Creaturas Alatus

By J. Guillermo Castro

The author is a retired US Navy officer who has always been a voracious reader of adventure books and history, much of it military. He is almost 75 years old and this is his first book. He had the idea of the story percolating in his mind for years and one day sat down and wrote it in a few weeks. It sat unpublished. Several years later, he read an article about Smashwords and decided to give it a try and publish the book himself.

The book is an adventure story with action and some romance and history thrown in. It takes place in the very early days of Christianity in the Roman province of Judea in ancient Israel. Christians will like the background but one does not have to be one to enjoy the book. It is foremost an adventure story. The gist of the tale is as follows: At the beginning of the Christian era, a Roman centurion stationed in Jerusalem is ordered to guard duty over a tomb of a recently crucified Jew. What he sees will change his life forever. He has to flee for his life accompanied by his lover. At the end they succeed in escaping and go on to live a long happy life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Guillermo Castro
• Release date: Sep 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9780988646308

Book preview

Creaturas Alatus

By

J Guillermo Castro

LCDR USNR-RET

Published by J. Guillermo Castro at Smashwords

Copyright © 2012 by J. Guillermo Castro

All Rights Reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook might not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This story is entirely fiction. Some real names of long ago dead people and locations are used only to give an idea of time and place of the narrative.

Creaturas Alatus

(The Winged Creatures)

ISBN 978-0-9886463-0-8

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XIII

CHAPTER XIV

CHAPTER XV

CHAPTER XVI

CHAPTER XVII

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

More than two thousand years ago, the entire area now called Palestine had been conquered by the Roman Empire legions. At the time of the telling of this tale, the old Kingdom of Judah had become a province of the Empire. The Romans called it Judaea. The provincial capital was the ancient city of Jerusalem. The Roman Governor of the province, Prefect Pontius Pilate, lived in Caesarea Marittima, a city built for them by the Jewish king, Herod the Great. It was located on the shore of the Mare Nostrum, as the ancient Romans called the Mediterranean Sea. During the great Hebrew feast of Passover which commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt, the Prefect would always travel to Jerusalem bringing with him reinforcements to the Roman garrison housed in part of the barracks called the Antonia fortress. Passover always seemed to be the time when all of the religious fanatics in the province would congregate in Jerusalem to agitate against Roman rule, thus the need for temporary reinforcements.

Parts of the province were a desert. But not all who lived in this great desert were Jews. Life there never stopped flowing even though the great festival was coming, and nomad bands were always attacking caravans in order to plunder and gain captives who could be sold as slaves and thus enrich the nomad tribes. The Judean desert was a barren land but without many of the great sand dunes found in other deserts around the world. As all deserts, water was almost nowhere to be found and in the summer, the heat was stifling.

So it came to pass that a Roman Century, consisting of 100 legionnaires led by a Centurion, had been searching the desert for a band of nomads who had been attacking caravans. The Centurion, Caius Festus, was a veteran of the Legions who had enlisted in the Roman province of Hispania, in present day Spain, more than 18 years ago. He had been stationed in Judaea for over 4 years. Physically, he was a man in his prime, but did not look much like the usual Roman legionnaire. He was powerfully built, about a head taller than the average soldier, had green eyes and sandy hair. All of this was the result of his parents. His father had been a Roman Legion officer and his mother, a *Marcomanni slave girl. (*In Roman Empire days, a tribe in Germania, an area in present day Germany)

In chasing bandits, the legion was assisted by local mercenaries who acted as guides because they could find their way in the desert. For a few days they had been following the tracks of a band that had recently attacked a caravan traveling towards Jerusalem. The guide had told the Centurion that he thought he knew where they were heading. They were only a few days march from the ancient Ein Gedi oasis. Where else could the bandits go for water in that area and perhaps trade or sell some of the stolen goods?

Because the Century was marching on foot and the bandits mounted, the Centurion knew their only chance of defeating the large band would be to surprise them at night. Thus the Romans needed to find the nomads soon because once they reached the oasis it would be impossible to separate them from the many others who lived or were passing through there.

***

Master, the guide said, "See how fresh the tracks on the ground are.

The bandits are traveling slowly. They think they have nothing to fear. By tomorrow we shall catch up with them".

Caius Festus moved his head in agreement but said nothing as he was deep in thought. Once it became clear that they were following a band of mounted men, he had been pushing his legionnaires hard in order to catch up with them. He had been assured by the guide that these were the bandits that had attacked a caravan many days ago.

