“Now you sluggards, listen up! We have the Emperor’s candy asses with us now, so we need to put on a good show for the Tagmata who are probably looking down their noses at us provincials. You know what I say about that? Let them. We all know when they are sweating in the sun and falling out because they can’t take the heat it will be us that saves their arses. Until then I want you to look sharp. Don’t cut any corners tonight. I want our tents aligned smartly and for your gear to be stowed neatly. Since you boys got to eat dust all day, we get to sit out making the marching fort.” A cheer went up from the men of the 2nd Kentarchia. Well at least today is ending on a high note, thought Athos.
Chapter 15
Morning, August 7th 636 Tyre Road North of the Sea of Galilee, Palestinia Province, Byzantium
The blare of the Cornu broke Athos from his slumber. He and Baltazar went through their morning routine to get ready for the day’s march. During the night the wind had shifted from the west to once again blowing from the south. As they stood in formation waiting for the order to move out, Baltazar commented on the wind, “Feel that, Athos?”
Athos nodded, “The wind has shifted.”
“Looks like we will be marching in a furnace today,” Baltazar said glumly.
Nikas interrupted, “Today we will be marching in the middle spot of the Thema. We will, however, be obliged to eat the Imperial Tagmata’s dust all day as we march.” The men of the 2nd Kentarchia made unhappy noises over this news. “The news is not all bad. Today we will be marching along the west bank of the Sea of Galilee. This means there should be less dust than we are accustomed to in Syria. General Vahan wants to put on a good show for the Palestinia Tourma when they meet us in the Yarmouk Valley. We have been asked to practice saluting in unison just like the Imperial Tagmata saluted us yesterday. We shall reach the Yarmouk Valley midmorning day after tomorrow, and we can expect the Palestinia Tourma to be joining us later that afternoon.”
Athos drew his Spatha and banged it into his shield in unison with the rest of the Kentarchia for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. He then finished up the salute by holding his Spatha aloft in front of him and touching the base of the blade where it meets the pommel to his forehead. He looked to his left and saw the shimmering blue waters of the Sea of Galilee. A bird circling lazily above the water.
Suddenly the bird dropped straight down into the sea. A second later it erupted from the water with a twitching prize in its beak. The command to complete the salute by sheathing the Spatha went out but, as he was observing the bird, Athos had missed it completely.
Nikas yelled at him “Athos! If you don’t pull your head out of your arse and start getting this right you are going to bathe in the latrine pit every morning for the rest of the march! While you are floating in shit and spitting piss from your mouth, you can think about how you are going to pay better attention the next time we drill!”
Athos burned with anger, his face took on a red hue, and he fought down the urge to stick his Spatha into Nikas. Constan noticed the red in his cheeks and the shaking of his hand. “Easy lad, whatever you are thinking is not worth it. Simply mind what is going on around you, and you’ll be fine. Nikas likes to single you out, so ye got to do a better job of keeping your nose clean.”
Athos took a deep breath and nodded, “Thanks, Constan.”
Constan reached out and placed his hand on Athos’ shoulder as they continued marching, “Keep the anger, but lock it up in an amphorae and bring it out when we fight the Bewitched Cannibals. It will serve you well then.”
After another hour of drilling, they seemed to more or less get it, so Nikas ended the drilling and just let them march. Athos turned to Baltazar who was marching to his left. “You haven’t told me how things went with Liana on our last night in Damascus, so how did things go after you left the Thirsty Palm?”
“We went back to the dwelling she shares with her family. We sat on the stairs leading into her tenement and talked deep into the night. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that God created this woman just for me and placed her in my life right at the moment I needed her. We have only been courting for a few months now, but already it seems like she is in my head and knows my thoughts. As it grew chilly, we began to cuddle some. Then I kissed her. She kissed me back passionately. The taste of her took my breath away.”
Constan interrupted, “I bet that taste added something too!” Everyone in earshot laughed.
