Emperor: The Field of Swords Read Online Free Page B

arms and neck uncovered. She wore no jewels but a simple chain of gold ending in a pendant that was almost hidden as it disappeared between her breasts.
        “Servilia. You should not have presumed on a friendship,” Julius said, stiffly.
        She shrugged and smiled as if it were nothing. “I hope you won’t punish them, General. The docks can be dangerous without guards, and I had no one else to help me.”
        Julius looked coldly at her, before returning his gaze to the officer. The man had followed the exchange and now stood with the glazed expression of one who waited for bad news.
        “My orders were clear?” Julius asked him.
        “Yes, sir.”
        “Then you and your men will take the next two watches. Your rank makes you more responsible than they, does it not?”
        “Yes, sir,” the hapless soldier replied.
        Julius nodded. “When you are relieved, you will report to your centurion to be flogged. Tell him twenty strokes on my order and your name to be entered in the lists for disobedience. Now run back.”
        The officer saluted smartly and spun on his heel. “Turn about!” he shouted to his twenty. “Double speed back to the docks.”
        With Julius there, no one dared groan, though they would be exhausted before they were halfway back to their original post and the watches to come would see them dropping with tiredness.
        Julius stared after them until they were clear of the line of carts, before turning back to Servilia. She stood stiffly, trying to hide her surprise and guilt at what her request had brought about.
        “You have come to see your son?” Julius said to her, frowning. “He is training with the legion and should be back at dusk.” He looked at the line of carts and bellowing oxen, clearly caught between his irritation at the unexpected arrival and the demands of courtesy. After a long silence, he relented.
        “You may wait inside for Brutus. I will have someone water your animals and bring you a meal.”
        “Thank you for your kindness,” Servilia replied, smiling to cover her confusion. She couldn’t begin to understand the difference in the young general. The whole of Rome knew he had lost his wife, but it was like speaking to another man from the one she had known. Dark pouches ringed his eyes, but it was more than simple tiredness. When she had seen him last, he had been ready to take arms against Spartacus and the fires in him were barely controlled. Her heart went out to him for what he had lost.
        At that moment, Angelina leapt onto the road from her cart at the back of the line and waved, calling something to Servilia. Both she and Julius stiffened as the girlish voice rang out.
        “Who is that?” Julius said, his eyes narrowing against the glare.
        “A companion, General. I have three young ladies with me for the trip.”
        Something in her tone made Julius glance at her in sudden suspicion.
        “Are they…”
        “Companions, General, yes,” she replied lightly. “All good girls.” For the right price, they could be superb, she added silently.
        “I’ll put a guard on their door. The men are not used to…” He hesitated. “It may be necessary to keep a guard. On the door.”
        To Servilia’s intense pleasure, a slow blush had started on Julius’s cheeks. There was still life in him, somewhere deep, she thought. Her nostrils flared slightly with the excitement of a hunt. As Julius marched back between the gates, she watched him and smiled, pressing the fullness of her lower lip between her teeth in amusement. Not too old after all, she told herself, smoothing her tangled hair with a hand.
        
        Brutus stretched his back muscles as he rode the last miles toward the fort. His century of extraordinarii were in formation behind him and he felt a touch of pride as he glanced to each side and saw the neat line of cantering horses. Domitius was in position on