“Well he didn’t. You still owe me five silvers,” Harricus spit out.

  “That’s good,” the rider stated as he walked to the innkeeper. “It means my tab is still open.”

  The rider towered over the innkeeper. He had to bend down to embrace Harricus.

  “Don’t touch me,” Harricus ordered as he quickly hugged the rider before pushing him back. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Your message sounded urgent,” the rider replied. “Why don’t you tell me about it over a mug of wine?”

  Erebus dropped his hand from the bridle and turned his back to the stallion. As Harricus led the rider into the inn, the warhorse docilely followed Erebus towards the stables. The scene was reminiscent of two relatives returning home for a visit.

  “And who are you?” the rider asked as he peered over the mug of wine.

  “Lance Corporal Alerio Sisera, gladius instructor. Formerly of the eastern Legion,” Alerio replied. “In transit to the southern Legion, sir.”

  Alerio finished reporting and slammed a fist into his left chest.

  “Colonel Nigellus of the Central Legion,” the rider responded. He looked from the Lance Corporal to the innkeeper before adding. “All day long, I put up with poppycock politicians, Priests with body odor, crowds of drunks, and foreigners who make my skin crawl. So why am I here? Other than to enjoy this delicious wine?”

  He was taller and almost as heavily muscled as the younger Legionary. There was a briskness to his movements and his manner of speech correlated to his position as third in command of a Legion. At no time in Alerio’s short military career had he been this close to a command level senior Officer. Now he stood drinking excellent vino in the great room of an inn in the Capital City with a Colonel. After the short introduction, Alerio stood holding his mug while standing at the position of attention.

  “Colonel Nigellus, do you remember the time General Florus stopped by for a drink?” Harricus asked.

  “I was a newly commissioned Centurion. After buying my armor, I was embarrassingly short of coin,” Nigellus replied. “I was drinking on a tab and in walks the General. I remember as if it were yesterday. You sent a mug of your finest wine to General Florus with my compliments. Then, you introduced me to him.”

  “And how did the General respond to a new, untested Centurion?” prodded Harricus.

  “He was gracious. And while I stammered, he guided the conversation making me feel relaxed,” Nigellus replied. Slowly, he looked at Alerio who stood stiffly holding an almost full mug of wine. With a smile spreading across his sun creased face, the Colonel said, “Lance Corporal Sisera, stand at ease. The southern Legion you say? I served there. It’s a fine posting. Take some time to learn boat handling and mooring. It’ll serve you well in the future. Now that we’re all friends Thomasious Harricus, can we get to the purpose of this gathering?”

  “As you know, Legion units have been temporarily banned from the Capital,” Harricus explained. “What you may not know is three squads of northern barbarians have been sanctioned by the City Guard.”

  “That’s impossible,” the Colonel responded. “The Guard is technically part of the Central Legion except they’re under the direct control of the Senate. Only citizens are allowed to join the Legion.”

  “Oh it gets more improbable,” Harricus exclaimed. “A barbarian Prince has been commissioned as a Tribune in the Guard by Senator Ventus. The same barbarian met with a fellow tribesman on the Qart Hadasht launch while the Senator was showing our city to the Ambassador.”

  “You speak of high treason, innkeeper,” Nigellus warned sternly.

  “That’s what Lance Corporal Sisera keeps telling me,” replied Harricus. “Nevertheless, it’s true. Tomorrow, while the festival is going on, the Senate is meeting to discuss a treaty with Qart Hadasht.”

  “But Consuls Regulus and Libo are in the field with their Legions,” Nigellus said in shock. “The Senate will never pass a treaty without the Consuls.”

  “They can if Senator Ventus is voted in as an interim Consul,” Harricus offered. “With the City Guard and the barbarian squads backing him, the Senate will do anything he asks.”

  The sound of a horse moving fast on the street in front of the inn reached them. It stopped and footsteps on the front risers echoed from the stomp of riding boots as someone pounded up the stairs. Nigellus, Sisera and Harricus turned as a dusty Legion courier burst through front door.

  “Colonel Nigellus. A missive from the General,” the Legionary stated as he crossed the room while digging into a shoulder bag. “He said to wait for your reply.”

  Nigellus took the parchment, unfolded it, and studied the words.

  “Harricus, I need writing implements,” Nigellus said.

  “In the alcove behind the counter,” the innkeeper replied. “You know where it is.”

  But Harricus was speaking to the Colonel’s back. Nigellus was already vaulting the marble counter.

  In the time it took Alerio to drink down his mug of wine, Nigellus with an arm extended, handed the courier a reply over the counter.

  “Stop at the Legion Cavalry tents on the Festival grounds,” the Colonel ordered. “I want you to have an escort on the way back to the General.”

  “Yes, sir,” the courier replied as he shoved the parchment into his bag. “Is there anything else Colonel?”

  “No. Away with you,” Nigellus ordered before pointing at Alerio. “Lance Corporal Sisera. I have a mission for you.”

  “Yes, sir, I’m at your disposal,” Alerio replied while snapping to attention.

  “I want two squads of Legionnaires in the City before sunrise,” Nigellus spoke rapidly as if thinking out loud. “I’ll write you a note. Find a Sergeant and...”

  “I know Corporal Gratian of the Western Transfer Post,” Alerio volunteered. “He’s at the Festival.”

  “Alright. Locate Gratian and have him trickle in two squads,” Nigellus ordered while handing over a second parchment. “Here’s my authorization. Harricus can you hide them here?”

  “Of course but the City Guard will never let armored Legionaries in, even if they come through the gate one or two at a time,” the innkeeper suggested. “We’ll need Tomas Kellerian to armor them.”

  “I know Kellerian. He’s a patriot and was once a fierce Legion Centurion,” Nigellus said relaxing for a second as he remembered a different time. “He was one of my instructors when I joined. I believe I still have bruises from his gladius training lectures.”

  “What did the General say?” asked Harricus. “If it’s not a secret.”

  “Tribes along our western and northern frontiers are gathering,” Nigellus reported. “And reports from the east state the Rebels are increasing their attacks. It’s as if they were coordinating their movements.”

  “Or someone, or some Empire is orchestrating an attack on the Republic,” suggested Harricus. “An Empire like Qart Hadasht?”

  “Sisera. Tell Gratian, I want four squads in the City,” Nigellus ordered after weighting the new information. “I’m speaking to the Senate before the session starts and I want Legionaries at my back.”

  “Yes, sir. By your leave Colonel?” Alerio asked.

  “Yes, go and get my Legionaries, Lance Corporal,” Nigellus replied. Turning to Harricus, he said, “Tell me more, Clay Ear, about what’s going on in the Capital.”

  As Alerio pushed through the double doors, the innkeeper began explaining everything he knew about the murders of Senators Faunus and Ferox. And, Senator Ventus’ entanglement with the Fireguard Brigade gang.

  In his room, Alerio stripped off the green military tunic. Before slipping into the gray ill-fitting tunic, he coiled the silk scarf around his waist and hips to protect his wound. Once dressed, he pulled on the duel rig and topped the outfit off with the dark cloak.

  Chapter 35 - The Festival by Night

  The sacrificial bull plus other delicious roasting meats were slowly turning over low fires. In the morning, almost the entire city of nearly one hundred thousand would pour from the confines of the walls and join in the Festival of Janus. They expected to eat, drink, and celebrate the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, doorways, passages, and endings. It would turn ugly fast if there wasn’t enough sacrificial meat for everyone to enjoy the feast.

  While the bulk of citizens would come tomorrow, the festival grounds were far from deserted. Performers, vendors, competitors, and attendees who had traveled to the event were camped around the fringes. On the far end, the Legionaries assigned to the festival had pitched their tents.

  “Halt,” challenged the Legionary on guard duty. “This is a restricted area citizen.”

  “I am Lance Corporal Alerio Sisera. Get me the Sergeant of the Guard and Corporal Gratian,” Alerio stated. “I have a message from Colonel Nigellus.”

  The Legion had been fighting to protect or expand the Republic for over two hundred years. From one end of the Republic to the other, only military discipline had allowed them to win battles or come back stronger than before after a defeat.

  Even in a temporary camp where the duty was watching citizens celebrate, the Legion’s ethos was strong. At the mention of their Colonel, they responded with the night’s full guard command.

