[Mkguild] Roman Story part 36

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

Here is the next part!
ChrisThe Lurking Fox

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    TheCursus Publicus is an often-under-rated institution in our modern world. Wetake for granted being able to send a package across the world in a mere fewdays. But the Cursus Publicus was the first public, postal network. It allowedregular communication over vast distances. When the empire collapsed thatnetwork was literally the first to go. It would not be matched in our modernworld for a thousand years. And yet Bitt seems to have taken it for granted.    The package arrived at the legion threeyears after Bitt had. It was given directly to the fox by a tall, lanky, wearymare.    The gray furred equine handed it to Bittpersonally. It was actually a small wooden keg and a very carefully wrappedsquare object.    Removing the cloth covering the squarerevealed a metal box that was cold to the touch. With it was a carefully foldedpiece of parchment. He gently opened the box to reveal a fine, cake. It was around thing with several layers and made from the finest flour and nuts, fruitand imported spices. It looked as fresh as the day it had been baked.    “How can it still be fresh?” The hyenaasked.    “The box is magic and kept it cool andfresh,” Bitt explained.    “Keep the box!” Grattius suggested. “Begreat for keeping wine cool on the really hot marches.”    “Great idea!” Kegan added.    “Who sent it?” The hound asked. “Who sentthe cake and wine?”    Bitt unfolded the page that had come withthe box and slowly read it.    “It’s from Kaeso Hesychius,” Bitt said in aconfused tone.    “Who?” Tossius asked. “Family?”    The fox slowly shook his head. “He’s fromanother clan. A Long Ear. We,” Bitt hesitated. “We tried to kill each other.”    “What?” Vinius stopped cleaning the helmethe was holding.    “We fought a duel,” Bitt explained. “Ihonestly don’t remember over what but it seemed really important then. It was apretty wild duel.”    “You were truly trying to kill each other?”the hound asked.    Bitt shrugged. “Not really. It would have causedtoo much trouble if one of us died. We were supposed to fight till one of usyielded or passed out from blood loss. But once we started fighting our bloodwas up and it got nasty.”    “The Governor was really upset that wewanted to duel,” Bitt added. “The rabbit thinks they are a senseless waste. Sohe decided to be sure it was fast. So I found myself stripped to the waist andmy only weapons were my two seax.”    “No armor?” the hyena asked. Surprised.    Bitt shook his head.    “That must have been real bloody,” Grattiuscommented.    “I ended up with fifteen different cuts andwounds,” Bitt explained and pointed to various parts of his arms and chest. He winceda little as his finger passed a particularly deep scar.    “Dueling is common enough that we have aplace devoted to it. Réimse na Lanna -Field of Blades,” Bitt explained. “It’s a small field on the edge of the city.”    “Theduel itself saw a lot of slashing, stabbing, dodging, twisting and swinging,”the fox explained. “Lots of wounds but I gave as good as I took. The finalecame when I lunged at him with both blades. He jumped backward but seemed toslip and fell backwards to the ground.”    “I foolishly rushed forward to finish himoff,” the fox explained. “Then he hit me with both of his legs. All I rememberis seeing those paws of his coming up at me and POW! It felt like I’d been hitby a battering ram. He kicked me twenty feet across the field. My GreatGrandmother thought I was dead.”    “I woke up in the hospital half a day laterwith six broken ribs and a concussion. I spent a month there healing,” Bittrubbed his left side. “He got it worse. He hit me so hard that he actuallybroke his leg and his knee.”    The fox stopped and shook his head. “He hadkicked me so hard he shattered his knee. It just never healed right. Left himwith a bad limp.”    “You broke his leg and crippled him and heis THANKING you?” Vinius asked. Confused.    Bitt simply nodded in response.    “No wonder you are confused,” the lion saidwith a shake of the head. “Why is he thanking you?”    Bitt shrugged. “I don’t know.” He continuedto read the message. He held up his hand to silence the rest. “Whilerecuperating in the hospital I met the most beautiful doe in the world!”    “Oh!” came the collective response from thegroup.    “She has changed my life forever,” the foxsaid, reading from the scroll.    “Some people have all the best luck!” Eteiwicommented.    “And I have you to thank for it,” Bitt said,finishing the message.    Cups were taken down from a shelf as Bittremoved the cork from the keg. He poured a small amount into each cup.    Soon everyone in the Contubernium had a cup in hand.    Bitt took a small sip of the wine. “Wow.This is really fine wine.”    The hyena filled a cup and tried some.“Potent too!”    The fox held up his cup. “To the happy couple!”He toasted.  *************     The next morning the entire Contubernium waslate falling in for dawn formation. Quite late.    Bitt was only standing up by leaning onTossius who was leaning on Bitt. The two supporting each other like two, oldtrees in a forest.    Philippus was there only because Kegan andSabinus were on either side holding him up. Grattius was standing erect butwobbling about until Decebolus reached forward with one hand and steadied him.    “And what excuse do you have?” the wolfsnarled.    “None sir,” Vinius answered.    “That was some really potent wine,” Tossiusadded.    “We saved you some,” Bitt whispered. Wishingthat centurion Feriolius would speak just as quietly.    “We ate all the cake.” The hyena commented.“That was good too. Even if it didn’t have any meat in it. Made with realsugar.”    “What did you expect from a long ear?” Bittcommented.    “I believe Kaeso got his revenge,” Decebalusmuttered.

