Chapter 5

When she awoke the next morning, Cassia immediately started planning her escape. While the doors were all guarded, she figured there had to be at least one window that was left unchecked. Corvus spent most of his time with his men, so she had the chance to roam the villa by herself. Or almost by herself—her new maidservant, Helena, never left her side.

Helena had attended to her when she first woke up in the morning. The girl was probably near her own age, with dark hair and stunning dark eyes. She was very quiet and always seemed a little afraid of something. Cassia's heart went out to her, and through gentle questions, she was able to win the girl's confidence and learn her story: captured in the east with her brother when they were children, separated and sold to different owners. She had been sold to a kind family at first, but when they'd lost their fortune, she'd been bought by Corvus as a house slave. Cassia was surprised someone could stay so tender and sweet under such a brutal master.

In fact, Helena brought Cassia her first real happiness since Pompeii when the slave girl learned how much Cassia loved horses.

"Follow me," she ordered, taking Cassia by the hand and drawing her along the corridor. Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the villa stables, full of proud, beautiful horses.

"Oh!" Cassia exclaimed, feeling her eyes fill with tears but not bothering to wipe them away. She rushed to the nearest horse, a giant black stallion, and gently caressed his muzzle. "He's lovely."

"His name's Alexander," a voice came from behind them. Cassia jumped, but it was only a young stable hand, probably a few years older than she was. "And I'm Julian, m'lady. I take care of the horses."

There were more than a dozen horses lined up in stalls, and Julian showed Cassia every one. When he got to the last horse, though, a giant gray creature with a white mane, he held her back.

"I'm afraid this one isn't very friendly," he said. "That's the senator's favorite horse, Colossus. He's the fastest horse in the stable and almost as nasty as the senator himself."

Cassia looked up at the gray stallion, nearly three hands taller than she was. As soon as they had approached, it had shuffled agitatedly, tossing its head and snorting. What a shame, she thought to herself. He's so beautiful. If only someone was kind to him, I'm sure he would be a good horse. If only Milo was here…

She winced at the painful memory of her lost love. Milo had a way with horses that was nothing short of mystifying. He could befriend any horse he met, no matter how wild or mean-spirited. He talked to them in a way she'd never seen before, surely something he'd learned among his fellow Celts before he was captured. She remembered how he'd calmed down her own beloved horse Casper when it had returned from the fields, missing its rider and panicked beyond reason. Milo had reached out and touched it, murmuring to it in his own soothing language, and Casper had stilled almost immediately.

Then Milo had swung up on Casper's back, looking as natural on a horse as he did just walking down the street. And something about his effortless grace and gentle confidence had stilled her own fluttering heart, too. When he'd offered her his hand, she accepted without hesitation, and suddenly they were bursting out of the stable and flying across the fields, her arms wrapped around his waist and her face buried in his neck.

How she'd wanted to ride with Milo forever, free from her worries about family or marriage. But they both knew it was impossible—they would never make it if they tried to outrun Corvus' forces, which they could already hear pounding after them. She shuddered at the coarse shouts, and Milo squeezed her hand. He slipped off Casper, holding the horse steady.

"I'll tell them I kidnapped you," he told her. "No one will blame you."

Cassia shook her head stubbornly, realizing what that would cost Milo. "No, they'll kill you," she said. "Let me tell them the horse bolted and you saved me."

"Corvus will never believe that," Milo replied just as stubbornly.

"Let me take care of him," Cassia insisted. "He is a guest in my father's house—he cannot question my word."

Milo said nothing, simply pressing his lips together in frustration. Finally he said, "I'm sorry for this."

Cassia reached down and caught him by the shoulder. "No, don't apologize," she said, looking into his eyes pleadingly. She hated the turmoil she saw reflected back at her, turmoil she was sure she caused by allowing this foolish escapade to go as far as it did. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for what you've done for me."

And before she realized it, she had leaned down and kissed him on the mouth, reviling in his smoky taste. He reached up, partly to keep her from falling off Casper and partly to wrap his fingers around her curls. They broke in time to hide the contact from Corvus' men, who appeared over the crest of the hill minutes later.

Cassia could still remember the heat of his lips on hers and the touch of his callused fingers, and it still filled her body with a pleasant warmth. Milo had been gentle, almost reverential when he had kissed her—so different from when Corvus forced the intimacy Cassia was so reluctant to give. It wasn't only unwanted, it could be painful. Corvus only cared about his own desires and how it felt for him.

Cassia shook her head, trying to banish any thoughts of the senator. She turned back to Colossus, who was still stamping a hoof irritably. How had Milo done it? He'd reached out a hand slowly and said something like…

"Ssh, ssh, boy, it's all right," Cassia said, hesitantly raising a hand towards the giant horse.

"My lady, don't!" Julian hissed worriedly, but he wouldn't dare lay a hand on her to stop her. "Only the senator can control him. He'll bite you!"

Cassia ignored him, inching closer to Colossus. He watched her suspiciously, jerking his head away when she was near. But she persisted, step by step, murmuring sweet reassurances to him until finally she was within inches of his muzzle. Very slowly, very gently, she reached up and stroked his cheek. He froze, quivering slightly at the unfamiliar contact, but as she stroked, he finally relaxed and lowered his head closer to her.

"That's amazing," Julian breathed.

Cassia felt herself smile, which she hadn't done in a long time. She continued to pet Colossus, who nuzzled her cheek affectionately.

"All he needed was some love," she told the others.

As Helena and Julian excitedly talked about what just happened, Cassia found herself focusing on something completely different. Something Julian had said kept replaying in her mind: "He's the fastest horse in the stable…" The villa doors were guarded, but the stable was left alone. It opened into the courtyard but also back into the fields. Around the fields was a fence, at least six feet high—too high for Cassia to ever climb without attracting attention. But a horse could jump it. If she could sneak out at night, she could be over the fence and into Rome before anyone realized she was gone. And from Rome, she could leave for one of her parents' other homes, in other cities where relatives would shelter her. Corvus was powerful in Rome, but in Sicily or Malta, he'd have no authority. Southern Italy was like a totally different kingdom. Besides, once she was out of Rome, he'd have no idea where to look for her.

He's the fastest horse in the stable.

It could work.