Nasir got the horse moving again. Baltazar was being pulled up inch, by precious inch. Another of Fonda’s undead minions grabbed the corpse whose teeth were fastened to Baltazar’s belt and began using it to climb. The extra weight caused the dead damned’s teeth to buckle, and both creatures fell to the ground. A scattering of teeth and two bodies, one forever dead and one undead, crashed into the crowd below.
Seeing her quarry getting away, Fonda jumped onto the growing pile of bodies under Baltazar and launched herself at his feet. She succeeded in grabbing on and began pulling herself up. Baltazar looked down at Fonda and their eyes locked. The sheer malevolence of her gaze sent a chill down his spine, “You’re not going to escape me. In moments you will join my army as my willing slave.”
As Fonda finished speaking, she pulled the sandal off his left foot and opened her mouth to bite Baltazar. With his other foot, Baltazar delivered a vicious kick to her chin. The kinetic force of the blow forced Fonda to loosen her grip on Baltazar’s leg. She fell to the ground howling in frustration at her denied opportunity.
Seeing a chance to put an end to Fonda, Maarika used her sling to fire a stone at the undead leader’s head. Sensing the danger, Fonda put her left arm up to block the shot. With a sickening smack, the stone embedded itself into Fonda’s forearm. Before Maarika could load and fire another shot, Fonda ducked into the writhing crowd of damned reaching toward Baltazar and disappeared.
Inch by precious inch Baltazar was pulled ever upward toward salvation. Time seemed to stretch into eternity as he gazed down upon the teeming masses of the damned. They loudly voiced their frustration over their inability to strip the flesh from his bones.
As he reached the top of the cliff, Nasir reached down and pulled Baltazar up, “Many thanks, I thought I was fated to become a lump of flesh in their guts.” As soon as Nasir pulled him completely onto solid ground, he collapsed into a heap, exhausted.
Nasir let Baltazar rest for several minutes while he and Maarika worked to ready their horse. His eye caught the sleeping form of Legion, and he smiled, “He doesn’t look troubled when he is sleeping.”
Maarika looked down at Legion’s sleeping form and smiled, “No, he looks so innocent. Hard to imagine the crazed killer of the damned he becomes while awake.”
“It’s going to be difficult for us to escape the hungry ones. Especially if he is awake. How much longer will the milk of the poppy keep him out?” Nasir asked.
Maarika walked over to their horse and checked inside one of the saddle bags, “We’re almost out, we’ve got one dose left. The current one will give out in an hour or two at most.”
Nasir frowned, “Then we’ve got about four hours to break contact with our pursuers.” Nasir walked over to Baltazar’s sleeping form and shook him awake, “I know you’re exhausted, but we’ve got to move.”
Baltazar nodded and stood up. Nasir gestured over to Legion’s sleeping form, “Help me get him up onto the horse.” The two men worked together to lift Legion’s giant bulk onto the animal. After much straining and exhausting what little strength Baltazar had left, the two men secured Legion to the back of the horse.
Baltazar noted that he was laid across the horse much as Athos had been after his head injury at Yarmouk. Nasir gestured to the northwest, “There is a path that will take us away from the hungry below. We must hurry before they discover how we got up here.”
“How did you escape the fight on the road when we were surrounded?” Baltazar tried to keep his voice neutral, but it contained a hint of accusation.
As they started walking in the direction Nasir indicated he replied, “When the attack came the wagon we were riding tipped over. Legion struck his head on a rock and was knocked unconscious. With the help of our driver, we were able to secure a horse and load Legion onto it. By the time we accomplished that we had been cut off from your group. There were just too many of the hungry ones.”
“Fortuna smiled upon us at that moment, and we found a narrow path leading up into the hills. Unfortunately, as we tried to break contact with the hungry they slew the driver and devoured him.” Nasir looked down on the ground, “He sacrificed himself to save the three of us. It should have been me. I was the warrior, not the driver.”
