When Truth Fails
Authors: Lucianna Gray
Threads of An Ancient World Book 2
By
LUCIANNA GRAY
Copyright © 2015 Lucianna Gray
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews – without the permission in writing from its publisher.
The characters and events in this book may have representations in history but this work is entirely the author's creation and should not be construed as historical fact.
Table of Contents
Ellie leaned back in her chair. It was probably as old as she was and it didn’t like being tested. It squeaked angrily against her weight, protesting misuse and abuse. In front of her, the class studied quietly. Then it struck her. Studying? Quietly? That can’t be right. Oh, that’s right – they were taking a test. Yes, that’s why they were so quiet. She looked at their studious and hard-working faces.
The long blonde hair of Sarah Jacobs. She was the head cheerleader and hid her intellect from the rest of the team. Ellie had seen her walking the halls with her friends and listened to her talk to them in class. She always played the “airhead cheerleader” role but Ellie knew better. Her papers – written in bright pink ink – were always excellent and incredibly introspective. However, when she chatted with her friends about their grades, she complained of always getting D’s. “Heh, I don’t know how I keep passing these classes.” Sarah looked up at Ellie and smiled. Ellie returned the gesture and moved on.
The shaggy head of hair of Paul Druid – that kid probably didn’t need to even study for the test. He was as sharp as a tack and more charismatic than Cassius. He would make it far in this world, that she was sure of. Cassius? Her gaze moved past Paul’s shaggy brown rat’s nest to the tall, handsome man sitting at the desk behind him.
“Cassius?” she sputtered. “What are you doing here?” She sat upright in her chair.
“I wanted to see you,” he replied.
She could feel her cheeks flush. She could feel the gaze of the kids move from their papers to her pink cheeks. Why did he always do this to her? He always made her act like a high schooler.
“But you can’t be here. This isn’t Rome and my kids are taking a test.”
“What kids?” he asked.
Ellie looked around. The classroom was empty. No kids. No desks except for hers and the desk that Cassius sat behind. “Where did…?” she started but her voice faded as the words fell out of her mouth.
“No one is here but you and me,” he said as he stood up. Cassius walked around the desk. As his sandals slapped against the linoleum floor, Ellie watched his hands move toward his belt and unfasten it. It fell to the floor with a thunk.
“We – We probably shouldn’t-” She didn’t know how to finish that sentence. Shouldn’t what? Undress? Make the most memorable night of her life? Make passionate love on top of her desk? What was wrong with her? She grinned. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Ellie stood up and locked the door. She stared at the lock and took a deep breath before turning back around to Cassius. “Where were we?” she asked in her most sultry voice. Of course, as soon as she said that she regretted it. Where did she think she was? The middle of a Fabio-covered trashy romance novel? But it didn’t matter. There was no one in the room to hear it. She was in an empty hovel of a home. She looked down at the flattened linen tunic that she wore. The dirt under her sandals crunched like fresh snow packing under her feet, as she took a step forward.
“You’re sinking” said a familiar voice.
Ellie looked up and found herself face-to-face with Carol, the office secretary at Roosevelt High. The sand began to quickly cover Ellie’s exposed toes. “Oh my god. Quicksand? What…” She reached out for Carol but couldn’t quite reach her. “Quick, pull me out!”
“First you have to tell me where we are,” Carol said, looking around.
“What?”
“I mean, I’ve heard of teachers redecorating their classrooms but this is a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
“We’re in ancient Rome. Quick, pull me out.” Ellie could feel the sand wrapping itself around her calves like a clingy baby. The thought of either made her a little panicky.
“Oh! Am I on your vacation?” Carol squealed. “How fun! Tell me, did you meet a man?”
Now this was just ridiculous. Ellie looked Carol in the face with pleading eyes. “Yes, yes, yes. He’s handsome and rich and sweet. Now pull me out, pull me out!”
“Pull you out of what?” asked Carol.
