Page 92 of Axios

Amidst my ponderings, the slave caught me looking at him. He promptly averted his gaze, but not before I’d seen his eyes. Eyes that were the same shade of blue as the other slave’s had been.

“You must toss away any qualms about the slaves being equals and see them for what they are,”Eryx had once told me.

I had soon learned to do as he’d said, but as I walked on the cold-hardened path and observed a helot who could only be the brother of the slave Eryx had slain, I remembered the boy I used to be. Kind and considerate of all men. And I felt a wave of sadness crash over me as I realized how far I had strayed from that boy and how many helots I’d killed since then out of duty.

“What are you called?” I asked, not able to stop myself.

The helot looked back at me with widened eyes and his mouth went agape. “P-p-pyrrhus,” he stammered. “I am called Pyrrhus.”

It meant fire.

“That is a strong name,” I said, still observing him. He stood shorter than me, but was about the same height as Quill. Although he had stuttered his words and appeared timid, I saw a flash of boldness in his blue eyes, as if he was stronger than he had first presented. “Tell me… did you have a brother?”

Pyrrhus narrowed his brow. “Yes. He was called Theros. Spartans killed him when I was only seven.”

He had snarled upon saying the last words, showing his hatred for us. I could not blame him for that animosity.

Eryx looked toward the helot, and though it was brief, I noticed the sympathy on his face before he masked it. He said nothing.

“Why do you ask?” Pyrrhus then pressed, scrutinizing me. “You saiddid, as if you already knew of his fate.”

“I knew him for a short time,” I answered in a reflective tone, remembering the way Theros had shyly smiled at me that night at dinner. Such beauty gone from the world too soon. “You greatly resemble him. I am saddened by his loss. Though I did not know him well, I am certain he was a great boy and would’ve grown into an even greater man.”

My heart ached with the sincerity of my statement. There was also remorse behind the ache too, for I was the reason Theros had been killed.

“You are different from the others,” Pyrrhus spoke, his curious eyes searching my face. But for what, I did not know. “I wonder why that is.”

I did not get the chance to answer him, and I was unsure what I would’ve said even if I’d been given the opportunity.

The men ahead stopped marching up, and we were told to stop and make camp for the night.

Pyrrhus was ordered to accompany another group of helots. Their responsibility was unpacking the food and setting out the portions of it for us. By the time we were all fed and settled down for the night, the moment between he and I had passed and was all but forgotten.

“I worry over you,” Eryx whispered, touching my cheek. We had laid down, and he faced me, resting one of his arms under my head like a cushion. “Your mind has been even more distant as the days have passed.”

The fire lit the side of his face, and I stared at his beautiful features—his perfectly sloped nose and his full bottom lip, the high angle of his cheekbones.

“There is no need to worry,” I said, pressing my cheek against his hand. “I am here with you. Always.”

I did not tell him of how the story Nikias had told still troubled me. Every night that we had made camp, I heard his words repeat in my head.

There will come a time when you must make a choice. Eryx listens to you. If you ask it of him, he will obey.

I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of the crackling fire to clear my mind. Soft noises sounded as Eryx fell asleep. I tuned into the sounds, focusing on them instead of the thoughts in my head. Soon, my body felt weightless as my muscles relaxed and I drifted into sleep’s clutches.

As I fell into a deep slumber, I imagined a bright, blue sky. I stood below the sun and my skin prickled as the heat of it washed away the cold.

Eryx was at my side, and he smiled at me. His golden hair blew in the soft breeze, and the beauty of him had me looking upon him in awe.

“We’re home, Ax,” he said in an elated voice. A golden light surrounded him, almost blinding but soothing as well. “We’re home.”

I noticed our stream behind him. Serene and flowing through the land where it eventually met the Eurotas river.

This is not real.

We were traveling for war in winter. There was no warmth or birds soaring above us. I knew the paradise I saw was only a dream.

But then everything changed.