his face in weary surprise. ‘I didn’t— That didn’t need . . .’
Tancorix looked at him steadily, eyebrows a little raised. She smiled.
Sulien went back into the bedroom and lifted Una off the bed. He had only picked her up once before, a year or two ago – for a joke, and to show how easily he could do it. But she hadn’t liked that, and he didn’t like doing it now. Her limp body felt horridly insubstantial in his arms: too light, too easily broken or removed.
The building was quiet. Most of his neighbours who’d been inside must have gone out in answer to Drusus’ call. Still he felt raw and exposed, creeping down the stairs with Una clutched against him – though surely his neighbours wouldn’t just turn him in if they saw him, whatever the Praetorians had told them? But he should have covered up the blood with something.
He hesitated when he reached his own floor, crouching on the steps as he settled Una more firmly in his arms and eyeing the doorway of his flat, thinking of what he could salvage, but afraid of taking Una in and being trapped there.
Varius came up the stairs looking for him, moving slowly, as if hewere drugged. In that first second of seeing them, he plainly thought that Sulien was holding Una’s corpse and he stumbled back, horrified out of the stupor that had held him since he’d stabbed the Praetorian. He gasped, ‘Gods—! Una—’
‘She’s fine,’ Sulien said hastily, wishing he’d made a different decision about Una’s clothes. ‘She put her fists through a window. A lot of cuts, that’s all. I gave her a sedative.’
Varius nodded jerkily, but he continued to shudder, too many coiled loops of shock beginning to unwind at once.
‘Look,’ said Sulien, loading Una unceremoniously into his arms, ‘you get her into the car. You look after her. I’m going to get some things from the flat.’ Aside from the practical reasons for this, he hoped it might make Varius hold together a little longer. And part of him knew he was glad of an excuse to get Una’s motionless body away from him for a while.
It felt strange to be giving Varius orders, but it worked, at least to the extent that Varius didn’t actually collapse and managed to hold Una up, although not very steadily. Sulien went to the door of the flat, reached inside and grabbed a winter coat hanging there. He draped it over Una. ‘If anyone stops you, say you’re taking her to a hospital; she was at the Colosseum and knocked her head. We thought she was all right, but she just passed out, a minute ago.’
‘We can’t keep using my car,’ Varius said, sounding quite dispassionate, more like himself.
Sulien, down to the last scrapings of self-control himself, moaned through his teeth. Anyone who lent them a car would be taking far too much of a risk. ‘It’ll be all right for tonight, won’t it? It’ll have to be, we can’t— I don’t know how to steal one, I can’t think of—’
‘Nor can I,’ admitted Varius, and gave a misshapen smile. ‘Just a murderer, not a thief.’
‘Varius—’ began Sulien.
Varius shook his head impatiently, forestalling anything Sulien might say – or trying to clear away the thought – and muttered, ‘I suppose they can’t have a checkpoint on every road out of the city, not yet,’ and carried Una away.
Sulien began picking through the mess, snatching up things almost at random until he was no longer able to ignore certain facts: that anything left behind now would be lost for ever, that he would never see the window mended, or sleep in his own bed again. He felt a choking impulse to search more carefully, choose more sentimentally. What about presents Marcus had given him, or books borrowed and now unreturnable? How could he just leave them here? But he hadn’teven found a change of clothes for Una yet, and he couldn’t very well drag a leather shield from Ethiopia wherever they were ultimately going, unless he was planning on selling it. He picked up a
Tancorix looked at him steadily, eyebrows a little raised. She smiled.
Sulien went back into the bedroom and lifted Una off the bed. He had only picked her up once before, a year or two ago – for a joke, and to show how easily he could do it. But she hadn’t liked that, and he didn’t like doing it now. Her limp body felt horridly insubstantial in his arms: too light, too easily broken or removed.
The building was quiet. Most of his neighbours who’d been inside must have gone out in answer to Drusus’ call. Still he felt raw and exposed, creeping down the stairs with Una clutched against him – though surely his neighbours wouldn’t just turn him in if they saw him, whatever the Praetorians had told them? But he should have covered up the blood with something.
He hesitated when he reached his own floor, crouching on the steps as he settled Una more firmly in his arms and eyeing the doorway of his flat, thinking of what he could salvage, but afraid of taking Una in and being trapped there.
Varius came up the stairs looking for him, moving slowly, as if hewere drugged. In that first second of seeing them, he plainly thought that Sulien was holding Una’s corpse and he stumbled back, horrified out of the stupor that had held him since he’d stabbed the Praetorian. He gasped, ‘Gods—! Una—’
‘She’s fine,’ Sulien said hastily, wishing he’d made a different decision about Una’s clothes. ‘She put her fists through a window. A lot of cuts, that’s all. I gave her a sedative.’
Varius nodded jerkily, but he continued to shudder, too many coiled loops of shock beginning to unwind at once.
‘Look,’ said Sulien, loading Una unceremoniously into his arms, ‘you get her into the car. You look after her. I’m going to get some things from the flat.’ Aside from the practical reasons for this, he hoped it might make Varius hold together a little longer. And part of him knew he was glad of an excuse to get Una’s motionless body away from him for a while.
It felt strange to be giving Varius orders, but it worked, at least to the extent that Varius didn’t actually collapse and managed to hold Una up, although not very steadily. Sulien went to the door of the flat, reached inside and grabbed a winter coat hanging there. He draped it over Una. ‘If anyone stops you, say you’re taking her to a hospital; she was at the Colosseum and knocked her head. We thought she was all right, but she just passed out, a minute ago.’
‘We can’t keep using my car,’ Varius said, sounding quite dispassionate, more like himself.
Sulien, down to the last scrapings of self-control himself, moaned through his teeth. Anyone who lent them a car would be taking far too much of a risk. ‘It’ll be all right for tonight, won’t it? It’ll have to be, we can’t— I don’t know how to steal one, I can’t think of—’
‘Nor can I,’ admitted Varius, and gave a misshapen smile. ‘Just a murderer, not a thief.’
‘Varius—’ began Sulien.
Varius shook his head impatiently, forestalling anything Sulien might say – or trying to clear away the thought – and muttered, ‘I suppose they can’t have a checkpoint on every road out of the city, not yet,’ and carried Una away.
Sulien began picking through the mess, snatching up things almost at random until he was no longer able to ignore certain facts: that anything left behind now would be lost for ever, that he would never see the window mended, or sleep in his own bed again. He felt a choking impulse to search more carefully, choose more sentimentally. What about presents Marcus had given him, or books borrowed and now unreturnable? How could he just leave them here? But he hadn’teven found a change of clothes for Una yet, and he couldn’t very well drag a leather shield from Ethiopia wherever they were ultimately going, unless he was planning on selling it. He picked up a
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