Nemesis by Linda Coleman

Author:Linda Coleman [Coleman, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-17T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

M elissa remained in her hiding place long after the din of the battle faded away. She waited until the only sounds she could hear were the groans from the injured and dying men scattered outside. She was still shaking from the cold, which had risen through the soil beneath her and penetrated deep into her bones. Slowly, she crawled out from under the bed, flexed her frozen legs and stood up, still clutching the small box containing her jewellery as if her life depended on it.

She took a step towards the curtain which marked the door of the sleeping quarters, but found she was shaking too much to pull it back. She stared blankly at it, willing it to move by itself as she was too afraid to touch it. It was her only wall of defence from the carnage outside.

Suddenly the material was wrenched away and she was facing Decius once again, but he hardly seemed to notice her as he looked around her in desperation.

“We were victorious?” she asked, even though she knew the answer. Decius nodded, but still avoided looking at her.

“Then where is Antony?” Melissa demanded.

He shifted nervously from one foot to the other before answering. “I was hoping the general was with you. The last time he was seen he was outside this very tent fighting three men. When the enemy retreated, he vanished and has not been seen since.” He turned and looked around him. “Forgive me, I must go. I will send word when I find him.”

Melissa stared at Decius’ back. Antony was missing. She could not believe it. Unless history had been changed again, he had survived the battle. So where was he? She knew she had to find him if Decius could not. Stepping forward she took a deep breath and pulled back the curtain.

As Melissa’s eyes fell on the scene of destruction that lay in front of her, she gasped in shock. The tent was a wreck. The table that had been covered in Antony’s papers was upended with its contents strewn carelessly across the floor. The brazier and lamp stands lay on their sides. Melissa was suddenly grateful there had been no time to light them or she might have burned to death. The posts in the far corner of the structure had buckled from the weight of men fighting against them and now hung, broken and splintered from the leather panels that loosely held them in place. Facing her was a large gaping hole, rent into one of the side panels, the leather at its sides flapping as innocently in the breeze as a flag atop its pole.

Melissa’s legs buckled and she sat down on the floor. All thoughts of finding Antony were gone as she began to appreciate just how close to death she had come.

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