For a Roman's Heart

by Denise A. Agnew

  You shouldn’t be here.

  Trees, which once always felt like her friends, whispered to her messages of darkness and dread. It wasn’t the wind. Nothing stirred the leaves. Yet she heard the voices swirling around and around inside her head, calling to her with sibilant, begging voices. She didn’t know if they were evil.

  Or simply lost.

  Find us. Please find us.

  She stopped, frozen not with cold, but stark fear.

  My dream. It is my horrible, hideous dream.

  Just as she’d dreamed too many times before, the pleadings urged her forward. And just like the dream, she couldn’t resist their call. Her feet moved forward. She tightened her grip on the wood. Her hands ached, her body quivered as cold reached farther than skin deep and went straight to the bone.

  Oh. Oh. How could she stop it? Her feet plunged on, her pace quickening against her will. She shouldn’t get so far away from the guard’s view.

  Please find us.

  Please help us.

  The slithery whispers sounded female, but she couldn’t say for certain. Then the wind returned. A breeze danced among the treetops, whispering and swishing and swirling.

  Hurry.

  Hurry.

  But to what?

  She thought she heard a man’s voice calling something, but the sound was far away and separate from the voices in her head that urged her to find them.

  Though fear clawed at Adrenia, her body refused to stop, crunching crispy leaves beneath her feet.

  Then she saw the small stone building.

  She didn’t know who would live here. Unless Cordus had constructed this little building. No. Not likely. His land ended before the forest. This forest belonged to everyone. And no one.

  She stopped walking, happy to see her body no longer moved forward without her permission. She breathed hard, blood rushing and heartbeat pounding in her ears. Why had she come here?

  In her dreams she reached the door to the structure. In her dreams she looked inside.

  Though she woke with terror parting her lips whenever she dreamt of this place, she didn’t know who or what resided in the building. She couldn’t see a window, so perhaps it once housed an animal.

  She took one step. Two.

  I have to know.

  I will know.

  Or this place will haunt me forever.

  She placed her wood on the ground in a neat pile. Then she reconsidered and leaned over to grab a long, sharp kindling stick. She proceeded toward the building. With each movement forward her fright escalated, more potent and sharp than her emotions in the dreams.

  “Oh god Abandinus and goddess Coventina, keep me safe and shield me from evil.”

  She walked faster, determined to know answers. Once at the door to the shack-like stone building, she noted the door was opened a crack. A smell emanated from the crack that she could identify immediately.

  Death.

  Her hand shook as she reached for the latch.

  Rusted hinges on the wooden door protested as she pulled the latch. The door shrieked. She couldn’t see the interior well. The noise sounded like a bird in distress, a call to other feathered creatures, a warning. The opening was too small to step into directly. Adrenia covered her mouth and nose with her hand, but held the sharp stick in the other. She ducked her head and peered inside.

  As her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she saw the answer to what hid within her darkest dreams. A carnal house of horrors that slithered into her blood like a serpent and sent a strangled disbelief into her throat.

  She drew back with a horrified gasp.

  Adrenia didn’t remember turning around and running, but she did. She tore through the trees, her heart pounding out of her chest, her gasps for breath and moans of fear mixed together. Branches tore at her tunica and slapped her in the face. The sting didn’t stop her. She had to run as far and as fast as she could, until she couldn’t run any more.

  She broke from the woods moments later and saw Terentius dismounting from his horse not far away.

  As soon as he saw her hurtling toward the roundhouse, he ran toward her. “Adrenia!”

  She didn’t have enough breath to call out to him. Adrenia knew she wouldn’t feel safe until he held her.

  She rushed into his arms. Safety enveloped her as she found solace nestled into his hard chest. She kept her face buried against his chest, her arms tight around his waist.

  “What is it? You’re shaking, my sweet one,” he said. “What on earth did you think you were doing coming out here? The guard lost sight of you as I was riding up. I almost cut him down where he stood because he didn’t come after you.”

  His endearment wasn’t lost on her, but neither was the condemnation in her town. She drank in his affection, loved the soft huskiness in his voice. His fingers plunged into her hair. She panted for breath.

  “Adrenia, speak to me.”

  She finally tilted her head back to look up at him.

  “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “As I am you. But it’s more than that.” Anger grew in his eyes, and he glared. “Answer me. Why were you in the woods by yourself?”

  “I needed to get out of the villa and get fresh air. I didn’t intend to go into the woods. Then I...I felt it. I...it is hard to explain, and now I’m not sure it wasn’t a dream.”

  “Come away and get warm. You can explain then.”

  She shook her head. “No. I have to go back into the woods and see it again...”

  “See what?”

  “I used to have a dream all the time when I was younger. A horrible nightmare about going into the woods, being drawn in there when I didn’t want to go. It never made sense to me because I love the woods and always have. But not in this dream. I realized that what I was experiencing was just like the dream in every detail. I couldn’t make myself stop walking into the woods.” She explained how the forest reacted, the silence and the fear that wrapped its arms around her. “Then I saw this hut...this stone building in the woods and kept walking toward it even though I knew there is something horrible inside.” A heavy shudder wracked her, and she looked deep into his eyes. She didn’t see anything but concern and curiosity there. “When I opened the door to the stone building...”

