Page 44 of Eryx

The three of us started back to the city. Haden rambled about training, girls, and food. After a while, he became background noise. Not that he was allowing either of us to get a word in anyway.

Axios smiled as we walked, and I wondered what went through his beautiful mind as he angled his head toward the trees.

Did he still wish to fly away?

The forest darkened before we found our way out. The night creatures stirred in the bushes and insects buzzed and chirped. Once we were in the field approaching the barracks, Axios softly inhaled and smiled at the sky. The sunset painted the sky dark red with streaks of gold and purple.

I never noticed the beauty of life until Axios reminded me to do so. He made me stop and admire things I had once passed by without a second glance, like water rippling as a rock broke the surface, grass swaying in the breeze, and the clouds drifting above us on a bright, sunny day. My whole life was built around discipline and order… and he helped me put that aside and appreciate being alive, not just living.

“Where is it we’re going?” Axios asked as we continued through the field.

“I’m surprised neither of you have heard,” Haden responded. “We’re going to the festival. And not that it matters to either of you, but there will be many pretty girls there.”

The main focus of Sparta was the army, but we also valued art and song. Each spring, once signs of winter melted away and the flowers bloomed once more, a festival was held to honor the gods and thank them for all their generous blessings. I had lost track of the days and forgotten about it.

Axios treaded beside me, an excited gleam in his eyes. My hand brushed against his, and he hooked his finger around mine, holding it in a loose grip. A celebration was exactly what we needed.

Chapter Nine

The strumming of a lyre reached my ears as we approached the gathering. Laughter, excited yelps, and music filled the air. A group of girls danced in front of the fire, their short tunics flapping open and revealing their thighs as they moved. Boys watched with eager stares and some jumped in and joined them.

“Exciting, is it not?” Axios asked with a wondrous expression. “For this one evening, it’s as if the horrors of war, fighting, and brutality are but a distant memory. The boys dance instead of fight, and they laugh instead of bleed.”

“This pleases you?”

“Oh, yes.” He flashed me a smile before returning his gaze to the dancing girls.

“Axios?” My heart thumped harder as his eyes met mine again. “You’re a lover of beautiful things. Tell me, do you find the girls beautiful?”

“Why do you ask me this?”

Because I often see you admiring people who aren’t me.

I shrugged and averted my gaze to a smoking pit where older men turned a roasting boar on a spit.

“Ery.” Axios touched my arm, and I glanced back at him. His tender expression caused my throat to tighten.

“I see you staring at them,” I spoke, hating the shake in my voice. “The thought of you desiring another hurts me.”

Confessing such a thing was difficult. I’d just given Axios power over me by admitting he could hurt me. But I trusted him.

“I only stare at them because I’m interested in their dance,” he explained with a frown. “I have no desire for anyone but you, Ery. Forgive me for making you doubt my feelings for you. And I know you still remember my attraction for the helot boy. But know this,” he stepped closer, and the warmth of his body chased away the slight crisp in the air. “I stare at you the most of all, storing every detail of you to memory. You anchor me to this earth and keep me fighting. You keep me strong.”

I believed his words. They took away the jealousy bubbling in my gut and allowed me to relax into a lighter mood. It was a celebration, after all.

“Theon! Stop!”

Quill and Theon stood to the side of the gathering, pushing each other. Both boys had grown over the past two years but were still the smallest in our herd. It was amusing to watch them wrestle, much like observing two small rodents having a go at each other. Sparta had made them strong, though, and despite their short and small statures, muscles had formed under their skin.

“Come on, Quill,” Theon said as he laughed and put the other boy into a headlock.

“Stop, you ass!” Quill slapped at Theon’s arm and thrashed around.

“Should we intervene?” Axios whispered, smiling. “Looks as though it could get deadly.”

I snorted a laugh and took off toward our friends. At our approach, Theon released Quill and both of them straightened their stances, huffing and puffing. Grass stuck to the strands of their hair and dirt dusted their tunics.

“About time you two showed your ugly faces,” Theon said. “Were you snogging in a tree somewhere?”