Read Beast of Caledonia Online

Authors: Kate Poole

Beast of Caledonia (16 page)

BOOK: Beast of Caledonia
6.83Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Quintus’ mind reeled, trying to think of a way to save his
daughter if the soldiers found her. He silently prayed to the gods that they
would not. He suspected he had pushed Antoninus too far, so he could not beg a
favor of the emperor again—especially not in this instance. But there had to be
something he could do. “Sire—”

“Silence, Quintus. I want to hear nothing more from you
ever
again!
I have bent over backward to accommodate you and that whore of a
daughter of yours, but
no more!
You are finished in my army as of this
moment. I will not strip you of your holdings or wealth, but I suggest you go
somewhere very,
very
far away. If you choose to stay in Rome, the gods
help you if we ever cross paths. Now get out of here.”

Quintus bowed and left the room. He did not mourn the loss
of his commission or the emperor’s favor. Antoninus had not taken away his
property and possessions, and Quintus had enough to live on for the rest of his
life.

But he would give it all up and beg in the streets for a few
denarii
a day, if it would save Sara’s life.

Hopefully, Annachie had already gotten her away from Castrum
Novum and away from this land altogether. She had been so happy in Caledonia.
Take
her there, Annachie, and live in peace.

* * * * *

Drust had finished nursing. Sara watched him nod off, her
nipple still in his mouth, his tiny fist lying on her breast. He was almost a
month old now, and Sara was relieved to see that he was growing, daily it
seemed, and gaining weight. She had worried that he would not survive long
after having been born so early. But he was a “strong, wee lad”, as Annachie
had called him. Very strong, Sara thought, just like your father.

Despite her joy at having Drust, Sara was almost sick with
worry. They had evaded capture by the soldiers who had come through the town
before Drust was born. And in just a few days, they would set out on their
journey to Eire. But Sara would not feel safe until they were on the sea, away
from Antoninus, Septimius, and the Pontifex Maximus.

Her only regret was leaving Rebekah and her family. She had
come to love Rebekah as a mother and Rachel as a very dear friend, the only one
she ever had now that she thought about it.

As if reading her mind, Rachel said, “I will be so sorry to
see you and Annachie leave. I have so enjoyed our time together.”

“I was thinking the same thing. You wouldn’t consider coming
with us, would you?”

“Oh, no.” Rachel looked horrified at the mere idea. “I could
never travel that far from here, even if I were not burdened with two children.
You do not know anything about this land where you are going, do you?”

“Not really, but Annachie says it is very much like his
homeland, and I loved living in Caledonia.”

“And you would be happy anywhere he is.”

Sara laughed. “That is true. I would be happy living in a
cave, as long as he was with me.”

Rachel put aside her sewing. Sara watched her heave her body
out of her chair. Her belly was so big, she could hardly stand up. When she got
to her feet, she was out of breath.

“What do you need, Rachel? Let me get it for you.”

“No, it is all right. Do not disturb that sweet little boy
of yours. I should move around anyway, I am getting to be a lazy sow. And as
big as one.”

They laughed together as Rachel dipped a lifted the flagon
which held the family’s drinking water. She made an exasperated sound. “It is
empty. I shall go to the fountain and get more.”

“Oh, no, you will not.” Sara laid Drust down in the little
basket that served as his bed. “You should not be carrying heavy jugs, or your
baby girl will come early like Drust did.” Sara put on her cloak with the hood
that covered her hair and shaded her face from the view of casual onlookers.
The few times she had gone out, she bent her back to appear as an older woman.
She would have to be even more convincing now…now that the emperor knew she had
escaped her tomb.

“I can wait until Mother returns from visiting Talia.”

“Talia lives five streets away, and you do not know when
your mother is returning. You are thirsty now.”

“Sara, you cannot go.”

“Yes, I can. I will not let you risk your child’s life for a
drink of water.”

“But you would risk your own?”

“It is not such a risk. The soldiers have gone. No one has seen
any of them here for weeks now.”

“Well, you should not be carrying heavy jugs, either, so
soon after your delivery.”

