War Prize (A Roman Britain story)

Chapter Nine

Verenus would surely have reached the fort by now and alerted her intended of her predicament. He would have his men out looking for her, gaining on them. But the Britons had a long head start on them and every hour they were closing in on their destination. Closer to her death.

She couldn’t allow that to happen. She had to do something to shorten the distance, to make her way back to them. She had to escape the warriors’ clutches and do everything in her power to get back to her own people where she was safe.

Eyes flicking around her, making sure no one was watching her, Aurelia pulled one of the hair pins from the bodice of her dress and, bending the prong at an angle, began to pick away at the threads of the rope binding her wrists.

“Judging by the material of your dress and your mannerisms, you must come from a very wealthy family.”

Aurelia jumped at the voice, almost fumbling with the hair pin as she covered it up, looking up to see Kailen lounging a few feet away from her, his eyes watching her. She felt a surge of panic at the thought that he had seen what she was doing, but he didn’t look angry.

She didn’t respond, instead opting to watch him back.

Not fazed by her silence, he continued. “I would wager you come from a prestigious family, considering the fact that you are the Roman commander’s woman.”

“Is that supposed to be a question?” She asked mildly.

“No. I’m simply taking your measure while you’re in front of me.” His eyes trailing her form before meeting her eyes.

She had no way to respond to that cryptic sentence so she kept silent.

He leant forward, eyes still watching her like a bird of prey. “And what happens to daughters of such families is that they are treated delicately. Spoiled. They are kept away from the evils of the world, from men like me, making sure nothing can hurt you. I imagine it’s the same in regards of your Commander. He wouldn’t tell you the more grisly details of his campaign.”

This line of free thinking out loud had a point to it, she thought. He was getting to it, surely.

He crouched down so he drew level with her. “Like what would happen to Roman women when caught alone in the wilderness by British men.” And sure enough, he got to it.

Aurelia sat frozen in place, unable to look away. How could he have known what she was thinking to do? There was no way…

“Catching a Roman woman who had no protection could only mean pain and humiliation for her. They will be treated like nothing more than a convenient whore whose only purpose in this life is to satisfy men’s lusts. Then once the men grow tired of her, long after she wishes for it all to end, they will kill her slowly. No swift mercy. Only blood and pain.”

Aurelia felt nauseous, unable to stop the grisly images from springing up in her mind’s eye. She choked on her own drawn breath.