Descendants of Rome (#3 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Halt!" Polonius ordered as they reached a flat level halfway up a mountain.

Turning his horse, Polonius pulled the cape around his body and looked down over the country they were gratefully leaving.

Past the large expanse of trees lay a clearing. From this height, it looked like nothing more than a strip of land in the middle of a sea of green.

On one end of the strip was camped part of one of the largest armies the world had ever seen, and on the other were a handful of rebels.

He wasn't too far up that Polonius could see that Octavia had begun to empty her camp; half of her men were moving into the forest, away from the battlefield that existed between the two armies.

Polonius frowned. He wondered what Octavia thought she could achieve by splitting her army.

"Sir," A guard called from behind him, "We must go. The ship shall be arriving shortly."

"Yes," Polonius turned his horse back towards the trail, "We head for the ship."

* * *

Octavia raised her hand to her forehead for the tenth time, running her fingertips over the small bump that had risen there from Krista's rather barbaric tactic.

"Are your men in place?" She asked Hadrian as they marched through the camp, passing soldiers as they headed for the front gate.

"They are heading into the forest now," Hadrian assured her, "I will be following shortly."

"Good," Octavia dropped her hand and rested it on the sword at her hip, "The plan is falling together nicely."

Hadrian agreed when he looked ahead and spotted a dishevelled vagrant running through the camp towards them.

Hadrian hurried in front of Octavia and drew his sword when the man drew too close, his body covered in dirty rags.

"Halt!" Hadrian ordered him and he stopped, his chest a few inches from the tip of Hadrian's blade.

The man looked straight past Hadrian towards Octavia, gasping for breath.

"The children . . ." The man panted.

"Yes?" Octavia waited, sweat running down her back underneath the many layers of armour.

"They're gone!" Varinius shouted, "The children are gone! Lazarus and Marcia have left with them."

Octavia pursed her lips for a moment, "No matter."

Varinius frowned, "I thought . . ."

"It would have been efficient to eradicate the problem all at once, but it is of no importance-"

"-Let me go after them, Commander," Varinius begged her, "Give me a horse; I know where they're heading."

Hadrian, who had now lowered his sword, shook his head at Octavia, "Our resources are already stretched."

Octavia seemed to weigh up the decision for a moment before she decided in favour of Varinius.

He was a skilled Roman guard that, when she had asked, had been the first to volunteer to spy in the enemy camp.

"You shall take one horse only," Octavia told him, "Change your clothes before you leave, I wish for Lazarus and Marcia to know exactly who it is who are killing them."

A cold smile spread across his lips as he gave a small bow, "Yes, Commander."

Octavia and Hadrian stepped around him when she turned back, "Varinius?"