“Better me than you,” Sara said as she took the bucket from
Rachel’s hand. “And I won’t fill it all the way, so it won’t be so heavy.” She
opened the door.

“Sara?”

Sara turned back to Rachel and waited. She thought she knew
what Rachel was going to say. Every time Sara went out, Rachel always told her
to be careful. She laughed and said, “Yes, Rachel, I will be careful.”

“How do you know it will be a girl?”

Surprised, Sara only smiled. “I just know. You will see. I
will be back soon.”

“Sara?”

She began to laugh again. “It
will
be a girl, trust
me on this.”

“Be careful.”

* * * * *

Sara was relieved to see there were not many women in the public
square at this time of day. Even in March, the midday sun was quite warm and
there was no shade around the fountain. Most people were resting before
preparing the evening meal or relaxing in the shade.

She saw two women bartering with a merchant at a market
stall, some other women were walking away, chatting, after having filled their
water jugs. Two men sat dozing against one of the buildings in the square. A
wealthy person went by, carried in a litter by four servants. Sara remembered
the last time she had ridden in a litter—on the way to her grave. She shuddered
and turned away.

She kept her head down and her hair covered as she bent over
the fountain to fill the bucket. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she
saw the two men who she thought had been asleep, coming toward her. The flagon
was barely a quarter full, but she knew it was time to leave. One of the men
could come and get more water this evening.

She turned around…and they were right behind her.

“Where are going in such a hurry, old mother?”

“I have to go home, Sire,” she said, making her voice as
raspy as she could and bending further forward to give the impression of age.
“My daughter is waiting for me.”

“Well then, let me carry this for you.” He tried to take the
jug from her hands, but she would not let go.

“No, Sire, there is no need. I do not live far.”

“Then it should be no trouble for me to escort—” He grabbed
her hand and held it up in front of his face. “Your hands look quite young for
an old crone.”

“I have been fortunate, Sire.”

Sara saw him exchange a look with the other man. That one
said, “Push your hood back so we can see your face.”

Gods help me, she thought. They were just men, not soldiers.
Now she began to fear that they had other intentions toward her. But she still
tried to talk her way out of this predicament. She cackled, “Why do you want to
look upon the face of an old crone, young man? Surely there are more comely
women who would be more pleasing to your eyes.”

Without another word, the first man wrenched her hand so
that she dropped the jug. It shattered at her feet. Water splashed her dress
and soaked into her shoes. He grabbed her other hand as well. His accomplice
reached up and shoved her hood back, exposing her face and head.

“Well, what have we here?” the first one said.

She saw the second man nod. “It’s her.”

They began to drag her toward one of the narrow streets.
Sara struggled to get loose. “Please, let me go. I have done nothing wrong. Let
me go!”

Who were these men? Who did they think she was? They were not
dressed as soldiers, so the emperor must not have sent them. What did they
intend to do with her?

They rounded the corner into an alley. Two horses were tied
there, and Sara saw many of the accoutrements a soldier would have with him.

Now she knew. It felt as if her stomach had dropped to her
feet.
Oh, Annachie, my love. Do not come after me. Please, blessed Venus,
keep him away.

One of the men picked her up by the waist and hoisted her
into the saddle. Then he swung up behind her and grabbed the reins. “Let’s go,
little Vestal. The emperor wants to have a word with you.”

As they rode away, two thoughts crossed Sara’s mind. She
hoped that Rachel remembered her promise to take care of Drust.

And…Rachel would still be thirsty.

Chapter Thirteen

 

“You’re a very hard woman to kill,” said Antoninus.

“Then why do you keep trying to do it?” Sara knew it was the
wrong thing to say, that it would only anger the emperor…more than he already
was. But she owed him no respect now. And what did it matter? She knew that
this time, she would surely die. Even Annachie could not save her now.

Antoninus apparently chose to ignore her temerity. “Where
are the men who helped you escape?”

“Why?”

“Interfering with your sentence is a crime. They will be
punished.”

“I do not know where they are now.” Sara hoped Antoninus
would miss the slight emphasis on the word “now”. But she was telling the
truth. She had no idea where Rolf was, and she did not know exactly where
Annachie was at that moment. She suspected—and hoped she was wrong—that he was
on his way to Rome.

