Chasing Blue- The Final Saga (Book 4)

Chapter 42: Insurgence

There she was. Reclining on the edge of the bed. Her eyes gazing out the small square window set three stories above the narrow streets. I stood in the doorway, watching her sit motionless as the streets groaned to life.

"Can I come in?" I asked. She stirred but her gaze was still outside these walls. I walked over to where she reclined at the foot of the bed.

"We cannot stay here forever," I began, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Once we step foot here you will be treated...I mean we will be treated as fugitives," she uttered. Her voice trembled.

"I know that. I am so sorry for dragging you in the mud. I only dragged you because I knew you could help me find the others. I did not mean to put you in harm's way. That was never my intention," I said. I plopped down beside her on the bed, hoping she would at least acknowledge my presence. The thought of her mad at me only heightened my guilt.

"Priscilla. I am so sorry about what happened. I should have never brought you with me. I put you in harm's way." I waited for her to say something but no words came out her throat. Her vacant eyes only made it harder to decide if she was mad or worse; indifferent. "I know why you played along with that man's advances... You did it for me." Priscilla turned her gaze from the window to look at me. Her full lips parted.

"I am not mad at you, Troy. You saved me. You saved us," she mouthed. "But I am scared how all of this will end for you. What is to become of Julius, Athena, your brothers? I have no knowledge what is going to happen next?" she muttered, coursing her fingers through her roots. Last night in our talk, I alluded to the plan without revealing it. There was no use lying to her now. But I knew just how dangerous this all was. Even our conversation together was forbidden. Any moment someone could overhear us and have us arrested. I looked out the window and waited for the passage in front to clear. It was doubtful anyone could hear us from up here, but I was not willing to take any unnecessary risks.

"You and I know that things cannot continue the way they are on the island," I began in a low tone. "Innocent people are about to die, and my father is using my brothers as his pawns. All you need to know is that we need to send a message to him that he cannot rule through intimidation. Otherwise we will bring the intimidation game to him. I do not expect you to understand all this. And it is safer that you do not know all the details. But I want you to know the stakes involved. I want you to be on the right side."

"This is all a gamble, Troy. Yes, I know the regime is... unfair," she said, her voice reduced to a whisper. "But how can you guarantee any of this will even work? What if it fails?" I supposed my cynical nature had influenced her more than I realized. I never meant to be cynical. I just wanted to be truthful about the state of affairs. But now I wanted more than ever to hold onto hope. That was something I secretly admired about her. Even before she was locked into a loveless marriage she had hope that she would later love Titus. Even though it sounded like that never happened, I imagined that hope is what sustained her.

"I can't," I sighed. "Nobody can foresee the outcome except the gods. Even if this all fails, it was worth fighting for if it means we can stop living in fear. "Besides," I said lowering my voice to a whisper, "there is a ship waiting for us. And there is room for you and me." I held out my hand to her. She latched on tight as a grin ripened across her lips. I smiled back. It was just the two of us. Then her smiled faded. Soon her hand retreated to her lap. What was wrong?

"I have family here," she said softly. "My mother, father, Lydia, her husband and the baby... I do not know if I am ready to leave them all behind," she said bowing her head. "I am not brave like you," she said, shaking her head. I watched her rise from the bed and pace around the small room. All of this was too much for her. What was I thinking? I had succumbed to wishful thinking again. Just because I am here does not mean things would suddenly change between us. Now I was eating my words.