Baltazar’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. When the laughter died down, he continued the story, “That’s when we started to get into trouble. Her hands started to explore me. At first, I explored her back with my hands. I then let them fall, and they explored their way across her rump. She didn’t object to that, so they began to find their way around to her front and upward. I felt her bosom in my hand through her dress. Her passion grew, and she kissed me long and hard. When she finished the kiss her, hands did some exploring. First she traced the muscles of my chest. Then her hands found their way under my tunic, and she tickled my chest hair a bit. Finally, they wandered lower. She found my manhood in an aroused state. She squeezed and rubbed it through my pants. The feel of that drove me absolutely mad with lust for her!”
The men interrupted with cat calls, whistles and hoots. Constan shushed them, “Continue laddie!”
Baltazar nodded. He had an embarrassed look on his face, “She then stood up and took me by the hand. We slipped into her dwelling and began to make our way to her sleeping pallet. It was then that God intervened. Her youngest sister, Sarah, woke and started crying out for her.” Baltazar and Athos heard groans from all around. The friends hadn’t realized that everyone around them had started to listen in on Baltazar’s account. Even Nikas snorted when he heard Baltazar’s last sentence. Damon chided him for his failure to bed Liana.
Constan remarked, “Why didn’t you just take her right there on the steps, lad?”
This forced Baltazar down a road he didn’t want to go down as it was guaranteed to ensure he would be mocked for weeks to come so he whispered, “I haven’t laid with a woman before. I want it to be a special moment. I didn’t want it to be a public spectacle.”
Constan chuckled and responded loudly. “Lad, you wouldn’t have been a public spectacle. You wouldn’t have needed that long!” The entire Kentarchia burst into laughter at this last statement. Baltazar turned red with shame and fell silent.
Athos turned to Constan, “So what about your first love, old man?” Constan’s faced turned into a grimace. He looked up at the sky for a moment took a deep breath. He made eye contact with Baltazar, “I guess fair is fair lad.”
Constan let out a long sigh and began, “During my time training with Emperor Heraclius outside of Constantinople, I was bewitched by a fair lass. Her name was Amata. She was a tiny thing.”
Constan held his hand at about chest level to indicate her height, “There wasn’t anything special about her parts. Her hair was a light brown streaked with a few blond highlights bleached by the sun. Her nose sat prominently on her small face. Her lips were thin and tasted kind of rough. Her teeth were too big. I’ve seen horses with teeth smaller than that, so you can imagine on her tiny face how much they stood out.” Ilias marching directly behind Constan whinnied like a horse. Everyone within earshot burst into laughter.
“Though seventeen years of age at the time, her voice sounded more like a girl of half those years. My unit at the time drilled every day, but I found my way to her every evening. At first, we just walked through the streets of Constantinople and talked. We talked about our inner selves, and about what we wanted out of life. Over the days and weeks, we started holding hands as we walked. Then finally it happened. She had led me down to the docks to sit at the end of a pier and watch the moon rise over the Bosporus.”
Constan pulled out his canteen. He looked at it for a moment with a frown on his face and pulled the cork. He took a swig of the water, swished it around in his mouth to help wash the dust-out, a
nd placed the cork back on his canteen. He sighed and then continued. “There was a chill in the air that night. As we sat there in silence, admiring the magnificent majesty of the rising moon, she leaned into me for warmth. I put my arm around her and rubbed her to warm her up. She looked up at me and smiled. Those giant horse teeth reflected the moonlight brilliantly.”
This brought forth a snicker from his audience, “I put my left hand under her chin and kissed her gently. At the time I was so bewitched that I failed to notice those mighty teeth or any of her other imperfections. She was the first woman that ever showed an interest in me, and I was truly smitten with her. Tis’ also a case of being smitten, with me wrong head!” Constan’s audience roared with approval at this revelation.
