by T. A. Uner
Farewell Evol.
A shadow fell upon Scorpio. He looked up and noticed the familiar masked face. The vengeful eyes poised above the Leopard-print scarf stared down at him, sunrays glinting off his pupils.
“Get up Scorpio.”
Scorpio grinned, picked up his sword and rose to meet his enemy.
{III}
Tullus stared at his adversary and felt relief. His mission was almost over.
“So…The Leopard King?” Scorpio exclaimed. “The man who caused me so much perturbation? Did Paullus Gabinius mean so much to you that I incurred your wrath?”
“Time to pay for your crimes, Scorpio.”
Scorpio smiled. “So…that’s it…you seek vengeance?”
Tullus launched LeopardClaw at Scorpio, who quickly parried with his own blade as the two swords crossed each other.
“Did Paullus ever tell you the story?” Scorpio said, retracting his sword from LeopardClaw. “He and I were once comrades.”
“Liar,” Tullus said. Around him the battle continued to rage as screams of agony blanketed the crisp morning air.
“It’s true, years ago during the Tacfarinas revolt, we abandoned our posts as Legionaries and defected to the rebels side.”
“No, it cannot be.”
Tullus slashed at Scorpio again; the Iron Scorpion dodged the cut.
“We were both poor, tired, and hungry for wealth. Tacfarinas was looting every village and town in North Africa. We wanted a share of the riches, so, after we deserted our posts, we posed as mercenaries and sold our services to Tacfarinas.
“Shut up.” Tullus lashed out at Scorpio with his left greave. It caught Scorpio in the mid-section and he fell, dropping his sword.
Tullus hovered over Scorpio. “I was going to give you a quick death, but now I’ve changed my mind.”
Scorpio laughed and pointed behind Tullus. “He might have something to say about that.”
Tullus whirled around. A dark blur darted toward him before something metallic impacted against the side of his face. He landed on the ground, dazed, and tasted blood in his mouth. The side of his face was a mass of pain. Above him the dark blur formed into a brutish man dressed in black breeches and black leather harness over a thin layer of chain mail that cut off at his shoulders, revealing two muscular arms lined with veins. In one hand, a greatsword, dripping with blood. In his other hand, he grasped Anna’s hair, her body dangling lifelessly from his muscular grip. Tullus’ head was spinning as he picked himself up.
“You’ll pay for what you’ve done to her,” he said groggily.
The large man released Anna. She slumped to the ground.
“Kill him Blackcat.”
Blackcat Barros charged Tullus. Tullus sidestepped the attack as the behemoth rushed passed him. A gust of wind swirled around Tullus caused by Blackcat’s wake. Tullus drew LeopardTooth and hurled it at the big man’s thigh. It found its mark. Blackcat grunted and retracted LeopardTooth from his thigh, while blood seeped from the wound. He licked the bloodstained blade of LeopardTooth and tossed it aside.
Tullus moved in closer, LeopardClaw in hand.
Blackcat swung his thick sword and Tullus parried the blow. A loud clang followed, the result of two greatswords greeting each other: Tullus felt the impact reverberate throughout his body.
In the background, Scorpio laughed.
“Paullus was also a gambler, he owed me lots of gold, which he never paid back,” Scorpio said as Blackcat attacked Tullus again, almost causing him to lose his balance. “He frequented brothels too,” Scorpio continued, “I tell you, that man loved cunt.”
Tullus felt the adrenaline course through his veins like a raging river. Blackcat’s blade nicked the side of his forearm, causing a circle of blood to bubble on his skin.
Tullus growled until his throat burned. He exhaled through his sore nostrils. Launching another attack at Blackcat that made the big man stagger backwards. Tullus smashed his palm against Blackcat’s nose. A trickle of blood dripped from the behemoth’s nose before he counterattacked Tullus with a massive head-butt. Tullus lost his balance and landed on his back. When he lifted his head Blackcat smiled down at him and raised his sword to the sky.
