Having escaped from the cisterns, Placidia held Aeliana in her arms. Despite being a teenage girl, it was not too difficult to lift the woman; she had lost so much weight since her captivity that even someone like Placidia, who did not exercise in the slightest, was capable of carrying her to safety. Unfortunately, their guard had stayed behind to deal with the hounds, and if the blood-curdling screams that had recently vanished were anything to go by, they were likely already dead.
Tears streamed down Placidia's eyes as she mustered all her strength to carry the woman out of the city and to her son. Who was sitting outside the city's gates besieging it as she pondered these thoughts within her young mind. She would not accept any other outcome than reuniting Marcellus with his mother.
