Praetorian Series [4] All Roads Lead to Rome Read Online Free Page A

of tears and the inaudible sound of hearts breaking.  I tried to be strong for Helena, but I was certain most of the tears were my own, not hers, and I was ready to shed even more when Helena suddenly went limp in my arms.  I struggled to hold her upright, but she was heavier than she looked and I did all I could to gently lower her to the ground.
    She went down harder than I would have liked, but she remained asleep, maybe unconscious, even after her head hit the hard dirt beneath her.  I let out a frustrated sigh as my tears dried up seconds later, too tired to grieve for the moment.  Blowing a bit of hair off of my face, I reached down and pressed a hand against Helena’s own boyishly short hair, the result of her own frustration at Jacob’s actions not long ago.
    I wiped away a few tears and turned to my left, seeing James continuing to work on John, who laid on the table completely motionless.  I felt my heart leap into my throat at the sight of our medic performing what could very possibly be lifesaving surgery on my closest friend here in antiquity, but I forced it down and distracted myself by turning back to Helena and carefully shifting her head so that it sat more comfortably in my lap.  Once she was settled, I looked around, hoping to find some kind of blanket to drape across her body, but had to settle for James’ jacket, which he had discarded earlier.
    I tugged it over Helena’s body haphazardly, accidently lifting the shirt she wore and exposing her stomach just slightly.  I reached down to cover her up again, but then I thought of something that had been waiting expectantly in the back of my mind for something to bring it to the forefront.
    James had performed a C-section on Helena only hours earlier.  I hadn’t been there, but I knew what such a procedure entailed. Back home the surgery was dangerous, and I had to assume it was even worse here in Ancient Rome, even when performed by a skilled healer like James.  It also required a lengthy recovery time, but Helena had been on her feet and running only hours after the procedure.  Not just running, but sprinting, and she’d picked up John as easily as it would be for her to pick me up.
    It didn’t make sense and had plagued my mind since she’d carried John here, so I carefully lifted her shirt and peeked at the incision James had made below her stomach. The bandage was blood-soaked, but when I peeled it back, I found her wound was almost completely healed, nothing left but a long scar puckered by the stiches that had held her closed.
    It didn’t make any sense.
    I leaned in to examine the scar more closely when a gust of wind alerted me to the presence of someone else entering the tent.  I quickly lowered her shirt and turned, seeing Jeanne standing in the threshold, surveying the room with sharp eyes.  He saw me seconds later and then bounded straight to where I sat with two long strides.  He glanced at me, then the body of Jacob and Helena’s little son on the table, understanding seeming to come to him almost instantly.  Without a word, he gestured for me move so he could kneel down and pick Helena up.  I pulled away and stood, and then moved to pick up my nephew’s body from the table.  Bordeaux placed Helena there instead, and moved off to find a pillow and some blankets to ward off the chilly early morning air.
    I considered placing my nephew beside her, thinking that she might want to at least see him when she woke up, but then wasn’t so sure.  The table wasn’t very wide and Helena might move unintentionally while she recovered.  Instead, I passed him off to Jeanne after he’d returned with the bedding for Helena.
    “Here,” I said, handing the small child to him, which he took with well-practiced and gentle hands.  “Take him to where Vincent is.  I think that’s best.”
    Jeanne nodded and reached out to hold my arm for a moment before leaving.  I watched him go, then turned my attention to James and John, the