Encouraged Constan continued, “We sat there for several more hours kissing, and beholding the moon as it rose further and further into the sky. Finally, when the Eastern Horizon turned pink, I stood up and took her hand. Hand in hand I led her back to her place. She stepped on the single stair that leads back into her parent’s dwelling. She turned around, smiled at me, placed her hands on my cheeks, and drew me close. Her lips touched mine, and then her tongue pushed its way into my mouth. After a long embrace, she pulled away. She looked down at me and said these words, ‘I will wait for you, Constan, no matter how long it takes you to come back to me.’ I looked up into those brown eyes and smiled. “I will keep myself true to you until I return.”
Jirair made a gagging noise at this last statement, and then stated in his heavily accented Greek, “Thine obsession with this woman has ascended to a truly vexatious level!”
“Aye. For eight years I fought. Every night I said a prayer that I would be returned whole and hearty to my beloved Amata. After several wounds, many deprivations, and a virtually unbroken string of great victories I returned to Constantinople.
“I had one thing on my mind as the boat pulled up to the dock, Amata. I ran through the streets as quickly as I could to her parent’s dwelling. I knocked on the door and asked her mother if Amata still dwelled here. She answered me with a negative and directed me to a nearby tenement. I set off in the direction of the tenement. Soon I saw Amata from a distance. As I took a deep breath to hail her, she saw a man and ran to him. She jumped into his arms and gave him a kiss. I was utterly heartbroken by this. My insides turned cold, and I could not keep my feet. I sank to my knees, looked up into the sky, and asked God one simple word. Why? I got silence in return.” Constan sighed deeply.
Athos put his hand on Constan’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry you had to bear that pain.” Constan turned and looked Athos in the eye. His mouth twitched as if he were going to say something, but then grew still.
They marched on in silence after that. Each man was alone with his thoughts as the miles slipped by. They made camp beside the Sea of Galilee that night. Athos stood for a moment and marveled at the natural beauty he beheld. The sun is setting behind them as they gazed at the hypnotic movements of the water reflected off the sea. The sounds of the waves gently lapping against the shore will make slumber easier tonight.
Athos and the men of his Kontoubernion headed down to the beach. The sun was setting and filling the sky with pinks and oranges. Zosimos and Jirair flattened a small stretch of the beach with their hands. They then built small sand walls around the patted down area. Theron produced some bones.
Constan rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the night that was to come. Theron cast the tallie bones a few times to get warmed up then the real fun started. In turn, they each threw the tallie bones to see who would go first. Ilias threw a twenty so was up first. He shook the tallie bones in his hands, cupped them together, and blew on the bones. With a flourish, he cast the bones into the pit. The first tallie bone came to a stop six, the second was also a six, and the last two bones were each a four. Ilias smiled, “Twenty!”
The other participants groaned in dismay. Up next was Caifas who turned his back to the pit and cast the bones through the gap between his left arm and his body. He managed to land the bones into the pit despite the fact he didn’t look. The display cost him dearly though. The other men exclaimed in delight over Caifas’ results. He turned around and looked at his cast. His shoulders slumped a little when he saw the results, “Nine.”
Each member of Dekanos Constan’s Kontoubernion cast the tallie bones in turn. Ilias won the first round with his score of twenty. With each new round bets were placed and coins changed hand. The piles in front of Athos, Baltazar, Licas, Zosimos, Jirair and Caifas dwindled as the night went on. Constan’s and Theron’s pile grew larger and larger, while Damon’s and Ilias’ pile stayed roughly the same.
Athos cast the bones into the pit. They bounced around for a bit and came to a stop. The results were a six, four, three, and a one. He shook his head in dismay as his score of only fourteen sunk in. “Silly lad, that’s a Venus!” Constan exclaimed.
Constan picked up the tallie bones and cast them into the pit. The bones rolled around in the sand and came quickly to a stop. Six, six, six, and one. Constan took a swig of his wine bottle (even on campaign he never seemed to lack for wine), and muttered, “Gah, what a waste of a good score.” No one could match Athos’ Venus roll, and he won that round. His pile quadrupled in size with just one win.