  “Yes?”

  “I can’t say. I must show you.”

  Terentius’s thick brows drew together. “All right. But we’ll ride.”

  He placed her on the horse, then climbed up behind her. As his powerful arms surrounded her, she felt enveloped in safety.

  She shuddered. “Do you believe me?”

  “About the building?” His arms tightened. “Of course. You knew where to find Pella when she needed you, and you saw the man who tried to stab me in the forum.”

  “You didn’t believe in the beginning.”

  “I believe mostly in what I can see and hear. But you changed my thoughts on that.”

  Gratified and amazed, she asked, “Then you believe I can see into the future?”

  “I do.”

  “So many people curse me for it and are afraid. Why aren’t you?”

  “Because I don’t believe in curses. They only work if you believe in them. Do you believe in curses?”

  “I’m not certain. You believe in the gods and goddesses. How can you believe in them and not curses?”

  “I’m a contradiction. Most of the time I believe in them when it is politically expedient. For ceremony, to make others feel comfortable. For me...well, I like to rely on myself.”

  She heard the amusement in his voice and for a minute forgot how frightened she’d been earlier when her nightmare had come true.

  He caressed her stomach with a soothing movement. His powerful thighs and calves directed the horse. “How much farther is it to this place that frightened you?”

  She pointed. “There it is.”

  As he urged the horse toward the small abode, the horse balked. The animal twisted and whinnied. “There, boy.” Terentius soothed th
e horse. “Easy.”

  As he again ordered the horse to proceed, it refused.

  “What’s wrong with him?” she asked.

  “A good question. He’s never acted like this before. I’ve taken this horse into battle. He’s never afraid.”

  “It’s the building. The horse knows evil resides there.”

  “Evil doesn’t live in a place. It lives within man.”

  She turned enough so she could see his face. He stared down at her, with that imperial mask that belonged to a soldier. “I know what I felt, Terentius. Evil can seep into the bones of a place. Especially a stone building. There’s something about the stone that holds memories.”

  To her surprise, he nodded. He slipped off the horse. “Stay here then.”

  “Gladly.”

  He cupped her thigh, his touch hot. “You felt something was wrong before you even saw the building.” When she didn’t speak, he reached for her hand. “Do you still feel it? The evil?”

  “Yes. And no. No, because I feel safe with you. Yes, because the person who perpetrated these evils comes back here sometimes. I can feel him.”

  “I’ll see to it. Then you can tell me who this evil one is.”

  He released her hand and walked toward the small building. Her heartbeat returned to a harsh, erratic beat as fear returned. Though she knew dread could warp the mind into imagining horrors that didn’t exist, she feared for Terentius. What if a creature resided within the building, grabbed Terentius and dragged him into the pits of an unknown oblivion?

  Unease dictated she jump from the horse’s back, and she dismounted. She kept her hand on the horse’s neck, unable to move closer to the house of horrors. Terentius didn’t hesitate, his steps sure upon the soil. His red cape flapped in a breeze. Around her the forest whispered again. This time it echoed a new warning.

  Get out. Get out.

  Her lips parted, a mere breath fanning between them.

  He reached the building and looked into the open door. She had left it open in her rush to escape.

  Adrenia kept her hand on the horse’s neck, as if the animal’s life and warmth would keep her grounded. What lived in that small, square, tile-roofed hut froze her, turned her thoughts mad with horrible visions she didn’t want to experience.

  She held her breath as Terentius peered into the square chamber. From this distance she couldn’t see his expression. He backed away quickly, coughed and turned away from the scene. He walked toward her. She realized her body quivered, shaking not only with fear, but with disgust and a fevered desire to erase everything she’d seen.

  Terentius reached her, and his eyes held the sheen of a haunted man. He reached for her, and Adrenia went into his arms without hesitation. Delicious heat enveloped her. She twined her arms around his waist, and pressed her head to his shoulder.

  “Did you see it?” she asked.

  “I did.”

  “I didn’t imagine the...it isn’t an empty room made out of my dreams?”

  “No. Definitely not empty.” His fingers twined in her hair, his touch secure and safe and so gentle. “I’m sorry, Adrenia. You never should have seen that. No woman should have to.”

  She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “No man should see it. There were... How many bodies do you think?”

  “Hard to say. Two that haven’t been there long. You’ve never heard of this place before?”

  “Never, other than my dreams.”

  “Why would you dream about this building?”

  “My visions have no reason. They just are.”

  He nodded. “If you’ve dreamed of this place for years, there must be a reason.”

  “I don’t want to think that’s true.”

  “You told no one else about these dreams?”

  “No. Not even Pella. They are too dark. Too horrid.” She buried her head in his shoulder again, the cloak and his stalwart body her comfort from thinking about what she’d seen. “Logic tells me something even my visions haven’t.” Tears rose to her eyes. “I think my parents and Sulla knew about this place.”

