ALEX NEVER IMAGINED she could be so relieved to see a line of carts, and Ixillius and Brasus quickened the pace at the promise of rejoining Minerva's 1st this afternoon. The warhorses picked up the excitement and Max and the mare both pranced into an easy lope to keep up with the stolen mounts, all four horses cantering on the side of the road, past first the trailing civilians and then the marching Auxiliaries. Alex set Hades to wing and he cawed happily, flashing in and out of the nearby trees as he flew beside Alex.
The walnut mare whinnied loudly as they approached the end of the Legion and was answered by at least two other horses. A few Legionnaires glanced back, and then the pointing and yelling started. Alex grinned as more than a few cheers rose up. The march must've gotten boring again in the month since the attack, she thought.
Word of their arrival was shouted forward along the line faster than any horse could run. In the general din, Alex couldn't hear any specifics of what was being said as she tried to keep both Max and the mare from getting too close to the men that quickly surrounded Brasus and Ixillius. She tried to ask a Cavalryman about the owner of the mare, but he just looked at the two warhorses wearing no tack, and then glanced at Brasus and Ixillius, looking confused by her question and making no reply.
After a few minutes, the large group broke up and went back into line. Ixillius called Alex by her title and they were soon back into an easy lope and working their way forward along the line. Alex tried to ask Brasus about the mare, remembering that the horse's owner was in the cavalry group assigned to the 10th cohort, but he told her not to worry about ownership right now. He and Ixillius were both looking more grim than happy, so Alex left off with questions and simply followed along.
They joined the line at the front of the 6th and 4th, all three of them sliding off their horses to greet Marcus, who had been given command, and another man who must be – Alex assumed – Caeles Aelius, who she'd heard was the Guard Commander for Brasus and would have been reporting now to Marcus.
***
Ixillius was grateful that Alex stood by her usual habit of seeing to the horses before dealing with the affairs of people. She seemed aware that things were not as they should be, but had apparently been spared the details of the rumors that he and Brasus had been greeted with. Marcus was more than willing to fill in the past weeks, speaking quietly and quickly while Alex stripped the warhorses of their burdens and saw them to a feed cart and water.
"The command was built quickly, but Verus knows the men well and he was wise with his choices," Marcus confirmed when Ixillius asked how the restructuring had gone. "Quintus Abelardus now serves as Optio directly to the First File, and most of the deserting Auxiliary returned the day before we broke camp and left the hill."
Brasus cleared his throat and he and Ixillius shared a glance, remembering the odd reactions of the messenger party when they learned the day of Alex's rescue. Per the timing that Marcus had just told them, combined with what they'd learned from Legionnaires at the end of the line, both events fell on the same day. Ixillius tried to ignore the coincidence for the time being.
"What of the rumors in the 10th cohort that Celsus Calix is ill?" Ixillius pressed, watching Alex as she was finishing with the warhorses.
"His leg," Marcus replied, his gaze following Ixillius's, but his look turning worried. "The cut was healing well, but a section of the temporary bridge tore loose while the engineers were still building. Two men were lost to the flood, and the First File rescued a third," Marcus paused, chewing on his words before he spoke them. "The flood waters got into his wound and poisoned him, and the wound infected."
Ixillius was swearing quietly when Alex fell in step beside her husband. Max and the mare were striding alongside the nearest feed cart, eating, and the stolen horses had been led away to join with the cavalry assigned to the 6th cohort.
"What is wrong?" Alex asked, pointedly, after looking at the expression on Ixillius's face and hearing his low selection of words.
"Verus has taken ill," Ixillius replied, and Alex looked as though he'd slapped her.
"Speak," she commanded Marcus. He repeated the short story, adding that healers had been tending to the First File, but rumors said the infection was worsening daily.
Alex listened closely to the rest of the news as her brain clicked through all the bugs, germs and other infection-causing things she knew of that could be expected in a flood surge and would mix badly with an open wound. Unfortunately, the list was a long one, and she didn't have the education to be able to identify the differences. At least the infection sounded slow, having festered for weeks already, so she might still be able to help. Marcus could only provide a few details, and those were based on the rumors he'd heard as he hadn't left his post in the 6th and 4th, and Verus always appeared fine during the morning orders. She wanted to leave for the 1st and 1st immediately, worry now overshadowing the initial happiness she'd felt at their return, but Ixillius ordered her to stay.
