Our Eternal Curse I Read Online Free

be a bond between fighting men something that
only military men who make wars together can understand.
    Sulla seemed to give up looking
for whatever it was he had mislaid and helped her climb aboard.  As Julia
mounted the first vehicle she would ever travel in, she imagined her father
coming to look for her.  He would find the full pail of water standing in the
spot where Sulla left it; he would have no idea what happened because there
were signs of a struggle, but no dead body or blood trail.  A search of the
area would reveal no clues to her whereabouts and she believed her angry
parents would view the mystery as a mere inconvenience, nothing more than the
annoying loss of a hard worker.

Rome
     
    The chariot was unaccustomed to
carrying three people and Julia’s extra weight made the noise of the
iron-rimmed wheels on cobblestones quite deafening.  Unmoved by his challenge,
the charioteer was magnificent and his concentration never wavered in the
slightest.  Standing holding the reins he seemed as a part of the vehicle
itself, moving in unison with every small lurch or bump.  Gleaming sweat
covered the pitch black stallions and where the bridles rubbed on their
well-muscled bodies, white foam formed to be blown away by the rushing wind. 
The ever-vigilant centurions rode ahead and behind at full pace, each horse frequently
whipped to maintain their exhausting tempo.
    Absorbing much of Julia’s
involuntary movements Sulla grasped the front rail of the beautifully ornate
metal embossed carapace.  With powerful arms locking her sides, his mouth was
in gently contact with her ear as he explained what she was seeing while they
sped past villages, towns and villas.  No one had ever given explanations
before and his simple act of thoughtfulness encouraged her to place her trust
in his hands.  Julia was also very grateful for his attention, because with
every pace she was being taken away from her family.  She did not miss or feel
for her parents, but as detrimental as they had always been, they were the only
form of security she had ever known.
    At the end of a hard day’s ride
the flickering lights of a major city came into view.  Hardly slowing, the
procession flashed through the city gates and inconceivably Julia was in Rome. 
Unable to sit down at any time during the journey she was exhausted and every
inch of her body ached from the battering inflicted by the unforgiving war
machine.  After rattling along the streets for some time the chariot stopped
outside a very large and well-lit home situated somewhere in one of the many
suburbs they had passed through since entering the city.  Sulla silently
dropped to the ground and the chariot, flanked by only two of the centurions,
carried on into the Roman night.  His sudden departure took Julia completely by
surprise because she had not heard any orders or seen any apparent signals to indicate
that this intricate maneuver was about to happen.
    With feelings of panic growing
within, Julia had no idea what was to become of her.  The reason for her
impulsive departure was no longer standing behind her and she felt hopelessly
lost and deeply afraid.  Sulla had explained nothing about her destination
before dropping from the chariot and the driver showed no interest in his
master’s newfound companion.  His only concern was the navigation of his
vehicle through extremely narrow streets in the black of night and even after
stopping he said nothing.
    The only sounds were those made
by wheels and hooves as the horses rocked back and forth in an attempt to cool
down.  Everything was abnormal, even the city smells were unfamiliar and Julia
felt completely disoriented.  By the light of a full moon she saw one of the
centurions drop to the cobblestoned street and bang loudly on a large wooden
door situated in a high wall.  The wall was one side of a house but in the
darkness Julia could not see the rest of the building.  She was not yet able to
comprehend Rome’s