Mithras, watch over me that I can come back to my family after this ordeal.
The next seven days did indeed run like a spring river rushing to the sea. Time stops for no man, even those loved by the gods.
Gaius intentionally avoided any other interactions with his men until the day of their assigned meeting time. Instead, he spent every waking moment with his family and Daxos. For a time, the laughter at the back of his mind was blocked out, the nightmares pushed into the shadows.
They ate every meal together, went to the theatre of Pompey, the markets, and the seaside. Gaius watched Aemilia and Faustina splash about in the turquoise water, their bubbling laughter drawing him in to splash with them. He could not remember the last time he had felt so joyous.
Fulvia laughed as she watched