Ellie looked down at her feet but instead of sand and sandals, she saw the ugly, high traffic carpet of her classroom and her red high-top Converse shoes. “Oh,” she said. “I’m safe.”
“That’s what you think.”
Ellie’s eyes sprinted from the floor to directly in front of her and stopped dead at Senator Glabor. Glabor’s green eyes would be the last thing she saw before a hessian sack was placed over her head.
Ellie bolted upright in her cot. The linen tunic she wore (similar to the one in her dream) stuck to her skin with sweat. The only sound in the room was the huffing and puffing coming from her mouth. Her eyes darted from one side of the room to the other. Magnus lay on the floor next to her cot. He had insisted that she take the bed. She watched him sleep. The sunlight was shining through the gaps between the fabric covering the windows and illuminating his now clean shaven face. Magus had shaved off his beard and cut his hair the night before so that he could better hide from the guards while they were out. He looked like a different man. He looked like a handsome man – not one that had just spent months in an underground prison.
As the daze of sleep wore off, Ellie began to think clearly. She hadn’t spent nearly enough time worrying about how she had got herself thrown back in time. Or, you know, prison. Instead, she spent the last few days – or has it been weeks? - running from guards, falling in love, and trying to solve a murder in Ancient Rome. What was going on? This was crazy. She rested her head in her hands and began to cry.
The soft sounds of her weeping must have awakened Magnus who sat up and placed his hand on her shoulder. Ellie jumped up and away from his touch. His eyes were filled with worry for his new friend.
“We will get through this,” he said. “Fear not. I will not let anyone hurt you.”
Despite all the time that they had spent together she had never seen this look in his eyes before. This worried and sympathetic look. Most men that she knew turned and ran as soon as she showed any sign of vulnerability and emotion. She felt her shoulders slump. Magnus stood up sat next to her on the bed. He wrapped a muscular arm around her shoulder. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get some breakfast and talk about what we want to do next.”
Ellie nodded. She watched him stand up and stretch. Silhouetted against the sunlight shining through the cracks, she could still see definition in his back and arms. Her gaze swept across his shoulders and down further still. She could feel her cheeks heat up like a teapot. Magnus nonchalantly grabbed his tunic and belt. “I will give you some privacy,” he said. Ellie nodded again.
As soon as he left, she fell over. “Cassius,” she said. “I think I’m going through Cassius withdrawals…” Though the words came out of her mouth, her mind was still fixed to Magnus’s muscular posterior. “What kind of work out yields those types of results?” she said under her breath. “Like squats on crack…” She grinned at the thought and got up so that she could get dressed.
The two brothers, Magnus, and his female cousin (whose house they were currently holed up in) were all sitting around a table munching on pieces of bread. Magnus tossed her a piece. “Eat up,” he said. “We are talking about what we are going to be doing today.”
“I’ve got some ideas,” she said.
“I hope it does not involve four people,” Magnus said.
Ellie turned to the brothers. The older one spoke up, “Magnus said that it would be best if we split into two groups.” He shrugged. “It makes sense. It will be easier to hide.” He scratched his head, his curly blonde hair shaking in the process.
“We wanted to show you our gratitude by helping you in your endeavor,” said the younger brother. While they may share the same bright blue eyes, the younger brother had sandy colored hair.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Ellie said, pulling up a chair. “It’s all good.” They all stared at her blankly. “I mean,” she began again. “I mean that it’s okay. You don’t have to pay me back. Magnus is right. If we split up, it will be safer for everyone. Just be sure and stay out of trouble and I’ll consider that a debt repaid.”
The boys nodded. “We were caught stealing fruit,” said the blonde.
“We will go out of town and find a new place. Start fresh.”
“Keep out of trouble,” added the blonde. He grinned. Ellie had seen that grin on the faces of her students before. She knew what that meant. While she could have felt anger well up inside – the motherly instinct – she chose to ignore it in favor of her survival instinct instead.