She listened to the complete report as Marcus updated Ixillius on the happenings within the century specifically, and the Legion in general, from the past month. A few steps behind, Caeles and Brasus were having a similar conversation. Brasus and Ixillius had given Alex a brief telling of what had occurred on the day of the attack, prior to when they departed to come back and rescue her, and Marcus picked up the story at the day after the attack.
It hadn't taken Verus long to rebuild a command. In only seven days, he'd installed and established a complement of officers to take up what he deemed were the needed postings left vacant, and then procured and ensured the loyalty of the Auxiliary that had remained. The day before they'd begun the march again, the half of the Auxiliary that had deserted had returned to the encampment and requested a negotiation. Verus had surprised everyone by attending on them, and then surprised them by not handing down any punishment from himself for their actions. (He was wise enough not to promise they wouldn't be punished for their short desertion, but he promised not to punish them himself.)
Alex was fairly certain the return of the missing Auxiliary was the news that had sparked the messenger party to treat her as being above the officers she traveled with. As if she'd had anything to do with that... More likely, the Auxiliary commanders that broke rank had waited nearby to see if the Legion would fail with the entire command wiped out. When they got word the Legion would be moving out, they came back. The rumor of their return being tied to her rescue was more interesting, though, so would probably be around for a lot longer than anything close to the truth.
The march had gone well for the first three days, and then they'd arrived at the river crossing and discovered the bridge washed out by the flood. They'd taken a day and a half to get the temporary bridge in place – two men drowning and Verus exposing his wounded leg to the flood water in the process of saving a third – and then had crossed without further major incident. The weeks since had been plagued with small misfortunes, bringing the more superstitious men to the logical conclusion of the Legion being cursed for losing the Eagle. A few of these men had gained a decent following after Verus's wound had become infected, and Marcus spoke quietly that there was a large divide within Minerva's 1st now that none of the healers were able to cure the First File.
The encampment set quickly as twilight deepened to darkness. Alex was surprised to see the Auxiliary and civilians were included inside the fortifications, but Marcus shrugged and explained Verus had commanded them inside. After waiting a few more minutes to ensure the century was settling into their nightly routine, Ixillius told Alex to collect her kit and horses.
"The mare belongs to the man in the 10th," Alex told him, confused to why he would use the plural for her ownership.
"Didn't you hear the men when we got back?" Ixillius looked at her strangely.
"No," she answered, shrugging.
"The mare is yours, now," Ixillius said, trying to be quiet with his reply and still seeing people listening when he glanced around. "The man who owned her has been dead these past years, and the mare wouldn't take another rider."
"But—" Alex started, her gaze beginning to shift to the direction Brasus had gone.
"The mare is yours, Lady," Ixillius interrupted. He stressed her title more than was needed, as he'd done on the road while they were catching up when he wanted her to shut up and couldn't say why due to whatever company they were near.
Alex lifted her kit to her shoulder and called Max over. As the walnut mare had done since leaving the village, she shadowed beside Big Man and matched her pace to the brute. Marcus and Ixillius both escorted Alex and the warhorses to Verus's tent, neither saying anything else about the mare. Marcus led Alex to a small pen set up beside the Training Ground, a few of the dedicated students already working through drills. The practicing men stopped, startled by the return of Alex, Max and the mare. She nodded to them once the horses were settled, the standard gesture exchanged between men and not bothering to pretend she was anything less anymore by playing at the ladylike bob-bows, and then ordered them back to practicing.
There was a commotion inside Verus's tent as soon as she spoke, and Alex grinned at the level of irritation she could hear in the First File's voice. She knew from Marcus to expect the worst, but Verus looked better than expected and was standing when she shoved aside the tent flap and walked in without invitation. He limped badly and the tent smelled of the infection and resulting sickness, but the healers and their helpers winced when he slapped them out of his way. Alex didn't bother with words or formalities, she just strode into his waiting arms.
Ixillius kept tight control over his expression. He'd never seen Verus look this bad, and the smell of the infection permeated the entire tent. The healers each wore the same veiled look, their helpers simply staring at the ground. Without breaking his hold around Alex, Verus clasped hands with Ixillius. The First File's grip was strong, but his skin bore the heat and sweat the infection brought.
"You've all returned, then?" Verus asked, noting that Brasus wasn't with them.
