‘I love you,’ said Bane, tears in his eyes. ‘I have thought of you every day since last we met.’
‘And I love you. Nothing will change that.’
‘Then you will come with me to the mountains, as first we planned?’
She did not answer at first, and in the silence Bane knew that he had lost her a second time. ‘I cannot be a wife to a man of blood. I will continue my work,’ she said. ‘Not in Stone, for another has taken my place. But I shall journey and preach. I shall find people who yearn for the spirit, and I will share with them the joys I have learned.’
‘I tried to save you,’ said Bane. ‘I just was not strong enough then.’
‘You did save me,’ she whispered. ‘I am sorry, Bane. I am sorry for both of us.’
Moving to his side she put her arms around him. He drew her in and kissed her cheek. ‘Where will you go?’ he asked.
To the far north. There is a tribe there who dwell in the White Mountains. I will bring the Source to them.’
‘I have heard of that place,’ said Brakus the Gladiator. ‘Even the Vars shun the area. The tribes of the White Mountains are ferocious. Some even say they eat the hearts of their enemies.’
Lia smiled. ‘Then they have great need of what I will bring to them.’ She walked towards the door.
‘The crowd will tear you apart, lady,’ said Telors. ‘We will come with you.’
Lia shook her head. ‘No-one will see me, and no-one will harm me. Not yet. May the Source bless you all.’ With that she walked from the room, towards the distant sounds of the rioting crowd.
Bane sat very still, his mind spinning. For more than two years he had lived with but a single thought, to avenge the murder of Lia. He had trained hard, eschewing all the comforts and pleasures of youth. Not for Bane the joys of the Occian whorehouse, or the wild and boisterous gatherings organized by the circus. Invitations from beautiful women, both married and unmarried, to attend them in their private chambers had been politely refused. Each night as Bane took to his bed he saw Voltan’s face, and pictured the day he would bring justice to the killer.
Now he sat in the silence of the Sword Room, staring down at the marble floor.
Rage moved to the seat beside him. ‘Talk to me, boy,’ he said, putting his arm round the younger man.
‘It was all for nothing,’ whispered Bane.
‘We should leave here before the mob ransacks the place,’ said Telors. ‘Having lost the Veiled Lady they may turn on you, Bane. They saw you lead her from the arena.’
‘Get dressed,’ said Rage softly. ‘We’ll go back to the villa and talk. Come on.’ Taking Bane’s arm he drew him to his feet. Still in a daze, the young Rigante stripped off his gladiator’s kilt and greaves, and pulled on black leather leggings and a tunic shirt of thick blue wool edged with silver thread. Belting his sword around his waist he started to follow Brakus, Telors and Rage out of the room. The surgeon who had been treating Rage when the Veiled Lady healed him took hold of Bane’s arm.
‘Which goddess is she?’ he whispered.
Bane shrugged the man away and caught up with the others. They walked up into the deserted arena, and along the wide corridor to the eastern exit. The gates were open and Bane could see the huge crowd outside. Brakus moved out first, followed by Telors and Rage. The three men formed a screen ahead of Bane, but someone in the crowd yelled out: ‘There he is! It’s the savage who freed her!’
The crowd surged around them. Someone pushed Brakus, and his fist lashed out, sending the man spinning from his feet. Just as the scene threatened to turn ugly Rage raised both his arms in the air.
‘Silence!’ he bellowed. The voice was commanding, and the crowd obeyed him. Rage waited for several heartbeats for the noise to subside. ‘The emperor pardoned the Veiled Lady,’ he said. ‘And she is gone from this place. None of us know where. Now let us pass!’ Instantly he moved forward and the crowd parted for him. Brakus, Telors and Bane walked through the mob, crossed the square and hailed a passing two-horsed carriage. As Bane sat down he caught a glimpse of a woman in a pale blue gown walking through the crowd. No-one noticed her or looked in her direction. Seeing him, she waved, then crossed the avenue, and into a side street.