The Eagle of the Ninth

In late October, Marcus and Esca return to Calleva. They know they’ll eventually meet up with Claudius here, and they still look like untrustworthy travelers. Now, they leave the horses and walk to Uncle Aquila’s house. They surprise Stephanos, but before Stephanos can say anything, Cub enters the atrium, barking, and almost knocks Marcus over. Sasstica and Marcipor join the reunion, and finally, Uncle Aquila and Procyon come down the stairs with Claudius. They greet each other warmly, and Marcus quietly says that he completed his task. Uncle Aquila waves Marcus and Esca over to Claudius. Marcus officially introduces Esca to Claudius, and Esca reminds Claudius that he witnessed his manumission papers. Kindly, Claudius says he remembered Esca anyway—he doesn’t just remember the papers he signs for people.

Then, Uncle Aquila notices the ring on Marcus’s finger. Before Marcus can tell his uncle how he got it back, they hear Sasstica putting dinner together. They decide to wait until later for Marcus and Esca to share their story. Claudius brightly changes the subject and asks about the process of taming Cub, and just then, Marcus notices how thin Cub is and asks about it. Clearly annoyed, Uncle Aquila says that Cub refused to eat from anyone but Cottia after Marcus left, and since she left a few days ago, he stopped eating altogether. Aunt Valaria has taken the household south. Uncle Aquila says that Cottia came to him a few days before she left and tried to give Marcus’s bracelet back, but he wouldn’t take it.

Marcus and Esca bathe and then join Uncle Aquila and Claudius for the feast Sasstica lays out. The meal is surreal—Marcus barely remembers how to use a napkin—and Esca, looking just as uncomfortable, is the only thing that seems real to Marcus. Finally, Uncle Aquila leads everyone up to his study, but Marcus realizes Esca isn’t behind him. Marcus asks Esca what’s going on, and Esca explains that he was enslaved here—it would be inappropriate for him to go to Uncle Aquila’s study. Marcus realizes how uncomfortable this must be for Esca. You can free an enslaved man, but a “freed-man” is not the same in society’s eyes as one who has never been enslaved. Still, he tells Esca that he dislikes being disabled, just as Esca dislikes being a freed-man, but they both have to make the best of it. Esca follows him up.

Marcus begins to unwrap the Eagle, explaining that it’s lost its wings. Then, Uncle Aquila asks Marcus, Esca, and Claudius to sit, and Marcus gives his report. When Marcus is finished, Claudius praises them—but he says they won’t reform the Ninth Legion. Marcus argues that there were several Cohorts elsewhere in the Empire that could be brought back together, but Claudius remains firm. Claudius promises to ask the Senate, but he’s certain they’ll agree with him. For now, the best thing to do is bury the Eagle respectfully. Uncle Aquila had a hiding place built in his shrine when he built his house. They can bury it there.

Later that night, Marcus, Esca, Uncle Aquila, and Claudius gather in the shrine. Marcus kneels down and places the Eagle in the hole in the floor on his military cloak. Claudius says the words one would say over a dead comrade. Marcus thinks he sees a First Cohort Commander and Guern in the shadows, and he can hear the trumpets from the nearby transit camp. He feels as if he’s failed—but then, he realizes it was all worth it.