Crying quickly overcame me and I stayed like that until I was flung on the hard floor like nothing more than a sack of old cloths.
“Bind her quick before she can use any power.”
I rolled my eyes, but it was lost on the helmeted shoulder who swiftly tied my hands. They clearly thought I had more skill than I actually did. My magic, if that’s what it was, was accidental. I needed something and the earth gave it to me. It gave me a sword, binds of roots, and it gave me a wall so I couldn’t see my soul die.
Right now, I didn’t want anything.
Not anymore.
“Mae!”
God, it echoed in my head. Over and over again.
“Little witch, here.” A hard crust of bread was thrust in my face, but I turned my cheek. How did they expect me to eat it with my hands tied? It thrust again.
“You will eat.” The Mage’s voice cut through the air.
I glared at her, my eyes stinging until they felt like balls of fire. “I will not be fed like a dog.” I lifted my chin.
“Untie her hands,” she commanded. “But watch she doesn’t touch the ground.”
I eyed the Mage with veiled interest. She knew more about me than I knew about myself. I was right, this trip to Rome was what I needed.
Hopefully.
Possibly.
Barely had the positive thought unravelled in my brain then I was overwhelmed by a blowing cloud of grief.
“You loved him?” The Mage stepped forward, her long, dark cloak skimming the dirt of the earth. With my hands released, I held the bread, but I didn’t take a bite.
I glared at her, mute and silent.
“He loved you. Enough to sacrifice himself.”
I dropped my gaze to the ground. He would always sacrifice himself for me, I knew it. Through Mae’s hazy recollections I knew it. Mrs Cox had told me the same in the infirmary in Fire Stone. He wasn’t meant to be on the stones with you. Then I could recall my own Tristan Prince’s words when I’d told him not to try to save me. Tell him that, because I think it’s in our blood.
What would happen to my Tristan now? I’d changed the cycle of events that had tied us together in death. What if I found my way back through the stones and he wasn’t there? What if he had never existed in my time? A clean slice of a knife would have made my heart hurt less.
I stared balefully at the ground refusing to meet the silver and inquisitive gaze of the Mage.
“You will have to strengthen your resolve before we get to our destination,” she said. “The Emperor has been waiting for you. You won’t want to disappoint him, otherwise your life won’t be worth living.”
She was goading me. Trying to get me to react. I refused and continued to stare at the ground, wondering why the trees wouldn’t help me just because I wasn’t touching them. Surely, they must have felt the danger I was in?
She chuckled a laugh as though she could read my mind. “No one will save you from the Emperor, little witch. I’m not even sure I can. He will break you until you no longer know who you are.”
She stood then, swishing her cloak, obviously bored with my lack of response. What did she mean even she couldn’t save me?
Just what did the Emperor want with me?
As I stared at a dried lump of earth, I realised my biggest mistake. I’d been only thinking of what I could learn from my time here. I hadn’t even questioned just what it was the Roman Empire wanted from me.
I’d launched myself into the lion’s den, and I had no idea in the slightest just what the Lion would be like or what he would want.
The soldiers stood and broke up camp. “Walk,” the Mage called back to me. I wanted to throw myself down and refuse, but I knew it wouldn’t make the blindest difference. Not now.
Now, I was on a dangerous path with no idea of where it would lead.
Chapter Seven
“Little witch. Wake up.” I jolted as a foot met with my ribs. We’d been marching for days, possibly even stretching into weeks. I was losing count, but the weather was becoming slightly warmer with our march so we’d made progress further into the Mediterranean as it would one day be known. We’d crossed the sea in boats that had looked like they would blow away in a puff of wind. At that moment I’d clung on and prayed to the god of my own time that he wouldn’t let me drown. I’d kept my prayers to myself. Despite my love of history and books, I couldn’t get a firm date of when the one true religion had blossomed from Rome. I knew the Druid period of Mae was after the time of Jesus, but my timeline was sketchy to say the least.
Who knew what gods were being prayed to and when?
So instead, I’d clung onto the wooden side of the ship and kept my lips pressed together in silent prayer.
The sea calmed a little, but I was not foolish enough to know that was due to me.
Trees were one thing. The sea and air seemed a little out of my extended reach.
I rolled slightly, blinking into an early morning sun. I figured we were possibly in the South of France, as hills and mountains rolled around us. Eventually, they would stretch to Spain. My hands were still tied as they had been the entire journey apart from the brief moments I was allowed to eat or relieve myself. Always under guard.
I was guarded every moment. Whatever I was to the waiting Emperor, I was important enough to have every expense thrown at my capture.
The roads we walked were uniform and new. Straight inroads which had
