Gladiator Heart by Alyssa Morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

calm that came before the storm. She and Tristan could not keep up this delicate dance for much longer. One of them would have to make a move. If she let it be Tristan, he would win.
    With shoes and warm clothes, escape was once again an option for her. If she were to take warm furs, some food, and some form of weapon, she might have a chance of surviving long enough to find help.
    But how would she get away? Tristan didn’t stay gone for long, and he always posted a guard at the door. She would have to find another exit. Then she would follow the river until she came to safety. She had never been one to let others rule her life, and she wasn’t about to start now. Valeria gathered her courage and prayed the Gods would aid her escape.

Chapter Five
    The evening had settled into a merry revelry. The men in the camp sang and laughed while roasting meat from the game they’d hunted down in the forest earlier in the day. Tristan had left Valeria in the tent to join his men, without putting her in shackles, telling her he’d return soon with food and drink.
    She’d already packed and hidden the leftover food from her earlier meal, letting Tristan think she’d eaten it all. Now she took the bundle from behind the trunk where she’d stashed it, along with a small dagger she’d found in the trunk when she’d searched it during one of Tristan’s absences. She selected a fur that was heavy enough to keep her warm, but not so heavy it would weigh her down. She strapped the dagger just below her knee with a piece of the rope that had once been her bonds and slipped into her boots. It was time to make her escape.
    She’d found a loose opening in the tent behind the table and spent some time throughout the day peering outside, observing the activity on that side of the camp. Only a few tents stood between her and freedom. Some soldiers had been around during the day, but now all the activity was on the other side of the camp and her path was clear.
    Valeria tried to calm her beating heart, afraid it might leap right out of her chest. Escape was the only choice available to her. If she stayed, Tristan would eventually force her to serve him, or make good on his threats and turn her over to his men. She could end up dead. There was no other choice.
    Excitement spiked through her veins, lending her the right amount of courage to take that first step and crawl out from under the tent. The cold winter air was the only thing that greeted her as she got to her feet. She pulled the fur over her head, keeping her braid tucked beneath her tunic, and felt she would be warm enough to make this journey.
    Getting out of the camp was so easy that she paused behind the last tent in case someone was coming after her and she just hadn’t noticed. Unable to believe her good luck, she continued to make her way to the river, moving deeper into the darkness. The light from the fires in the camp faded more with each step she took. She wanted to scream with joy, but she knew she wasn’t safe yet. How long before Tristan found she was gone and came after her?
    Would he come after her? She hadn’t taken anything of value from him and he didn’t know her true identity. It was obvious she was an unwelcome burden for him. He should be glad to be rid of her. She wouldn’t get over-confident though. She would make her escape as if he would come, and wouldn’t relax until it was obvious that he wasn’t following her.
    She came alongside the river and the flames of torches flickered up ahead. Men’s voices carried through the night air and she stumbled upon the small group without even realizing it. There was no mistaking they were Tristan’s men. She immediately turned and started walking away from them, deciding she’d cross the river further down and double back if she had to. She’d studied Tristan’s maps enough to know that the river led to the wall in the south and she was quite certain his camp was on the west side of the river, so she’d