The carriage traveled over a dirt road flanked by trees. Rachel had dozed off at one point, wondering why it took so long to get from Bisanthium to the palace. She might have lost track of how far she traveled to get away from it in the first place. When she woke up, she looked through the windows of the carriage and found herself in unfamiliar surroundings.
Augustus had his eyes fixed straight ahead. He did not say a word since the last time she spoke to him. Rachel wanted to ask him where they were and how long the journey had been, but there was something about the bounty hunter that made him look like the impatient, bad tempered sort. Typical bounty hunter, only interested in payment, not in the welfare of his target.
Meanwhile, somewhere close to Magnus' camp, Meira was indeed planning a surprise for her lover. He could use a slave of his own, but a man of his status would require someone special. Not just some filthy, cheap slave bought from the market. She led some of his men away from the camp and into the wilderness before telling them, "My friends in Bisanthium said they spotted a lovely carriage heading out of the city. If there is a carriage, there must be a rich person inside. I want you to set up an ambush along the road to the west. The carriage should be heading there any time now. Once you stop it, I want you to capture anyone you see inside and bring him or her to me. Kill anyone who resists."