“It’s alright, Charlotte, hush,” Emily whimpered.
Rusty got close to Emily’s face and snarled, “What did I tell you about chatting it up, huh? Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?”
“Yes, sir,” she said in a trembling voice.
He took a long sniff. “Oh, you smell mighty good, sweetness.”
Emily whimpered.
I wanted to kill him. “Leave her alone. If you want to mess with someone, mess with me.”
“Is that so?” Rusty said.
“Rusty!” Short Guy snapped. “Knock it off. Get back here. You’ve made your point.”
“I’ll see you later,” Rusty said to Emily. “We’ll be at camp real soon.”
When Rusty returned to be with Short Guy, Emily whispered, “Thank you for being my saving angel—but we’re all headed for our deaths.”
“Shh,” I hissed.
Some saving angel. I was all alone in Missouri amid the War of 1812. I couldn’t find Roman. I couldn’t find Marcellious.
If the dagger had sent me here, what on Earth did it want me to see?
Roman
Blasting through the atmosphere of some strange realm known only to time travelers, I dropped with an unceremonious thud on top of another body.
The body loudly grunted, and then the arms and legs flailed, kicking me, shoving me away from him.
“Get the fuck off of me,” the man shouted.
I blinked, clearing my gaze, and came face to face with Marcellious Demarrias.
“You!” I snarled, scrambling away from him.
I last remembered standing over Marcellious in the Colosseum in Rome, about to slice his head from his torso.
Where’s my knife? I’ve got to find my knife. I need a weapon to finish him off.
I cast my gaze wildly, looking for my dagger, a sword, anything.
That was when I realized I was in the middle of a forest somewhere. The hilt of my time-traveling dagger protruded from beneath soft dirt and leaves.
I lunged for it, snatching it into my palm, and lowered into a crouch, facing Marcellious. “Where’s Olivia?”
I whipped my head side to side, searching for my heart, my beautiful flame, my reason for existence.
Did she make it here with me? What if I lost her?
My heart began to crack.
“How the fuck should I know?” Marcellious grunted as he pushed to stand. “Where the fuck are we? If I’m dreaming, why am I dreaming aboutyou?”
Blood streaked his torso where I’d landed blows and gashes from my sword a short time ago.
At least, I thought it was a short time ago. The memory of fighting to the death in the arena felt fresh and recent.
