of a woman possessed of dark auburn hair lolled dangerously near the rear edge of the cart and Jilana halted abruptly. A strangled cry escaped her lips as the hair fell away from the woman's face, revealing features unfamiliar to Jilana.
"What is it?" Caddaric asked impatiently, his temper flaring at what, he was sure, was Jilana's deliberate defiance.
"My mother—" Jilana choked out. "I... I thought I my mother."
Caddaric glanced at the receding cart and then at Jilana. "Come." Jilana obeyed automatically, only to bring herself and Caddaric to a stop before they had taken a dozen steps by the simple method of digging her heels the ground and refusing to move. A fierce gleam in his eye, Caddaric jerked Jilana to him. "You try my good ire overmuch, Roman. Continue in this manner and will learn how I treat disobedient slaves!"
Barely conscious of his ire, Jilana raised her eyes to Caddaric. "I must find them, Briton. My parents, Claudia, Lucius—I cannot allow them to go to their graves lout being properly prepared."
Caddaric's face shuttered. "Impossible."
"Why?"
"Jilana—" Caddaric shook his head. "Mass graves have been dug. There is no way of knowing in which one family lies or if they have yet been buried. They may even be together, Jilana."
"I do not care!" Jilana said wildly. "I must find them I will, though it means searching every grave! You have killed them, is that not enough for you? Must you deny me the comfort of seeing them purified before gods?"
"What you wish is not possible," Caddaric replied. "I understand your sorrow, but 'twill serve no purpose to it through the bodies."
Jilana blanched. "Are they beheaded, then? Dismembered, so I cannot recognize them?"
"Nay." Caddaric's voice gentled. "You do not realize enormity of what you are asking, Jilana. I watched you in the courtyard; you nearly fainted at the sight of the heads on the pikes. How will you be able to sort through the dead?"
"I am stronger now, and prepared for what I must face," Jilana added quickly at Caddaric's grunt of disbelief. "In my place, would you not beg exactly what I have?"
Caddaric appeared to soften, briefly, but the next moment he clamped an iron hand on Jilana's arm and propelled her along. In a harsh tone he muttered, "You have begged naught, either from myself or Boadicea. For a slave you are too full of yourself and a life that was. If you do not lose your pride and accept your fate, I shall resort to unpleasant methods to make you tolerable."
Jilana shivered, aware she had pushed the Iceni warrior to his limits, yet she could not abandon her family and Lucius. For their immortal souls Jilana would do what she had not done before—humble herself to the man who had killed them and enslaved her. She would do as her father had advised—oh! how long ago it now seemed—and compromise. Quickly, lest her pride overrule her heart, Jilana put her free hand over Caddaric's and, having caught him off balance, pulled him into one of the deserted buildings they were passing. If she must be humbled, 'twould be in private.
"By the gods, what—" Caddaric's roar died as Jilana fell to her knees in front of him.
"Forgive me, lord, for having angered you. Henceforth I shall chain my tongue and seek only to please you and obey your every command. Only have patience with me, I pray you, should my manner lapse, for I am unaccustomed to the role of slave."
Wary of this sudden change of heart, Caddaric placed a hand under both of Jilana's elbows and raised her so that he could gaze into her eyes. "I am neither a child nor a fool, Roman. You speak these sweet words only so that I will allow you to search for your family."
Jilana stared into the hard blue depths of Caddaric's eyes, feeling her toes brush the floor. His hold upon her did not waver and while Jilana knew Caddaric could easily crush her if he so desired, she also sensed he did not mean to harm her. "Tis true, lord; I wish to find my family. Yet should you grant my boon,
"What is it?" Caddaric asked impatiently, his temper flaring at what, he was sure, was Jilana's deliberate defiance.
"My mother—" Jilana choked out. "I... I thought I my mother."
Caddaric glanced at the receding cart and then at Jilana. "Come." Jilana obeyed automatically, only to bring herself and Caddaric to a stop before they had taken a dozen steps by the simple method of digging her heels the ground and refusing to move. A fierce gleam in his eye, Caddaric jerked Jilana to him. "You try my good ire overmuch, Roman. Continue in this manner and will learn how I treat disobedient slaves!"
Barely conscious of his ire, Jilana raised her eyes to Caddaric. "I must find them, Briton. My parents, Claudia, Lucius—I cannot allow them to go to their graves lout being properly prepared."
Caddaric's face shuttered. "Impossible."
"Why?"
"Jilana—" Caddaric shook his head. "Mass graves have been dug. There is no way of knowing in which one family lies or if they have yet been buried. They may even be together, Jilana."
"I do not care!" Jilana said wildly. "I must find them I will, though it means searching every grave! You have killed them, is that not enough for you? Must you deny me the comfort of seeing them purified before gods?"
"What you wish is not possible," Caddaric replied. "I understand your sorrow, but 'twill serve no purpose to it through the bodies."
Jilana blanched. "Are they beheaded, then? Dismembered, so I cannot recognize them?"
"Nay." Caddaric's voice gentled. "You do not realize enormity of what you are asking, Jilana. I watched you in the courtyard; you nearly fainted at the sight of the heads on the pikes. How will you be able to sort through the dead?"
"I am stronger now, and prepared for what I must face," Jilana added quickly at Caddaric's grunt of disbelief. "In my place, would you not beg exactly what I have?"
Caddaric appeared to soften, briefly, but the next moment he clamped an iron hand on Jilana's arm and propelled her along. In a harsh tone he muttered, "You have begged naught, either from myself or Boadicea. For a slave you are too full of yourself and a life that was. If you do not lose your pride and accept your fate, I shall resort to unpleasant methods to make you tolerable."
Jilana shivered, aware she had pushed the Iceni warrior to his limits, yet she could not abandon her family and Lucius. For their immortal souls Jilana would do what she had not done before—humble herself to the man who had killed them and enslaved her. She would do as her father had advised—oh! how long ago it now seemed—and compromise. Quickly, lest her pride overrule her heart, Jilana put her free hand over Caddaric's and, having caught him off balance, pulled him into one of the deserted buildings they were passing. If she must be humbled, 'twould be in private.
"By the gods, what—" Caddaric's roar died as Jilana fell to her knees in front of him.
"Forgive me, lord, for having angered you. Henceforth I shall chain my tongue and seek only to please you and obey your every command. Only have patience with me, I pray you, should my manner lapse, for I am unaccustomed to the role of slave."
Wary of this sudden change of heart, Caddaric placed a hand under both of Jilana's elbows and raised her so that he could gaze into her eyes. "I am neither a child nor a fool, Roman. You speak these sweet words only so that I will allow you to search for your family."
Jilana stared into the hard blue depths of Caddaric's eyes, feeling her toes brush the floor. His hold upon her did not waver and while Jilana knew Caddaric could easily crush her if he so desired, she also sensed he did not mean to harm her. "Tis true, lord; I wish to find my family. Yet should you grant my boon,
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