[right][h3]October 48 BC - Alexandria, Egypt[/h3][/right]
[hr]

"More standing around." Kedrick couldn't resist. The entire Century was standing in solid ranks, shields resting on the ground and leaning against their stomachs, pilums against their shoulders, permitted to move but not to break ranks. Sweat was already running in rivers down their spines from the sun that beat down on the white marbled courtyard.

"You don't enjoy this?" Seiger replied with a laugh. He had been busy eyeing the towering palace, the kaleidoscope of brightly coloured tiles and the extensive gardens were not lost on him. Another amazing place to visit while so far from home. He was probably the only one not bored out of his skull.

Caesar and his personal guard had entered the palace a short time before, greeted by Theodotus, tutor to the young King. Ptolemy was currently in the East preparing to do battle with his sister, Cleopatra, and unable to attend personally. Seiger was still not entirely clear on why the King was at war with his sister, but he supposed was none of his concern.

The sudden sound of raised voices came from the palace above and the legionnaires stirred. The Egyptian Guards who stood on the long stairway and in front of the big doors also shifted uneasily. The number of troops were about equal but more of Caesars soldiers were pouring ashore from the fleet every minute. The Egyptians had been awed by the Germanic Auxiliary, the latter being the first of their kind to be seen in Egypt. Seiger flattered himself that they were an imposing sight, each one tall, broad shouldered, and strongly muscled, and at least a third bigger than any Egyptian they had seen so far.

The doors burst open and a legionnaire hurried down the steps, a worried looking Egyptian soldier in tow. He went directly to Centurion Cassia and began to whisper in his ear, gesturing first at the palace and then at the Egyptian. Cassia nodded, glanced toward the palace, spat and then turned toward his men.

"Some bastards chopped Pompeys head off and presented it to Caesar. He's furious. We're going to hunt down the pair of Romans who killed him." A murmur of surprise went through the ranks. Pompey had been an enemy, but he was also Caesars father-in-law and respected by the majority of all Romans, enemy or otherwise. "This here local is going to lead us to them." 

No more orders were needed as the auxiliaries picked up their shields, shouldered their pilums and followed after the Centurion as he headed for the nearby roadway. Several Egyptian soldiers stood watch over the gate but they made hasty retreats as the small column of Roman soldiers headed their way. Two even hurried to pull open one leaf of the huge iron gate; the Romans crashed past them in a clatter of steel and jangle of armour. 

The guide was clearly in a hurry as he made a sharp right turn and made his way down a long boulevard. The street was neatly cobbled with a large raised divider that was filled with bright flowers. Each intersection they passed was shaded with tall palm trees and more than once Seiger almost tripped as he stared in amazement at a camel. It seemed Alexandria was not the shit pit Marcos had said it was. 

"Here." The Egyptian said in broken Latin, gesturing at a tall, four story house. "Both men here."

"Kedrick, Seiger, around back. The rest of you, with me." Cassia, always the man of action, rapped out quick orders. "No one leaves the house. Kill them if they try to escape."

The Germans nodded and hurried around the side of the house. A tall wall with barred gate blocked their path. Seiger dropped his shield and spear then set his back against the stone, cupping both hands in front of of himself. Kedrick dropped his own spear and shield, took two steps and then used Seiger as a ladder to scale the wall. He glanced quickly down, nodded to Seiger, and caught both of their equipment before dropping it into the yard and helping Seiger up the wall.

The courtyard was empty, a large rectangle of a space covered in loungers, comfy looking padded chairs, all set around a small dunking pool, all sheltered beneath a network of overhanging wooden beams that supported vines covered in pretty yellow flowers.

The two dropped in the courtyard, snatched up their weapons and made for the rear door just as shouting began at the front of the building. There was shouts of protest and then screams as wood shattered. Cassia must have kicked the door in. More shouts and then the clash of steel announced that someone in the house was fighting back.

Racing feet and screams told the two that someone was coming for the backdoor and they quickly took up positions a short ways from the door. It flew open and several Egyptian servants piled into the courtyard. They did not see the two legionaries at first but one of the women took no time in screaming when she caught sight of them.

"On the ground!" Kedrick roared, stomping one foot forward and slamming his shield into a male servant who cannoned off him and onto the ground, his face bouncing off a tile to start blood flowing. The other servants quickly dropped to their knees and then, aided by a few kicks, their bellies. More shouts and then a man came tumbling out of an upper window, his head smashing into the tile with a sickening crack. Blood spattered across the servants and all of them began to weep only, two even pissing themselves with fear. 

"Alright, we got em, come on in lads. You can let that lot go." Cassias voice came from an upper window, his broad face wreathed in a grin. He only grinned when he got to hurt someone.

Seiger knelt and raised the face of a servant, a young woman who he found to be startlingly pretty despite her distress. She flinched away from him but he took her chin again and jerked his head toward the gateway. "Get out." 

She looked surprised, then motioned to herself, and then to the gateway. He nodded. She looked at her companions and then back at him, he nodded again. She wasted no time in quickly sending them all running for the gate. She said something in Egyptian, he assumed it was [i]thank you[/i], and then she was gone. 

Kedrick led the way into the house. A partially armoured body lay near the door. A sword had slashed him through the side and then his throat had been cut. No one else in the house had been killed save the man who had been chucked out the upper window and the entire place was crawling with Cassias men.

"Lookit at this two sorry sacks of shit." Cassia crowed as he led two men down the stairs. Both were injured, their hands tied tightly in front of them with a stick shoved through their elbows and behind their backs. Each was guarded by a pair of burly auxiliaries. "Lets get them back to Caesar."

Several minutes later the two prisoners and their escort were marching back toward the palace. Seiger couldn't help but notice the glances being shot their way by the locals. They were not friendly.