It had just been luck that the Century had been on patrol and had run into a survivor of the attack. The man was wounded badly and even though the legionnaires tried their best, he had died. But before he did, he had told the guide about the attack and gave him an idea of the direction they might be traveling. Following his directions, the man had found the tracks of a large band of mounted men.

Now the end of the day was coming. It was time to stop to rest the men and get ready for the night. As legions always did, when in an area deemed hostile, the men set immediately to work building a defensive position in case they might be attacked. After they finished, the legionnaires had something to eat and soon the camp was asleep except for the sentries.

***

The early morning sun was starting to rise when the Century, having dismantled the camp, continued on its march. The Centurion had ordered the men to travel silently. The guide had told him that he thought the band was not that far away and they needed to be sure they surprised the bandits in the evening while they slept.

The day passed swiftly. This time they did not break at sundown but continued the march. It helped that there was a three quarters moon out. After some time had passed the mercenary signaled to the Centurion that he should order the men to stop. Festus gave the order and the Century came to a halt.

Approaching the Roman he spoke in a low voice, Master, I need to continue with two men. I think I hear voices in the wind but I am not sure. Give me two of your best with instructions that they do as I say. If we should be surprised by any sentries, they are to fight the bandits while I make my escape and come to warn you.

Agreeing with the guide, the Centurion issued the necessary orders and soon the three men disappeared into the night.

***

The three quarters moon had shone for some time. To the men it appeared to be like before dusk when there was enough light to walk without stumbling into rocks or cracks on the ground. The guide returned followed by the two legionnaires. He had a smile on his face.

Master, it is as I thought. The nomads are not far. Most of them are probably sleeping but there are some sentries

If we overpower them quickly, we will surprise the sleeping ones and we can prevail, but there are many of them and it will be dangerous.

The Centurion grasped the mercenary's arm.

We will make them pay, he responded.

Turning around, he walked to where the men were resting. He made a hand gesture and two legionnaires came forward. They were his most trusted men and veterans of many a battle.

He quickly described what the guide had said. The two men understood. They knew what to do. Surprise the sentries and immediately attack the camp. They left and spoke to some of the men who they chose to attack the sentries. Once the sentries were silenced the entire Century would attack the camp.

The Centurion now approached the legionnaires and made a sign that they should gather in front of him as he wanted to say a few words to them. It was an ancient tradition of leadership in the Roman Army that before going into battle, their leaders always spoke to the men.

Legionnaires! rang the Centurion's voice.

We will go into battle soon. These bandits have been attacking caravans and killing innocents. Show them what it means to attack Rome. Show them no mercy. Take no prisoners!

He paused for a couple seconds and then with his right hand made into a fist he hit his chest as he shouted, Strength and honor!

Standing at attention, the legionnaires in one voice responded to their leader's war cry, Strength and honor.

With the cry still ringing in their ears, the legionnaires moved in the direction of the bandit camp.

***

The men who had been chosen knew well their craft. Following the mercenary closely, they reached the edge of the nomad camp. Seeing the sentries, they spread out crawling on the desert floor with their *pugios drawn (*a short dagger carried by all Roman legionnaires). Slowly they made their way to the unsuspecting men. There were only three of them and all appeared to be dozing.

Silently, with their left hand over the mouth to prevent a shout, with their right holding the pugios doing their terrible work, they cut deep. All three men fell to the ground, almost decapitated.

Immediately, the three legionnaires stood up. That was the signal the rest of the Century had been waiting for. They had spread in a semicircle on the camp’s edge. As soon as they saw the men stand, the legionnaires silently ran forward towards the still sleeping bodies on the ground. On the run, they drew out their gladius, the feared Roman short sword. Reaching the nomads they started slashing as they ran. The nomads never had a chance. Most were dead before anyone sounded an alarm. The rest tried to put up a fight but it was too late. The surprise had been complete. The wild beasts of the desert and the vultures would have a feast. Once it was over, the Centurion ordered the men to look among the stolen goods for anything worth taking and soon the legionnaires were marching, now in the direction of Jerusalem. This had been a great victory. All the nomads had been slain. There was nary a scratch on the legionnaires.

JERUSALEM

CHAPTER I

Centurion Caius Festus body was sore. It ached. After all those weeks in the desert, he had been looking forward to a bath then a massage from his favorite slave