Athos whistled in response to Athea’s news and said, “I’m surprised they are conscious at this point much less walking.” Looking down at the mess on the floor where the two had collapsed, he added, “I guess that would explain the smell of piss and vomit.”
Liana nodded in agreement, “Aye, those two must have an angel watching over them. It’s a wonder they didn’t choke on their own vomit last night.”
After cleaning themselves and their uniforms up. Constan and Damon joined the rest of the group to break their fast. During the time the two hungover men spent on this task. Athea and Liana baked several dozen loaves of bread in the villa’s bread oven. This would ensure that the group had plenty of food during the remainder of their journey to Antioch.
After completing their preparations, they set off toward Emessa using the route to the river that Damon had scouted the previous day. The group walked in silence as they observed the surrounding countryside closely for any movement. As they drew near to the spot where Damon found the ford in the river, he warned them, “Yesterday when I attempted this crossing I was attacked from the water by Vivian.”
Constan began barking orders, “Athos and Damon, I want ye to step into the water with shields about ten feet apart facing upriver. You are to engage any damned that may attempt to feast upon ye, or any of the rest of the group.”
Athos and Damon responded in unison, “Aye sir.”
Turning to Maarika Constan asked, “Can ye cover us with that magical sling of yours as everyone else crosses?”
Maarika smiled at the compliment, “Certainly.”
“Good, perhaps ye can start training the rest of us in the use of the sling as we walk. I think it would be good if we all could slay some of the damned we encounter, before they are in feasting range.”
Nasir put an arm around Maarika and kissed the top of her head, “I second that idea love. We’ll never be as good as you, but I think every skill we can share will help all of us survive in this damned ridden province.”
Under the cover provided by Athos and Damon, all were able to cross the river without incident. As Damon had hoped when he scouted out this route the previous day. The spot proved to be far enough away from Heliopolis that the undead infesting the city failed to take notice of their passage. Fearful of possible attacks, they remained silent as they picked their way across the fields toward the northern edge of the valley. Within an hour’s time, they were ascending the other side of the valley.
They journeyed without incident through the mountains for the next two days. As they walked, Athea and Liana took turns telling Maarika of the wonders in the agora in Emessa, “It’s the last stop on the silk road before reaching the coast at Seleuciam on the Mare Nostrum. It is said that the agora has silks from as far away as Chin.” Athea said.
Liana with an edge of excitement in her voice added, “Even the poor and destitute are able to purchase and wear silk there.”
Maarika, her eyes wide in wonderment asked, “Truly? I have never seen or touched real silk until we slew Fabia the Emperor’s daughter several days ago. It felt amazingly soft and cool to the touch.”
Athea nodded, “Just imagine what an entire dress made of silk will feel like caressing your skin.”
Maarika closed her eyes and imagined just that. It would feel as if Nasir was lightly kissing my skin all over after having just drank from a cool river.
During the morning of the third day since they departed the villa, a plume of black smoke was spotted on the northern horizon. As they drew closer to the valley that held Emessa their hearts began to sink. Sighing deeply Constan said, “It appears that Emessa may be burning.”
Liana, her voice laden with disappointment said, “Maybe something else is on fire.”
Constan shook his head in disagreement, “Nay, that plume of smoke is still miles away and nearly touches the clouds above. During the war with Persia, I’ve seen many a city burned. I tell ye it takes a city, and a large one at that to make a smoke plume of that size.
With the chance of a soft bed, and a warm meal gone, the dejected group continued on toward Emessa in silence. As they arrived at the edge of the valley that held the city, their fears were confirmed. On the plain below, encircled by stout walls, the entire city of Emessa was ablaze. As the rest of the group watched the conflagration, Damon squinted trying to make out some movement beyond the giant plume of black smoke.
Constan, noticed Damon’s efforts and asked, “What do ye see lad?”
Damon continued to observe for several more seconds before he replied, “It appears that a large orderly formation is executing a fighting withdrawal north toward the opposite wall of the valley. The army appears to be surrounded by thousands in a disorderly state.”
“Who could it be, another army?” Athea asked.
Constan nodded, “Aye, this close to Antioch they must have gotten word that Emessa, was attacked by the damned. According to the reports the Governor received from the Emperor, there is only one army in this area, the Imperial Tagmata.”
“Should we try and reach them?” Athos asked.
“No, we would have to fight our way through God knows how many damned to reach them. We are without armor, and far too few in number to try.”
“Then what do we do?” Baltazar asked.
Constan sighed with resignation, “I was hoping we would finally be free of these buggers by this point. It seems, Antioch is the last major city in Syria that hasn’t fallen to these unholy bastards.”
Nasir put his right hand on Constan’s shoulder and asked, “Shall we work our way around them and keep moving toward Antioch?”
Constan glanced over at the position of the sun. It was low on the western horizon. The golden light cast by the yellow orb brought out the natural beauty of the valley below, “It’s too late in the day to risk getting close to the damned down there. I don’t want to risk an encounter in the dark. Let’s find a place off the road to make camp for the night. We can attempt to cross the valley tomorrow. Maybe with some luck all of the damned will follow the Tagmata and be slain.”
