Free A Noble Captive by Michelle Styles

rolling the four-sided knucklebones to see the future, but actual communication with the goddess. Entering her abode and returning unscathed to the land of the living. The ultimate test to indicate that the sibyl retained the goddess’s favour.
    Aunt Flavia had made her reputation on getting the prophecies correct. Helena’s mind raced. She had to stall for time, and hope. If Aunt Flavia became better, maybe there would be a chance.
    ‘And the question is?’
    ‘I desire to know if Lichas’s mission will succeed.’ Zenobia snapped her mouth shut like a turtle closing in on a particularly juicy bug. She and Androceles exchanged knowing winks. Helena felt the knots in her stomach turn. Having failed to get her to confess to an open breach with the seafarers, they were trying for a new line of attack. Exactly what was Androceles plotting? ‘Surely this is not too difficult a question for a seer of Flavia’s standing.’
    ‘Soothsaying is not so easy. It requires careful consideration and preparation,’ Tullio said. ‘In my humble experience.’
    A weight seemed to roll off Helena’s chest and she could breathe again. Tullio had thrown her a lifeline, a glimmer of an idea. Something she could use. ‘The tribune is quite right. To foresee the future is not a gift to be rushed.’
    ‘The tribune shows a marked knowledge of the temple’s affairs,’ Zenobia remarked. Her expression had turned even more sour.
    Androceles leant over and whispered in Zenobia’s ear. She nodded back at him. Zenobia gave another of her trilling laughs.
    ‘Do tell Flavia about our request. I truly wish to know what the goddess thinks. It would be a dreadful thing for this island if her powers started to desert her. Of course then, maybe someone I know would take her place.’
    They suspect something, Helena thought with a sudden certainty. The reprieve was too easy. And Zenobia thinks I will be a simpler sibyl to manipulate.
    Who carried the intelligence to her aunt? One of the guards? Could she really trust anyone? How long did she have before they acted? Enough time for Aunt Flavia to recover her health? She had to.
    ‘You shall have your answer by the Ides. The sibyl needs time to make her ritual preparations.’
    ‘You impress me with your certainty, Helena. A quality to be admired in a sibyl.’ Androceles bowed low, with his green cloak flowing behind him.
    ‘I leave such things to my aunt. She is an extraordinary sibyl.’
    ‘For now.’
    Androceles’s words sent an icy chill through Helena. She wanted to sink to the floor and put her face in her hands, but she forced herself to remain upright.
    ‘Helena has given you her answer. I suggest you heed it.’
    Tullio crossed his arms over his massive chest as if he were one of her guards. Solid, steady and protective. The message was unmistakable. He knew and was trying to protect her. The temptation was there, but she needed more. She had to know she could count on him and Rome always. And she already knew the answer to that.
    ‘You will have your answer by the Ides, Aunt Zenobia.’Helena held her head and met Zenobia’s gaze. Zenobia was the first to look away.
    ‘Six days, and tell Flavia I expect a clear message, not one of her usual obscure ones. Far too often she has been able to wriggle out of a situation with an interpretation after the fact.’ Zenobia turned on her heel and with a click of her fingers left the chamber.
    Helena’s knees threatened to give way and she reached out a hand to steady herself. Instead of encountering the small stone altar, her hand brushed the wool of Tullio’s tunic. The brief contact sent shock waves through her body. She hurriedly withdrew her fingers.
    Why now? Why this man? No other man had sent these strange flickers through her body. One touch and she was ready to forget all her training. Was this how it had happened to her mother?
    ‘Is something wrong, Helena?’ His warm fingers grasped her elbow, steadying her. Warmth like the