IL SIGNUM

A Breath From A New Life

Chapter 4,

  A Breath From A New Life

            He was outside the villa that had caged him for so many years, now it was behind him and he was set on a path northward to Gaul.

            The land was covered in shrubbery that was broken by the hoof beaten roman roads. Few villas peppered this valley that was now shrouded in a deep slumber and a silent mist. Slowly, Maximus avoided any torches outside villas in order to assure nobody might see his route. The guards in his villa would find out tomorrow that he had left and would try to track him down before his father’s arrival.

            Maximus would have dearly liked to meet his father but the time to act was now. He knew very well that once his dad returned he would have never have been able to escape without being tracked down in hours. By leaving now he had given himself the advantage of a head start.

However, deep in Maximus’s thoughts he knew that once his father receives the message of his escape he would send out a tracking party to find him. Speed was now his highest priority and he would have to keep doing so until he reaches the mountains of the north.

For now the land was calm and besides the occasional traveller Maximus did not meet anyone on the Roman road that night. Though it was dark, Maximus could make out the beautiful sounds of Italy’s night life. Owls and cricket that all called to each other through the chilly air giving the night a very lively feeling. However, this was soon muffled by the sound of hooves on Mud as the roman road shot into a different direction.

Maximus was now riding through fields and he did not like it. It was pitch black, he could not see past two hundred metres and the creepy white full moon sent a chill down his spine. He needed to find shelter, and fast.

The sky set out cracks of white which were closely followed by the heart stopping sound of thunder which made Maximus’s become drenched with icy cold water. The view around him was now bursting with light as every zap of lightning cracked its way down to the surface of the earth. He was now in a field full of half harvested wheat which had clearly had no attention lately because the wheat was all dead and was beginning to decompose.

One thing Maximus had heard not too long before leaving was that there were many tribes of barbarians that hid in the trees. The road north was pestered by cutthroats and highwaymen who would skin you alive if you were to come face to face with one. They could be watching Maximus right now, waiting to pounce.

Maximus now began to panic; he could not see any structures anywhere, especially with the pounding rain that had found its way into everything Maximus carried. “Maybe this was not such a good idea, maybe I should return home.” Maximus then laughed at his suggestion, “I am no quitter” and rode off North hoping to find any source of comfort or shade from the pounding rain.

The rain would not give up and the thunder felt like it was becoming more vigorous every beat. Maximus was now weary from the constant shower of rain and was hardly looking through his shutting eyes when suddenly the rain stopped. He had let Arbus just ride straight which, when Maximus opened his eyes was able to see that they were in a forest.

Just behind him the rain continued to flow, sad at having lost its pray put hoping to give him little respite. Maximus half fell off his horse with fatigue and drowsily led Arbus to the nearest tree. After tethering him to the tree Maximus unsaddled him and used the saddle as a pillow while covering himself with a drenched blanket.

Finally, through the slit of his eyelid he pondered on how his plan of escape had actually occurred, and here he was now drenched with rainwater under a very friendly tree. Maximus felt the dull ache of a cold pound his head and he fell asleep wet, but free.

Going away for a while so i may not be able to put up content as frequently. I hope you are enjoying the book so far and i would love it if you could recomend what could occur in future chapters.