Chapter 2

King Gaius and his soldiers hit the soil of Athena all drenched and poised for action in the twilight of the day, during which the moon was getting set to take centre stage in the firmament.

As soon as he descended his stallion, King Gaius scurried across the flight of broad steps that led into the palace. He was closely followed by Patroclus and a couple of maids who came bearing trays perched with a mug of water and a new garb for the king to change into. Gaius rolled up his his wet sleeves and steeled his heart while committing himself forward as his arrival was greeted by more soldiers. For a moment, he stopped short to pick one of the mugs of water and gulped it down his throat in a single pour. It was not long before the soldiers, who had been manning the palace, came at attention and rose to their feet at the sight of the king.

Advancing towards Gaius was a tall, huge man dressed in the armour of a warrior. He scurried up towards the king with a show of urgency at his feet. He stopped short in the face of Gaius and curtsied briefly before him in a moment of honour before getting abreast with the king as they both paced along the pathway.

''Bastian,'' Gaius called, halting in his track for a moment and pointing his finger at the tall man, ''marshal your men and get Limah and the child to the gallows. They pose a grave threat to the throne. Get them now. This instant!''

''As you wish, your majesty,'' Bastian replied reflecting a tone of urgency, and he curtsied again before turning away from Gaius to set forth for the lodge where Limah had been positioned to tender to her youngling.

Bastian was the army's general and the longest serving member of the royal family. He had survived many wars from way back as a youngster in the kingdom of the Legendary king Gaius Caesar. Bastian had grown into the much experienced and hardened soldier, fighting alongside Gaius Jr. and sharing in the mirth of victories in the royalty's quest for power. He had climbed his way through the ranks as the toughest and deserving tutor of new recruits and Gaius's army. Without a shade of doubt, Bastian knew his onions and he had proven himself a master of the dark art of war over time, having won himself the status of a noble soldier for his resolute loyalty to the royal family. His loyalty to the throne was such that when he sensed the slightest signal of danger as that one he had just sensed in the eyes of Gaius a moment ago, he wouldn't hesitate to commit his life on the line to salvage the throne.

In this moment, Bastian couldn't be more urgent in his steps and approach to the King's request. He barked out instruction at the soldiers and sent them forth to the Limah's bedchamber. But it was not long before the small group of three soldiers returned to the larger chamber and broke the news of a vacant bedchamber.

''Magister,'' one of the soldiers called, signalling Bastian's attention anxiously, ''we found no traces of Limah in the chamber.''

''The window has been breached. She must have escaped through,'' the second soldier said impatiently.

''And the child?'' Bastian asked perplexed.

''None was found, magister. We had to break in,'' the third soldier confirmed.

Without leaving a space for second thought, Bastian crumpled his face and shot a stern look at the trio of soldiers as though he couldn't take their word at face value. He launched himself forward and ventured and strode down into Limah's chamber, only to find the bedchamber vacant and the window ravaged with fragments of broken window strewn across the foot of the window space. Bastian examined the chamber thoroughly for details and he chanced a few dollops of blood on the window space. The blood was still fresh and recent, and that gave Bastian a clue for his next course of action. Instantly, he stormed out the chamber in fury and into the larger chamber. He headed straight to the raised platform to stand on authority in a bid to draw attention and address the soldiers.

''Legionaries!'' Bastian bawled, his voice reflecting some steel and authority, ''we have a fugitive on the loose and she's running wild. Limah and her infant are running at the cost of this great city. You won't fold your arms and watch, will you?''

The guards and other military personnel stood attentive and poised as they awaited the go-prompt from the general. It was not long before Bastian despatched them with specific tasks to the nooks and crannies of the city all in the interest of the king.

''Patroclus! Lead your squad to the West Gate. Halt the movement and bring the travellers to check.''

''Yes, magister!'' Patroclus replied, amassing his squad and jugging towards West Gate.

Bastian descended the platform, this time, dishing out tasks to the soldiers as he launched a full-blown search plan for Limah.

''Matthias, you take to the streets with your legion and search the market place for the fugitive,'' Bastian instructed, before turning to the other lead soldiers, ''Atticus, Darmian and Titus, march your squads to every home in the city on the King's order. Search their slaves for fakes. Search their inner closets. And if anyone resists, give them a taste of your thwack.''

The trio of lead soldiers marched away in a hurry, proceeding to the city centre and different homes in the city of Athena in search of Limah and her child.

''Ganicus and senderos! Advance to the main gate with your Legion and seal the gate. Halt movement and bring travellers to proper check.''

As the last batches of legions readied to march away, Bastian called aside Ganicus, the custodian of the port, and stressed his order in details.

''Ganicus!'' Bastian called sharply marching away in the opposite direction in a bid to redirect Ganicus's steps. ''Ensure you bring back the slave and the baby. Make certain nobody moves through the gate,'' Bastian whispered.

''Trust me to make make a perfect job of it, magister,'' Ganicus replied

Bastian dished out his last words of order to the legions and sent them forth in full-scale search of Limah and her new-born. The city was littered with soldiers as different homes were thoroughly ransacked. Movement was brought to a halt while a compulsory curfew was imposed on the natives and visitors, on King Gaius's order. Limah was on the run with her new-born, as far away from the reach of king Gaius as she could. And equally, the soldiers were now hot on her trail in a bid to eliminate the new-born who was fated to be great at the expense of king Gaius's throne.