Damon won the next two rounds in a row and gained the upper hand. Athos’ pile dwindled once again. Baltazar put a stop to Damon’s winning streak and knocked Licas and Jirair out of the game for the night. Athos looked down at his pile. It had diminished back to what he had started the evening with, “Thanks for the game tonight.”
Eyeing his remaining coins, Constan moved to try and stop him. “Come on Athos lad, think of the fun ye be missing.”
Athos chuckled at this attempt, “Think of the coins I’ll still have when we get back to Damascus.”
Constan looked at Athos with a melodramatic stricken look on his face, “Lad, ye wound me, heart. Think of the loot that will be ours when we defeat the bewitched cannibals. With Roman citizens now amongst the lot, the gold will surely flow!”
“A valiant attempt my friend but I need to save a few of my coins for Athea and the amazing night we will have upon our return.”
Constan smiled, “No matter lad, there are plenty of coins still to be won.” He took another swig from his bottle and turned back to the game.
Athos walked a short distance from the game and found a good spot on the beach. It wasn’t long before Baltazar joined him and the two friends began talking, “I’m worried, Baltazar.”
“What troubles you Athos?”
“When the Kataphractoi were bearing down on us yesterday, I was petrified. Constan was happy that none of us pissed ourselves, but I almost did.”
Baltazar reached over and put his hand on Athos’ shoulder, “Athos, facing down Kataphractoi is probably the most frightening thing a Skutatoi can experience. That huge horse, bedecked in armor is bad enough, but the rider clad from head to toe in plate mail is a truly frightening sight. Add in a lance that seems to be aimed right at you, and it is more than most men can bare.”
Athos thought back to that moment. The lance was indeed aimed right at his head. “I will admit, Athos, I was also frightened near to the point of panic. I think everyone was, but you know what mattered?” Athos swallowed hard and thought desperately for a response to Baltazar’s question.
With no answer forthcoming Baltazar continued, “That we stood shoulder to shoulder as brothers. Not one of us turned to flee. We faced down our fears and stood firm. When we have to fight for the first time, I will draw strength from knowing that my brothers will stand with me, protect me, and the people of the Empire that depend on us to keep them safe.”
A tear came to Athos’ eye, “Baltazar my friend, my heart was filled with doubt of the fear I felt facing the Kataphractoi. Your words have helped me sort through my feelings. I know that when we face the bewitched cannibals, I will stand with my brothers against the darkness.” Baltazar smiled and g
azed up at the stars.
Athos and Baltazar fell silent. The sounds of the water lapping up against the shoreline helped to relax them. The light of the moon reflecting off the sea cast the water in a mystic silvery glow. The only thing that could have made the evening more perfect was Athea’s embrace. Athos fell asleep under the stars imagining her there beside him.
The next morning the Cornu blared an hour before dawn. Athos and Baltazar enjoyed the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee as they broke their fast. The combined force left the marching camp an hour after dawn and continued to march south along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The sea remained on their left as they marched and a series of hills obscuring the western horizon was on their right. Along the hills were several farms. Once again, the men of the 2nd Kentarchia practiced doing the salute in unison. They had gone from being able to do it with mediocrity, to being able to do it with perfect precision. Nikas was pleased by their progress.
Athos spent the day observing the fishermen and the life around the sea as the miles slowly rolled by. Talk amongst the Kentarchia had been sparse at best. Soldiers on campaign, with so much time to talk, very quickly exhaust everyone’s life story and other tales. The day was once again sweltering as a steady breeze blew out of the south. They made camp that night on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Athos and Baltazar lay on the shore near the water. Someone nearby started playing a lyre. One of the hundreds of officers must have brought it along on his horse, thought Athos. The music helped to relax everyone as they watched the moon rise. “I hope my last night before I ascend to heaven is a night like this,” Athos said contentedly.
Baltazar looked over at him and nodded his agreement, “Indeed, my friend. A night like this makes the absence of those we love, acuter.” Athos and Baltazar sat there on the shore of Galilee pining for the ladies they loved as they drifted off to sleep to the soothing sounds of the lyre and the waves lapping against the shore.
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