CHAPTER 49

CHAPTER 49The moon’s silver light bathed the open field from almost straight overhead. Nicadea’s head fell forward against Evian’s shoulder and he smiled. Her breath, warm against the back of his neck, was slow and rhythmic. They had been riding for hours. The Delom Hills were a hazy shadow in the far distance. He still hoped to be there by morning.Her arms, wrapped around his waist, were beginning to slip as she fell into a deeper sleep. In another few minutes, she would fall off the animal. Pulling the reins to the left, he stopped at the edge of the trees and tried to wake her. Getting down without dropping her was the difficult part.“Nicadea, Nicadea. Wake up.”“Are we there?”“No, we have a ways to go, but we need to switch places.”“Why?” The word ended in a broad yawn.He loosened her arms from around his waist. “Sit up, Nicadea. I’m going to get down, and I don’t want you to fall off.”She muttered that she understood, and he slipped down. She looked beautiful sitting there in the moonlight—her eyes half-closed in sleep. As he climbed behind her and pulled her close, his thoughts were not on the journey ahead. She was back asleep almost immediately, her head lying against his chest—his face buried in her hair. They rode that way for the rest of the night.By the time the first pale rays of dawn broke across the horizon, they had reached the foot of the Delom Hills. The trails of winding smoke rising in the crisp morning air told Evian that the army wasn’t camped far away. So, they would be joining them in the battle. The thought of fighting the Romans sent fire coursing through his blood.Anthony spotted the lone horse crossing the open field, before it disappeared into the cover of the trees. He and Mikelle had ridden ahead of the others—to talk. From their vantage point on one of the lower plateaus, they had a view of the entire area. “I know we didn’t expect to discover the location of the rebel force, but now that we have….” His voice trailed off in a questioning tone.Mikelle looked at him in surprise. “We’ll attack, of course. That chit of a girl cannot alter the tides of war, even if she does turn out to be the Celtic Princess. We don’t even know that she’s still alive. Right now, she’s a mere slave, who struck an officer of the Roman army.”Anthony laughed. “No doubt he deserved worse, but I have the feeling we haven’t seen the last of her.”“Have you heard something?”“No, I haven’t heard anything. Just a feeling, that’s all. What will you do to her if you find her?”“What I would do to any recalcitrant slave? She’ll have to be punished.”