Chapter 18. Bloodhound

AURELIA

Striding away from the tent, I bent my shoulders, my mood swinging between anxiety and hopeless gloom. One thing was clear: there was more to this whole event unfolding before our very eyes. I did not know if it was just me connecting the dots, from the events in the forest to Ice Fort, and now Christianity and Rome. Maybe the old gods reserved a front seat for me in this melee.

While wallowing in this thought, my eyes caught the image of a familiar figure marching furiously in my direction. He was carrying a little child in his arms, and although wrapped in fur, the way the kid was dangling from his loose grip showed he had no affection for her. On recognizing him, I rushed to help him with the lad.

“Sir! Let me—”

“Leave me be!” He shoved me away, pushing toward the infirmary.

“Sir, please. Let me have the child. I found your wife in the infirmary. She is not in good shape.”

“You will shut up, barbarian!” he growled. “You should have repo