***
He was woken by a strange whining noise that seemed to be coming from inside the room. Junius opened his eyes and was shocked to realise that he’d slept through the night; already the grey light of dawn was filtering in through the high window. With an effort he raised himself up so he could survey the room and saw that sitting on the chair next to the bed was Marius, his head slumped forward. The bizarre noise was coming from him.
“Your snoring woke me,” Junius said loudly.
Marius stirred, snuffling and snorting as he did so. “I didn’t want to wake you,” he responded rubbing his eyes.
“So you used subtlety and stealth. Well, it worked. Did you kill many?”
Marius shifted in his chair. “You were right about them. They are stupid. It was carnage. And there were children. Little ones left to starve. Unbelievable.”
“They tried to take nursing mothers as well, but Isher–Dan put a stop to that. He wasn’t happy, but he couldn’t stop them transforming their families. In many ways they were uncontrollable. It’s a good thing they’re dead.”
“I didn’t think you’d be sorry to see the back of them after what you’d said. They had no strategy at all, it was almost embarrassing, and yesterday they were just lying inside the caves. They hadn’t even tried to hide.”
Junius looked away, unable to face his friend. Two days ago he would have been equally as bewildered and amazed at the Kins’ stupidity, but now after his brief experience as one of them, he could understand why they hadn’t hidden, and had run into the Romans’ stakes. Some of them were mindless animals, and he had behaved like one himself.
Marius seemed to realise that his friend was distracted. “I’m sorry, I know that you consider them your people. But we haven’t gone to the higher caves yet, so your friends are still safe for the time being. I suggest you tell them to move on if they want to live.”
“I can’t,” Junius told him simply. “I don’t hear them any more.”
For a moment Marius was quiet. “What happened, old friend? I didn’t think I’d get the chance to thank you for saving us. In fact I didn’t think I’d ever speak to you again. Why are you here?”
Junius pulled a face. “I fell into the water.”
“I heard that you were found washed up like detritus. But why? Did you really wait outside to see if we needed help, like you said you would?”
Junius ignored the question. “I saw what was happening and I couldn’t let you burn. So I opened the weir. Stupidly, I then lost my balance on the slippery wooden gate and fell into the water. That’s all I remember.”
Marius went pale. “You could have died.”
Junius met his gaze. “I have no idea why I’m here still. It’s a good mile from the weir to where I was found. And I was unconscious the whole time.”
Marius bit his lip. “Junius, what are you saying?”
“That I should be dead, but I’m not. And I don’t understand why. If I was Kin, then yes, but as you can see, I’m not. So why am I still alive?”
Marius stood, and moved over to the table beside Junius’s bed. “Wine or water?”
“Water,” Junius replied and watched as his friend poured two cups and handed one to him.
“I don’t know why you’re still alive, but I thank the gods that you are. By opening the gate and flooding the area you saved us and Rome. You’re a hero to the men.”
Junius finished the cup and put it back on the table. “I don’t feel a hero.”
Marius fumbled in his leather pouch and brought out Junius’s family ring and held it out for him to take. “Your family will be proud and you might earn the corona obsidionalis, which could even make your mother smile.” He stopped and looked at Junius. “Or will you re-join the Kin?”
Junius took the ring and put it on his finger, then glanced at back at his friend. “I’ll come to Rome with you. I was given a duty and I should complete it. We’ll make our report to Hadrian and see what that brings.” Marius was sceptical; Junius could see it in his eyes. “My chance to disappear honourably has gone. I can’t bring disrepute on the Junii family.”
Marius picked his cup up, but didn’t meet Junius’s eyes. “You said before that you couldn’t live in a twilight world where you were neither one thing nor the other. That’s why you chose the Kin, because they were still a part of you, even though you seemed to have a resistance to them.”
Junius shifted in the bed and the ache in his arms reminded him that he was a long way from being back to full strength. “Marius, I’m sure I’ve got an immunity to it, but I’m not completely human any more either. I should have drowned but I didn’t…. He paused trying to articulate his feelings. “There’s something of the Kin inside me. Even now, in the daylight I can feel it, but I don’t understand what it is.”
“You keep changing your mind. I don’t know where your allegiance lies any more,” Marius said watching him warily.
“My loyalty has always been first and foremost to Rome and my Emperor, that’s never changed. I’ll return with you and complete our assignment and then I’ll try and find out what’s happened to me.”
“Why do I still get the feeling that you’re not telling me something?”
“Because your instinct is superb, which is why after fifteen years in the army you’re still alive,” Junius told him with a slight smile.
“Can I trust you?” Marius asked, narrowing his eyes as he tried to read Junius’s face for any clues.
“Yes, you have my sacred word and I swear in front of the gods of my family, that you can.”
Marius considered him for a moment, then nodded. “A soldier doesn’t make such an oath lightly. I accept your word as sacramentum.”
Junius lay back on the bed. “Thank you, old friend. Now I think we both need to sleep. You have another busy night in front of you and I’m tired.”
“I’ll come back before I go tonight.”
“I can tell you about the exciting day I had whilst you were sleeping.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Marius said with a smile and left the room.