{IV}
Celestra found herself in the center of the fracas with Tullus nowhere in sight. Her ears detected a growling noise behind her and she spun around to face it. The perpetrator was another cat like herself. It had black fur. It was male and the stars inside its yellow eyes glowed like embers. Another Incantra like herself. The first one she had ever met. She wanted to read its mind but didn’t know the spell. A line of slaver dripped from the cat’s mouth before it growled again. She responded by growling her response as both cats stared each other down. Her opponent was close to her size, with spiked claws and dagger-like teeth. The black cat growled yet again and charged Celestra; she ran to meet her opponent head on. The two cats collided with one another and crashed to the ground, but Celestra’s opponent was quickly on top of her and tried clawing her eyes out. She was too fast and head-butted him. The cat rolled off of her and growled in pain, its eyes narrowed as it waited for another chance to strike. Celestra wasted no time in regrouping. She launched herself at the cat and crashed into its side. Both cats tumbled to the ground again. The panther swiveled his head upwards and nicked her with one of his claws; she felt a sharp pain shoot through her right shoulder. As she tried suppressing the pain the cat took another swipe at her shoulder. She reared sideways and barely avoided having the wound opened further. The panther was on top of her again. Relentless. The weight of his powerful body caused her wounded shoulder to burn with fury as the pain coursed through her body. Now would be the perfect opportunity to use the Fortis spell she had practiced with Tullus. She focused her thoughts and tried remembering the incantation for the spell as her opponent growled fiercely and prepared to strike.
Contego!
She felt ripples of energy cascade through her before the black cat brought its right front claw down on her head. The panther’s claw ricocheted off of her harmlessly as sparks of blue energy danced across it. The black cat growled in pain as swirls of energy sparks engulfed it. With her opponent temporarily daunted, Celestra’s rose from her spot and sunk her teeth into the panther’s neck. She felt the warmth of its blood in her mouth as she tore at the black fur–revealing bloody tendons and muscles. Then, with one powerful jerk she ripped the panther’s throat open like a wool sack: blood, gristle and bone flowed from the wound but the panther’s death cry was drowned out by the human combatant’s battle around them. Casting a final glance at her vanquished opponent, Celestra licked her bloody muzzle and padded off to find Tullus. Tullus waited for Blackcat Barros to deliver the death blow. He wanted to use Elemence but his head was still ringing and Tullus couldn’t focus thoughts. I must time this right if it is to work, Tullus thought. Blackcat brought his mighty sword down with one swift motion as Tullus rolled away in time before the blade narrowly missed slicing him in two. He moved quickly and drove LeopardClaw into a narrow opening in Blackcat’s mail shirt right beneath the brute’s navel.
Pushing LeopardClaw with all his strength, Tullus impaled Blackcat’s stomach–ripping it open–as the metallic smell of blood rushed Tullus’ nose while bloody tendrils of gray intestines unraveled from Blackcat’s midsection.
Blackcat fell to his knees and grunted.
Tullus rose and plunged LeopardClaw into Blackcat’s gullet. The sound of crunching bones greeted his ears. After retracting LeopardClaw Blackcat collapsed, face-first into the dirt.
Camus Scorpio stared at Tullus in disbelief.
Tullus dropped LeopardClaw and wrapped his fingers around Scorpio’s neck. “What you said about Paullus…is…it…true? Tell me and I shall end your life quickly.”
Scorpio’s face was a pinkish hue; his nostrils flared as he tried breaking free from Tullus’ grip. “It’s true…I…I…swear. After we overran a fort in North Africa, he later apprehended me and the others stea
ling the gold. Afterwards, he decided to keep it for himself. Paullus then banished me and my men into the desert as punishment. Please…you have to believe me. I…I have a wife and two children.”
Tullus recalled the gold Paullus mentioned before he died. He loosened his grip on Scorpio’s neck and shoved him to the ground. “That’s a lie—Paullus Gabinius was one of the kindest, gentlest men I ever knew.”
Scorpio rubbed his neck, which still had Tullus’ red finger marks imprinted across it. “The Paullus you knew was good at concealing his true nature. But I would not use ‘kindest’ and ‘gentlest’ to describe him. If you don’t believe me ask Norbanus Forticus: his uncle commanded that fort we raided; he knows the truth.”
