for a moment.”
When she moved, and the nose of the canoe lifted up out of the water again, I paddled hard on one side, causing the canoe to abruptly shift direction. Water sloshed over the low gunwale at my side, and Livia moved back to the center again in a panic, but the maneuver worked. The sudden change in direction took the natives by surprise, and when they tried to close their trap, the canoes collided. I skirted the canoes and turned once more towards freedom. My shoulders burned. My lungs heaved. If I had to go on much longer, I would have no energy left for fighting. The paddle would not serve me now; it was time to trust in the falcata. I had only wielded one a few times, but I was glad to have it nonetheless. Its power would mean that I would only need to get one solid hit on an enemy to bring him down.
Unfortunately, there were six men bearing down on me, with Wotanake and two more close behind. My tricks were only delaying them. I glanced in the direction of the smoke. It was still a good distance away, but we had gotten closer, and in the meantime it had also moved in our direction.
“Livia, scream! As loud as you can! The ship is right around that bend! They need to hear you over the sound of the engines!”
She nodded and crawled toward the front of the canoe, as if those few feet would make a difference. As she screamed, I put down my paddle, drew the sword, and turned to face our pursuers. I was winded, but my heart was racing; the fire of battle was in me. I would not let them take her. I didn’t have a lot of experience fighting from a wobbling canoe so I stayed on my knees, sword ready, knowing that any swing that wasn’t carefully performed might send me over the side.
The canoes approached slowly, their warriors eyeing the heavy blade. Wotanake shouted at them from farther away, pointing at them, and then at me, and then across the water towards the ship. Clearly, he knew what was coming and wanted to get the fight over with before the ship came into sight. On each canoe, two warriors had readied either a knife or a small fighting-hatchet and had crouched toward the front of their canoes, ready to leap at me.
The sword is not a good weapon for close-in work. At best, I would be able to take down one of them before another would bear me over the side, and they knew it. The warriors in front could very likely take me down, and the ones behind them would take control of the canoe once I was defeated.
There wasn’t time to think. Before they got too close, I dove into the water, shoving off hard with my feet. I
didn’t get far, as the canoe flew out from under me as I jumped, but that was part of the plan. It would put Livia outside their reach, at least for a few seconds.
I swam under the entire length of the first canoe, came up on the back side, hooked one elbow over the gunwale and brought the axe-like blade down on the main support member on the side. It shattered, and as the light vessel came apart, the men fell into the water.
My sudden action had taken the men by surprise. They were all drunk, though not as bad as Wotanake. As the men from the first canoe splashed and foundered, I ducked under the water and swam towards the other one. They had angled towards me, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for them by staying on the surface. I took a deep breath and dove down under the water to prepare another assault.
They were expecting another attack of the same type as the first. I had no intention of giving them an opportunity. I dived deep and swam as fast as I could up toward the underside of the boat. At the last moment, I took the sword in both hands and plunged its tip into the bottom of the canoe. It easily parted the hide covering and lodged between two of the wooden slats. Bracing my feet against the underside, I twisted the blade and felt something snap. I swam hard to one side to topple the canoe and send the startled warriors into the water.
Then the sword bucked violently in my hands, slipped from my grasp, and disappeared into the depths. There was no hope of retrieving it. The only thing to do was to swim back toward Livia. I reached the surface again and groaned to see the last canoe, the one carrying Wotanake, coming alongside hers.
My strength was spent. Paddling, fighting, and swimming had taken everything I had to get that far, and still it wasn’t enough. Doggedly, I swam towards the canoe, but my arms and legs were like lead weights ready to drag me under the water than propel me through it. By the time I reached them, Wotanake and his men had climbed aboard with Livia and were making ready to turn the canoe around and return to his camp. He leaned out from the prow of the canoe to gloat at me.
“You stupid, Mara-koosa! The Spirit of the Lake say no man defile water! You break that law, you suffer! I have your woman now! Spirits stand with me! I am Wotanake! Chosen by bear! Marked by bear! No man stand against me!”
There was a sharp crack and one of the warriors pitched over the side with the bolt from a pressure-bow projecting out of his chest. More cracks, and soon the air were full of them. Livia screamed, her voice raw from shouting as the other warrior fell. Wotanake drew a knife and lunged for Livia, hauling her in front of his body.
“I have your woman!” he shouted at the onrushing ship. “Stop or she dies!”
With my last measure of endurance, I clung to the boat behind him. “Let her go, Wotanake,” I said. I had no weapon, no resource except my rapidly failing strength.
He spun around and brandished the knife. “I am not stupid, Mara-Koosa,” he said. “I will not give up—”
A bolt erupted from his wrist as a single, well-aimed shot took him from behind. The knife dropped from his hand and Livia lunged away from him. He sank to his knees, clutching at his bloody arm.
The fight was over.
Chapter 5
I AWOKE SWADDLED IN BLANKETS in one of the lower bunks aboard the ship. When had I fallen unconscious? I was in the water. I should have drowned. I must have been plucked from the lake and hauled on board.
I blinked and scanned the room. Someone was sitting next to me. Long hair. Black hair. My eyes focused. “Makki?”
She smiled and bent down to hold a small cup to my lips. “Hush,” she said. “Drink.”
I drank. It was a warm broth, slightly salty. It felt good. I started to get up, but Makki put a hand on my chest. “Rest,” she said.
“Rest, nothing,” I said, taking the cup from her hand. I downed the rest of the contents and sat up. “What are you doing here?”
