Caitlin’s eyes were glistening. “I’ve only known you for a few days, but it feels like I’ve known you all my life. You are like my older sister.” She leaned forward and placed a kiss on Caitlin’s forehead. Then she and William turned and disappeared into the bushes behind the stern image of Jupiter.
Pollius yelped as his eyes widened. “W-what’s going on? Where is she going?”
“Where do you think?” Cantilia shrugged. “They are married.”
Anger flashed over Pollius’ face. “They are running away… You knew this would happen and… and, what’s going to happen to me now?”
“She doesn’t belong here, Pollius,” Caitlin answered with a decisive tone. “I don’t understand her story, but I know she’s not a slave. William is her husband.”
Pollius’ face turned pale. “The Master will brand me… He’s going to put the blame on me… He paid good money for Caitlin.”
Cantilia looked at him and bit her lip. She had not wanted to drag Pollius into this. "We will need to get our stories straight, Pollius.”
Pollius lifted his hands in the air and let out a sigh of desperation. "I knew it… I just knew it. This is the end."
William was holding Caitlin by the hand as they ran through the fields. He squeezed her so tight she squirmed, and when they passed a stone wall that bordered a cornfield, she cried out. “Please, William… You are squeezing me so hard, it hurts.”
“William softened his grip, but didn’t let go. “Oh, Caitlin. Sorry… But, I will never let go of you again. I am so happy to see you.” He stopped to catch his breath and pulled her close as he leaned against the wall.
“Yes, William,”she sniffed. “I’m so happy as well. I am so glad you came for me.” Caitlin leaned with her back against the wall and sighed. "I-I need to rest."
Tears brimmed her eyes. Now that she was reunited again with William, she could not hold them back any longer. William pulled her into his arms again and held her tight while he caressed her back and covered her hair with his kisses. Finally, she blubbered, “I don’t think I have ever been as scared as I have been these last days.”
William pulled up her face in both of his hands and peered into her eyes. "Oh, Caitlin… I am so sorry for all you had to endure." He gently kissed the tears away from her face.
Caitlin’s shoulders shook and she wanted to say more, but William placed his lips on hers and ardently kissed her.
For a moment, Caitlin forgot where she was and let the emotion of his kisses take her on a timeless journey through the battered corners of her heart. With each kiss she felt her courage return and she realized with great clarity that love has an enormous healing power.
“I could not stop thinking about you, Caitlin,” William said as he stroked her hair. “All I could see these days was your lovely face. I was so scared something bad had happened to you.”
Caitlin pressed William’s body more firmly against her own and continued kissing him. How she had missed this giant man with his gentle, innocent eyes and his familiar scent, a mixture of leather, sweat and earth. William had promised to keep her safe, and he had kept his word. He had literally followed her to the ends of the earth to protect her.
Somewhere on a farm in the distance a dog barked. It was a lonely howl and echoed over the fields. It shook them out of their reverie. It was dark now and they had to continue on in their quest for safety and freedom. What now? Surely, Master Tilenius would not let them go too easily. He had invested in her heavily. Thirty pieces of silver, Cantilia had said, of which he only paid ten. And where was their home town?
“What is going to happen to us, William,” she asked as she peered around. "We can't trust anybody and we don't even speak Latin."
William shook his head and sighed. “I really don’t know, Caitlin. These magical stones… they did something to us. I don’t know where I am, I don't know the way, and I do not know where Toby and Hamish are either.”
“We are in Rome,” Caitlin said with a wry smile.
“Where is Rome?” William wanted to know.
Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. “I am not entirely sure. It is somewhere far away from where we live, but…” she hesitated.
“What do you mean?”
“It appears we are not in our own time. Those magical stones have somehow transported us back in time. We are somewhere in the far away past.”
“What do you mean,” William said as his eyebrows shot up. “That's nonsense. How could we be in the past?”
"I don't know," Caitlin said lamely. "We just are." Caitlin moved her hands around in a helpless gesture. "I can’t explain it, but it’s the fault of those magical stones. We are now living in the time of Emperor Decius…”
”Who is he? I never heard of him.”
“That’s right,”Caitlin said. “You never heard of him because he’s already been dead for hundreds of years.”
William scratched his head. “I don’t understand. You tell me this man lives, but he’s dead at the same time?”
“Not at the same time, William. He is the Emperor of Rome today.” Caitlin shrugged. “But in our time he’s long dead. But somehow, we have been transported back in time to the period in which Decius is alive. He’s a bad man, if you ask me. Cantilia told me, he doesn’t want people to believe in God. The Romans worship a god called Jupiter and him as well.”
William shook his head and cleared his throat. Then he sunk to the ground. “If only Teherlach was here… He would know more about these things.” For a moment he seemed deep in thought. When he looked up there was a gentle expression on his face. “Wherever we are, Caitlin… I am with you and that is all that matters. But I do have an idea."
“You do?”
William shrugged his shoulders. “Well… kind of. Here, in Rome, we don’t speak the language and I do not like these people. We should find a way to get back to our own country and who knows, there surely will be holy men around that know more about these matters than we do.”
