CHAPTER TEN: INFILTRATORS

  “This is why we don’t split up. A legionnaire’s strength is their brothers and sisters,” Marcus hissed as he strode into the room, worry mixed with anger. Cassius looked up from the meat smothered in gravy that he was in the middle of eating and nodded before he bit down, savoring the thick gravy and tender meat. Marcus reached over and grabbed a slab of the pig for himself, folding the wide cut in half before he pushed it all into his mouth.

  Valeria and Pius were right behind him, they looked clean and freshly washed, hair still damp while their skin was red. Both of them immediately started to pull at Cassius’ food as they sat around him. His half loaf of bread disappeared before he could blink, the heavenly roasted pork with it. They were kind enough to leave his vegetable untouched, but stole the small bowl of berries he’d had next to everything.

  “No, no, please, help yourselves,” Cassius muttered around the mouthful of food he was still chewing on. All three of the veterans grunted thanks as they quickly emptied his plate clean, the bread used to sop up the last of the gravy.

  “Much better than the stew at the inn, Lady Vira had chosen,” Valeria said, fingers crossed across her stomach before she belched.

  “You already ate and needed to eat my food too?” Cassius said, blinking at them as he started to frown.

  “Eat when you can, sleep when you can, and thank every day you are fed, warm, and clothed,” Pius said. The other two nodded in confirmation.

  “It’s a good thing that was my third plate, or otherwise I would be wroth with you,” Cassius said, smiling at them as they all chuckled together.

  “Centurion Lucilia is here along with Lady Vira and the rest of her coterie. We were told to come grab you as you are witness to both events. The Lady Statia Agricola Custos is still waiting for a few of her retainers to arrive,” Marcus said. Cassius nodded as he finished the rest of his watered down juice, some mix of berries and grapes that was sweet and refreshing.

  “Let’s go and see what troubles we can find,” Valeria said, following right behind Cassius while the two men just shook their heads.

  The sprawling manor that was the Custos family living quarters could have housed the entire century without problem. Massive rooms that were scarcely populated, marble statues or busts sometimes the only thing in them. It took nearly five minutes to traverse the labyrinthine rooms to find where Lady Custos was awaiting them.

  “Where’s the rest of the century?” Cassius asked as he only saw the centurion and her attendant Hostus in attendance.

  “Outside on the grounds. They are rallying with all of the [Guardsmen].” Marcus spoke so softly that nobody heard him as the four legionnaires stood together at the edge of the room until the nobles noticed them.

  “Cassius, it seems you have a nose for trouble,” a blonde woman said, her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief as she rose from her spot at the head of the table. Cassius had to blink at Lady Vira, hardly recognizing the woman as she waved a goblet in her hand.

  Her armor had hid her form, but it was well proportioned with lean muscles through her exposed, tanned forearms. Her robes were held tight by a thin chain of spun gold, but her sword wasn’t far from her, plain steel in black leather, propped against the table.

  “My apologies, my lady. It seems I find myself at the right place at the wrong times,” Cassius said, eyes locked on the noblewoman’s. She just laughed as she waved for all four of them to take their spots. Marcus grabbed Cassius’ shoulder and shoved him toward a chair while Lucilia glowered from her spot next to Lady Vira’s right hand.

  “Now that we are here, cousin, would you be willing to tell us what has ailed your city? Your messenger was quite vague,” Vira said as she sat back in her chair. Cassius leaned forward, his own interest piqued as he wondered how far Claudius had known events had gotten.

  “Today an assassin entered our stone room. They slew seven [Guardsmen] on their way into it, but your [Legionnaire] was able to keep it from interfering with the stone. I have since ordered a triple guard on the door as well as an equal number inside of the room itself,” Statia said succinctly.

  “We have gathered that ourselves. Our question is the events that preceded this,” Vira said calmly. Statia frowned, took a mighty pull of her goblet, grimaced, and began.

  “Six weeks ago is the earliest we can pinpoint the disappearance's beginning. Beggars or cripples. We have few here and they often find shelter with others, nobody noticed they all went missing for at least four days,” Statia said. Cassius winced, knowing what it was like to stand underneath eaves that didn’t belong to him, waiting for a passing guard’s fist or boot to keep him moving.

  “By then the first reported disappearance was reported. Day labourers who worked the farms outside of the walls. Two reliable men who had taken a contract and failed to appear for the harvest. One of my lesser functionaries took the case and sent a pair of guards to investigate. Both men were reported to be seen leaving the city gates the day before and we assumed they left on their own accord.

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  A week after that we missed a shipment of wood from the woods. There’s a small camp near the edge of the Shifting Wall, they harvest lumber and season it before delivery. A squad of guards were sent, but they reported that the entire camp was empty. I assumed the worst, that there was a new gate nearby, and ordered the creation of a score more [Guardsmen] from those eligible in the city guard.” Statia took another swig of her goblet as the entire table leaned in closer.

