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  "So I gather you think we should all get up and greet the morning, eh, Marcus?" He grumbled.

  "It was Daria's idea," Marcus said, "but I thought it sounded just fine." Daria beamed a bright smile at Marcus.

  "Well, next time - " William was interrupted by a heavy-handed thudding at the door. Glancing around the room nervously, he ushered Daria and Talia into the bedroom, then cautiously opened the door. Marcus slipped his dagger into the back of his belt as the door swung open to reveal half a dozen towering, unwashed Sicambrii men. The smell of whiskey radiated from them, wafting into the room along with an unpleasant combination of dirt and body odour. "Is there something I can do for you," William asked, "or are you just standing there for fun?"

  "Tax collection," the leader of the Sicambrii group growled.

  "That can't be," William said. "I paid my taxes yesterday. There is nothing more to give."

  "You didn't pay us," the leader said with a vicious smile, baring his blackened half-rotted teeth to William.

  "Look," William said, "let's discuss this outside." The Sicambrii obligingly stepped aside, letting William step out into the yard. Marcus followed close behind, gesturing for Dahmus and Alexandra to stay put. Marcus followed William into the center of the home's front yard. His stomach sank as he realized the inevitability of the violence that was to come; the Sicambrii circled Marcus and William, grinning widely and viciously.

  "You pay now," the leader said, his spirit of cooperation apparently exhausted.

  "I've told you," William said, "I have nothing more to pay. Another squad of you goons was here just yesterday. They took my last copper piece."

  The Sicambrii grunted amongst themselves in their native tongue, until the leader burst out laughing. Turning to face William again, the leader grinned. "My men say if you do not pay, we should take payment...you have a pretty wife. A few hours with her..."

  "Never mention the name of my wife again," William said, turning red with rage. Suddenly, Daria skipped out of the front door of the house, skidding to a stop in front of the Sicambrii leader. With a sweet smile she held a small green apple up to the Sicambrii leader as a wordless offering. The Sicambrii leader's grin widened as he stared down at Daria. William lunged forward, trying to grab his daughter and pull her back, but he was too late. The hulking Sicambrii's hand shot out from his side, his dirt-stained fingers closing around Daria's tiny neck. With no more effort than it had taken Daria to lift up the apple, the Sicambrii hoisted Daria into the air with one arm.

  "Maybe you can find some money now," he said, his grin widening even further.

  "Please, let my daughter go," William pleaded, his voice rapidly changing from hostile to terrified. "She has nothing to do with this, and nothing to do with you. Do not hurt her."

  "Give us our money, and we'll leave her alone," the Sicambrii replied.

  "Please, there is no money to give," William's begging became more urgent as he watched his daughter struggle against the Sicambrii leader's iron grip, her pale face reddening with every passing second.

  "Let the girl go," Marcus said, "and we'll give you the money you want. We have some, and we will cover his taxes. Just let the girl go."

  "Silence!" The Sicambrii roared. "We will get to you in a minute. You didn't think we were going to overlook taxing you, too?"

  "Let her go," Marcus said, "and I promise you that you will get everything you deserve. All that and more."

  "I'm bored now," the Sicambrii leader said. "The money now, farmer, or your daughter dies."

  "I've told you! There is no money! I'll...I'll get some, though. You just need to give me a few days," William pleaded desperately.

  "Money is needed now. No money," the Sicambrii said, "no girl." With a single swift motion the Sicambrii leader whipped Daria to the side, snapping her neck with a sickening crunch. An inhuman grin decorated the Sicambrii leader's face as he dropped Daria's lifeless body to the ground.

