By Blood and By Bond Teaser

Chapter Two: Viggo

This is the second chapter of my novel "By Blood and By Bond" which will be out this December. This chapter introduces my second main character, Centurion Viggo Aulus Callias

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Chapter Two

Viggo

Centurion Viggo Aulus Callias was ready for battle. He walked among the men of his command and saw that swords were being sharpened, weakened armor repaired and all kit was in proper array. He stopped as he stood over a young legionnaire, folding his arms over his chest as he looked down at the dark young man who was busy putting an edge on his blade.

         “Stand up, soldier,” Viggo snapped out in a commanding tone of voice, tapping the soldier with his cane. “How dare you ignore an officer?”

            The young man stood smartly to attention, looking straight ahead as his centurion looked him up and down.

            “Have you cleaned your weapons?” Viggo asked as he started to walk around the young man, his arms behind his back.

            “Yes, sir.”

            “And polished your helmet?”

            “Yes sir,”

            “Sharpened your sword?”

            “I was in the middle of it when you interrupted me, sir.”

            Viggo quirked an eyebrow at the young man, putting on a mock offended expression. “I’ve warned you before to watch your tongue when speaking to officers, legionnaire Aulus. It will not do you any good to be put on a charge before we go to do battle on the morrow.”

            “I will try to remember that next time, sir,” Aulus said, trying to keep from smirking. Viggo frowned at him for several seconds before his features softened into a smile and he put an arm around the young man’s shoulders, drawing him away.

            “Come, let us have something to eat, then it’s to bed. We’ll be up before dawn.”

            “You were not jesting when you said a soldier should sleep whenever he has the chance, Father,” Aulus said jokingly.

            “It’s ‘Centurion’ or ‘sir’ on parade, boy,” Viggo told his son, cuffing him fondly on the back of the head. Aulus grinned back then slung his arm around his father’s waist for a moment before Viggo bid him farewell until supper.

            “I must go see the legate before I join you. Don’t let Hector burn the stew.”

            “I won’t,” Aulus told him with a wave and went off to a cooking fire nearby. Viggo watched him fondly for a few seconds before he turned and made his way to the legate’s tent. He was admitted by the guard standing outside and ducked under the tent flap to stand to attention in front of his commander.

            Legate Cyrillus was a man truly too old for campaigning, somewhere in his sixties perhaps, with only a bit of hair around his bald head and more than a little thick about his waist. He was busy looking through piles of tablets on his desk while Viggo waited awkwardly to be noticed, tapping his fingers absently against his helmet which he held under his arm. Finally Cyrillus looked up and nodded to him curtly in acknowledgement.

            “Ah, Centurion Callias, I trust the men of your cohort are all in order?”

            “Ready and shined as ordered, sir,” Viggo told him. “I’ll be briefing the centurions in the morning.”