Tullus turned away from Scorpio and shook his head in dismay. All that he’d fought for, and put the others through, was it all in vain? To defend the memory of an honor less man: a deserter and a thief? He wanted to believe Scorpio was lying about Paullus, but what if he wasn’t?
Scorpio drew a small blade from beneath his belt. “If you know where the gold is, maybe we can split it,” he said excitedly. “We can both be rich. What say you Leopard King?” With Tullus’ back to him Scorpio slashed a cut across Tullus’ arm. Tullus grunted and spun around, blood dripping from his wound.
Scorpio licked his lips and smiled. “You had your chance to become rich. Now I guess I’ll have to find the gold on my own. Maybe she knows where it is?” Scorpio said pointing his blade at Anna’s motionless body. “I wonder…”
“Nooooo.”
Tullus pounced on Scorpio like a Leopard. The blade slashed at his face and caught a piece of his Leopard-print scarf before both men hit the ground. Scorpio managed to position himself above Tullus while the blade’s tip hovered dangerously above Tullus’ face.
“The last sight you will see is this blade through your eye, Leopard fuck.”
Tullus summoned the last gasp of vigor from his body and tightened his grip on Scorpio’s wrists–pushing the blade away from his eye. He twisted Scorpio’s wrists tightly before his opponent dropped the blade. Tullus kicked Scorpio in the groin. He grunted loudly and rolled off of Tullus. As Scorpio squirmed on the ground like a maggot Tullus picked up a jagged rock near his foot and brought it down on Scorpio’s head. Tullus lifted the rock repeatedly and embedded it into Scorpio’s skull until only a mangled pulp of bloody bone, brains, and hair remained.
Tullus dropped the bloody rock and lifted Anna up into his arms before pressing his ear against her chest. He heard a faint heartbeat, then, gently placed her back on the ground.
“Gansu!” Tullus said. Around Gansu bodies of Scorpio’s men and fallen slaves littered the ground. Tullus called out for Gansu again and the Chinese man appeared, his face bloodied and his tunic mud-stained, but apart from that he appeared uninjured.
Gansu looked over Anna and nodded gravely.
“Will she live?”
“I do not know,” Gansu said somberly. “We must get her back to my tent immediately.”
“Please, Gansu….you have to save her.”
“I will do my best, Tullus” Gansu whistled twice and Vulcan appeared. His arms had suffered minor cuts and gashes but he too appeared no worse than Gansu.
As the battle winded down Jonga and his people surveyed their vanquished foes. An empty victory, Tullus thought. Anna was dying and Paullus’ pristine image had been sullied. I must find Norbanus.
Gansu, Tullus, Vulcan and Masego picked up Anna and carried her out of the camp while Jonga and his surviving people gathered their dead and followed the Troupe through the trapdoor.
A cloud of crows gathered in the sky and circled above the camp. They would feast well today.
{IV}
“We’re almost there,” Decimus said as his cavalry rode around him. The thunder of the horses’ hooves split the tranquility of the forest. Ahead, Decimus noticed the palisade walls of the abandoned camp. He pushed his horse harder. Almost there.
They arrived at the gates to find them closed. Moments later Decimus’ column arrived and he ordered twelve Guardsmen to scale the walls and open the gate from inside the camp. After the gates creaked open, Decimus’ eyes widened.
Inside Scorpio’s camp he beheld the carnage: piles of bodies lay strewn across a bloody battlefield, while flies danced above them. Crows tore off strips of bloody skin and feasted like lords. Camus Scorpio’s men had met their end here. Decimus shook his head dolefully. Tullus. This is your work.
“Sir, over here,” one of his cavalrymen called out. Decimus rode over to where a mangled body lay. The back of the corpse’s head resembled a crushed watermelon, while its eyes had been pecked out by ravens. But Decimus recognized Camus Scorpio’s face from a description he once saw. The expensive bloodstained clothes and ornate rings that lined the corpse’s fingers confirmed his suspicion.
“What do we do now?” Titus asked.
Decimus sighed. “We go home.”
