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Bloodlines 
by Vickey Brickle-Macky 11/10/2000
Part 2
After Virgil and Eve got Dana and Areon settled in the room and they went back below to the tavern area to talk privately and decide what to do next. While Areon was being put to bed Eve had changed into the leather armor at Virgil´s suggestion, and had fully armed herself, over her outfit she wore her hooded cloak, and pulled the hood over her head to disguise her features. This was not what she wanted to do, but until they got safely out of Rome she had to keep up the now masquerade of being Livia as she knew that word of her being alive, and in town would soon reach the palace.
They found a poorly lit booth in the corner, and the barmaid brought them drinks. Eve still looked around guardedly at the remaining patrons in the tavern, but didn´t see anyone she recognized, or who gave her warning tingles of danger. She relaxed a little and took a sip of the wine in her mug. Virgil had been quiet, hesitant about asking questions all day, and there were a lot he wanted to ask now.
Eve regarded her companion seriously debating on what she should tell him. In that way she looked chillingly like the woman he had first met. And he still didn´t trust the miraculous change that had come over her since her 'conversion', and she knew it. But she needed his help, and she needed his silence on this entire matter as well. "Virgil, I do need your help. I have to get the child out of this town, and find a safe place for him to live and grow up. I also don´t want my mother, or Gabrielle finding out about him either—is that clear?" she asked trying to emphasize that point very clearly. The last thing she wanted was Xena or Ares finding out about Areon.
"Sure,
yeah. Whatever you want. But why don´t you
want Xena to know? She´d be delighted to know
she has a grandson." Virgil questioned, really wondering
why she wanted to keep the boy a secret.
"It´s
because of who his father is—it´s
Ares." She told him in a quiet voice, embarrassed.
"Ohh."
He said feeling like he had been polaxed. He had
to sit back against the back of the booth and think
over the full implications of what that meant. He
now understood fully why she needed to keep the
boy from his grandmother. Yes, this definitely complicated
the situation especially since he was aware of the
long standing off, and on romance between Xena and
the God of War. Joxer had told him a lot about it.
Things that he thought in view of the current circumstances
he ought to keep to himself. And once he knew who
the boy´s father was he could see the resemblance
very clearly. Ares was definitely his father, but
he had Eve´s eyes —she would not be
able to explain him away. Both Xena and Ares
would know instantly who his father was. That Ares
had been sleeping with Eve for years did not sit
well with Xena either now along with the fact that
Ares had immediately dumped Eve to actively pursue
Xena again did not make the situation any better.
"There is enough friction between my mother, and I over Ares as there is. I do not wish to complicate it further, nor do I want him to know about this child. Areon does not know who his real parents are and thinks Dana is his real mother not me. I wish to keep it that way. I still have many enemies, and that I am still Augustus´ adopted daughter makes more for me as well as for him. That is one of the prices of power-- that your children are truly never safe," she said bitterly.
"So what do you want to do?" Virgil questioned seriously, wondering what she could do as he took a sip of his drink and leaned forward better to hear her low pitched voice.
Eve sighed in frustration. "I was hoping you knew of some nice quiet village I could take him and get them settled in. If my grandmother, Cyrene, were still living there would be no problem, but she´s not. So I am at loss as to where would be safe. I also do not want him to be a warrior as that would eventually get his father´s attention."
Virgil completely understood that, and how Ares could warp this sensitive child. The results were sitting before him. He nodded in grim agreement. Though hiding a half godling was going to prove difficult. Especially if he had any abilities, or powers to speak of. "I am starting to get an idea of a couple of places that may work. Though I do have an idea of someone who might be able to at least give us some advice," Virgil offered.
"Who?" Eve asked, not believing that anyone could really help her on this.
"Hercules. He might help. He was there when you were born, and he, and Ares have never been what you call close. Since he is half god, and Areon is his nephew so he might help," he suggested.
