He was right. It couldn't be more than halfway to noon and already the golden sun beat down on us relentlessly. We couldn't stay out much longer. Training in the midday heat would only lead to sun sickness. I caught the waterskin and took a swig of the lukewarm water, my throat parched from the exertion.
Septimus got up, and reached for the skin. I took another swig, my eyes on him as I chugged the water down. He rolled his eyes and I laughed as I passed him the skin. He took a long drink, then wiped his mouth on the back of his hand before passing it back to me.
"Where did Mater and Pater go today anyway?" I asked Tarus, forcing the cork back down tightly.
"Out into the desert." My brother shrugged, wiping the sweat off his brow.
I frowned. Our father was the village magistrate, tasked with representing us to the emperor. Since his retirement from politics in the capital when I was little, Gaius Aurelius held a mainly administrative position. Heading off into the desert wasn't a normal occurrence.
"How do you know?" I asked Tarus. "Did he tell you what he was doing?"
Tarus shook his head. "I saw them loading up supplies and one of the bigger canopies before they went. And last night, I heard Pater talking to Mater about an important meeting today."
"Who would they be meeting in the middle of the desert?"
Tarus’ smile faded. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "But I think a couple of the village elders went with them, and the servants packed them a lot of supplies. Pater said it could change the Empire."
"He didn't say much last night at evenmeal," I said, tracing designs in the dirt with the tip of my sword. "He looked worried about something. Mater too."
Tarus put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick squeeze. "Don't worry, little sister. They'll be back before nightfall and I'm sure Pater will tell us all about it then." I nodded and he grinned. "And you can tell him how I defeated you over and over again."
I squealed, swatting his hands away while struggling to contain my laughter. "You're impossible!"
"And you love me for it." He grinned, raising his sword. "Now, how about another match? I won't go so easy on you this time!" I mirrored his stance, my competitive spirit igniting. I was determined to make him eat those words. "You're on!"
I launched into another sparring match, but our wooden blades had barely clashed a dozen times before the alarm bells began tolling in a frenzied rhythm. I faltered, glancing up with a frown. Sandstorms were rare at this time of the year.
Septimus got to his feet, peering toward the village. "Something's wrong."
I moved forward to stand next to him, my hand shading my eyes as we looked back towards the village. In the distance, I glimpsed a flurry of movement between the buildings. Septimus was right, something was definitely wrong. At this time the village would be settling into the midday quiet, a period where it was too hot for rigorous activity. Market stalls closed up, my father's offices closed for lunch and people tended to retreat into the shade. Now, people ran to the buildings as though a storm was upon them. Shouts and screams reached us and Tarus looked across at us in horror.
"It must be a raid! The Talfen are raiding the village!"
"But... they never raid this far in-" My words were cut off as Tarus grabbed my free hand and dragged me away from the village.
"Tarus, what are you doing?"
"We've got to hide, Livia. You haven't heard the stories about what they do to the people they find!"
I jerked my hand out of his. "Pater says most of those stories are made up to scare people. And where are we going to hide anyway? You're heading away from the river and there's nothing out there that could hide us." I gestured towards the hard packed mud flats stretching for at least a mile before giving way to soft red sand and rising to huge dunes.
“She’s right, Tarus,” said Septimus. “We’re better off skirting round the edge of the village and heading for the river. We’re more likely to find somewhere to hide there.”
Tarus looked from the desert to the village, and then down at me. “Fine, but you have to stay close, Livia."
I nodded my head. "I will."
We ran, our feet pounding against the dry earth as we made our way towards the river. The sound of chaos grew louder as we neared the village, and my heart raced in my chest. I had heard stories of the Talfen, the white haired, dark-skinned raiders from the north with eyes like coal and hearts just as black, who pillaged and plundered villages along the empire's border. The empire was massive, but we had been fighting against the Talfen for as long as I could remember, and for long before that too. The Emperor was always recruiting more soldiers and raising taxes to fund our defence against their evil magic and their horrific raids, but I had never imagined it would happen to our own village.
As we approached the edge of the village, we heard the sounds of fighting ahead. Tarus pulled me behind a crumbling stone wall, his eyes scanning the area for signs of danger.
"Stay here with Septimus," he whispered. "I'll go check it out."
"No!" I protested, but Tarus was already moving away, his sword in hand.
I gritted my teeth, torn between following my brother's orders and my desire to help. Septimus crouched beside me, his face uncharacteristically serious as he peered around the edge of the wall.
"I can't see any Talfen," he muttered. "But something's definitely wrong."