  The grin did not last long, however. Marcus was already in motion, drawing the dagger from the back of his belt and hurling it at the Sicambrii leader. The jewelled blade flashed and sparkled as it flew through the air, burying itself deep in the man's throat. A gurgle was the only noise that the man could make before he fell to the ground beside Daria, blood pooling around the hole in his throat. Still in motion, Marcus rushed forward and plucked the dagger from the Sicambrii's throat. The rubies embedded in the dagger's pommel glowed with an inner fire which shone brightly through the splatters of blood which still dripped down the hilt. The blade seemed to move of its own volition, pulling Marcus with it as he dodged to the left and slashed downward, piercing the dagger through the ribcage of the next barbarian's chest and rending his heart apart. William wasted no time either; he sidestepped to his right, yanking the wood-chopping axe from the chopping block and rushing straight at the third Sicambrii, screaming viciously. Marcus' vision blurred as he withdrew the dagger from the Sicambrii's chest; the pommel rubies glowed even more brightly now, and the sensation of being guided by the dagger increased tenfold. Ducking and weaving, he slashed out over and over again, feeling the dagger slice into the flesh of the next two barbarians as he dodged blows from their warhammers. William hacked away at the corpse of the Sicambrii that he had killed, every blow further fueling the rage which drove him. He was so engrossed in utterly destroying the Sicambrii's body that he nearly did not see the hammer hurtling towards his head. Reacting just in time, he dropped to his knees and let the hammer whistle over his head. He heard a sickening splattering sound as he rose, but he paid it no heed. His axe swung upward and buried itself in the chest of the final Sicambrii. The axe tumbled from his fingers, and he stumbled over to where his daughter lay.

  William dropped to the ground, picking up Daria's body and cradling it in his arms. Tears streaked down his face, and his body was wracked with sobs. He looked up at Marcus, desperate to see some sort of support; however, Marcus' attention was not focussed on William, but rather several feet behind William. His expression was one of sheer horror. Afraid to see what Marcus was seeing, William nevertheless slowly turned around to look at the point where Marcus' gaze was fixed. William's heart skipped a beat; he yelped in despair as he beheld the sight of his wife laying in a crumpled heap on the ground. Her neck was twisted back at an unnatural angle, and the impression left behind by a Sicambrii warhammer was visible from several feet away. Alexandra stood at the cottage's doorway, her face drained of all colour.

  "She...she chased after Daria," Alexandra whispered. "We tried to stop her, but she was too quick...by the time we saw her move, she was halfway out the door..."

  With an sobbing scream, William charged at Alexandra. Marcus stepped forward quickly and pulled William back. "It wasn't her fault, William," he said. "The Sicambrii did this. This is what we are fighting, old friend...this sort of barbarity is inhuman."

  "My wife," William sobbed, collapsing onto the ground again. He pounded his fist into the ground. "My daughter! They did nothing to deserve this! We wanted nothing more than to live in peace...nothing more than that."

  "I am sorry," Marcus said. "These atrocities...they are horrid. I lost my wife in the same way. They came into the city, and she never stood a chance."

  "They will pay for this," William growled, the grief in his eyes transforming to rabid hatred. "Every last one of those godless bastards will pay the price for what has transpired today. Last night you offered to have me join you. Does that offer still stand?"

  "Of course it does," Marcus said. "But I will not ask you to decide just yet. You need to grieve for your family, William. You will be no good to either us or their memory if you act without considering the consequences of your actions. That is a lesson which I know all too well."

  "I will grieve," William said, slowly rising to his feet and staring Marcus in the eyes. The unmitigated rage and hatred which dwelt in William's eyes was enough to make even Marcus' blood run cold. "In my own time, I will grieve. That time is not now; now is the ti
me for vengeance. My family will be watching us from the gloried Elysium fields, and I will not let them down. We shall bury Daria and Talia, and then we shall continue on with your mission."

  ***

  True to his word, William did not allow his grief to interfere with Marcus' mission. After spending the afternoon burying his wife and daughter while Alexandra conducted burial rites, he joined Marcus and Alexandra in the seat of their cart to journey onward. He spent most of the following days staring into space as the cart slowly wound its way down the narrow stretch of road west. When they stopped to camp in the evenings, he would wander away from the others to grieve in solitude, but he never once burdened his companions with his pain. Four days and nights were spent this way: Marcus and Alexandra quietly appreciating their rapidly deepening feelings for each other, William trying to deal with his grief, and Dahmus spending every permissible moment extolling his wonder at the glory of Marcus' battle skills. Finally, on the fifth day after they had left William's home, a village was spotted in the distance.

