Note: While browsing through the Port Market, I've spent 12,800 gold for the Dual Pistols to extend my wordcount by 1000 for this chapter. 

***

Droplets of water fell from a tight crevice in the dirty stone ceiling. A brown puddle was beginning to form where a small dip in the land had formed. Smudges of dirt, grime, and dried blood were strewn across the ground in random shapes, their colors long faded and muddled by time.

There was no bed. Or any chairs. 

The only thing Marina was given before being thrown into a prison cell—creaky metal door and all—was a wooden bucket for her waste and excrement.

Of all the things the Romans could've jailed her for...

One would think the citizens and members of the army would push for Marina's capture because of her involvement in Octavian's death. But that wasn't the case. The Romans were more obsessed with Marina's title as the Silken One; because in their folklore, she was painted not only as a dimensional hopping anomaly, but a rich pirate with hidden treasures as well.

She herself wasn't sure how much merit the Roman folklore had. But she could admit that her silky attire was rather appropriate for a pirate—maybe even a captain. At the same time though, her memories from a life before Egypt had yet to return. She wasn't sure if they ever would.

The term "captain" actually made some alarm bells ring in her head. Having that title sounded... familiar, hitting her with an extreme wave of deja vu.

The notion of treasure, however, was completely foreign to her.

When Marina came forward about her confusion, she was disregarded. The Romans labeled her as a liar and a greedy thief. They wanted her treasures as some form of reparation for putting an end to their previous leader. And since she couldn't give them a clear answer as to where those hidden riches were, she was thrown in jail— where she was now awaiting a trial that would most likely lead to a death sentence.

Marina didn't know what to do.

The weight of everything that had happened—finding out about her powers, meeting creatures she thought were completely fictional, potentially changing history in this dimension, lending her hand in battles and wars and the amounts of death that came solely because of her presence—it hit her all at once. Having the title of Silken One, something she couldn't really say was good or bad, filled her with a debilitating sense of exhaustion.

She'd been thinking and planning and plotting for other people; but now that it came to her and her own survival, she was at a loss. Her brain was too fried to come up with a plan of escape.

Propped against a dusty, cracked wall, Marina resigned herself to the situation.

With her knees pulled in tight against her chest, she accepted that her demise was something she couldn't run from.

It didn't matter what realm or timeline she was in. At some point, she would die.

Being trapped in a prison for something that may not even be real only worked to emphasize her apparent dread.

Marina didn't move from her spot. When the air grew colder, she didn't shiver. When her feet fell asleep because of her position, she didn't try to wake them back up. When day shifted to night, she didn't bother shuffling closer to her only source of light.

The only thing left to do was wait.

At least, that was the intention before the sound of gentle cooing filled the space of her prison cell.

Marina looked up, squinting her eyes in an attempt to see beyond the darkness in front of her. She took in the sight of a large bird standing in the patch of light a few feet away from her.

The creature appeared to be a type of falcon.

A yellow and black beak was connected to a fuzzy green face. Avian eyes were a strangely beautiful shade of vibrant purple and housed multiple slit-like pupils. Its body faded to a shade of royal blue. Scaly feet housed jarring sets of hooked talons which faintly scratched against the floor whenever the bird moved. Even with such strained visibility, it was easy to make out the way each feather sparkled as they ruffled.

The falcon had to be from a different world, seeing as normal birds didn't look anything like that—which meant Marina was being visited by someone else.

"Uh, hi." She offered a small wave. "Are you here to help me?"

"Eh, Bluebell here kind of just does his own thing. He likes to scour new places whenever we go somewhere new."

Marina gasped, turning her head to look upward. 

Directly above her, a woman with vibrant green hair, golden skin, and kind purple eyes was half-leaning outside of the wall—meaning part of her body was still inside of it.

A hand was brought up to give a cheery greeting. "Hello there, Silken One! My name is Circe. I'm the Greek goddess and sorceress of plants and animals."

"...You have some form of story or ancient folktale about me back in your world, don't you."

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." Marina couldn't contain a sigh at the turn of events. "I'm assuming you're here because you need my help with something?"

"Nope! I'm here to bust you out!"

She continued to openly gape at the half-hidden goddess in the wall. "Uh... huh. And why exactly would you want to bust me out?"

"I'm all for women's strength, prosperity, and endurance. Plus, I've heard a lot about you. A woman who can jump through time- that has to sacrifice quite a bit to do so. I know life hasn't been the kindest to you- seeing as you're in a prison cell and all that. I'd just like to give you a chance at freedom so you can try and find your way back to your own world."

