TitlePage

PraiseforPERFIDITAS

BookIIintheRomaNova

series

“AlisonMortonhasbuiltafascinating,exoticworld!Carina’sabright,sassy

detectivewithawinningdrysenseofhumour.Iwarmedto

herquicklyandwantedtofindouthowshedealtwiththeproblemsthrowninherpath.Theplotispretty

snappytooandgetsofftoaquickstartwhichmadeiteasytokeepturningthepages.Thereareafairnumberofalternativehistoricalfictionswhere

Romeneverdisappeared,butformymoneythisisoneof

thebetterones.”

–SimonScarrow,authoroftheEagle(MacroandCato)

series

“Ican’tresistanalternativehistoryandAlisonMortonwritesoneofthebest.

Powerfulstorytelling,vividcharactersandapage-turningplotmakesAlisonMorton’sPERFIDITASamustread.”–JeanFullerton,authorofthehistoricalEastLondon

novels

“Pureenjoyment!Aclever,complexplotsetinthebeguilinglyconvincingfictionalcountryofRomaNova.ScenesandcharactersaresometimessovividlydescribedthatIfeltIwaswatchingamovie.This

compellingtalerenderedmeinseparablefrommycopy

rightuptothelastturnofthe

page.”–SueCook,writerand

broadcaster

HistoricalNote

WhatifKingHaroldhadwonthe Battle of Hastings in1066?OrifJuliusCaesarhadtaken notice of the warningthat assassins wanted tomurder him on the Ides ofMarch? Or the SpanishArmada had defeated andconquered England in 1588?Suppose Christianity hadremained a Middle East

minor cult? Intriguingquestions, indeed. Alternate(oralternative)historystoriesallowustoexplorethem.Whether infused with

everylastdetailoftheirworldas in S M Stirling’s ThePeshawarLancers,orlighter,wherethealternativeworldisused as a setting for anadventure or thriller, such asKate Johnson’s The UnTiedKingdom, alternate history

stories are underpinned bythree things: the point ofdivergencewhenthealternatetimeline split from ourtimeline; how that worldlooks and works; and howthingschangedafterthesplit.PERFIDITAS focuses on

one main character, CarinaMitela, and her struggle todefeat a conspiracy entwinedwith personal andprofessional betrayal. I have

dropped background historyabout Roma Nova into thenovel only where it impactson the story. Nobody likes astraight history lesson in themiddle of a thriller! But ifyou are interested in a littlemore information about themysteriousRomaNova, readon...

What happened in ourtimeline

Of course, our timeline mayturn out to be somebodyelse’s alternate as shown inPhilip K Dick’s TheGrasshopperLiesHeavy, thestorywithin the story inTheMan in the High Castle.Nothing is fixed. But for thesake of convenience I willtakeoursasthedefault.The Western Roman

Empire didn’t ‘fall’ in acataclysmic event as often

portrayed in film andtelevision; it localised andeventually dissolved likechain mail fragmenting intoseparate links, givingway torump states, local city statesand petty kingdoms. TheEastern Roman Empiresurvived, albeit as the muchdiminished city state ofByzantium until the Fall ofConstantinoplein1453totheMuslimOttomanEmpire.

Some scholars think thatChristianity fatallyweakenedthetraditionalRomanwayoflife and was a significantfactor in the collapse.Emperor Constantine’spersonal conversion toChristianityinAD313wasaturning point for the newreligion. By AD 394, hisseveral times successor,Theodosius, banned alltraditional Roman religious

practice,closedanddestroyedtemples and dismissed allpriests.Thesacredflamethathad burned for over athousandyearsintheCollegeof Vestals was extinguishedand the Vestal Virginsexpelled. The Altar ofVictory, said to guard thefortuneofRome,washauledaway from the Senatebuilding and disappearedfrom history. The Roman

senatorial families pleadedfor religious tolerance, butTheodosius made any paganpractice, even dropping apinch of incense on a familyaltarinaprivatehome,intoacapital offence. And his‘religious police’ driven bythe austere and ambitiousbishop Ambrosius of Milan,becameincreasinglyactiveinpursuingpagans...

The alternate Roma NovatimelineInAD395,threemonthsafterTheodosius’s final decreebanning all pagan religiousactivity, four hundredRomansloyaltotheoldgods,andsoindangerofexecution,trekkednorthoutofItalytoasemi-mountainous areasimilar to modern Slovenia.Led by Senator Apulius andtwelve other senatorial

families, they established acolonybasedinitiallyonlandowned by Apulius’s Celticfather-in-law. By purchase,alliance and conquest, thisgrewintoRomaNova.Norman Davies in

Vanished Kingdoms: TheHistory of Half-ForgottenEuroperemindsusthat:…in order to survive, newbornstates need to possess a set of

viableinternalorgans,includinga functioning executive, adefenceforce,arevenuesystemand a diplomatic force. If theypossess none of these things,they lack the means to sustainan autonomous existence andthey perish before they canbreatheandflourish.

I would add history,willpowerandadaptabilityasessential factors.RomaNovasurvived by changing its

social structure; as menconstantly fought to defendthenewcolony,women tookover the social, political andeconomicroles,weavingnewpowerandinfluencenetworksbased on family structures.Eventually,daughtersaswellassonshad toputonarmourand carryweapons to defendtheirhomelandandtheirwayof life. Service to the statewas valued higher than

personal advantage, echoingRoman Republican virtues,and the women heading thefamilies guarded andenhanced these values toprovide a core philosophythroughoutthecenturies.Roma Nova’s continued

existence has been favouredby three factors: thediscovery and exploitation ofhigh-grade silver in theirmountains, their efficient

technology, and their robustresponse to any threat.RememberingtheirByzantinecousins’ defeat in theFall ofConstantinople,RomaNovantroops assisted the westernnations at the Battle ofVienna in 1683 to halt theOttoman advance intoEurope. Nearly two hundredyears later, they used theirdiplomaticskillstohelpforgeanalliance topushNapoleon

IV back across the Rhine ashe attempted to expand hisgrandfather’sempire.Prioritisingsurvival,Roma

Novaremainedneutral in theGreatWarofthe20thcenturywhich lasted from 1925 to1935. The Greater GermanEmpire, stretching fromJutlandinthenorth,Alsaceinthe west, Tyrol in the southandBulgaria in the east,wasbroken up afterwards into its

former small kingdoms,duchies and counties. Somebecame republics. Therewasno sign of an Austrian-borncorporal with a short, squaremoustache.Thirty years before the

actionofPERFIDITASintheearly 21st century, RomaNova was nearly destroyedby a coup, a brutal male-dominated consulship andcivil war. A weak leader,

sclerotic and outmodedsystems that had notdevelopedsincethelastgreatreform in the 1700s and aneglected economy let in acleverandruthlesstyrant.Butwith characteristic resilience,thefamilies’structuresfoughtback and reconstructed theirsociety, re-learning the basicprinciples of Republicanvirtue,while subtly changingit to a more representational

model for modern times.Today, the tiny country hasbecomeoneofthehighestpercapita income states in theworld.

