Romanowski and Rosemary

17. Mark of the damned

Coretta

Hell of Earth...

It meant whatever had happened to me yet... wasn't that worse?

I just stared at the man before me. His eyes were pitiful as he explained how he was a spy for Julian.

"Why haven't you gone back to Romanos till now?" I questioned.

"We are stuck here, My Lady." he heaved out, looking in the distance. "We were a group of four. Two have already been killed and the remaining of us have somehow entered, but are unable to get out."

He gulped before facing me, a hopeful expression torn on his face. "If you somehow leave this place, can you please inform His Honour about us? About the atrocities happening here?" he pleaded.

Tears pricked my eyes as I shook my head to a no. "I- I can't go back to H- His Honour. I'm a priestess now and... and my husband awaits me in the Temple of Aphrodite, in Alexandria."

He slumped back in defeat, hands buried in his hair. It must have been so harsh for him, stationed here since last spring. To witness the crimes committed against priestesses like me.

"Are- Are you sure they'll move me out of this place?" I whispered.

"Yes, My Lady," he mumbled, looking lost at the ground. "They will deport you to Greece."

My heart halted for a second. That meant I could still survive. As Aarmen and Dunkin were speaking, they'll ask Lorenzo to go to Greece and rescue me by buying me as a slave.

Dejected, the spy stood to go back to his place when I stopped him.

"Do you have clean water, by any chance?" I whispered.

His brows crinkled in confusion, but he nodded nonetheless and fetched me a small cistern. "I use it for drinking, so it's the closest to fresh water I have here."

I poured some water out on my hands to clean my fingers. "Do you know what happens to a woman who has blue eyes here?"

"In most cases, they take their eyes out to make the Lapis lazuli stone, or in rare cases, if the woman is very submissive, they make her a slave for themselves, but... uh, my lady..." he fumbled over his words when I looked up at him. His eyes widened.

"Shh," I kept a finger over my lips and shook my head as he looked at me in shock.

"How did your eyes change colour, my lady?" he asked, gulping.

While he was talking, I had discreetly turned around and wore the new lenses after washing my hands. With his patriotism for Romanos, I knew he could keep a little secret.

"I can do it," I confessed. "I don't care if they take my eyes out, but if Nael knows I am Althea, I don't know what he would do to me," I heaved out. "So hiding my true colour was very necessary," I looked up at him, hopeful. "Can you keep it to yourself, nobleman?"

"Y- Yes, noble lady, I would," he assured, adamant. "Anything to save you from this Hades. Serving you is equal to serving Romanos for me." he teared up. "You have been an integral part of our great kingdom as a writer." His eyes wavered to the far end of this cave-like space as he began to retrace his steps. "I'm sure if you ever wish to return to Romanos, our King would welcome you wholeheartedly, even as a priestess." He smiled.

"Yes... he- he would," I nodded. Tears pricked the corner of my eyes. Taking in one hard breath, I braced myself for what I was about to ask.

"Do you have... any small weapon? Strong enough to kill?" His face contoured in hesitation and I simply gave a little laugh. "No, not for killing anyone. Something that I could use to end my life," I looked up at him, tears blurring my vision, "if... if they do something that... that I cannot endure..." I shook my head vigorously, hating the water flowing from my eyes. No. They can't do anything to me. I know how to fight. I know how to defend myself. I wouldn't let them take me for a delicate woman.