  The Sergeant of the Guard, the Corporal of the Guard, and the Duty Centurion plus a four-man quick response team in full armor arrived shortly after the guard’s shout.

  “Name and unit,” demanded the SOG.

  “Lance Corporal Sisera. Formerly of the eastern Legion,” Alerio replied while holding out the note. “I’m in transit to the southern Legion. This message is from Colonel Nigellus.”

  “Can anybody vouch for him?” asked the Corporal of the Guard as he took the message and handed it to the Sergeant. Then he ordered, “Take off the cloak.”

  The Sergeant and the Centurion were huddled under a brazier studying the note by the flickering light. They looked up at Alerio as the cloak fell away.

  “What’s that on your back?” asked the SOG.

  “A duel gladius rig, Sergeant,” explained Alerio and added to prevent a lesson in left handed swordsmanship. “I’m a weapons instructor. The second gladius is for my students.”

  “That’s not Legion regulations,” the Corporal said leaning around to eye the rig. “Looks like civilian junk or maybe barbarian gear.”

  “Colonel Nigellus needs four squads in the city by morning,” explained Alerio, “He sent me to...”

  “Shut up. I’ll let you know when to speak,” the Sergeant ordered. “All we have is a note saying a Lance Corporal Sisera speaks with my authority. Signed by someone as Colonel Nigellus. Now I don’t know who might want us to run afoul of the City Guard. Or go against Senatorial orders but I’m not about too without some kind of confirmation.”

  Alerio stood helpless under the stern gazes of the seven Legionaries and their Officer. It was a standoff with no solution until a voice called out from between the tents.

  “Recruit Sisera. Are you causing trouble, again?” called out Corporal Gratian.

  He marched into the light of the guard post and right up to Alerio. A hard slap to Alerio’s right shoulder rocked him.

  “This is Recruit Sisera. The man who defeated Daedalus in our games last year,” Gratian explained.

  “You vouch for this man?” asked the Centurion

  “Yes, sir. Sisera’s one of my favorite kind of farmer,” Gratian announced.

  “What kind is that, Corporal Gratian?” asked the Officer.

  “One who can fight, sir,” Gratian replied. “One who can fight.”

  The Officer waved the parchment from Nigellus in the air.

  “Gratian you’re lead NCO on this,” the Centurion ordered. “Get the Colonel what he needs. I don’t care what it takes. I’ll okay it with your Centurion and we’ll back you. Now people, don’t we have guard patrols to perform?”

  As the guard command broke up and dispersed in every direction, Gratian took Alerio’s elbow and guided him back towards the Corporal’s Century.

  “It’s not Recruit anymore,” Alerio explained as they walked. “I’m a Lance Corporal and a gladius instructor.”

  “Well look at you,” Gratian teased. “The eastern Legion must be desperate for NCOs.”

  “It had more to do with the Raider Century I was assigned to,” Alerio began to explain as they reached an intersection between six tents.

  “What does the Colonel need?” asked Gratian.

  “The Colonel is speaking at the Senate tomorrow. He’s afraid the City Guard may try to prevent him from getting there. So he wants four squads of heavy infantry in the city before morning,” Alerio replied. “I don’t think the City Guard will allow you to just march in.”

  Gratian cocked his head and looked askew at Alerio. “With the Raiders were you?” the Corporal asked before turning away and speaking loudly. “Century on the street for orders. Now people.”

  Two heartbeats later shouting from the squads’ Lance Corporals had everyone in the tents moving. By the time Alerio counted to fifteen, sixty Legionaries were standing in the road.

  “First, Second, Fourth and Fifth, get dressed in your war gear,” the Corporal ordered, “Third and Sixth, you’re support. Round up opes, ladders, and breaching gear. Squad leaders on me.”

  As the Legionaries went to collect their equipment, six Lance Corporals converged on Gratian. From the shadows, a Sergeant appeared but only waved a go ahead.

  “What’s up, Corporal?” one asked.

  “We’re going to sneak forty heavy infantrymen into the Capital,” Gratian said with a smile. “Right under the City Guards’ noses.”

  “We could march through them,” one suggested. “I can’t see the Guard stopping us.”