  “You think Sulla murdered people and left them in the hut rather bury the evidence?”

  “I think maybe he kept the bodies for...later.” She shuddered as more tears rose to her eyes. She looked up at him and the tears flowed. “Yes. I think that’s what he did.”

  “We shall leave.” He started to pull away from her, but she held tight.

  “Please don’t leave me yet.”

  He caressed her hair, his lips grazing her forehead. “Sweet one, I’m not leaving you, just this sick place. First we tell Cordus what we’ve discovered near his land. Then we’re off to the fort. I need other witnesses to this vile business.”

  She couldn’t disengage from the place, for the macabre scene that scarred the woods. “What does this say about me that I’m always drawn to the Haunted Woods where no sane person wanders?” She left his arms and stepped back, as if she might pollute him with her touch. “Perhaps the villagers are right about me. I’m drawn here. Is my parents’ bad blood inside me too?”

  She covered her face with both hands for a moment, horrified at the implication.

  He took a step toward her, his face now intense with passion. “No. No. You could never be like them. You are a light in the darkness.”

  He clasped her shoulders, and then drew her into his embrace once more. She broke down, weeks of horror exploding inside her, twisting in feral pain she’d avoided for years. As she allowed toxic pain to twist her into knots, he offered comfort. His voice stayed low, a husky reassurance murmuring praise and words she couldn’t remember. His hands caressed her back with soothing touch.

  When she regained control, he leaned back and saw his eyes held sadness, as if he understood her in a way no other person had before or could again.

  “Everything scares me right now, and I hate how weak I am,” she said.

  “As I said before, you are a strong woman. Why will you not believe me?”

  “I need to learn how to accept praise. How to believe it.”

  He kissed her mouth. “Stay with me at the fort. Now that Cordia will know I have no intentions of marrying her, you might find staying at the villa more uncomfortable.”

  She relented. “All right. I will.”

  They mounted the horse and left the forest at a quicker pace than they’d entered. She felt the nightmare that had become reality start to disappear, as if she’d gone to a priestess and asked the woman to take on her bad deeds so the gods might bless her.

  She knew, deep in her heart, she would never have this dream again.

  Once at the villa, she stayed on Terentius’s horse while he went inside. Unfortunately, a large wagon carrying male slaves, Nerva and Cordia, arrived at the front and stopped near Adrenia.

  A slave helped Nerva and Cordia down from the wagon. Adrenia kept her gaze averted from the women as the wagon trundled away.

  Adrenia took in Nerva’s contemptuous expression and Cordia’s clear hatred.

  “What are you doing on Terentius’s horse?” The alarm in Cordia’s question almost amused Adrenia, but she was too tired to care.

  “You can ask him when he returns.”

  “You little bitch.” Cordia stepped forward until she almost touched the horse. “You are a worm in the grass. You play so innocent, but you lie, you cheat. You kissed Terentius and drew him in with promises, I’m sure.” Cordia hissed her next words, low and as sibilant as an asp. “You think he’ll be satisfied with your kind? He won’t. Once he realizes what low quality you are, he’ll forget you and come running to me.”

  Nerva gasped. “Cordia, there is no call for such rudeness.”

  Cordia’s words bit to the quick, until Adrenia found renewed stamina. She understood the clear reason behind Cordia’s venom.

  Cordia hated her because she possessed the one thing Cordia seemed to want more than anything. Not Terentius, but the power Terentius could give her. Adrenia had his attention and t
herefore his power. Too tired to argue with the woman, she was relieved when Cordus and Terentius exited the villa. Cordus looked pale, and Terentius tight lipped.

  Terentius nodded and saluted the women. “Good day, ladies.”

  He mounted the horse. When his left arm slipped around her waist, Adrenia saw Cordia’s gaze latch onto the intimacy. Cordia’s eyes blazed with irritation. Soon they trotted away, and Adrenia relaxed somewhat.

  “What did those women say to you?” Terentius’s hand slipped into her cloak, his fingers resting just under her right breast.

  “Cordia said when you tire of me you’ll come to your senses. That you’ll return to her.”

  His hand eased upward until he cupped her breast. She gasped softly.

  “She is an ignorant little bitch. Don’t listen to her.”

  They reached the outskirts of Durovigutum and headed toward the fort. His arm tightened around her, as if he expected her to escape.

  His thumb brushed over her nipple and sent a whisper of exquisite pleasure dancing over Adrenia. “Why do you want me?”

  He nuzzled against her ear and spoke softly. His breath teased her. “The eternal question asked by every woman of many a man.”

  Terentius tugged her nipple and more heat stroked deep inside her. She couldn’t restrain a moan. “Terentius.”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you trying to distract me from my questions?”

  “Very likely.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I know you smell wonderful.” He kissed her earlobe, and a tremor snaked through her.

  “I want to forget what I saw in that little building today, Terentius. I recognized one woman in the hut...from her clothes.” She gave a shaky sigh.

  “Who was it?”

  “The slave girl Sulla bought for my father.”

  “Proof, then, with your testimony, that Sulla has murdered many.”

  “How many...bodies do you think were in there?”