Eve almost rejected the idea outright, but then she thought it over as a serious possibility with Areon being blood kin. But the problem was that she had run into Hercules many years ago, and he had defeated her in a battle over a village. Years later she took the town anyway, but she still remembered her defeat by him, one of her few losses. Would he be willing to help her now? That she wasn´t sure about it so she had to be honest with Virgil and tell him her fears. "We have met, and not under ideal circumstances. It was the battle for Armina. I lost, but the toil was heavy on both sides. He was furious at me for the bloodshed that he deemed totally unnecessary. We parted as enemies," she told him and he looked back at her very surprised.
"That was your doing?" he questioned, having heard tales of the battle from travelers visiting the Inn of his parents.
"Yes. I was told to put a rebellion down. I got a little overzealous.," she told him looking acutely embarrassed and ashamed for her bloodthirsty past.
"That I believe is an understatement, but I know—that was then—not now," he said looking at her hard and shaking his head. "You were very bloodthirsty and cruel by all accounts."
"Yes, I was," she admitted, "but I was doing what I was ordered to do for the glory of Rome. That´s no excuse for what I did in excess of my duties, but I did it, and it´s done. The blood will never go away ever from my hands and heart. So you can begin to understand why I am not too enthusiastic about asking for Hercules´ help even if he´s be willing to give it, and for him to help a son of Ares on top of it? No, it´s a real bad idea," she told him looking defeated staring down at the table as if she could find an answer there in the worn wood.
"I don´t think so. He helped your mom. And this was in her super bad warlord years. He turned her around somehow, and instead of being feared, she became a hero instead. Gabrielle also helped later on, but it was Hercules initially believing in her that she could do good that made her change otherwise she probably would have conquered the world as no one could stop her," he told her and Eve looked at him surprised.
"I had heard she was pretty close to it back then and then suddenly she stopped and started helping people. So it was Hercules that did it?"
"Yeah, that´s what my dad told me. He wasn´t with Xena yet, but both Hercules and Xena told him the story later on," Virgil told her remembering the tales of Xena at Joxer´s knee growing up and still missing him.
His belief that Hercules might be persuaded to help because she had changed, hearted her with some measure of hope. "Okay, I´ll try talking to him and see if he can help. We leave at first light. The sooner we are out of Rome the better I will feel," Eve said still watching the crowd in the inn´s tavern. "Do you want to take a ship or go overland?"
"Overland. I´ve had enough sailing for a while. I like having dry land under me for awhile if we can get to Trillium maybe we can get a ship to take us the rest of the way to Greece. We´ve got a couple of months until we are supposed to hook up with your mom and Gabrielle. Besides this might give you time to get to know your son," Virgil said gently.
She looked up at him both angry and sad, her eyes flashing. "I—don´t want to get to know him. If I do then I might not be able to give him up. It´s hard enough as it is. But as long as he´s with me he´s in danger. I have too many enemies now. I can´t be his mother," she said fighting back the tears that threatened to overtake her.
Virgil got a little mad at her for her reaction. He looked at her and said a little harshly, "so you´re going do what your mom did with your brother, Solan? Let him be raised by someone else, and then when she did meet him by accident, he was Areon´s age. She was like you and she never could tell him she was his mother. Then a year later Callisto sicked Hope, Gabrielle´s demon daughter, on him, and she killed him in cold blood. It wasn´t until he was dying that he knew the truth that Xena, his friend, was also his mother. Just before you were born Xena went to Tartarus to get the helmet of invisibility from Hades, and found him and took him to the Elysian Fields. He was the one who picked out your name—Eve. And because she lost your brother and never got the chance to be with him growing up she was so determined to raise you and keep you safe—even after you were grown," Virgil told her and she was stunned. She knew she had had an older brother, but not much more than that.
"Oh god,. I didn´t know all that. I am repeating history aren´t I?" she said sadly, feeling ashamed too for what she felt she needed to do. "Virgil, it´s not that I don´t want him, I am so afraid for him. Afraid of all the things in my past, and the people in them catching up to me. When I had him I was just beginning my career as a warrior and I knew what kind of life I was going to be having. It wasn´t safe for him to be with me, or to be left with my father here in Rome. And he´s never known about my son, and I want to keep it that way too," she told him.
"But you´re not Livia anymore, or at least that is what you keep telling me. This might be your chance to make a new life, a new beginning for yourself. This is the one thing from your past you can be proud of, that isn´t tainted with blood, and you can change. Right now you don´t know what you are supposed to do or what your destiny is—maybe this is it? Maybe this is why we ended up in Rome when we did at the time we did. There are always reasons for things happening the way they do. Maybe this is another chance for you, for the new path you want to go on since you no longer want to be a warrior? Maybe it´s time for you to be Areon´s mother like you were meant to be?" Virgil questioned gently seeing that he was getting to her.
Eve hung her head sadly, "but I don´t know how to be a mother? I´ve never been around kids that much. What if he doesn´t want me, or want anything to do with me? He knows about Livia the Bitch of Rome and already he´s afraid of me. I´ve seen it in his eyes when he looks at me," he told him taking a hardy slug of her wine, and setting it heavily down.
Virgil shrugged, and took a sip of his own wine as he considered her fears. "Yeah, I saw that, but that can change. He just needs to get to know you better. Just look what he has been through—his village taken, everyone still alive taken prisoner and then made into slaves, then he was going to be sold, and now he´s ended up with us, and he doesn´t know anything about you except what he´s been told. If I was a kid his age I´d be afraid too of everything and everyone too," he told her.
Eve nodded knowing he was making sense. "Yeah, you do have a way of putting things in perspective. So you´re saying just give him time and space?"
"Yeph, that´d be the best way to handle it. Just be a friend to him, enjoy him, and be yourself," he added.
"You have kids, Virgil?" she asked, never having heard him say anything.
"Did," he admitted and she looked at him questioningly, so he continued. "I had two sons, but they and their mother died a couple of years ago when some raiders attacked my farm. I haven´t wanted to get remarried or involved with anyone after that. I moved back with parents to help them with the Inn and was doing some blacksmithing when Xena and Gabrielle reappeared," he told her keeping the remembered pain out of his voice—barely.
"I´m sorry. It wasn´t any of my troops was it?" she worried, hoping she wasn´t the cause of that loss too.
"Nope. This time you´re off the hook as it was just a stay pack of raiders going through the countryside. Though I did hear your troops did take care of them," he told her easing her fears.
"Least I did something right for a change," she murmured. Then she gasped sharply, and looked up towards the front door very alarmed and scared, and Virgil followed her gaze. A troop of imperial Roman guards led by a high ranking Centurion was coming in and heading for the innkeeper. Eve drew her cloak around her tighter to hide her face, but it was to no avail as the innkeeper pointed in their direction after the Centurion flipped him several silver coins.
Eve saw them coming and hurriedly told Virgil " don´t say a word, and stay still. Whatever happens make sure you get Areon, and Dana to Hercules. Do not go to my mother! She can´t know--ever!" she begged panicking and at the same time trying to calm down to face the coming threat. "Promise me, Virgil you´ll keep him safe," she begged and gripped his hand painfully.
He looked at her and nodded his agreement, "Okay, I promise, I´ll keep him safe and not tell your mom. I swear," he said, and she released his hand and he drew it back to massage it and check if any bones were broken. The women in Xena´s family were all super strong as he had found out the hard way. Then he turned his attention to the approaching solders and loosened his own weapon just in case.
The Centurion and the troop of six solders made a beeline to their table. The commander stopped and bowed before her giving her the imperial salute. "Your Highness, your father has requested that I bring you to him immediately. You will follow me," he stated flatly, telling her it was a royal command not a request.
Eve pulled back her hood since it was useless to hide any longer. She stood and faced him, almost eye to eye, becoming Livia once again with all the power and force of her position that it entailed and eyed the Centurion like he was dirt beneath her feet making him extremely nervous now. "I will not. I have no business with him. I have already sent him word that I gave up my rank, and titles as well as any claims to the throne. Now I am a private citizen, and I wish to be left alone. I wish him well, but I can no longer be his daughter," she told him looking the man square in the eye and making him flinch, especially seeing that she was armed made him more nervous as he had seen her in combat and knew how deadly she was.
The Centurion cleared his throat. "Milady, this is an imperial order. We were to come back with you or else," he said trying to get her to back down which was not working as she was getting madder and madder with the situation.
"Or else you´d lose your heads or what, Centurion? You really think you can make me go if I do not wish it?" she asked with a deadly hiss, suddenly grabbing his neck and pulling him to her, his feet lifting off the ground. The young looking solders in his troop looking uncertain as to what to do about the situation as they fingered their pikes nervously.
"No, milady. Your father will be very upset. He needs you. Rome needs you. You are his only heir, otherwise if he dies Rome goes to his cousin. He wants Rome in your hands, especially now that you have changed—he said," the Centurion told her.
Eve frowned, feeling the pull of Rome, and that there was logic in her father´s request, as the cousin in question was a total sick idiot, and Rome as well as the world would be in dire straights if he took the throne. But she no longer wanted the power and responsibility of ruling a vast empire like she had once wanted to. It wasn´t her any more. If she said yes to her father and became his heir again, she wasn´t sure whether or not she would stay changed, and stay on the path of redemption she was trying to walk or not. Then there was her son, the last thing she wanted was for him to be anywhere near the imperial court with all it´s sick debauchery and madness as she knew now that she did want her son, and was not going to give him up. She had already decided to raise him herself even if that through herself and her mother at odds,
She made her decision and looked at the man already feeling sorry for him, but she had to do what her heart and soul told her. "My decision is still no. I cannot and will not take the throne. I am not that person anymore and I will not be her again and that is what Rome needs, not me. He will have to look elsewhere for a heir. I´m sorry," she told him, finally releasing the man who stood shakily on his feet, rubbing his sore neck. "Now go, leave me. I wish no further trouble from you," she warned him.
"I am sorry your highness, but you must go. I have orders that if you didn´t comply that I was to arrest you, and take you by force," he apologized, then making a motion to his waiting men to seize her.
Before the first one could move forward she had drawn her sword, and thrown her cloak off. Eve stood battle ready daring one of them to try, and take her. She was as imposing, and deadly looking as her mother could be, and as she had been when Virgil first saw her. This was not Eve that stood there, but fully Livia again, and the solders stopped their forward motion instantaneously in fear of her. Virgil started to move, and help her, but thought better of it because he was still sitting, and was ringed in by the solders. "Who wants to die first?" she asked, baring her teeth, and pointing her sword at the Centurion´s mid section.
The Centurion was not that suicidal, and knew full well of her skills as a warrior. He knew he wouldn´t last a minute with her, nor would any of his men. It would take better, and more skilled warriors than he had to take this woman down—if they could. He had seen her beat the God of War in a fight, so how could he, a mere mortal win? Orders or no orders, he wasn´t that ready to die. The Centurion did the only thing he could—he surrendered. "I yield to you, milady. We will leave, and report back to your father your wishes," he said stepping back a couple of paces and motioning his men to sheath their weapons as well.
Eve nodded, "That is a wise decision, Centurion—a very wise one. Now go before I change my mind, and decide I want to test my skills against your men´s," she told him with a grim smile, her eyes giving him no mercy at all as she kept her sword raised, and ready still as they began backing away.
With a final parting nod, the Centurion motioned his men to retreat, and they did so gladly trying to keep what was left of their dignity as they left hastily out the door. Only when the last of them had finally left did Eve lower her sword, and resheathed it. She grabbed her cloak, and again pulled it around her before she sat back down. She was shivering, and shaking now. It had been a very close call, and she had had to call forth her other self which she had hated to do. As Eve she could not have been able to face them all down. Only as Livia could she do that. She was very ashamed before Virgil, for she wanted that part of herself gone for good, but she was seeing that Livia was still very much a part of her, and nearer to the surface than she wanted her to be.
Virgil looked her very concerned. He had watched her performance, and knew it had not been entirely an act. It was almost if Eve was two people now. She was Eve, but just below the surface Livia still lurked, and until she could get away from here, and stresses now placed upon her-- there was the danger of Livia rising more, and more to the surface, and maybe overtaking the fragile personality that was Eve. "Are you okay?" he finally asked looking at her bowed head, and the slight trembling of her frame that he could see despite the dimness of their booth.
"I´ll...be okay," she stammered, her head still bowed, too ashamed to look at him as she clutched her cloak tighter around her, her fingers digging into the dark woolen cloth.
"It´s okay. You did good. You got them to leave," he reassured her, feeling kind of helpless now as he wasn´t quite sure what to say, or how to help her.
"Yeah for now. They´ll be back, or they´ll send in one the elite squads to deal with me. My father will not take no for any answer. I got that loud and clear. Gods, could it get any more worse! Months ago I wanted the throne so damned bad I would have done anything to get it, and Ares was going to help me do it. I was going to be Empress, and nothing or no one was going to stop me, or could. Then Xena came and my entire life, all that I knew, believed in, was thrown out. I found out that my entire life was a lie. And then I had Ares telling me she had abandoned me, hadn´t wanted me because he wanted me to be mad at her because he was, and wanted to hurt her using me—just like he´s always used me—that´s why he will never see his son. I am not going to let Ares, or my father, or Rome use me again—ever. That much I have made my mind up. We´re leaving now, tonight, Virgil. We cannot stay here because they will be back. I figure we have an hour or less," she told him looking up finally and her blue eyes were haunted, but with angry fires, though not at him, but at the situation she was now placed into by fate and destiny.
"But Eve, you´re exhausted. How are we going to get out of the city if they are going to be looking for you?" he asked worried now.
She smiled, but without humor, "I have my ways. Let´s go, and get Areon and Dana while we still can leave. As it is we are still going to have to sneak out as this inn is now being watched. The Centurion was not a stupid man—I saw that. He will have at least posted his men around so that we cannot leave until reinforcements arrive. And they will arrive," she warned him in no uncertain terms, grabbing up her mug and draining the last of her drink before setting it back of the table and standing up.
Virgil got up too, and followed her. They went up the narrow stairs making it appear that they were in no hurry, ignoring the curious stares that followed them as everyone had heard the confrontation with the solders, and had seen them earlier with the boy, and the other woman when Virgil was telling his stores about Xena. Now they were unsure what to think, but since the imperial court was involved those that had any opinions kept them to themselves least they end up in the Coliseum thrown to the lions or worse.
Once upstairs they went quickly to their room, and found that Dana and Areon were still there safety sleeping. They hated to wake them, but there was no choice as Eve went to Dana, and woke her up, and started explaining in a low voice what had happened downstairs. The older woman nodded understanding, and quickly got to her feet, and began hurriedly packing their clothes, and belongings they had just bought. Virgil got Areon wake, and hushed the boy to be quiet. He quickly caught on that they were in danger, and quieted down without further protests. Eve kept watch out the window that luckily faced the street, and could see where the solders kept watch. She could only see five but knew that there were more scattered out of view. They would have to find another way out as they would be too visible leaving from the front, or by their window.
Opening the door Virgil went ahead, and checked the hallway looking for an escape route. He came back with a smile, and motioned the group to follow. Dana and Areon followed Virgil with Eve taking the rear. She was proud of them both as they moved quietly down the hall. At the end of the hall was a window which Virgil had opened. It led to a slanting clay tiled roof, beyond which was a balcony and stairs going down to the alley below. The trick was going to be getting across the tiles to the balcony without falling or any of the tiles working loose causing someone to slip and fall or the tiles falling to the street and alerting someone they were there. If it had been just her, and Virgil there would have been no problem, however it wasn´t just them. Eve began praying that somehow they would be able to escape and she could get them safely out of Rome.
