Free The Wadjet Eye by Jill Rubalcaba

his hand again to study it. The small oval turquoise was carved with the Eye of Horus, the wadjet eye. He felt its protection just as surely as he had felt the heat. He bowed to Cleopatra and remained with his forehead to the limestone floor even after her scent of lavender had left the room.

TWENTY
    At the first milestone they came to, Artemas reined in his horse. The horse, energized by the early morning chill, pranced in an arc around the column. Although the distance in miles to many towns was carved into the stone, the mileage to Munda was not. Damon was glad. He knew it must be more than a thousand miles. To see that number etched in stone might make him reconsider the journey ahead.

    They kept a good pace all morning. By noon they found themselves at the thirtieth-mile marker, facing the mouth of a gaping hole in the hill before them. The horses pranced backward and sidestepped.
    Damon struggled to keep his mount still. "What do you make of it?" he asked Artemas.
    "It must be part of the road. Look how the stones fit together. It's paved right on through."
    "It's dark in there. I can't see to the other side." Damon squinted into the darkness. "How do we know the earth doesn't just open up, with the Devourer waiting at the bottom?"

    "The road leads here. It must go through."
    Damon heard tortured creaking coming from the mouth of the gaping hole in the earth. Had he conjured the Devourer by speaking his name? A dull thud, like the heartbeat of a giant beast, came steadily. Damon's horse backed farther away from the dark opening.
    Damon was about to turn and flee when two oxen came into the light. They slowly plodded forward, pulling a wagon. The driver flicked a whip back and forth in time with the beat of the hooves on the stone.
    The driver guided the oxen to a stop by the side of the road near a statue of Mercury. The old man climbed down from his perch and searched the ground, prodding it with his whip handle until he loosened a small stone. He tossed it onto a large pile of stones in front of the statue.
    The driver saluted Damon and Artemas. "You might want to add a stone to the Mercury heap. Protector of travelers, you know. Never hurts to have a bit of luck."
    Artemas nodded. "How goes the road ahead?"
    "Never seen a tunnel, I wager."
    "A tunnel?"
    "Army dug right through the hill. You can't say the Romans don't build their roads straight. Paved all the way through too."

    "How deep?" Damon asked.
    "It doesn't go down. Just think of it as a road with a canopy." The driver pulled himself up onto the wagon. "May Mercury be at your heels." The wagon began to move.
    "How far to the nearest inn?" Artemas shouted over the creaking of the wheels.
    The driver cupped his hand to his ear. "Eh?"
    "The nearest inn?"
    "The fourth stone."
    Damon and Artemas watched the man's back until he disappeared from view. Then it couldn't be avoided. They turned to the gaping hole. Damon was sure they were entering a tomb. So many lined the roads—could this be one with a gateway to the otherworld?
    Artemas gathered in his horse's reins. "I'll go first. If I slip out of sight, turn and run for it. Don't worry about the horse's feet on the stone. Just go for all she's got."
    Artemas entered the tunnel. Damon followed. It was dark, but he could still see the outline of Artemas in front of him. The clopping hooves echoed, making it sound as if a dozen horses had come in with them.
    "I can't understand why this isn't marked on the map." Artemas's voice boomed in the narrow space. It sounded oddly hollow, as if it were coming from the walls instead of from Artemas.

    Damon's eyes began to adjust to the dim light. He could make out the walls of the tunnel and the ceiling overhead, covered in moss. He prodded his horse on with his heels to her belly, but the mare ignored him and only reluctantly moved forward. "You don't suppose that old man was..."
    "Who?" Artemas turned to look over his shoulder, resting his hand on his horse's