Warriors in Winter Read online

  “Line up!” the centurion bellowed. “Single file!”

  The warriors almost knocked Jack and Annie over as they all spilled out into the bright sunlight.

  Jack pulled Annie to the side of the armory. “We’ll stay here till they’re gone,” he said.

  Annie nodded.

  The warriors were joining a parade line. The line stretched all the way to the main road.

  “Prepare to march!” the centurion shouted.

  A horn sounded, and the warriors started jogging down the path.

  “Come on, let’s get out of this stuff,” Jack said to Annie. “Before we get caught!”

  Jack yanked off his helmet. He unlaced his metal jacket and pulled it off.

  “Whew!” he said. He felt light enough to float through the air!

  “Help!” said Annie. Her helmet was off, but she was struggling to get out of her metal jacket.

  “Hold on,” said Jack.

  Jack helped Annie unlace the jacket and take it off.

  “There! Great!” said Annie. “Now we’d better—”

  “Deserters!” someone shouted.

  Jack and Annie whirled around. In the distance, a centurion was pointing at them.

  “Oh, no! He must think we’re soldiers trying to escape from the legion!” said Jack.

  “Deserters!” the centurion shouted again. “Get them!”

  “Time to go!” said Jack.

  “Run!” said Annie.

  She and Jack ran in the opposite direction of the centurion and the parade line. They zigzagged between barracks until they came to the main road.

  At the far end of the road, warriors were lining up at the back gate.

  “The front gate!” called Jack.

  They charged up the main road, heading for the entrance of the camp.

  “Halt!”

  Jack looked back. Several horsemen were riding toward them.

  “Halt!” the lead horseman shouted again.

  “Keep going!” Jack shouted to Annie. “Double time!”

  Jack and Annie ran as fast as they could.

  An arrow whizzed past them.

  “Stop!” Jack shouted to Annie. “Stop!”

  Annie stopped.

  “We have to explain!” Jack said breathlessly. “Turn around! Put your hands up!”

  Holding up their hands, Jack and Annie turned to face the horsemen.

  The leader was a centurion. He wore a crested helmet and a red cape.

  “Mars the Victor!” Jack yelled. “We’re visiting scholars! Under the Imperial Guard! We come in peace!”

  “Pax!” Annie shouted. “Pax!”

  The warriors on horseback circled them. Jack felt very small.

  The centurion leaned forward. “What tribe are you from?” he barked.

  “Uh…Frog Creek!” Jack blurted out.

  “Frog Creek?” the centurion said. “There is no such tribe.”

  “Perhaps they came across the river from the north,” said another warrior. “They are very small.”

  “Did you cross the Danube?” the centurion asked.

  “Uh…actually, I don’t know where Frog Creek is exactly in relation to your camp,” said Jack. “But it’s possibly…um…”

  “Who told you the secret word of the day?” the centurion demanded.

  “A rider on a black horse,” said Annie.

  “Where did you see him?” the man asked.

  “Outside the camp,” said Annie. “He was alone.”

  “Our warriors do not ride alone outside the camp! What did he tell you?” asked the centurion.

  “He told us to make notes about the Roman legion. And that’s what we’ve been doing all day—taking notes,” said Jack.

  “So a rider on a black horse gave you our secret daily password?” the centurion said.

  “Yes, sir,” said Jack.

  “And he told you to write about our camp?” said the centurion.

  “Yes,” said Jack.

  “And you don’t know his name,” the centurion said.

  “He didn’t tell us his name. But he must be here somewhere,” said Annie. “He rode into the camp.”

  “He is here? He rode into our camp?” The centurion turned to the other horsemen. “An enemy spy is inside our walls!” he roared.

  “No, not an enemy!” said Annie. “Not a spy!”

  The horsemen ignored her and all began yelling at once:

  “He is here!”

  “Rode into our camp!”

  “An enemy spy!”

  “Inside our walls!”

  “We must stop the parade!” the centurion roared. The horsemen stared at their leader. “Zeno, alert Emperor Aurelius!”

  One of the horsemen nodded and galloped off.

  “We will take these prisoners to the royal tent,” said the centurion. “The emperor will decide their fate!”

  “March!” the centurion ordered. He pointed toward the back gate.

  With the centurion leading them and horsemen on either side, Jack and Annie started down the road.

  The midday sun still shone brightly, but the wind had picked up. Jack shivered from the cold—and from fear. He’d read about Roman emperors. Some were ruthless and cruel. Some were truly insane. All of them got rid of their enemies, one way or another.

  “I wish we could find our guy on the black horse,” Jack said in a low voice to Annie. “Before they find him.”

  “I’m sure he wasn’t a spy,” said Annie.

  “Me too,” said Jack. “But who was he? And where did he go?”

  “Quiet!” yelled a horseman.

  The centurion led them through the back gate. They stepped out onto the training field.

  “Oh, man,” whispered Jack.

  On the field, the whole legion stood in parade formation. Six thousand armored warriors were lined up in perfect rows. The warriors were as still as statues. Each held a red-and-gold shield with his left hand and a spear with his right.

