Black Dawn

Chapter 7

The next morning, Lucius woke to the sound of the bugle being blown by the cornicen. The cool night had done wonders to his sweaty and worn body. He arose and stretched his body before heading out to find his two sole companions. Thankfully, ten minutes of walking led him to his Decanus. Cassius was similarly heading to the baths when he spotted Lucius and walked over to him.

"Where were you last night? You didn't return to the tent and I was quite worried"

“I didn't know where to go after the practice so I went back to the shack I woke up in" he replied slightly sheepish, blaming his amnesia.

Grunting slightly, Cassius asked Lucius to follow him, "First you need a bath".

After some time spent relaxing and cleansing their bodies at the bath, the duo returned to their tent where 4 other men were resting.

As Lucius walked in, he was met with rough faces and worn bodies, men who had been fighting all their lives. As Lucius introduced them to him, he simply nodded and greeted each of them.

After the introduction all of them went back to their own activities while Cassius pulled Lucius to one side and told him about the squad.

"In the last patrol several tents were ambushed by barbarians and were slaughtered. It's the first time it's ever happened, we lost about 17 men including two of the Decanus. So we merged the remnants of the three squads under my control."

Lucius simply nodded, not knowing how to reply or even answer to Cassius.

"I am sorry, I don't remember anything of the battle, but I hope our comrades fought their hardest," he said, hoping that it would relieve Cassius of the grief which obvious from his facial expression.

Cassius turned away and walked towards a straw bed and pointed to it, saying that it was Lucius' bed, all the while not showing his face.

Lucius thanked him and moved to his bed, eyeing the spatha and shield which was placed on the rack beside his bed. Bending over, he picked up the beautifully made steel sword and held it in his hand, testing its balance. He looked at the initials etched into the hilt of the spatha, LV wondering whose life he had taken over.

Sitting on his hard straw mattress, he pondered on his situation, wondering how he had ended up in this situation. The last thing he remembered was fighting drunk in an alleyway somewhere in Detroit. Everything after that was darkness. The thing which had always followed him around. Grunting to himself, he cursed his luck and looked around at the rest of the men, all of whom were preparing for their patrol later that night. Some were sharpening their blades while others were exercising their well-built bodies.

Ignoring the others, Lucius set out to find who he was. Shifting towards the locker, he opened it and found it bare except for a full set of armor. He sighed as he had hoped that there would be several personal belongings which would point to something about his true self and his situation.

Putting aside his equipment, Lucius decided on doing something more fruitful. He had only picked up the sword yesterday and his only relief was that it worked like any other close quarters weapon. But that did not compare to the skill of any of the men who sat around him, all of them hardened veteran men who held the sword like an extension of their arms.

Picking up his sword and shield from the rack Lucius walked out of the tent, ducking to avoid the low entrance, and moved to a nearby training area where several soldiers were training with wooden posts. Joining them, he practiced his strokes and stabs, imitating his instructor yesterday while also taking in the movements of the soldiers around him. Several of his companions on the ground looked at him oddly at times, his slightly unnatural strokes and movements unsettling them. Lucius however did not take their looks into account, simply continuing to practice. If anyone asked, he would attribute his jerky movements to his injuries and hope that would be enough to convince them.

As the day grew older, at about mid time, Lucius followed the other soldiers who were training beside him to the canteen. Breakfast was hard bread and some gruel which he gulped down thankfully, having not eaten anything since he had first awoken. Gulping down water after his meal, he tried to look around for Minerva. He was attracted to her in an unnatural manner for she reminded him greatly of his own love. Lucius did not know what sick trick or dream this was that reminded him so much of her but he was thankful to see her once again, though the person may not have had any feelings for him.

As he roamed the camp under the midday sun in his grey and maroon tunic, he wondered when the call to patrol would arrive. The Decanus had said that they were to proceed in the afternoon. Sincerely hoping that the Decanus would guide him on where to go, he continued his search for Minerva.

As he found the temple of Mars and Venus in a wooden building which was beautifully decorated with flowers, he caught sight of Minerva walking into the building. Hoping that he was allowed into the temple, he too removed his sandals before following her in. As he walked in, he noticed the cool and damp room was bare except for two statues of both deities. Around him, several soldiers and other camp personnel knelt, praying and meditating. Taking cue from them, he too knelt and muttered a few words of prayer to the gods, mainly for protection in the coming patrol. Not wanting to disturb the sanctity of the temple, he got up and left, determined to find Minerva at a later time.

As he emerged again into the blistering heat, he walked back to his tent, know having a vague idea of the camps layout. As he walked into the relative cool of the tent, he noticed the other soldiers putting on their armor and securing their weapons. Following suit, Lucius too pulled out his armor from the locker and put it on before sliding his spatha into its sheath on his hip and slinging the shield into his back. As the men filed out one by one, Lucius waited until he was the lady before he too stepped out and walked to the assembly point. His shield felt heavy and uncomfortable his back, but he took no notice of it as he fell in alongside the other six men.

As the Decanus in his own slightly glamorous armor appeared adjusting his sword, the men started to make a move out of camp. As the guards opened the big wooden gate and closed it behind them, Lucius could not but help feel a sense of foreboding.