As Sure as the Dawn Francine Rivers

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.He moved sharply, dodging the thrust of the dagger.Catching the boy’swrist, he drew the arm down and around, snapping it from the shoulder socket.Palus went downscreaming.The others didn’t know whether to run or attack, until one fool did the latter, and the rest followed.Oneof them punched Atretes in the face, while another jumped on his back.Atretes slammed his full weightback against the wall and kicked the one in front low and hard.Atretes took two punches in the side of the head as he brought his elbow up sharply and connected ablow to an attacker’s chest.The thief dropped, gasping for breath.In the scuffle, Atretes’ mantle came loose and fell back off his head, leaving his hair to shine blonde inthe moonlight.“Zeus! It’s Atretes!” Those still able scattered like rats into the darkness.“Help me!” Palus cried out, but his friends had deserted him.Moaning in pain and cradling his brokenarm against his chest, Palus scooted backwards until he was against the wall.“Don’t kill me,” he sobbed.“Don’t kill me.Please! We didn’t know it was you.”“Boy, the least in the arena had more courage than you.” He stepped past him and headed down thealleyway.He heard voices ahead of him.“I swear! It was him! He was big and his hair was white in the moonlight.It was Atretes!”Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html“Where?”“Down there! He’s probably killed Palus.”Swearing under his breath, Atretes ran down a narrow street that took him in the opposite direction fromwhere he wanted to go.Jogging along a street between insulae, he turned up another avenue and camearound a corner that put him back on track.Ahead was a main thoroughfare not far from the Artemision.He slowed as he neared it, not wanting to attract attention by his haste.He drew the mantle up over hishead to cover his hair again and lowered his chin as he entered the evening bazaar.The street was lined with booths and street vendors hawking their wares.As Atretes wove his wayamong the crowd, he saw miniature temples and statuettes of Artemis, trays of amulets, and pouches ofincense.He came to an idolmaker’s shop and glanced at the counter laden with marble statuettes.Someone bumped into him and he stepped closer, pretending interest in the wares on display.He neededto blend in with the crowd of evening shoppers.Visitors from every part of the Empire milled around,looking for bargains.Atretes froze as he looked at the detailed statuettes.The merchant thought him interested.“Take a closer look, my lord! These are replicas of the new statuejust erected in honor of Mars.You won’t find better workmanship anywhere.”Atretes stepped closer and picked one up.He hadn’t imagined it.It was him! He glared at the offensiveidol.“Mars?” he said in an accusing growl, wanting to crush the marble into dust.“You must be new to the city.Are you making a pilgrimage to our goddess?” The vendor produced asmall statue festooned with breasts and wearing a headdress punctuated with symbols, one of which wasthe rune of the god Tiwaz, whom Atretes had once worshiped.“There he is! Over there by the idolmaker’s shop.”Atretes glanced around sharply and saw a dozen young men pushing their way through the crowdtoward him.“I told you it was Atretes!”“Atretes! Where?”People on the left and right of him turned to stare.The idolmaker stood, mouth agape, staring at him.“Itis you.By the gods!”Sweeping his arm across the table, Atretes grasped the edge and upended the table.Shoving severalpeople aside, he tried to run.A man grasped his tunic.Uttering an enraged shout, Atretes hit him in theface.As the man went down, he took three others with him.Excitement erupted up and down the street.“Atretes! Atretes is here!”More hands fell upon him; voices cried his name out feverishly.Atretes was unaccustomed to real fear, but knew it now as the furor in the marketplace grew.In anothermoment there would be a riot, with him at the center.He plowed through half a dozen clawing bodies,knowing he had to get away.Now.“Atretes!” A woman screamed, flinging herself upon him.As he shook her off, her nails scraped hisGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlneck.Someone else yanked out a hank of his hair.The mantle was torn from his shoulders.People werescreaming.Breaking free, he ran, knocking people aside as they got in his way.Amoratae shouted and followed himlike a pack of wild dogs.Ducking into the narrow avenue of shops, he knocked over another table.Fruitand vegetables spilled across the walkway.He upended another counter of copperware, scattering moreobstacles in the mob’s path.There were cries behind him as several went down.Leaping over a smallcart, he turned sharply and ran down an alleyway between two insulae.When he saw it was a dead end,he came nearer to panic than he had in his life.He had once seen a pack of wild dogs chase down a manin the arena.When the dogs caught him, they’d torn him apart.These amoratae, in their frenzied passion,might well do the same to him if they caught him.Turning frantically, Atretes sought escape.When he saw a door, he ran to it.It was locked.Ramming itwith his shoulder, he broke it open and ran up a darkened passageway of steps.One floor, then two.Stopping on a landing, he waited.Catching his breath, he listened.Muted sounds of voices came from outside on the street.“He must have gone in one of the insulae.”“Look over there!”“No, wait! This door’s been broken in.”Hurried footsteps headed up the stairs.“He’s in here.”Atretes ran along the corridor as quietly as he could.Even with tenement doors closed, the place reekedof humanity.A door opened behind him and someone peered out just as he ducked up a narrow, dankpassageway.He reached the third floor and then the fourth.Still shouting, his pursuers were awakeningeveryone in the building.When he reached the roof, he was in the open with no place to hide.Voices came up the stairs.Seeing only one way to escape, he took it.Running full-out, Atretes took a flying leap across theyawning distance to another building.He hit hard and rolled.Coming to his feet, he scrambled across toanother doorway, dove into it, and hid in the shadows of another stairwell just as a dozen people spilledout onto the rooftop from which he had just leapt.Atretes drew back sharply, heaving for air, heart pounding.The voices receded as one by one, they ran down the stairs again, searching for him in the dim environsof the insula.Atretes sank back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to regain his breath [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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