Текст книги "The Divining"

Автор книги: Barbara Wood

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 25 (всего у книги 27 страниц)

     It was a short walk to the Forum and the base of the Palatine Hill, but the way was crowded with onlookers lining the wide avenue to gawk at the visitors who continually arrived in the hopes of an audience with the emperor. But Sebastianus managed to get himself and his two companions through the maze of stewards and chamberlains, and finally into the palace itself.

     The waiting hall outside the imperial audience chamber was so crammed with people and animals it was nearly impossible to make one's way through. Visitors hoping to impress Nero had brought extravagant and fabulous gifts, filling the colonnaded hall with a colorful spectacle of comically dressed midgets on golden leashes; dance troupes with drums and torches; trained dogs dressed as lions and tigers; enormous chests brimming with rare bird plumage and animal pelts; statues carved in the likeness of the emperor. A staff of imperious chamberlains, dressed in impressive long blue tunics embroidered with silver threads, saw to the sorting of the guests. The hall was filled with the dull roar of many voices mingling with the peculiar barks and howls and squawks of the exotic animals that were waiting to be presented to the emperor. The chamberlains checked rosters of names—those invited and those to be banned. Sebastianus Gallus and Ulrika were on neither list.

     The fat steward who had the final say-so at the enormous double doors looked them up and down. He held a tall ebony walking staff tipped with gold, intended to be rapped on the floor for attention. "You say you have a gift for Caesar? You do not appear to be carrying anything."

     "It is for Caesar's eyes only," Sebastianus said.

     The man waited, sucked a tooth, shifted his heavy staff to the other hand.

     "I will not bribe you," Sebastianus said. "I will simply send word to Caesar that, due to the negligence and greed of a certain steward identified by a raspberry mark on his neck, one of Caesar's oldest and dearest friends was kept from presenting him with a prize above all others."

     The chamberlain met Sebastianus's eye with the air of one who had faced many an arrogant, and threatening, visitor to the palace.

     "And you are to personally escort us," Sebastianus added.

     The chamberlain's brow arched in frank surprise. He sucked his teeth again, taking the measure of the unusual trio, then he said, "I think I shall call a guard instead. I see no gift for Caesar. Especially none more valuable than any of these," and he gestured toward thirty African slaves bearing massive elephant tusks on their shoulders.

     "Apparently," Sebastianus said calmly, "you enjoy a special intimacy with our emperor to know what he would prize above all else."

     Sebastianus kept his eyes on the chamberlain, who met his gaze for a moment, and then he faltered, looking away, clearing his throat until he said, "Come this way."

     Going through a smaller door, they followed the chamberlain into the audience hall, remembered from ten years prior, and joined a cacophonous press of colorful humanity. Nero's guests were mostly from the Roman patrician class, judging by their elegant gowns and togas, and the ladies' hairdos, which seemed to compete for height and number of curls. They stood about murmuring amongst themselves, turned every now and then when a foreign guest was admitted, and ogled the gifts laid at Nero's feet. Young slaves in pale-blue and silver tunics moved among the guests with platters bearing cups of wine, or tasty treats such as roasted sparrows and figs dipped in honey.

     Ulrika was flung back to the last time she had stood in this hall, ten years prior. She recalled seeing the same apparition that had appeared to her in the countryside when she was twelve—a woman running with her mouth wide in a silent scream, her arms and hands covered in blood. Ulrika had not known why the vision had appeared to her in this audience chamber, and she still did not know. But should it happen again, this time she would have control of the vision and learn its meaning.

     The crowd was dense, so Sebastianus allowed Timonides and Ulrika to go first as they followed the chamberlain, with Sebastianus behind them, shielding them from elbows and feet. Ulrika tried to glimpse the emperor at the other end of the domed chamber, but she could not see him over the heads of so many.

     One personage, however, caught her eye.

     The Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, and Rome's patron goddess and protector. The Vestals were freed of the usual social obligations to marry and rear children, and took a vow of chastity in order to devote themselves to the guardianship of the sacred flames of Vesta, seeing that they never burned out. The Chief Vestal, who had caught Ulrika's eye, sat on a high throne surrounded by handmaidens and wore a stunning gown of many layers in colors of blue, aquamarine, and peridot green. She was the most powerful priestess in Rome and was always seen at important events, at chariot races, or being carried through Rome in her private chair on important business.