************************************************  Not onlyis revenge sweet. Sometimes it’s also white or red.     The official name was tower XXIV. It waslocated on a small rise made up of stone that jutted up our of the hillside.Tower XXIV was hardly a formidable fortress. It was a stone tower some threestories tall. Surrounded by a palisade with a ditch on the outside. It was thehome of a single contubernium who ate and slept on the second, floor, stoodguard on the third and stored supplies on the ground floor. The only entrancewas via a ladder leading to a door on the second floor.  To its south was tower XXV. To the north wastower XXIII. They were part of a Limes – or defense line. The Limes Maurataniawas never intended to stop an invading army. It was meant to give advancedwarning of raiders or an invasion. In case of such an invasion the tower wouldlikely be destroyed and everyone in it killed. This was a fact they justaccepted as being a Legionnaire. But all hoped it would never happen.    On a psychological level the Limesrepresented the end of the empire and the edge of the known world. Beyond thatwas the wild unknown, filled with monsters and barbarians. As a child Bitt hadseen a map of the empire that literally stopped at the borders. Beyond that wasblank with the words ‘Wild lands’ and nothing else. As if all of creation endedat the border. Now as a Legionnaire he was defending one of those long bordersagainst the blank beyond. For a long time his homeland had been one of the WildLands before being conquered. Many people still didn’t know it was part of theempire.    It was not exactly difficult or exciting.The eight-person contubernium was divided into four shifts of six hours each.Two legionnaires were on sentry duty at the top of the tower at all times. Therest of the time was spent in resting or various chores.     The hardest part was the boredom andisolation. There was only so many chores to do and it left them with a lot offree time to do nothing.  They were on ahilltop a long way from anyone. The nearest farm or village was a good distancedown slope. Their only contact with the rest of the legion was a messenger whorode through every day, bringing mail and any orders. Once a week a wagon camethough bearing supplies for the next seven days. Also it brought several newpeople to talk to since the wagon driver never traveled alone. He always had asmall cavalry escort. The wagon filled with food and drink was a temptingtarget for Parthian raiders (or raiders of any sort) or bandits.    They did have a sort of contact with theother towers. At the top of the tower they have a powerful, handheld lantern.There was a system of codes worked out. Flash the lantern three times meanteverything was normal. Flash it five times and it meant raiders spotted.    But the Parthians never did come. No one attackedor even threatened to.    This was their punishment for the next monthfor getting so drunk. It would have been two months but centurion Feriolius hadsampled the wine too and had a bad time the next morning.    Their tour there was thankfully peaceful butboring. Really boring.  **************     Bitt took the piece of wood and held it inthe flame of the candle. He kept it there till the surface was charred blackand the writing illegible.    “What are you doing?” Tossius asked.    “A personal message,” the fox explained and droppedthe wood back into the cylinder.  ********************
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