"Today, the twenty-sixth day of the fourth month of five hundred and seventy, I, Fortimbrio Hario, make the confirmation of the adoption of Maria by the Lupus couple."
"Dad, don't be like that, help him. Keep in mind that the pax will be temporary. Don't put your grudge on the safety of the Empire...."
He took a seat next to her, holding her hand gently.
"Well, that Empire turned its back on us when that man sold us to the daros!"
He tapped his feet against the floor, rising from the bed.
"All you have to do is arrange a meeting with that leader and translate his words to basileus, the outcome is unknown!"
She left the bed and advanced towards him, hugging him around the waist.
"Please...."
Her eyes flooded with tears, clinging to his body.
The man sighed.
With that attitude, it was difficult for him to refuse.
"María…"
Hamlia, Oriens
Year 568
"I ask forgiveness on behalf of my entire herd!," he bowed painfully to the two men in front of him.
His soldiers, the seriously wounded, were taken to the hospital; while those who had superficial injuries, being the majority, and because of the limited space they had, were taken to the plaza; where they would be attended, in large part, by volunteer villagers given the lack of personnel.
The Monsignor and the director sent for Druso at the hospital office to inform him of the situation Hamlia was in due to the war: overcrowded beds, a great shortage of medicines; they had no other choice but to resort to medicinal plants.
That was the reason for Druso's apology.
"If I had known their situation, I would have taken my herd to another village. We will leave right now so as not to cause them any more problems.
He looked up and turned on his heel to go to his men to warn them of the retreat."
"Wait!," the director stopped him. "This is not the best time for you to leave. Our nurses are already treating your men with medicinal plants."
"But they'll run out!," he returned his gaze to the man, somewhat irritated.
They had called him to tell him of the problems, as if to imply that he and his soldiers were causing grievance, and now he was telling him that they could stay.
"Calm down," the monsignor said to the wolf, "I will speak to the people nearby so that the remedies are conceived by us."
Druso blinked repeatedly.
"Ah?"
"What he wants to say," intervened the director when he saw that Druso could not understand Fortimbrio's words, "It means that more drugs will be arriving soon. You don't have to worry about that."
Out of the corner of his eye he observed the boy's wounds.
"But for those cuts that look deep."
The man took his distance and pointed to one of the corridors.
"Follow that passage and look for Nurse Didia; tell her that you have the director's favor. That will get you taken care of quickly."
He gave Druso a soft smile, wanting to reassure him.
Lupus, jaw clenched and eyes lost, nodded and thanked him.
"See you later, monsignor, director."
He bowed slightly, and at a limp pace, followed the indication he had been given.
"Monsignor," he stopped the old man, who was already retreating. "How do you think the war will end?"
He did not look questioned, he limited himself to say:
"Neither winners nor losers," and he withdrew, saying no more words.
Following the path that had been pointed out to him, Drusus arrived at the main part of the hospital, which, given the large number of wounded, became yet another bedside ward.
"Can I help you with anything?"
A young girl with diamond-like eyes and beautiful dark hair approached the boy, greeting him with a warm smile.
Druso remained, for a few seconds, mute, analyzing the girl, suspicious.
"I'm looking for Didia."
"Well, that's me," the young woman curtsied. "What do you need?"
He thought that seeing her wounds would be enough for her to intuit what he wanted, however, seeing that she did not understand, he used the words that had been given to him.
"I have the favor of the director."
Didia opened her eyes wide. To which, after a few moments, she returned to her calm expression.
"Come with me, please."
The young woman turned her back on him, and, being followed, walked to a secluded area of the hospital, with fewer patients, calmer.
Didia pointed to a chair, she had to wait her turn.
The wolf, wary of the girl's helpful attitude, obeyed.
The young woman bowed, raised her head, turned, and withdrew.
Druso wandered his gaze around the place.
There were no more than ten people, each being attended to with patience and care by the nurses.
'So they have preference. Isn't that corruption...?'
"Hello."
He felt a gentle tug on his pants, interrupting his thoughts.
As he turned and looked down, he caught a glimpse of a little girl watching him, closely, her greenish eyes very moist and trembling.
"Is something wrong, little one?," he raised his hand and caressed her head gently.
"Do you know where the director is?," with a twisted lip and a pleading tone, she asked.
Druso felt sorry for the vulnerable girl, but he didn't know what to tell her. So, he chose to lie to her.
"He.... is talking to the monsignor."
Trying to sound convincing, he forced a smile.
At those words, the girl lowered her head, shedding tears in the process.
"He told me….," she took out the watch the director had given her from her robes, "that when the sand is down, he would be back."
He felt like an idiot.
He could fix it and tell her that he was already in the hospital, but that was something he wasn't entirely sure of; the director might have already retired.
"Ca-Calm do-down," holding her by the shoulders, and carefully, he pulled her to him, "tell me, what is your name?
"Maria, sir... He called me Maria."
Fearful, she kept her gaze down, her hands on her abdomen, fiddling with her fingers.
"Well, Maria," he stroked her head once more. "Where are your parents?"
At this question, the girl wrinkled her face and more tears came to her eyes.
"My mommy was taken away by some men in white...."