Baltazar put a hand on Nasir’s shoulder, “We must make the most of his sacrifice and get to Damascus so that we can warn them about the horde.” Baltazar pointed to the sling hanging on Maarika’s belt, “You were the one that was killing the damned from above. I didn’t know what to think. I thought it might be an angel looking over me. I was right"
Nasir scowled at Baltazar’s compliment, and Maarika smiled, “I did. I wish I could have been more help.” A tear came to her eye, “That I could have saved more of your men. There were just too many. I couldn’t slay them fast enough.”
Nasir put an arm around Maarika’s shoulders and drew her close, “Love, you were amazing as always. Bismillah blessed me the day he brought you into my life. He was certainly smiling down upon your prowess with the sling. It’s a miracle you saved Baltazar.”
She smiled up at him and returned the hug, “You always know just what to say to hearten me.”
They continued their journey in silence for a time. The narrow trail they used took them down for a time, but after the first hour, they slowly wove their way higher and higher into the hills. In the hour before dawn, they passed above the town of Sigoph. It was burning. The light from the flames cast shadows upon the surrounding hills. The city had been overrun by the damned. They chose to continue making their way through the hills without risking themselves on the town’s dangerous streets.
As the group circled the hills to the north of town Fonda’s horde moved into the town below. The hilly terrain was difficult going as they were forced to navigate the rocky terrain by the light of the moon. Despite the challenge the terrain presented each of them stole glances into the town when they could. Sigoph resembled a nest of ants that had been kicked. The little dots, each representing one of the damned, scurried about in total confusion and chaos as they hunted for their next meal.
After many minutes the damned seemed to settle down. It appeared that they all gathered in the town’s central square and then shortly after began flowing out in an orderly fashion toward the gate that opened on the road they had just used to arrive by. Nasir voiced what they were all thinking, “The smart one is behind this. The one we saw talk to you.”
“Yes. Her name is Fonda. She figured out that my group came from Syria and threatened to go there and kill everyone.”
“Why not Antioch where the Emperor currently sits with his army?” Nasir asked.
“Maybe she doesn’t know about that? Her hatred for us seemed to be all consuming. Fonda will do whatever it takes to feast upon us.”
“Are we going to Damascus?” Maarika asked.
“Aye, by way of Tuba. I have a promise to keep.” Baltazar pondered the question and added, “I’m not positive how long it will take us to reach Damascus. I’m not familiar with our current route. If we used the main road we could make it in two day’s time, so I’ guessing this tougher route will take maybe three days.”
Nasir slumped his shoulders and sighed in resignation, “Lead on, I’ve never been north of Jerusalem until now.”
Baltazar added, “Aye, we need to find some horses.”
Chapter 34
August 22nd 636, North of Sigoph, Palestinia Province, Byzantium
Tuba
The survivors of Fonda’s rage journeyed northward through the dry, scorched hills for the remainder of the night. As the Sun rose and cast its light upon them, they found a cave to rest in. Exhausted, they immediately collapsed onto the cavern floor and fell into a deep sleep. The group slept until the heat of the August Sun lost its bite and continued their journey northward.
At times the Roman Road that wound its way around the western edge of the Sea of Galilee came into view. Nasir turned to Baltazar, “I don’t see the horde below. Where could t
hey be?”
Baltazar answered, “If they kept walking throughout the day then the damned should be ahead of us. There is also the possibility that if Fonda knows this terrain, they struck off into the hills east of the sea. Either way they are very likely to be ahead of us. The only chance we have of beating them to Damascus is if we find some horses soon.”
Maarika joined in the conversation, “Her ability to control the horde was disturbing. In our long journey we’ve run into hundreds if not thousands of the hungry ones. We’ve never seen her like. Do you think she has some kind of mental hold over the others?”
Baltazar looked over at Maarika, “Based on what we saw in Sigoph as we passed? Yes, I doubt it was a coincidence that they found us after we had left the main road. She very well could have led them to us. I refuse to believe it was dumb luck on the part of the damned that we were found again.”
At the mention of the word damned Legion tensed. His eyes began darting about looking for signs of the undead.
