Chapter 28

She went to Fortification Hill for the last time. At least, it would be the last time she would be there under the guise as a loyal follower for Lord Caesar. She would need that cover now more than ever when Vulpes himself, Frumentarius of Mars Reborn, knew the true nature of her heart and its intentions.

She went in the dead of night. Lucullus offered no spare amount of critical glares as he pushed her down the river, but this was best. Night was the most probable time Lord Caesar was fast asleep. He wouldn't be alerted of her presence yet, and she wouldn't be summoned to his presence to answer for her sins, for why the Brotherhood hadn't been destroyed yet. She had already delayed twice, which was enough to deplete Caesar's patience. He would not be patient a third time, not with Lanius, Monster of the East, arriving any moment.

But all she needed was a few minutes, a few precious moments. That was all she had needed for Carla and Baby Craig. She could do the same for Arcade.

For whatever reason, the trip on the river seemed to drag inexorably. Lucullus's unfriendly stares seemed to read her thoughts, her traitorous mind. She kept her expression sealed off and said nothing, except for one question.

"Has my husband returned to the Fort?"

Lucullus's answer was surprising. "No, Vulpes Inculta has not returned for several days."

He hadn't returned since he left for Novac. If anything, that meant that Vulpes had not had a chance to warn Caesar of her turncoat heart. Perhaps she had been faster than him and he was trailing behind her.

Or perhaps, even stranger still, he had no intention to warn his lord and master, which only suggested his own ruination in the Legion.

Either possibility baffled her. She couldn't imagine that Vulpes would let her leave Novac peacefully, unscathed. But he did. Perhaps he sensed the turn of the tide, her ever-reaching influence in the Mojave, far more encompassing than the Legion's. Vulpes was logical; he would never commit to something he knew would ultimately claim his life. It was the only thing that made sense to her, but she still couldn't fathom the depths of his plan or line of thinking, though he had easily deduced hers.

When she reached the gate, she passed through without arising suspicion. She was light on her feet, a nervousness quickening her steps. If only they knew. If only the Legion knew what she had planned for them.

She scaled the hill, skirting the edges of the arena, past her own tent she had shared with Vulpes. When no one was looking, she ducked into a dark space between two tents. She drew her knife and made a small, yet deep incision. The cut stung a bit, but she gritted her teeth against the pain. The dim light of the moon provided enough illumination to show the welling darkness of her blood. The cut could easily be bandaged, but the blood was needed for appearances. She smeared it over her arm, her hands, her clothes, and even wiped some across her face for dramatic effect. She had to press the sharp edge of the blade deeper against her skin in order to yield enough blood. It didn't take long.

Once properly dressed, she approached the abode of Lord Caesar.

She gripped her arm as if it had been severely injured, and predictably, a Praetorian stopped her.

"Lord Caesar is not to be disturbed."

"I need the doctor," she said, intentionally straining her voice.

The Praetorian stood his ground. "Go to Siri."

She indicated to the large amounts of blood that covered her skin and clothes. "I don't trust Siri with this. Get me to the doctor."

The Praetorian inclined his head, considering for only a moment and then, fortunately, he conceded, stepping aside to let her pass.

Caesar kept Arcade chained in his own privy tent adjacent to his own. She gave a quick nod to the other Praetorians in the tent before ducking into Arcade's room.

They had given him a single candle on a table which cast flickering shadows against the canvas walls. Half of his face was covered in darkness as it stirred to look at his visitor.

"Oh, it's you," he said in that light, sardonic voice. She could easily detect the brimming hatred hidden in his tone.

"Arcade—"

"Oh? So you remember my name. It was hard to tell if you even bothered to remember it after you sold me into slavery."

"Arcade, please. We haven't much time."