  "William," Marcus asked, "do you know the name of this town?"

  "Unless I'm mistaken, this is Alealnar. It's only a small settlement, but it should serve our needs well - it is populated wholly by Romans, and the last time I spoke to somebody who lives there, they were all said to be loyal to the former governor; they chafe and suffer under the reign of the Sicambrii as much as anyone in the province. I suspect we should find little difficulty in recruiting soldiers here."

  Marcus nodded, staring solemnly at the small community laid out in the distance before them. It was still little more than a spot on the horizon, but plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the town.

  "Does this village," Marcus asked in a concerned tone, "have a blacksmith that you know of?"

  "Not to the best of my knowledge," William replied. "Why do you ask? I was under the impression that we were not arming the populace with swords, but rather with spears. A blacksmith should not be necessary for simple spears."

  "No, we don't need a blacksmith," Marcus said. "It's that smoke which concerns me. There are only two things that I know of which could produce smoke thick enough to be visible from this distance. If it's not a blacksmith, then it's -"

  "Fire," Dahmus whispered fearfully. "That's the smoke of a burning building."

  Marcus cried out to the horses, urging them on at full speed. Dahmus followed suit, digging his heels into his steed's flanks. The cart rumbled and shook under Marcus, Alexandra, and William as the horses surged forward, pulling it far faster than its makers had ever intended it to go. Even at such a speed, it took them nearly an hour to reach the village. The closer they got, the more clearly they could see the turbulent scene of the village. Several homes were ablaze, and horsed riders ran amok, chasing men and women between the buildings and through the streets. Handing the reigns over to William, Marcus reached behind the cart's seat and rummaged around urgently.

  "By the gods, what are you looking for?" William asked, desperately trying to control the horses and the bouncing cart.

  "This," Marcus said with a bloodthirsty grin as he pulled a bow and quiver out from behind the seat. Pulling the lid off the quiver, he drew several arrows and handed them to Alexandra. "As soon as I let one fly," he said, "give me another." Alexandra nodded, watching nervously as Marcus nocked the first arrow and pulled the string back. She quietly uttered an invocation to Mars as Marcus took aim at the closest rider - still two hundred feet away. He let the arrow loose from the bow, snatching another from Alexandra's hand and nocking it before the first arrow had even finished its flight. The arrow flew straight and true, and the targeted rider tumbled from his horse to the ground, pawing at the shaft buried in his shoulder. Marcus released the second arrow at the same man, and when this arrow struck the target ceased flailing completely and slumped down on the ground. The cart quickly bore down on the village, and with very little surprise, Marcus recognized the riders as Sicambrii warriors. Releasing three more arrows in quick succession, Marcus scored two more hits on another rider, knocking him to the ground. "Can you handle a bow?" Marcus asked William.

  "No," he shouted, still desperately trying to control the horses.

  "Then just stay with the cart and protect Alexandra," Marcus said, throwing the bow into the back of the cart. "Dahmus! Cover the perimiter! If any of these damnable barbarians escape my reach, kill them!" Nodding in acknowledgement, Dahmus pulled away from the cart, circling around the nearest buildings. Marcus pulled his sword from the sheath and crouched on the cart seat. As the cart pulled up beside another Sicambrii rider, Marcus leaped from the seat with a deafening war-cry. In a dazzling display of acrobatic skill, Marcus swung his sword in a downward stroke which literally split the rider in two as he landed on the horse's back. Shoving the still-bleeding lower half of the rider to the ground, Marcus swiftly regained control of the horse, pulling it to a stop in the middle of the village square. Raising his sword over his head, he cried out to the remaining Sicambrii riders. "Heathen cowards! Does the slaughter of innocents satisfy you? Do you have the courage to face a true warrior?" He bared his teeth in a dramatic pause. "Make peace with your heathen gods, for today - this very hour - is to be the end of your miserable lives!"

