Daughter of the Sea
Page 57
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Hearing a clatter, Calista looked up from her nest of pillows and blankets, thinking that it was Potita. Instead, she was shocked to see Hadrian wearily stumbling down the steps, supporting a bleeding Claudius. A gash in his arm gaped vulgarly, leaving a thick, crimson ribbon down his arm. Thin scarlet rivulets flowed to his hands, following the lines of his phalanges.
“Dear Juno, what happened?” asked Olympia, rising quickly. “Captain Claudius?”
Hadrian gently leaned him against the barrels before answering. “Potita is getting bandages and poultice to tie around his arm.”
“After I had left, my first priority was purchasing a horse before the stalls had finally closed for the night,” Hadrian explained. “The man was unwilling to give me back the horse for the price I had bought it for—so we’ll likely have to steal it before we leave.
“I left, skirting the patrols by going around the town and to the beach where Claudius was waiting for midnight before he would come to the inn. We started heading back towards the inn using alleys in the darkness. Neither Claudius nor I are familiar with these streets so in our confusion we stumbled right upon one of Avaritus’ patrols. One of them recognized Claudius and managed a slash at him. We had to run furiously through the woods and crisscrossing all around until we finally shook them off.”
“Will he be alright?” asked Calista worriedly, eyeing the limp Claudius propped against the wooden barrels. A grayish pallor, a pearly sheen of sweat seeped into his skin.
“He has lost a great deal of blood but he should be fine,” Hadrian assured Calista. “It was a little nick. As soon as Potita bandages him and gets some food in him, we should be able to ride.”
“All I need…time,” mumbled Claudius.
Calista realized that they were losing sight of the issue. To rescue her family was just as important as avenging them against the man who brought them to this ruin. She did not understand why no one else understood that. When she had been reunited with Olympia, she had momentarily wished to once more be a child safe in her mother’s arms, but she had forgotten how little control a sheltered child had over her destiny. Observing the room one last time, she agreed. “Yes Claudius, time sounds perfect. If you will excuse me, I will be in the kitchen…I need time…to think.”
As she fumbled up the steps, she heard Hadrian ask, “Is she well?”
Quietly, Olympia said, “She does not take well to the idea of leaving Portus Tarrus and pleading our case before the Senate. She doesn’t understand…we tried running away, we thought to kill him but every time something goes wrong. This is our best hope. Our only hope. For now.”
CHAPTER XXVIII