{V}
Tullus had sent word to Yeshiva to summon the captains of Rome’s criminal Collegium to the warehouse. Yeshiva felt confused. Tullus had told him not to worry and reminded him of the gladiatorial fight they’d watched together many months ago. “Everything is not as it appears,” Tullus had told him. So Yeshiva put his trust in Tullus’ words. Eliana also came. She wanted to see what would happen and Yeshiva was happy to have her counsel. After the various captains had arrived, Yeshiva felt a wave of fear rising in his throat. He hoped Tullus would not be late.
“What is the meaning of this? Where is Camus Scorpio?” Lexus Quintus barked. “If this is your idea of foolery, I will make sure you die painfully, Jew.”
“I assure you there’s no foolery involved,” Yeshiva said. “The Leopard King wishes to treat with you.”
Quintas balked. “The Leopard King? Who cares about him. Where is Camus Scorpio?”
The door to Yeshiva’s warehouse creaked open and a familiar voice said: “He’s dead; and his footmen are crow fodder.”
Everyone turned around to eye the newcomer. Yeshiva smiled.
It was Tullus, wearing his Leopard King costume, face concealed behind his Leopard print scarf; Leopard pelt draped over his forehead. Next to him, as always, was Celestra. The Collegium members looked at them barbarously.
“Why have you brought us here?” Quintus asked. “You have no dominion over us, Leopard shit.”
“I do now,” Tullus said. He walked confidently between the rows of stacked wool and climbed atop one of the wooden tables where the captains sat.
“My first act as the new Collegium leader is to order you all to each pay Camus Scorpio’s widow a monthly defrayal of fifteen aurei.”
The captains bellowed with laughter. “What makes you think we’ll do such a thing? We
don’t take no orders from the likes of you,” Quintas said. “Even if you did kill Camus Scorpio we elect our own Collegium leader.” The other captains shouted in agreement.
“Not anymore. I’m taking over Scorpio’s territories,” Tullus said.
“Says who? All I see is you and that creature of yours. You can’t possibly take us all on.”
Celestra growled at Quintus.
“I’m with him,” Eliana said.
“As am I,” Yeshiva added.
“A woman and a Jew?” Quintus said, his face red with mirth. The captains laughed again.
“We’re with the Leopard King too,” said another voice.
Within moments Jonga appeared from behind one of the stacks of wool while his people poured through the main entrance. They were all heavily armed as they surrounded the Collegium captains. Tullus noticed the worried faces of the captains who were contemplating their predicament. Tullus met Yeshiva’s gaze and smiled. The merchant nodded and smiled back at Tullus.
The unexpected victory is always the sweetest.
“Now, are there anymore objections to my leadership as the head of your Collegium?”
Quintus and the other captains looked at one another and no
dded subserviently like beaten curs.
“Very well, Leopard King, your wishes will be followed. We acknowledge and confirm your leadership of our Collegium; we yield to you and your men,” Quintas said. The other captains nodded in agreement.
A loud cheer erupted from Jonga’s people.
Yeshiva and Eliana smiled and turned to congratulate Tullus, but he and Celestra were gone.
Eighteen/Duodeviginti
Marcus Silanus’ cell smelled like piss and shit. But that was the least of his problems.
“What do you think will happen to us?” Gemellus asked.
This boy is truly stupid, Silanus thought. Perhaps I do deserve to die for sending him to kill Caligula.
Silanus sighed. “We will be tried for treason and executed. What did you think they would do to us, Gemellus? Present us with honors and set us free?”
“I don’t want to die,” Gemellus said.
“You should have thought of that before bungling the task I gave you.”
The cell door opened, ushering a block of light that blinded Silanus. He covered his eyes as they adjusted to the glare. Silhouettes of four men appeared before him, it was too dark to place their identities, but he had an idea who one of them was.
“My dear Senator Silanus,” Caligula said. A torch was brought by one of the Praetorian Guards to illuminate the cell. “These are sad times indeed.”
Silanus struggled to his feet. “If you have come to hear us grovel for our lives, you are wasting your time.”
Caligula threw back his head and laughed. “That’s what I always liked about you Senator–your spirit. Pity you will not be around much longer to entertain me with it.”
Gemellus threw himself at Caligula’s feet. “Please…please, he made me do it. I didn’t want to…it was forced upon me.”