CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ROMAN
T he damp air clung to my skin as I stood in the dim, oppressive cave. My heart thundered in my chest like a war drum, each beat a deafening reminder of the stakes. Olivia lay pale and lifeless on the cold stone floor, a crimson stain spreading beneath her. The sight of her so still, so fragile, seized my breath, choking me with despair. Clutched against my chest, our newborn wailed, her feeble cries ricocheting off the cavern walls, a haunting reminder of the life we had just brought into this world.
Olivia is dying . The thought sliced through me with brutal clarity, leaving no room for doubt. I couldn’t let that happen—not Olivia. She was my life, my soul, my everything.
With trembling resolve, I dropped to my knees beside her, sliding one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back. I pressed the baby close, her fragile form a small weight against my chest, anchoring me in the chaos. Rising to my feet was an agonizing struggle, a careful balancing act to ensure Luna Grace didn’t slip from my hold. But there was no time for hesitation. Every second mattered.
As I navigated the treacherous path toward the cave’s mouth, I focused on the faint slivers of light ahead. Luna’s cries pierced the shadows, their urgency propelling me forward. I couldn’t afford to falter. Not when their lives hung by such a delicate thread.
A hunched figure emerged from the darkness, leaning heavily against the cave wall.
“Malik!”
The solar eclipse had drained him, leaving him a hollow version of the warrior I once knew. Beside him stood Reyna, her face etched with lines of worry, her posture taut with unspoken fear.
“We have to go!” I said the command was a more desperate plea than an authoritative order.
Reyna met my gaze, her eyes holding a storm of hidden troubles.
“We have a problem,” she said, and something in her tone told me that our plight had just deepened into a chasm from which we might not all emerge.
With Olivia cradled securely in my arms, my focus remained on Luna. I lurched toward Reyna, every step driven by the urgency to ensure she was safe.
“Take the child,” I said, my voice raw with panic and exertion.
The baby’s wails pierced the thick air as Reyna carefully wrapped her arms around the newborn, cradling its tiny form against her chest.
“Raul and his men have surrounded the cave,” Reyna said, her voice steady despite the dire weight of her words.
I froze, my blood thundering in my ears. “Fuck, can this get any worse… I thought Raul was burned to death!”
“Raul has half a face and one eye now,” she replied, her tone calm but the imagery horrifying. The darkness mercifully veiled the gruesome picture her words conjured, but the thought alone was enough to churn my stomach.
Gritting my teeth, I adjusted my grip on Olivia, determination searing me. With one last glance at Malik, who nodded weakly, I pressed forward toward the cave’s mouth, ducking beneath jagged rocks and skirting piles of debris. Behind me, Reyna and Malik followed, their steps, careful yet swift, shadowed phantoms in the gloom.
Emerging from the cave was like stepping into a nightmare. The scene outside was straight from hell’s darkest depths. Raul stood at the forefront, his charred face a grotesque mask of hatred. One side was a ruin of melted flesh, his single eye gleaming with malice amidst the carnage of his visage.
“You little bitch!” he snarled, his voice a guttural growl that made my blood run cold. “Look what you did to my face!” His hatred was directed at Reyna, who stood firm despite the venom in his words, clutching my child with unwavering resolve.
The stench of scorched flesh wafted on the wind, a nauseating reminder of the violence that had twisted him into this monstrous figure. But I couldn’t dwell on vengeance or fear. Olivia’s life hung in the balance, and time was slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. Without proper care, I would lose her—and the thought of a world without Olivia made the air around me feel unbreathable.
Everything felt like a blur of motion—rock, sky, the looming shadows of Raul’s men—yet I forced myself forward, Olivia’s fragile weight pressing against me. Each step was a battle against the fear clawing at my throat.
She’s going to die. The thought echoed relentlessly in my mind, a chilling refrain I refused to accept. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let it become reality.
Reyna’s voice cut through the haze of my dread.
“Oh, Raul, I did such a bad job. I have to finish what I started. I have to make sure everyone lives happily.” The resolve in her tone was a stark contrast to the gentle way she then turned to Malik, offering him the bundle in her arms. “Hold the baby.”
