Roman Flames

Chapter Twenty: Someday

Chapter Twenty: Someday

Sanctius

I sprinted back to the tavern, the only place I could think for sanctuary. I hid from guards by taking back routes and alleys, thanking God that the rain had made visibility difficult. My bare feet splashed the mud as it poured in sheets; I was soaked to the bone and I was shivering from the cold. My fists were clenched and my nails dug into my palms, but I ignored the sharp pain and kept moving.

I have to keep going, I thought. Just keep moving.

When I made it to the tavern, I decided to jog the stone path to the spring. The thunder and lightning didn’t unnerve me. I sat on the edge and dipped my legs, hoping to clean them of the mud and blood that covered them.

This was what had become of me.

When I had finished, I walked the rest of the way back to the tavern. I didn’t care anymore about being soaked. I was just cold now. And scared.

I expected the tavern to be ransacked. The tables to be flipped. All the wine and commodities to be gone. But to my surprise, it was just as I had left it. It was as if I hadn’t even left. God was watching over this place. It was the only source of income for us, and I had no clue what we would do if it were ruined. I found a rag and cleaned the rest of the wounds and the bottoms of my feet, and laid it out to dry on the back of a chair. My wounds were not serious; they were mainly on my arms and legs, though I had bruises on my chest and stomach. My face was aching on the left side from where Nero had punched me after I declined his ‘generous’ offer.

You think your mother is dead, he said. But you are wrong. I can give you this information…and your freedom…for a small price. You are a handsome man. Very…attractive, and I would like to—

I hadn’t let him finish before I spat on the ground. I told him that I would rather die than do anything with him.

And I almost had my prize. I had almost fallen to the flames.

I let out a breath. I couldn’t believe that I had escaped. And thanks to…to Vespera. She risked her life for mine. I hadn’t thank her in person when I should have.

Sighing, I trudged to my room so that I could change out of my soaking clothes. I closed the door behind me, grabbed a sleeping kilt, and changed into it, leaving the soaking clothes out to dry on a small stool.

I looked at my arms. Old scars, new bruises, same Sanctius. My skin told stories, but I wished sometimes that it were normal. I now had rope burns around my wrists from the struggle. I had fought hard for my freedom, and the guards had fought back.

I felt so tired. I didn’t know what I was going to do now, and obviously I had half of Rome on my tail. I couldn’t ask Antonia to hide me now. I had to leave. Where, I didn’t know. I just knew that I had to disappear.

I made up my mind. Grabbing a satchel, I started making a list of things I had to take with me. The moment that Antonia and her family returned was the moment I was to leave. I rummaged through the small chest I had at the foot of my bed and started packing the essentials—tunics and undergarments. As I dug through my belongings, I found the scroll that Vespera had given me. I had retied it with its red ribbon.

“You look beautiful, Lucia,” Papa said, gazing at my mother lovingly. She had a ribbon in her hair of the finest fabric, which Papa had bought for her as a gift. She smiled at him.

“Of course I do,” she replied adamantly. “When do I not?”

Papa laughed. “Do not get me in trouble,” he winked. “I think you know what I meant.”