Agrippa

Without the others slowing him down, Agrippa moved through the forest like an animal born to it. As a pragmatist, there was no sense in lamenting the twisted fortunes they found themselves inexplicably in, that was defeatist, and a waste of time. Vaulting a gnarled root he came into a small clearing of sorts and what he saw caused him to come to an abrupt halt. Across the clearing garbed in a simple dress of white was woman, a few inches shorter than his 5’11”. His hand went to his sword, curling his callused fingers around the handle of the killing instrument. She had yellow hair, pulled back, hands behind her back. When she saw him, she smiled. He moved to his right, warily circling her. As he got closer to her, he could see her eyes were amber of color. She appeared young, perhaps not yet twenty summers old.

“Who are you?” he challenged, posture alert and ready for combat.

“Who are you?” she asked back in Roman, a smile at the corner of her mouth.

He wasn’t sure if she was asking him his identity, or simply parroting his words. In the distance he could hear the sounds of crashing in the forest. Turning his head, he checked the path of his flight, but could see very little between the trunks of the trees. Refocusing on the woman, he continued to his right, she pivoted her position, continuously facing him as he moved.

“Agrippa,” he said, eyes narrow, fingers clenching and unclenching on his sword.

She nodded. “Agrippa,” she repeated, evaluating him. While he moved with confidence, purpose, there was something in him, some indefinable essence lingering just beneath his gruff exterior. He was a warrior, but something more. She smiled, yes, she had chosen wisely and would enjoy this one.

He shook his head. The whole situation felt wrong, like walking into that cursed trap the barbarians had set. Instinct urged him run, curiosity bade him stay.

“Hilde,” she said, taking a step closer. Closing her eyes, she tried to pick up his scent. Slightly pungent, a hint of fear, but strong and virile. Her smile widened, this one would never capitulate, never beg. She found herself growing aroused.

He raised his left hand between them, “Stay where you are,” he cautioned, menace in his tone.

The crashing and rending of trees sounded much closer, someone screamed, a male, somewhere not too far off.

“You should probably run,” she said, looking to the trees from whence he had emerged.

He started to move into the trees behind her, across from where he had entered the clearing, “You shouldn’t be here,” he barked, throwing a glance back over his shoulder.

She smiled, “Perhaps it is you who shouldn’t be here,” she replied, wide smile appearing on her face. “Agrippa.”

He shook his head and resumed running, baffled by the exchange. Had that woman been some wood nymph or tree spirit? A dryad? He wasn’t sure but given recent events he certainly couldn’t rule it out. He did know if that woman remained, the giant women would most likely capture her. He pulled up, frowning. Looking back, he knew he must do something. Circling back, he espied the clearing, she was still in it, near the edge where he had fled, gazing up at the tall trees. She trailed a hand over the tree, almost caressing it, lovingly. Bringing her hands together, suddenly she began to grow, her body enlarging, the simple dress along with her. Another face appeared above the trees in the clearing, another girl, beautiful, hair like gold, wide smile under verdant eyes.

Agrippa’s heart thundered in his chest, as if it might explode, the pounding so loud he thought for sure it would betray his location.

“There you are,” said the girl, bright smile, “I thought I’d lost you.”

Soon, the woman who had identified herself as Hilde stood over a hundred feet in air, “No,” she said. “Just gaining perspective on our quarry.”

The girl nodded, “Several were captured back that way,” she said, turning her head back.

He frowned and slowly shook his head, each man captured was a sworn brother. He would mourn them appropriately when time allowed, for now, he knew he must be away from this place. He did not understand why the woman had made herself small or why she engaged him as she did, but he did not intend to waste the opportunity provided.

Simone reached forward and opened her hand to display the treasure she held there.

“You caught one?” Hilde said, looking at the unconscious form lying in Simone’s palm. “He is much larger than the others,” she commented.

Marcellus? Agrippa wondered, or Valerius. Marcellus was the larger, but Valerius was also atypically tall for a Roman.

The woman who had called herself Hilde, now grown to her full height, turned to look in the direction he had exited the clearing from. “The chase shall soon be afoot Agrippa,” she said playfully.

The other young woman looked puzzled, “Agrippa?”

“I have chosen my prey,” she said, “He is a prize to be sure, but I think it only sporting to give him a chance to take flight to create distance between us.”

The girl nodded and smiled. “I’m going to go back to the villa register the capture before one of the others tries to relieve me of it, like Lily,” she said.

Hilde returned the nod as Simone wove back through the trees.

His blood ran cold. He moved away, slowly, quietly, unsure of how acute the hearing of these women might be. Kneeling down, he removed his cloak, armor, focale, cingulum militare, and helmet, dressing down to his tunic, braccae, and caligae. Buckling up his balteus, he pushed his discarded equipment in amongst the roots of a tree before sprinting away, holding his sword tight to prevent it from making noise.

“Your time of respite has expired, here I come,” he heard the woman say, not enough distance he thought. Knowing there was no hope of possibly eluding the gigantic woman hunting him by trying to out distance her, he decided he would try and hide. Given the nature of the flora about, he caught sight of a hollow within the roots of a tree. Pausing by a shrub, he withdrew his sword and severed the small bush near its base. Dragging the bush to the tree, he moved in amongst the gnarled roots and pulled the tree over him. Plucking a few leaves, he rolled them between his hands then rubbed his hands on his face before repeating the process with his body. The sound of footsteps grew very close, and from his blind he could see the feet of one of the women, whether it was Hilde or another he couldn’t be sure. Closing his eyes he cast a silent prayer, if today was his day to die, then he would die like a soldier, on his feet and fighting.

The Girl with the Snowy Hair

Valerius was awakened to a strong breeze seemingly blowing directly into his face, the air carrying the sweet but strong smell of fruit in it. Creaking open weary eyelids, head throbbing, he started suddenly, pressing himself more firmly back against the knobbly roots of the tree. In front of him, twenty feet distant by his perspective was the enormous face of girl more child than woman, no more than thirteen or so years in age. She was lying on her stomach, hands folded under her chin. Her lips were puckered and she was blowing air from her mouth into his hiding spot. Her face was several times his full height and framed by long unkempt white hair. Wide blue eyes the color of lapis brightened when he roused. “You’re awake,” she said, mouth reshaping into a smile.

Panic tightened icy fingers in his gut. He could not believe something so large could possibly have moved so quietly he wouldn’t have heard. She had moved like the mist. Nestled in amongst the roots, his avenues of escape were all but blocked off by this girl, the close proximity giving him a true understanding of their size disparity. He could feel his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest, like it did just before battle. He moved his hand slowly and curled it around the handle of his sword.

“It’s okay,” she soothed in his Roman tongue, voice calm as she slowly moved her left hand incrementally closer to his position. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she whispered slowly.

What he had thought might be an ideal hiding place when he fell, now boxed him in, trapping him and making flight near impossible. Pulling the sword part way out of the sheath, he stopped when her expression changed, eyes narrowing, mouth pursing into a frown.

“There is no need for that,” she said.

He remained still a moment, measuring his breath, doubting the sword could actually do any significant damage other than maybe to an eye. Slowly his slid his sword back into its sheath.

Her two impossibly blue eyes held him in her gaze. Her pretty mouth again splitting wide with a grin, teeth even and as white as her unruly mane. “I can see you’re hurt and probably scared, I can help you,” she said again, hand drawing closer.

As her hand drew ever nearer, he suddenly sprung forward toward it, she recoiled back from the unexpected motion. Vaulting over a tangle of gnarled roots to his left, he dodged behind the tree whence he had hidden himself. He could hear movement behind him as she attempted to position herself to intercept him. Clutching the sword at his hip, he ran as fast as he could, trying to weave between the trunks of the old trees. He didn’t see the serpent quick hand as she reached out and grabbed him about his legs and torso with her left hand.

“I got you,” she said triumphantly, holding him securely, pinning his arms to his sides.

He struggled against her grip, but her hand, while delicately structured was far too strong for him to open no matter how much he tried. Despite the unyielding strength, her grip was careful not to crush him.

On hands and knees, she sat back, bum on her heels as she brought him up near her face.

“It’s okay,” she cooed, trying to calm him, reassure him of her peaceful intent. “My name is Serah,” she said softly. “What’s your name?”

He looked into her sweet face, trying to detect duplicity but seeing none. He had seen a number of men lose themselves behind pretty smiles. “I am centurion Tius Valerius,” he replied.

“You are lucky I’m the one who found you centurion Tius Valerius, there are still some others out searching for the remainder of your companions,” she said, nodding her head.

“Are you going to eat me?” he asked, direct and to the point as he looked at her cupid’s bow mouth.

“I do not think so,” she replied after a moment.

She reached her free hand beside him, extending her right forefinger and pointed to the gash on his face.

“Axe,” he said.

She frowned and nodded. “You are a soldier?” she inquired.

He nodded slowly. “You said the remainder of my companions, my men, what did you mean?”

She looked away.

“Serah?”

“Including yourself, at last count there were eleven of you captured. Two others were inadvertently crushed during the early part of the hunt,” she said softly,

Thirteen? There were only thirteen of us. He lowered his head, but then remembered, there were three others who had fled from the lake, meaning there might still be three men out there, still some hope, but only three, his heart sank. “What fate has greeted those unable to conceal themselves from the other giant women?” he asked.

Serah shook her head, mouth pulled into a frown. “It is hard for me to say what the others may do. Hunts are infrequent and when they occur they tend to enflame the blood,” she replied almost wistfully.

“They are probably dead then?” he said.

She nodded slowly.

“What is your design for me?” he asked.

She smiled, “You have come through the mountain to this place. You know what lies beyond the portal, what wonders are there,” she said, “I want you to tell me of it, teach me.”

He frowned, “Teach you?” he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Then what is to become of me?” he asked.

“I will care for you and protect you from the others,” she said.

“Teach you about where I am from?” he asked.

She smiled. “I must return to the villa and declare my capture and right of property,” she said.

“Right of property? Slave?” he asked, frowning.

“Yes, otherwise one could try and claim ownership of you,” she answered.

He didn’t like it, but considering the alternative, he nodded slowly. At some point, some time, they would make a mistake, and he could escape. As long as the white haired girl didn’t eat him, he still had a chance.

Lily

The hunt had been bountiful for Lily as she looked down on her four tiny little prizes, evaluating them as they huddled together atop the fancy inlaid table in her room.

“By what names are you called?” she asked, tilting her head to one side.

One of the little men moved forward, closer to her, “I am Germanicus, optio of the first century, third cohort of Legion 1 Minerva.”

She nodded, pointing a finger at the cluster of the other three.

Tacitus walked forward, limping noticeably on his wounded leg, stopping a few feet from Germanicus, he looked to him and nodded before looking up, he tipped his head to the side and spit.

She frowned. Curling her hand into a fist, she brought it down quickly, directly over Tacitus, striking the table with a resounding crash, blood and viscera exploded outward, spray spattering Germanicus. Lifting her hand away, she opened it and examined it before picking up a small cloth and wiping away the remnants of the dead solider.

Germanicus stared in horror and the mass of ruined flesh no longer recognizable as human.

Felix jumped to his feet and started to run in the direction opposite the gigantic woman. Laughing, she reached out with the hand she used to mash Tacitus and flick him in the back, knocking him to the ground in a sprawling heap. Seizing his right leg, she lifted him up and off the table, dangling him before her face.

“Where did you think to run to silly little one?” she asked with an amused expression on her beautiful face.

He struggled and thrashed about but did not reply. She shook her hand vigorously and he grew still. Bringing him closer, she parted her full lips slightly and pulled him into her mouth. A quick motion of her head and swallow and he was gone.

She looked at the unidentified soldier, “You, how are you called?” she asked.

“Quintus,” he replied. “Optio of the first century, first cohort of Legion 1 Minerva.’

She looked at the two men, “Optio? You are officers?”

They looked at each other and nodded.

She smiled. “How many are you?”

Germanicus turned to Quintus, “Six?” he lied.

Quintus nodded, “Yes I think that’s right,” he confirmed, understanding what his companion was doing.

“That is unfortunate,” she said, “More than that have been registered, which means you are being deceitful.”

Germanicus stepped forward, “We are not, we were divided into small groups and scattered by the barbarians, in our group there were only six, Quintus and I, Tacitus,” he pointed to the smear, “And Felix,” he nodded toward Lily. “I know not the whereabouts of either Marcellus or Brutus,” he explained, tone slightly frantic, hoping she would not bring her fist down again.

“It is not our intent to deceive or mislead great lady,” Quintus added.

She frowned slightly, “Knowing your perfidious nature, I doubt the sincerity of your explanation, but it matters not. The question upon my mind is which of you shall have the privilege of expending your little spark seeing to my pleasure,” she touched her hand to her chin as she looked at the two soldiers.

They exchanged looks with one another.

“”What do you mean?” asked Germanicus.

She smiled. “Your impulsive need to speak has made the decision for me,” she said, reaching down and taking each of them in a hand.

Bringing Germanicus forward, “To answer your impudent question, you shall the luxury of observing how your companion shall expends his final breath. This will help you better appreciate your own end,” she said as she walked into her private chambers.