The group left the road and quickly located a box canyon that would conceal them from wandering damned while they slept. Once they had cleared the ever-present small rocks and gravel from the ground, they rolled out their blankets to bed down for the night. As they ate some of the bread that was baked in the villa and washed it down with wine, they asked questions of Constan.
“What do you think went wrong in Heliopolis and Emessa?” Athos asked.
“I imagine things went for them much as they did for us in Damascus. Someone within the walls somehow was infected with the curse of the damned and began biting people. Ye know as well as I, how quickly that could get out of hand.”
“Does the Agora in Antioch carry as much variety of silk as the one in Emessa did?” Liana asked.
Constan snorted and replied with a gruff tone, “I don’t care for such frivolities. How am I to know?”
Liana frowned at Constan, before she could reply Baltazar asked, “Do you think the Tagmata will be able to hold Antioch?”
Constan pondered this question for several moments, “It will depend on how things go for them this night. If the Tagmata can disengage themselves from the horde we saw attacking them today, and that’s a pretty big if. They appeared to be of sufficient numbers to defend the walls of Antioch. Unlike the walls we had in Damascus, the walls of Antioch are anchored between the mountains and the river.”
Nasir added, “That means that it is impossible for an enemy to attack the entire length of the walls all at once.”
Constan nodded, “Aye, the way Antioch is set up is very advantageous for defense. One doesn’t need as many troops to defend the city, as there are fewer avenues of attack.”
The other members of the group looked as if they had many more questions on their minds. Before any had a chance to speak Constan held up his hand and said, “Enough chatter. Tomorrow is going to be a challenging day and we will nee
d all of our strength to face it. I’ll take first watch, so I can think about how we are going to get to Antioch without ending up in the belly of a damned on the ‘morrow. Who wants the second watch?”
Nasir gave Maarika a sidelong glance and smiled before he replied, “I’ll take the second watch.”
“And I’ll take the third.” Damon added.
“Guess that leaves me for the wake-up stretch,” Athos said.
Everyone settled down to sleep in their blankets. Damon wrapped himself up in his blanket cocoon style, in an attempt to keep the chill out. The three couples Athos and Athea, Baltazar and Liana, and Maarika and Nasir snuggled closely together to share their warmth. As the seven drifted off to sleep Constan, sitting on a nearby boulder, kept watch over them. The couples are so much in love with each other. I hope I can lead them far away from this damned infestation. After all we have accomplished fighting for the Empire, then Syria, and now ourselves. They deserve a chance at a normal life.
Constan’s thoughts drifted for a time and his awareness began to ebb. Recognizing the signs from many a night spent standing watch, he pulled himself back from the gentle embrace of slumber. As he did so, his thoughts sharpened once again. After my failure to hold Damascus I don’t deserve to lead. If I am to have the best chance of leading them to the peaceful happily ever after that they deserve, I need to put my reservations aside and embrace my leadership role.
Sighing deeply, he looked up into the cloudless and moonless black sky above him. Stars, as numerous as the grains of sand on a beach twinkled and cast their pale light upon the land. Nikas old friend. I wish I had ye strength to pick myself up from failure like ye and to continue making the hard choices. I know not how you could endure making such difficult choices in the face of losing so many of us. How did ye live with yeself?
As he finished his thought, a shooting star flared a bright green in the sky above him as it traveled across the heavens moving from the southwest to northeast, Heh, was that ye old friend? As he watched another shooting star flared green just like the first and traced a similar path across the sky. That has got to be a coincidence. Is Nikas trying to tell me something from the beyond?
Before he could continue his thought, another shooting star flared to life with a red burst of color and traveled south to north across the sky. As soon as this star winked out of existence another flared to life in a brilliant burst of red and traveled from the southeast toward the northwest. Hmmm I wonder if this is indeed a sign from Nikas. What could the green and red stars truly mean? What is he trying to say? Maybe if I sleep on it, I can figure it out.
Constan yawned and looked over at the sleeping form of Nasir. He was pressed up against Maarika’s back and he held her with his right arm. They look so peaceful when they slumber. So much in love. Is there a woman out there like that for me? Constan chuckled at his own thought, Now ye are just being an old fool. This is your family now. Not quite what I had in mind in me younger years, but it’ll do.
Chapter 48
Morning, October 8th 636, Near the Antioch Road, Syria Province, Byzantium
The Road to Antioch
As the sun broke the eastern horizon and cast its rays upon their camp, Athos made his way around the group. He knelt down beside each sleeping form, and gently shook them awake. With much stretching and yawning to work out the stiffness, especially from Constan, as a result from a night spent on the hard earth they awoke. As they did for their evening meal, everyone pulled out some of the bread that had been baked at the villa near Heliopolis and broke their fast.
As the group ate, Athos turned to Constan and asked, “Have you determined the direction we are going to travel to reach Antioch?”
Constan smiled, drained his cup full of wine, and nodded, “Aye, I ran the possibilities through my head last night. If the Tagmata managed to hold themselves together in the dark last night, they probably would have retreated using the road. It’s the most direct path to Antioch.”
