“Athena, I really am sorry. Truly, but I swear I will get you out of this mess. One day, you will find the freedom you seek. I just can’t say if Luca will be at your side when you get there.”
“Enough,” I said too exhausted to speak. Every bit of me hurt as if he had pulled out my beating heart and tossed it to the ground before trampling over it. “No more.”
“Can I tell you a story?” he asked. His voice was as tender as it had been the second time we met. It pulled me into him and wrapped me up like a blanket. I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say, but I was far too tired to protest any longer. All I could think about was the horrors that awaited me come tomorrow.
“Tobias, please,” I begged resting my head on the cold muddy floor, too weak to remain up right. I had cried my last tear and locked my heart into a vault, knowing that Luca would never find a way to help me here.
“I once fell in love with a beautiful girl. She had hair like yours. It was soft like grass swaying in the wind. She had a spirit that could never be tamed. She was wild and free,” Tobias started and I turned my eyes to watch him as he spoke.
“You remind me of her; the way you carry yourself. The way you speak. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two were sisters. But, she lived in a village far from here; a village that I once called my home. Everything about our lives was perfect. Eventually we married and started a family.”
Tobias’ voice was soothing as I laid on the floor listening to him. A part of me wanted nothing more than to focus on Luca’s face and imagine we had run away together, but each word that drifted from Tobias’ lips pulled me out of my day dream and I couldn’t help but listen to what he had to say.
“We had a little girl. Her hair was pitch-black, like soot and her eyes— they were green. Nearly as green as the moss that drifts over the white cliffs.”
“What was her name,” I asked surprising myself. I hadn’t realized how his story was pulling me out of my private world and tossing me into his.
“Lilith. She was but a baby when your father came to our town.”
“Why did he go there? What goods or products could your small village give to Rome?”
“Men; lots of strong men. He was gathering them for the games you see. He had heard about what kind of men lived in our village and wanted them for himself.”
“He wanted slaves?” The thought wasn’t so far-fetched. My father took what he wanted and if it was men plucked in their prime, he would have them.
“Yes, but more than that he wanted soldiers for his army.”
“But, it’s the emperor’s army, not his.”
“Perhaps, but you need to hear the tale in full to understand why I hate your father and why I need your forgiveness.”
I sat up, weighing my options. Although my heart was broken and my future was bleak, surely I could find it in my heart to forgive him, if forgiveness was all he wanted.
“Very well,” I grumbled trying to make it seem as if he had to earn my attention. “Tell me your story. Then I will decide if I will forgive you or not.”
Chapter 8
A long agonizing howl ripped through the aspen trees, stealing the warmth from my blood. It was a warning that something was coming. The ice within me swiftly melted as I stood waiting for the second alarm. My ears perked up, listening to every twig snap, every rustle of feathers and leaves, and every creature stirring within a mile’s radius.
With frozen, trembling hands I stood on the bluff waiting. My ears twitched at the thunder of hooves pounding the ground, and racing towards my family. I spun around, my eyes peering through the shadows, searching for the origin of the threat. I suddenly realized that the second howl was further away than the first and came from the opposite direction. With my heart bursting out of my chest, I caught the glimpse of the crescent moon drifting quietly through the canopy.
“Iris.” My voice was barely a whisper; too afraid of what dark creatures could be listening. As still as the trees, I scanned the area. Every fiber in my being was itching and burning to be set free, but I couldn’t risk revealing myself. Not if my family was in danger. The snap of a branch behind me set my nerves ablaze and I saw the white, zigzagged path through the trees that I had taken to come out here.
“Stupid. Stupid. I shouldn’t have gone so far,” I groaned as I bolted through the shrubs racing back to the village as fast as my legs could carry me.
Branches stretched out like sharp nails and whipped across my face. Yet the small stings of their strikes was nothing compared to the fear gripping my heart as I sprinted and ducked my head to avoid the lower hanging limbs.
Why did I have to come out so far? I could have found some game closer to the village. But, the wild called to me, beckoning me into its solitude. I should have stayed closer. I should have remained closer.
Long drawn-out howls filled the air around me, calling me home. I could hear the wild pack of dogs snapping at the intruders as they protected my family. The sharp stab of guilt pricked my heart.
“If anything happens to them,” I panted, trying to push out the dread that was swallowing me whole. With each step I took, and each mile I ran, one thought only filled my mind. An image of utter horror flashed before my eyes and that panic fueled the flames within me to burn hotter. There was no time to waste. Each heartbeat rocked me as I scrambled to go faster and get back before a deafening silence fell.
“Oh crap!” A misplaced step sent me flying through the air and I toppled over a log I had scaled a hundred times. My mind wasn’t on the trail; it was on my family. With the wind flowing through my hair, I landed hard on the soft dirt on the other side, with my foot screaming in agony.
“No time for mending.” I stole a glance at my foot ensuring there was no break and then I scrambled back up to keep going. Pain shot through my leg as my weight landed on my ankle. A salty, rusty taste trickled into my mouth and I knew my nose was broken. Still, there was more to hurt me than a broken nose and a bruised ankle should I not reach my family in time. A long scream filtered through the trees sending my body into panic mode. No other sound filled my ears than that horrific scream of utter devastation.
