The Centurion's Woman

Chapter 25

        "Lothar?"

        Alex heard the gasp behind her and she and Lothar stopped together, both in shock at the voice of the supposedly dead man. There was a nearly straight line of wolf tracks from where she was standing to near where the men were. Lothar stepped beside her, creating the two shadows the men were hoping to see. Chlodochar threw down his sword and, as if pulled, strode through the drifts toward the newly-arrived shadows.

                                                                ***

        "Papi?" Lothar asked, sounding terribly unsure. Chlodochar switched to German and starting praising every god he knew for returning his boy safe, his worship ending in a relieved laugh as he gripped his son in a rib-crushing hug.

        "Dario says you are dead," Alex finally choked out. "You do not speak all day."

        "One arrow does not kill this man!" Chlodochar announced, freeing one arm from his son to wrap around Alex.

        Ixillius pushed down the ongoing ache of seeing his wife pulled to another family before he was considered. They all needed to be moving, and not seeing Max explained why Alex and Lothar were so late in coming to the meeting place. He would be surprised if the horses he and the men had stolen were still close with the wolves here. He picked up Chlodochar's sword and walked toward the members of the group enjoying a happy reunion, Brasus at his side.

        "We should get clear of the wolves," Brasus stated as Ixillius held out the sword to the older man. Chlodochar released Alex and Lothar, swiped the tears off his cheeks with the backs of his hands, and grabbed the hilt of the offered weapon.

        "We'll have to run for the night to keep ahead of the pack, should they decide on men over horses," Chlodochar said quietly.

        "They won't bother us," Lothar stated dismissively.

        "Oh really?" Brasus asked, sounding amused as he started ushering everyone back along the direction Alex and Lothar had come from.

        "Alexandria spoke to the pack leader," the boy replied, totally confident. "He helped us kill Dario."

        Alex stumbled on the words and Ixillius caught her arm to help preserve her footing. He guessed that there was more to the story, and knew that what the boy had just said was as fanciful as the rumors that burned through the Legion about her every day, but the thought still gave him pause as a wolf crossed the trail in front of them without so much as a glance in their direction.

        When they arrived at the clump of trees that Dario had hidden in, Brasus turned to go in. Chlodochar made to follow, but was held back by Lothar.

        "No," Alex said, holding out her hand toward Brasus. Only after she spoke did a quiet snarl and the sound of cloth ripping drift out of the deeper shadows between the trees. Brasus quickly rejoined the line, his expression hidden in the darkness of the night.

        "Which way?" Ixillius asked Chlodochar once they had been clear of the sounds of the wolves for a few minutes.

        "To follow our tracks back to Max," Alex answered, pointing at a double line of irregular shadows in the snow.

        "You got Max?" Brasus asked quickly, surprise in his voice.

        "Yes," Lothar answered. "And a mare that Max wouldn't leave. Alex wouldn't let me ride her," he added sullenly.

        Alex grinned at the account of events as told by Lothar for what had happened after they'd split into two groups. The hurried walk sounded a lot more exciting than she remembered from actually being there. He had just dropped the bombshell that Alex already knew Dario was in league with Naevius because of the sword the Auxiliaryman used during training when Max nickered at them. Alex whistled back very quietly and soon the sounds of heavy hoofbeats in the snow were walking towards the group. Alex chuckled when she saw that Max had three other horses with him instead of the one he'd been left with.

        "You found our mounts?" Brasus asked, turning toward Alex.

        "They must have found Max and the mare after we left to sneak up on Dario," Lothar replied.

        Alex brushed Ixillius's fingers and felt him nearly cringe as he pulled his hand back from where he'd been holding her arm since she'd stumbled earlier. She smiled up at him, realizing after the fact that he wouldn't see in the dark. She caught his hand for a moment and squeezed quickly, kissing his fingers, then broke from the group so that she would be the first one that Max and the walnut mare encountered.

        In a matter of minutes, they were all mounted and following Lothar's dad through the trees at a slow trot. Lothar didn't complain about riding double on Max this time around, after watching the taxing of Brasus's considerable skill to stay seated on the mare. The horses did well, and by late afternoon they came to a moderately sized village where people recognized and welcomed Lothar and his father.

        They rode a little further to a large, timber building, not completely unlike the one they'd fought in the day before. Alex felt her adrenaline rise over her exhaustion until a girl ran inside and a woman came out, the woman's face pinched tight with worry. Lothar's dad swung down and wrapped his arms around the woman, who sagged with relief. Lothar slipped off Max and ran to join the hug, the woman's expression shifting to the same surprised and then loving gaze that Alex had seen the day before when Lothar had knocked his dad back a step.

        Ixillius and Brasus climbed off the horses slowly, unsure what kind of welcome they would be receiving. Alex stayed mounted, staring at the villagers who had stopped to stare at the arrivals. Chlodochar's wife looked as happy to see the Legionnaires as she had been to meet them, her face scowling darkly as soon as her eyes landed on them.

        Alex climbed down deliberately – almost reluctantly, Ixillius thought – when Chlodochar introduced her. She stayed close to Max, keeping a hand on his neck. Chlodochar's wife, Theudelinda, approached a single step cautiously, then hurried back when Max threw up his head and bared his teeth down at her, ears flat. Alex calmed the brute and backed him away from the nearest people, urging the mare to follow, as Ixillius and Brasus attempted to explain and apologize for the behavior of the warhorses.

        The two stolen horses were taken to be put in with the village herd, and Alex refused to see to anything regarding herself until Max and the mare were settled together and eating in a large pen adjoining Chlodochar's home. Only then did Alex finally allow the hovering village women to lead her into the larger building where Lothar had disappeared soon after they'd arrived

        A couple of the women attempted to separate Alex from the Legionnaires, and Alex politely declined. When one of the women insisted, Alex kicked her hard enough to tumble her backwards.

        "No!" Alex barked at the gasping woman.

        Theudelinda frowned at the forced guests in spite of her husband's warnings to calm her temper. Ixillius and Brasus flanked to either side of Alex, and Ixillius felt Alex's arm link through his. Theudelinda stared hard at the gesture for a moment, and then commanded the helpers who'd been attempting to assist Alex to leave.

        "Chlodochar just said she'd claimed to be married," Theudelinda challenged.

        "She is," Brasus replied, glancing at Ixillius and then staring at Theudelinda. "And in her current temper, I would leave her to her husband to deal with."

        Brasus nodded respectfully to his hosts and strode off to where he was directed to. Too tired to care about explaining anything, Ixillius led Alex where he was directed, the woman leading them glowering with disapproval that Alex stayed at his side.