Page 132 of Axios

His eyes scanned our surroundings. “I’m not sure.” He looked highly agitated at not knowing. “Wherever we go, remember to stay by my side.”

I nodded.

The answer came a bit later when the orders were passed down. We were going to Creusis, a port city in Boeotia near Thespiae. They were not expecting us.

Reaching the harbor, the king commanded two divisions of men to storm the docks. They captured twelve triremes, killing any man who tried to stop them. Our unit had been able to fight some, but it seemed that just as we’d started, it had ended, and the port was ours.

The campaign was looking to be more successful than past ones, and hope formed again in my chest, even though I knew how dangerous such a thing as hope could be.

After the city was taken, the army was relieved of duty and told to rest for a while. We were going to move out again shortly, but the commanders needed to discuss further matters on which route to take from there. Since the triremes were ours, the king believed it to be a secure second option if the army needed a quick escape.

Escape.I scoffed at the thought.

Perhaps the Spartan arrogance that I’d once condemned was beginning to root in my mind with the amount of successes we’d had as of late. I recognized my supercilious thoughts and pushed them away.

A means of a safe retreat was not a thing to mock. It was smart. Spartans might believe ourselves invincible, but we were only men who bled like any other.

A large group of our soldiers boasted about searching for women in the newly taken city to bed.

“What if she doesn’t want your ugly prick anywhere near her?” one man asked as they stumbled past us.

“I never said she had to like it,” the other answered. “I’ll stick it in her anyway.”

I gritted my teeth, but said nothing. The behavior of them angered me. No person should ever be taken against their will. It was appalling.

“There is nothing you can do, my warrior,” Eryx said, grabbing my hand. Countless times he’d had to stop me from confronting men—when we were youths and I’d wanted to defend the helots, and then with our own soldiers. “Put it from your mind and come sit with me.”

Eryx and I found a spot on the shore and stared out over the sea. The gentle crashing of the waves was calming, and I inhaled the salty scent in the air.

A higher ranking officer passing by talked to the man beside him, and I caught some of his words.

“The army should be here soon. Last word received put them just outside of Phocis, and that was days ago.”

“Did one of our envoys tell them of our change of plans? That we are moving toward Leuctra next?”

“I believe so.”

I looked to Eryx, and we both visibly relaxed. It was only a matter of time before we saw Quill again. And that was all I cared for.

Chapter Thirty-Five

After leaving Creusis, we journeyed south-east and descended into a valley that touched the upper part of the Asopus river. The river lay between the cities of Plataea and Thebes, and was where a large battle was once fought between Greek allies and Persia.

Being in the location felt empowering, a place where so many men had lost their lives, but where Sparta and its allies had still prevailed.

Perhaps it was symbolic of the battles to come.

King Cleombrotus positioned us on a ridge overlooking the plain of Leuctra and ordered us to make camp for the night. It was there we reunited with the other army.

As the men approached, I scanned the vast amount of bodies for Quill. Hundreds of them swarmed in, and yet, I did not see him.

“Where is he, Ery?” I asked, even though Eryx would not know. None of us knew what had become of him. My heart dropped into my stomach as I continued to search the faces of the men who’d started removing their helmets and making camp alongside us. Faces that weren’t his. “He must be here.”

Then I heard it.

“Ax! Eryx!”

Quill ran up from the left and threw his arms around me. As we embraced, I noticed the changes in him. He was still the smaller bodied man I knew, but he had bigger biceps and stronger shoulders. His brown hair had grown to the middle of his ears and he had a few scars on his face.