“It’s the same armor I left with. I’ll explain later.” Lucius gestured toward Ariazate and Tigran.
Dabbing at her tears, Verlia stood up and joined her husband and son in the middle of the floor. With a wide smile on her face, she reached out and grabbed Lucius’s hand. When Tigran shuffled nervously, he drew Verlia’s attention.
“Lucius, who are your friends?” Verlia smiled kindly at them.
Lucius had been too wrapped up in the joy of seeing his parents to properly introduce them. “Mother, Father, I’d like you to meet Ariazate and her brother Tigran. This is my mother Verlia and my father Ambeltrix Gaius Silvanius. Do we have guest rooms for them?”
“Of course.” She walked over to Ariazate, taking her hands, and kissed her cheeks then kissed Tigran on the forehead. “Welcome to our home. I’ll have rooms prepared for you.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Ariazate said quietly. She was still nervous about her command of Lucius’s Gaulish.
Tigran mumbled, “Thanks.”
Lucius smiled reassuringly toward the young Armenians. “Zati, would you give me a little time with my parents, please? If you’d like to look around the estate, the weather is lovely.”
Ariazate nodded and gave Lucius a small smile. “I could use a walk to stretch my legs after that ride. Let’s go, Tigran.”
“If anyone stops to ask who you are, let them know you are our guests,” Verlia instructed before the two stepped outside.
Tigran walked over and handed Lucius his helmet before joining his sister outside.
“Centurio?” Ambeltrix asked, grinning broadly. “I see you have done well for yourself, son.”
“Are you hungry?” Verlia asked.
“No, we stopped a while ago and ate at a tavern. I can hold out until dinner.”
“Would you like a beer? Or perhaps wine?” Ambeltrix ushered him toward the dining room.
“Beer would be fine.”
Ambeltrix patted him on the shoulder then disappeared into the kitchen.
Verlia found a servant to ready rooms for their guests, then sat down, taking a small cup of the beer from the jug Ambeltrix brought in.
“Tell me about your pretty friend and her brother. Is she your woman?” Verlia asked, her hand resting on her son’s forearm.
“No. She’s a friend.” He waited until his father got situated before continuing. “I brought them out of Armenia because they ran afoul of the Parthians as they took over after Hadrianus pulled out our troops. They’d have been hunted down and killed.”
“Oh, dear,” Verlia said, holding her hand over her mouth in shock.
“Mother, Father. I’d like you to treat them as my sister and brother. They’ve become dear to me, and they need a safe place to live where they can have a chance at a life. Ariazate is very sharp, and Tigran shows promise. You could do far worse than bringing them into the business and training them to take it over.”
“But, son, I’d thought you’d take over after your time in the legions,” Ambeltrix said, brows furrowing.
“So had I, but I think my time in the legions might last a while longer than I thought.”
“Something happened to you in Armenia, didn’t it?” his father asked. “There’s something different about you…”
Lucius nodded, then told them everything, save for Tigran and Ariazate’s true identities. When he finished his tale, the blood had drained from their faces.
“And these…creatures are real?” Verlia asked.
Lucius nodded. “I don’t know if they’ve made it this far west, but I fought them and barely survived.”
“Are you sure they’re just not wild mountain men?” Ambeltrix asked.
“No. They were once men but turned into monsters. When you kill a man, he leaves a body. When you kill one of these demons, give them a true death, they turn into dust or nasty sludge. They’re stronger and faster than men and survive by drinking the blood of humans. They are very real, and I’ve sworn an oath to multiple gods to fight them and protect humanity. I’ve been marked.” Lucius caressed the crescent moon over his heart. He reached down and pulled his gladius from its sheath and handed it to his father. “That’s the sword you had made for me.”
“It’s beautiful, son.”
“I still serve Roma, but I now have another purpose, one that goes beyond borders.”
Ambeltrix nodded, looking stoic. His mother just looked worried. He’d never be free of danger. He’d served fifteen years in the legions and only had ten more years on his contract, but with his new mission, enlisting again would mean his mother would never know a time where her son wasn’t far away, fighting the enemies of the empire, be they mortal or supernatural. He’d had a lot of time over the winter and on the long trip across the entire empire to realize what he was sacrificing for this mission—to mourn the life he thought he’d have. Someday, if he survived, his mission would end, and he could return to his life. He just hoped it would be before his parents passed into Albios.
“I’m sorry, mother. I know you never wanted this kind of life for me, and certainly not this new danger, but if I don’t answer the call to protect those who need it, then many will suffer. And it’s a kind of suffering you wouldn’t wish on anyone.” The image of his friend Cassius lying in the dirt of the cave, the creature sucking the blood from his neck, flashed through his mind.
He couldn’t bring his friend back, but he could protect others from the same fate. He could train more hunters to join him. As he’d spent the winter mourning the life he’d no longer have, he planned for the mission he’d accepted. Syphax’s cohort had been created for a reason, and that reason was even more important now than ever. If he could talk Hadrian into it, he’d need to raise a force capable of standing against the coming darkness, against the enemies of the gods and of humanity. Only a fool denied the gods when they made their will so plainly known. He might not have been the wisest man, but a fool he wasn’t.
“No matter what you do in life, son, I’m proud of you. I knew you’d do well in life, but I had no idea you’d stand before the gods and be found worthy of their notice.” Ambeltrix reached out and took his wife’s hand in his.
“Gods are all well and good, but I do hope they keep you safe.” She stood up and kissed his forehead and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Give her time, son. She’ll come around.” Ambeltrix patted Lucius’s hand.
“I never wanted to cause her more worry.” Lucius shook his head, then sighed.
“You have to make decisions for your own life, Lucius. Your mother knows that, even if she worries about your health and safety. But she’d worry about it no matter what.”