Pushing through the veil of night I spotted the dim light of fireflies. Deep within the recesses of my soul I knew it wasn’t fireflies, someone was there in our village. Torches burned brightly through the shrubs drawing me in to the fray like a deer caught in one of my traps. I skidded to a stop the moment I saw them. Roman soldiers in their gray tunics and shiny armor circled the camp barricading the inhabitants of the village into the center.
“No.” Suddenly everything became crystal clear. From the dancing of the embers in the torches to the fear in the eyes of those the Romans encircled. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I clung to the trunk of a tree praying to find a way in.
I scanned the area searching for my family, my body trembling. There, near the last hut, stood my defiant wife, with her golden hair shimming like a goddess under the light of the torches. In her arms, our child rested securely, unaware of what was going on around them. My heart sputtered as I watched the Romans circle around them as if they were cattle.
“Hold on Iris.” My voice drifted on the wind like a whisper as I made my way through the tree line to get closer. The shadows of the forest cloaked me as I moved keeping my eyes locked on my beloved. Her eyes scanned beyond the blazing torches and peered into the depths of the night searching for me as the dogs snipped and growled at the intruders.
“Alexander, we have one trying to escape!” A Roman soldier cried out over the chaos. My eyes drifted to the man dismounting his horse. His red toga floated like a cloud as the winds kicked up around us. The man, the one they called Alexander, paused and his pompous glare took in my wife.
“What do we have here?” Alexander asked the soldier, as he eyed Iris and the child her arms.
“Caught this one trying to escape,” the soldier answered with a wicked grin stretching across his lips. The wickedness of the sold
ier’s glare filled me with such rage that my body began to tremble. I wanted nothing more than to kill to him right then and there. But, what good would that do I wondered? Sure I would get a single kill, but as the screams filled the camp, I realized there would be no glory for us this night.
There were too many of them surrounding us. Even if we all stood our ground, it would be a slaughter. My only option was to get my wife and child out and leave the rest to their fate. Resolved, I sighed trying to calm myself as I held back the anger that now flowed freely through my veins. Alexander brushed his white marble fingers across Iris’s face as if he was admiring a statue. The corner of my lips pulled up into a snarl and a low rumble filled my chest.
“Such beauty.”
“Yes, sir. But, what do we do with her?” the soldier asked with greedy little eyes. Alexander shrugged and turned away to face the chaos of the crowd.
In a loud booming voice Alexander stepped into the front of the group and shouted, “We are here at our emperor’s bidding. Great Caesar has proclaimed you all abominations. You have but one option. Surrender and fight as the emperor’s champions or die as you stand.”
The group of men shouted with one voice as I stood on the side lines watching in horror. I knew there was no way in hell the men of my village would become slaves. They would stand their ground and die in the honorable manner that was noble to our kind. Iris’s eyes flashed with a light so bright it knocked me back. I could see she had resolved to fight as well.
“No, don’t.” I pleaded silently inching my way closer yet keeping the shadows shrouding me as I went.
“Your secrets were made clear by this one,” Alexander twisted his head and nodded at one of his guards. There was no denying I wanted to turn away to see which of my villagers had made a pack with the Romans, but I was far too concerned with Iris to pull away. If there was but a chance for me to get to her now, while everyone else was preoccupied I would. But, it was the pleading of a familiar voice that halted my advance.
“Marcus,” I whispered, as he was dragged from the wooden cart and tossed to the ground before the men of the village. Gripping the trunk of the tree I prayed I wouldn’t snap the thing in half and give away my position. There he was, my brother, in the Roman’s guard, turning on his own kind.
“This is not a man,” Alexander continued with a wicked smile that stretched from ear to ear. “But, a beast that comes from this village. Reason tells me that there are more like him lingering in these parts.”
The villagers began to murmur and their whispers turned to outrage. Before any of the men could act, Alexander lifted his hand and waved but a few fingers. Without a word, the soldiers attacked the group. Chaos ensued, and I stole the only opportunity I had and bolted from my hiding place towards Iris.
Shouts and cries filled the area as the soldiers slaughtered anyone within the length of their blade. With trembling fingers, I reached out for Iris and pulled her back into the shadows and into my protection.
“Tobias!” Iris’s voice dropped and she clung to our infant.
“We must hurry,” I said pulling her closer into the shadows of the forest.
“I thought they had gotten you. The dogs have been crying out to you.”
“I know. I heard them, but we must go now while we can. There is no telling how many of these men will kill us.”
“What about Marcus?”
“Leave him. He has chosen his side, Now please my love, we must go.” Iris stole one last glimpse of the village burning and smothered in smoke before turning and racing through the trees at my side. Her legs were long, but no matter how she tried to keep up, the infant in her arms held her back.
“Here,” I said reaching for my daughter. “Give her to me.”
Iris paused for just a moment to hand off the child. Immediately her speed improved as the sound of hooves pounding the ground echoed and bounced off the surrounding trees.
“Tobias, save yourself and our daughter.”