“They’ve shown some skill at retreating in the past, why should last night be any different?” Baltazar said, his nostrils flared as he did so.
Damon snorted in laughter at the jibe toward the Tagmata and said, “The issue was in doubt because they didn’t have any provincial forces to sacrifice to the damned so they could make their escape.”
Nasir, ignored Baltazar and Damon, and responded to Constan, “Based on what I understand of the area that gives us two choices, one would be easier than the other. We go north east through the mountains and attempt to circumnavigate the path that the Tagmata and the accompanying damned would have taken, or we go west down the valley until we reach the Mare Nostrum and then follow the coast to Seleucia. From Seleucia we could either head north east into Antioch or take a ship away from here.”
Constan smiled at Nasir, “Ye’ve been listening. That is the choice before us. I think our best strategy would be to make the selection that has the least chance of a damned encounter. Though the path will be harder, I believe taking the mountains to the northeast will be our best chance of success.” As Constan finished speaking his thoughts continued, Ye had best be right about this Nikas. I hope I have understood what the green stars, and red stars truly meant.
Everyone nodded in agreement at Constan’s suggestion, and began to prepare for the day’s journey. They rolled up their blankets and collected their gear. Once they were ready to depart, they found their way back to the Antioch road and used it to descend into the valley below them.
Constan led them across the valley, avoiding Emessa, much as they avoided Heliopolis in the previous valley. This valley was much wider than the latter one and would take them the entire day to cross. As they walked in silence, the sounds of overripe crops swaying gently in the breeze could be heard.
Despite all they had encountered and survived, a deep feeling of dread and fear was etched on their faces. Each step that they took was chosen with care, as they feared the creation of any sounds that would attract the damned. Each time the slightest noise was made, the members of the group looked all around in fear of an attack. It seemed as if their necks were on a swivel, as they worked to spot any sign of movement.
As they neared the river the sky became increasingly full of clouds and the air grew heavy. Constan sniffed the air and said, “Smell that, rain is coming.”
Maarika’s face broke into a wide smile, “Truly? I’ve only seen water fall from the sky a handful of times in my life.”
Constan, infected by her excitement smiled back, “Aye, in Syria with the passing of summer and lessening of the sun’s bite, the rains come.”
As Constan finished speaking, giant rain drops began to strike the ground creating a cacophony of plopping noises. The drops started out slowly, with one or two here and there. Then several came, and finally the drops became countless as the sound of rain striking the earth drowned out all other sound around them. Within the span of a few minutes the thirsty soil had absorbed all the moisture that it could hold. Once this saturation point was achieved, the water began to flow over their feet as it submerged the earth around them.
As the river came into view, the water generated by the torrent of rain, was several inches deep. As the water continued to collect on the ground, it pooled around their ankle bones. At last, the group reached the southern bank of the river that divided the valley. They were transfixed by the sight of the now fast flowing brown water in front of them. The water roiled, churned, swayed, and bucked as it roared past them.
As Maarika stared at the raging river in complete astonishment, Nasir asked, “Should we even attempt a crossing under these conditions?”
“I’m with Nasir on this one, but if we don’t cross where would we go? Back to one of the huts we passed? Surely we wouldn’t want to stay out here in this.” Athos said as he gestured with both of his arms indicating the rain.
Maarika ignored the conversation. Instead, she raised her arms up to the heavens and turned herself in slow and lazy circles. She smiled
and laughed as the torrent washed the road dust from her body. Baltazar turned to Nasir and asked, “Has Maarika been possessed, by an evil spirit?”
Nasir shook his head, and smiled, “No, she’s from Arabia, the deep desert. Rain comes but once a year at most, and never in this quantity. She has never seen so much water fall from the sky in her life.”
Maarika’s joy was infectious, and before long Liana, Athea, and Damon had joined in her celebration. They spun in slow circles, danced with each other, and laughed. All thoughts of the damned or their haste to reach Antioch were forgotten. Constan, Athos, and Baltazar, began clapping a beat with their hands, as the other four continued to dance.
Their celebration continued for several minutes as the rain continued to fall. Finally, the pace of the raindrops began to slow and then stopped altogether. Constan held up his hand and said, “We must be moving on.”
Nasir pointed to the swollen river flowing fast before them and said, “Is crossing that now a good idea?”
“Nay, but time is short. If the damned get to Antioch before we do, we may not find a way into the city.” Constan replied.
Damon asked, “Why is that such a problem?”
Constan’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at Damon and said, “Because what is the point of having full purses if we can never reach a city that isn’t already overrun with the damned?”
“Why be in such a hurry to get ourselves besieged by the damned? Out here we are not trapped and can go where we will.” Athos said.
“I’m with Constan. What’s the point being alive if we don’t get to enjoy living? I want to see the wonders of an imperial city before the hungry consume it.” Maarika said.
“We barely escaped Damascus when it was overrun by the damned, and then only with Fortuna shining upon us. If we are overrun like that in a city that we do not know like we know the back of our hand, then what guarantee of escape do we have?” Baltazar asked.
Byzantium Infected Box Set Page 69
