Page 11 of Eryx

The guilt in his eyes shifted to fear when Gaius stomped toward us.

“You!” Gaius roared, snatching hold of Axios’ tunic and yanking him out into the open. He tossed my friend into the dirt. “You think to hide away like a coward?”

Coward. The word left a bitter taste in my mouth. Hearing Gaius say that to Axios made me clench my fists.

Axios cried out as Gaius kicked him in the stomach. My blood burned in my veins.No onewould put their hands on Axios in that way. Not when I was around. But as I stepped forward, Axios took me by surprise. He got to his feet, facing Gaius without an ounce of fear in his eyes.

A true Spartan, I thought.

Gaius snarled and grabbed hold of Axios again, rearing back his arm to hit him.

I sprung forward, placing myself between them. If he hit anyone, it would be me.

“We wandered too far,” I spoke calmly. “Our tardiness is my doing, and I will take full responsibility.”

“Eryx, no—”

I shook my head at Axios, urging him to keep his silence. This was not the time for him to speak. Gaius took too much enjoyment from hurting him. I would take the blame and any punishment derived from it.

Gaius released Axios and pinned me with a hard stare. “Both of you in linenow.”

Interesting.It took all my willpower not to smile. Gaius knew I would not take his beatings lightly. He might instill fear in the other boys, but he’d not receive the same fear from me.

I walked beside Axios as we took our places at the end of the line. Boys were still being stripped of their tunics. Some of them placed their hands over their fronts, as if embarrassed to be on full display. Others cared not.

Felix arrived at Axios first. As he yanked off my friend’s tunic, I felt Axios tense at my side. His cheeks darkened with a blush. Felix then slapped at Axios’ biceps, chest, and abdomen.

“You’re still a weakling,” Felix growled and then shoved a red cloak into Axios’ hands. “This will be your only clothing from this day forth.”

“Do we get our tunics back for winter?”

I froze when hearing Axios speak. I yearned to shake him for being such a fool.

Felix backhanded him across the face. “You will not speak out of turn, boy.”

Axios tilted his head up, glaring at our trainer. He was always surprising me. Just when I expected him to do one thing, he did another. He held the older man’s gaze with such intensity that it held me captivated.

Brave. Strong.

“That cloak is all you will get,” Felix said. “When you are a soldier, you must know how to endure the harsh conditions. Extreme heat and biting cold. You must learn how to survive when exposed to all elements.” Then, Felix addressed the other boys in line, speaking loud enough for all to hear, “From this day forth, you will be provided a very minimal diet. On the battlefield, you may go many moons with no food, so you must learn to work through an empty stomach. You are, however, allowed to steal.”

They already served us little food. However, it would become even more of a challenge now.

A cold smile crossed his face. “But if you arecaught, you will be punished. Not for stealing, but for your lack of stealth.” Felix eyed Axios. “This will be expected of you from now on. Live or die. You are the master of your fate.”

When Felix moved to me, I stared ahead as he tore off my tunic. The air hit my exposed flesh, and though I felt eyes on me, I made no moves to hide myself. This is who I was. I’d do whatever I needed to do to become a full-fledged Spartiate. Being naked was nothing compared to what we’d soon face.

Felix smacked my bicep then he did the same to my abdomen. “You’re becoming strong,” he said appreciatively. “Good.”

Linus, one of the youngest of our trainers, approached the group with a blade firm in his grasp. He moved down the line, cutting each boy’s hair. Only when we became soldiers could we have longer hair. Hair meant nothing to me. Having long, wavy locks or a shaved head had no effect on my ability to dodge a blow or strike one of my own.

Axios winced a bit as Linus yanked on his dark strands and cut them. The trainer cared not for tender scalps. My turn was last, and once my golden locks fell to the ground, Axios stared at them with a sad expression before lifting his gaze to mine.

I offered him a reassuring smile. He’d never said as much, but I knew he fancied playing with my hair.

Felix told us to leave, and we did as instructed. Though the day was sweltering, Axios draped his red cloak over his nakedness.

“You have no reason to be ashamed, dear friend,” I said, bumping his shoulder with mine.