“I brought her.” The voice came from behind her. My father’s voice. He walked to the foot of my bunk, his arms crossed over his chest. “When you were captured, I led all but the most critical crew to track you down. We weren’t able to catch up with you, but we learned where you had been taken, and why. We didn’t have enough men to assault the town where you were being held, so we returned to Nova Lucotecia for reinforcements. With Wotanake involved, I felt it...prudent...to bring his wife on the expedition.”
“So you could trade her for us,” I said. I met his gaze, leaving the accusation on my lips unsaid. I wanted to punch him in the face but restrained myself. Of course he would be willing to trade her for Livia and myself. We were far more valuable.
He unfolded his arms and tilted his head back. “Yes, but that was secondary. Mostly, I needed information about Wotanake. Where he would go after he picked you up, how he would get there. I had planned to drop off a contingent of legionnaires at the mouth of the river to ambush him if he hadn’t already come through. The ship would continue on along the coast to catch up with him.”
I sighed deeply and lay back on the bed again. My body was waking up, but it was slow. “How is Livia?”
“She’s in your cabin, resting. Hilaria is taking care of her. She’s not physically hurt, but the experience has been very hard on her.”
“I should talk to her,” I said as I got to my feet, wrapping the blanket around my body.
Makki picked up a bundle from the bunk next to mine. “Your clothes, Procurator.” She rose to her feet and bowed. “I will go to the on deck.” Her eyes were kind, but they carried a deep sadness that struck deep. It hurt her to know that she was losing me to Livia.
I watched her go and couldn’t suppress a sigh.
Father laughed.
I scowled. “What?”
“I know that look. You’re a passionate man, Marcus. You can’t deny it. This devotion to Mithras—it’s against your nature. Holding yourself back that way isn’t healthy.”
I shook my head, went to the washbasin fixed to the wall, and splashed some water on my face and body. Days spent without proper washing facilities had left me filthy, and while I couldn’t get properly clean, it helped me clear my mind.
“How did the legate take it?”
“He was livid. Told me to bring you both back alive or he’d hold me personally responsible.” He leaned casually against the bulkhead. “Given the circumstances, I decided not to remind him of his presumption. I would have reacted the same way if your sister had been the one who was abducted.”
“You weren't worried about me?”
“I was. But I knew you could take care of yourself.”
I dried myself off and started pulling on my clothes. “So is the wedding still on? After all, it was my fault we got captured. I was the one that put us at risk.”
“On the contrary. He insisted that I retrieve both of you for just that reason. He’s very fond you, Marcus, probably as much as Livia, though he shows it differently in your case. He wants you to marry her. He wants you both to be happy.”
“Dad...I can’t be happy married to Livia. I’m marrying her out of duty, nothing else.”
“Marcus...” I looked up to see him looking at the door. I turned to see Livia standing there, the shock frozen on her face.
My face grew warm with color. I hadn’t meant those words for her ears, but there they were, spoken for the first time in full honesty. “Mithras,” I whispered. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. “Livia, I’m sorry.”
For a few seconds, she stood there, eyes closed, head bowed, and I saw her lips pull tight together. I thought she would break down in tears. Then she took a deep breath and straightened up. Her steely expression reminded me who she was and what she was about. She was the daughter of a nobleman, securing her family’s future. She had a duty just as much as I did, and when she spoke I could hear it in her voice.
“Senator, may I speak to your son in private?” Her voice was still raw, and her face, in spite of her resolute expression, was drawn.
“Of course.” He pushed off the bulkhead and half-smile
d apologetically. The glance carried a world of meaning; he was sympathetic to the mess I’d dropped myself into, but knew that there nothing he could do. It was my responsibility to handle the situation.
Livia stepped aside to let him pass, and then closed the door behind him.
“Livia, I’m sorry—”
“No,” she said, holding up a hand. “Please. This isn’t easy for me, and I need you to hear me out.”
“I’m sorry. Go ahead.”
She sat on the bunk and laid her hand on the rumpled blankets I had laid there. “I came in to talk to you after we were settled. That woman, Makkitotosimew, was here. I watched her with you, taking care of you. And I saw something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, except between my own parents. Two people who are genuinely devoted to each other, who belong together. It’s not sex. It’s something deeper than that, and I would be doing you a terrible turn to get in the way of it. I tried to deny it, tried to pretend it wasn’t real, but the more I watched the more I realized what a crime it was to get between you.”
“But your father—”
“Don’t worry. I can’t stay here. I’m not the frontier sort. I... ” She looked up with a sheepish smile. “I’d much rather see the animals in a menagerie. You don’t get barbarians sneaking up on you in broad daylight. I was going to try to convince you to stay in Rome, but you belong here. I’ll persuade Father to call off the wedding. And when I tell him how much you did to save me, there won’t be any repercussions.”
I shook my head. There was only one thing to say. “Thank you, Livia.”
She stood and put her arms around me. “You should go talk to her. She’ll be imagining all kinds of terrible things with us alone down here.”
I gave her a good squeeze. “You’re going to make a wonderful wife for someone who deserves it more than I do, Livia. There’ll come a time when I’ll regret letting you go.”
She looked up at me and smiled. It was a sad, desperate smile, full of duty and loss, one I knew well. A tear fell from her eye, and a sympathetic pang pinched my heart for the pain I had caused her. My throat tightened and I thought I would start crying at any moment. She wiped her cheek and pulled away from the embrace. “And then you’re going to look at your wild, native lady, and the moment will pass.”