It was a day like any other at the Legion headquarters, the Fort.
The sun was high in the sky, beating down hard on the area. May sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her wrist, quickly wiping her hands with a rag.
She finished packing the chest, filled with gauze, healing powders, and other supplies. She closed it with a wooden lid and sealed it by hammering nails into the surface.
She lifted it from the table and carried it outside the tent, leaving it near the entrance. The chest hit the dry ground with a dull thud, and May let out a longer sigh. She covered her forehead with an arm to shield her eyes from the sun and looked around: there were soldiers on guard, others moving about the camp, slaves carrying burdens heavier than they were, and crucified profligates who could do nothing but wait for the moment when death would greet them.
May had been lucky.
By saving a decanus from a hemorrhage, she had earned a place as a doctor within the Fort, but the price she paid... The Caesar himself had given her protection, a place to stay, and a job for demonstrating her "loyalty," but he had taken her father away from her, and she would never forgive him for that.
She had another crate to prepare for the next expedition, so she returned to the tent.
She quickly wiped the table with a rag and pulled some fabrics from a drawer. Then she brought the tray in front of her, where she kept the dried roots, herbs, and other plants needed to make medicines, separating the good parts from the rotten ones.
May's father, also a doctor, had taught her practically everything, even how to make better and more practical medicines than the ones she was forced to make, but no.
The Caesar considered the use of treatments such as stimpaks like a blasphemy.
She was clearing some roots when she heard footsteps outside, then turned and smiled when she saw Hanna.
The two girls were roughly the same age, and she was the daughter of one of the Legion's bigwigs, Vulpes Inculta.
Let's just say that information was of common knowledge, but was never said openly.
Out of female solidarity, May had requested the girl to assist her inside the medical tent.
She had done so because she didn't like the way the men at the Fort looked at her, and she had often heard unkind comments about.
She also needed an extra pair of hands to take care of all the various tasks, including emergencies when a wounded soldier was brought in, and she had proven to be a great help.
«Hi,‐ she greeted her with a quick glance before going back cleaning the root and dividing it into smaller pieces.- We have the last crate to prepare, and then we're done.»
