Page 120 of Eryx

When he closed his eyes, so did I. I fought to stay awake, to comfort him, but the warmth of his body and the sound of the crackling fire soothed my mind and eased me into a relaxed state.

I dreamed of fields of tall grass and red flowers springing from a hill. Axios and I lay under the sun’s rays and spoke of the house we wished to build together someday.

The arrival of dawn pulled me from sleep, and I mourned the loss of the dream. I longed for that life with Axios. To build a home and live our days in Sparta, not as soldiers but as free men who could do as we pleased.

I shook my head to rid myself of the thought and rose from the ground to dress and prepare to leave. Axios slept soundly by my side, and I decided to let him rest for a while longer before I woke him. After I packed our provisions and returned to him, his brow was furrowed and his body was restless.

“Ery,” he said on a sigh, turning over. Then, he whimpered, “No. No.”

I knelt beside him and turned him to face me. That’s when he cried out in his sleep and thrashed around, hitting my chest as he cried my name in a broken voice. My heart seized and my stomach twisted. A nightmare had hold of him.

“Axios?” I pulled him closer and gently patted his face.

Suddenly, his eyes flew open and he gasped at the sight of me. He gripped my arm and stared at me as if afraid I’d disappear. Trembling, he then touched his chest and stared at the spot as if he couldn’t determine if this was reality or dream.

“It is time for us to leave,” I said, using a softer tone than usual. “What did you dream? You were whimpering in your sleep.”

His chin quivered and his mouth opened but no words followed. Haunted eyes stared back at me. He shook his head and sat up, scrubbing his hands over his face. After he stood, he gathered his supplies in silence.

I gave him space and didn’t pressure him to talk to me, but I watched him carefully for the rest of the day. Later that evening, after we had eaten our portion of food and rested our sore muscles, Axios gripped my nape and pulled me to him, burying his face against my throat.

“I cannot lose you, Ery.”

Had that been his dream? Me dying? The reason for his distance during our march so far became clear. After the last battle with Olynthus where we’d all nearly died, he was afraid we wouldn’t survive this time.

I kissed his temple and wound my arms around him. “Nothing can take me from you.”

“Do you swear it?”

“I swear.”

There was no doubt in my mind.

***

As the days passed, the terrain changed from flat land to more rolling hills and even glimpses of the sea in the distance. Olynthus was located only miles from the coast, so the closer we marched, the more harbor cities we traveled through.

Unlike the past weeks where we had marched in formation from dawn to dusk, something changed that day. King Agesipolis held up a hand to stop the army before speaking with his advisors. Since oursyssitionwas directly behind the king, I watched him speak with the older men, detesting the curls in his brown hair and the manly set of his jaw.

Did Axios still fancy him?

“What do you believe they are saying?” Haden asked.

“Strategizing, I suppose,” I answered, seeing the hard set of the king’s features and recognizing it as a look of deep contemplation. “Only a fool would march into enemy territory with no plan of action. And I assume word has spread to Olynthus of our approach… so they will be expecting us.”

Axios smiled at me, though I didn’t know why.

The king nodded at something one of the men said before dismissing them and focusing on us. As he approached, I braced myself for the surge of anger. Holding onto such bitterness served no purpose, yet I couldn’t rid myself of it.

“There has been a change of plans,” the king said to me before glancing at Axios. “Olynthus is awaiting our attack with heavy forces, so I do not wish to give them the satisfaction of our defeat. We will head south to the city of Aphytis to wait out the rest of winter. Tell the men.”

A wise plan. I might detest the man, but I couldn’t fault his war strategy. Once the element of surprise was lost, the chance of victory lessened. And an army was strongest when fighting on their own land. Waiting to attack Olynthus would provide us more time to prepare and formulate another plan of attack.

I nodded to the king before finding Felix and relaying the order.

The army then changed course and headed south to the city of Aphytis. Both the scenery and the weather altered. Mountains that stretched toward the blue sky and trees with thin trunks and green leaves I had never seen before. Though it was winter, the southern air took away the chill and instead allowed me to feel the warmth of the sun above us. The city was in the western part of the Chalcidice peninsula, and when we neared its borders, the sea came into view.

And oh, how Axios smiled.