“Obviously he did.”
“Indeed. He also promised to keep locals from tampering with it while I was away.”
“Did he know that you planned to use it as a hideaway from Caesar?”
He chuckled. “He didn’t know who I was running from, but he understood enough.” He glanced around the open field we walked across along a narrow, winding path. “I didn’t realize it would become Julian’s hideaway first, of course.”
A chilling blast of wind swept across the open field.
“Brr. I haven’t felt this kind of cold since the winters of my homeland,” I told him, bundling my hands inside the front of my cloak.
“Back in Dacia?” he asked.
He’d heard me mention it to his grandfather on the ship. A strangelook came over his face when I’d told him, similar to the expression on his face right now.
“Yes,” I answered. “Why do you look at me like that?”
Staring intensely for another moment, he shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just that you look like someone else I know. I didn’t know you were Dacian.”
“Does that matter?” I asked.
A dog suddenly barked off to our left. When we both turned, a gangly boy and his dog romped through the nearby field, heading at an angle up the hill toward the narrow path. The black-and-white sheepdog saw us, bounding toward us excitedly.
I laughed, bending down as the dog reached us first, petting his head as he licked my hands.
“Amica!” called the dog’s owner.
The tall boy coming our way wore trousers, fur-trimmed boots, and a thick coat made of some hide, with long, curly hair waving around his face. He looked Roman. But it was the large man loping up behind him who caught and held my attention. I recognized him.
“Salve, Stefanos!” Trajan yelled down to him. “Ivo!”
I stood from petting the dog. Trajan had mentioned that Julian lived here with servants of his own household, but we’d never discussed the details.
“Ivo,” I whispered, smiling.
The boy froze at the sound of his name, then Trajan pushed the hood back off his head. The boy smiled wide and then loped the rest of the way up the hill. I was surprised when he leaped into Trajan’s arms to embrace him so familiarly. Ivo approached more slowly, a broad smile on his face as he looked at Trajan.
“Trajan! It is so good to see you,” said Stefanos.
“Hello, my boy.” He hugged him back affectionately, stirring a tenderness beneath my breast.
“Julian will be so happy to see you! We did not know you were coming.”
“I didn’t have time to get him a message.” Trajan gestured behind him to me. “This is Lela.”
The boy was nearly as tall as I was. “Hi!” He beamed. “I am Stefanos. And these are my best friends Ivo and Amica.”
Amica barked happily at his feet, wagging her tail. Ivo stared at me, eyes wide.
“I am happy to meet you,” I said to Stefanos, my breath swirling out in white puffs. “And it is so good to see you again, Ivo.”
Trajan turned to me. “You know Ivo?”
Rather than relive the experience of the last time I saw Ivo, I was overwhelmed with joy and relief. I’d thought Valerius had him killed, and the guilt of it being my fault had weighed heavily on me. Like everything else. Andreas hadn’t known what had become of Ivo either after that last time I tried to run away and Ivo had stepped in and tried to defend me. For his kindness, he’d become the victim of Valerius’s rage. I had been sure he’d beaten him to death.
“Ivo.” I stepped closer and held out my hand. “Will you take my hand and my gratitude for trying to protect me in Valerius’s home?”
Everyone was quiet while Ivo stepped closer hesitantly and held out his large hand. I took his in both of mine. “I can’t express how thankful I am for all you did for me and the fact that you’re still alive.” I laughed and squeezed his hand. “I feared the worst that day.”
