Page 5 of The Prince's Captive

Her impending death at his hands was only going to be all the more torturous when he realized she’d made a fool of him by being the wrong girl.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had Marcella and the Inimicus turning to see an older man with red hair, his cloak decorated similarly to the blond’s around the edges and at the clasps and his face hard and weathered. He opened his mouth and barked at the Inimicus.

“—commander—respect—the demon—”

Even the bolder one looked sufficiently chastised, shutting his mouth and hurrying off his own horse.

But the blond commander turned to the older man and said something. “—most reason—revenge—thinks of us—she’s done—negotiate—”

Revenge? Against Hypatia?

No. She must have translated that wrong, right?

The older man snorted. “—job—demon—smartest Runai—learn.”

“Imperator—” the blond said, and the rest was lost to Marcella’s ears as they were speaking so fast she couldn’t begin to make out anything clear, but it meant the older man was also a commander. He more fit what she’d been expecting of their class.

But now that meant she was under the purview of two commanders.

Who might have kidnapped her because they wanted revenge on the woman they thought she was. Which meant…

She wasn’t as safe as Hypatia as she’d thought.

The older man shook his head as he rattled off his response.

But still… it had to be safer than being no one of value.

The blond looked up at her, still sitting on his horse, and she hoped she still looked the part of the betrothed princess with her hair a mess from the ride and her clothes torn and dirtied from the battle. Then he looked at the men who were lowering the trunk containing the Heart to the ground, and he sighed and nodded to whatever the older commander had said.

He then reached up, holding his hand out to her and said slowly, his thick accent still making it hard to understand even her own tongue. “Down.”

It was tempting to kick him in the face with her good leg, but ultimately not what would help keep her cover for as long as she could manage it. So she slid forward and let him catch her by the waist and set her on the ground.

Once she was on the ground, favoring her good leg as her ankle still throbbed, he looked over his shoulder and pointed at two Inimicus and whistled. He then said something in his own tongue and Marcella was desperately wishing she’d had more of an opportunity or ability to learn their language. Despite how much she had liked the few opportunities to learn as a child, she’d never been good at it.

Or anything.

“—look at—answering to me—demon, but she is—stay—”

“Yes, Commander!” the two men said, and Marcella was grateful she remembered what their word for ‘yes’ was. That might be the only full sentence she’d understood since she was captured.

Although she had no idea what they’d just said yes to.

As the two Inimicus approached her, she tried to step back, but her bad ankle started to buckle and the blond commander caught her by the arm and held her in place. He leaned in and spoke slowly, his voice carrying an unvoiced threat, “Behave. No harm to you.”

Yet she found that hard to believe from the man who called her a demon.

She was certain he’d said revenge now.

And even if she did believe him, it was no harm until they heard the news that the marriage alliance they’d kidnapped her to prevent had still occurred. If they didn’t realize sooner.

And from the way some of the Inimicus looked at her, she wasn’t convinced they still wouldn’t take the opportunity to harm her even if she was who they thought she was.

What could they want revenge on Hypatia for? Or did they just want revenge on all of her people and were only being held back by Hypatia’s status?

Was the second vision not them confirming she was Hypatia but instead the Inimicus getting their revenge?

Them ripping her peplos and exposing the scar on her side could end in many ways, and Hypatia hadn’t seen what happened after that…

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