Viasmae: an Intrigue
Jan. 9th, 2012 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zzambrosius_02I got a nice bit of writing done today, only about 750 words, but it completed a 'chapter' of thirty pages and 11,200 words. So, it felt like more than it really was, which is, in this case, a good thing.
Eleni settled her butt slowly into the tub, enjoying the feel of the water on her somewhat sore thighs and lower back. Arrendi was stripping off her tunic, singing a little song about the wonders of hot water. In a minute she was in the tub as well.
“When did you have this installed?” asked Eleni. “It wasn’t here last time I was north. Handy to have it right here in your quarters, though.”
Arrendi grinned: “I didn’t have it installed. That would have seemed greedy. It was a surprise for my Mastering Day anniversary.”
“I did the deed,” said Antonos, as he entered the room. “And no one said a word in opposition either. Magistri Arrendi works harder at her craft than anyone else, and lends a hand wherever it’s needed.” He smiled a cocky smile: “There’s a very hot spring just the other side of Mt. Sari. The water is still pretty hot even after we pipe it down here.” Antonos stripped off his belt, a heavy undyed leather monstrosity, and skinned out of his tunic. The women stared admiringly; ‘A little thick in the waist,’ Eleni thought, ‘but my, such a muscular build.’ She and Arrendi glanced at each other and Arrendi winked. Then what the sergeant had said sunk in.
“Mt. Sari?” Eleni smiled sadly: “you named a peak for my mother?”
“It was old Isaios the Innkeeper’s idea. There’s one for Borgos and one for your brother as well.” Antonos nodded, sagely: “And a good idea it was, too. Your pop was a friend of his, and naming formerly anonymous mountains for the martyred dead has kept the tale of the sack of Vlaporto alive. Hearing that story every once in a while, that was one reason that Anthekos the Younger decided to resettle the site.”
“So Isaios’ idea worked, then.”
Xandri and Nikodemos strolled in, stripped and joined the party. It was a tight fit for five, but they managed.
“So,” said Nikodemos, “the affair of the Viasmos has continued since I left Athens?”
“Yes, more’s the pity. And gotten worse, I’d say. When did you come north? After Neirisi was attacked?” Eleni was frowning.
“I hadn’t heard that name. That must have been after I left.”
“Ah,” said Eleni: “then I should fill you in. Neirisi was and is a student of Magistros Gaios. She was a bully and a gossip, going in for some fairly malicious stuff. And she was not a good swordswoman at first. Like many of Master Gaios’ students, she was treading water for a long time. Lately, though, she has made excellent progress. She had been promoted to Skolari the day she was attacked.”
Eleni told the story as she had seen it, and relayed what she had heard from Neirisi that night: “She was very far from my favorite person, and often told lies back in the day, especially in furtherance of her bullying. I don’t think she’d lie about this, though; the man who attacked her is a Serb.”
“And has cuts and broken teeth, too,” said Arrendi. Everyone nodded.
“That makes the idea of Serbs slipping across the border much more ominous,” said Nikodemos. “So that’s why you’re here, huh?” he said, staring at Eleni.
“Got it in one.”
“And you think we may be dealing with multiple Viasmae?” Antonos was very grim.
“Indeed, perhaps coming south in waves. It may be that your party of Serbian soldiery” this said to Arrendi and Antonos, “is trying to slip past Pentadromo with rapists in tow; how many and destined for where, we will only know when we’ve caught them.”
“Hmmm,” said Antonos, after a long silence: “well, I have mustered the best Phalanx hereabouts for tonight and tomorrow. Called in all the auxillaries, too. Even allowing for one in ten absent, we’ll have a solid four hundred to work with. You lot are worth a hundred each, at least. We ought to be able to catch them.”
Arrendi rose and stretched: “Well, let’s get down to dinner at the Inn,” she said: “and we can look over Isaios’ map. Wait’ll you see that map, Eleni.” The others murmured in agreement.
“I look forward to it. Arrendi is a pretty good cartographer. If she thinks it’s good, it must be.”