  Trumpeters stood near the head of the parade. In front of them was a warrior carrying the legion’s red flag. In front of him was a man carrying a pole with a statue of a gold eagle on top.

  “To the imperial tent!” the centurion ordered Jack and Annie. He pointed to a large red tent on the far side of the field. A cluster of guards stood around the entrance.

  “Double time!” the centurion said.

  As Jack and Annie hurried toward the tent, Jack grew even more scared.

  Annie seemed scared, too. “Have you read much about Roman emperors?” she asked Jack.

  “A little,” said Jack.

  “What did you learn?” said Annie.

  “They’re…okay,” said Jack. “Don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried,” said Annie. “I know we’ll be fine!”

  “Right!” said Jack. Annie never gives up hope, he thought. He liked that.

  When they reached the entrance of the tent, the centurion dismounted.

  “We have come to see the emperor!” he said to the guards. “We have captured two spies.”

  “Yes. Your messenger told us,” said a guard. “He is with the emperor now. You may enter.”

  The guard pulled back the flap of the red tent. The centurion led Jack and Annie inside.

  It was warm inside the tent. A fire was burning in a small iron stove. Tall candles cast shadows on silk curtains and woven carpets. Statues and maps were everywhere.

  The messenger Zeno stood at attention.

  Near him, a man sat on a heavy wooden chair set on a platform. He wore a long purple cloak with a gold clasp at the shoulder. His light brown hair and beard were curly.

  The centurion bowed before the man.

  “My Lord Emperor Aurelius,” he sai
d.

  “Hail, Junius,” said the emperor.

  “Our camp has been invaded by spies, my lord,” said the centurion. “I have captured these two, and I believe there is a third hiding among us.”

  “Yes. The messenger you sent has warned me,” the emperor said. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Jack and Annie. His piercing gaze reminded Jack of something…. Was it the golden eagle on the lamppost at dawn?

  “I’m—I’m sorry, my Lord Aurelius,” stammered Jack. “We’d like to explain—”

  Before Jack could go on, Annie burst out laughing. “Oh, wow!” she said.

  “What?” said Jack.

  “I can’t believe it!” said Annie. She gave the emperor a big grin. “Hail, friend!”

  Has Annie lost her mind? Jack wondered. “Stop! What’s wrong with you?” he whispered.

  “Don’t you get it?” she said.

  “Get what?” said Jack.

  “It’s him!” said Annie. “He’s our guy! The rider on the black horse! He’s not a spy! He’s the emperor!”

  Jack stared at the emperor. He couldn’t remember what the rider had looked like. Most of his face had been covered by his helmet.

  “Junius, you and Zeno may leave us now. There is no danger of spies in our camp,” the emperor said.

  The centurion and the messenger looked confused, but they bowed and left the tent.

  The emperor looked at Jack and Annie. “Hail, fellow scholars,” he said. “Are you lost?”

  Jack caught his breath. Emperor Aurelius was their guy! He couldn’t believe it!

  “No, not lost,” said Annie, smiling. “We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “The armory,” explained Jack.

  “So I hear,” said the emperor. “When I first met you, I thought you must live nearby in Carnuntum. But now I do not think that is so. Where is your home?”

  “Frog Creek, Pennsylvania,” said Annie.

  “Beyond the Danube,” said Jack.

  “Where are your horses?” the emperor asked.

  “We left them…uh…on the other side of the river,” said Jack.

  “Yes, we walked across the ice,” said Annie.

  “But we’re definitely not invaders or spies,” said Jack quickly. “I promise. We wanted to learn about the Roman legion just for our own sake.”

  “I believe you,” said the emperor. “When I spoke with you on my ride, I knew you were honest and trustworthy.”

  “Do you ride alone every morning?” asked Annie.

  “When I can,” said the emperor. “I like to look closely at the world around me and think my own thoughts.”

  “We like to look at the world, too,” said Annie, “and write down our thoughts.”

  “And facts,” added Jack.

  “We tried to do that today when we wrote in our journals,” said Annie.

  “Ah, yes, and what did you write?” asked the emperor.

  “I wrote about the weather,” said Annie. “I made notes about the Roman gods. I even wrote a poem about two of them.”

  “Really? I should very much like to hear it,” said the emperor.

  “Sure,” said Annie. She quoted from memory:

  The weapons of Mars are heavy to bear.

  But the peace of Pax is lighter than air.

  The emperor nodded. “Lovely,” he said. He looked at Jack.

  “I wrote about the flag and the warriors’ training,” said Jack. “And I wrote about making bread and swords.”

  “Tell him what you wrote about having a heart attack,” Annie said, smiling.

  “Oh. I was a little nervous,” said Jack. “And I wanted to make my sister laugh.”

  The emperor nodded. “So you both write honestly with poetry and humor, and you study the world closely.”

  “We try,” said Annie.

  “Those are useful and honorable qualities,” said the emperor. “You are simple, brave, and honest. With training, you could be excellent warriors.”

  “Not me,” said Annie. “I don’t like to fight.”

  “Sometimes one must fight for the right things,” said the emperor.

  “Like what?” said Jack.