This made Druso's eyes widen.
'They must have taken her away as a visitor for the satisfaction of the troops...? Shit.' with this thought, he opted not to bother her with any more questions regarding his mother.
"What about you, Dad?"
"They to-told me," her voice faltered, "that he died in the war...."
These words aroused his interest, so he did not hesitate to ask.
"Do you happen to know under whose orders he was?"
The girl raised her head, looking at him curiously.
She was trying to remember.
"I think... Cra... Crano... Craso... Crásico!," she shouted animatedly, as if it were a guessing game.
"What?!," he left the chair abruptly.
His sudden action caused everyone to turn to look at him; the girl took a few steps back, her body trembling.
"Are you sure of what you are saying?!," he took a few steps towards Maria, cornering her.
The girl, in tears, just nodded her head repeatedly.
"Shit!," he raised both hands and hit the wall again and again until she left marks on it. "That bastard!" After sitting up, he turned in the direction of the exit.
"Wha-what's going on here?" Didia arrived at the place, in a hurry, called by the scandal.
"Crásico! That's what's going on!"
Before leaving, she took one last look at Didia.
"Tell the director that I'll be waiting for him at the monsignor's house!
Monsignor's residence
"It doesn't fit in my head! It doesn't fit in my!" He paced around the room, cursing in his heart the one who had caused harm not only to his legio.
Six people were gathered: the director, Monsignor Fortimbrio, who was sleeping at the time of the sudden arrival at his house; little Maria, who had been brought by Didia at the request of Druso, who brought the oldest and most veteran of his pack: Albo Arriano.
Moments ago, with the director leaning on the door frame, watching what was going on cautiously; and Didia with her head bent, the wolf launched a question, sensitive in the presence of the little girl:
"What is the name of the legio in which her father served!"
He thrust his wounded body in front of the recharged man, who did not hesitate to answer his:
"The VI Cóxona, coming from the north of Oriens, annihilated in battle, under the command of the consul Crásico, the only survivor."
Those words drove him out of control, shouting left and right,
"Sa-Say te-tell me...."
His head and body trembled in such a way that he provoked fear in those present, his pupils had reddened.
"To which legions belonged the soldiers who are here? I am aware that hospitals are obliged to take rigorous information from their patients."
The director sighed and sat up to answer him in a good way.
"If I remember correctly, they were: legio I Blesseda, II Raymonda, III Augera, IV Arnauda, V Gilberta, VI Gastona, VII Joberta, VIII Ragera, IX Armengola and X Garniera, raised with the levies of the religious cities that sent their men to fight for the will of the Nintu.... All of them annihilated in battle."
"Bu-But tho-those are more than fif-fifty-five hundred and fifty thousand soldiers."
His face paled, he breathed heavily, tears slid down his cheeks.
"Hopefully, from each of those legions, no more than twenty men survived", he paused, anticipating a bad reaction. "Would you like to guess which cónsul they were under?"
He could stand it no longer, fell on his backside, leaning on his arms, and, observing the director with trembling eyes.
How was it possible that he had been entrusted, to that man with such a repulsive record, with more than twelve legions? Because it was certain that Crásico already had another army under his command, ready to finish him off.
What was the reason for doing that? Why was he putting an end to the lives of men who only wanted to serve him? He could not understand, and he knew he would not understand.
"Alpha," Arriano interjected as he saw that Druso was beginning to be overcome by his mental overwhelm, "tell them why you have summoned us here," he kept his position straight in his place, he looked around the people present.
And Druso, trembling, rose from the floor with difficulty, as if he were carrying on his shoulders the mental burden that should be on Crásico.
"Sir, director," he began, "I want to ask you something…. What do you think about Crásico?"
The questioned men looked at each other from the corner of their eyes, as if they were talking and coordinating their thoughts. They were men of age, veterans even, they were more knowledgeable, wiser, more prudent.
"We both consider him persona non grata."
Lupus nodded at the director's words, motivated, renewed, seeing in them the possibility of making his plan a reality.
"If we join the wounded already recovered with my men, plus the levies of this city, we can raise a legio of almost two thousand soldiers."
"Zagal, say without branches, go to the fruit." the monsignor leaned back in his chair, anticipating the young man's ideal.
"He said to get to the point," the director had to intervene when he saw Druso still, trying, once again, to understand Fortimbrio's words.
He nodded at the order, and in a firm voice, exclaimed:
"Let's make a plot against Crásico!"
Monsignor's residence
At night, after the meeting
"Create the legio I Laponia... That man wants to tackle Crásico from this modest village. What do you think, Monsignor? Do you think it was a good idea to allow Drusus and his men to stay?"
The director took a few steps until he reached the old man's desk.
"My credit before pretending there is reason?" He rose from his seat in haste to the wretches."
"You have lived long; you will know how to answer me."
Such a word, interrupted his way; and without looking him in the eyes:
"Past by so much I have, that null is already to me what actual I have seen."
The director nodded, listened carefully to his words to be able to understand them.
"Do you think they will succeed in what they are planning?" In a loud voice he stopped him, seeing how he was already leaving the room.
At the deep and slow turn, he protested:
"With arrangement leave, that I will inquire the Nintu for your job."