     Beneath her impressive crown, rising tall and heavy on her head and covered with a long, pale-green veil that cascaded over her shoulders, a passive face watched the spectacle, and she paid no attention to two chamberlains who had begun to argue over protocol.

     Ulrika deduced from the gestures of the more important of the two stewards—tall and thin and wearing a curious robe that had sleeves and a pleated skirt—that the three newcomers must wait their turn. "Master," Timonides murmured, "if we are forced to wait, it could take days."

     But now they were near the emperor, and could see the golden throne he occupied, the dais that lifted him above the crowd, the men surrounding him wearing white tunics and togas edged in purple. Empress Poppaea Sabina, Ulrika noticed, was not present, and she wondered why.

     Nero was fretful. "I do not need midgets and dancers!" he snapped. "Can no one understand my plight? Rome must be made beautiful again. Do I pay for such a feat with beads and feathers?

     During their walk from the inn, Ulrika had seen the charred ruins left by the great fire. Rubble was being hurriedly cleared by gangs of slaves, and alongside the skeletons of burned-out buildings new edifices were hastily going up, with scaffolding that seemed to Ulrika of dubious strength, supporting stonemasons, brick layers, carpenters, painters. Even the Imperial Palace was undergoing massive renovation, also at a frenetic pace, as if Emperor Nero were racing to stay ahead of a pursuing calamity. The audience chamber in which Ulrika now stood had been transformed—she could not believe that such a grand room could be made even grander. She looked up at the ceiling that, ten years prior, had been a dome of geometric squares, but was now a blazing panorama of the night sky, with a throned Nero at the center of a circle of zodiacal signs. The mosaic of Nero was executed in a rainbow of colors, while the constellations were composed of gold and silver tiles. Ulrika wondered how long it had taken the masterpiece to be rendered, for she could not imagine Nero exhibiting much patience with its progress.

     The atmosphere, too, was different from ten years ago. Ulrika felt the tension in the air. There was none of the optimism that a young new emperor had generated. People's eyes shifted about with mistrust and anxiety while Nero sat on a new throne fashioned in solid gold beneath a purple canopy festooned with gold fringe and tassels. He was still handsome, Ulrika thought, with an imposing nose, thick curly hair, and a stylish beard that decorated his neck but left his jaw clean-shaven. He wore robes and a toga of purple silk, with a gold laurel wreath on his head. He was the most powerful man on earth, and he was twenty-six years old.

     Sebastianus and his companions watched the two chamberlains argue, until Sebastianus suddenly strode forward, past the guards and the chamberlains, and, stopping squarely before Nero, declared, "Greetings, noble Caesar, from Sebastianus Gallus!"

     "Wait!" cried the mortified chamberlains, and members of Caesar's elite Praetorian Guard jumped forward.

     "Gallus!" Nero held up a hand to stay the others, and studied the impudent visitor through his notorious emerald monocle. "Sebastianus Gallus is a traitor to the people of Rome. Why is this man not in chains?"

     The fat chamberlain with the raspberry mark vanished, while those nearby fell silent. The Chief Vestal slowly swiveled her head, as if her massive crown were the weight of Rome itself, and she watched with half-closed eyes as Sebastianus said in a commanding voice, "I have come of my own volition, great Caesar, and I stand before you not only as a friend but as your personally chosen ambassador to the faraway land of China. My mission was a success, Caesar, and I return with a gift."

     Nero signaled for the Praetorians to hold their position. "What is this gift, Sebastianus Gallus?"

     "My gift is this: Personal greetings to Most Honored Caesar from His Celestial Magnificence, the Emperor of China."

     Nero stared at him. "That is it? That is all you bring me? A greeting?"

     "Emperor Ming of Han invites Caesar to send Rome's gods to China. Shrines will be set up to house them. This would include your own divine self, Caesar, to be worshipped by many Chinese."

     Nero grunted. "They are a backward people. I want nothing to do with China."

     "I thought Caesar would be pleased that he would be worshipped by another race."

     "You thought wrong, Gallus. I repeat: What else have you brought me?"

     "You have been through the goods in my caravan, Caesar. You have seen and heard all that I brought back from China."

     "What of precious gems?" Nero said, bringing the emerald monocle to his eye.