  “No. Colonel Nigellus wants backup not fighting in the streets,” Alerio said. “He’s speaking at the Senate tomorrow and wants his Legion around him.”

  “He’ll have it,” another vowed.

  Gratian huddled the squad leaders together and began issuing specific instructions. After the last Lance Corporal rushed off to organize his squad, the Sergeant wandered over.

  “Anything I can do?” he asked.

  “I could use a diversion at the east gate,” Gratian said. “A small riot of drunken Legionaries should do it. Any orders Sergeant?”

  “You’ll have your riot,” promised the Sergeant. “Get to the Colonel and protect him. That’s all the Centurions said.”

  The Sergeant left to collect men from other Centuries for the riot and Alerio turned to the Corporal.

  “How are you going to sneak four squads and their gear into the city?” he asked Gratian.

  “We’re going to walk in, Lance Corporal Sisera,” Gratian replied. “Now here’s what I need you to do.”

  Chapter 36 - Securing Transportation

  The eastern gate was normally slow late in the evenings. Although a few wagons left each night while farmers delivering food to the Capital arrived, the traffic only required a couple of guardsmen. With the Festival entering a full day of competition in the morning, wagons, riders, carts and individuals on foot exited the City or waited in a long line to enter.

  Alerio waited, shuffled forward, and waited again as six City Guardsmen searched every vehicle. After being inspected, a Corporal collected a tax, and passed them through the gate. Five wagons, two carts and six walkers later, Alerio stepped up.

  “Reason for entering the city?” asked a guardsman.

  “I am staying at the Chronicles Humanum Inn,” answered Alerio. “Just heading back for a mug and my bed.”

  The guardsmen studied his face in the torch and lantern light. Alerio feared the Guard was on the watch for him and he was prepared to lie if the guardsman asked for a name. Thankfully, there was no further questioning; the guardsman simply waved him through the gate.

  Alerio waited until he was a block from the gate before picking up his pace. Six blocks later, he turned left and maintained the speed for another three blocks. He actually didn’t slow down. His forward momentum ended when he collided with the thick wooden door with the iron bands.

  “Master Kellerian,” he announced as he rapped the knocker on the door. “I must speak with you immediately.”

  An iron strip slide back and Tomas mumbled, “When I was young, like you, I didn’t sleep at night either. But now that I’m older and wiser, I value my rest. Come back in the morning.”

  The iron strip slid closed. Alerio stepped back and looked at the façade of the Historia Fae. There was no way to climb in so he marched back to the door and knocked again.

  The strip slid back and the armorer warned, “Every time that knocker beats on my door, the cost of your armor goes up by five, no make that seven coppers. Go away.”

  “Centurion Kellerian. I have orders from Colonel Nigellus,” Alerio said quickly before the iron slide could close.

  “Nobody has called me that for twenty years,” Tomas stated. “It reminds me. Reminds me of sleeping in the mud, bleeding barbarians, and eating corn mush and dried goatskin. I still have that taste in my mouth.”

  The slid closed and the noise of locking bars being removed followed. When the door opened, Tomas stepped out and looked down at Alerio.

  “And what can this retired Legionary do for the Colonel?” he demanded.

  “He’s sneaking in four squads of heavy infantry,” Alerio began. Tomas grabbed his arm and jerked him across the threshold.

  “Not on the street,” the armorer scolded. He closed and secured the door then shoved Alerio into the shop. “The Guard has ears everywhere. Now, why does the Colonel need forty Legionaries?”

  “He’s speaking to the Senate before they go into session tomorrow,” Alerio reported. “And he doesn’t trust that the City Guard will allow him passage to the Capital building.”

  “Why would the Guard prevent a Colonel of the Legion from speaking to the Senate?” inquired Tomas while shaking his head in puzzlement.

  “Senator Ventus is going to ask the Senate to promote him to interim Consul. Then he wants to make a treaty with Qart Hadasht’s Ambassador,” Alerio replied. He was filling in details and lumping everything into a narrative to entice the armorer to help. He concluded with, “And the Tribes are gathering on our borders and Colonel Nigellus suspects they’re being supported by Qart Hadasht. So, he has to get to the Capital building and warn the Senate. He fears Senator Ventus may use the Guard to stop him.”