After the breaking of bread and some grateful goodbyes, the house purged its guests into the streets with the brothers heading out of town and Magnus and Ellie headed toward the market. Ellie was beginning to get used to this lifestyle and that thought worried her. She made her way through the back alleys with Magnus in the lead. Their target was the market for provisions so that they could set up camp outside of the city.
“The woods are a perfect place to hide,” Magnus said. “We can set up a nice quiet camp so that we can figure out what we will do later.”
There was a hop in Magnus’ step. It was different than normal – not that she knew what normal was with him. It was a strictly “running from the cops” type of relationship. She chuckled at the thought.
I sure know how to pick ‘em,
she thought.
“How many apples do you think you can shove in that tunic of yours?” Magnus asked, coming to a full stop. They were still under the cover of the shadows of the alleyway.
“I can carry some. I mean, I don’t have any pockets or anything,” she said looking down.
He pulled her aside and gently pushed her back against a wall. Ellie was surprised at her own lack of objections as he pulled her tunic up so that it bunched up over her belt. He was so close to her that she could feel his breath on her cheek. His hand fell onto her shoulder.
“Cassius,” she whispered.
What?
she thought.
“What?” he said, taking a step back. They both stared each other down, trying to read the expressions on their faces.
She broke the silence first. “I’m sorry. It’s just. I mean, I need to get to Cassius. What you said about your sister. I know that he can help.”
“Right.” The faint smile on his face disappeared. “Of course.”
The marketplace smelled like smoke and rotting summer. It was also buzzing with people – and flies. Mostly flies. In comparison to the grocery stores that Ellie was used to, this place was disgusting and the thought of eating anything there was… Ellie bit her lip. All she had for breakfast was a piece of bread. In fact, all she’s had for a long time was just bread. But the wares available at the marketplace varied from meat to exotic fruits (some that she had never seen before) and fabrics of all colors and shapes. It was fascinating.
She hadn’t spent the time to really appreciate the fact that she was experiencing what she had only been dreaming about for the last half of her life. An overwhelming feeling of hope filled her chest until she realized that she might not get to really appreciate this in comparison to her own home. Because she probably wouldn’t make it back to her home again.
“What are you doing?” Magnus whispered loudly.
Ellie snapped out of it. “What?”
“Why are you standing here? Come on. We cannot stand still. We must keep moving so that nobody can see us.”
Ellie nodded. That was the makeshift plan that they had come up with at the breakfast table.
- Gather provisions.
- Don’t get caught.
- Set up a base so that they can find each other if separated.
- Don’t get separated.
- Come up with a better plan after they fill their bellies.
It was simple enough. They meandered around the booths, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Little by little Ellie slipped a piece of fruit and some bread in through an opening of her tunic. As she filled the empty space, her belly grew in size.
“How are they not going to catch me?” she whispered to him. “Everyone is staring at me and my swollen belly.”
“No one is going to catch us.”
“How do you know?”
Magnus’ eyes glazed over as he thought for a moment. “Because.”
Ellie smirked. “Oh great. This is going to go well.”
Magnus put his arm around her. “My, my, dear wife,” he said. “You look as though you may be with child – or perhaps two.”
Ellie chuckled. “You should feel how they kick!” They both laughed.
He leaned in. “Do you think you can take any more?” he whispered.
“Maybe just one more.” She motioned toward a small fruit stand. “Are those pears?” she asked. “I haven’t had a pear in forever.”
“Well, let us get you some then,” he said. “Cannot have my expectant wife hungry. What kind of husband would I be?”
They wandered over to the fruit stand. Magnus tried to draw the attention of the produce vendor away from Ellie so that she could pilfer a few pieces of fruit for herself but it was no use. It wasn’t the fruit vendor that they should have been worrying about.
“Thief! Thief!” someone called from the crowd. The murmuring of the passer-byers got louder. Magnus and Ellie spun around, trying to see if they could catch who was ratting them out but there was too much going on. He grabbed her arm and led her away from the fruit vendor but in the process, a piece of bread fell out of her tunic. Hoping that no one saw, they quickly left the scene.
