Descendants of Rome (#3 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 56

Chapter 56

The next day Marcia sat by the gates and stared down the road which led into the village, her mind wandering.

Dawn had been approaching when Ahern had fallen asleep, exhausted from crying, and she slipped from the room, taking up her post at the entrance.

However, her thoughts were far from sleeping or from small villages in the south of Gaul, they were travelling across roads, to the ports before crossing the sea and entering the land of Britannica once again.

For the first time since she had left Britannica's marvelous shores, Marcia was longing for home.

She ached to sit around the fire and feel its warmth against her face without being wary that Roman soldiers may burst in on her. She yearned to feel her mother's fingers combing through her hair, untangling the knots which Marcia had accumulated by going swimming in the river, which of course was an activity which her parents had forbidden her to do.

She had followed her parents to Rome seeking adventure and guidance and, although she had found plenty along the way, it had also landed her here in a small village, exhausted and eager to return to a place that, despite growing up in, she could no longer call home.

The hut she had inhabited with her parents would never be the same again. Marcia would never be the same again.

Something rustled behind her.

Marcia withdrew her sword and turned but it was only Lazarus. He was unaffected by the sword in her hand and continued walking towards her.

"How long have you been here?"

Marcia shook her head, unable to answer him because she did not know, "I keep thinking that they're out there, waiting to attack."

Lazarus scanned the trees around them, "We watched Trajan and his army leave last morrow," He reminded her, "They'll be back in Rome by the end of the month."

"And what about us?" Marcia sighed.

Lazarus frowned.

"When shall we be back in Britannica?"

Lazarus did not have the answer for that. He feared it might be a while before they could find a ship to sail on, so instead he turned and looked back into the village towards the old stables. No horses resided there now after they were all taken by those fleeing the village, instead it had become the home of their dead relatives.

"Have you- Have you seen what they've done to the stables?"

Marcia nodded. She had passed it a few hours earlier and was amazed by what she saw. The villagers had set up a small shrine in their honour. Krista's body had laid here the longest and so more flowers and trinkets had gathered around her body than the others.

Word would soon spread that the Gladiatrix Krista and her companions were dead.

Their presence in the village has already seemed to ripple through the region as small crowds of people were now arriving to pay their respects to the Gladiators.

"How are Cassia and Zeph?" Marcia asked as she narrowed her eyes at a couple of older women.

The tallest one was crying whilst the other had her arm around her shoulders, supporting her as best she could with the flowers which resided in her other arm. More mourners, Marcia thought.

"Zeph does not really understand what is happening. He keeps calling for mama and papa," Lazarus gave a deep sigh and looked away from the stables to see the two women hurry pass them into the village, "Cassia . . ." Lazarus ran a hand over his face, "She blames me."