Page 50 of Taming the Eagle
Fenella froze.
Dressed in a white tunic edged in blue, and woolen leggings, he was one of the velites—the poorest class of soldiers. She’d seen velites whenever she ventured beyond the praetorium. Unlike the legionaries, these men didn’t have plate armor or even helmets. Unsurprisingly, the velites did most of the hard physical work within the fort.
The soldier spied Fenella instantly. “What are you doing in here?” he demanded with a scowl.
Fenella’s heart bucked hard against her ribs. She needed to think fast, or she’d be found out.
Deciding that the only way through this was to be brazen, she lifted her chin high and eyeballed the soldier.
“There you are … finally!” she replied, injecting an imperious note into her voice. “General Aquila’s cook urgently requires a sack of oats. I’ve been waiting here an age for someone to help me. She will be getting impatient.”
The young man’s gaze narrowed. “Get your own oats, slave,” he muttered.
Fenella drew herself up even taller before patting her full basket. “I can hardly carry a sack with this, can I?”
The soldier’s gaze widened at her manner, but Fenella swept past him, nose in the air. “I suggest you hurry up.”
Perhaps he was too shocked at her audacity to respond, but the man actually let her go.
However, Fenella’s heart galloped like a bolting pony as she walked back to the praetorium.
That was close. If the soldier had entered the granary a moment earlier, he’d have seen what she was up to. Hopefully, Ava wouldn’t be suspicious when he turned up with a sack of oats. But if the cook asked, she’d just have to try and talk her way out of it.
Fenella didn’t take the Via Praetoria back to the general’s residence. Instead, she strode down the alley between the praetorium and workshops. The clang of iron echoed out from open doorways, and she caught the words of a bawdy song from the men working inside.
By the time she reached her destination, her pulse had settled. Even so, she was on edge.
Before going inside, she needed to hide the rope—but she couldn’t do so with anyone around.
Casting a furtive glance about, Fenella exhaled sharply. The gods were favoring her, it seemed, for this alley was empty at present. Hurrying up to the furnace that warmed the praetorium, she dug into her basket and yanked the rope free. In her haste, she nearly dropped one of the loaves in the mud. Cursing her clumsiness under her breath, she rearranged the bread. Ava would box her ears if she presented her with mucky loaves.
Glancing around once more, to ensure she was indeed alone, Fenella wedged the rope at the back of a stack of peat bricks Aedan used to fuel the furnace.
It wasn’t an excellent hiding spot—but it was the best she could manage at short notice. And with the attack looming, the rope didn’t need to remain hidden for long.
Once the siege was well underway, she planned to climb up to the Porta Principalis Dextra and rope down the other side onto the ramp leading to the vicus.
Of course, she’d need a weapon too, and had her eye on one of Ava’s wickedly sharp boning knives.
It wouldn’t be easy, but with the chaos of battle, it was likely her best chance of escape.
Stepping away from the stack of peat, Fenella hugged her basket of fragrant bread close and hurried back indoors.
XVIII. YOU WERE MADE FOR ME
FENELLA SCREWED UP her face, staring down at the large—and thankfully dead—rat the cat had just dropped before her. She’d been sweeping the courtyard pavers when Electri had stalked up to her, a prize in her jaws.
The cat sat back on its haunches and gave a loud ‘meow’. Electri wore an undeniably smug expression upon her face, although her amber eyes were wild, her thick tail thwacking upon the pavers. Fresh from the hunt, she had a feral look about her.
“It’s official … she loves you,” Kahina croaked from behind Fenella. She was still recovering from the blocked nose and sore throat that laid her low for a few days.
After days of stormy weather, both women were catching up on their chores outdoors. Above, clouds scudded across a windswept sky, and sunshine bathed the courtyard. Time was marching on; spring would be here before they knew it.
But the attack would arrive before The Maiden brought the world to life again.
The reminder made Fenella’s pulse accelerate.
She liked Kahina and didn’t want any harm to come to her.