PartI:Conspiracy

I

‘CaptainCarinaMitela?’‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Who is

this?’‘Custodes XI Station. An

emergency token with yourcode has been handed in.We’reholdingthepresenter.’Juno.I dropped everything and

headed for the tunnelconnecting our headquarters

tothepolicestation.Thedutysergeant,witha typicalcop’sblandexpressionbuttryingtoconceal a speculative gleamin her eyes, handed me thetokenwithoutaword.As we walked to the

interview rooms, I stared atthe thirty-nine millimetrediameter disc, made toresemble a casino chip,indigo blue polycarbonateshielding the tiny

microprocessor. The last oneI’d had in was from aninformant handling incomingdiplomatic baggage at theairport; her sharp eyes hadspotted a very undiplomaticcargo of compact assaultrifles. Sure, RomaNovawasasmallcountry,hiddenawaybetween New Austria andItaly, but we weren’t stupidor sloppy.Working with theIntelligence section, I’d

traced the weapons back totheirBalkanRepublicoriginsand led a covert service unittodestroytheirwarehouse.The figure I saw today

through the smartplexobservation window of thepublic interview room wasslumped over, elbows on thetable,handsbracedherunderher chin, her long black hairlooking like it hadn’t seen abrush for days. Mossia

Antonia. She owned and ranoneofthetoughest,andmostexclusive, training gyms inthe country. Right now, shelookedlikeastreetvagrant.I shucked off my uniform

of beige shirt and pants andblack tee, and pulled on thecasuals the custodes dutysergeant had found in lostproperty forme, ignoring thesmell of stale food andcookingfatclingingtothem.

Mossia jerkedherheadupasIenteredtheroom.‘Salve,Mossia.What’sthe

problem?’ I plunked myselfdown on the other chair,crossedmyarmsandwaited.‘Bruna?’ She blinked and

shookherheadlikeshedidn’tbelievewhatshesaw.I opened my hand in a

gestureinvitinghertotalk.‘Aidan has disappeared,’

she said, looking down and

rubbing the table with herindex finger. Inlaid withcoffee rings from carelessmugs, the plastic surfacereflectedtheimpactsofhard-tipped pens and handcuffscrapes.‘Areyousure?’Shenodded.‘Howdoyouknow?Aidan

has other clients apart fromyours. Maybe he’s gone onvacation, or been called

away.’Her head came up at that.

‘Hisfirstdutyistome–Ipayhim a damned good retainertolookaftermyclients.’‘Sowhatmakes you think

he’snotcomingback?’‘This.’She pulled out a folded

piece of paper with black,slopingwriting.Ireadit,laidit down on the table, andleaned back in my chair.

ThenIpickeditupandreaditagain. I couldn’t believe it.He wrote he couldn’t bear itany longer; he’d had enoughof her unfair workingpractices. He resigned withimmediate effect and wouldmake sure her clients knewexactly why he’d done it. Ipinched the bridge of mynose to make sure I wasawake.‘Hetooknearlyathousand

solidi from the cash drawerand my gold pen.’ Mossiajabbedtheairwithherfinger.‘Whatever.What really bugsme are those lies.’ Her facewas rigid and her eyesblazing. ‘I could kill him forthat.’ Her chair crashedbackwardstothegroundwiththe force of her jumping up.Shestartedpacingaroundtheroomlikealioninthearena.I wasn’t surprised at her

anger.Sheworkedherpeoplehard,butlookedafterthem.Iknew her employmentpackages were first-class; asan anonymous shareholder,I’dseenheraccounts.‘You’ve reported him to

the custodes as a missingperson?’‘I’mreportingittoyou.’‘Why? I’m not the

custodes.’‘Well, you’re something

like that.’ Ninety-eight percent of my colleagues in thePraetorian Guard SpecialForceswould take offence atthat,butIletitpass.She came to rest by the

tableandlookeddownatme.‘What?’Isaid.‘It’spersonal.’‘Were you sleeping with

him?’Hershouldersslumpedand

she crossed her arms across

herchest.‘Sillysod.’Shepulledasmallmoue.I stretched over and

touched her forearm insympathy.Ishotasideglanceat the watch on myoutstretchedwrist.Hades!‘I’ll have the custodes log

it,’ Isaidandstoodup. ‘Yougohomenowor,better,backtothegym.Thecustodeswilllet you know of any

developments.’She took a full stride

toward me, so near that shewas all but touching me.‘What do you mean? Aren’tyou going to do anythingaboutit?’‘Okay, it’s bloody

annoying, it’s hurtful,whatever, but it’s hardly acaseforanemergency token.Leaveitwiththecustodes.’Isteppedawayandpushed

my chair under the edge ofthetable.‘Comeon,Mossia,timeto

go. Think of the moneyyou’re not making whileyou’rewastingtimehere.’Sheshotmeaviciouslook.

Theangerwasrollingoffher.Shetookadeepbreath,gazedunseeing at the dirty beigewallsforaminuteorso.Had I been too harsh? A

stab of guilt proddedme. I’d

knownMossia for years, butmy schedule was crushingandIwasbehindalready.I knocked on the door

which opened inwardsrevealing a blue-uniformedcustos.‘We’re finished here,’ I

toldhim.I looked at Mossia’s taut,

silentfigure.‘Thecustoswillsee you out. I’ll stop by thegymifIhearanything.’

‘Well, screw you!’ Sheturned her back to me andstalked out without anotherword.

