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.I thought he was just a lowly deserter.I didn t know he wasan oracle back then. Brinnie watched Antony.That stillness that at once frightened and exhilaratedher bunched in the muscle of his shoulder.His hands moved calmly to turn the meat CALEDONIA 113and then wiped slowly down the length of his thigh as he stood. We ve got time toeat, he said quietly. We can still be an hour or so on the road ahead of these men. He walked to the side of the bed and spoke directly to the old lady; Theywant you to go with them.They ve got a store wagon, it won t be hard to set upbedding and make it a comfortable place to travel.They ll be moving slowly, goingthrough a line of camps with these supplies before they get back to the main camp intime for the Druid s big showpiece. I don t know how your little one here will go with the journey.She made itback this far by herself once already, and you can t know if or when you might meetup with the men who lost her. I told them you d be better here, left with a little food and a nanny for milk.Ithink they ll do that for you if you want.It s up to you. She looked at him through her clouded blue eyes, reading the calm in hishands and the fire in his eyes. How long will we be alone here? They ll go to war the day after full moon, or the next, he paused for just amoment. They ll be in hard retreat and back this far two days from then. Four days, or five? We can manage that, can t we dear? She stroked theshoulder of the little girl, who turned and offered a slow smile. She doesn t need tobe moved again.Between us we can make enough to eat. Ula shoved plates of meat forward, one for Vettona and one for Antony.Brinnie felt slightly ill.The tension between Ula and Antony frightened hersomewhere deep in her gut under conscious reasoning, and she couldn t quite put herfinger on the cause.Nausea moved and churned in her stomach, but she swallowed it,letting it pull the coldness from her cheeks down into its roll. I ve put aside cheese and honey pots for them.And for us, she whispered.Her voice had no strength and she felt removed from the room, like she was watchingsomeone else perform a complex set of movements. There are turnips, too, sheadded, trying to shake off a creeping sense of unease. I think they should go, Ula chimed and Antony smiled at her.There mighthave been light in his eyes but it was cold, and Brinnie studied him from the midst ofher mounting confusion. We ve heard what you think, he said. Now you can shut up and eat.We llbe riding hard for the next twelve hours.Eat well. He strode to the door, andBrinnie almost jumped after him, afraid he was leaving and not sure why.But hestopped and turned on his heel, walking up to stand right in front of her, and hereached a hand to her shoulder, letting a thumb slip gently down her cheek. Will you stay here? The same desperation was in his eyes that she had seenthe night before.The same fire, the same passion, the same earnest pleading.She couldn t answer, but she shook her head slightly and as he had once done,turned her cheek into his palm. Then I ll saddle your horse.You have to eat more, get some strength back. He tilted his face forward to rest his forehead on hers, and then turned back to thedoor. Eat, he called over his shoulder. Ula? Brin let the adrenaline settle more evenly through her system,unclenching her fists and forcing her shoulders to loosen. What was that about? About? Nothing cryptic there, Brinnie. CALEDONIA 114Vettona watched the girls silently from the pallet, slowly chewing the pinkmeat. Have your say.Finish it and get it of your chest.You want to make troublefor him.I m guessing that s because you wanted; what was it you said now? Youwanted one that looked like him to keep you for a pet.Was that it? Ula walked to face her, a grin as cold and unlovely as the one Antony had justgiven her smeared across her face. What more could I need to say? He walked inand out of a Roman city.He speaks Latin as his first language.He may know ourlanguage, but his accent is so thick sometimes you could trip over it.He writes,probably reads as well, Roman soldiers do, did you know that? Add it up. Brinnie nodded.She d asked herself about each of these points before. Noneof that adds up to squat, actually. Not when he d put his own life on the line to savehers.Not when he had so many opportunities to ride away and not look back.Notwhen he d told her how he felt about her, and she d seen the truth of it in his eyes. As for reading and writing, you don t even know what that tin is for.If he sa deserter, if he s any kind of Roman, he wouldn t be here now. For all your speculation, there are times you haven t been with us, things youhaven t heard or seen.Things that make a difference. I know that, Brin.Plenty of times I haven t been with you.That just meanshe prefers to lie to you privately.You said yourself he thinks you re like a child, allinnocent and naive.Or stupid. She walked easily back to the roasting meat and turned both pieces. Butyou re wrong.I don t have any interest in making trouble for him, none at all.He sthe best chance we ve got to survive all of this, and with him I can still come out ontop.So long as your lover doesn t cut his throat for him. I don t care if he s Caesar himself, or why he s chosen to jump ship and takeup this cause.I m just waiting for the day you betray him like you have every othergood man who s fallen at your feet.First you betrayed Cam for Calgacus, now himfor the Roman.And when we get to the front, you ll betray Antony for the new king. When you do, I ll still be somewhere near.Waiting. Brinnie pushed curls back from her face, and pulled her shoulders straight.Ula would be somewhere near; there d be no doubt about that.But her wait would bewasted.Calgacus was not her lover, and never would be again.There was nothing to be gained from this conversation.The words cut tooclose to the bone, opening old wounds that were bloodless now from the months theybeen laid bare and unhealed.Her betrayals were past, her innocence and naivetégone. I ll assume you ve told him all that? she said in a tight hiss. You d be right
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