Malik extended trembling arms, cradling the newborn with all the strength his weakened body could muster. Despite his exhaustion, he held her as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
Reyna lifted the hem of her dress, revealing twin blades strapped to her thighs. In one fluid motion, she unsheathed them, their polished steel catching the dim light.
Reyna was upon Raul’s men before they could react, a deadly whirlwind of precision and fury. The guards, weakened by the fire, were no match for her. Her movements were a dance of lethal grace, her blades singing as they struck.
Who is this woman? And what the hell happened to Osman. The thought slammed into me as I watched her, mesmerized and horrified. My mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened.
The clash of steel against steel rang out, interspersed with the guttural cries of the fallen. And then... silence.
Reyna stood amidst the carnage, her chest rising and falling with controlled breaths, her blades dripping crimson. Only Raul remained, stumbling backward, his one good eye wide with terror.
“Roman,” Reyna said, her voice steady yet charged with purpose, as she pointed one bloodied blade at our disfigured adversary. “I must end this.”
My heart pounded against my ribs, an erratic drumbeat. “No. Don’t. We take him with us.”
Surprise flickered across her face, but she nodded. Without hesitation, she bound Raul’s hands with practiced skill, the ropes biting into his scorched skin. He struggled feebly, his strength no match for hers.
With an almost effortless motion, Reyna heaved him into the wagon like a grain sack. Her calm efficiency belied the chaos that had unfolded, but there was a sense of unyielding determination in her actions—a resolve that matched my own.
I watched, bewildered by the woman who had just single-handedly turned the tide of our desperate situation.
Who was Reyna? What other secrets did she carry?
“Reyna...” I began, but the words lodged in my throat, inadequate and feeble.
“I’ll explain later, Roman,” she interrupted. “We have to move now.”
I shifted Olivia in my arms, her pale face contrasting the deepening shadows around us. Osman approached, mouth set in a grim line. Gently, I handed her over to him, my hands lingering on her cool skin, feeling the slow pulse at her throat. She was alive, but barely.
“Be careful with her,” I murmured.
Osman nodded, cradling Olivia with tenderness. I mounted the horse and reached down as Osman lifted Olivia up to me. Her body was limp, her chest rising and falling with faint breaths that tugged at my heartstrings. I held her close.
“Stay with me, Olivia,” I said.
Behind me, Malik’s grip on the baby tightened, his hands trembling as the lingering effects of the eclipse left him sapped of strength. He passed the newborn to Reyna with great effort, the small bundle seeming impossibly fragile in the transition.
“You’re still not recovered from the eclipse,” Reyna said, her voice firm but tinged with concern as she cradled the baby.
“Let me at least drive the horses!” Malik said, his pride battling his physical frailty.
“Fine,” Reyna said, though her eyes spoke volumes of her doubts. She watched him climb onto the buckboard and take the reins with determination.
I adjusted Olivia in front of me, one arm wrapped around her back while the other gripped the reins. For a moment, my gaze met Reyna’s as she climbed into the wagon beside Malik, the baby secure in her embrace. Her expression was unreadable, a mask that concealed whatever thoughts churned behind those sharp eyes.
“Let’s move out,” I called, my voice steady despite the chaos.
The horse beneath me responded to the subtle pressure of my heels, and we surged forward, Osman falling in line behind us, his mount stepping carefully over the uneven terrain. The clatter of wagon wheels joined the rhythmic hoofbeats as we left the chaos of the cave behind, the grim silence of our group broken only by the occasional creak of the wagon and the soft, distressed murmurs of the baby.
The shadows of the trees blurred past as we pressed on, each of us lost in our grim contemplations. Olivia’s limp form was a weight against my chest—both physical and emotional—her shallow breaths barely perceptible. My heart raced with dread, urgency driving me onward as fear threatened to consume me.
“I don’t know who you are, Reyna, but thank you,” I said, my voice cutting through the wind that whipped against my face.
