Winds of Time
people pillaging the
stones.
    The darkness grew as I tried to find the
entrance. I had never been much of a night person, and dawn came
early to England in summer. Better to sleep now, if I could, than
walk on until it got completely dark and find myself without
shelter. I followed the wall of the fort as it jutted out
perpendicular to Hadrian’s Wall and walked some ways until it
turned to head west again. I hadn’t realized how big a three acre
fort could be. I had only been to a small section of Hadrian’s Wall
before (in modern times), near Newcastle, and had learned then that
the forts could hold more than a thousand men.
    Finally, I reached the southern gateway and
crossed the threshold into a large space. It was magnificent. A
shiver went down my spine and I remembered again what it had been
like that first time in Wales, traveling through the countryside
with Llywelyn.
    The fort stretched before me. A large
courtyard was surrounded by smaller buildings, mostly wrecked. I
headed towards those on the eastern side, looking for shelter so
that I could sleep, at least for a little while. I didn’t believe
that anyone would come to the fort so late at night—if they ever
came at all—but I didn’t want to be discovered if they did.
    As with the Roman fort I’d passed through
with Llywelyn (I really wasn’t going to be able to keep him out of
my head, was I?), one of the rooms at the fort contained an altar
with a picture of a bull carved into the stone. Roman soldiers had
worshipped Mithras here, as part of the secretive, all-male cult
popular in the Roman legions.
    I stood uncertainly in the doorway,
surprised to see footprints in the dirt in front of the altar and a
dark stain across the front of the stones, evident even in the
failing light.
    The stain looked like blood.
Surely men didn’t still worship here?
    Christianity had taken over
England long ago—but perhaps not everywhere. Perhaps a fringe group
found refuge here from time to time. I walked forward and ran my
hand gently over the stone. The worship of Mithras had involved
animal sacrifice, usually goats or sheep. Please let this not be human blood! No
matter what had made the stain, it had long since dried. I was
imagining things; perhaps the footprints were quite old and had
remained undisturbed for many years. There was a roof over this
section of the fort, so the outside weather would not have touched
them.
    I backed out of the room and made my way
across the fort through the rubble to a different section. I
settled upon a private space built into the western wall of the
fort. It appeared to have once been a guard tower. It had a roof
that would protect me from any sudden rain, though I wasn’t
concerned about the weather. As changeable as weather in England
could be, stars glittered above my head, giving me enough light to
see by.
    I set my pack against the wall, sat down,
and leaned against it. I unscrewed the cap to my water bottle and
tilted all but the last inch into my mouth. I would need to find
more water in the morning. Fortunately, there were many little
streams and rivers near the Wall. As I’d walked earlier, I had
gladly filled my bottle from them when I found them, hoping for the
best in terms of sanitation. I assumed there would be more as I
went along tomorrow.
    Hadrian’s Wall was only seventy-miles long,
straddling the north of England with Newcastle in the east, and
Carlisle in the west. Even if I was quite far east when I started,
it couldn’t be long before I would reach a settlement where I could
find food. Two or three days without food, as long as I had water,
would not kill me. I scrunched down further and rested my head
against my backpack so I could stare up at the ceiling. I tried to
relax my shoulders and empty my head of worries. It wasn’t really
possible, but after I counted several hundred sheep, I fell
asleep.
     
    * * * * *
     
    I awoke to the sound of crying. Heart
racing, I sat up. My ears strained to hear

Similar Books

Ryan's Love

Charlie Dillard

Pop Star Princess

Janey Louise Jones

The General of the Dead Army

Ismaíl Kadaré, Derek Coltman

Harlequin Romance April 2015 Box Set

Jennifer Faye and Kate Hardy Jessica Gilmore Michelle Douglas

Double Cross

Stuart Gibbs

God's Not Dead 2

Travis Thrasher