Marcellus flexed his injured arm. Wonder bathed the old legionnaire’s features as he examined it, now mostly healed of its arcane infection. He smiled. “A needle and a little thread and it will as good as new.” He glanced at the bluff. “The Berber was true to his word. He did it.” He offered Gaius a pensive look. “What now?”
Rashid’s explosion of light had done more than cleanse the cavern of its evil presence. Gaius felt no pain from his leg or from his cancerous stomach. He knew he never would again. The living entity within the amulet’s stone had sliced the cancer from his body with aqua light. Like Marcellus’ arm, the torn and scarred muscle of his thigh had knitted itself whole. Unsure if the amulet had made him complete as a reward or because it needed him hale and hearty to act as host, he nevertheless welcomed the relief and his reprieve from a sure and painful death.
He quickly assessed their situation. They had no food or water, no horses, and they were several days march from any village or spring. He had thought their fates sealed upon his decision to accompany Rashid into the cavern. That they had survived surprised him and left him searching for options. He had not envisioned an afterwards.
“We rest, old friend,” he said and lay back on the ground, allowing the sand to cushion his body. Healed he may be, but his muscles ached from exhaustion and his mind reeled from lack of sleep and horrid memories.
As he laid there, his eyes closed in deep thought, remembering his wife and son, a distant whinnying drifted to his ears. He looked up to see Apollo galloping toward them, his fear of the dead city of Hamad Rus now gone. Behind him came the other two horses. The sight lightened his heart. Apollo had survived the ordeal. With horses, they could reach the oasis where they had found the remains of the Berber camp. The Andalusian warhorse knew the way. From there … That part he still pondered.
“Perhaps the gods favor us,” Marcellus remarked with a broad grin. “We will not have to walk.”
“It is better if the gods ignore us,” Gaius replied, as he stood and shook the sand from his tunic. “Man worships gods thinking they listen to our prayers. I think perhaps they only tolerate us.” He stared at Marcellus. “Some gods should be forgotten.”
“What of Rashid’s request? Do we not report what we have witnessed?”
That question had run through Gaius’ mind as well. In spite of his usual devotion to duty, his answer surprised him. “And who would believe us? If any survived at Marzuq, no one will believe the story they tell. Certainly, they will pay no heed to the ravings of the natives. Rome worships many gods but believes in none.” He paused. The thought running through his mind was alien to him, but he knew it did not come from the amulet. It was alien only to his nature.
“I am through with armies and empires, Marcellus. I have given my life to duty and honor and have nothing to show for it. It has cost me much I hold dear. The amulet has given me a new chance at life. I will use it. I will make my way home to my wife and my son and take them to some distant land beyond the reach of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the Roman Empire. There, I will try hard to forget what happened here and live my life ignorant of gods and monsters. What of you, Marcellus?”
“My desire to waste away in Tuscany has vanished.” He sighed. “It was but a dream anyway. If you allow me, I would accompany you to the new land you seek. I place myself in your service, Centurion.” He paused. “I will keep my sword handy. I fear the world has not heard the last of this foul beast.”
“May that time come long after our span of years has passed,” Gaius replied.
“Aye, Centurion. I am too old and weary for another such battle.”
“Perhaps, you should start calling me Gaius, my friend. Centurion I am no longer.
Marcellus moved to stand beside him. “Aye, Gaius.”
Apollo rushed up, stopped in front of Gaius, and nudged his side. Gaius laid his head on Apollo’s neck and patted his nose, inhaling the horse’s familiar musky scent. “Take me home, old friend.”
He dropped the amulet into the leather pouch on his belt. It no longer glowed, but he detected a lustier sheen to its brilliance and perhaps a kernel of brightness deep within. In his new home, he would have no statues of gods in whom he no longer believed, but he would keep a reminder of the man who had saved them all.
“Rest in peace, Rashid,” he said. In truth, he did not know if the Berber had died imprisoning Nergal, or if he, like the ancient god, possessed eternal life and even now battled the monster. He hoped a better end for Rashid.
He climbed up on Apollo’s back. He kicked the horse in the flanks and placed the ruins of Hamad Rus at his back. As he rode, he hoped he only imagined the ground tremble beneath the horse’s feet.
GLOSSARY OF ROMAN TERMS
Roman Legion Composition – 160 CE
Contubernium – a tent group of 8 legionnaires
Centuria – 10 contubernium, or about 80 men
Maniple – 2 centuriae or 160 men
Cohort – 3 maniples or 540 men
Legion – 10 cohorts or 5,400 men
Roman Legion Ranks – 160 CE
Emperor – Ruler of Roman Empire, protector of Pax Romana
Praetor – Regional Governor
Imperator – Commander of a Legion
Legate – Second in command of a legion
Praefectus castrorum – Commander of a fort
Tribune – Third in command of a legion
Centurion – Captain of a cohort
Optio – Lieutenant
Tesserarius – Sergeant
Sesquiplecarus – Corporal
Decanus – Private
Milite – common soldier
Tirone – raw recruit
Munifex – untrained workers
Triarii – veterans
Evocati – re-enlisted veterans
Immunes – specialists, cooks, paymasters, musicians
Sagittarii – bowmen
Medici – doctors
Auxilia – non-legion soldiers
Cornicen – bugler
Roman Legionnaire Uniform
Amillae – Gold ceremonial Manica issued for awards
Balteus – belt for sword, dagger, etc.
Braccae – Trousers
Caligae – metal-shod leather sandals
Cingulum – shoulder sash, sometimes for sword
Focale – neck scarf, usually red
Galea – metal helmet, officers wore a transverse plume on top
Greaves – metal leg protector
Lorca hamata – chain mail armor worn over tunic
Manica – metal arm protector
Paludamentum – cape, usually red
Subligaria – underwear
Torc – gold necklace given for valor
Weaponry
Arcus – long bow
Aclis – javelin
Gladius – short sword
Hasta – spear
Onager – a catapult that hurls large rocks.
Puglia – dagger
Spatha – heavy sword
Sputum – shield
Siege Engines – Ballista, a catapult like a large crossbow that fires arrows.
Legion Terminology
Balnea or thermae – Roman bath
Capsarii – bath slave
Castra – fort
Cornu – horn
Flagrum – short, leather whip with metal pieces braided into lashes
Fustuarium – jail
Lictor – soldier assigned to use the flagellum
Lime – A line of forts
Lupanarium – brothel
Papilia – leather tent
Puella – prostitute
Querquetulanae – spirits residing in oak wood
Strigil – curved bone tool for scraping the skin in a bath
Valetudunarium – hospital
Glossary of Berber Terms
Aduar – village
Aguram – tomb
Akuzzi – gas passed from the anus
Amazigh – Berbe
r people
Azarqis – blue
Chott – salt flats
Erg – sand dune sea
Hamada – rocky plain
Iharz – amulet, medallion
Imalayka – angel
Serir – gravel plains
Tamdda – vulture
Tamzawit – Dust devil
Tamazight – Berber language
Tignut – dust storm
Wadi – dry valley
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMES E. GURLEY, a 66-year old retired chef, lives on Dauphin Island, Alabama with his wife, Kim, and two cats. He writes horror, science fiction, and military fiction novels when he’s not playing guitar or keyboards for local blues/rock bands.
www.jamesgurley.com
Table of Contents
Copyright
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GLOSSARY OF ROMAN TERMS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR