Chapter Nine

Demetrius drifted into an uneasy sleep. The pup, who he had named Alexios, tucked comfortably under his arm.

His dreams were dark but confused and for the life of him, he wouldn't fully remember them when he woke. He seemed to recall the face of his mother, a featureless pale visage as he'd never seen her. If he had, he had been a babe suckling at the breast and his memories were gone.

There had been another figure too, standing stiffly in the darkness, that he did remember. A silent form, watching and nothing more before slipping away as he'd never been.

He reached out in his sleep, unconsciously wanting the figure to remain near. But he was too late and his eyes snapped open, his sight foggy and his head even more so.

"Damn it." He groaned and rubbed his temples as he rolled over. Alexios squeaked, wriggling away before he landed on top of him.

Already he had worked out how to walk and his eyes were bright and brilliant. A rich, chocolate brown that glimmered with the excitement of youth. He yapped silently, wagging the stub of his tail until Demetrius gently patted him,

"I don't think I'll ever complain about my own bed again," he muttered as he arched his back in an attempt to stretch the cramps from his spine. "I gave my father so much grief about how uncomfortable I was sometimes. He often told me I should have tried to sleep as he did as a child, either top to tail with his siblings or on a sack in a barn. I used to scoff at that. May the Gods hear me and believe I won't again!"

He looked across to where he had left the food the night before. It was gone and, set beside a jug of water, had been replaced by a thin-looking porridge and a doorstep of bread. That, at least, looked fresh.

He broke a small piece off and gave it to Alexios. The dog sniffed it and took it without a second thought. Giving a shrug, Demetrius followed suit. Even though it was dry, the bread made an underlying taste of fresh butter, reminding him of the produce one of the other villages would trade with them.

A pang of nostalgia ran through him as he chewed slowly, ignoring the snorting of the horses as he recalled the fine cattle and the fine dairy they produce. So sought after, the bulls were sent to the Emperor himself to breed with his own herd.

The porridge was enough to break those cheery thoughts and bring him back to the gloom of the stable. It was an insipid, grey mix that resembled the mulch they spread on the fields, although it happily didn't smell like that. It held a musty scent like dust and didn't taste much better.

"I need the strength," Demetrius told himself as he forced it down. The lumpy mixture sat heavily in his stomach and he gave a shudder. "Starving will do me no good at all." He looked down, feeling rather sick. "Even though that does feel like a more viable option at the moment."

He was finishing off what he could when Calder appeared, on his way to guard to stairs and await any unfortunate souls that might fall victim to the tides.

"Hurry up. You are wanted in the kitchens. The floor is filthy and you can make yourself useful," his watery eyes looked at the plate. "I'm glad to see you've eaten. You'll need your strength to scrub. And you are to clean up here after. You'll be earning your keep here, boy."

"What about Alexios?" Demetrius swallowed what he wanted to say, the words sitting more heavily than the mess he'd consumed.

"Tether him here. I doubt he'll be welcome in the kitchen and if you leave him loose then he'll probably be gone when you get back. At his young age, he isn't going to know not to get near the horses."

Demetrius blanched, looking over at the sleek horses who seemed like any other placid steeds at the moment. "Can I use the reins? It would be more comfortable than a coarse rope."

"They aren't needed today, so go ahead. But he will need to get used to it when he's older. Otherwise, how will he cope with the chain?"

"Leather is heavier. So he will cope fine," Demetrius retorted "He's the runt, but he'll not be weak."

Calder smirked, looking at the puppy as he rolled onto his back in the straw. "We shall see."

Demetrius idly scratched Alexios's head as Calder moved away, chuckling unpleasantly.

"Utter wastrel," he whispered bitterly. "But he's right. I'll have to tie you up, but I won't restrict you like some do. You'll have enough room, just not enough to get too near the horses. I'd hate to get back to find a mess of blood and guts. Or just blood. Not only because I'd have to clean it up."

He forced a smile at the puppy who looked bemused. Why such a joke should be funny, he didn't know. The brown eyes darted to the larger animals and he whimpered, wriggling from the comforting hand and into the hay.

Demetrius got to his feet and edged over to where the saddles and other paraphernalia hung loosely from makeshift hooks.

The horses watched him intently, making every movement feel clumsy as his hands shook. He quickly snatched some of the reins and retreated back to Alexios, tying the leather carefully about his neck. He whimpered in irritation, pawing at the unfamiliar object and looked up rather resentfully.

"It's for your own good," Demetrius said firmly "I think you know that. You'll get used to it."

Looking around he found a nail in the wall, still firm as a rock and unlikely to be swayed by the light tugs of a young pup, and fastened the other end about it.

Alexios lay down, appearing to sulk as Demetrius made his way from the stables. One snort from the nearest horse set his hackles on end and he backed into the corner.

Perhaps such a minor discomfort was indeed for the best,