Marcus: An Ancient Roman Reverse Harem Romance (Gladiator Book 5) by Nhys Glover

Author:Nhys Glover [Glover, Nhys]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Belisama Press
Published: 2018-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Village north of Gesoriacum GALLIA BELGICA

MARCUS

I lay in the dirt inside the thatched roofed hut, my hands tied in front of me now. The skin on my wrists was rubbed raw and bleeding but, compared to the pain I experienced on the voyage, this was nothing.

The little man had treated me well enough, although his big friend, the one whose nose I had broken, sent me vicious looks every chance he got and seemed only to be awaiting the opportunity to get even. But I was more important to these men alive and healthy than dead or badly injured, so I had to keep that uppermost in mind. If I stayed subservient, my life would be as comfortable as possible.

Of course I had no plans to remain subservient. The first chance I got I would run. If I could get to the nearby village there were sure to be people there who would help me. Even if I had to bribe them to do it.

My best chance of escape was when I went to the outhouse. There was one nearby, I knew, because the two men had already made use of it. As I had been given no food and little water during the whole journey, I had not needed to do more than relieve myself over the side of the boat. But they could not go much longer without feeding me, and once they did, my body would require relief. Not even these barbarians would want me fouling myself in their presence.

The thought had me grimacing in disgust. How low would I have come if that were to happen? Only toddlers and babes fouled themselves. And cowards, of course. I had seen more than one man sporting a wet patch at his groin just before he went into battle.

I tried to work out how long I had been in captivity. Several days at least, although being unconscious had warped my perception of time a little. But I knew the crossing from Britannia to Gallia Belgica took no more than a day in good weather, even in a small craft like the one we had used.

How long would it take to get the ransom demand to Pater and to get payment? Weeks. I could not expect it to happen any faster than that.

My machinations were interrupted by the arrival of the tiny, round woman my captor called his wife. She was unlikely to be married to the man, as she was a local, from the look and sound of her, and my captor was from the south. He might even have been Roman.

But retired legionaries often married local women and settled the land where they had last been deployed, did they not? It would explain the man’s scars. So maybe the man told the truth. Did it matter either way?

Yes, because if her bond was formed from love there was no way she would betray her man. If it was formed some other way, I might just have a chance.

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