Caitlin smiled. “You are right, William. We will take it one day at a time. We are together again and that is all that matters.” She planted another kiss on his bearded cheek. “By the way, what happened to your hair?”
“My hair?” William pressed his lips together. “I cut if off… with my sword. That woman, that Cantilia told me I needed to blend in more with the local people here. You know, for security…"
Caitlin burst out laughing. “You look awful, William, absolutely awful. Tonight, I will fix it. If you scared these Romans before, now I think they will have a heart attack if they see you.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” William said and he pulled up his nose. “Still, I am glad we are together again.”
“So am I, William. So am I.” Caitlin pressed her head against William’s chest. “Together we can face the world."
In the distance the dog barked again. No other sound was heard.
Master Cassius Tilenius was beside himself. “You lost my slave… again?”
Pollius' forehead shone with drops of sweat and he stared at the ground. He did not dare to look into the Master’s eyes.
Volusenius stood beside the Master. He shook his head as he looked at the slave with an impish smile. “It’s time for a branding, Master Tilenius. I told you before, this slave is no good." He bent over to Tilenius and spoke the words, barely audible, but just loud enough for Pollius to hear. It caused the slave to cry out in terror. “I am sorry, Master… It’s not my fault.”
Tilenius shook his head. “Of course, it is your fault, you worthless rat. Now I have to pay Volusenius again to get her back.”
Cantilia cleared her throat and spoke without permission to do so, “It’s my fault, Master.”
Tilenius and Volusenius looked up in surprise.
“Your fault?”
Cantilia nodded. Her words were loud and clear and she did not seem to be intimidated in the least by Tilenius and Volusenius. “Pollius was guarding her faithfully. He did not allow h
er any freedom. When we were standing near the statue of Jupiter I told Pollius to relax. I wanted to walk in the garden with the new slave myself. So Pollius just followed my orders. It’s then that she ran away."
Tilenius spat on the floor. “And why would you do such a thing?"
Cantilia looked up. "I am sorry, Master. I underestimated your new slave."
Tilenius glared at her and shook his head. "You may be my wife’s favorite housekeeper, but it’s not your place to give out orders. I will discuss these matters with Mistress Flavia and we will come up with an appropriate punishment. Now get out of my sight. Go to your quarters.”
Cantilia bowed and turned to leave. Pollius followed, but Tilenius stopped him.
“Not you,” he hissed. “You stay here.”
Pollius turned around and bowed again before the master. When Tilenius heard Cantilia's footsteps leaving in the hallway he directed his attention to Pollius again.
“You are completely worthless,” he ranted. “No matter what Cantilia says. First, you failed to help when Master Volusenius was counting on you, and now you stood by as a dumb dog while my slave ran off. You should have known better." Tilenius spat out the words. "Cantilia cannot order you around. Is she your Mistress?"
"No, Master." Pollis shook his head. His words were barely audible.
Tilenius bared his teeth. "Branding your forehead is not a good enough punishment for you. I will send you to the dungeons and will use you as food for the lions in the Colosseum.”
When he heard the Master's verdict, Pollius cried out and fell to the ground before Tilenius. "Please, Master… I will… I will—" But Volusenius cut him off and as he stepped forward, he pulled the shivering slave by his neck and yanked him up. “Shall I lock him up?” he asked Tilenius.
“No! Please… No!” Pollius cried. “I will tell you everything I know…”
Tilenius raised his eyebrows and motioned for Volusenius to let him go. The man dropped the slave and Pollius fell back on the ground.
“Know what?” Tilenius asked while he stared at the human heap of misery before him.
“Pl-please spare my life,” Pollius screamed. “I will tell you all I know, if you spare my life.”
Tilenius sat back. “What could you possibly know that would be of any interest to me?"
Pollius scrambled back up and spoke. “The mighty Emperor, Decius, has forbidden the worship of the new god, you know … they call him the Christ.”
"So?”
"The emperor is going through much trouble to stamp out this heresy, and rightly so...” He stopped and glanced at Tilenius. The magistrate played with his fingers as he sat slouched on his chair. "There are worshipers of this false god in your own home."
"What?" Now Tilenius sat up and Pollius had his attention.
Pollius nodded. "I have been to their meetings. I wanted to know what is going on in the city and found out that some slaves in your own household are Christians."
Anger flashed over Tilenius' face and in an icy voice he spouted out, "Who?"
Pollius hesitated and looked down.
"Who?" Tilenius hissed as he stood up from his seat.
"C-Cantilia…" Pollius finally stammered.
"Cantilia?" Tilenius' cheeks turned red. "Who else?"
Pollius shrugged his shoulders. "Cantilia knows. She knows them all."
Tilenius sank back onto his seat. He thought for a moment while he let his fingers slide through his hair. Then he turned to Volusenius. "Please, find the runaway slave, Volusenius. I want her back."
Volusenius could not suppress a smile. "Certainly. I will find her for you."
Tilenius nodded. "I will reward you as usual. Only, this time I will not accept defeat." He glared at Volusenius. "I want her back, you understand? If she escapes, I will see to it that your career as a fugitivarius will come to an end."