“We have a tail,” Ellie whispered in his ear as she tried desperately to keep up with him.
“What? What does that mean?”
“Someone is following us.”
Magnus turned and kissed her on the forehead, as he did, he snuck a peak behind her and saw a small, bald man scurrying up behind them. “He is such a little man,” he whispered. “Nothing to worry about.”
“But what if-”
“Thief!” the man behind them called. They both turned around and found him pointing in their direction. “Thieves!”
“What do we do?” asked Ellie.
Magnus wasn’t paying any attention to her. He was looking around. “Where?” he called. “Where are these thieves?”
A small crowd began to form around them.
“I think he means you,” said one of the men in the crowd.
Magnus held his hands up. “I have nothing.”
Ellie suddenly doubled over. Magnus grabbed her arms. “Aemelia!” He tried to hold her up. She looked up at him. Genuine concern was scrawled all over his face. She winked at him.
“Oh no!” she cried. “My baby!” There were sudden gasps in the crowd surrounding her. “There’s something wrong with my baby!”
“No! No! No!” cried someone in the crowd. It was a fishmonger. “Do not have your baby here. How am I supposed to sell my fish if you have your baby here?!” He motioned toward the guards who didn’t have a chance to step forward before Magnus interrupted.
“We must get you home to the midwife!” He took her arm as she held her other hand under her precious cargo. He quickly moved her through the opening that the crowd created for the, ahem, expecting mother. They ran toward an alleyway and as soon as the shadows covered their tracks, they sprinted to the woods beyond the city.
It was nearly nightfall when they finally came to their destination.
“What makes this spot so special?” asked Ellie. Her voice bordered on whiney and she spotted it right away. “I mean, I realize that we have to be safe. I just-”
“I know,” Magnus said. “You are tired. I understand. I am sorry that it was farther than I had expected. I remember this area from my childhood. My father used to take me here. He said that it is safe from any eyes – including my mother’s. Which is impressive. She was a huntress.”
Ellie laughed. “I don’t think she would be very happy to hear you call her that.”
He scoffed. “On the contrary; she would love it.” He pulled a roll of fabric out from under his arm. “Come on. Let us set up camp for the night.”
“I’ve never seen so many stars before in my whole life,” she said. Ellie was laying on her back, looking up at the night sky through the trees.
“Can you believe how they shine?” he said. He leaned back against and rested his weight against his forearms. “My father used to tell me that the twinkling meant that the Gods were looking down at us.”
“Do you believe that?” she asked.
“No.”
Ellie watched the expression on his face go from quiet solitude to friendly in a long moment.
“Hungry?” he asked.
Ellie watched Magnus as he got up to prepare the meal over the fire. He had gone out earlier to bring back food and came back with a rabbit. The thought of him skinning a rabbit gave her goosebumps. “I’m going to go get some water from the river,” she said.
She grabbed the bucket and walked slowly toward the river, her mind reeling over curious thoughts. She hadn’t felt this way since high school. Since graduating, her focus had been purely on her career. There was no room for relationships and now, all she could think of was the promise of Cassius’ touch but then… What was that? Magnus had sent shivers down her spine and stirred the butterflies in her stomach. Ellie shook her head, trying to free herself from distraction.
“No reason to be greedy,” she said to herself. Cassius was who she wanted. She had dreamt her entire life of a man like him. Ellie plopped down on the river bank and scooped up a bucket of water, then set it next to her. But what would Cassius think of her? Women these days weren’t praised for their independence. Then again, Cass said that he loved that about her. Right? “Ugh,” she groaned. She laid back, letting her head rest on the grass, and set her eyes on the stars. “Gods, huh?” she asked the night sky. “Is Cassius right for me? He’s-” But before she could finish her thought, she stopped and let out a small chuckle. “I’m just like my high school girls,” she said with a smile. “No, no, no.” She stood up and brushed herself off before grabbing the bucket and heading back to camp. “Cass will help us.”