     "Jade—"

     "Worthless!" Nero leaned forward, placing an elbow on the arm of his golden throne. "Sebastianus Gallus, we have been told that you tarried in Babylon for no known reason while you kept your emperor waiting. Your emperor, who was in need. How do you account for yourself, and why should we not consider this a treasonous act?"

     "My master is innocent, great Caesar!"

     Attention shifted to Gallus's white-bearded companion. "Who are you?" barked the emperor.

     "I am Timonides, my master's astrologer. For personal and greedy reasons I falsified my master's horoscopes, leading him in the wrong direction, forcing him to divert his path from Rome. Sebastianus Gallus is not guilty of treason, only of trusting an old servant."

     "What of Judea, old man? Did you tell your master to go there?"

     When Timonides faltered, having not expected the question, Sebastianus spoke up: "I went on my own, great Caesar, on a personal errand."

     "It is well known that I am not honored in Judea, and that Rome is despised there. Why, I wonder, would someone loyal to his emperor visit a place that was disloyal to that same emperor? Unless of course it was to rescue treasure for your emperor, in which case it would not be an act of treason."

     "There was no treasure, Caesar. I went to Judea in aid of a friend."

     "I think you are lying. Everyone knows that the temple in Jerusalem was filled with gold and gemstones, and that the Jews took it all to safety when the Babylonians invaded. You found it and you have hidden it somewhere."

     "There was no treasure, Caesar."

     The chief chamberlain stepped up to the dais and murmured something to one of Nero's aides, who in turn whispered in the emperor's ear. Nero nodded, and a moment later a side door opened. To Ulrika's shock, Primo and Rachel were brought in, ropes binding their wrists. Behind them, a soldier carried the small cedar chest that had once held Rachel's garments.

     Nero said to Sebastianus, "My agents sighted you at Brundisium and followed you to Rome. Did you really think you could sneak back without your emperor knowing, or that you could hide your partners in treason?"

     "They are merely friends, Caesar," Sebastianus said. "There are no traitors here."

     Nero pointed to the cedar chest. "And what is in that?"

     "The box contains the bones of a man who wishes to be buried with his kin."

     Nero ordered it opened while everyone watched in eager anticipation. The legendary Jewish treasure was said to be so great that even slaves' chains were wrought of gold.

     As the Praetorian lifted the lid, Nero rose to his feet, his eyes fixed greedily on the chest. "What is it?" he said sharply. "What do you see?"

     "It is as Gallus said, Caesar. Just bones."

     The emperor made a show of disgust and sat back down. "You shall pay for your deception, Sebastianus Gallus, and for thinking you could make your emperor appear the fool."

     "If I may speak, Caesar," Primo said, stepping forward. "I am Primo Fidus and I served in Rome's legions for many years before I retired and went in service to Sebastianus Gallus. It was my report, written by me and dispatched to Ambassador Quintus Publius in Babylon, that led you to believe my master went to Judea in search of treasure. I was mistaken. I had been misinformed."

     Nero said, "I read that report. Were you mistaken about the witch as well?"

     Primo's eyes flickered toward Ulrika. "I was, Caesar."

     "So many mistakes from a man who survived a multitude of foreign campaigns. It is a wonder you are still alive." A rumble of laughter went through the crowd. "Where is this woman you mistakenly called a witch? Is she in Rome?"

     When Primo did not respond, Nero gestured with his right hand, and a Praetorian stepped forward to deliver a swift blow with the butt of his spear against Primo's head. Primo dropped to his knees, and at once blood appeared on his scalp. "Where is the witch?" Nero repeated and the Praetorian stood ready.

     "I am the one, Caesar," Ulrika said, stepping forward to stand with Sebastianus and Timonides before the emperor. "But I am not a witch. It was gossip and rumors spoken in Babylon. This man is not to blame." She looked at Sebastianus and murmured, "Forgive me, for now I must speak."

     Ulrika saw the way the emperor narrowed his eyes at her head. "You are fair-haired like a Barbarian," he said. "Are you unaware that we are at war with Barbarian insurgents?"

     "My father's people live in the Rhineland," she said, her heart racing. If he inquired about her mother, what would she say? The truth, that her mother had been a close friend of Claudius Caesar, Nero's predecessor whom he had assassinated?

     She braced herself for the question, but instead Nero said dismissively, "I know you are a Cherusci. It said so in that oaf's report. Unless of course he was mistaken in that, too!"

     More soft laughter.