Volusenius smiled a confident smile. "Don't worry, Master Tilenius. This time I will trust no one but myself. She will be back in your possession in no time." He made a slight bow, cast Pollius a mocking glance and left the room.
When he was gone, Tilenius turned again to Pollius. "I will test you on your loyalty, Pollius. I will test you tomorrow."
7
Walking Together
That night William and Caitlin walked as far as their feet would let them. After they had reached the outskirts of Rome, they blindly stumbled on. William had no idea in which direction he was going, as long as they left Rome behind. Once they were in safety they could figure out their next move. At last they found shelter under a bridge near a small village, surrounded by rolling hills and swaying cornfields, and they lay down on a patch of grass. Caitlin was exhausted and simply could not walk any further.
"Here you can sleep for a few hours," William said. "I will stay up and watch. Tomorrow, we will figure out our next move."
"Do you think Tilenius will look for us?" Caitlin asked in a weak voice.
"Is Tilenius the Roman who bought you?"
Caitlin nodded.
"Is he a man we should worry about?"
"His slave hunter is. His name is Volusenius. He's a real creep."
William grinned. "Let him come, Caitlin. I am not afraid of him. He is nothing to me."
Caitlin rested her head against William's chest. "It feels so safe to be with you, William."
"Nothing will ever happen to you, Caitlin."
"But," Caitlin ventured, "We are both so small… what if you can't protect me?"
"I can. I always can…" William blurted out. "And I will."
Caitlin was still for a moment. Then she spoke again. "Cantilia believes in the Christ."
"So?"
"Well… eh, I mean, she really believes in God."
William shrugged his shoulders. "So do we, don't we?"
"Not really," Caitlin answered. "Not like Cantilia. She speaks of God as if He is a real close friend. She trusts Him and seems to really know Him. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could rely on God too? After all, our own strength seems to be failing a lot these days."
William pondered her words. "Well, God didn't really help us much recently, did He? Look where we are now?"
"Well, at least we are together…" Caitlin said while she yawned.
"That's because Cantilia helped us. Of course, I think it is good to believe in God, because it helps us to have some sort of standard of what is good and what is bad… but when it comes down to it, we have to take care of ourselves. God isn't just going to appear and send us back to Ghilles Bains. We have to figure it out for ourselves."
But, Caitlin did not answer. When William looked down at her face he saw she was sound asleep.
William woke up with a shock.
The sun was already up and had been for quite some time and although it was still fairly dark under the bridge, he could tell it was a bright, sunny day. The cornfields in the distance were suffused with the golden light of the fresh morning sun and countless dewdrops sparkled in the early morning rays. But he had no time for beauty, for in the distance he heard the barking of dogs; lots of them. This was not the sound of the lone dog they had heard the night before; this was a savage pack and the alarming sound was coming their way. Would that be Volusenius? Was the cruel slave hunter already on their trail?
William jumped up and shook Caitlin awake. "Wake up, honey… We gotta move."
Caitlin stared at him with sleepy eyes. "W-what? W-where are we?"
William took her by the shoulders and lifted her up. "Wake up, Caitlin. Wake up! We must move. There are dogs."
"Dogs?" Caitlin tried to get herself together and rubbed her painful ligaments. Then she heard it too. Her face went pale. "Are they coming for us?"
"I don't know," William answered in an urgent tone. "I do not want to find out." He grabbed Caitlin's hand again and pulled her out from under the bridge. Last night it had been too dark to see where they were, but now, in the daylight, they could see for miles over the rolling green hills that stretched out
before them. In the distance, William spotted a hill that was quite a bit higher than the others. A small farm stood at the foot and a stone road was leading up to the top.
"There." William pointed. "If these dogs are coming for us, I have a better chance of defending us on top of the hill."
Without saying another word they ran in the direction of the hill. The barking was getting louder and louder and William could now also hear the shouting of men.
"Horses," he whispered. "They are on horses."
"They are coming f-for us, right?" Caitlin gasped. She could not keep up with William.
"We won't make it to the hill," William said through gritted teeth. "We will have to face them, here."
He looked around with a wild look in his eyes. They were still in the open field and the farm at the foot of the hill was too far away. He rubbed the back of his neck as he scanned the terrain around them. On his right was a low, stone wall.
"There," he said, as he pointed. "Climb over that wall and hide behind it."
Caitlin did as she was told and disappeared out of sight. William steadied his feet and waited with bated breath, his hand resting on his sword.
No sooner had Caitlin disappeared than the first dogs appeared over a small hill some hundred yards away. William counted them. "One-two—four—" At last he lost count, but he figured at least ten hounds were on their trail. "Mastiffs," he whispered more to himself than to Caitlin. The dogs now had spotted William too and ran down the hill with slobbering jaws and bloodthirsty eyes. Three Roman soldiers appeared on magnificent white horses and spotted William as well. Their excited yells echoed over the fields.
"They are coming for us, Caitlin," William said. "But, they will be sorry to have messed with a MacChonaill."
The dogs were now almost upon William. Their fur was caked with grimy mud and their yellow teeth were glittering. As they ran towards William they had the savage look of death in their dark eyes and their paws tore up the grass.
Highland Warriors of the Glade_William Page 4
