Vengeance & Remission (Introduction) Page 5

the Roman Empire. Marcus Lucius thought that he could have convinced her to live in the villa, where everyone was safe. Nobody would have dared to attack or to wound citizens living there. A murder in a multi story apartment block was more probable, because of the amount of people there.

  He remembered how his wife's best friend came shyly into the room and looked shocked at Marcus Lucius and Decima. Verina was an average woman in her early 30ies with first wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She had brown eyes and a corpulent body. Most of the times her hair was put together and she smiled often. She wasn't obese, even if she had a round face and portly fingers. Her shocked eyes tried to analyse the situation.

  -I have no idea who did it in particular, but I have to go and find the principal of the order.

  Marcus Lucius wasn’t aware how rough, serious and frightening his tone was. Verina nodded automatically. She didn't expect him to be a murderer and she wanted him to have his revenge. She knew he was a good man, even if he was mostly away from his wife. She was aware that Roman soldiers weren't able to spend as much time with their families as they wanted.

  In the last months, after Emperor Trajan died, there were rumours that he never officially designated Hadrian as the new emperor. But apparently according to Trajan's wife, Pompeia Plotina, Trajan had named Hadrian as successor right before his death. It was just a few days ago and nobody was even sure how long the new emperor might stay in his position. The emperor's guard had more important problems than looking after the murder of Decima or following her husband, who apparently knew who killed his wife.

  -So go, and have your revenge. - She said after a moment of contemplation. - I'll take care about her.

  Marcus Lucius was sure that Verina meant it seriously and therefore, he didn't wait any longer. He kissed his wife forever-goodbye and run out of the apartment he never regarded as his home. He wanted to go back to Quintus and kill him in a way as long and painful as possible. That was his plan. He thought about millions of possibilities how to put his plan into action. The analysis of these various opportunities made him calmer. Nobody should challenge a good warrior in such way without taking into account his bloody, inevitable revenge.

  He thought about the most complicated injuries he could imagine. As much blood as possible should flow. A red massacre could be a good match. Marcus Lucius didn't know that haemoglobin with four heme groups was the principal determinant of the exact colour of blood due to their interaction. He simply knew that a specific shade of blood was seen on the dead people or when the wound was already closed. He knew scabs and lesions of different calibre, but he hadn't experienced deep wounds himself – up to now. However, he had already seen deadly wounded. He was used to see them in the battle fields. He noticed that fresh, arterial and capillary blood was bright red, even if he didn't know that oxygen imparted a strong red colour to the heme group. Such injuries led to a fast death. It wasn't planned. He had to watch out and shouldn't lose self-control, if he wanted Quintus to suffer extensively. Marcus Lucius observed people who got wounded, including himself. It was fascinating and his interest started when he was a boy. During his stay in Britannia, he saw some injured soldiers. Sometimes, he accompanied the camp medico and got explanation about mysterious fluids. Already at that time, he saw some of the wounded persons alive again and sometimes, he didn't. Even without explanation, he knew that some didn't survive and died. It wasn't brutal. It was a part of life. It was a daily routine, when you were in a Roman camp with soldiers patrolling the surrounding and keeping the kind of peaceful regime with rare, but brutal resistance. There were some camps with increased numbers of dangerous incidents and there, legionnaires were injured badly every now and then while they served the empire.