"All those loyal," Ixillius answered. Verus noted the wording and didn't bother to press for more information while his tent was so full of listening ears.
"Clear the tent, Lucilius," Verus ordered. A couple of the healers attempted to argue, having apparently just been in the middle of a treatment, and Marcus ushered those men out with respectful apologies.
"Sit, big brother," Alex said, gently pushing at Verus's chest to try and send him back to where he'd been sitting for the healers.
"I will not," he argued. "I dream of you, and you vanish whenever I let you go."
Ixillius retrieved a stool to set behind Verus.
"Enough of dreams. You are awake. Sit," Alex commanded, prying his arms loose from around her. Verus sank to the stool, careful to avoid moving his bad leg more than was absolutely necessary.
"Not even one minute has passed and already my command is undermined," Verus complained, his irritated tone opposed by the grateful smile he aimed at his friends.
Ixillius began quietly reporting the events of the past month as soon as Marcus stepped outside and closed the tent flap. Alex didn't listen – she already knew the story – instead she scanned over the table, the top of which was full of homemade remedies. Most just smelled like common spices, and a few seemed to be brews of things mixed with strong wine. At least everything was clean so she could be fairly confident that there was only the infection from the flood water to deal with.
"You are a healer now, dear one?" Verus asked, Ixillius having finished his quick narrative.
"Maybe," Alex replied honestly. "I must see the leg."
Ignoring that Ixillius was watching her with the same look on his face he'd had when she'd fed the half-tame owl and again when she'd traded the coin with the little girl, Alex knelt beside Verus as the First File pulled his toga and tunic clear of the clean bandage that wrapped his leg at mid-thigh. An angry red line stained the skin, appearing from under the bandage and running down toward his knee. She made sure to be careful removing the bandage and was relieved to see that although the infection was ugly, there weren't any lines starting to travel toward his hip yet. If she could get the whole thing cleaned out, and kept clean, that might do the trick without needing antibiotics.
"What say you, healer?" Verus asked, voice mocking and eyes worried.
"I need new soap, never to have use, and two pitchers of water, the water boiled for twenty minutes and still hot. A purse filled with salt. The sticky, from bees, golden, would help. Ixillius?" she turned to look up at her husband. "The man in the 6th and 4th with the bad drink, not wine, I need all he has. And I must wash," she added, taking off and leaving her cloak by the table. She walked over to the wash basin that was already set up. Just soap and water wouldn't be enough, but she could rinse with the alcohol.
"Do you know what you're doing, Alex?" Ixillius asked quietly, stepping close to her and keeping his voice to a whisper.
"When I teach people to live outside, sometimes people get hurt. Sometimes I get hurt," she tried to explain, also whispering. "I would go to a very good healer," she added, starting to scrub her hands and wrists. "I learned some small healing."
"The First File's infection is small healing?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
"No." Alex looked up at him, all the uncertainty she was feeling clear on her face. "But I can clean out the wound, and pray the infection will clean out also."
Ixillius studied her as she turned back to washing. The way she did was methodical, more detailed around her fingernails and the creases in her hands. He hadn't seen anyone clean like that before. The things he knew of her worried at him, tipping his thoughts into further distrust as he learned yet more new information that could've easily been disclosed but had been hidden, like much of the things he'd learned of her this past month. She was too focused on her task to see the uneasy look flit over his features as he turned to leave and get the alcohol as she'd requested.
"Before you go," Verus called out, stopping Ixillius. "I expect from that list, dear one, that whatever you're planning will hurt quite a large amount?" he asked. Alex only sighed and nodded 'yes' in response, wishing she could say something else. Verus nodded once, accepting her silent statement.
"Marcus!" he called.
"Sir?" Marcus responded, stepping immediately back into the tent.
"You are to personally find and inform Quintus Abelardus to report immediately to Ixillius," Verus commanded.
"Sir?" Marcus asked, frowning over his shoulder in confusion as Quintus stepped into the tent behind him.
"I am not fond of intense pain," Verus explained, sweat beading on his face as the fever rose again. "Ensure the order is relayed to all Front Files and Centurions, Uncle, to report to Ixillius."
"No," Ixillius whispered, realization dawning for him quicker than anyone else in the tent.
"Congratulations on your promotion, First File," Verus grinned. His eyes rolled back and he slumped, Alex and Ixillius leaping to catch him before he fell to the ground.
END BOOK 2