Reyna nodded, her focus on the infant cradled in her arms. The baby’s tiny fists flailed weakly, a soft wail escaping her lips before Reyna murmured soothing words too low for me to catch. Her practiced motions only deepened the mystery of who this woman was—and how much more she might be hiding.
As the estate’s towering silhouette emerged through the thinning woods, hope fought against the fear clutching my chest. The familiar grounds loomed ahead, promising aid and safety, though the weight of uncertainty hung heavy in the air.
“Osman!” I called, barely slowing my horse as we approached the gates, now swung wide in welcome.
Osman urged his horse closer, reaching for Olivia with gentle hands. Her pallor was haunting, her once vibrant complexion now ghostly under the cloudy skies.
“We need a doctor!” My shout echoed across the courtyard, carrying the weight of desperation.
After I dismounted, I snatched Olivia back into my embrace and bounded toward the grand entryway, the doors thrown wide in anticipation of our arrival.
“Clear a path!” I bellowed, and servants scrambled aside as I carried Olivia upstairs; their faces blanched with shock at the sight of her bloodied gown and unresponsive state.
Reyna followed close behind, the baby now quiet in her arms. Her heels clicked a steady rhythm against the marble steps, a dramatic difference from the erratic pounding of my boots as I ascended.
“Please,” I whispered to no one in particular, “let her be saved.”
Once I laid Olivia on the bed, the infant began to wail, her cries cutting through the tense silence of the room.
“The baby is hungry,” Reyna said.
Without hesitation, I took Luna from Reyna, cradling her awkwardly against my chest as I rushed down the hall. Bursting into Emily’s chambers, I found her sitting in bed, her face softening as she saw the bundle in my arms.
“Oh, my goodness, Roman,” Emily said, her voice tinged with relief and wonder. “Olivia had the baby. Give her here.”
Her outstretched arms were a lifeline, and I gently transferred the newborn into her embrace. “Please, feed her,” I said, my voice barely audible over my heart pounding. I didn’t wait for a response, already turning on my heel and sprinting back to Olivia’s room, the echo of my boots chasing me down the corridor.
The doctor had arrived and was bent over Olivia, his face etched with concentration as he examined her still form. My chest tightened as I took in the pale pallor of her skin, her lifeless appearance, a knife twisting in my gut.
“Sir,” the doctor said, “you must leave the room.”
“That’s my wife,” I growled, my voice laced with desperation and anger.
“Exactly why you can’t be here,” he countered, his gaze unwavering. “You’ll do more harm than good. Let me work.”
I clenched my fists, my body vibrating with the urge to fight him, to stay. But his words were an immovable wall, and with a reluctant step, I exited the room. The door closed behind me with a quiet click that sounded far too final.
Pacing the hallway, my mind reeled, clawing for a shred of control that continued to slip through my grasp. My eyes landed on the window, where I saw Reyna and Osman standing by the wagon, Raul still bound and immobilized in its bed.
The cold air hit me like a slap as I stormed onto the estate grounds, my breath visible in the brisk night. Reyna turned toward me, her expression unreadable, while Osman kept a watchful eye on Raul.
“Raul,” I snarled a low growl as I approached him. “How did you find us? What do you want?”
He squinted at me, his one good eye glinting with defiance and resignation. Despite his battered and bound state, a smugness lingered in his expression.
“Roman,” he said, his voice rasping but steady, “I believe I still have something you need—something you might have forgotten about.”
“Spit it out,” I snapped, my patience fraying under worry and weariness. My voice cut through the cold air like a blade.
Raul’s breath was labored, his face pale and drawn, beads of sweat glistening on his charred skin. “I have come to inform you of something,” he said, his tone urgent despite his obvious pain.
I fought to steady my trembling hands, my body shaking with equal parts rage and exhaustion. “And what is it you came here to tell me?”
Reyna stepped forward, her presence commanding as she extended her hand. In her palm rested a dagger, its polished blade catching the faint light.
“Raul had this,” she said evenly. “I took it from him while he writhed in pain from the burns. I believe it belongs to Olivia—or perhaps to you?”