“No. I won’t leave you.”
“You must,” Iris said with the fear gripping her heart that would steal the life from me. “You will get further without me. Now go,” Iris said slowing her pace. I turned to glance at her only to find the Romans coming up behind her. I glanced at the child in my arms. The sweet blue eyes that she had inherited from her mother stared back at me. There was far too much at stake and there was no way I was about to leave my wife to these heathens. I sucked in a deep breath and circled back around.
“Alexander, we’ve found her!” A Roman soldier shouted as he reined his horse around Iris. The soldiers blade glistened in the moonlight as he circled around her keeping her in place.
“Leave her alone!” My voice boomed, rattling the steed as the soldier glanced up to find me standing on a rock not far from him. I wondered if he could see I was not afraid of him despite all that he had under his blade.
“You should have run when you had the chance,” Iris whimpered as the soldier struck her with the blade nicking her arm. A growl rose out of me as I charged the man.
“I wouldn’t do that,” the soldier warned. “Any closer and I will kill her in front of you.”
“Then you will be dead before her head is displaced, that I promise you.”
“Is that a threat?” the soldier laughed as I charged him.
“Stop!” Alexander’s voice rattled the soldier and he dropped his blade from Iris’s throat. “What is going on here? I told you, Lucas, that I wanted this one alive.”
“She is clearly taken Sir,” Lucas said, as I pushed Iris away from the blade and held her behind me. She instantly took back our child and held her close to her chest.
“Many of them are Lucas, but that means nothing,” Alexander said glaring at me with contempt. I held my ground refusing to let either one of them get the better of us. If they wanted my wife, they were going to have to go through me to get her.
“I’m curious; where would you have run to Heathen? Your kind has nowhere to go but back to Hades where you came from. Either by the games or by our blades you will die one way or another but your wife, well, she will make an excellent addition to my house don’t you think?”
“Sir?” Soldier glanced at his captain with mild disillusionment.
“Iris, go!” I didn’t give her any other option, as I attacked Lucas and pulled him from his horse. With all the rage building in me, I pulled back my arm and let it fly. The sound of crunching bones filled my ears as I made contact with his face. There was no stopping me now; every bit of anger and fury that I had bottled in me was unleashed on this poor fool and he didn’t even know what was coming.
Lucas lay bloody at my feet and unresponsive as I turned my head to find Iris slipping through the shadows with Alexander on her heels. The last thing I saw was Alexander sneering back at me as he kicked his ankle into the horse sending it into a full gallop.
“You shouldn’t have run away, Girl. I would have spared your life.” I could hear his voice lingering in the wind, but I couldn’t place the direction. Had Iris changed course? Panic filled me as I tried to breathe in deeply to catch the scent of lavender that Iris always wore.
“My life isn’t yours to command.” Her voice shook and I could see her in my mind standing her ground as she held onto our daughter.
“Oh but it is. Now give me that child.”
“No.” Iris pressed the infant to her bosom, protecting it the best she could.
“You will give me that child, or else.”
“There,” I said turning my attention to the deepest part of the forest and took off at full speed towards them. With each step I took I drew closer to a stench. As I reached the top of the hill, I spied Alexander hovering over my wife and charged at him.
With a mighty yell, I sprang into the air. My arms stretched out and closed around Alexander. There was no way he was going to touch her again. I had him in my strong grasp as we tumbled to the ground, and I crushed Alexander under my weight.
Blood tric
kled down from my forehead as I slammed into a rock with my arms pinning Alexander to the ground. The world was suddenly hazy and foggy. I must have hit my head harder than I thought, but I couldn’t think about that now. It took every ounce of my strength to hold Alexander in place, despite his kicking and jerking. It was as if I was wrestling a beast, and in a way I was. Alexander pulled back his arm and crushed his elbow into my ribs. What little air I had within my lungs was suddenly pushed out and I gasped for air releasing him.
Alexander was on his feet in an instant and reamed his metal covered foot into my ribs knocking what little air I managed to steal back out of me again. I rolled to the side trying to protect myself. It was then that I saw that the damage has already been done. Iris’s steel-blue eyes were wide and staring through me. No sound escaped my child’s lips as Alexander’s hands pulled my head up only to knock his head into mine. White streaks of light shot through my eyes, blinding me with pain, but nothing could reach me. I was no longer in the fight. I had lost. My wife lay dead at my feet and my child along with her.
“You are a stupid man,” Alexander said towering over me. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps I was stupid, but at least death would come quickly for me now. I rolled onto my back with a hole in my chest I prayed would swallow me whole. With a heavy heart I watched as Alexander unsheathed his bloody blade. He placed the tip of the blade at my throat and pulled back ready to strike.
“DO IT!” I shouted with all I could muster. There was no fight left in me now; nothing to fight for. Alexander and his men had taken everything from me—everything that meant anything. All I could hope for now was a swift death to release me from this hell.
“You’d like that wouldn’t you? Well, maybe we can come to an understanding then. You see, there are thousands of people back in Rome who would just love to watch someone of your caliber compete in the games. Chances are you will die there.”
“You killed my family; you might as well kill me too.”
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