Being deeply loved by someone, no matter which life you are living, gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

  ~Lao Tzu

  Sarah didn’t have to go anywhere.

  The two facetakers left within the hour, however. Sarah and Tomas would stay in Rome while the others went to find the hunters. She tried not to think about the fact that Mai Luan was in the same city. Tomas had said the safe house was secure so she’d trust him.

  Besides, the best camouflage she could think of while in Rome was visiting all the historical sites along with millions of other tourists. She asked Tomas about the hunters Gregorios and Eirene were going to see.

  “They’re a tight-knit group based out of Jerusalem.”

  “They’re Jewish?”

  “No. At least, I don’t think so. But they’ve lived within the Jewish community since the nation was restored. They have ties with the Jews that date all the way back to the time of Moses.”

  “How is that possible?”

  He smiled. “With everything you’ve seen, you still wonder about things like that?”

  “How long have you lived?”

  “I’m not a facetaker. I’m not on my first life any longer, but I’m not nearly as old as they are.” Admitting even that much seemed to be difficult for him.

  “Have you ever been married?” She tried to keep her tone casual, but the words came out a little tense.

  “I thought we were talking about the hunters?” he said with a smile that didn’t quite hide the worry in his eyes.

  She let him change the subject. For now. “So tell me about them.”

  They sat together on one of the couches and he explained that the hunters were descended from the family that founded the order way back in ancient days. Their primary purpose was to hunt the hekha, or kashaph, as they called them.

  They considered it a divine calling to rid the world of those evil powers. They were a secretive, patriarchal order, whose family line was one of the oldest in the world.

  “That’s incredible,” Sarah said. She felt deeply curious about the hunters as she considered Mai Luan. Ridding the world of people like her would indeed be a worthy life cause, albeit a dangerous one.

  Tomas explained that they had developed contacts and alliances all over the world. They were well-trained, exceptional fighters, skilled in dealing with the devilry the kashaph conjured through their rounon symbols.

  “So if facetakers hate hekha too, why do the hunters want to kill Gregorios and Eirene?”

  “Well, they also consider facetakers to be devils incarnate, possessed with an evil power that needs to be eradicated.”

  “Oh.” That made things difficult.

  “They’re not always at open war with the facetakers. It’s a complex relationship, but in the last century it’s soured, particularly where Gregorios and Eirene are concerned.”

  “Why?”

  “Eirene’s issues with them date back to the second World War, and I don’t know the specifics,” Tomas said. “But they swore vengeance on Gregorios after a hunter failed to assassinate him.”

  “Wait a minute, if they were trying to assassinate him, where do they get off getting angry when he killed the guy trying to take him out?”

  “Gregorios didn’t kill the hunter. He returned the assassin’s soulmask to Jerusalem in a box.”

  Sarah grimaced. Those were the people Gregorios was going to see?

  “So why risk it?”

  “They’re experts at runes. No one, not even most hekha, know so much. If anyone can decipher what Mai Luan is planning with that machine of hers, it’ll be them.”

  Sarah thought about that for a minute, but only worried more than ever for Gregorios’s and Eirene’s safety.

  “So I guess we’re stuck in Rome for a couple days,” she said to change the topic. She’d love to enjoy a little down-time with Tomas, just be tourists for a couple days and not deal with arcane problems until the facetakers returned.

  “What would you like to do tonight?”

  Sarah beamed. “You’re the local. Surprise me, but first I need to take a run. Can you recommend a jogging route?”

  “You don’t want to take a day off?”

  “No. Ever since Alterego blew up, I’ve been using my workouts as my coping mechanism. Now, with Mai Luan and the council, life is more insane than ever. I need the run.”

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  “Sure,” he said with a shrug. “I’m a huge believer in working out, although I’ve slacked off a bit in recent weeks. I’ll go with you.”

  “Great.”

  Tomas led Sarah at a steady jog through part of historic Rome, all the way to the Tiber river. There, they picked up the Longotevere path that followed the river.

  Other people walked, jogged, or even biked along the path. It was often shaded, and they enjoyed views of some of the historical sites packing the ancient city as they ran.

  “We could follow this for miles,” Tomas explained, his voice steady, despite having run a couple miles.

  Even though he didn’t look like an athlete, he ran easily and did not seem winded. One more surprise from a man with so many layers, he seemed like an endless mystery. Peeling back those layers one at a time was a chore she was looking forward to more than ever.

  “I’m happy to go as long as you want, but need a minimum of 5k.”

  “Let’s take the loop past the Castel Sant’Angelo. It’ll add a couple miles from here, but you’ll get a great view of St Peter’s too.”

  “Perfect.”

  The weather was beautiful, and Sarah’s mind wandered as they ran. She let her worries fade away under the steady effort of simply running. She’d never enjoyed running so much, but with her enhanced Body stats, it felt effortless.

  Was that how famous runners felt all the time? With training, they could push themselves all the way up to F9. She’d always been in great shape, but barely reached the mid-Fs.

  She’d never understood the gap between top performers and everyone else before. It was amazing to discover a way to join their ranks.

  Her path was weird and mysterious and potentially dangerous, but she did love the benefits. Tomas pulled her out of her reverie eventually as they jogged past an ancient round castle.

  “There’s the Castel. It’s fun to visit and take the tour too.”