‘Everything all right,Captain?’ the duty sergeantasked me as I changed backintomyuniform.‘Yes, thanks,’ I said, and

pinned my name badge andinsignia back on. TheDepartment of Justice

custodeswerebothwaryandpolite with us. Back inEastern America I’d grownup in, city cops had neverlikedfedseither.ManyofmyPGSF colleagues sneered atthe custodes and used thepublic’s name for them –scarab, or dung beetle. I’dbeenaDJcustosonce.‘Thanks for sending the

alert through – I hope ithasn’t been too disruptive.’ I

smiled at her as she escortedme back to the tunnel door.‘I’mnot so suremyselfwhatthatwasabout.’‘Noproblem,ma’am.’As the tunnel doors

swished open, I felt myirritation at Mossia unwrapitselfandfloodback.WhatinHadeswassheplayingat?BythetimeIarrivedatourend,Iwas annoyed for not beingable to figure out whether

she’d told me somethingsignificantornot.ThePGSFgeneralofficewasplain, cramped and a mess.With the new regime, thewhole floor was due for arefit. None of us could waitfor it – I’d been tempted toheft a paint brush myself.Back at my desk, I checkedmy presentation but couldn’tconcentrate as I went back

through the interview withMossia.WhathadImissed?‘What’sthefrownfor?’‘Um?’‘Deaf again?’ came the

mockingvoice.Daniel.‘Funny,’ I said in a sour

tone. His ready, attractivesmile reflected in his browneyes.Hecouldusuallyliftmeout of the dumps, eventhough he irritated the helloutofmetheotherhalfofthe

time.‘I think I stepped into an

alternate universe earlier on.OrmaybeI’mlosingitinthisone. I just can’t see theproblem, but I know there isone.’‘Tell me,’ he encouraged.

Major Daniel Stern was atoughoperationaltype,buthewasn’t dumb. And, when hetried, he could listen. ‘Whydon’tyouthinkit’sboymeets

girl. After a while, he wantsout, he grabs the cash andscarpers, leaving girl behind,hurtingbadly?’‘Scarpers?What’sthat?’When we spoke English

together, Daniel sometimesused weird words from hisearly days. Something to dowith his uncle being broughtupinEngland.‘Leaves, decamps, does a

flit,vamooses.’

‘No, it doesn’t fitMossia.She doesn’t make emotionalbonds. Ever. She’s not cold-hearted – just desperate toprotect herself. Her parentsdivorced and dumped her inthe gladiator training campwhen she was fourteen.Apparently, the lanista wasmore than keen to take herafter he’d seen Mossiascrapping in her schoolplayground.Canyouimagine

howhard thatwas?’ I shot aglance up at him. Heshrugged.‘No,’ I continued, ‘it’snot

the personal so much as thelieshewrote.’‘Okay, so what about the

boyfriend?’‘She gets a lot of clients

viahiscounsellingpractice.Itbrings him into direct accessto the great and the good.’ Ilooked away for a moment.

‘I’ve used him on severaloccasions for contacting allsorts of people. He’s a verydiscreet intermediary. That’swhyIgavehimatoken.He’sthe most cynical andegotistical person I’ve evermet.Shellharder thanAquaeCaesarisgraniteandaboutasmuchemotion.’‘I thoughteverybody liked

him,youincluded.’‘Sure.He’sbeautiful,sexy,

charming,funtobewith.ButI’ve never seen or heard ofhim partying with anybodybutclients.Hegivesthemthephysical and emotionalattentiontheyneed.’Danielsmirked.‘Whatever,’ I said. ‘But

it’s always on a commercialbasis.Andtheypay.I’veseenhim sometimes when hethinks nobody’s watchingand, while he doesn’t sneer,

I’d sayhewaspretty cynicalabout the whole thing. Thatletter was completely off. Itconflicted with everything IknowaboutAidan.’‘Don’t worry.’ Daniel

chuckled. ‘The ransom notewillbealongsoon.’‘Maybe, but you know

what? It was his token shebroughtin,nothers.’

I played around with some

finalnotesforthebigmeetingthat afternoon but couldn’tconcentrate. I looked aroundthe office at nothing inparticularandchewedmyel-padstylus.After fiveminutes, Daniel

lookedacrosstheroomatme.‘You’re not going to let thisgo,areyou?’Hegavemeanexasperated look. ‘So,where’stheletter?’‘Mossiagrabbeditbackas

ifherlifedependedonit.I’vemadeacopyfrommemory.’‘Yuk!’ said Daniel, after

reading it. ‘He’s reallyputtingthebootin.’‘Exactly.He’dneverwrite

so melodramatically. Butthen, do we really knowhim?’‘You know what? You’re

starting to sound like a crossbetween an agony aunt andSigmund Freud. Let’s grab

some lunch.’ Daniel likedeating.Alot.Themesshallwaspacked.

We couldn’t find anywherebut at the end of one of thelong tables with Daniel’sActive Response Team. Alloutrageously fit, andboisterous, they acted likehigh schoolers. In reality,they were magnificentsoldiers; they could havebeen the model for the

Hollywoodstereotype.Danielcalled them his boys (eventhoughhalfweregirls).Theyfollowed him withoutquestion because he was ascrazyasthem.‘Sowhenareyougoingto

give up all that mental stuffand join us, Captain?’ Galla,one of the senior NCOs wasgrinning atme.She’dhelpedrescuemeinNewYorksevenyears ago when I’d been

hunted by a government-sponsoredkiller.‘Ihavesomuchelsetodo

than run around on openmoors, climb up sheer rocks,wade through mud firing aweapon and shrieking like abanshee.’‘We don’t shriek like

banshees,ma’am!’saidGalla.‘We leave that to Daniel – Imean,MajorStern.’Laughter broke outwith a

lot of mock punching,elbowing and shouting. Howanybody didn’t get aheadachebeingaround them,I didn’t know. But they hadmore honours, decorationsandawedadmirationthananyotherteam.I preferred a silent

approach. Daniel called itsneaky;Icallediteffective.‘Carina?’Ilookedup.Julia

Sella,ourtrainingmajor–no,

newly appointed LieutenantColonel Sella, no less.‘Everything ready? Let meknow if you need anything.’Evenherbrownhairwassoftand wavy, in tune with herpersonality. My mentorduringmyfirstconfuseddaysin the PGSF, and my friendnow.‘Thanks,ma’am,’Isaid.‘I

think I’m set. If it all fallsapart,I’lljustwingit.’

She smiled back ruefully.‘Yes, I know you probablywill,butdon’ttryittoooften.Bothyouand theunithavealotridingonthis.’

