Atlas Of Megaras

The day after

The blow to my ribs had caused my chest to turn into a melting pot of bruise colours. Red, blue black. Luckily, I could just steal the salve for bruises from the doctor's tent. The cut on my biceps had been covered and bandaged properly. The only thing now was to rest.

But I was out on the streets of Agfa. The town was still trying to go about normal life as best as they could. A hospital tent had been set to treat people who had gotten hurt. It also doubled as a meeting point people who had been separated from their families. We had managed to come at a good time not a lot of civilian deaths. The main reason I had snuck out instead of resting was to thank the old lady who had saved my life. Also, I wanted to know how she learned to throw rocks from roofs so well.

She was again sitting on the roof top, and waved at me as I stood in the street trying to find out which house was her's. Her name was Agatha and she was a physician.

Her son worked in the Office of Taxation. Right now, he was busy trying to cremate all the dead soldiers, finding their families to give them the compensation. She offered to check up on my laboured breathing but I had to refuse. She gave me potion to drink every day. It smelled like roses but looked like wine.

After a while I left. She had a steady stream of patients and was no doubt a skilled physician. Stopping by a dilapidated house, I looked around. No one trying to clean it up or moving the debris out of the way to look for survivors. That was weird.

I stopped someone pulling a wagon full of Olive Oil Amphorae. "Does no one live here? Was this an abandoned house?" He looked up at the building. "I think the owner of the house died in the battle two days ago." He looked around. "It's good riddance though. He was a horrible drunk since his unmarried sister died in childbirth."

"And where is the child?" It been 2 days since the house must have collapsed. I sincerely and desperately hoped they were safe somewhere. "I don't know. The brats must have run off." He shrugged his shoulders.

I tossed him a coin for his troubles. Brats. There must be more than one child then. Nobody was looking for them. They could be still stuck under the house. Two opposite sides of the house had fallen in and roof has collapsed on its self. I should have just called for help, but then Aeneas would drag me back to the camp we had set up outside the city walls.

So, I walked around. Trying to see if there were any signs of a trapped human. It was very quiet. The broken bricks crunched under my sandals. One corner of the house had a pile of boulders. Someone could be easily trapped under there. Trying my best to manage my pain as well as pushing the pile of bricks aside. I sat down. Okay, maybe I needed help. A lot of it.

Getting up to leave, I heard something. Like a child sniffling. I pushed aside a broken log, peering through the small hole in the debris that had emerged. Golden eyes peered back at me. Both of us shrieked and fell back. Good Zeus. I groaned getting up, my back was hurting now.

What even in the name of Hades. A child of Gods? I'm not prepared for this. But then I couldn't just leave the child alone. Looking back inside again, I stretched out my arm. She was scrawny, not more than 7 years old, blonde hair shining like gold. My presence must have scared her. she had backed herself into a corner.

"Come on!" I gently tried to make her trust me.

"It's okay. I won this battle. I'm in the Megaran Army." She crept a bit closer but not enough for her to grab my hand. I don't think the place would stand up for a while.

"I'll get you a doll. Or Honey cakes." She liked her lips. She must have been very hungry. "I'll get you beef. Lots of it. As much as you can eat. And Honey cakes!" That sealed the deal. She placed her hand in mine. I smiled and pulled her out as fast as I could. I pulled her up in my arms. She could barely stand. She wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck.