Cade took her chin in his hand, staring into her brown eyes. He kissed her deeply, drawing her close.

“I’m yours,” he said as they parted. “Now and forever.”

“Stay safe, Cade,” she said.

In that moment, she looked so fragile. He saw the care in her eyes and felt his heart twist with the knowledge he had lied to her. And would do so again.

Then, before he could say another word, she walked back to the others.

“They’re leaving without us,” Scott called.

Cade shouldered his bag and gave the others a final wave. Then he was running, following the Romans into the jungles.

CHAPTER

40

If Cade had expected some showdown with Atticus, he was much mistaken. The Romans moved at a blazing pace, and it was hard enough to keep up, let alone strategize how to deal with the ex-commander.

Cade and Scott trailed the group, glad that this part of the jungles, populated primarily by monolithic sequoia trees, was sparse enough to see any incoming predators.

It was like walking through an enormous, green-roofed atrium, one held up by rough-hewn pillars of wood. The ground was carpeted with moss and broad-leafed ferns, the only plants that could thrive in the dappled light that filtered through the leaves above.

The earthy air was already filled with the trilling calls of the animals that lived in the trees, and the flitting of pterosaurs and other flying beasts could be seen above. Cade wondered if Zeeb had once glided through these very trees. He missed him.

“They sure … can … run … can’t they,” Scott choked, his chest heaving as they jogged behind the Romans. “Glad … Yoshi … isn’t here.”

Cade couldn’t help but agree. It amazed him how fast they were moving, for the Romans were running in full armor, the clatter of metal making them easy to follow. He had left his own at the keep, knowing the tight-fitting suit would only chafe and slow him down.

Instead, he and Scott wore the padded clothing from their time in New Rome, with the metal-capped shoulders, elbows, forearms, knees, and shins. The only difference was, Cade’s had a second layer of golden spider silk, still there from his battle with the alpha.

As for weapons, both carried only their swords, with Cade’s Honjo Masamune digging uncomfortably into his back beneath the rucksack. He did not dare stop to rearrange it, for fear of losing the group.

He had underestimated these young legionaries, for they carried their heavy shields as well. Years of hard marching must have acclimatized them to such athleticism, leaving the modern boys in the dust. Had the Romans not been so encumbered, Cade had no doubt he and Scott would have been left far behind.

It was some relief then when the sequoias began to thin out and were replaced by the heavy bush and branching trees of the jungles. Forced to cut a path ahead, the legionaries slowed, allowing Cade and Scott to catch up.