II

Three hours later, after thelast guard had left, I perchedon the front row of seats inthe empty hall. The zonedhall lighting that ruthlesslyexcludedanypoolingordarkcornershadbeenswitchedoffexcept for an overheadspotlight above the rostrum.No longer shimmering underthe light, the cherrywood

panelling shaped to givemaximum acoustics wasinert.I shut my eyes and

breathed deeply. Theadrenalin flow that hadsurged through me half anhour ago was still pulsingaroundmybody.Icouldhavegone out and climbed bothpeaksoftheGemina,withoutmountain gear. I’d won mynew job as head of the

strategy section againstferocious competition. Sure,I’d been nervous before myfirst presentation today asstrategos.Whowouldn’t be?It had brought back theanxiety of that firstadvertising pitch I’d done inNew York when I was stillKaren Brown – the catalystthat brought me here sevenyearsago.Now I was in the place I

had yearned for, where Icould share my passion forstrategy,playgamesandhavefun. Hours of thinking,challenging, arguing,teaching, learning. I sawmodels, 3-D imaging, liveintranet games, holographicbattlefields,notforgettingthetraditionalsandbox…Sowhythetaperunningin

my head, its hum gettinglouder like some damn

mosquito?Mossia!Whatwaswrong there? I decided topass by Aidan’s later andcheckitout.Morethanlikely,he had some new lover orwas tied up in a pokermarathon. But why thatviciousletter?Theshadowofatallfigure

fellovertheseatsbesideme.Thelegate.Ournewchief.

He’dradiatedconfidencethatafternoon in front of four

hundred alert, cocky andcritical pairs of eyes.But I’dseen how he rubbed hisfingers along the hairline byhis temple more times thanusual–hissignaturetell.The previous legate,

Valeria Vara, had been apoliticalappointee,somesaiddue to horizontal influence.She’d appointed her familyclients to several positions,with really bad results – one

had tried to kill me. But thetroops had listened carefullytoday to the new legate; hecommanded respect, and nota little fear. When he wasdeputy, he’d been frustratedunder the treacherous fog ofVara’s rule, but he’dsucceeded in protecting andinspiring troops despite that.Some murmuring had runaround the hall after hefinished, but it had sounded

bothsurprisedandpositivetome.‘Ready to go home?’ he

said.‘Doyouwantalift?’Hedidn’t need to move his lipsto smile; it was in his eyes.Hazelwith unfairly generouslashes, set in an angular,sculptedface.Sure,helookedgood: tall, dark blond hair,thefitbuildofaprofessionalsoldier, but that wasn’t it.Fortunahadblessedhimwith

the gift of charm. When hesmiled, everymanwanted tobe his friend, to have hisrespect and companionship;every woman wanted him inherbed.But when he was angry,

his face shrank back onto itsbones, the tilting eyes tiltedmore, and his lips almostdisappeared.WhenIsawthatexpression, I was sure therehadtobeaNorsemanorHun

inhisgenepool.But now he was smiling.

Nowhewasn’tthelegate.Hewas my husband, ConradusMitelus. Conrad. I still usedtheEnglishform.That’swhatI’d called him when I’d methiminNewYork.That’showhe lived in my head. Andheart.‘Yes,thatwouldbegreat,’

Isaid,comingbacktotherealworld.

‘Ithoughttheyweregoingto eat you when you threwthat challenge at them,’ heteased. ‘You don’t hearstunned silence like thateveryday.Butyouhad themlike cats lappingmilk out ofyourhandattheend.’‘Well,IhopeIcanliveup

to their expectations.’ Iglancedathim.‘Andyours.’He smiled again but said

nothing.

At the door, we passedthrough the biometricscanner, collected our sidearms, and stepped into thefreshair.Despitestate-of-the-art environmental systems inthe headquarter building, Ipreferred naturalwarmth andthe breeze onmy skin. Evenrain was good. I turnedtowards the parking lot, butConrad’s faint touch on myarm stopped me. He nodded

at thecarapproachingus.Ofcourse, now he was thelegate, he was chauffeuredaround. A guard stepped outfrom nowhere and, as thedriver opened the back doorfor Conrad, slipped ito thefront passenger seat.Being amere captain, I had to walkaround the other side of thecar. This was too formal. Iwas riding in on my Ducatitomorrow.

The early evening rushhour was hardly starting sowe made good speed alongthe Decumanus Maximus –Main Street. In earlier times,it had been two-way, whichhadtohavebeenanightmare.As we crossed over the

Cardo Max by the forum,Conrad touched my arm.‘You look preoccupied.What’sup?’‘Nothing, really,’ I said.

‘Well,itshouldbenothing.Acontact sent inanemergencytoken today, for somethingtrivial. Not trivial to theplayers’ personal lives, Isuppose, but definitely notjustifyingatoken.’‘Wanttorunitpastme?’‘No, I’ll work on it for a

bit first. I’m not seeingsomethingIshould,’Ialmostgrowledinfrustration.‘Do I know the person or

peopleconcerned?’‘No, I don’t think so.’ I

sighed. ‘Sorry, I’m beinggrumpy. I don’t mean to,especiallytoday.’I studied his face: brown

shadowsaroundeyesthathaddrooped back into theirsockets, deep lines each sideofhismouth.Awayfromhisaudience, he finally relaxedand the fatigue of the pastweeks showed. I broughtmy

hand up to his cheek. Hesmiledback.Just for a second, he

glanced into the rear-viewmirror.Hades. The driver and

guard. I whipped my handbackdown.Conrad chuckled and

whispered into my ear,‘You’llgetusedtoit.’I shot a sour look at him

and sat back like a prim

librarian.As we approached the

house,helaughedsoftly, likehewasdetermined tobe inagood mood. At the entrancein the highwall, I rolledmywindow down and held myhand against the bioscanner.We swept under the goldenstone arch into the widecourtyard, tall gates closingbehindus.Wewerehome.

III

Domus Mitelarum was animposing house, occupyingthewhole block and beyond.The golden stone glowed inthelateafternoonsun.Conraddirected the driver tomanoeuvre the car to placemy side to the houseentrance. The guard anddriver exchanged a quickglance. As heir to the most

senior of the TwelveFamilies, IoutrankedConradin civil life by several steps.So far, we’d been able tokeep the work and civilcontexts separate, each of usstudyingtostayinthecorrectbounds. Some days it wasmoreofastrainthanothers.Although my door was

opened by her teenage son,Junia,thesteward,greetedusherself.

‘Good evening, CarinaMitela,’ she said, faceimpassive as usual. ‘Legate’,she added, nodding toConrad. ‘Countess Aureliawould like you both to joinherintheatrium.’‘Thank you, Junia.

