CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 19 (Inside comment)
posted by Cat @ 7:19 PM
Sunday, August 29, 2004
About Me
- Name: Cat
- Location: BULLARD, Texas, United States
C.R.Myers is a Texan—born and bred in the Lone Star State. A English/Drama teacher by profession, she received her M. A. from the University of Texas at Tyler. As a teacher and professional speaker, she designed and implemented her own creative course as well as writing college sketches, which were performed on a local television station. She decided to start writing seriously only within the last few years. Since then, she has written eleven novels. Black Ice/Shadowed Road was her first published novel. Since then, Through the Shadows, Red, Red Rose, Lady’s Game, Shattered Illusion, and Blonde Logic have been published as well as nine other stories sold to area newspapers and magazines. Through her writing, she has received cards and letters from fans from all over the US and fifteen different countries. The books have sold well and the reviews have been strong, leading to seven book signings and two out of state appearances. Two of the books have been chosen as books to be presented in Austin at the Texas Book Festival.
Previous Posts
- Arch of Constantine
- CHAPTER 18
- Colosseum
- CHAPTER 17
- Ancient Rome
- CHAPTER 16
- Constantine Relief
- CHAPTER 15
- Antoninu
- CHAPTER 14
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CHAPTER 19
Nicadea looked around in disbelief. Two weeks ago she had been a princess, the favorite daughter of the Celtic King, Lukatos. When the Romans began attacking, her father disguised her as a priestess. Now, she was a slave in her family home, and the castle where she had been born would serve as her prison. The sound of her wooden-soled sandals against the stone stairs echoed harshly. The sound was lonely and final. She had never visited the dungeon before. What horrors might await her, she could only guess. Dark images crowded her mind, but even they could not dispel the picture of her parent’s lifeless bodies, broken and covered in blood.
A rough hand prodded her from behind. She fell forward, stumbling into the woman in front of her.
“Bitch,” the woman spat coarsely.
Nicadea’s eyes widened. Never had she been spoken to in such an insolent tone. Two days ago, the woman would have been whipped. As for the language she had used, only men spoke such crude words. A loud whining creak from up ahead warned her that she had almost reached her destination. She pressed the back of her hand against her nose as an awful stench permeated the air. Nausea overwhelmed her as her stomach rolled in sharp reaction to the strong reek of death and decay. She threw up on the against the side wall.
“Getting sick, Princess?” the woman in front of her, asked with a snarl.
Why did this woman seem to hate her so much? Nicadea wiped her mouth on her skirt, shuddering at the new smell her vomit had added. The entrance to the dungeon was narrow, shadowed by wall torches with black tailed flames, smoking up the already poisoned air. Nicadea moved through the opening into the dark room.
Then she walked to the back corner of the large room and squatted down, just beyond the torchlight. Maybe if she were very quiet, no one would notice her. At least she was close to the fresh air. The wall she leaned against was an outside wall. If she tilted her head back far enough, she could see the stars shining across the night sky. For a few seconds the events of the last few days faded from her mind. It was only a bad dream. She could call out, and her mother would come in to comfort her. Nicadea choked back a sob. Her mother would never comfort her again. Hiding her face in her hands, she wept.
Heavy footsteps cut through her sorrow, slinging her rudely into the present. Her heart raced as the iron door groaned open and two Roman soldiers stepped inside. She slumped down, trying to hide her face as the men walked through the room, throwing the dim glow of the torch into every corner.
“Where is the princess?” the younger soldier asked into the group of huddled people.
Nicadea shrank further, but before she could decide what to do, a voice answered the Roman.
“I am the princess. I have been in disguise, but am ready to meet my fate.”
Nicadea recognized the woman who had been walking in front of her. Even as she was felt filled with relief, she had to wonder why the woman was willing to go in her place.
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