They began to dry themselves off. Nikodemos and Xandri shared a towel, and dried each other’s backs. When they were all dressed, they trooped out of the bathroom.
Eleni settled her butt slowly into the tub, enjoying the feel of the water on her somewhat sore thighs and lower back. Arrendi was stripping off her tunic, singing a little song about the wonders of hot water. In a minute she was in the tub as well.
“When did you have this installed?” asked Eleni. “It wasn’t here last time I was north. Handy to have it right here in your quarters, though.”
Arrendi grinned: “I didn’t have it installed. That would have seemed greedy. It was a surprise for my Mastering Day anniversary.”
“I did the deed,” said Antonos, as he entered the room. “And no one said a word in opposition either. Magistri Arrendi works harder at her craft than anyone else, and lends a hand wherever it’s needed.” He smiled a cocky smile: “There’s a very hot spring just the other side of Mt. Sari. The water is still pretty hot even after we pipe it down here.” Antonos stripped off his belt, a heavy undyed leather monstrosity, and skinned out of his tunic. The women stared admiringly; ‘A little thick in the waist,’ Eleni thought, ‘but my, such a muscular build.’ She and Arrendi glanced at each other and Arrendi winked. Then what the sergeant had said sunk in.
“Mt. Sari?” Eleni smiled sadly: “you named a peak for my mother?”
“It was old Isaios the Innkeeper’s idea. There’s one for Borgos and one for your brother as well.” Antonos nodded, sagely: “And a good idea it was, too. Your pop was a friend of his, and naming formerly anonymous mountains for the martyred dead has kept the tale of the sack of Vlaporto alive. Hearing that story every once in a while, that was one reason that Anthekos the Younger decided to resettle the site.”
“So Isaios’ idea worked, then.”
Xandri and Nikodemos strolled in, stripped and joined the party. It was a tight fit for five, but they managed.
“So,” said Nikodemos, “the affair of the Viasmos has continued since I left Athens?”
“Yes, more’s the pity. And gotten worse, I’d say. When did you come north? After Neirisi was attacked?” Eleni was frowning.
“I hadn’t heard that name. That must have been after I left.”
“Ah,” said Eleni: “then I should fill you in. Neirisi was and is a student of Magistros Gaios. She was a bully and a gossip, going in for some fairly malicious stuff. And she was not a good swordswoman at first. Like many of Master Gaios’ students, she was treading water for a long time. Lately, though, she has made excellent progress. She had been promoted to Skolari the day she was attacked.”
Eleni told the story as she had seen it, and relayed what she had heard from Neirisi that night: “She was very far from my favorite person, and often told lies back in the day, especially in furtherance of her bullying. I don’t think she’d lie about this, though; the man who attacked her is a Serb.”
“And has cuts and broken teeth, too,” said Arrendi. Everyone nodded.
“That makes the idea of Serbs slipping across the border much more ominous,” said Nikodemos. “So that’s why you’re here, huh?” he said, staring at Eleni.
“Got it in one.”
“And you think we may be dealing with multiple Viasmae?” Antonos was very grim.
“Indeed, perhaps coming south in waves. It may be that your party of Serbian soldiery” this said to Arrendi and Antonos, “is trying to slip past Pentadromo with rapists in tow; how many and destined for where, we will only know when we’ve caught them.”
“Hmmm,” said Antonos, after a long silence: “well, I have mustered the best Phalanx hereabouts for tonight and tomorrow. Called in all the auxillaries, too. Even allowing for one in ten absent, we’ll have a solid four hundred to work with. You lot are worth a hundred each, at least. We ought to be able to catch them.”
Arrendi rose and stretched: “Well, let’s get down to dinner at the Inn,” she said: “and we can look over Isaios’ map. Wait’ll you see that map, Eleni.” The others murmured in agreement.
“I look forward to it. Arrendi is a pretty good cartographer. If she thinks it’s good, it must be.”
They began to dry themselves off. Nikodemos and Xandri shared a towel, and dried each other’s backs. When they were all dressed, they trooped out of the bathroom.
