Hostage to Fortuna

beforehe could say anything, her tone sharpened. “If you leave us here, Iwill wait a day, then follow you, Alexandros Pullus. I,” shedeclared proudly, “am no longer a slave. I am a free woman, whichmeans I can choose to come and go as I please. And,” Algaia lookedover at Bronwen, who made no attempt to hide her pleasure, “I havea friend who is expecting her first child, and she needsme.”
Alex did not say anything to his wife,turning to me instead with a pleading expression, but I held bothhands up in a gesture of surrender, refusing to say anything evenafter he glared at me for a span of heartbeats.
Finally, his shoulders slumped, and he said,“I suppose I need to go buy a wagon.”
And this is where I must stop. We have beenin Rome for some time now, and I am facing yet another decisionthat will affect not just me, but my wife, infant child, and Alexand his family. It has been an eventful time, and I am justthankful that I have survived my time as a Centurion of thePraetorian Guard, at least so far, but only the gods know what liesahead of me, as I continue to be a hostage to Fortuna.