Straightaway?’‘Yes, lady, she was clear

onthat.’Conrad started giving the

driver and guard instructions

forthemorning.‘Um, Junia, could you put

the legate’s driver on thebioentry system, please?Somesortoflimitedaccess?’Junia rescued me. ‘Of

course, lady, I’ll arrange itimmediately.’ Withoutseeming to hurry, she wasbeside thecar,had thedriveroutandwasescortingherandthe guard into the domestichalldoorby the timeConrad

and I had a foot on the firstshallow step to the mainentrance.Crossingthevestibule,past

the entry to our wing, theonly sound came from ourleather boots as they creasedand relaxed with our footmovementsacrossthemarblefloor. Eyeless imagineslookeddownonusfrombothsides of the hallway, somecoloured marble, some

painted. I still found themspooky, like running thegauntlet.Conraddidn’tgiveita second thought, but I’dbeen raised in the EasternUnited States. The averageEastern American homedidn’t have rows of ancestorstatues in the hallway,especiallyoneofyourmotherat the end. The sculptor hadcaughtanairofwistfulnessinher face; drooping eyes,

tendrils escaping from thethin ribbons around her headand curling down around thehollows of her neck,emphasising the hesitantexpression – an other-worldliness. She’d run awaytoEasternAmericaattwenty,married my father, andproducedmewithin theyear.I found it hard to imaginehow this descendant of ahundred generations of

warriors had become themodel Eastern AmericanhousewifeinthefewphotosIhad.Maybe this conflictwaswhyshe’ddrivenherselfoffacliffintooblivionwhenIwasthree.‘Any idea what Aurelia

wants?’ Conrad asked me,breakingintomythoughts.‘Not a clue. Somebody’s

birthday?’‘Whatever it is, I hope it

doesn’ttakelong.’Heranhisfingertips down the side ofmy upper arm onto the backofmywaist.Astheyranovermyrear,hesmiled.Ireturnedit, holding his warm lookwithmyown.A burst of laughter from

the atrium broke our moodandConraddroppedhishand.The atrium rose up for

three storeys. Light from thelate summer sun shone

throughthecentralglassroofonto luxuriant green plantingat thecentreof theroomlikerays from an intensespotlight. A dozen or sopeoplewere scattered arounda table covered with whitelinen,glasses,fruitandhoneycakes, olives, nuts andcheese. At the centre stoodthe tall, spare figure of mygrandmother, AureliaMitela.Nowoverseventy,shelooked

twenty years younger andcarriedherselflikethesoldiershe’d been thirty yearsbefore. My cousin Helena,standing next to her, had thesameangularlookasAurelia,but her bones were overlaidwith softer, immaculatelygroomed skin. How Helenabalanced in those designershoes was a mystery to me.She was talking to Conrad’suncle Quintus Tellus and his

two teenage sons whohoveredcloseby their father.Conradgroaned softlybeforeweapproachedthegroup.‘Salve, Nonna.’ I kissed

mygrandmother’scheek.Herblueeyesgleamed.‘Good evening, Aurelia,’

Conrad added, lifting herhandandpassinghislipsoverthe back of her fingers. Hewinked at Helena whowinked back, turned to his

uncle with genuine pleasure,grasped arms and thenrememberedtonodtohistwocousins.‘What’sgoingon,Nonna?’‘We’re having a drink to

mark Conradus’sappointment. It’s over ahundred years since aMitelahas been appointed legate inthePGSF,’shesaid.‘Agoodexcuse!’ she added, with amischievous smile. She’d

ambushedusafterahardday,andknewit,butIforgavehereasilyandgrinnedback.Junia’sson,Macro,offered

glassesofchampagnearound,his face serious withconcentration in his anxietyto get it right. He was onlysixteen,barelyanadult.We duly drank Conrad’s

health. I reached up andkissedhimlightlyonthelips.He encircled my waist with

his arm and turned to thegroup.‘Thank you. It’s been a

heady fewdays.When Iwascalled to the palace onMonday, I was genuinelysurprisedtobenamedlegate.’His face became solemn. ‘Ineed toaskforyourpatienceand forbearance. Without adoubt,theworkinfrontofmemeans strange hours anddomestic disruption. And,

yet, it’s a great honour thatbrings credit to bothfamilies.’ And he raised hisglasstoincludehisuncle.I loved Quintus as if he

were my own uncle; well, agreatdealbetterifIcomparedhim to Uncle Brown whosefamilyI’dbeenfosteredwithinNebraskaaftermyfather’sdeath. Quintus had raisedConrad in the hard school ofrural poverty after the

rebellion had been defeated.Thirty years ago, Conrad’sstepfather, Quintus’s half-brother, Caius Tellus, hadlaunchedacoupandimposeda brutal regime that lastedbarely eighteen months. But,starting years before, he’ddestroyed Conrad’sinnocence.I watched Conrad as he

circulated, talking toAurelia,Helena and the other guests.

‘You must be so proud ofhim,’IsaidtoQuintus.‘Yes.’ He smiled at me.

‘He’s worked hard toovercomehispoorstart.’‘You’ve not done too

badly yourself, UncleQuintus.’Ilaughed.In the aftermath, Quintus

was lucky to have escapedwithhislife,exiledtotheeastasacountrymagistrate.He’dfought hiswayback, gaining

a compassionate patron –some say lover – who’dbrought him back into thecircles of power. He’d senthis tough little nephew intothe legions. Conrad hadthrived, risen meteorically,was invited to join thePGSFas a young officer, and hadnowreachedthetop.Quintuslethishandreston

Conrad’s shoulder. Conradhalf-smiled back at him.

Quintus’sowntwosonswereyoung and, although legallybelonging to their mother’sfamily, were often in theirfather’s company. To me,they looked cosseted,vulnerable,softersomehow–part ofQuintusTellus’s latermoreprosperousyears.‘Willyoueatwithusordo

you have other plans?’Aureliaaskedme.‘We’d love to, but I must

change,’Iinsisted.‘Iwanttoseethechildren.’‘That’s cool, cuz,’ Helena

chirped in. I laughed at herusing the English word. Shemade a face back, a contrastwith her poise and Vogue-like smoothness. Althoughshe’d been a successfulteacher, she’d given it up,escaped, she claimed, andnow cared for my children.‘They’re all ready for you,’

she added. ‘But Allegra willeat with us downstairs as aspecial treat.’My eldest wasonly six, but she loved to beincludedwiththegrown-ups.‘Ihavetostepoutlaterand

runanerrand,’Imurmuredtomygrandmother, ‘but Idon’tneed to go until after dinner.It’swork.’She shrugged, somehow

making it an elegant gesture.‘I understand. I’m just

grateful we can all cometogether like this now andagain.’ She indicated theothers with a light wave ofher hand, but her gazelingered on them. Althoughhead of an extended tribe,Aurelia Mitela had beenwithout close family foryears. I knew she relishedhavingonenow.Conrad and I went up to

