The Kin

  ***

  “She wants to see you now,” Marius told Junius, who was still sitting on the grass in no hurry to get up.

  “Then, my dear mother will have to wait,” his friend replied. “I need to think.”

  Marius rubbed his face with his hands; mother and son were as stubborn as each other and quite often he found himself caught in the middle.

  “If she wants to talk to me then you can tell her where I am. You’ve done your bit, Marius, go back and continue with whatever you were doing,” Junius told him and turned away to contemplate the flowing water.

  “It’s not that simple. You know it’s not. Your mother is …”

  “Intimidating,” Junius finished for him. “She scares me as well. Father is much easier to deal with.”

  “Then go now, before she becomes really annoyed,” Marius urged. Junius pulled his legs up. “It’s too nice a day for her to spoil it. Tell her I’ll come when I’m ready.”

  Marius sighed, he’d done all he could. “All right, I’ll let her know. Are you going to train later? If so I’ll get the equipment ready.”

  Suddenly Junius stood and without replying to Marius, he walked into the water and bent down, and held his hands out into the stream so that it had to flow over them. Marius waited, unsure what was expected of him. Junius laughed, then straightened up.

  “You’re right, Marius, it’s better to see her now, rather than have the threat hanging over me,” he said and began to wade out of the water.

  Marius sighed. He had no idea why his friend had suddenly changed his mind, but he thanked the gods that he had.