The duo came out of the tent and spotted Theocles off in the distance, animatedly trying to explain something to the block-faced Gratz.
Clearly, the latter had no intention to take part in this dialogue and was begrudgingly tolerating the ‘talkative man’ while he waited for the soon-to-be dead slave to convince his mistress to accompany him.
And the man was relieved to find out that he would need to wait long, as he greeted, “Master Damious has sent me to accompany you, madam.”
“Um, then please escort me.” Cambyses flatly accepted.
So, with the lead of the mercenary, Cambyses followed, towed by the two men behind, across the dimly lit camp that was saturated by dejection and forlornness.
“Wait.” Cambyses cried out as they were passing the huge pot of sweetwater outside the medical camp. “I would like to take some sweet water to serve to Master Damious.” She said her practiced line.
Then right on cue, Alexander sprinted up to get a jug of sweetwater for his mistress.
Gratz did not find this strange because he had not seen Cambyses make any food or drinks while he was there.
Traditionally cooking was done over an open fire outside and he did not think a tent could have a stove inside it
Moreover, he was also being distracted by Theocles, and against the backdrop of the night sky, he had failed to notice the smoke coming out of the chimney.
As Alexander approached the sweet water pot, he was somewhat relieved to see Mean not there, because he was sure the fiery chipmunk would not let go of the news of her mistress’s marriage without a fight.
Alexander reasoned that Aristotle probably had a hand in suppressing the unpopular news to avoid unrest in the camp.
But surprisingly he did meet someone he had not seen since the first battle, Bartholomew.
“Alexander, what’s all the rush?” Came the unusually cheerful inquiry from the man who was helping others fill jugs of sweet water. ．
“Bartho, where were you? I didn’t see your shadow till now.” Alexander exclaimed.
“I was in my tent sleeping. Only woke now.” Came a slightly embarrassed reply.
After Romeus had found the unconscious man, the lazy pig did not take him all the way to the medical clinic. Instead, he dumped him in his tent which was much closer.
“Say, are you free now? I could need you soon.” Alexander off-handedly asked as he filled up a jug.
“Sure, I can come.” Bartho enthusiastically nodded. “What do you need?” He then placed his hands on his sword handle aggressively.
Bartholomew was the slash-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy.
“Just follow me.” Alexander gestured. And then ominously muttered to him out of everyone’s earshot, “And be ready to cut Damious when I give you the signal.”
This made Bartho go a bit wide-eyed, but then he just nodded and grinned.
Alexander had decided to do this last moment because, although he was quite confident in his poison plan, he always preferred to have a backup.
And although it was not the most elegant plan B, Alexander figured the total surprise factor could catch them off guard.
Alexander filled the upper part of the drinking pot under Gratz’s watch full eyes, and then after taking a swig of the leftover liquid, he offered Gratz the jug.
Feeling parched the man did not refuse and gulped the entire contents down.
“Ahhh” He let out an involuntary joyous moan.
“I hope you can say I made it myself to master Damious.” Cambyses requested the mercenary.
Understanding where she was going, the man of little words nodded and uttered, “Of course.”
Done with this little ‘detour’, the team of five made their way into the medical tent.
Along the way, no one questioned the addition of Bartho, who introduced himself as a medical staff.
Not to mention Cambyses, Alexander, and Theocles, who vouched for him, even Gratz, who saw him handing sweet water, thought him to be a doctor and verified the claim.
“My dear! I have missed you so much.” Just as the group approached the guarded bed, headed by Cambyses, Damious exclaimed in jubilation.
If he was not injured and strictly told by the medical staff that sudden large movements would open up his wounds, the bear would have certainly gotten up to hug his to-be bride.
“Greeting, master.” Cambyses bowed slightly bending her knees.
“I hope master would be kind enough to overlook my previous discourteousness. I have no excuse.” She humbly pleaded.
“Haha, no no, forgiven, forgiven, I can forgive all your whims, my darling,” Damious shouted exaggeratedly.
“How can I ever be mad at you, sweetheart? Instead, I am sorry that I got injured and could not be there for you at such a time. Poor girl, poor girl.” He lamented shaking his head.
The two love birds seemed to have wiped out the existence of everyone around them as they flirted.
