Descendants of Rome (#3 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Marcia hit the ground hard, her fingers clamping around her bow so as not to lose it.

How had he found them?

"Marcia!" Lazarus gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet, out of the way of the oncoming horse as it charged past them.

Spinning around, pulling another arrow free from her quiver, Marcia spotted her first arrow lying further up the path. She had missed.

The Roman guard circled the horse back around, he was holding his sword out to the side and his eyes were set firmly on them.

Cassia was screaming their names.

Lazarus's hand was still on Marcia's arm, waiting to pull her out of the way when the horse charged towards them once again.

Marcia let out a yelp as Lazarus pulled her back, the guard's sword coming within inches of her face as he darted past them.

She wrenched her arm free of Lazarus's grip and raised her bow.

The man ran past them a further two times before she found her moment. They had just gotten back to their feet after ducking beneath a low swing of the man's sword when she spotted her chance.

This time her arrow hit true and sunk its head into the man's exposed thigh.

The soldier let out a stout scream of anguish, his hand clutching at the arrow.

Not wasting anytime, Lazarus reached up into the saddle and wrenched him from his seat, letting him drop to the ground as he did not even try to hold his weight.

The horse complained at the sudden jerking moment upon her back and, once her rider was free, she kicked up dirt in her haste to flee.

Marcia stepped back out the way as the horse darted past her, blowing Marcia's hair over her shoulder.

Lazarus let out a grunt behind her as the soldier kicked out at his shins.

Marcia strode over and, after placing her left boot on the wrist that was still holding his sword; she launched the heel of her boot into his face.

Her heel caught his helmet and knocked it from his head. It rolled a few metres away before it stopped.

"Varinius?" Marcia exclaimed when she saw the face behind the mask, "What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from leaving." Varinius grunted as he tried to wriggle his hand free from beneath Marcia's boot.

"But- But you were in the cage . . ." Marcia muttered, remembering how he had spoken to her the first night she had been out into the prison in Octavia's camp.

"But- But- But-" Varinius chuckled darkly from the ground, mimicking Marcia's voice, "You two really are naïve."

Lazarus narrowed his eyes at Varinius in anger, "You're the spy."

Varinius's lips spread into a smile in answer.

"Why are you laughing?" Marcia growled as she applied pressure on his wrist, watching his face grimace slightly with pleasure.

"I was just thinking . . . You know, I wondered at first how easily a resistance like Krista's could fall within hours . . ."

Marcia and Lazarus shared a hesitant glance.

". . . but watching you two taught me a lot."

Marcia stepped back off of Varinius's wrist as Lazarus stepped forward and pulled Varinius to his feet, Lazarus's fist clasped around his tunic.