"You... really don't want anything out of this?"

"Consider it my daily act of kindness!" Circe took a few steps forward, consequently expelling her from the slab of stone she was inhabiting. The falcon, now known as Bluebell, flew from his spot to perch on one of her shoulders. "There's no point in you sitting here, waiting for the chopping block. I'm sure you have things you'd like to return to."

"I don't even remember my life before arriving in Egypt."

"Even still. You should give yourself the chance to make a name and identity for yourself, rather than lying down and giving up. You're alive, so you should move forward as best as you can."

Marina hummed in response. She rose to her feet, taking a moment to shake her clothes free of residual specks of dirt. "Fine then. But how are we supposed to get out of here? Using my abilities takes a pretty big toll on my body."

"Allow me!"

Circe put out a hand, her friendly smile growing when a cold palm rested against hers. She turned around to face the opposite wall.

Slow, calculative steps were taken forward. Deep breathing overshadowed an otherwise silent atmosphere. Crickets chirping, trees rustling, and wind howling picked up the closer they got to the barred window. The light of a full moon became even more radiant.

Gentle fingertips grazed the wall, settling on a specific point where several gashes fanned out from. Small chants were belted out in a language unknown to Marina. She watched in fascination as greenery began to thrive out of the wall. Vibrant plants crawled up and along the slab, partially coating the ground and ceiling. As they continued to move, a rather sweet aroma picked up as well.

One that made Marina drowsy.

"Oh, one second." Circe flicked her wrist. On command, the greenery split open like a pair of curtains. It closed behind the two women after they walked into the open air. "Sorry, gardenias in large groups like that can make people sleepy. But if anyone comes looking for you, the potency of the flower will render them unconscious for a while. Take some deep breaths. It should pass soon."

Marina did as told, blindly following the sorceress who still held her hand.

"Hey, Circe-"

"Who goes there!"

Both women turned around, only to catch a lone soldier running in their direction.

"Dammit. Circe-"

"Don't worry, I've got it covered."

The soldier continued to run forward, drawing his sword with the intent to maim if he saw fit. He was only able to raise the weapon before a handful of dried powder was blown in his face. Afterwards, a hand was waved in his direction.

Surprised cries shifted to strange animal-like whining. The sounds morphed into raspy snorting; and suddenly, instead of a soldier standing before them, a black horse took his place. 

"What-"

"Goddess of animals, remember? Now, come on. His shouting might've alerted other soldiers. We need to move."

Circe climbed onto the stallion with Marina doing the same behind her. Another quick chant caused the creature to stiffen. It let out an excited neigh and ran forward with great speed. Bluebell took it upon himself to fly alongside them.

Angered yells could be heard a short distance away. Shouting was followed by the sound of metal doors swinging open, as well as rolling wheels and more horses.

The Romans were taking their own course of action by pursuing their prisoner.

Deadly force seemed to be their method of dealing with the problem because a loud gunshot rang through the air.

"The- the Romans have guns? Since when?" 

"Did you do something to alter history?" Circe asked, a serious lilt to her voice.

"What does that-"

"Did you do something to alter history?"

"I... helped Queen Cleopatra get rid of Octavian and his army. It kept her alive and stopped the Roman invasion."

"That might've changed some other things. Those types of guns aren't supposed to exist this early in time. Your actions might've led to the Romans excelling in their weaponry years before they were meant to do so."

Marina clenched her jaw. Her teeth ground together even tighter when more gunshots rang through the air. Projectiles zoomed past her, partially skimming her arms and legs. Fortunately, no one was able to get a clear shot.

But that didn't mean they never would.

Circe reacted by pulling her attention to the soldiers. She waved her hand in a fluid motion. A dried substance gathered in her palm. 

Without hesitation, she blew it away from her.

Roman soldiers and horses caught in the crossfire fell as soon as they made contact with the purple cloud.

"What was that?"

"Wisteria powder. Poisonous in certain doses and can cause loss of consciousness."

Marina opened her mouth to make a comment but was interrupted by another gunshot. She screamed when an impact was made in her shoulder. Blinding pain crawled down her arm and across her scapula.

Another shot rang out, and that one was successful in hitting their horse in the leg.

The attack forced the animal to screech to a clumsy stop.

Marina didn't have enough time to brace herself for the impact. Instead, she was sent tumbling to the ground. The air was knocked out of her lungs when she landed on her back. Dark spots filled her vision when her head followed shortly after.

A glowing green light engulfed her vision before everything turned black.