Res Arcana: The Advent of Choice by Chris Chelser

Author:Chris Chelser
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: tarot, parables, fairytales

Friends

Battlefield. Chaos. Our cohort broke formation long ago, driven apart by endless hordes of barbarians. My ears are ringing with screams and throbs caused by the clout that knocked my helmet off. A centurion – not ours; he was struck down in the first assault – is shouting orders, but they are lost in the noise of battle. We are on our own. My three comrades are behind me, their backs to mine. We are surrounded, but not defeated.

The gash in my arm looks worse than it is, but my fingers have trouble holding the weight of my gladius. And I need it! I need the short, wide blade to eviscerate the bearded giant bearing down on me, swinging a club the size of my leg. I lost my shield several foes ago, my left arm is broken, and I can only defend myself and my comrades by attacking before that club breaks my neck, too.

A lunge forward, a thrust, but... not strong enough! My blade only nicks the giant’s side. The barbarian knocks me over and momentum carries me the rest of the way. My face hits the black sand. Before I can get up, a heavy blow to my head pushes me in deeper.

A moment of darkness; then I roll over, coughing and spluttering, and scramble to my feet. Sand and blood cake my eyes, but I see the brute bring down his massive club again. At the end of his swing, a roar of defiance is cut short by a sickening crack. Even though I can barely keep my eyes open, the sight beyond the club and the thick, fur-clad legs is as clear as the sea back home.

Titus, Aulus, Lucius... Fifteen years we have served together. Fifteen years we fought for the glory of Rome; fifteen years we battled enemies and hardships. We know that the death of one of us may dawn on any day, but while we live, that thought is always far away. While we live, nothing can part us. While we live...

Something snaps. I grab my sword with both hands and charge. I hit the barbarian’s back at a run; the blade of my gladius slides into the flesh of his exposed back, all the way up to the guard. Yet the giant man doesn’t cave. I pull my sword out of him, but his flesh seals itself behind the retreating metal. No flood of blood, but glaring indifference. The barbarian merely raises his weapon again.

‘No!’

Fury and despair renew my strength and my grip. I stab his back again and again, I hack at his arms. Anything at all to keep him from attacking my comrades. Anything to defend them, no matter what the cost!

Out of nowhere, arms circle me like snares and pull me back.

‘Gaius, stop it!’

‘Leave me!’ I fight their hold, but their grip is too strong. ‘Please, let me go!’

‘Stop it! It’s useless!’

‘No, I have to save them! I must try!’

‘It’s over, Gaius,’ another voice barks in my ear. ‘Let it go.

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