  “We should do that tomorrow.”

  “Sure. You know, I never realized you liked to run so much. I’ve known a lot of top athletes, and you run like a pro.”

  “Thanks. I’ve just discovered how much I like to run recently.”

  He chuckled. “Well, you’d put most avid runners I know to shame.”

  “Don’t do anything halfway,” she said with a shrug.

  His smile widened and he nodded toward some stairs rising from the path up to the main streets. “We’ve covered nearly ten kilometers. Want to take a break for some gelato?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “I know a great little shop right up here.” He led the way up, and they walked for a couple blocks, their sweat cooling. Neither of them needed to catch their breaths.

  The gelato was delicious, and they meandered back toward the safe house, enjoying the sights and chatting about other places they wanted to visit in the coming days.

  When they returned, she scanned the Daily Quest complete message. Four more free points to spend, but it was when she scanned the available items in the inventory that she grinned.

  Path of Ancients Tutorial 2. You are ready to build upon the foundation of knowledge you’ve acquired and begin to unlock the power of runes. Cost: 10 points.

  Runes. The first tutorial had been almost a teaser. The info about basic symbols had seemed amazing, but what she’d seen of runes since then made it clear all her knowledge was barely a drop in the bucket.

  Mai Luan was hunting them, so they needed every bit of power they could get. Runes might offer that power. And now she got the option to pick another tutorial that just happened to cost exactly as much as her available free points.

  What would have happened if she’d spent all her other free points pushing her stats higher? Would the tutorial have not become available until she had 10 points, or would it have only cost 4?

  Didn’t matter. She needed it, and was eager to learn. Her only hesitation was the worry that by continuing with the next tutorial, she might unlock some kind of hekha power. Would that turn Tomas against her, or somehow make her evil too?

  No, knowledge was just knowledge. She would decide when and if and how to use it. Without that knowledge, she was blind in this dangerous world of facetakers, cui dashi, and rune-powered hekha. So she made her choice.

  Purchase confirmed. Tutorial will be available in the morning.

  Nice. Her progression had slowed in the past few days, but she couldn’t afford to lose momentum. Hopefully the tutorial would jumpstart it again.

  After cleaning up and resting for a bit, they dressed up and headed out for a sumptuous dinner at La Pergola restaurant, located at the elegant Rome Cavalieri Hotel. The interior was gorgeous, with antiques and famous works of art.

  Tomas somehow scored a table near one of the enormous windows with breathtaking views as the sun set. Sarah drank in the sight of the city, with St. Peter’s glowing in the distance, then gave Tomas a wide smile.

  “Will this do?” he asked.

  “It’s amazing. I’m surprised we were able to get in.”

  “There’s usually a long wait list,” Tomas admitted. “But I know the owner.”

  “Really? How?”

  Tomas dipped a piece of soft bread into olive oil and saluted with it. “It’s a long story. I helped his grandfather out of a tight spot a while back. I’ve been friends with the family ever since.”

  “How far back?”

  His smile faded. She could tell he was nervous about talking about his past, but he’d have to find the courage to discuss it if he wanted their relationship to go anywhere. She was starting to hope it might. For now she’d enjoy the evening. Maybe once he relaxed more he’d be willing to share.

  The meal was delicious. By the time they left a couple hours later, Sarah was so full she could barely move. So they decided to walk for a while and took a slow tour through some of the downtown landmarks they’d missed earlier. She didn’t comment on the fact that the waiter hadn’t asked Tomas for any payment.

  The Trevi Fountain took her breath away. It was bigger than she had imagined, and the soft lights illuminating Neptune and the sculpted horses concealed much of the wear they’d suffered through the centuries. She could imagine herself standing in ancient Rome, enjoying the same spectacular view.

  Then a police car passed, siren wailing. The sound reminded Sarah of the dangerous situation they were still embroiled in, triggering a rush of nervousness.

  It brought to mind the unexpected, violent attack on the highway in New Orleans, the shock she’d felt at the brutality of the close combat with enhanced hekha in the hotel, and worry for Eirene’s safety.

  They’d rescued Eirene, but the danger was far from gone. Mai Luan moved in the same city. She could be anywhere, could be watching them that moment.

  Sarah suddenly felt exposed. They shouldn’t be walking the streets of Rome, pretending all was well when it so clearly wasn’t.

  Everywhere she turned, she glimpsed another ancient pillar or church that dated back to the Middle Ages, or older, but she couldn’t recapture the sense of wonder she’d felt earlier.

  Nowhere in the States that she had ever visited radiated such a weight of history, but she wished they’d stayed in the safe house. She couldn’t enjoy it now.

  They paused on the Spanish Steps, and she forced herself to buy another gelato, fulfilling a lifelong dream dating back to the first time she ever watched Roman Holiday. The classic film with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck had been one of her all-time favorites as a girl.

  It was a bucket list moment, but she barely tasted the delicious stracciatella flavor.

  She leaned against Tomas while they sat on the steps. “It’s been a good night, hasn’t it?”

  “I think so,” he said, but his voice sounded distracted.

  She turned to him, but found him scanning the crowd, a little frown on his face.

  “What is it?”

  He pulled her to her feet and led the way up the long stair. “We’re being followed.”

  She knew it. This was such a bad idea.