“You were pregnant when we buried you. What happened to the
baby?”

“I miscarried in the burial chamber.”

Antoninus looked as if he didn’t believe her. He stared at
her for a long moment. Sara held his gaze, praying she did not give the truth
away with her face. Finally he said, “Good. At least that obstacle is taken
care of. Now I must decide what to do with you.”

He paced around her in a circle. Sara kept her face forward,
waiting for the pain of a knife or sword in her back.
Please, let that be
it. Get it over with. I am tired of waiting.

Then Antoninus was in front of her, staring at her again,
studying her. Suddenly, he smiled. “I have it! I will make you wish you had
died in that hole. Your death will not be so easy this time.”


Easy?”
Sara cried. She was past caring how she spoke
to the emperor. He had confirmed that she was to die, so what did some
insolence matter now? “You think it is easy to be buried alive? To know with
each breath that you are slowly suffocating? To wait for the lamp oil to run
out and the darkness to close in on you? Do you think that
easy
?”

His eyes were hard. “You brought it upon yourself. No one
forced you to break your vow.”

Sara knew she could push Antoninus over the edge by her next
question. “Do you love your wife?”

The look of fury on his face showed that she had been right,
that she had goaded him too far. She hoped his anger would force him to kill
her quickly. Drust was safe with Annachie and…in time, Annachie would find
someone else to love. That thought almost dropped her to her knees.

“That is no business of yours,” he ground out between
clenched teeth.

Sara persisted. “If you do, or if you have ever loved any
woman, you will understand why I broke my vow.”


Damn you, girl!
This time you will die more quickly,
but not so painlessly. That I promise you. Take her away.”

The guards grabbed her by the arms and dragged her out of
the room. They threw her into a wagon with iron bars and drove her through the
streets. Word of her escape from the tomb and subsequent capture must have
spread throughout the city, for everyone they passed turned their backs on her.
It was bad luck to look at the dead—especially one such as she.

* * * * *

Rachel scanned the rough surface of the waves, watching,
praying for Jacob’s boat to appear. It was late afternoon so she knew her
husband and Annachie would be back soon. Not soon enough, she thought.

It had seemed to her that Sara was taking an awfully long
time to fetch the water. She had just decided to go and see what was keeping
her when suddenly people started to run past her. She stopped one woman and
asked her what was happening.

“Soldiers,” the woman replied. “They were not dressed in
uniform, so we had no idea.”

Rachel felt a chill run down her spine. “What did they
want?”

“I do not know. I did not wait around. Last I saw, they were
approaching one of the women at the fountain.”

Rachel could barely ask her next question; her mouth had
gone dry with fear. “What…what did she look like?”

“I did not look at her that closely, but I do know she was a
stranger to me. I have never seen her in the square before,” the woman replied.

That was all Rachel needed to hear. Sara had rarely gone
outside Rebekah’s house, and even then, mostly at night. No one in the town
would have recognized her.

Rachel bundled Drust in her shawl, forming a makeshift sling
across her chest. Then she swung David onto her hip and ran as fast as she
could to the town square. She arrived just in time to see the soldiers ride
off. One of them had Sara mounted in front of him.

By the time she got back to the house, Rebekah was there and
Rachel told her what had happened. She left the children with her mother and went
down to the shore, hoping that perhaps, for some reason, the men had returned
early. They hadn’t, of course, so she waited pacing back and forth along the
waterline.

As the sun sank lower in the sky, Rachel became more and
more frantic. Finally, far in the distance, she spied a familiar-looking sail.
She waved her arms, even though she knew they were still too far away to see
her. Still, it made her feel as if she was doing something. She had felt so
helpless when the soldiers took Sara. She promised Sara she would look after
Drust, but she had not promised she would tell Annachie about Sara’s wish that
he not come after her. She knew that was a waste of breath. Annachie would go
to the ends of the earth to get her back.

BOOK: Beast of Caledonia
6.83Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Ash: Rise of the Republic by Campbell Paul Young
The Summoner by Sevastian
My Country Is Called Earth by Lawrence John Brown
Temple of Fire by Christopher Forrest