them back to civilisation. As they sighted Ryant, Sharn reflected on how dilapidated and rundown it looked. It was shrivelling like a dying thing as the clan deserted it.
They saw a figure in the distance. It was Guyleen hurrying along the track toward them with a basket full of herbs she had gathered in the woods. She smiled at Sharn when he shouted a greeting, but gave Fritha a suspicious stare as she always did.
“I have terrible news. Colun is to die tomorrow,” she said heavily.
A cold fist closed around Sharn’s heart. “Why so soon?”
Guyleen shrugged and spat on the ground. “Who knows with the foreigners? The things they should do fast they do slow, and what they should hurry, they never finish.” She placed a wrinkled arm around Sharn’s shoulders. “I’m sorry you must live in this time, when everything is turning to blood.”
And with this the old woman trudged wearily off to her dwelling.
He turned towards Fritha. “I am going to Damnonium straight away. There must be something I can do.”
Fritha nodded and hugged him with a murmur of comfort, and Sharn sprinted off.
It was evening when he arrived at the prison. Despite his begging, the guards would not let him in because of the lateness of the hour, so he headed to the entrance of the officers’ living quarters.
It helped that Sharn was now known at Crassus’s compound because he was ushered straight into Cumbria’s sleeping quarters.
“Guyleen says that da will be executed tomorrow.”
Cumbria sat her brother on her bed. “Britain has just got a new governor. He decreed that crimes like this must be punished swiftly.”
Sharn’s shoulders started to heave and tears pricked the back of his eyes. “What about Rem and Brion?” he asked.
“They have been condemned to row in the galleys for life. They’re already on their way to the coast.”
Sharn grimaced as he thought about this for a second. He’d heard that this fate was worse than a death sentence.
“Once da was caught, it was only a matter of time, Sharn, we both knew that.”
Sharn nodded dully. “They wouldn’t let me into the prison just now. Will they let us in tomorrow?”
Cumbria nodded. “Crassus will see to that.”
Sharn detected a warming in his sister’s voice when she mentioned Crassus’s name.
“You’re getting very close to him, aren’t you?”
“Don’t complain, Sharn. If it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be any visit.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Sharn said.
“Don’t try to make it back to Ryant in the dark. The stables are warm and comfortable enough,” Cumbria offered.
She got Sharn a blanket and showed him to the stables where he tried to sleep on a pile of hay – but tears came before sleep did.
CHAPTER 19
ROMAN JUSTICE
T he next morning as Sharn struggled wearily to his feet in the dawn chill, he went over and over in his mind what was going to take place that day and he could not believe it. Perhaps he was still asleep and this was another ghastly nightmare; but when he joined Cumbria in the kitchen and she handed him a bowl of porridge, the way it burnt his mouth was real enough.
Cumbria and Sharn headed out into the misty gloom. The sun seemed reluctant to rise, as if it also disapproved of the day to come.
They crunched across the frost-stiff grass towards the prison. Thankfully the guard who ushered them into Colun’s cell was kindly enough and left them alone.
Colun rose to greet them with a smile. He put his arms around them, and they stood together for a moment. Colun’s mood was light as if he was determined their last meeting would not be miserable, and he asked Sharn a lot of questions about Fritha, chuckling at the account of her attack on Alpin and Nectan.
Cumbria didn’t join in the conversation. She was preoccupied and seemed to be on the verge of saying something but stopped herself a couple of times.
“You’re very quiet, Cumbria,” Colun said.
Cumbria finally took the plunge,
They saw a figure in the distance. It was Guyleen hurrying along the track toward them with a basket full of herbs she had gathered in the woods. She smiled at Sharn when he shouted a greeting, but gave Fritha a suspicious stare as she always did.
“I have terrible news. Colun is to die tomorrow,” she said heavily.
A cold fist closed around Sharn’s heart. “Why so soon?”
Guyleen shrugged and spat on the ground. “Who knows with the foreigners? The things they should do fast they do slow, and what they should hurry, they never finish.” She placed a wrinkled arm around Sharn’s shoulders. “I’m sorry you must live in this time, when everything is turning to blood.”
And with this the old woman trudged wearily off to her dwelling.
He turned towards Fritha. “I am going to Damnonium straight away. There must be something I can do.”
Fritha nodded and hugged him with a murmur of comfort, and Sharn sprinted off.
It was evening when he arrived at the prison. Despite his begging, the guards would not let him in because of the lateness of the hour, so he headed to the entrance of the officers’ living quarters.
It helped that Sharn was now known at Crassus’s compound because he was ushered straight into Cumbria’s sleeping quarters.
“Guyleen says that da will be executed tomorrow.”
Cumbria sat her brother on her bed. “Britain has just got a new governor. He decreed that crimes like this must be punished swiftly.”
Sharn’s shoulders started to heave and tears pricked the back of his eyes. “What about Rem and Brion?” he asked.
“They have been condemned to row in the galleys for life. They’re already on their way to the coast.”
Sharn grimaced as he thought about this for a second. He’d heard that this fate was worse than a death sentence.
“Once da was caught, it was only a matter of time, Sharn, we both knew that.”
Sharn nodded dully. “They wouldn’t let me into the prison just now. Will they let us in tomorrow?”
Cumbria nodded. “Crassus will see to that.”
Sharn detected a warming in his sister’s voice when she mentioned Crassus’s name.
“You’re getting very close to him, aren’t you?”
“Don’t complain, Sharn. If it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be any visit.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Sharn said.
“Don’t try to make it back to Ryant in the dark. The stables are warm and comfortable enough,” Cumbria offered.
She got Sharn a blanket and showed him to the stables where he tried to sleep on a pile of hay – but tears came before sleep did.
CHAPTER 19
ROMAN JUSTICE
T he next morning as Sharn struggled wearily to his feet in the dawn chill, he went over and over in his mind what was going to take place that day and he could not believe it. Perhaps he was still asleep and this was another ghastly nightmare; but when he joined Cumbria in the kitchen and she handed him a bowl of porridge, the way it burnt his mouth was real enough.
Cumbria and Sharn headed out into the misty gloom. The sun seemed reluctant to rise, as if it also disapproved of the day to come.
They crunched across the frost-stiff grass towards the prison. Thankfully the guard who ushered them into Colun’s cell was kindly enough and left them alone.
Colun rose to greet them with a smile. He put his arms around them, and they stood together for a moment. Colun’s mood was light as if he was determined their last meeting would not be miserable, and he asked Sharn a lot of questions about Fritha, chuckling at the account of her attack on Alpin and Nectan.
Cumbria didn’t join in the conversation. She was preoccupied and seemed to be on the verge of saying something but stopped herself a couple of times.
“You’re very quiet, Cumbria,” Colun said.
Cumbria finally took the plunge,
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