the nursery, to see the twins

andbringAllegrabackdownwith us. She walkedconfidently, with a secretlittlesmileonherfaceasshetook her place at the table.Dinner was light-hearted,even mildly boisterous,conversation pleasantlysuperficial. The oldergeneration went off to thelibrary afterwards to let mygrandmother fleece them atcardsand theyoungerone to

the pool tables downstairs.Allegra pouted as Helenagrasped her hand to take heruptobedbut,atthedoor,sheturned, pulled away fromHelena, raised her free hand,shookitsidewaysinacartoonwave,andsentusasmilethatsqueezedmyheart.IleftConradandDanielat

the table, arguing somepointabout field tactics, andhurried across the hallway

into our apartment.Rummaging in my closet, Ifound some old runningsweats and worn sneakers. Ireleased my hair from itsplait; itwas red-gold but notfrizzy. Pulled back in aponytail and securedwith anelastic band, I could hidemost of it at the back ofmyheadsothecolourwasn’ttooobvious. Shoulders slumpedforwardstolookyoungerand

poorer, I checked myself inthe long mirror. I slipped athin nylon rope into myhoodie pocket along with aset of miniature tools on aring, and a scanner, thengrabbed a special packet ofsmall cards from a drawerand stowed them in mypocket.Down the back stairs and

into the domestic hall. Itappedonthedoor.Icouldgo

anywhereinthehouseatanytimebut Iwouldn’tdreamofbargingintothedomestichallwithout some form ofpreliminary.Evenaftersevenyears.My father must have had

help when we lived in NewHampshire before he died.Aunt and Uncle Brown hadnotimeforanythinglikethat,thinkingitwas“purevanity”.Macro opened the door. I

passed through the spacioushall,paintedinpalebluewithracksofhooks,openshelvingononewall and two shallowbut long wooden tables, onewith two terminals. Two ofthe younger female houseservants, giggling andpushing against each other,exitedtheirdiningroom.Onecast her knowing eyes atMacro who blushed but assoon as they caught sight of

me, they looked down andhurried off toward thesleepingareas.Iglancedupatthelargecontrolpanelforthedomestic system, seeing aclusterofbiosignaturesinthesmall drawing room and asmaller group in the gamesarea.The panel bleeped as I

downloaded the entry codeforaftermidnightintomyID.Downthebasementstairsand

out the service exit in thegaragedoor. Itwasdrynow,cool, but not yet chilly. Youcould see snow on themountainsinthedistance,butonly on the peaks, like injigsawpuzzlepictures.After twenty minutes, I

crossed theDecMaxmakingmy way to where Aidanlived. His end of the ViaNovawaslessbusy,lesswelllit, mildly louche, to be

honest.At his building, I bent

down as if to retie mysneaker. As I stood up, Ipassed my reader over thescanlock, captured the codeand was in. On his floor, Ifished in my pocket for thepacketof cards. I glancedupand down the brick-facedcorridor. No signs ofcompany.IkeptitsimpleandknockedatAidan’sdoor.

The spyhole darkened. Ismiled and waved. The dooropened a few centimetres.Aidan’s face filled the gap.Hair mussed, his face waspalewith a green-grey tinge;a line of sweat had formedabovehislips;hispupilsweredilated in red-rimmed eyes.He was completely still. No,rigid.Heshrankback.Trouble.Notadoubt.

I held up a card with thewordsMy name is Amaelia.He dipped his eyes down toit.‘Hey, Aidan, did you

forgetourrunthisevening?’Isangoutlikeacheeryco-ed.‘Hi,Amaelia.Great to see

you.’Hislipsmadeapainful,tightline.Nobody else in immediate

view. Was there somebodyelse behind him? Or to the

side?He opened the door a few

more centimetres, but hisbody blocked the view bothin and out. I couldn’t seeanybodyoverhisshoulder,orany mirror. So I showed thecardthatsaidHelpneeded?‘Oh,yes,’hesaid.‘Umm,I

forgot about the run, sorry.’Hisvoicewasontheedgeofcracking.I held up another card

Phoneyou?’‘No,’ he continued. ‘I

reallycan’t.’‘Okay,’Isaid,showingthe

card with Work. ‘That’s toobad,’ I continued. ‘Do youwanttoreschedule?’‘Yes,’ he answered,

noddinghishead.‘Maybenextweek?’He shook his head almost

imperceptibly.‘Sure. Same time or

somethingdifferent?’Iasked.I needed a time. He had togivemeaclue.‘Same time is fine.’ His

Adam’s apple bobbed as Isaw him swallow hard. Henarrowedhiseyeslikehewasconcentrating on something.Heglanceddownwards.‘Andbring Decima Amorak – wecan go through the park andshecanhavearealrun.’‘It’sadate.’

He winced. His bodyjerked forward a fractiontowardsme.‘Mustgo,’hesaidandshut

the door. I stared at it for afew moments, turned andbounced off along thecorridoranddownthestairs.Well, that was weird.

Aidan looked sick.Something, or someone, hadstopped him inviting me in.He’d had the presence of

mind to play along with mypantomime, but he couldn’tspeak. He’d looked shit-scared.On my way back home,

three things became obvious:firstly, Aidan was in realtrouble; secondly, he didn’tknowhowtodighimselfout;and thirdly, I didn’t have acluewhat‘DecimaAmorack’meant.Still racking my brains, I

jogged back to the house.How come a personalservices worker, a therapist,basically a civilian, hadbecome caught up insomething that would scarehimthatmuch?Heworkedina clean industry, helpingpeople resolve problems,making people feel good,givingthemagoodtime.Themostbrutalthingtohappentohimwould be a clamped car

or a noisy neighbour playingmusicatfullblast.People consciously or

subliminally filtered outanything that lookedthreatening, and rarelystepped over that invisibleline.Alittletaxevasionhere,pettytheftintheofficethere,or not reporting somethingvaluable found in the streetformed the total of mostpeople’sexperienceofflirting

withthedarkside.I’dnoticedthat these upright citizenswere the first to complainabout law and order andpublic integrity. Hades takethemandtheirhypocrisy.IwavedatJuniaas Iwent

back through the domestichall. She smiled and called,‘Night,’ in reply as I mademy way through to ourapartment.‘Hi.’ Conrad raised his

eyebrows at my dishevelledappearance.Hewas lying onthe bed in his robe, readinghis el-pad, a folder sheddingpapers all over the quilt. Ishowered quickly andtowelled my hair as I camebackintothebedroom.Igavehimaquickrundown.‘What made you think of

usingthecards?’‘Gut feeling. If you get it

wrong, the other guy just

thinks you’re crazy but, inthiscase,itwasahundredpercent right. He’s underconstraint.That’sobvious.Hewants help, but can’t ask foritopenly.’‘Why don’t you hand it

overtothecustodes?They’reperfectlycapableofsortingitout.’Heshrugged.‘I feel responsible. He’s

one of my informants, andhe’s given me some good

stuff in thepast. I can’tdrophim.’ I glanced atConrad. ‘Iwon’tuseofficialhours.’He waved his hand,

dismissingmyoffer.‘I have to talkwithAidan

away from his minders. HenoddedattheWorkcard,soIguess it means a clientmeetingathisoffice,mindersornot.’

