Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Parallel Universe Publications
Published: 2022-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE MISTRESS OF THE MARSH

David Dubrow

Sestius jammed his shovel into the earthworks wall, slapped his neck, and squinted at the smashed mosquito in his palm. Scowling, he wiped it on his chest and picked up the shovel again. “Minerva’s tits. You’ll never make a good soldier.”

“Who are you talking to?” Lior asked, leveling off his section of the wall. “Me, or the flies?”

“You. I’m talking to you.” Dragging an arm across his brow, Sestius added, “You know why? You don’t bitch enough. Half of us doing a job that should take twice the men, and you haven’t bitched once. Hoping to make Optio already, is that it? I’ll tell Pedius you’re after his job.”

Lior grinned. The other man was taller, with long, hairy arms that gave him a simian look that his bearded, wide-nosed face only added to. “I didn’t know you two were on familiar terms.”

“Oh, yeah. We’re tighter than a mouse’s arse, he and I,” Sestius replied, and slapped another mosquito. “I’ll tell him what you’re after. Once he tells me why we’re building camp so close to a swamp.”

“I’m just glad we’re not marching.”

“Rather be marching,” Sestius said. “If I’d known I’d be swinking like this, I’d’ve stayed at my uncle’s brickmaking shop.”

“If it was up to my father, I’d be leaning over an anvil all day. Compared to that, this is a treat.”

“Smithing doesn’t sound so bad to me,” Sestius muttered.

Straightening, Lior shaded his eyes to peer across the camp. While they finished the east-side earthworks, men followed with bundles of stakes, hammering them deep into the wall to make the palisade. Other soldiers dug a latrine trench, cleared the ground for paths to each of the four gates, and raised the Centurion’s tent.

“Does our new home meet with your approval, soldier?” a voice called.

Lior lowered his hand, turned, and faced the man who’d spoken: older, with a sunburned face set in lines of displeasure. “Optio, I would rather be nowhere else.”

Despite his scowl, Optio Pedius uttered a grunt of amusement. “I like that. For a man of the Cohorts, there is nowhere else but a good camp.” He folded his arms. “You two are on patrol duty. Dusk to midnight. Parma’s more a village than a town, but it’s ours now. It’ll do these people good to see that life as Byzantines is better than under their idiot king. Two big, strong men of the Cohorts patrolling their little streets in full uniform will go a long way toward showing that.”

Sestius mumbled something.

The Optio glared at him. “What was that, soldier?”

Drawing himself up to his full height, Sestius said, “I was expressing my pride in your trust in us, Optio.”

“You haven’t done anything to merit pride, soldier. Or trust.” Pedius glowered up at him until Sestius looked away. “When you’ve finished the wall, put on your lorica, get the password from the Tesserarius, and double-time it to town. Half a league west.”

Lior saluted. “Yes, Optio.”

Pedius returned the salute, gave Sestius a final glare, and strode away, toward the Centurion’s tent.

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