Legionary

Chapter 59

Pavo sat up with a start, chains clanking and biting at his wrists. Dank didn’t even begin to describe the filthy dungeon he found himself in. Illuminated in a semi-gloom from a portcullis entrance, high above, a stench of mould and rotting meat insistently clawed at his nostrils. With a retch, he realised he had been lying semi-submerged in a green-brown pool of something. He ignored the thundering pain marching through his head and tried to focus on the shapes on the floor around him

‘Welcome to my lair,’ a voice croaked from the darkness.

‘Sura! What happened?’

‘Seems like they want to get a bit of inside information on the XI Claudia.’

‘What in Hades…’ another voice croaked as a shape beside him sat up. The gloom outlined the short form of Felix. ‘Feels like I’ve been sleeping in a bath of turds? Oh bloody heck…I have,’ he yelped, wiping the murky slime from his face. ‘Well, we’ve got the time you were after, Pavo. Let’s start thinking.’

Pavo held up his shackles, as thick as his wrists and nearly rust-free.

‘Forget it,’ Sura cut in. ‘Believe me, I’ve tried — nearly broke my wrist in the process.’

‘How long have you been in here — how long have we been in here?’ Felix snapped.

‘You’ve been out cold for the best part of a day — as best as I can tell.’

‘A day?’ Pavo yelped.

Felix dropped his head into his hands. ‘We’ve screwed it up.’

‘What are they waiting on out there? Why don’t they torture us or kill us — what use are we to them in here?’ Pavo muttered.

‘What use are we to anyone in here?’ Sura mumbled in agreement.

‘Right, how’s about we start shouting?’ Felix offered.

‘What, to get attention? That’ll work, but it’ll likely be in the form of a spear shaft in the face…again!’ Sura mused, rubbing his fingertips on the angry red welt around his eye.

‘Sod it, we’ve got to do something,’ Pavo reasoned.

All three fell silent for a moment, and then in unison, they filled their lungs.

‘Come on then!’ They cried. ‘What are you waiting for?’

Their echoes bounced from wall to wall until they were breathless. Pavo’s head thumped in protest as they fell silent, slumping back down in despair.

Then a roar of iron grating filled the stairwell above.

Four shapes filled the dim light at the top of the stairs and then thundered down to the dungeon floor.

‘All right you pigs — you want what’s coming to you?’ Festus sneered, his three I Dacia legionaries grinning in unison. ‘Ah, Pavo,’ he cocked an eyebrow, ‘it’s going to be doubly painful for you, I can assure you.’