Maarika took Legion’s hand in hers and cooed, “It's ok the hungry ones are not here.”
Legion relaxed, and the group continued to make their way slowly northward through the barren hills. They slept that night without incident and made their way to Tuba arriving in the late afternoon.
They stood before the closed and barred gate of Tuba and knocked, “Samuel, are you in there?” asked Baltazar.
“Sarah?”
Nasir stated. “Maarika can climb that wall and open the gate from the inside.”
The thought of climbing a wall into an unknown town caused a shiver to go up Maarika’s spine, “Hopefully it will be a little less exciting than last time.” She smiled portraying an emotion she didn’t feel.
Nasir chuckled, “Aye, you gave me quite a fright that day. If there are any hungry in there, I pity the poor bastards when you climb over that wall.”
After several minutes Samuel appeared on the palisade above them, “You made it back as promised. What happened to the rest of your group?” He gestured at Nasir, Maarika, and Legion, “Who are they?”
The reminder that Baltazar had lost his entire first command caused him to slump his shoulders. Looking down at the ground he replied, “I lost them. They were all slain by the damned.”
“I see.” Samuel looked over at Nasir, Maarika, and Legion. “And these three?”
Baltazar pointed to each of his companions in turn, “Nasir, Maarika, and Legion. Nasir is a Dekanos like myself. He and Maarika hale from Arabia Province. Legion is a bit of a mystery to me, but his fury against the damned helped to save us when we first met them on the road to Yarmouk.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your fallen men. They were all brave souls. You’re all welcome of course.”
Samuel turns to Nasir, “You’re a long way from home.”
“Aye,” Nasir replied.
Samuel turned back to Baltazar and stated, “Not much of a talker.”
Baltazar nodded, “We are all tired and exhausted. Can you open the gate? We need food and rest. Then on the ‘morrow, we will be on our way to Damascus. As I promised you, Sarah and Tabitha may accompany us.”
“You bet!” Samuel hopped down from the palisade and disappeared behind the wall. A few moments later they heard the sound of the bar being lifted out of place. Then with a loud creak, the gates to Tuba were opened to them.
“Thanks, Samuel,” Baltazar stated.
“As you know we have plenty. Come, Sarah can cook a fine meal to ease your hunger and then you can rest.”
Baltazar, “I believe we should post a watch on the palisade. There is a horde about, and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be surprised.”
Samuel looked them over, “Every one of you looks exhausted. Eat. Then sleep. I’ll stand watch until the moon begins to set. Which of you should I wake?”
Baltazar and Nasir reply simultaneously, “Me.”
Nasir put a hand on Baltazar’s shoulder, “You’ve had a much worse time of it than any of us. Rest, Maarika and I will take the rest of the night.”
Deflated, Baltazar let his shoulder’s slump and nodded in agreement.
Sarah cooked them an excellent meal consisting of salted lamb, on a bed of steaming vegetables. Baltazar and Legion slept in the hut that Baltazar had used during his last visit to Tuba, and Nasir and Maarika found a dwelling of their own. As promised, Samuel woke Nasir after midnight when the moon had set.
The rest of the night went without incident. Baltazar was tormented by nightmares. In his dreams, he fought the battle that cost him all of his men over and over. Each time he was on the verge of saving them all, only to be surprised and consumed by Fonda. He cried out many times in the night. The cries were drowned out by Legion’s snoring, so everyone else remained undisturbed.
The next morning they gathered up what food and water they could easily carry with them and set out for Damascus. They placed Sarah, holding Tabitha, atop the one horse they had and left Tuba.
As they wound their way down the hill, Samuel walked beside Sarah. He placed his hand in her lap, and she grasped it. Their eyes met and then together they looked back upon the town one last time. Sarah squeezed his hand harder, “It’s a different world now. We must go to Damascus where you can learn to become a soldier to protect Tabitha and me. Your ancestors will understand.
Samuel smiled, “Did you ever think we would leave this place and move to the city?”
