Countdown - Iris Johansen [93]
She believed him. He would go rather than let her risk her life.
Another rumble shook the earth.
She tore her eyes away from Antonio’s and asked Dominic, “Is Leo with her?”
“No, she told me to take him to the ship last night. He’s with Demonidas.”
And Demonidas would be only as compassionate with the boy as his payment dictated. She couldn’t risk leaving him alone and unprotected. She had to assume and pray that Pia left the city as she’d told Dominic she’d do. “Then we go to the ship.” She turned away from the city and started to run. “Hurry.”
“I left two horses at the bottom of the hill.” Antonio passed her. “Dominic?”
“I also brought a horse for her,” Dominic said. “I did not expect you to return. You betray—” He stopped, his gaze on the mountain, and muttered an oath. “It’s coming this way.”
He was right, Cira realized.
Though the main flow was heading for the city, a rivulet of molten lava was making a path toward Julius’s villa, coming directly toward them.
“We still have time to reach the horses.” Antonio’s hand tightened around Cira’s. “We’ll go north and skirt the flow.”
If they could. Smoke and lava seemed to be attacking, smothering, surrounding them on all sides.
Of course they could, Cira thought impatiently. She hadn’t gotten this far to be brought down now. “Then stop talking and get me to those horses.”
“I’m trying, you demanding woman.” Antonio was pulling her toward a stand of trees. “Go get your horse, Dominic. Let the other animal free. Slap his rump and send him north.”
Dominic disappeared into the smoke.
She could hear the horses ahead neighing in fear and fighting their ropes.
Then Antonio was tossing her onto the back of one of the horses and handing her the reins. “You lead. I’ll be right behind you.”
“How unusual for you.”
“No choice. I’ll keep close. I wouldn’t doubt you’ll try to lose me.” He looked into her eyes. “It won’t work. I left you once and I found that out. It’s forever, Cira.”
Forever. Hope and joy mixed with the fear soaring through her. She kicked the horse into a gallop. “Words have little value. Prove it.”
Incredibly, she heard him chuckle behind her. “Only you would make a condition like that. We’ll discuss it later. Right now we have to get out of this inferno.”
And an inferno it was. The tops of the tall trees along the road were aflame from the sparks. She glanced at the stream of lava coming down the mountain. Was it closer? They had to go at least a mile before they were out of the path. Pray they weren’t cut off before they reached it. . . .
A burning tree crashed across the road in front of her! Her horse screamed and reared. She felt herself slipping from the saddle. . . .
“Antonio!”
Jane jerked upright in bed, gasping. “No!”
“Easy.” Antonio’s soothing hand was on her shoulder. “Easy.”
Not Antonio. Trevor. Not two thousand years ago. Here. Now.
“Okay?” Trevor was pulling her down, cuddling her against his naked body. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m all right.” She moistened her lips. “I guess I should have expected bad dreams after you told me what Reilly wanted to do to me. I can’t imagine anything worse than having someone able to control your mind and will. It makes me go berserk to think about it. Cira was born a slave. I probably associated—”
“Easy. Take a deep breath. You’re not Cira, and Reilly’s not going to get his hands on you.”
“I know that.” She was silent a moment. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. What kind of nightmare?”
“I thought everything was going to be fine for her, and then the tree—”
“Cira?”
“Who else? I seem to be under siege by her.” She made a face. “Cripes, that sounds weird. I’m still half convinced that I must have read something about her somewhere that’s causing these dreams.”
“But only half convinced.”
“I don’t know.” She nestled closer. “They seem so real, and it’s like a story unfolding. As if she were