IV

“Amorak” was still on mymind at breakfast nextmorning. I mooched aroundsilently, helping myself tofood from the side, nearlyputting eggs on the sameplateasmyfruit.Istudiedthecaramelpatchfromthedropsof coffee I’d spilled on thelinen tablecloth as it seepedintothefibres.

‘Something we said?’askedDaniel.He’d lived with us since

Conrad had sponsored hisformal transfer to the PGSF.He occasionally visited hisfamily in the Near East, buthe was so firmly entrenchedinto Roma Nova life I thinkheforgotthemsometimes.‘Sorry, something on my

mind and I know I shouldknow it.’ I sat down beside

him. ‘Daniel, what does“amorak”meantoyou?’‘You mean like anorak, a

coat,oranorak,anerd?’‘I don’t think so. Aidan

said“DecimaAmorak”all inone, like it was a name.Decima is tenth, but amorakisn’taLatinword.’‘Put it into Quaero Vox

then,’ Conrad said withoutlooking up from hispaperwork.

Ibitmy lip.Whyhadn’t Ithoughtofthat?I tapped on my el-pad

lyingatthesideofmyplace.We were early to breakfastand my grandmother wasn’tdown. She forbade anythingbut eating and talking at thetable.Isighed.Shewasright:itwas bad manners fiddlingwithworkstuffatmealtimes,butwelivedintherealworld.Daniel made a face at me

asIspokeintothemic.Itrieda second time, avoiding hiseyes.Thetwowordstogethergave a “Not found”, but thesecond word alone gave theperfectresult.‘Well?’saidDaniel.Ipannedmysmilebetween

him and Conrad. ‘Aidan isthird generation Irish, isn’the?’Daniel did an impatient

twirlingthingwithhishand.

‘Decima obviously refersto the tenth hour but, inGaelic, “amárach” meanstomorrow.’Coffee in hand, I plunkedmyself down at my desk inthe main office at just goneseven thirty and ploughedthrough messages. Afterreducing them to half, Iglanced at my watch. Aidanshould have arrived around

eightsoIdialled.‘Good morning.’ I said in

an older, accented voice, ‘isthat Hirenses Associates? Ihave an appointment aroundten o’clock this morning.Couldyoujustcheck,please,dear?’ThenIpretendedIwastalking to somebody else atmy end so she couldn’t askmyname.‘Caterina Mac—,’ she

stumbled,‘Macatari?’.

‘Hallo, yes, sorry. ThatwouldbeMacCarthy,dear,’Icorrected. ‘Irish name, youknow,likedearAidan.’Daniel mimed a vomiting

gesture beside me while Ilistened to the receptionist’sconfirmation. I looked away,ignoringhim,andfocusedonthefarwall.‘Thank you, dear, and

goodbyenow,untillater.’‘Gods!IsthatthebestIrish

accentyoucando,Carina?Itwaspathetic!’‘Oh, shut up and go play

soldiers!’He grinned, gavemy plait

agentletugandtookoff.I had a while before the

appointment, so I gave myteamtheirordersfor theday.Getting the strategy roomequipped meant going up tobat with the quaestor. Igroaned inwardly. Anybody

responsible for issuingequipment and resourceswasmean with them, but thequaestor used the cunning ofMercury to guard his stores.I’d give the first shot toDrusus, a young logicsgraduate; not the mostaggressiveorevencompetentsoldier, but the owner of ascissor-like brain. His teambuddy, Fausta, had a mixedpastasablackhathacker,but

onlyIknewthat.Whenshe’drealised she could play withthe entire national encryptedsecurity system, she’dreformedontheflipofagoldsolidus.I tasked them with listing

and costing. Fausta belongedanonymously to severalstrategy gaming groups ontheweb so had the expertisetofindwhatweneeded.Kid-in-a-candy-store syndrome

might break out, though.Drusus would pour a colddraught of realism on herenthusiasm and I would endupwithabalancedrequisitionlist.

In the field room, I selectedclothes and accessories,packedthemandmadeforthesouthconcealedexit.‘Going somewhere

interesting, Captain?’ the

guard called out as I headedfor the great outdoors. I wasdressed in my preppyshopping outfit, completewithdesignercarrierbag.‘Yah, people to see, lunch

todo.’He smiled and gave me a

quicksalute.I entered the largestdepartment store in theMacellum quarter from the

easternstreetside,changedinthe restroom upstairs, androlledupmypreppykitintoaplastic holdall of the typeusedbymorematurecitizens.Back on street level, I exitedthroughacloudofperfumeinthe beauty department into alargeoutdoorsquare.Colonnades built in the

sixteenth century providedshelter,encouragingshoppersto linger in front of faceless

models wearing twenty-firstcentury suits, weekendcasuals and impossiblyelegant gowns, allencapsulated in a fantasyworld behind glass. Thepillars supporting thecolonnadewereperfectbody-width for watching people.Unfortunately, perfect alsofor the bad guys to loiterbehind.The large plate-glass

windows on the south sidereflected my disguise as amiddle-aged woman dressedinabeigepleatedskirt,greencorduroy jacket and sensibleshoes. The shoe inserts gaveme a genuinely painfulhobble. The worn stonesidewalk wasn’t helping. IreachedtheofficeofHirensesAssociates, took a deepbreath to steady myself andwentuptothefirstfloor.

‘Good morning, dear,’ Isaid as I approached thereceptionist. He wore thatgawky, unfinished look oflate adolescence, so nomorethaneighteen,Iguessed.‘I’mCatherine MacCarthy. I’vecome to see Aidan.’ I gavehimananxioussmileoverthetop of my spectacles andhovered in front of thereceptioncounter.‘Oh, yes. He’s nearly

ready.Pleasetakeaseat.’I scanned the small room.

