Guardian of Rome (#2 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Artorius and Frieda were dragged through the night to put as much distance between them and those they left behind as possible.

An owl hooted somewhere in the tree tops to his right and animals scurried away at their approach into their territory.

Argus and his soldiers blundered through the forest, cutting down everything in their path, as they tried to extradite themselves from the battle.

Ropes bound his and Frieda’s wrists and a length of cloth covered their eyes, blinding them from their path, but it did nothing to impede his other senses.

Artorius could hear the swords hitting through the trees, he could feel the soft humidity in the air letting him know that a stream or body of water was close and his sense of direction remained intact.

After being dragged down the hill from the battle they headed west for two hours when they crossed a bridge and then headed north.

For the first few hours Frieda had shouted obscenities at their captives, hoping to alert the others to their location if anyone was tracking them however a swift blow to her abdomen had stopped any further complaints.

Artorius remained silent beside her as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

He could not allow himself to think about Dianna and how she betrayed them or the way she was back with Krista at this precise moment with the Gladiatrix unaware of what the bitch had done.

If Artorius focused too much on what he had been taken from he feared he would go mad.

He had to remain strong; he knew what was going to happen once they reached Argus’s camp and he needed to be able to remain emotionless.

Rheia had removed the dagger from his flesh, leaving blood to trail down the length of his leg before wrapping a bandage tightly around his thigh.

It made walking only slightly easier as a fresh flare of pain jolted up the side of his body with every step.

Focusing on the pain, Artorius tried not to think about anything else as he continued to track their movements.

They travelled a further hour north before the ground beneath them turned from grass to slick mud as a result of people and wagons constantly using the track.

“Open the gates!” A man shouted overhead as Artorius was yanked to a sudden halt, his boots slipping in the mud as he stood on a slight incline.

A few moments passed as horses chortled and men grunted in the distance as the gates were opened and the few men left behind welcomed back the soldiers and their captives.

Artorius took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for the new horror he was about to face when his guard suddenly yanked him forward.

Aware that they were walking again, in his hurry to catch up before his guard ran out of rope Artorius lost his footing as he put too much weight on his injured leg and his knee crumpled beneath him.

“Argh!” Artorius grunted as he kneeled in the mud from where he collapsed before he was dragged back to his feet, the watery mud layering his skin.

Seeing nothing through the cloth but darkness, Artorius slowly gathered himself to his feet and stepped forward, unbeknown what lay before him.

Refusing to put his trust into his captor’s hands, Artorius was pulled and yanked furiously as the soldiers dispersed in all directions within the camp, their voices coming from all sides.