  Anyway, he thought about thousands of ways of how to kill Quintus in the most brutal, painful way. Marcus Lucius didn't remember much of the last days, but he knew exactly how he got invited to Quintus's tent. Usually, they met each other more or less regularly and talked about this and that. They remembered how Marcus Lucius came into the army at the age of 15. Due to his developed skills and already trained techniques, he was sent to a group of older soldiers. Quintus was one of them. Quintus was five years older and some centimetres taller until Marcus Lucius was 18. Quintus wasn't the best warrior. He preferred to be the strategic leader of the group. He was goal-oriented and loved to play a game, where you draw a map of the empire on the ground and set your wooden armies. You could move your army in turns, depending on how many players were involved. The primary object of the game was the domination of the world or occupying every territory on the board, drawn on the ground, and in so doing, eliminate all other players. Mostly, they used to recreate the initial situation of the famous battles like the Battle of Aricia, where consul Publius Servilius Priscus defeated the Aurunci or the Battle of Pydna, when the Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus defeated and captured the Macedonian King Perseus, and which ended the Third Macedonian War. Quintus used to challenge everyone to play with him. Often, the soldiers met after the training and played the same game over more evenings. When Quintus was concentrated, he used to squeeze a lot. He planned ahead and he knew some sneaky tricks to win. His strategy was impressive. His wins were respectless. Every time he won, he celebrated his victory by humiliating other players. There were minor, diminutive remarks with the special, unmissable undertone that exhibited the sarcastic, degrading, incalculable background of Quintus's thoughts. Still, Quintus was a nice, reliable soldier, so legionnaires overlooked the irony of his free time. There were many evenings that could be spent in a more boring way. Every kind of entertainment was welcomed to take the minds off things which created the daily routine of a soldier's life. What else were they suppose to do during long, underemployed evenings, while their wives, children, other family members and houses were far, far away from the camp?

  Once, Quintus wanted to play with Marcus Lucius. Already for a longer while, Quintus tried to get Marcus Lucius involved in the game. There were uncountable times of attempts to convince him to take part in a puzzle game. Marcus Lucius often stood and watched how the other played, but he avoided being an active player. Marcus Lucius observed how Quintus won the new Battle of Campania, a slave revolt led by Spartacus, where the Roman army was defeated originally, but with skills and intellect of Quintus, it wasn't confirmed. With minimalistic moves, with complex strategic moves, Quintus needed almost two weeks to win the hypothetical battle. Quintus was tired, but extremely happy and typically for him – unpleasant. Marcus Lucius didn't comment it, he simply stood behind Antonius and his head showed refusal even without any, even dainty movement. His look was straight, unsatisfied, dissenting. His face was cold, emotionless. Just his eyes betrayed the disagreement. Quintus used the moment and suggested Marcus Lucius to play another game. After a few seconds without any reaction of Marcus Lucius and raising tension of Quintus, the situation eased. Marcus Lucius agreed and one of the most famous duels begun.

  Quintus took over the whole preparation. The line-up was set. The Battle of Aquilonia should be imitated. It was fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites in 293 BC, near the current city of Aquilonia in Campania (southern Italy). The Romans, led by the Consuls Lucius Papirius Cursor and Spurius Carvilius Maximus, were victorious.

  Usually, just a few legionnaires watched the course of the game, because Quintus used to be the ultimate winner. With the time, it became predictable and therefore, boring. Quintus won over everyone from his legion except Marcus Lucius. Antonius and Furius tried their luck five times and weren't motivated to play and to lose again. Postumus, Servius and Vibius tried to win regularly, but they didn't manage to succeed. The other legionnaires gave up after they had lost once. Marcus Lucius was the only one, who had never played the game. He was the youngest in the legion and he was able to fight very well. During the training, he won almost every duel often by using the power of his enemy. It was a pleasure to watch his movements. He was known as the worthy, adequate son of Maxim
us. In the meanwhile, Marcus Lucius got used to the heritage connected to his father's name. On that one day, his strategical skills were requested. Everyone was excited to see who might win.

  When the game started, Marcus Lucius and Quintus sat opposite each other. Quintus squinted his eyes and observed the rival attentively. Marcus Lucius looked relaxed. Around them, almost twenty legionnaires gathered and watched the two soldiers playing. The game started very slowly. At first, both of them starred at the drawn map of the empire. It was known that the Samnite line held its own for a long while during the battle. The situation changed, when a cloud of dust caused by Papirius's auxilia cavalry frightened the Samnites.

  Marcus Lucius was in the less comfortable position and had to lead the Samnite line. Quintus wondered aloud how Marcus Lucius would like to be in charge of the losers, he laughed and repeated the same phrases. Marcus Lucius didn't react and stayed focussed on the game. With every further evening, more and more