Page 68 of Thawed Gladiator: Varro

Last night and this morning rushed by since our violent encounter with Merrivale and his men, but I’ve managed to pull myself together. We’ll tell the boat rental agency (the address and phone number are stamped conveniently on the keychain) that we’ve relieved the crew who rented the boat.

My first reaction was to let Varro bury the bodies and let the miscreants disappear but my Catholic conscience won’t let me do it. It was self-defense and even bad guys have families who will want to know what happened to them.

I convinced Varro to leave the bodies and weapons exactly where they are. There aren’t any predators on the island and the cool late March weather will slow the body’s deterioration. I just need a couple of days for Varro and me to get ourselves organized before I report it.

“It’s beautiful out here, huh? Do you like the speed? Like I told you, there are machines in this world that go way faster than Jenny,” I call out to him over the sound of wind and waves. He turns to me, his eyes narrowed in worry.

We’ve been all business since we decided to leave the island, but I can tell Varro is anxious. His emotionless “yes” to my question tells me all I need to know about his enthusiasm for what’s to come next.

As I navigate using the onboard GPS, my mind wanders back to our frantic preparations. We combed through every inch of the compound and cottage, salvaging anything useful. The gold coins I’d snagged during Garrison’s hasty departure are now safely in my possession, along with a few other choice items that might prove valuable. Of course, Invictus isn’t far from Varro’s side.

Varro leans close, his brow furrowed. “Laura, tell me again about these… cars we’ll see when we reach land?”

I take a deep breath, once again reminded that everything will be new and overwhelming for him. “They’re like chariots, but without horses. They move on their own, powered by engines similar to this boat’s. They’re very much like Jenny, but bigger and will go even faster than this. It might feel scarier because there are a lot of other cars on the road at the same time.”

He nods, trying to wrap his head around the concept. “And the tall buildings? Like the ones in your pictures?”

“Yes, love. Some will be even taller than what you’ve seen on the covers of books on my phone.”

His eyes widen, as though he’s imagining what he’ll find when we reach the mainland. I squeeze his hand, silently promising that we’ll face this new world together.

As the Norwegian coastline appears on the horizon, I run through our plan once more. First, find lodging, then contact my family and swear them to secrecy. After that, I’ll find a discrete way to smelt the gold coins into raw gold. It’ll decrease their value, but it’s safer than trying to explain their origin. I’m notready for the secret of their provenance to explode on every front page in the world.

“Look,” Varro says softly, pointing to a cluster of buildings in the distance. “Is that where we’re going?”

I nod, feeling a knot of anxiety form in my stomach. “That’s it. You ready?”

He squares his shoulders, the gesture so reminiscent of what I imagine he did in the arena before a fight. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Remember, you lost your passport overboard, and you don’t speak Norwegian or much English, so just shrug your shoulders and look bewildered. If they try to speak to you just say ‘Non capisco,’ like we practiced.”

“I don’t think looking confused will be a stretch.” His voice is rueful.

As we dock, I’m acutely aware of Varro’s discomfort. The noise, the smells, the sheer number of people—it’s all so foreign to him. His face is flat, unemotional, though I imagine a thousand thoughts and emotions are whirling through his mind.

I guide him gently, explaining things in hushed tones as we make our way through the town, which is less than one hundred thousand people. I can’t imagine what he’ll think if I ever take him to Rome, which has almost three million people.

Baby steps, I remind myself.

Our first stop is a small hotel. It’s a spare, no-frills affair, but it’s clean and warm and contains the first real bed I’ll share with Varro.

I perch on a cushioned armchair, heels on the seat as I wrap my arms around my legs and take a deep breath before I dialmy parents.

Varro senses my nerves, shooting me a smile that makes my belly swoop as he investigates how the light in the mini-fridge works, opening and shutting it a half dozen times.

The conversation with my family is emotional and filled with tears. They shoot questions at me in such quick succession I barely answer one before they launch the next. They knew I was somewhere off the Norwegian coast, though I was so stupid I never told them the coordinates.

I’ll have to contact the embassy and tell them I’m safe—just another thing on my growing to-do list—but I’m not ready to talk to them yet. I assure Mom and Dad that I’m safe, but ask them to keep my reappearance quiet for now. There’s so much to explain, so much they wouldn’t understand yet.

I’ve always known they loved me. They were terrific parents, but their tearful relief that I’m alive reminds me how lucky I am to have them. I end the conversation with the promise to call again soon and keep them in the loop.

Over the next few days, Varro and I navigate our new circumstances together. I watch indulgently as Varro sees my mundane world through an amazed and wondrous lens. It’s a pleasure to watch him traverse the unknown landscape with the grit and determination of a New-World explorer.

We take a quick shopping trip and as Varro tries to pretend this isn’t his first time buying clothes, I don’t bother to hide my obvious appreciation at just how handsome he is in jeans that fit.

We go to a barber to correct my hatchet job on the poor guy’s hair. I try not to feel too bad—I did the best I could without a scissors.

At a local doctor, we tell him half-truths and bold lies as a backstory, but we get Varro started on all the vaccinations he will need. His system has no immunity to all the modern illnesses, so I’m thrilled we took the first steps to make him safe.

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