Page 161 of Eryx
We turned to see Quill running toward us. He threw his arms around Axios, and the two men embraced and laughed.
The years had changed Quill, perhaps more than any of us. Though still small, he had impressive biceps and a more defined upper body. With nothing but his anger and grief to drive him, I suspected he had put everything into his training since we’d last seen him.
“You had me worried,” Axios said, punching Quill’s shoulder.
Haden approached Quill from behind and picked him up, swinging him from side to side.
“Release me, you big oaf!” Quill yelled, slapping Haden’s hands. But there was no mistaking his joy.
Once Haden placed him back on his feet, Quill regarded me with a small smile. I had always been the least affectionate out of our group. I preferred to keep a respectable distance. However, my joy at seeing Quill overruled the barriers I normally kept raised, and I stepped forward to pull him into my arms.
Quill puffed out a surprised breath before returning my hold.
The reunion was made even sweeter when a man we hadn’t seen in many years approached. Gray strands had been added to his dark hair and wrinkles had formed at the edges of his eyes, but his large build was unmistakable.
“I’ll be damned,” Felix said, pulling Axios in for a hug. “I hardly recognize you boys.”
With Sparta in near-constant conflict for the past ten years, Felix had been garrisoned in several different allied territories. While we had returned home after each battle, he and his unit had stayed on the move, traveling to cities and enforcing our laws.
“It is good to see you, old friend,” Axios said with a smile.
“Old?” Felix frowned. “I shall forget you spoke such a word.” He greeted Haden before turning to me and squeezing my arm. When his gaze fell on Quill, his brow furrowed and he glanced around. “Where is the other? You and Theon were inseparable.”
“Dead,” Quill answered, staring at the ground. “He fell at Tegyra.”
Felix stilled, and for the briefest moment, sadness filled his eyes. He had never said as much, but I suspected he viewed us as sons. And learning one of those sons had died wounded him deeply. A look of indifference then took over, and I knew he was hiding his sorrow. Just like I did.
I looked at the empty spot beside Quill, my heart aching at the absence of the mischievous man who used to stand there. The passing of time would never dull the pain of losing my brother.
“He was a fine young man,” Felix said, after a long silence.
“He was,” Quill said, quickly wiping at his eyes. “But I shall see him again someday. It is not goodbye.”
“I was unware you were traveling with us,” Felix added, resting a hand on Quill’s shoulder.
The men Felix had been stationed with had joined the army from Orchomenus earlier that day before continuing toward Leuctra. With close to a thousand men, it was easy for them not to notice each other until now.
As the sun inched closer to the horizon, taking the light of day with every minute that passed, movement caught my eye from across the plain. A large force of men had positioned themselves across the valley. I stepped closer to the edge, seeing their shields reflect the remaining sunlight.
“Do they plan to attack?” Quill asked, his gaze unwavering on the Theban army.
“No, they are making camp,” I responded, after observing them a while longer. “There will be no attack this night.”
“Why are they not charging us?” Axios asked, unable to hide the nerves in his voice.
I longed to pull him against me and take away his fear, but it was not the time for it. I touched his hand as I studied the enemy force. He moved closer to me.
“Because their goal is to bar us entry into their territory,” Felix answered from my left. “It is a warning. If we attempt to cross, there will be a fight. Do not doubt that, boy.”
“Then we will fight,” Haden said. “And they will die.”
The land darkened as the sun finally set, and the enemy across the plain faded with it. I knew they were still there, waiting. Waiting for dawn. Stars appeared in the sky, and they seemed to burn brighter above us. Our allies retired to their area and many Spartans lay down to sleep as well. The night before a battle always made sleep hard to find.
“Let’s sit around the fire,” Quill suggested. “Like we used to.”
Ian and Melias lowered their gazes while Haden and Axios looked at me. I nodded, and we gathered around an already built fire, though it burned low. After placing more wood in the pit, the flames grew higher.
“If only Nikias were here,” Axios said, as he stared at the flames. “He would have encouraging words. Some lesson to teach us.”