     "Do not deny that you made outrageous claims in Babylon," Nero said, pointing a finger at Ulrika, "that you are able to see the dead. I know this because that blockhead wasn't the only man reporting to me. I received a more detailed report of your dramatics in Babylon from my ambassador there who wrote to me of miracles and cures. Show me how you speak to the dead. I wish a demonstration."

     "It is not that simple, Caesar," Ulrika said, recalling how Sebastianus had cautioned her against demonstrating her talents to Nero, who would make her a prisoner for his own amusements. "But I am not a witch. I do not cast evil spells or—"

     He waved an impatient hand. "I care nothing about that. Can you speak to the dead or not? Answer me."

     A young slave arrived at Nero's side, bearing a platter of garlic-fried mushrooms. He stood patiently for the food to be noticed. Nero looked the offering over, casually, then he reached for the serving fork, which was two-tined and made of silver, and in a lightning-quick gesture, thrust it into the boy's abdomen.

     A collective gasp rose from the onlookers, but no one made another sound as Nero leaned forward in his throne to watch the youth die.

     Then he straightened and said to Ulrika, "He is dead. Speak to him. Ask him something."

     She was too shocked to speak.

     "Perhaps it is you who speaks from the grave?" he said, holding up the bloody fork. "If I were to kill you right now, would you speak to me? I am, after all, a god."

     Ulrika tried to think of a response that would satisfy Nero when suddenly, at her side, Sebastianus said in a loud voice, "Great Caesar did not give me a chance to finish my report, for I bring another gift besides the greeting from China. You asked about gemstones. I have a stone that is even more priceless than the emerald you hold to your eye."

     Nero gave him a suspicious look. "Why did you not say this before?"

     "You inquired after gems, great Caesar. What I offer you is not a gem."

     "Yet it is more valuable? How can that be?"

     "Sebastianus, no—" Ulrika began.

     Sebastianus took a step forward, holding out his arm. "You see this gold bracelet? It is decorated with a simple stone, somewhat ordinary in appearance. But it is in fact a piece of a star."

     Nero sat up, his face alive with interest. "How is that so?"

     "Years ago there was a star-shower over my homeland of Galicia, and when I went into the field where stars fell, I found this fragment, still hot from its flight."

     Nero looked at his advisors, from one to the other, who averred that it was possible.

     "If the stone is indeed what you say it is, then I accept your gift."

     "I wish to strike a bargain with you, Caesar. I will exchange this bracelet with you for something in return."

     "And what would that be?"

     "This woman's freedom."

     A mixture of laughter, gasps of surprise, and murmurs erupted from the onlookers.

     "This star that fell from the heavens is yours, Caesar, if you let my wife go free."

     "What is to prevent me from just taking it?"

     "Because, Caesar, this stone was a gift from the gods. Unless I give it freely, the man who steals it causes great offense to the gods. It would bring him many years of bad luck."

     Nero thought about this, then said, "We will have it authenticated. If your bracelet carries a star fragment, and you give it freely to me, this woman is yours and you may both leave."

     "Caesar, these people have done you no harm," Sebastianus added, pointing to Rachel and Primo. "As you can see, they are members of the general populace who are so fond of you. By releasing them, and the remains of the widow's husband, you confirm what all of Rome already knows: that you are the protector and benefactor of the masses."

     Nero waved a hand. "You can all go. What is it to me? But first my astronomer must examine the stone."

     The chief astronomer, his three assistants, and three respected astrologers were brought before Nero. They took the bracelet and withdrew behind a plain door, to emerge now and then with questions: Where precisely did the star fall to earth? What was the exact date and hour? From which direction did the star-shower come, and what was its duration?

     Sebastianus was filled with confidence as he awaited the verdict, knowing that Nero would accept the bracelet, for it was just as the Chaldean in Babylon had foretold, that Sebastianus would be parting with his most cherished possession.

     The astronomers finally returned to confirm the stone's authenticity, as records showed that precisely such a shower of stars occurred in that exact location and at that exact moment. The astronomers were also familiar with the feel, weight, and appearance of fallen stars.

     Nero said, "I wish to have this stone as it must contain great power that makes it, as you say, more priceless than any gemstone in my possession."

     "Then I give it to you freely," Sebastianus said.

     As Nero slipped the bracelet onto his wrist, pausing to admire it, he said, "Sebastianus Gallus, I find you guilty of treason and I order your execution in the arena."