And this display pleased most of the people present, even Melodias who seemed to there reporting something to Damious but it confused one- Bartholomew.
But he did not outright cry out because he saw Alexander lightly smiling and remembered his warning to wait for the signal.
Thus he patiently waited, the bloodthirsty warrior’s blood silently boiling at the thought of fighting and killing so many people.
But it would seem, it was not yet his time, as Alexander simply watched the play unfold.
“Master, as an apology, I have made some sweet water for you. It’s meager but please have some with these hardtacks.” Cambyses offered, placing the tray by his bedside.
“Yes, leader, I saw madam prepare the sweet water in front of me. It would be remiss not to have some.” Gratz sprouted from the side, essentially saying in code that the food was safe.
“Haha, then please, please.” Damious warmly gestured.
He had his eyes on the tray from the moment he saw Cambyses carrying it and could not wait to taste his wife’s homemade cooking.
But there was one person who was very concerned by Cambyses’s one eighty-degree turn- Aristotle.
He knew Cambyses and felt there was something wrong with how eager the girl was to serve the drink.
So he decided to be a party pooper,
“Wait, let the slave drink.” He exclaimed in a crass voice that seemed to burst the serene environment.
Having the sweet lovely dovey atmosphere destroyed, infuriated Damious and he bellowed, “Bastard! Get this fu*king old coot out of my sight!”
“Master Damious, leader Aristotle did not mean anything by it. He was just being cautious.” Pallidus tried to defend his old master.
‘Master Damious, huh. So you have already switched sides.’ Alexander thought as he did not miss the small change in address.
“He wants to let a mere slave taste my wife’s cooking. I will have that old bastard’s and that slave’s tongues cut out!” Damious roared in indignation, as he lambasted Pallidus.
“Apologies my lord, a thousand apologies.” Palllidus went down on his knees and begged “But leader Aristotle may be right, Why don’t I taste it?” He asked as a compromise.
Even Pallidus found Cambyses’s tamed acting a bit suspicious.
“There will be no need for that. Both I and the slave tasted it before offering it to master.” Came Gratz’s reassuring voice. As Damious’s most loyal lackey, he felt personally attacked that they doubted his credibility or competency.
This was also the reason Damious reacted so strongly. Because he was more than a hundred percent sure, a hundred and a ten percent sure that because Gratz said it was safe, then it was safe,
Seeing the two parties in an uncomfortable position, Melodias bravely stepped forward as a mediator.
“Since Captain Gratz said it was safe and both he and Alexander tasted it, then it must be safe,” He praised the mercenary.
“But since leader Aristotle has expressed his distrust why don’t I have a little sip, to put everyone’s mind at ease? I am sure all of us here would not mind something to wet our throats.” He suggested.
Damious was reluctant at first but decided to allow Melodias to do this as a face-saving for Aristotle.
So the shabby mercenary stepped forward and held up a small clay cup as Cambyses deftly with both hands poured the normal sweet water.
As Melodias quaffed it down it with a satisfying “Ahhhh”, Cambyses deftly and without anyone noticing, switched her finger from the lower hole to the upper hole and quickly filled another cup, which she then offered to Damious.
The mercenary leader snatched the cup like a hawk snatching its prey and chugged it down in one swift gulp, feeling the heavenly taste wash down his throat.
This sweet ‘medicine’ was the best thing he had ever tasted and somehow this one made by his wife seemed to taste even better than the one he had before.
It tasted sweet, sour, and a bit salty, which seemed to elevate the drink to another level, with the bitterness much reduced.
So he demanded, “Another!”
Cambyses obeyed and this time, remembering Alexander’s advice to try and distract the mercenary leader from noticing her covering the hole, she choose to look at him directly in his eyes as she poured, even letting out a small shy smile.
Damious was smitten and felt that even if he was served animal food by her, it would taste like heaven.
He finally stooped after three cups and a bit of the hardtacks, strangely feeling a bit sleepy which he chalked up as his body’s exhaustion finally taking over after having a hearty meal and decided to close his eyes for a bit.
And that was the last would he would ever close his eyes, passing away peacefully in his sleep, no one even aware of it until the next day.