Page 7 of Axios
“But we are here. We…” I looked around at the younger children around us. “We returned too late. I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
I had only wanted time to myself, away from responsibilities. To feel free for just a moment of my day.
“You!” Gaius grabbed me by my tunic and yanked me from the huddle of boys, throwing me in the dirt. “You think to hide away like a coward?”
I cried out as he kicked me in the stomach, instantly knowing it was a mistake.Never let them hear or see your pain. As quickly as I could, I got to my feet.
Gaius grabbed me again and raised his arm to hit me, but then Eryx stepped forward, getting between us.
“We wandered too far,” he spoke calmly. “Our tardiness is my doing, and I will take full responsibility.”
“Eryx, no—”
He shook his head at me, urging me to stay silent.
Gaius released my tunic and pinned Eryx with a hard stare. “Both of you in linenow.”
Doing as he demanded, Eryx and I took our place at the end of the line where the boys were still being stripped of their clothing. When Felix arrived in front of me, he yanked my tunic off, and I had to force myself not to shy away from my nakedness.
He slapped at my bicep before doing the same to my chest and abdomen.
“You’re still a weakling,” he growled with disgust and then shoved a red cloak into my hands. “This will be your only clothing from this day forth.”
“Do we get our tunics back for winter?”
He backhanded me across the face. “You will not speak out of turn, boy.”
Forcing away the sting of the hit, I tilted my head and glared at him, trying to show him that I wasnotweak.
“That cloak is all you will get,” he spat in my face. “When you are a soldier, you must know how to endure the harsh conditions. Extreme heat and biting cold. You must learn how to survive when exposed to all elements.” Then, speaking louder, he addressed the other boys in line, “From this day forth, you will be provided a very minimal diet. On the battlefield, you may go many moons with no food, so you must learn to work through an empty stomach. You are, however, allowed to steal.”
A cold smile crossed his face, and he added, “But if you arecaught, you will be punished. Not for stealing, but for your lack of stealth.” His gaze flickered to me. “This will be expected of you from now on. Live or die. You are the master of your fate.”
Next, he moved to Eryx, and I watched from the corner of my eye as he removed my companion’s clothes.
Eryx wasn’t fazed at all as he stood there naked. He stared straight ahead with his head held high.
Felix smacked his bicep like he had done with me, and then he did the same to Eryx’s abdomen. “You’re becoming strong,” he said appreciatively. “Good.”
After we had our clothing removed, some of the other men approached with blades. Linus, one of the younger of the trainers, grabbed the closest boy to him and chopped off his hair. He then proceeded to move down the line and do the same to the rest of us.
It was strange to have hair so short, but it was the required cut for trainees. Only when we became soldiers could we grow our hair long, if we wished it.
When it was over, I cast a look to Eryx, thinking it a crime that his hair had been cut as well. The golden locks that I had often admired and touched now lay at his feet.
He offered me a small reassuring smile.
Later that night, we discovered another change. We were not permitted to sleep on our usual mats in the barracks anymore. Instead, we had to make a bed out of reeds.
At sunset, we walked through the valley alongside other herds of boys. I plucked the reeds by hand, trying to ignore the ache in my joints and sting in the soles of my feet. Along with our clothes, they had taken our sandals as well. Thorns jabbed into my bare feet, and with each step I took, my feet ached more and more.
The reeds grew in a marshy area, so the farther I walked, the softer the ground became. But it did little to help the sting.
One of the boys tried to speak to me, but he snapped his mouth shut when I pinned him with a glare. My mood was foul, and I didn’t wish to speak to anyone.
“They are not treating us this way to be cruel,” Eryx said from beside me. “Although you may not believe it now, this is in our best interest.”
“How?” I turned to him with a growl. “How will this aid us in any damned way, Ery?”