  “Freedom and justice,” said the emperor. “Truth.”

  “Are you ever scared?” asked Jack.

  “Oh, yes,” said the emperor. “But if I look deep within myself, I often find a hidden source of strength.”

  “That makes sense,” said Annie.

  “If I pretend to be a very brave person, I suddenly find that I am one,” said the emperor.

  “That makes sense, too,” said Jack. “I felt brave for a moment when I put on warrior armor.”

  “In life we wear many disguises,” said the emperor. “I sometimes feel I wear the disguise of a powerful emperor.”

  Annie gasped. “Disguise!” she whispered to Jack. “Hero in disguise! Silver coin!”

  “Oh, man! Yes!” breathed Jack. He took out the black coin. “We want to give this to you,” he said, handing the coin to the emperor.

  “We think it’s made of silver,” said Annie.

  The emperor looked at the coin. He crossed to a table with jars and poured some liquid onto a cloth. Then he rubbed the coin, polishing it. Soon the silver shone brightly.

  The emperor held the coin close to a lantern and studied it. He turned to Jack and Annie with a look of amazement. “Where did you get this?” he asked.

  “Uh…we…found it in some woods,” said Annie.

  “Why? Is there something wrong with it?” said Jack.

  “This coin is in honor of me,” said the emperor. “Its engraving shows me with my warriors on a frozen river. It looks as if we have had a great victory on the Danube.”

  “You don’t remember?” said Jack, confused.

  “I do not,” said the emperor in a hushed voice. “Because this battle has not yet happened. Look at the date.” He handed the coin to Jack.

  Jack and Annie studied the Roman numerals.

  “It says 173,” said Jack.

  “Indeed it does,” said the emperor. “But we are now in the year of 172.”

  “Oh,” said Annie. “Well, that doesn’t make sense.”

  “No. Unless…” The emperor looked at Jack and Annie with his golden eagle gaze. “It is a coin from the future.”

  “From the future?” said Jack. He and Annie looked at each other.

  “How could that be? That’s amazing,” Annie said to the emperor.

  “Unbelievable,” said Jack.

  “I do not understand,” said the emperor. “Is this a sign from the gods? A gift from Mars? Perhaps it means that the legion should confront the enemy on the frozen Danube—take them by surprise—and stop their invasion.”

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” said Jack.

  “It does,” said Annie.

  The emperor looked at them with wonder. “I do not know what to say to you,” he said. “I would like to talk further. About your country. Your tribe. Perhaps you can stay awhile with the legion. I feel you may have much to teach me.”

  “I’m afraid we can’t. We have a family back home,” said Annie.

  “We really need to be home by moonrise,” said Jack.

  “Ah,” said the emperor. “I understand. But I am sorry to hear that. The moon rises early in winter.”

  The centurion Junius entered the tent. “My Lord Aurelius, the warriors are waiting. Shall I cancel the parade?”

  “Of course not,” said the emperor. “My honored guests, Jack and Annie, will march with you.”

  We will? Oh, no! thought Jack.

  “Wait here,” the emperor said to Jack and Annie. He stepped outside to talk with Junius.

  “I hope he doesn’t want us to carry shields and weapons
,” Jack said to Annie.

  “Or wear armor,” said Annie.

  “No way!” said Jack. “We need an excuse!”

  The emperor returned. “Go with Junius,” he said to Jack and Annie. “He will show you what to do.”

  “Oh—” said Jack. Before he could think of an excuse, Junius beckoned for him and Annie to follow. The centurion led them out of the tent. They silently walked with him back to the parade line.

  Jack’s heart raced. We can’t march, he thought. We’re too small! We’re not strong enough!

  At the field, the legion was still standing in formation, waiting for the order to march. Junius walked over to the standard-bearer and flag-bearer. He turned to Jack and Annie.

  “The emperor has ordered that the two of you shall carry the eagle standard and the flag. Which one of you wishes to carry the standard?” he said.

  Oh, man, thought Jack. He knew this was the highest honor a Roman warrior could have. “You should carry it,” he said to Annie.

  “No, you,” she said.

  “You deserve it more,” said Jack. He looked at the centurion. “Annie’s very brave, and she never loses hope.”

  The standard-bearer handed the eagle standard to Annie.

  “Wow, thanks,” said Annie.

  She held the pole high and smiled. The gold eagle’s wings shone in the cold sunlight.

  The flag-bearer handed Jack the flagpole. Jack raised it beside the eagle standard. The red flag with the ram flapped in the winter wind.

  Trumpets sounded.

  “You are to lead the legion once around the field,” Junius said to Jack and Annie. “All the soldiers will follow you. March!”

  Jack and Annie marched around the field with all of Legion Gemina XIV following them.

  Annie carried the eagle standard.

  Jack carried the red flag with the ram.

  They were followed by trumpet players

  who were followed by centurions

  who were followed by thousands

  and thousands of Roman warriors.

  Jack and Annie returned to the emperor. They gave the standard and the flag to Junius.

  “Well done,” said Emperor Aurelius. “I know you must leave us now. I will ride with you as far as the riverbank.”