  His words had the desired effect. The remaining Sicambrii riders - three of them - pulled their horses into the village square, circling Marcus like vultures. His grin widened even further, twisting his blood-splattered face into a grotesque mockery of human expression.

  "Don't be shy," he said, seething hatred glittering in his eyes as he beheld the Sicambrii one at a time. "You won't get a chance to kill me if you stay so far away. You see this?" He held his blade out at arm's length, letting the sunshine glint off the exposed shaft of the weapon. Droplets of blood still fell to the ground from the blade. "That blood came from one of your friends - maybe even a relative. Do you not have the strength of character to avenge your fallen kin?" The Sicambrii continued to circle him, but did not move any closer. "That's what I thought," Marcus said in disgust. "What character you lack, I do not. Every one of you will die today. Now, fight!"

  Unable to restrain themselves further, two of the Sicambrii riders charged at Marcus. He readied his sword with his right hand, and reached behind his back, grasping his dagger but not drawing it until the riders were nearly upon him. With a single smooth motion he drew the dagger and plunged it into the first rider's neck, plunging his sword into the ribcage of the second rider at the same time. The force of the riders' inertia caused them to impale themselves on the weapons, and knocked Marcus to the ground. As he fell, he felt a burning pain in his right shoulder, followed by a jarring impact with the ground. His weapons slipped from his grip as Marcus rolled and collapsed into a heap. He staggered to his feet, dazed and disoriented, just in time to see the third rider charging at him. Shaking his head to clear his vision, Marcus leaped to the side, dodging the rider's axe swing. In the few seconds reprieve which were granted to him as the rider pulled around for a second charge, Marcus reached down to pick up his sword from the ground. His fingers would not close around the weapon, however, and a bolt of pain shot up through his right arm. Glancing down, he saw the worst - his shoulder was bleeding freely, staining his shirt a dark red. With no time to react to his injury, Marcus instead grasped the sword in his left hand, swinging upward instinctively as he felt the rider approach. The blade sunk into the horse's neck, causing the beast to topple forward, throwing the rider to the ground. Marcus lurched forward before the rider had the opportunity to stand, hacking downward at the prone form. His blade sunk into the rider's neck, cleaving his head cleanly off his body. Panting in exhausting, Marcus fell to the ground unceremoniously. With what seemed like supreme difficulty, he forced himself to a half-standing, half-crouching pose as his companions came rushing to his side.

  "Marcus! Your shoulder," Alexandra said, gently running her fingers over his wounded shoulder. "We need to get back to our cart. I need to clean and wrap this woun
d right away."

  "I'll survive for a few minutes," Marcus said, slowly steadying himself and regaining his balance. Dahmus stood nearby, ready to lunge forward and provide support if Marcus gave even the slightest hint of falling.

  "You didn't save any for me," William said, kicking the corpse of the beheaded Sicambrii in the ribs.

  "What would you have done," Marcus said with a shaky laugh, "throw yourself on their weapons? You are not armed, William, save for your staff - and that would hardly be a match for these fallen warriors. It would just bounce off their empty skulls."

  "That is a situation which is easily corrected," William said. He bent down and picked up an axe which had fallen from the grip of one of the now-deceased raiders. "It's not pretty," he said, turning the weapon over in his hands, "but it will do for now."

  "I'm glad to see you have your priorities straight," Marcus said. "But has it occured to you that perhaps you should check the homes," his voice rose to an angry shout, "which are burning down around us?" William stepped back in shock, unable to even stammer a reply. "Perhaps," Marcus continued, his voice dropping to a throaty growl, "you should do that now. Rescue any trapped citizens. Dahmus will give you a hand."

  "Marcus," Alexandra said as William and Dahmus dashed off to carry out Marcus' orders, "do you need to be so harsh? I know that you need to maintain a strict discipline, but you never told them that they had to check those homes. Why shout at them?"

  "I shouldn't have needed to tell them," Marcus snapped. "They have both served in the legions. They should know what to do instinctively."

  "They are not mind readers, Marcus," Alexandra said with a patient smile. "Come, let us get your wound taken care of."