     "But ... we have an agreement!"

     "You yourself said that this stone came from the gods, Gallus, and as I am now a god, I take it back on behalf of my fellow deities. And I will think of an amusing entertainment for the masses, among whom you say I am so beloved. Yes, the common people love me. I lowered taxes, I lowered the price of food, I give them free bread and free games in the arena. And the people love nothing more than to see the mighty brought down. A man of your fame and wealth and stature will bring record crowds to the Great Circus. Half the population of Rome will cram itself within its stands in order to watch your execution."

     Before Sebastianus could protest further, Ulrika spoke up, saying, "Mighty Caesar, you asked for a demonstration of my powers. I will give you one. But only if you set this man free."

     "What is this?" Nero quipped. "Market day? Suddenly I am being bargained with as if I were a seller of wine."

     His aides laughed.

     But Ulrika remained unfazed. "I can communicate with the dead, as you were told, Caesar. But it comes with a price. If you are satisfied with my demonstration and believe that my gifts are genuine, then I will stay here and be your channel to the realm of the dead. But only if you let Sebastianus Gallus go free."

     Nero said archly, "You will give me a dead man for a living man?" and one of his advisors, a portly senator wearing a purple-edged toga, said, "The dead man is invisible, Caesar. How do you know you are getting a fair exchange?"

     His comrades laughed. Another quipped, "Perhaps what the girl 'sees' is with her mind's eye!"

     "Well said, Marcus."

     Ulrika turned to the one called Marcus and stared at him for a long moment, slowing her breath, clasping her scallop shell and imagining her inner soul flame. After intense concentration, she said, "Then how do you explain the boy I see at your side, perhaps ten or eleven years old? He is speaking to me. He says his name is Faustio."

     The aide named Marcus blinked and his smile fell.

     "Shall I go on?" she said.

     Nero waved a hand. "You are inventing a fiction! There is no way to prove what you claim."

     But Ulrika noticed that Marcus no longer smirked.

     "Can you read objects?" Nero asked. "Among my seers is a man who can see the future when he handles a personal object."

     "I have experience, Caesar."

     "You will do a reading for me, and I have the perfect object," the emperor said, delighted with himself and this new amusement.

     He handed his emerald monocle to an aide, who gave it to Ulrika.

     "Can you see the future?" Nero said impatiently.

     Ulrika cradled the sparkling green crystal in her hands. The gem had been set in a frame of delicate gold filigree, with a long handle fashioned from ivory. All eyes turned to her as she looked down at the gemstone. The chamber grew quiet.

     She studied the surface of the emerald, rough in places and smooth in others. It was irregularly shaped, with cloudy spots inside. But it was a stunning green such as she had never seen before, and the small spaces that were clear all the way through shot back captivating highlights.

     Spirit of the emerald, she silently prayed, please send me a message. Give me a sign, or words that I can pass on to this man who holds my beloved husband's life in his hands.

     The imperial audience chamber grew silent, it faded from her peripheral vision, and another vision entered Ulrika's line of sight. Soft fabric ... panels of diaphanous material ... Hangings over a doorway. Ulrika is on the other side, looking into a sumptuous bedroom. A woman is there, at her vanity table, removing cosmetics from her face. Agrippina, widow of Claudius and mother of Nero. She is suddenly startled. Interrupted. Someone enters. A man. He carries a dagger. She jumps to her feet. Not frightened, defiant. She knows he has come to assassinate her. She turns to him and says contemptuously, "If you must do this deed, then smite me in the womb and destroy that part of my body that gave birth to so abominable a son."

     The vision disappeared and Ulrika swayed briefly. Sebastianus caught her. Pressing her hand to her forehead, Ulrika drew in a breath and steadied herself.

     Nero leaned forward on his throne. "Well?" he said. "What did you see?"

     She trembled. She knew she had just witnessed Empress Agrippina's murder, and that her son had been watching from behind bedroom drapes. Ulrika recalled the rumor that Nero had hired an assassin to kill his mother and then had himself killed the assassin to keep the man from speaking.

     No one knows what Agrippina said in her last moments. But Nero knows. And now I do, too ...