Virgil went first taking Dana with him. Instead of trusting her to walk on her own he picked up and carried her, carefully navigating the slippery sloping tiles and got her to the safety of the balcony, then he returned for Areon, looking almost like a tightrope walker as he made his way back. He picked up the child lifting him through the window, and as he did solders appeared in the hallway. They saw them escaping and made a rush for the window. Eve motioned Virgil to go. "Get the hell out of here now!´ she yelled as she drew her sword, and stood ready to face her attackers as they charged at her their pikes extended before them.
Virgil did go. but he almost slipped, and fell in his nervousness to escape with the boy. Finally he got him safely to Dana who took him as they looked back watching Eve try to defend herself. By her first sword thrust she had reverted back to Livia, and within minutes all ten of the imperial household guards were dead. She wiped her bloody blade off on one of the dead solders tunics, sneering down at him and reshealthed her sword. The red haze of the bloodrage then left her, and she shook her head to clear it. and she looked down in despair at what she had done, horrified that she had again taken a life. She heard Virgil calling to her to hurry it up, and she remembered what she had to do. Shakily she made her way back to the open window, and climbed out. She didn´t remember walking across the roof, but Virgil caught her before she fell as one of the tiles broke loose under her booted feet, and fell down to the alley below shattering loudly apart on impact with the hard stone surface.
"We´ve got to get out of here before someone investigates,´ Virgil told her, grabbing her arm for emphasis, seeing that she was not in good shape at all. Trying to get her focused again.
Eve snapped to awareness as soon as he touched her, and realized the spot they were in. Hurriedly they went down the stairs, and she headed her group down the alley away from the street, and then they began going through the inner alleys, and maze of streets as well as through backyards to escape any pursuers. Luckily she knew this district, and she also knew where to get help at that late hour for it was close to midnight.
They finally stopped for a moment in the deep shadows between two close buildings as Eve went cautiously ahead scouting for patrols, and to see if the way was clear. She came back calmly, and told Virgil what she was up to. "There is a stable not far from here. I am going to see about getting us horses. I would get a wagon, but that would slow us down. The hard part is going to be getting through the city gates. I am hoping that orders to detain me if I try to leave the city have not reached the guards yet. If they have we will have to fight or talk our way through, and I really want to avoid that," she told him, still watching the street before them for any sign of patrols.
"Yeah, I do too. But if we have to fight, we have to. You want us to come with you or wait?" he asked.
"I was going to have you wait, but time is of the essence, so when I say it´s clear grab Areon and run across the street, and head for that alley over there," she told him pointing out which one. "Dana and I will be right behind you," she told him.
"Got it," he acknowledged and picked up the boy having him wrap his arms around his neck and telling him to hold on.
Eve grabbed Dana´s hand and when Eve saw the street was clear she motioned Virgil to go and he did running quickly across the bright lamp lit street until he reached the shadowed safety of the other side and then he made his way down it to reach the alley she had pointed out. She and Dana were just starting to run across when a patrol rounded the corner, and spotted them.
"There she is!" one of the solders shouted angrily and the troop of twenty solders began running towards them to cut off their escape. Dana froze in fear, and would not move even though Eve was tugging on her arm trying to get her to run for her life because by this time the solders had lowered their spears and were not slowing down even though their commander was telling them to. Eve was torn between leaving her or making a stand, and fighting. She ended up doing both as she let go of Dana´s hand, and got her sword out ready to take the entire group on. They rushed her with their long spears before them thinking she was going to be easy prey. She sprung over them before they had a chance to react and five were dead before they knew what had hit them. She was like a wild, mad hornet that they could not even begin to catch as she danced around them, cutting them literally apart with no conscious thought from her. Then there were no more. The fight, such as it had been, had taken less than five minutes to down all the men, and their hapless commander. Eve shook the blood haze from her eyes, and looked around in horrified shock at what she had done once again. Then she remembered Dana, and looked for her amidst the bloody corpses. She found her finally pierced through the heart by one of the spears. She was dead, and Eve fell to her knees, and wept for the loss of her once close and dear friend. She suddenly became aware of the perilous nature of her position as she heard hoofbeats in the distance coming closer. She sprang up, and grabbed Dana´s dropped bundles to hurriedly make her way across to the street to meet up with Virgil and Areon, who luckily had stayed put and not exposed themselves.
