Page 94 of Axios
If I was in their place, I would wonder the same. All Greeks knew of Sparta and our loyal, nearly invincible soldiers, and I could sense the fear in the air.
Unlike the last campaign when we had stopped in Potidaea and had been stationed outside, we were given accommodations in Aphytis. The people wished us to be comfortable for the duration of our stay, but I also suspected they wished it so we would have no reason to turn against them.
Whatever the motive behind their kindness, I was grateful for it.
Agesipolis sent an envoy to inform the army of allies who awaited us that our plans had altered. They were now to meet us in Aphytis.
Once business was finished and arrangements were made, we were taken to a building near the shore and shown to our quarters. The Spartan officers andperioikoiwere assigned to a different area, but the rest of us were told to stay together.
Once in our chamber, I set my belongings down and surveyed the room. It comfortably housed our syssition and even had large windows that overlooked the shoreline below. Much nicer than what we were familiar with.
I peered out of the opening and stared in amazement at the land and sea.
Crystalline waters extended far beyond what I could see. The water held a blue-green tint closer to shore before becoming darker as it deepened. And it glistened like sapphires, just as I’d often imagined it would.
Agesipolis had said he wished to stay there through winter, and for the first time since we left Sparta, I was excited to be away from home and eager to see what awaited ahead. There was no foreboding of arrows piercing our flesh or thoughts of death while I stood at the window and beheld the most tranquil sight I’d ever laid eyes on.
I felt at peace.
A soft kiss on my shoulder and a pressure at my back pulled me from my musings.
“Come to bed,” Eryx whispered against the skin below my ear. “The sea will still be waiting for you on the morrow.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
380 BC-Spring
With each passing day, I fell more in love with Aphytis. Eryx tried to hide his liking for it, but I saw the joy in his eyes when he believed my attention to be elsewhere. Afterward, he’d make a remark that diminished that joy.
“We must not forget our purpose for being here, Ax,” he said when I spoke of my fondness for the city. “This is not our home.”
But to me, it felt like itcouldbe my home, a place I could live with Eryx and be happy for the rest of my days. Our time there had been spent enjoying each other’s company, learning the ways of the people who dwelled in the city, and experiencing true happiness and harmony for one of the first times in our lives.
The nautical, tropical climate was perfect.
“Imagine it, Ery,” I told him as we walked along the shore that midday. “We could build a house right there.” I pointed to a spot of land to the right of us that was only a few yards from the water. “We’d have a view of the sea and hear the crashing of waves as we slept. As we made love.” Grinning, I bumped his shoulder with mine. “You could become a fisherman and I could… I do not know, but I could learn some trade.”
We could be happy here.
“That can never be,” he responded, examining the area with longing in his eyes. “Our only home is Sparta. Your fantasies have often hindered you and given you hope when there was none to have.” He looked at me and grabbed my hand. “Push these dreams from your mind, for they will only remind you of what cannot come to pass. When the king orders it of us, we will leave this place and do what needs to be done. We’re at war.”
I pulled my hand from his and turned away so he would not see my disappointment.
I knew he was right, but it did not make the truth hurt any less. It was better to have never known such happiness than to feel the sting of having it ripped away.
Seeing a place near the water, I approached it and sat down in the soft sand.
The chill was gone from the air and winter was at its end, as was our stay in the beautiful city by the sea. I was not ready to leave. Not prepared to leave the life I had dreamed of having for so many years.
Now I finally have it… but will soon have to say goodbye.
“Even after all of these years by your side, it still pains me to see that look upon your face,” Eryx spoke, sitting beside me in the sand. He stretched out his legs and put his feet in the water as the tide rolled in and out. “If I could give you that home by the sea, I would. And I’d kill any man who tried to get in my way.” He took hold of my chin, and I looked at him. “But alas, that is a life we will never have and is not ours to covet. You must accept it, Axios, or you will go mad with despair.”
I exhaled and looked ahead.
White rocks rose from the water in scattered formations, and the water crashed as it hit the edges of them. I took as much in as I could, taking advantage of the remainder of our time before departure.
“I knew you two would be here,” Haden said from behind us. Theon and Quill followed after him, trying to keep up and giggling like young boys when they’d slip in the sand. “The people wish to have a feast for us. A farewell to our stay with them. The king has asked us to gather the men and join him in the dining hall.”