Relief washed over me as I realized that Olivia’s beloved dagger had been returned.
“Thank you, Reyna,” I said, my voice softening as I met her unwavering gaze. Her bravery had once again proven invaluable.
She gave a curt nod and stepped back, allowing me to refocus on Raul.
“Reyna saved my child,” I said, my voice cold with contempt. “She fought off your men and risked her life. What did you hope to gain by attacking us?”
Raul’s lips curled into a bitter smirk, his good eye narrowing as he stared at me. “Power, Roman,” he spat. “It’s always power. But now… it’s slipping away. Just like everything else.”
His words hung heavy in the air, their bitterness a stark reflection of his defeat. Disgust coiled in my gut, twisting tighter with every passing moment.
“You’re beaten, Raul,” I said, my tone laced with contempt. “Yet here you are, tied like an animal. Tell me—was it worth it?”
A hollow laugh escaped him, devoid of joy or hope. “Nothing is ever worth it in the end,” he muttered, his voice little more than a whisper.
His words lingered in the cold night air, heavy with a truth I wasn’t ready to accept. I needed answers, but they wouldn’t come from a broken man whose schemes had crumbled to dust.
Mathias emerged from the estate, his steps purposeful as his gaze fell on Raul.
“What have we here?” he said, his voice tinged with disdain. He stopped before the wagon, glaring at Raul’s bound, battered form. “Costa, you’re an evil man. It seems fate has seen to your punishment.”
He turned to me, his expression unreadable. “Let’s take him to the dungeon where he belongs.”
The cold, damp air of the dungeon enveloped us as I followed Mathias down the narrow stone corridor, our footsteps echoing off the walls. Raul’s disheveled form dragged between us, his head bowed, the fight drained from him. Shadows clung to the edges of the hall like silent spectators as we reached an iron-barred door.
Mathias didn’t hesitate, securing Raul inside with practiced efficiency. The soft click of the lock echoed through the chamber, a quiet yet absolute finality to his fate. Together, we sealed him within the same glass enclosure that held Balthazar, his own reflection staring back at him—a ghost of his own making.
“Pathetic,” Mathias muttered, his gaze lingering on Raul with contempt. Without another word, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the shadows.
Laughter, cruel and mocking, broke the silence that followed. Balthazar crawled from the shadows like a wraith, his eyes gleaming with mirth as they found Raul’s disfigured visage.
“Oh, look at you!” he sneered, his voice dripping scornfully. “You’re hideous. Your face burned to a crisp. A fitting look for someone who’s spent his life playing with fire.”
“Shut up!” Raul growled, his voice hoarse but brimming with fury. His one good eye glared at Balthazar, blazing with rage and humiliation.
“Who did this to you?” Balthazar prodded further.
“Reyna,” Raul spat, the name leaving his lips like venom. “She’s insane. Dangerous. Fucking crazy. I had captured her before I acquired Marcellious. She may have the face of an angel, but she’s capable of unspeakable things.
“Once I had my fun with Marcellious—broken him completely—I threw him into a cell with Reyna. That’s when she escaped,” Raul growled, his voice laced with bitterness. “She doused me and my men with some kind of liquid—a poisonous substance that ignited into searing flames on contact. I wouldn’t be surprised if she and Marcellious were lovers.”
“Reyna and Marcellious? Lovers?” I said, disbelief dripping from every word. “Preposterous.”
Raul’s smirk deepened, the scars marring his face twisting with malice. “Oh, but I found her hugging him, whispering everything would be alright. Go on, tell Marcellious’ wife that he betrayed her. Let’s see how loyal they remain.”
A surge of fury bubbled within me, but I swallowed it down, focusing instead on the battles I faced beyond the confines of this wretched dungeon. My newborn child. Olivia. This man’s petty insinuations were nothing compared to the storms raging within the estate’s walls.
I stepped closer to the barriers that separated us.
“You’re lying!” I spat out, unable to contain the disbelief and contempt in my voice.
Raul’s response was a slow, wicked grin that deepened the shadows etched into his ravaged face. His one good eye gleamed with satisfaction, a predator relishing his prey’s unease.
