Chapter 14 – The Fifth Clue:

Eddie felt the brightness of the sunlight beaming through his closed eyelids and he began to squint. Propping himself up on his elbows, he could hear tapping noises from the window of the hostel and looked up to see the midnight black owl tapping on the window with a scroll attached to its leg.

Panicking, Eddie jumps to his feet and shakes Lily awake, as she was still lying on her side, in a deep slumber.

"Lily! Lily wake up!"

"Wha?"

"Lily, the owl! The midnight owl is here!"

Eddie did not have to say another word. Lily had jumped out of the bed, her legs tangled up in the sheets, nearly tripping and dashed as quickly as she could towards the window. When the owl flew into the window, she roughly grabbed it by the leg not holding the scroll, untied the scroll, and nearly threw the owl against the wall. Eddie wanted to object, but he understood Lily's anger. He hated the owl too. It signified the power that Jane's kidnappers held over them. They knew that they would receive no answers from this bloody owl; just another clue that could possibly lead to another trap.

The owl screeched angrily at Lily as he hit the wall before flying back out the window. Eddie turned to Lily only to see her glaring at the owl as it disappeared over the horizon with the scroll clutched so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were turning white.

"I hate that bloody thing," she snarls, as she roughly unravels the scroll, looking down to read it. She reads it out loud to Eddie:

"I am the place where blood has been shed

Where the thumb decides whether you are dead

Home to the greatest battles ever known

I am where Apollos's wreath reigned the throne"

Eddie bit his lip, unsure what to think of this next clue. Lily, however, as soon as she finishes reading, began pacing the floor with her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed; clearly thinking very hard about the clue.

"Lily?"

Lily did not respond, just continued pacing, Eddie sat on the bed and watched Lily. He could not help but admire her for her determination and perseverance. Despite Eddie's obvious feelings for Lily and how he openly admitted to not feeling the same way about Jane any longer, Lily was still determined to make sure that this woman returned home safely. Deep down, Eddie hoped that maybe Lily's determination was a result of some kind of feelings that she may have for him; that she loves him enough to try and do this for him. Before he could contemplate any further, Lily broke his thoughts.

"It seems obvious…."

"You've already figured it out?" Eddie asked astonished and wide-eyed.

"The thumb was a dead giveaway," explained Lily carefully. "In Ancient Rome, in the Coliseum, gladiators would fight and when one went down, Caesar would determine whether the gladiator who fell was to be killed or not by using his thumb; thumb up meant live, thumb down meant death."

"Well what about the part about Apollo? He was a Greek god…not a Roman god…" said Eddie, smartly, but uncertainly.

"True, but I think that was put there to throw us off," said Lily. "The god Apollo, in Ancient Greece, is represented wearing a laurel wreath. Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, is also represented wearing a laurel wreath so it makes sense."

"So what are you saying, Lily?"

"Well, this is where Apollo's wreath, or Caesar's wreath reigns…that's Rome. And a place where blood was shed, where the greatest battles were fought, and where a thumb decides one's fate…" Lily's voice trailed off. "Eddie, we're going to the Roman Coliseum."'

Another chapter! Please enjoy!