Volusia held up a trembling hand. She was still wearing her jewelry, and several gold rings and bracelets flashed in the sun. “I don’t think we’ll have to steal horses.”
Finally, a bit of good news. Max allowed his mouth to stretch into a smile, despite the painful reminder of Elephant’s loss. “No, I don’t think we will.”
Iris cleared her throat. “That plan is all well and good, but what do we do until then? We’re in the middle of nowhere with no food or supplies. Who’s to say we even make it to the next town?”
She looked so mournfully certain of death that Max rolled his eyes. “First of all, we’re not in the middle of nowhere. There is a road, and if we follow it, we’ll find a town sooner or later. And we’re hardly in a desert. There’s a river for water, and with a little effort we can rustle up some food.” One useful thing the army had taught him was how to forage, and he’d honed his skills on his country rides with Elephant. The area around Narbo was plentiful with figs, mushrooms, almonds, and apricots, and he bet this area would have a similar bounty.
“If you say so.” Iris did not look convinced, but Max ignored her.
There was no reason to delay, so they set off, navigating east in the direction the sun had risen. For now, they’d stay off the road to avoid running into Glabrio and the others.
When they encountered the river once more, Volusia insisted on washing Max’s bloodied arm. The wound was not serious, but the sight of it still made her pale and shaky. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t let him alone until it was clean and bandaged in a strip torn from her own dress.
Max managed to find some mushrooms of a type he knew were edible, along with a handful of walnuts, which they cracked between two rocks. The sustenance kept them going, but fatigue soon set in, and they stopped to rest in midafternoon. Iris stretched out in a sunny spot with her arm flung over her eyes and instantly fell asleep.
Volusia sat with her back against the tree, shaded by its branches. Max wanted to sit next to her, but instead paced in a tight oval around the small clearing. If he sat down, if he allowed himself to rest, he might never get up again.
The day of walking had brought Elephant’s absence into sharp focus. What if he couldn’t recover her?
Again, he tried to see reason. Elephant was a valuable horse; Glabrio and the legionaries would take good care of her. But what would become of her once they reached Rome? He let out a tight breath between his teeth. Losing his military career was one thing. Losing Elephant was quite another—intolerable. He refused to contemplate the possibility that she might be gone forever. For now, Volusia was his first priority, but once he had safely delivered her to Rome, he would not rest until Elephant was back at his side.
“Max.” Volusia’s soft voice cut through his scattered thoughts. “Why don’t you sit by me?” She patted a spot on the ground next to her. “Rest a while.”
“I need to keep watch.” His voice came out gruff and hoarse.
“Over what?” She gestured at their surroundings, empty but for the three of them and a twittering bird in a nearby tree. “You need to rest. I doubt you slept a wink last night.”
To placate her, he lowered himself onto the ground beside her. She gave an approving nod. “Now lie down.” She patted her thighs as if she meant for him to rest his head in her lap.
“Not necessary.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Lucius went through a phase where he refused to sleep. You look as stubborn as he did. But I always won in the end.” Her voice warmed as she spoke of her son.
He liked the tenderness in her voice. “What strategy did you use?”
“A very simple one. I’ll show you.” She grabbed his shoulders and drew him down. He resisted for a moment—it was humiliating for a grown man to be handled like a child—but the softness of her touch disarmed him, and he found himself allowing his head to be placed in her lap. Her fingers stroked through his hair, and his eyes fell shut of their own accord.
Her touch had a soothing magic to it, and he found himself unable to open his eyes no matter how much he wanted to. She began to hum, and the resonant vibrations washed over him. Guided by the gentle rhythm of her hand stroking his head, he slipped into sleep.
Chapter 15
Volusia’sheartfeltaboutto burst as she looked down at Max’s sleeping face in her lap. Her thighs had long gone numb under the heavy weight of his head, but she didn’t dare move. He’d been running himself ragged for the past day and a half, all for her sake. He needed to sleep.
She had never imagined that someone would risk so much—and lose it—for her. Of course, Avitus would always have defended her if necessary, but that was a matter of honor. As his wife, she was his to protect. But Max wasn’t bound by honor or duty to defend her. In fact, his duty should have compelled him to follow Glabrio’s orders and stand aside.
She stroked a gentle finger along the line of his jaw, which was rough with stubble. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Max slept for about an hour, then woke in late afternoon. He removed himself from her lap hurriedly, as if embarrassed, and said nothing further. They roused Iris, and resumed their journey until darkness fell.
They walked for another full day, and rejoined the road, knowing the soldiers would be far enough ahead by this point that they’d be safe. The following day, they began to encounter some signs of civilization: fences erected to delineate land allotments, fields planted and animals grazing.
Volusia’s legs were heavy with fatigue, and her feet had never hurt so much. The straps of her sandals rubbed her skin raw, and their thin soles were no match for the rugged road. Her body ached from sleeping on the hard ground, and she’d acquired a varied collection of bruises and scrapes all over her skin. Despite her urgency to get back to Rome and reunite with Lucius, at this moment she longed for nothing more than a hot meal and soft bed. And hopefully a bath.
By midday, they entered the gates of a sizable town. Volusia recognized it as Genua, which she’d passed through with Avitus on the journey to Narbo. That journey felt like a lifetime ago, though it was barely two months past.
The first order of business was to convert some of her jewelry into coin so they could pay for food, lodging, and hopefully horses. They passed several shops and finally found one which sold embroidered cloth, jewelry, and some other trinkets.
Volusia had never tried to sell anything before, and wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it, but didn’t hesitate in removing her ruby and gold bracelet and laying it down on the table behind which the shopkeeper stood. “I would like to sell this, please.”