"You don't have much time? I've got all the time in the world since it belongs to someone else." He eyed the dripping blood unsympathetically. "You expect me diagnose and treat you? I should be so lucky when I thought you had medical experience on your own—"

She understood his pain, his vitriol. If she could spare him a moment to fully purge her for her sins, she would give it. But it was not his moment. "Just shut it. I understand if you hate me. I'm not going to argue that. I'm not going to try to persuade you that I'm truly this good person. Think of me what you will. But I made a mistake. And if you want to get the hell out of here, you need the to shut the fuck up."

To her immense surprise and relief, he did. His mouth actually closed for a goddamn moment as he looked her up and down. Then came the snide subtlety. "Are you now? Should I be so lucky?"

After offering the last remark he fell silent. She produced the key she had lifted from the Praetorian and made quick work of the lock on his chains. When the cuffs fell away, Arcade rubbed the feeling back into wrists.

"What now?" he hissed.

She took out her knife and cut a single line down the thick canvas of the outer tent wall. "Now we leave."

She went outside first to check for sentries. They hadn't much changed since her attempted escape with Carla. At least she could still time them so perfectly. When everything seemed clear, she placed a folded note on the table next to the flickering candle. Then she motioned for Arcade to follow her who eyed her note curiously.

They expertly wove their way through the tents, avoiding detection until they came upon the refuge of the Inculta tent.

"Can you swim?" she asked once they were safely inside.

"I can't say I have much experience," he replied bitterly.

"We don't have much time. They'll notice I've been with you for too long. And once they've discovered you're not there, they will immediately know that it was I that helped you. This is the first place they'll look."

Arcade looked appropriately alarmed. "Why did you take us here, then?"

"I didn't realize I had other tents to choose from. Would you rather we hid in Caesar's tent?" she shot back.

Arcade thought for a moment. "That would be the last place they would look."

"We can't stay here. We have a short window, and it's closing fast. We can dress you up as Legion and leave through the only exit in disguise or we'll have to crawl through the fence and swim to shore. Even if we manage to make it through the camp without being spotted and fool Lucullus, we'd still have to make it through Cottonwood."

Arcade nodded at this information. "Swimming shouldn't be too difficult."

Upon deciding this, there was a loud shout from outside, an alarm being raised. Arcade's absence had been discovered.

"Time to go," she said, grabbing his hand and yanking him outside.

She heard the sound of praetorians gathering, barking orders to each other. "Profligate whore" was their favorite thing to say. She wasted no time circling the arena, using its wall as cover. When she passed by the machete case for the arena matches, she grabbed one for herself and handed another to Arcade with a simple explanation of, "Just in case."

"Where's your gun?" he asked, panicked at the thought.

"I hid it outside the Fort. Otherwise they would have just taken it at the weapons check at the gate."

This information did not reassure Arcade, but he continued following her all the same. "If we get caught, just kill me. I don't think I could do it myself, and I don't want to be crucified."

"We're going to get out of here," she told him fiercely. As predicted, she heard the legionnaires search the Inculta tent first.

She took them past the weather station, the same place she had seen Carla and Baby Craig to safety, before her own recapture. She would escape this time.

Before Caesar had sent her off to eliminate the Brotherhood, she had spent carefully chosen moments to pry away at the board covering her gap in the fence. It had still been the weakest spot in the perimeter. It was almost completely loose now, and she used the stolen machete to pry at the remaining nail. She chuckled darkly to herself at the thought of humiliating the Legion the same way as she had undermined them the last time.

"I think they're coming," Arcade whispered in utter terror.

The board snapped free, revealing their escape route. "You first. Don't take the machete or you'll cut yourself going down the hill."

Arcade peered through the opening. "That is a very sharp incline."

"Just roll down the hill. It'll get you down faster."

Arcade still looked wholly uncertain but wasted no time to push himself through to freedom.

She stole a glance behind her and saw one lone Legionnaire spotting her. He was too far away to do anything about it. She had been faster this time, and it was enough.

She grabbed her machete, squeezed through the wall, and rolled away.