Sarah smiled in response. They journeyed to the foot of the Golan Heights that day without incident. It was as if the empty land had been swept clean of the damned.
That night Baltazar dreamed of Fonda again. In his dreams, the loss of his men was replayed over and over in his head. Fonda’s wicked smile would then come, “I will destroy Syria and everything you hold dear.” Then she bit him.
He awoke screaming in the night startling the rest of the group awake. Tabitha began crying in fright. Nasir and Legion sprang up ready to fight. Samuel stood over Sarah and Tabitha holding his gladius clumsily. Baltazar looked at them sheepishly, “I’m sorry.”
Maarika sat down beside him and placed her arm around him, “You have experienced many horrible things over the last several days. Bismi-, the Angels are trying to help you in your dreams.”
“If that be the case why do they show me my failures over and over?”
“Perhaps in the hopes that you will see it is not your fault.”
“But my men. . .”
Maarika drew Baltazar into a hug, and he cried. “I’m so ashamed. I should be stronger than this.”
“You cared about your men a great deal. It’s natural that you would feel this way. Losing them was not your fault. You faced the impossible.”
“I lived!”
“And that’s a miracle. You mustn’t feel guilty.”
Nasir placed a hand on Baltazar’s shoulder, “Losing your men is the worst feeling you’ll ever have, but life goes on.” Gesturing to Samuel, Sarah, and Tabitha, “There are always others that need strong soldiers like us to protect them.”
“How would you know what I’m feeling right now?”
“Because I lost all of my men too.” Nasir’s voice trailed off, and a tear came to his eye.
Sensing his change in mood Maarika stood and held him, “It wasn’t your fault either.”
“I know. It was good luck that I was with you. If not, I too would be cursed to wander the deserts in eternal hunger or at the bottom of one of their stomachs now. If that ever happens I hope I give the bastard heartburn.”
Baltazar turned to Nasir and asked, “You lost your men too?”
Their eyes met, and Nasir replied, “Aye.” The two men shared a new look of understanding, “It was the first night I lay with Maarika. The hungry ones swept through the border post I was in charge of. My men died while I slept in a drunken stupor.”
Maarika whispered, “It wasn’t your fault.”
Nasir stroked her chin with his hand and smiled, “Indeed. I was fortunate in many w
ays that night. If I had been with my men instead of you, I would have died with them that night. That’s what you must realize Baltazar; however, that will take time.”
“If I would have been smarter, fought harder, maybe I could have saved some.”
“No, you fought against Satan and his horde that night. It took an act of divine providence to save you. You are not God, an Angel, or even a demon. Maybe one of those could have saved your men against those odds but you are flesh and blood. You had no chance. Despite those odds, you fought brilliantly.”
Baltazar blushed at the praise. Pride began to seep into his thoughts replacing the sorrow, “Like the Ironman of old.”
Nasir nodded in agreement, “Aye.”
“What is this Ironman I keep hearing about?” Maarika asked.
Nasir told her of the story of the Ironman. As he related the tale, Baltazar chimed in occasionally to add a detail that was missed. Maarika processed the tale while they broke camp and began the march into the Golan Heights that towered above them.
As they neared the top Maarika turned to Baltazar and said, “I think you did better than the Ironman. He had to fight but one opponent at a time, whereas you fought many.”
Baltazar smiled at her, “Aye, I fought many, but the Ironman fought the best masters of Persia one at a time. I simply fought the mindless damned.”
“Fonda was certainly not mindless, and many of those you fought were former soldiers. Take that big one that almost killed you right at the end for example.”
“Theron,” Baltazar added.
“You knew him?”
“He was my friend. I thought I had killed him and prevented him from becoming a damned. In the confusion of the Battle of Yarmouk I made a mistake. I did not bury my ax deep enough into his thick skull.”
“You men are all the same. Constantly blaming yourself for not being superhuman and perfect.”
Nasir joined in the conversation, “Not all men are worthy enough to consider themselves perfect. Just soldiers of the Empire.”
Byzantium Infected Box Set Page 49
