The Centurion's Woman

Chapter 7

        "You argue," she replied.

        "I'm going to kill you," he stated, reaching for his knife. "I'm not even going to wait until you're asleep."

        "But who will order Max?" she'd asked, nodding as if agreeing with him as he threatened her with the sheathed blade. "I am dead, so more and more Max fighting tomorrow and the day after and the day after..." her voice had trailed off.

        "I don't care anymore," he'd replied, starting to grin, a spark lighting behind his eyes. "Don't argue with me anymore about staying in the cart," he ordered just as she was about to speak. "I will tell you when you are allowed to walk."

        Alex had lain back down and stared up at him, assessing this new understanding he'd reached for dealing with her. He was starting to look smugly confident when she'd finally cracked a grin. He was positively triumphant when she started to laugh.

        "You learn very slow, big brother, but I see that you can learn."

        After that, Verus had learned very quickly. Now over a week had passed since they'd argued last about the cart and Alex was still riding in the cursed thing all day, every day, with Verus checking the healing bruise on her ribs every night and proclaiming that she was not yet allowed to walk. She'd started getting off to stretch and just move around every time there was a stop, but – as he'd ordered her that night – climbed back on without argument as soon as the line started moving again. Verus had tried to stop her doing some light training in the evenings, but she'd won that fight by tossing him on his ass in front of his men a few times (he'd stopped being mad at her immediately after she showed him how to do it, though, and now trained with her every night).

        Now the routine of the days was easy and familiar, and she wasn't so bored. She was also grateful that her little crow had showed up again to keep her company as the cart plodded along. Max caught her attention away from Hades' antics, the big stallion staring, ears perked forward, at the trees along the road again. Today was by far the most often, but he'd started a few days ago. Alex called up to Verus to let him know Max was doing it again, and the warning message relayed back along the line. The response that quickly came forward was that certain animals all down the line were watching the trees intently today. Not a good sign.

        Alex had been keeping armor in the cart with her, getting Max used to it being around. He still didn't like having armor close, but would tolerate the stuff without attacking the cart as long as Alex was in the cart at the same time. The urge to suit up in the old leather and bronze gear kept getting stronger as the morning edged toward afternoon and Max watched the tree line more and more frequently.

        With his usual perfect timing, Aquilus Naevius came forward right as they stopped for lunch to try and tighten up the line in expectation of some kind of attack. His little stallion was still not recovered from the race two weeks ago due to the idiot's overuse of the beast. He traded veiled and pointed insults with Alex, mocked some respects toward Verus, then sneered and turned his mount to go back down the line to his post. As the little stud turned, he tripped. Naevius was unseated and struggled to right himself in the saddle and whip the little horse at the same time.

        Having seen this same scene for the past few days, Alex finally got sick of it.

        "Big Man, intimidate," she commanded in English, pointing at Naevius.

        Given something more interesting to do than pretend to eat, Max charged at the pair and cornered the idiot and his horse against the cart, forcing Naevius to use all his poor skills at horsemanship to simply stay seated on the jittery stallion he'd nearly ridden down to lameness. Alex took her time to come around the cart from where she'd been sitting.