Begging a leave from the Governor's service had been surprisingly easy. So easy, in fact, that Vitus had felt guilty about deceiving the old man. Vitus had claimed that his parents had ordered him home to help prepare for the Autumn Festival. This was a necessary evil, of course. Without a good story, he and Cinnamon would never have made it to Arcius.
It turned out that they were not the first who had come in search of the mysterious Gaius. They had missed Gaius' brother, apparently a clerk named Marcus, by only a few days. That was all anyone seemed willing to share. And there was very little physical evidence left. They had seen the room where the diplomat had died, but it had already been assigned to another man, and so was useless. Vitus paced, just inside the garrison walls, and Cinnamon watched him anxiously.
“I think we should just go home, sir. We aren't exactly getting a lot of information here. And you have your duty to the empire to think about.”
“This is part of my duty to the empire,” Vitus hissed in response, “You're a slave, you don't understand.”
“I understand that you want to find out what's going on with the governor, and that woman, and this dead soldier,” Cinnamon said carefully, trying his hardest to keep his voice calm, almost emotionless. “But, sir, they don't trust you here.”
“I'm the junior attaché to the Eminent Governor of Capea, I should be able to order them to tell me what I want to know.”
“They're soldiers, sir, not slaves.”
Vitus sighed, “I know. But it's so frustrating. And I know that they know more than they're letting on. There's something fishy going on here.”
“I agree. But we aren't getting anywhere here. Can't we please go home? Really home? I miss my mother.”
Vitus couldn't help smiling. “You miss her caraway biscuits, you mean. I suppose we could go home. You're right that we seem to have run into a dead end, here. We could really help prepare for the Autumn Festival, and worry about this mystery when we get back to Capea.”
Cinnamon let out a relieved breath. “Thank you, sir.”
YOU ARE READING
The Baby and the Battlefield
FantasyA baby? On a battlefield? Marcus is a clerk in the Imperial army. When he finds an abandoned baby on a battlefield, he has no idea what to do with her. His best friend is no help; he thinks Marcus is a sucker for taking the kid in. The slave who end...