     Ulrika glanced at Sebastianus, at Timonides and Primo and Rachel. She felt hundreds of eyes upon her, and those of the emperor, as they narrowed in suspicion. She did not know what to say. Nero wanted her to tell him something that only he could possibly know and that would therefore prove that she did indeed have a gift. But what the emerald had told her was something that put herself in danger—any hint that she knew it was he who had had Agrippina murdered jeopardized her own life.

     "Speak up!" Nero barked. "What does the emerald tell you?"

     But proof of my powers will set Sebastianus free because Nero will not be able to deny that I have indeed communicated with the spirit world.

     "Great Caesar," Ulrika began. "I see a woman—"

     Suddenly, the massive double doors that were the main entrance to the audience chamber crashed open, and all heads turned.

     When legionaries tramped in, their hobnailed sandals striking the marble floor, Nero shot to his feet and shouted, "Who dares to barge in unannounced and without my permission?"

     Ulrika turned and her eyes widened when an impressive man appeared behind the unit of soldiers, massive red plumes rising from his shining helmet. He wore a white leather breastplate with a golden lion emblazoned on the front, a white tunic underneath, edged in gold. The greaves on his shins, and cuffs protecting his forearms, were also made of gold, making him a blinding sight as he marched forward with long strides, stiff and confident, right hand clasping the hilt of his sword.

     "Sebastianus," Ulrika whispered as the man drew near. "It is General Vatinius!"

     Nero's look turned to one of puzzlement. "Vatinius? What is this all about? You come without invitation, without announcement. Explain yourself!"

     "I bring a special gift for Caesar," the general declared in a voice that rose to the domed ceiling. Vatinius turned and outstretched his arm, and another unit of soldiers entered the audience chamber, with a manacled prisoner at their center.

     "Great Caesar," Vatinius cried, "in honor of your Jubilee Year, I give you the insurgent Barbarian who has led campaigns against Rome for thirty years. Wulf, who claims to be the son of Arminius!"

     Ulrika reached for Sebastianus as the man in chains was led through the crowd. She filled her eyes with the sight of him—he was tall and broad, his long blond hair in tangles and braids and streaked with gray, his beard long and gray. He wore a dark brown tunic of rough homespun cloth, leather leggings, and fur boots that reached his knees. A man in his late fifties, he walked with an erect posture, and a proud bearing of his head. He looked neither right nor left, but directly at Caesar.

     Ulrika struggled for breath. There stood the man she had dreamed of since she was a child, had fantasized about, had yearned to meet. He had filled her girlhood thoughts and blazed across her imagination in heroic proportions. She had searched for him. She had been told he was dead.

     She saw a look of keen pleasure on Nero's face and she was suddenly sick to her stomach. She knew what that wicked smile meant.

     All of Rome gossiped about Nero's failure to secure victories in his name. The war with Parthia had ended the year before with Rome agreeing to a truce, and while Nero had been successful in quelling the revolt in Britain led by Queen Boudica, he had been robbed of a victory celebration when Boudica had committed suicide. Everyone in the audience chamber understood the significance of Vatinius's surprise gift for his emperor.

     Nero made a show of rising from his throne and approaching the general. "How is it I was not informed of this?"

     Vatinius smiled. "The capture is recent, Caesar, and the few men who knew of it were sworn to secrecy. I wished to make it a surprise."

     "Well done, noble Vatinius!" Nero said as he circled the prisoner, looking him up and down in satisfaction. "I will hold games in your honor, General. You are a hero of the empire."

     The onlookers erupted in cheers and Ulrika felt herself go cold with fear.

     "For you, Barbarian," Nero said with glee, "we will have a special punishment in the arena. Perhaps I will pit Sebastianus Gallus against you. Barbarian against Roman patrician. And see who wins!"

     Ulrika's heart went out to her father. She wanted to run to him, embrace him, and protect him.

     Thirty-three years ago my father was taken prisoner during a battle in Germania and sold on the slave market. Three years later, he left my mother in Persia, at her urging, to return to the Rhineland and fight General Vatinius. And then, a mere ten years ago, General Vatinius dined in Aunt Paulina's house and bragged about his military strategy against my father, vowing to end the German insurgency once and for all. And now here we are.

     It must not end this way.

     Finding her voice, Ulrika said, "Great Caesar, the emerald has spoken to me. There is a woman here who wishes to be heard. A very powerful woman with a message for you. But I must now demand a higher price in exchange."

     Vatinius turned and gave Ulrika a perplexed look.