Page 40 of Axios

If the blade were held tomythroat, I wouldn’t give into the weak emotion, but it being held to my Ery… it nearly crushed me.

When the slave’s eyes darkened and I saw the miniscule movement of his arm, I acted on impulse. Faster than I’d ever moved, I reared back my spear and sent it soaring through the air, trusting it would find its mark.

The pointed tip hit the helot in his left eye and traveled through the back of his head, sending him flying backward and pinning him to the tree. He twitched a moment before becoming still. Blood and juices leaked from the penetrated eye socket and a splatter of brain covered a spot on the bark.

The dagger had drawn a thin line across Eryx’s throat, but it didn’t look severe and wasn’t bleeding much. An irritating scratch if anything. He wiped a hand across the wound before meeting my gaze.

“You killed him with no hesitation,” he said in awe, his green eyes crinkling around the edges as he smiled in wonder.

I closed the distance between us and took him into my arms, burying my face into his golden hair. He was safe. My muscles relaxed and I exhaled a shaky breath, finding comfort in the warmth of his skin and his earthy scent.

“The only thing that matters to me in this life is you, Ery.” I kissed the side of his head and entwined my fingers in the short waves of his hair. “Gods, man, creature… I will kill them all if it means saving you.”

My gaze flickered to the dead slave, and I felt nothing. No remorse for what I’d done or pity for him. Unlike when I’d killed Darius all those years ago, I would not have nightmares over the helot’s death. He’d been an enemy and had threatened one of my own; therefore, he’d deserved what I gave to him.

It was then I knew how much I’d changed that day, a spiritual awakening so grand that it shook me to my core. Iwasa true warrior. Perhaps not in the way other Spartans were, but that did not make me any less of one.

Eryx pulled back to look upon me. “You’ve always had it in you, dearest friend. You only needed to be pushed for it to reveal itself.”

I stared into his eyes, unsure of his meaning. The encounter had been unforeseen, yet he seemed as if it had been part of some carefully crafted plan.

You only needed to be pushed.My confusion swiftly turned to understanding.

“You knew he was in the tree,” I spoke.

“Of course I did.” He nodded. “I smelt the urine drenching his bottoms from where he’d wet himself with fear long before he leapt from the branch.”

Gaping at him, anger flared within my chest. “He could have killed you! Why would you do such a thing?”

His foolishness could have resulted in me losing him forever. And for what purpose? To prove a point?

I wanted to lash out at him, to make him feel the same worry and pain he’d caused me for his actions. He was the very air I breathed and the water that sustained me. A life without him was a life not worth living.

“Be angry at me if you choose,” he said, displaying no shame for his harsh trick. “Still, it was the only way to reach you; to tear down the walls that kept you from your true self—fearless, strong, and fighting for what’s right. Your empathy for others caused you to forget your loyalty to your own people. I made you remember.”

He believed his actions to be vindicated, and perhaps, they were, but I could not see it as I stood before him. I only saw the blood seeping from his throat, only imagined what could have become of him had I not been quick with my spear.

One of the boys burst through the shrubs just then, his eyes alive with anticipation, and focused on us.

“Have you seen—” He noticed the slave’s lifeless body stuck to the tree. “Gods be dammed, you’ve caught him,” he growled, kicking at a weed sprouting from the earth like an insolent child.

“Axios’ aim struck true,” Eryx spoke, watching me with pride. “The glory is his.”

There was neither pride nor glory to be had in taking a life, so I did not succumb to the flattery. Yet, I did not regret it either.

I approached the helot and gripped my spear, pulling it free from his head. The wet, popping sound nearly succeeded in making me nauseous, but the feeling passed just as swiftly as it appeared. No longer held in place, his body crumbled to the ground and lay twisted at an odd angle in the dirt.

I squatted and grabbed a handful of his red hair.

“Gaius wanted his head, correct?” I asked, looking up at Eryx.

His eyes went wide a moment as if he was shocked at my statement, and he nodded.

The boy I’d held onto for so long was dead. He was slain when I’d impaled the slave, killing both with a perfectly aimed strike. I would not grieve the loss of my purity, one that was rare indeed, nor would I mourn for the boy who’d just wanted to be a simple merchant… sailing wherever the wind and waters carried him.

This is my life.

I grabbed the fallen dagger and tilted the helot’s head to expose his throat, wondering if the blade was sharp enough to decapitate him.