Rendezvous in the Romanowskian Empire

21. A disastrous promise

"That she is, my pretty little war prize," the warrior guffawed. He wrapped his bulky arms around her waist and pushed her against his chest. "What does the lion do to the lamb, my Mila?" he asked her innocently, face buried in her hair.

"He e- eats it," she trembled, shuddering as he began biting on her neck softly.

"Mhm.. that's what I will do to my lamb tonight," and everyone roared with laughter.

As much as I felt bad for the woman, I was thankful Julian didn't do this to me.

Going far from the group as possible, I spotted an old woman shifting heavy utensils to the side. That was an open kitchen within the campsite.

"Greetings, mistress," I bowed my head as she raised her wrinkled face to look at who had come to bother her.

A flash of recognition crossed her features, and she stood bolt upright, a withered hand resting on her waist for support.

"You Julian's woman?" she warbled.

How was I supposed to answer that?

"Uh yeah..." I trailed. My eyes immediately caught the much-needed fire.

"Can I, um, use that?" I pointed to the flame that was close to extinguishing out.

"Sure, sure," she did the extra work of bringing some twigs and threw them in the fire. The flames rose.

I bowed quickly and crouched near the minor source of light, eagerly waving the piece of meat above it.
The oldie came and sat next to me.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

I explained something on the lines of a weak stomach and she kept nodding along, staring at my face with a gaping mouth.

When I was finished, I toyed with the piece of bone awkwardly, finding a way to get out of this area. Any more and I'll burn from the stare she had pinned on me.

"Uh, I have to go now-"

"Beware of the eye sellers, woman," she stared deep into my eyes, a lopsided smile twitching on her lips.

"They kidnap people, mostly woman who have exotic eyes. After gouging out the eye, they keep it in a watery thing which hardens the eyeball, turning them into gems."

My heart went into overdrive.

"Like your eyes," she continued, "it would make beautiful blue gems you know," her laughter echoed like a witch, grin turning wider the more she looked into my eyes.

I passed her the most nerve wrecked smile and bolted for the camp.

When she was out of sight, I slowed down. It was unbearably hot, given no wind was moving. Everything appeared stilled in this Egyptian desert. Biting on the bone, I reached the camp.

My doom stood with his arms crossed, looking mad as ever.

I removed the piece of bone slowly from my mouth, fixing my eyes on his neck for the moment being.

"Explain," he uttered a single word.

"It was uncooked..," I shook the bone subtly, "so I uh cooked it a bit, on fire-"

"Inside," he jerked his chin for me to enter.

I stood motionless in the camp's corner as he attached the chain of heavy metal ball to my ankle. Locking it in a way impossible to open with my hands.

"Go to the bed," he ordered, removing the metal caskets he wore in his arms. Then began to scrub his body with a wet cloth.

"I- I can sleep on the ground..." I mumbled, my heart beating in my throat.

He turned around in surprise, staring with hooded eyes,

"I take my time to do it with pure women," he chuckled lowly, "If that's what bothering your not so pure head."

Damn my crazy estrogen to hell.

"Althea Rosemary," he trudged forward, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips, "It's nauseating when women cry. I prefer the screaming ones,"

My legs, chained to the metal ball, collided with the bed, but I steadied myself.

I can't lose my sanity and accidentally crash on the bed. Not when I couldn't run.

"And it takes time to make a woman scream," he leant closer.
One of his fingers pulled a strand of hair behind my ear, twirling it on his finger. "Don't you think so?"

His rugged hand caressed the slightest of my face. My eyes closed instinctively.

His presence was a drug. As lethal as some drug whose single dose would drop me straight to the twenty-first century.

"Coming to the time, we'll have plenty of it, Mila," he whispered, tucking the loose strand back in its place. He distanced himself in the blink of an eye, just as he'd closed on.

The knowing look in his eyes told it wasn't a threat, but a promise he would fulfil one day. A disastrous promise.