Page 124 of Axios

My heart swelled at the thought.

“Do you wish for another son or a daughter?” Eryx asked him, bumping against me as we walked.

I smiled at his playful behavior and bumped him in return.

“It matters not,” Haden answered after we moved several more paces down the dirt path. “I only pray that the gods bestow health on the babe and that they protect my wife and give her strength during the birth.”

The wind was not blowing much that day, and the stagnant air only enhanced the sun’s heat. We had not been outside for more than a few moments before I started to perspire, and I rubbed at the back of my neck, feeling sticky with sweat and craving a swim in the river.

On our way to Haden and Leanna’s home, we passed the small arena where Leonidas was in the midst of training.

He was a youth of ten, but the largeness of his frame, compared to the other boys, made him appear older. As he hit them, he grinned as if it were just a game to him. One he had no trouble winning. His raven black hair had lightened a shade as he’d grown older, and he resembled Haden to such an extent it was shocking.

“Look at my boy,” Haden said, watching his son with a father’s pride and leaning against the wooden fence. “My own father never came to see me train. He considered me the state’s responsibility once I had left home, and that is why he no longer cared about my well-being. His duty to me was finished. I swore to myself that if I ever had a son, I would not treat him that way. That I would support him and be there for him in all situations.”

Leo tackled his opponent and pinned him in the dirt.

The boy struggled under him, trying to writhe free from his hold, to no avail.

“Okay, enough,” Nikias said, nodding to Leo. “Excellent work.” Then he turned to the boys watching from a short distance away. “Did you see how he caught Marcus off guard? You must never allow yourselves to be distracted. In battle, the army is only as good as its weakest soldier.”

Unless the formation breaks and each man is on his own.But I did not say it aloud.

Theagogehad taught us many things, but nothing had quite prepared me for the breaking of the phalanx and the chaos that had then ensued.

Eryx and I had started new teaching techniques for our own group of youths so that they’d be more familiar with hand-to-hand combat and more adept in thinking quickly in dire situations. Perhaps by the time they were men and sent to fight, they would know more than I had before my first war.

Sweat trickled from the top of my hair, and I wiped it away with a huff. Even with a bare chest and hardly anything covering my nakedness, I was still victim to the unrelenting heat.

“I know a way to cool off,” Eryx spoke, nudging my arm and waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Is that so?” I played along, adoring the carefree attitude he carried that day. “By the wicked grin upon your face, I am almost afraid to ask.”

He grabbed my arm and took off running with me, away from the field and toward the meadow. I nearly tripped at the sudden jolt, and he laughed.

Haden called after us, but then he dismissed us with a flick of his hand and turned back to watch his son.

The answer became clear as we came to the barrier of trees and kept running, jumping over fallen limbs and raised roots. Branches reached out and slapped against me as I sped past them and streaks of sunlight shone through small gaps between them up above. The shade provided a nice reprieve from the heat of the day.

Eryx quickened his pace and gained the advantage over me, running ahead just out of arm’s reach.

We darted through the trees before coming to the wall of bushes that led to our stream. After finding our entrance spot, we hurried through the rest of the shrubs before leaving the enclosure of woods and finding ourselves on the soft grass beside the water.

I went to the edge of land and immediately sat on the bank, sticking my feet into the cool water.

“That will not cool you off nearly as much as this will.”

Not catching his meaning, I looked back at him. “What do y—”

He shoved against my shoulder and pushed me into the stream.

Right as the cold water engulfed my form, I thrashed around and got to my feet. It was not that deep—only hitting me at my waist—but it was deep enough to aid in cooling my overheated body.

I shivered as the cool droplets trickled from my soaked hair and fell down my chest.

Eryx cocked his head and observed me with a scrutinizing expression.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you pleased with yourself?”