“This is the border of the principality of Rome. You’re trespassing.”
The Prince arched an eyebrow.
Raven noticed a slight shift in the leader’s expression when William didn’t respond.
The leader examined him with narrowed eyes.
“Since we are standing outside the border of the principality, we are not trespassing.” The Prince’s gaze moved to some invisible line that lay to his right.
“State your business,” the leader snapped, brandishing his weapon.
The Prince rumbled, deep in his chest. “I am the Prince of Florence.”
The leader’s frown deepened.
The Prince lifted his arm to display the signet ring he wore on his right hand.
“Beg pardon, your highness.” The leader inclined his head slightly. “We had no notice of your arrival.”
“Unfortunately, it appears my couriers were killed before they arrived. Hunters.
“I am accompanied by my personal guard, along with two pets. I’m here to speak with Lieutenant Cato on urgent business.” The Prince gestured toward the leader. “And you are?”
“Captain Gaius.” His gaze moved from Florentine to Florentine, as if measuring their threat. “It’s almost sunrise. Lieutenant Cato will not be receiving guests at this hour.”
“Then we shall wait until a more reasonable hour, inside the palace.”
Gaius scanned the detachment once again. “I can’t escort you to the palace without approval of the lieutenant.”
The Prince appeared irritated. “Then I shall escort myself. If you’re old enough to be captain of a company, Gaius, you’re old enough to know of my loyalty. I sent an emissary to speak with the lieutenant only recently. Now I have decided to speak with him myself.”
“I meant no disrespect, your highness, but I must obey orders.”
“The location of the Roman palace isn’t a secret to me. Escort us to the Forum and allow us to wait while you secure approval. But be advised I will not be caught out of doors after sunrise.” The Prince’s tone held a warning.
Gaius hesitated.
He turned and barked an order to one of his soldiers, who took off at high speed.
Gaius replaced his sword in its scabbard. “We shall escort you to the Forum, your highness, while my courier sends word to the lieutenant. But your detachment must disarm.”
“No.”
The leader stared into the Prince’s eyes, and his own eyes grew unfocused.
He broke eye contact abruptly and turned on his heel. “This way.”
“Jedi mind tricks,” Raven muttered as the Roman soldiers began to march toward the city.
“Look sharp,” the Prince whispered to his soldiers as they followed the Romans. “Keep hold of your weapons, but be discreet.”
Raven contemplated arguing with William about what he’d just done to Cara, but elected to wait. They were in a precarious position, one she would not worsen by drawing attention to herself.
William gestured to Borek to carry her, while one of the other soldiers carried her sister.
When the Czech lifted her over his shoulder and strode after the Prince’s departing back, Raven couldn’t help but feel punished.
Cara hadn’t uttered a sound since the Prince had silenced her.
The Roman guard led them on a circuitous route through the city. Finally, they arrived at the Forum, stopping under the arch of Septimius Severus.
Gaius addressed the Prince. “We will await word from the lieutenant here. If the lieutenant tarries, there’s a hiding place nearby.”
The Prince stared over the captain’s shoulder at the Palatine Hill. He nodded imperially.
Sunrise was fast approaching, and the landscape was changing. No one would risk being destroyed by the sun’s rays.
Mercifully, the captain’s courier returned quickly.
He whispered a few words in the captain’s ear and stood back.
The captain bowed. “Lieutenant Cato welcomes the Prince of Florence and offers greetings and hospitality. We shall escort you into the palace. But the pets must be blindfolded.”
The captain gestured to the courier, who held out two lengths of red silk.
The Prince nodded at Borek, who retrieved the silk and quickly blindfolded Cara and Raven.
Raven shifted her blindfold discreetly, hoping to catch a glimpse of their destination.
“Careful,” Borek growled in her ear. “You’ll get yourself killed.”
She dropped her hand. Still, if she positioned her head at a particular angle and looked straight down, she could see what lay beneath her.
“Forward, march!” The captain led the party down the Via Sacra and through the Roman Forum.
The vampyres, as always, moved at an inhuman pace, even over uneven ground. The ride on Borek’s shoulder was incredibly bumpy. Raven clutched at his shirt, terrified he would drop her.
Shortly, they halted at the base of the Palatine Hill.
The captain led them into a dark passage that had been carved into the hill itself. The scent of damp earth filled Raven’s nostrils.
A loud scraping noise, like the sound of iron against iron, echoed and reverberated. Raven heard the groan of what sounded like metal hinges and the low whistle of something moving through air.
The detachment moved forward, marching and turning through a labyrinth of passageways only dimly lit with torches.
Raven held her breath as the palpable feeling of danger pressed in from all sides.
Chapter Twenty