Darius wrapped his cloak around his shoulders and tried to ignore the unnatural cold. Strange weather, difficult terrain, and wild animals plagued the march from Noviodunum since they started the trek to the Circle. The men were becoming steadily uneasy and young Marcus Novanus was beginning to falter in his resolve.
Children. The fool boy will ruin this for me. It's been too long and too much hard work.
Darius was in the middle of working out a plan for disposing of Novanus and managing to keep the footsoldiers for his own purposes, when an alarm cry went out. "What now," Darius snarled as he turned and stalked back into camp. He interrupted the urgent conversation between Marcus and a guard.
"How many?" Marcus only glanced at Darius, as he approached.
"Six, milord," the guard said, rubbing his head. There was a bloody gash along his forehead.
"Were we attacked," Darius asked with concern, looking around for further commotion or at least the person who had bloodied the guard.
Marcus turned on Darius with an authoritative tone that could only come from a child of Tiberius. "You were not spoken too, druid." After the reprimand, Marcus returned his attention to the guard. "Why," he growled angrily at the man.
"The men are uneasy milord," he replied nervously. "They say that the curses which have followed us from Noviodunum will only worsen if we continue. They say it's not worth the little pay they are given. There is fear of what we will face when we reach the Circle. I fear more will run if our luck does not appear to shift soon."
Marcus began pacing. He didn't know what to do. He was having a hard enough time controlling the troops in Noviodunum. Now men were deserting him.
Father would never allow this. They wouldn't even consider running from Tiberius.
Darius could see that Marcus was losing his self control, possibly his mind. Not only that but they boy was becoming obstinate and difficult to control. His brothers were too young to be of use and had been left at home. If things continued in this vein then he would have no army left when they reached the Circle.
I wonder how much of the strange occurrences were arranged for us by the Circle. The things they are capable of and yet they force our people to live in squalor, contemplating nature and stars. When I control the Circle…
Darius broke himself from his vengeful musings and managed to persuade Marcus to retire for the evening.
Once inside the large lavish tent Darius approached a heavy wooden table in the center of the main entrance. Pouring out wine for himself and Marcus, he waited patiently for the boy to ask his advice. He always did. Darius tapped his ring impatiently on the rim of Marcus' cup, watching the surface of the warm red liquid ripple and the brown dust disappear into the drink.
As Darius tipped his own cup to his lips, Marcus stepped up to the table and grabbed the other cup for himself. "So what do you suggest druid," the boy said snidely, tipping the cup up and downing half the wine in one swallow. "The men desert my cause and I admit that the circumstances of this march have been unnerving. The animals of the forest attack randomly and without warning. The night is unseasonably cold. Trees and brush seem to bar our path. Men grow ill with no cause." Marcus finished the rest of the wine in his cup and stepped to the table to pour himself another. "Even an unsuperstitious man would see this march as cursed. What do your fellows do to us and how do we stop it? Or are you as useless as my father used to say?"
Darius had been losing his patience steadily as Marcus had become increasingly insulting and demanding. "Firstly, milord," Darius answered, glaring at the boy, "your father never kept any man around who he did not see as worth something. Secondly, the animals may attack because of the cold, the cold may be because a local village paid no sacrifice as proper to the correct Gods, once a man believes he is haunted then all manner of things can be frightening, including plants overwhelming an unkempt path, and men in new places grow ill. Your father would have been able to offer such explanations to these men and control their fear before they allowed their imaginations to run them off." Darius sipped his wine, staring into the boy's eyes. "Unfortunately for both of us, you are too young and inexperienced to think of such things."
Marcus felt the wine seeping into his mind more quickly than usual. Darius' droning voice slipped to the back of his mind and he stumbled toward his large chair. The room was already spinning. Suddenly Darius' face was directly in front of his own.
"That is why you have forced me to take the situation in hand. One way or another I need to reach the Circle with enough troops to take control. You couldn't have been just a nice compliant young man could you?"
"Compliant young man," Marcus echoed hollowly.
Darius smiled. "That'll do. Go to bed, get some sleep. We have a speech for the morning march. Then I want to gain some ground. They have to know I'm coming by now."
Without a word of protest Marcus stumbled to his feet and followed Darius' command. "I should have done that to him months ago," Darius growled and then left the tent.
At the main entrance he stopped and leaned toward the guard. "He doesn't wish to be disturbed. Lord Novanus wants to sleep until morning. Summon me when he awakes." The guard nodded and Darius walked away from the large tent to go and find his.
* * * *
Aris realized her wrong turn when the rough hewn cave walls went on too long with no promise of turning into carved stone. "Mira said it only took a few hours of walking for her to find the right tunnels. I think I've been walking at least that long. And there's no closet with a lantern." The sound of her whispers echoing in the darkness offered little comfort.
Collapsing against a cold damp wall, sharp stone bit into her shoulder. Aris ignored the pain and wrapped her arms around her shivering frame. It didn't really matter how much Mira had explained, Aris was cold, hungry, thirsty, and terrified. "This must be what it's like to be blind," she whimpered.
First she considered trying to fall asleep, like Mira had. "That would make time pass more quickly." But every little sound in the darkness drew her attention. "That was probably just a mouse," she whispered at a shuffling near her feet. "That was just a bat," she cried at a shrieking noise echoing in the black. Aris turned sharply to look down the cave tunnel in the direction she thought she came from. "Footsteps," she asked into the darkness. Aris strained to stare into the emptiness, trying desperately to see something, anything. Suddenly she realized that he may be coming to get her.
Turning Aris began running. She only managed a few steps before tripping on something on the floor and sprawling on ground. "Hello," she barely managed to squeak out. Scrapping her hands on the ground, Aris scrambled back up against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please," she whimpered. "Lord Tiernay?"
Rillan nearly left her there.
I don't know what I expected. As if anyone could be capable of instilling Mira's soul in one of these sacrifices. Even Mira. No amount of training will change what they are.
Rillan knelt next to the girl and stared at her, knowing that she had no idea how close he was. For the first time in his existence he considered putting her out of her misery without waiting for permission.