She managed to duck into the alley before the mounted patrol came around the corner to investigate the battle they had heard. This would at least buy them some time as the patrol tried to determine what had happened. Quickly Eve, with Virgil carrying Areon, made their way down the long narrow alley trying to avoid stepping on anyone who had decided to sleep or crash there in the narrow alley for the night for they were entering into the poorer, more dangerous parts of town where the less fortunate of Rome camped out where ever they could find space to live.
After several blocks they slowed down, and they came to the stables she knew. Banging on a door she finally got the owner to answer it. "What do you want! Come back in the morning!" he snarled from his upper window looking down at them in the deserted street.
"Hassen, it´s me Livia. I need horses and I need them now!" she snarled back angrily, staring back at him making him flinch back in recognition.
"I heard you were dead. Something about you making some Gods down in Greece mad at you and they fried you!" the large, overweight bare chested man told her as he leaned out the window to get a better look at her and her companions in the dim torch light of the street.
"Actually they were the ones that got fried. I´m still here—they´re not! So get your worthless ass down here and get me some horses, fast horses not those damn plow ponies you tried to palm off on me the last time!" she told him in no uncertain terms.
"All right, I´m getting, I´m getting," he growled as he spit out the window, just barely missing Virgil, who glared back at him in disgust. Then Hassen turned and went back in and then opened the door a minute later and stepped out to meet the nervous group waiting on his doorstep. "So what´s the big rush? Where´s all your men?" he asking walking up to her looking her over, and then Virgil, and finally the boy he was holding who was keeping quiet but taking in everything wide eyed.
"It´s a special mission, undercover. I´ve got to return this kid to his parents, okay? Time is crucial though, so that´s why I need fast horses. Just two. The boy will ride with one of us, and no fancy tack. This is all low profile—got it?" she told him. She had dealt with this man for over ten years now. He was one of the few people in Rome she did trust and who would not willing betray her for a few pieces of silver.
"Okay," he sighed. "You going pay me up front or is your daddy going to?" he asked, not making a move yet. He stood there with his arms folded. It was a game they had long played, but she was in no mood for games tonight.
She reached into her pouch and handed him several gold pieces. "That going to handle it?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
He almost whistled at the amount she had just handed him. He smiled broadly now and knew she was on one of her don´t tell any one that you´ve seen me jobs. He looked at the coins and bit one just to be sure they were real. "Yeah, that´ll do nicely. I still got Storm if you want him. For your friend I think Haze will do. He´s fast but gentle," Hassen said as he led them across the small cobblestone courtyard to the stables and opened the doors.
Luckily there were no nasty surprises like solders laying in wait for them as Eve was starting to fear with Hassen´s stalling and haggling. Quickly they got the two horses saddled up. Virgil´s horse was an easy going bay gelding, and Eve´s was a solid black temperamental stallion. Though for her the horse quieted and settled down and she patted him affectionately. He was her favorite mount and had road many a campaign on him. She had been keeping her private, personal stock here for over ten years rather than at the palace because there were times like now that she needed to get away quickly, and didn´t want to anyone to know or hassle with the palace horse handlers. All the highly bred animals here were well cared for and fully trained.
Soon they were mounted with Areon riding in front with Virgil. Eve had also gotten and filled some water sacks and food for the trip to add to their gear secured to their saddles. She thanked Hassen and they sped away towards the eastern gate which was the closest now. The sky was already starting to lighten a bit in the east with touches of pinks and purples as the stars began to gradually disappear. It had taken much longer than she had thought it would to get to the sables and be on their way. Now she knew the guards would be on watch for them. Too much time had elapsed, and a good trained runner would have had more than enough time to send messages to all the city gate outposts. Somehow she was going to have to bluff their way through, and hope that they got out without her having another bloody battle again.
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