“Lying? You see what she did to my face and my men,” he hissed. “She’s deadly, but who is she? And why isn’t she chained down here with the rest of us?”
His voice dripped with suspicion and malice, the words laced with venom. The stench of sweat and blood thickened the air, mingling with the metallic tang of fear.
I let out a low, humorless laugh, bouncing off the damp stone walls and mingling with Balthazar’s mocking chuckle.
“Are you telling me a woman bested you?” I sneered, my tone cutting like a blade. “How pathetic.”
Regaining my composure, I stared Raul down. “Tell me, Raul. Why did you take Marcellious? Why did you take Reyna hostage? Whose orders were you following?”
Raul seemed to shrink back, his shoulders sagging under defeat. His eyes darted around the dungeon as if searching for an escape, but there was none. The walls closed in, the air thick with tension.
“I don’t know who he is,” he muttered, almost as if speaking to himself. “I just follow his orders. He is a powerful man.”
I narrowed my eyes, stepping closer. “A powerful man? Is he a Timehunter like you—only stronger, more connected? Does he belong to a greater society that wields even more control over time and space?”
Raul’s silence was answer enough, but Balthazar’s sharp voice cut through the oppressive quiet before he could respond. “Why don’t you tell Roman how you are now the only Timehunter left in Italy, thanks to me? I destroyed your pathetic band of vermin on the night of your masquerade.”
His words left a cold silence in their wake. I looked at Raul, his form now less formidable, a lone figure in the grand scheme of our conflict—a pawn discarded after the play.
“Was your society in Italy destroyed by Balthazar?” I asked, my voice low, disbelief threading through each word.
The flickering light of the torches danced across Raul’s hollowed features, casting shadows that stretched like skeletal fingers along the stone walls.
“Yes,” he replied, his tone devoid of the venom it once carried, now hollow and resigned. “But let us set aside the fate of my society for a moment.”
I stiffened, sensing a darker truth about to unravel.
“I came to your cave for a different purpose,” Raul continued, his voice sharpening like the edge of a blade. “To warn you.”
“Warn me?” I echoed, the disbelief twisting into something colder.
Raul’s gaze locked onto mine, a glint of something unreadable flickering in his lone eye. “I’ve informed the Timehunter leader in Anatolia about your possession of the sun and moon daggers. They know your wife and her friends are Timebornes and Timebounds. They will soon be on their way here.”
His words hit like a thunderclap, reverberating through the chamber. My jaw tightened, fury and dread battling for dominance within me.
Raul leaned back against the wall, his face cast in shadows, his voice a bitter whisper. “My job was to do what I needed to do. And now, I will die. I’m done.”
The glimmer in his eye faded, leaving only a man stripped of everything—power, loyalty, and life itself—awaiting the inevitable end.
“You’re despicable, you know that? What kind of man kills his child by poisoning it?” I spat the question at him, my voice trembling with rage. “You told me your first child was killed. And then you claim you had a child with Alina. But where is that child now? The child you begged Alina to bear? Why would you kill him? You’re a disgusting monster, Raul.”
Raul’s gaze remained fixed on me, his expression unreadable. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. “You know nothing.”
I knew enough to understand the monster before me. I knew enough to feel the burning need for justice—for Olivia, for his child, and for all those harmed by this man’s twisted mission. Whatever Raul’s endgame was, whatever dark purpose drove him and Mathias, I made a silent vow then and there: their kind would find no quarter in this world. Not while I still drew breath.
“You Timehunters were supposed to be the healers of our people,” Balthazar interjected, his voice rising with unrestrained fury. “Your purpose was to bring relief and aid to those suffering from diseases and sickness. Instead, you’ve become a poisonous species. Without hesitation, you kill any human, Darkness, Timeborne, or Timebound, with your alchemy. You, who were once revered as guardians, have become monsters—vicious villains hiding behind the false facade of a virtuous society.”
As Balthazar spoke, his eyes flickered with emotion, his gaze distant, as though chasing a memory that eluded him.
