Page 125 of Eryx

Of course he was. I smiled and moved my thumb across his jaw. Then, I looked up at the sky, wondering what it was about the stars that fascinated him. “So infatuated you are with them. Tell me… what do you see?”

He searched the sky, deep in contemplation. Many times we had lain beneath the stars and he’d told me of the images he’d seen in them—both men and creatures. I wondered what he’d see this time.

“I see a man holding a sword.” He pointed to a cluster of stars. “There. Do you see him?”

All I saw were specks of light twinkling in the night sky. No shapes of any sort. But then…

“Yes, I do,” I said, spotting the group of stars he was referring to. “What do you believe he did to earn his place in the sky?”

“Perhaps he sacrificed himself,” Axios said, after thinking on his answer. “For his home… or for the one he loved.”

Both were honorable.

“I would give my life for yours,” I spoke, tucking one arm behind my head. My muscles ached from the intensity of our lovemaking, but I had never felt more relaxed. I wasn’t ready for the night to end. Peering over at him, I smirked. “You want to take a swim?”

“Bet I can beat you,” he said with a grin.

I leapt up from the sand and ran toward the water. He called me a cheater before standing and joining me in the sea. I tugged him to my chest as we stood waist-deep and seized his lips. I had tasted him countless times that day and still sought more. We kissed for a while before rinsing off our bodies. Then, we swam farther out and our lips met again.

Axios wanted this moment to last forever, and while I couldn’t grant his wish, I could make the night one we’d always remember.

***

Returning to our quarters later that night, many of the men were already sleeping in their bunks. The men who weren’t asleep quietly spoke to each other so as not to disturb the others. Quill and Theon sat against the far wall, their faces close together as they whispered.

They weren’t open about their relationship—not even to the men in oursyssition—but I was no fool. Their affection gleamed in their eyes and was shown in the way they looked after each other.

Haden sat upright on his bed and waved us over. By his serious expression, I braced myself for bad news. Axios and I sat on the edge of the bed, facing him.

“Since you two fools disappeared after dinner, you missed the news from the king,” Haden said. “The cavalry from Thessaly will be here on the morrow. Then, we will set out the day after.”

“So we will arrive in Olynthus in two days’ time,” Axios said under his breath. The distant look reappeared in his eyes.

“That is what appears to be so,” Haden responded.

Axios stood and went over to his bed, saying nothing more.

“Some men say the gods are angry with Sparta,” Haden said, drawing my attention again. “We have faced Olynthus twice, suffering a heavy loss the first time and losing even more the second. I wonder what will become of us the third time.”

It was a thing I had no answer for. Perhaps the godswereangry.

Spartans like General Teleutias and the cavalry commander Polycharmus had believed themselves to be gods. Their arrogance had been their downfall. Perhaps Ares, the god of war, wished to teach Sparta a lesson, that we must fight with all our might but never forget that we are only men.

I nodded to Haden before standing and approaching Axios. He lay facing the wall and I settled in behind him, sliding my arm around his stomach. Tension poured off him, and I kissed his nape to try and rid him of it. After a moment, he relaxed and held onto my arm. I waited for him to fall asleep before I closed my eyes and allowed myself to do the same.

Only one more day in Aphytis, and then our time in the city by the sea would end.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Axios had been trapped in his head since we learned of our departure. When I pressed him for answers, he said he’d had another nightmare but refused to say more. However, the pain in his eyes when he looked at me led me to believe the nightmare was of my death.

On the morning of the battle, we woke early and prepared the army before setting a course for Olynthus. The sun blazed down on our armored bodies as we marched, but the spring breeze helped lessen the oppressive heat.

Axios inhaled the crisp air, as if to steady his nerves. I was so focused on him that I nearly didn’t see the row of men in front of me stop walking. Neither did he. It was too abrupt. Once we were halted, he stared at the men before looking at me in confusion.

“I do not know why we’ve stopped,” I said.

King Agesipolis turned from his advisors and drew nearer to us. Like the rest of the Spartan army, he wore a bronze helmet, ankle guards, a breastplate, and a red cloak that drifted behind him. His shield was battered from previous battles, proving he was a fighter as well as a king. He didn’t stand in safety while his men fought his war.