  “Last week we sent runners out to approach the closest of the villages near us, to see if we could contact a legion patrol, or even reach one of our family compounds. No help arrived until you arrived, so we can assume that all the runners were waylaid.” Statia went to continue but Lucilia interrupted her.

  “How many people have been taken?”

  “From the city and those we can count from the closest camps and villages? Nearly three hundred,” Statia said with a grimace. Lucilia spat a curse and rose, chair clattering to the ground as she stalked back and forth like a caged beast.

  “What?” Statia asked.

  “The legion, along with myself, have been investigating a summoner who uses those slain and a…ritual of sorts, performed to summon monsters. Things called imps. Each person can be used to summon a single imp and they grow at a rapid rate,” Vira said. Statia paused and then finished her goblet with a single massive swig.

  “How many [Guardsmen] do you have?” Lucilia asked.

  “Sixty maybe? Equal to that for regular guards as well. I have my oldest daughter who is classed, as well as her husband and myself.”

  “We came with ninety-four [Legionnaires] and fifteen in Lady Viridina’s group. Altogether we have less than three hundred trained and armed soldiers,” Lucilia said. Cassius grimaced but remembered that his file alone had cost them well over a score of imps.

  “Double the number of how many are missing. When we passed through the region there was no sign of life at any stable village or farm. Whatever it is that has done this, they have planned well and moved quickly,” Lucilia said. Which drew every eye to Cassius.

  “The creature you fought, describe it to us,” Vira asked. Cassius swallowed but quickly described the fight with the creature along with what it spoke of. It helped increase the tension in the room by a significant degree.

  “Intelligent and has an objective. We can not act as if this is a mindless beast set out to ravage then. But rather a determined foe who has a mission,” Lucilia said which brought a round of nods around the room. Cassius had hardly noticed as more and more of the nobles of the Agricola families had drifted in and now filled the room.

  “What is the mission?” a voice asked. Lucilia responded before anyone else could field the question.

  “Everywhere we’ve gone we have found stilled class stones. This is an escalation of their assaults on the class stones across the county, but they have already attempted to breach the security of the stone here.”

  “Then we guard the stone and my estate. The walls are low, but they are walls, and this manor may appear defenseless, but it is prepared for siege if it comes,” Statia said.

  “We can not forget. Every citizen fed to the foe is one who shall add to their horde. The city itself is a resource for the enemy to grow stronger,” Vira threw in.

  “Where could they hold that many imps without being seen?” Cassius asked. He meant to whisper to Marcus, but the lull in conversation ensured his voice was heard by everyone in the room.

  “Aggressive. We find the beast and attack it before it can march. Where nearby could one hold a pack of monsters?” Lucilia asked Statia.

  “The woods, if the forest men have been cleared out, but I doubt that. They still have to worry about the monsters that come through the gates too and there is little to eat there. If anything I would say they would be in the caves below us,” Statia said.

  “Caves?” Vira asked, pale beneath her tan.

  “They do not connect to the city itself, but rather are at the base of the rise that we are built upon. There are a few goat paths not far from here that track across the face of the cliffside and toward the beach and caves. The young will follow them to impress each other,” Statia said.

  “Is there food there?” Lucilia asked.

  “Wading pools in the caves hold trapped fish every receding tide. The water does not creep high enough to reach the furthest caves on the inside that curve upward. The entrance will be sealed by the ocean when the tide is in though,” Statia told them.

  “We must see if it’s there at least,” Lucilia said with a frown. Statia nodded in agreement, snapped her fingers and a pair of men close to Cassius' age immediately leapt forward.

  “Down the cliff at first light as the waters recede. If there are beasts there retreat immediately and inform us,” Statia ordered. Both men nodded and retreated back to the wall, wearing prideful smiles.

  “Striking the enemy where they are strong is dangerous. I don’t recommend this path,” Vira said.

  “I don’t like it either, but we must know where the enemy is. If we can create the proper battlefield, then I will take my century over these walls any day of the month,” Lucilia said.

  “The sands below. Are they wide and flat, is the sand compact or loose?” Lucilia started to question Statia who answered as best as she could.

  “Good, we’re not well suited to defend walls like this. But we find a good open field, anchor our flanks, then we can grind apart anything they can throw at us,” Marcus said. Cassius nodded in agreement but remembered the mad look of rage in the creature’s eyes. He doubted that they would be so willing to wait for them to act before they did so themselves.

  “We should get our arms and armor on. I have a feeling that this won’t be a quiet night,” Cassius whispered to Marcus, making sure that nobody heard him. Marcus frowned but nodded in agreement.

  “I will tell Lucilia and we’ll pull ourselves into a defensive formation. Keep Lady Vira with us too,” Marcus said as the conference broke down as people began to try to find what it was that they were going to do.