Raul’s lips curled into a sneer, his voice sharp and taunting. “Well, Balthazar, if you hate Timehunters so much… why did you choose to ally with me?”
Balthazar worked his jaw, his expression calculating as he weighed his next words.
“Because Marcellious married my daughter Emily,” he replied evenly, “and I wanted to know where she was, you fucking idiot. Do you think I was truly helping you with Marcellious? No, I was using you to get to him. And when he finally broke and revealed Emily’s location, I left your wretched company. You were always the loser in our little game, Raul. And now look at you—shackled, broken, and sharing this dungeon with me.”
“Shut up!” Raul roared, his voice raw with rage, his bound body trembling with futile resistance.
I had no time or patience for their petty squabbling. Their words were poison, seeping into the already suffocating air of the dungeon.
“I’m leaving,” I said coldly, my tone reverberating off the damp stone walls. I turned to go, eager to escape the oppressive weight of the confrontation.
As I moved toward the exit, a figure emerged from the shadows of the corridor. Alina. Her presence was like a ghost conjured from the past, her wide eyes locking onto Raul with a mix of recognition and disbelief.
“Is that you?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Raul’s face twisted into a mask of unbridled fury, his body straining against the ropes that held him. His lips curled into a snarl as he spat venom at her.
“You fucking filthy whore!” His words rang out, dripping with malice. “Look at you—you’re a fucking liar and a serpent. Every time you told me you loved me and cared for me and our child, it was just a game. You’re pathetic. Your daughter has more beauty and respect than you’ll ever have.”
Alina flinched as though struck, her face losing all color as she stumbled back a step. The venom in Raul’s words was a wound sharper than any blade, cutting through whatever strength she had mustered to confront him.
As disgust roiled within me, I stepped around her, barely sparing her a glance as I moved toward the exit. My heart pounded with unanswered questions, the weight of Raul’s hateful glare pressing against my back. The darkness in this accursed place seemed to seep from the very walls, but I had no intention of lingering any longer.
The dungeon’s oppressive air clung to my skin as I stormed away from the vile scene, my mind a turbulent sea of disgust and unease. Each step upward felt heavier than the last, the weight of Raul’s venomous words and the darkness of that place threatening to pull me under.
As I ascended the stairs, the stench of dampness and decay gave way to the faint aroma of lavender, a scent that always lingered in the halls. It was Olivia’s scent. It wrapped around me like a whisper of hope, spurring me on, each step bringing me closer to her still, fragile form.
Mathias’ silhouette loomed at the end of the corridor, framed by the warm glow of the sconces. His posture was rigid, his presence imposing, as though he had been waiting for this confrontation.
“What happened to Olivia?” he asked, his voice measured but laced with curiosity. “Do you know why she’s unconscious?”
I said nothing, my silence thick and deliberate.
His tone sharpened. “Did you find the dagger?”
A surge of anger surged through me, hot and unrelenting. Lazarus’ warning echoed in my mind— Trust no one but Olivia .
I clenched my fists, barely containing the fury that sought to break free. I would get no answers from this man.
Without a word, I turned away, my resolve solidifying with every step. They wouldn’t get anything from me—not a word, a hint, or the slightest clue. I silently vowed to protect the blades with my life, no matter the cost.
My thoughts shifted to Gaius—Lazarus—who had hidden his true identity from me in Rome. I had always known him as Gaius, a figure of strength and wisdom, tirelessly watching over me and urging me to persevere. His whispered words of encouragement had been my guiding light during my darkest moments, and now, after so many years, he had returned. Every person I’d encountered, every fragment of my past, seemed to hold a deeper meaning waiting to be unraveled. My life was a puzzle, and piece by piece, it was beginning to take shape.
Gripping Olivia’s dagger tightly, I quickened my pace. Its weight was a steady reminder of my promise, a drumbeat that echoed in my chest, urging me forward. I would protect what mattered most, even if it cost me everything. But as I clung to my resolve, a quiet unease crept into my mind. The real tests that would challenge not only my strength but my soul were still to come—and they would arrive in ways I could never foresee.