The leather couch offered asoft landing, but I chose aplain upright chair. Parallelwindows let in light throughbamboo-slatted blinds.Landscape prints, mostlymountain scenes,hungonallfourwalls.Evendown to thelifestyle magazinesoverflowingover theedgeofthe little table, everything

looked as menacing as apacketofvanillacookies.‘Have you been longwith

Aidan?’Iasked.‘Hemustbealovelymantoworkfor.’He glanced up, looked

across to Aidan’s door, thenback to me. Nervous ratherthanwary.‘His auntie, my cousin,’ I

continued,‘saidIshouldlookhimup if I becameabit lostwhen I moved here. Is he

verybusy?’‘He’s occupied with a

special client now, but I’msure hewas happy to fit youin.’Theboylookedflustered,seemingnot toknowwhat todo with his eyes. He lookeddown again, his fingerstapping on the desk, not hiskeyboard.The inner door opened,

andacompact,muscularmanemerged and crossed to the

reception counter. Heknocked thepenoffwith theedge of his jacket cuff,glanced down at it, butignoredit.Whentheboysaida fewwords tohim, themantiltedhisheadupand lookeddown his nose at him. Hisdeliberate movements andfixedgazecarriedanintensitywhichtomeradiatedmenace,buttheboydidn’treactinanyway. I heard him make

another appointment for theafternoon,adouble.Wasthatusual? Aidan worked atMossia’s gym everyafternoon as well as someevenings.I coughed and the man’s

head whipped around. Hefocused his pale-brown,almost bleached, eyes likelasers onmy face. I droppedmygaze,clutchedtheholdallonmylapandshrankbackas

a normal person would.Through my lashes, I sawhim assessing me. A secondlater,hedismissedme,turnedandleft.I releasedmy breath,with

alittle‘Oh’.‘Areyouallright?’theboy

asked.‘Hewas a bit scary, don’t

you think?Why did he lookatmelikethat?’‘I’msureeverything’sfine.

Perhaps Martinus Caeco canbe a little abrupt but he’s avery good client.’ Suddenly,the expression on his facestiffened. He stoppedspeaking,andafaintredtingespread over his cheeks. Hishead went down, and hefiddledwiththeappointmentsscreen.When I called under two

hours ago, the receptionisthad been female. When had

this kid taken over? Heclearly wasn’t a trainedreceptionist. And he hadn’tansweredmyearlierquestionabout how long he hadworkedwithAidan.‘Catherine!Welcome.’Aidan came out of his

inneroffice,walkeduptomeand kissed my cheek. Iwhispered in English. ‘YourAuntieMarie’scousin.’‘How are you getting on?

Settling in?’ he replied, hisEnglish a weird combinationof Irish and Latin accents.‘HowisAuntieMarie?Ioweheranemail,youknow.’His skin had lost the grey

look, but was still pale. Hissmilewaswideandfresh.Butit didn’t reach his dark eyes.He drew me into his officeand shut the door behind us.The smile vanished as hisface crumpled.We sat down

in two of the leather easychairs clustered around asmalloaktablesetoffwithavase of tiny, perfect whiteroses. Looking straight athim, I started prattling,showing him a letter,supposedly from AuntieMarie but on which waswrittenCamera–blinkonce,listeningbug–blinktwice.Heblinkedtwice.‘IknowIcame toseeyou

about feeling homesick,Aidan, but can you help mefirst with my new mobilephone while I’m here? It’squite confusing, and I can’tswitchitovertoEnglish.Youhavenoideahowuselessyoufeelwhenyou’reold.’‘Please don’t worry,

Catherine, or feelembarrassed. I’ll sort it out.’He looked at me as if I wasinsane.

‘Here it is then.’ I laid acellphoneonthetable,thenasmall cloth-covered shape. Imoved the roses away,opened the shape to reveal acrystalline pyramid andplaceditexactlybetweenus.‘Okay, Aidan,’ I reverted

toLatin,‘thispyramiddeviceconfuses sound waves. Weprobably have five to tenminutes before laughing boyout there comes in with a

coffee, urgent message orwhatever. Any way ofshaking them off so we cantalkmore?’‘No.’‘Okay. So what’s all this

about?’He stared at me, saying

nothing.Isawhewasfindingit difficult to process thedifference between what hewas seeing and what he washearing.

I touched his hand.‘C’mon,Aidan.Talk.’He swallowed. ‘Gods,

where do I start? In short, Igot into debt gambling.Poker.’My turn to stare at him. I

onlyhopedmymouthhadn’tfallen open. Aidan wasknown for his uncanny luckwithcards.Somesaidheusedacomplexsystem,cheatedorcouldreadminds.

‘They must have somereally sophisticated system –I couldn’t see it. They gavemeaweektopay.Threedayslater,theysaidIcouldcancelthe debt if I found out someinformation for them frominside the PGSF. SomehowtheyknewIhadanumberofclients who were scarabs ormilitary, but I told them Ididn’t know their real namesorwhatunittheywerein.’

True, we all usednicknamesat thegym;AidanonlyknewmeasBruna,alsomy nickname inside thePGSF. With a membershipranging from the prominentandpowerfultoanybodywhocould pay the fees, Mossiainsisted on aliases for allmembers. If you recognisedsomebody, you had to act asif you didn’t know them.Weird,but thatwas theprice

ofmembership.‘If I didn’t come up with

it,’ he continued, ‘they saidthey’d kill somebody I knewandmakesureIwasblamed.Rightnow,oneofmyclientsis in hospital with a brokenlegandcollarbonefromacaraccident.Asademonstration,they said.’ His body didn’tmove amuscle, but from theagony in his eyes he wasburningupinside.

‘Sowhodidyoutarget?’‘You and your friends

looked likegoodprospects. Iworked out you had to besomething. Too bright – andbossy–tobeanordinaryfootsoldier. I didn’t knowwhethertotellyouthelot,ordo what these thugs wantedme to, butwhen they startedminding me twenty-fourseven,Iwastrapped.Ihadtoget somebody’s attention – I

was desperate. I wrote thatlettertoMossia,putthetokeninandposteditinamongthebills. I knew it would makeher explode. I hoped enoughtotryandfindyou.’‘But who did you target

specifically?’‘Tacita.’Tacita?Shit.A knock at the door. The

next second, the handlemovedandthedoorstartedto

open. I grabbed the pyramid,stuffed it in my pocket andquickly replaced the perfectroses in the centre of theperfecttable.I picked up the cell and

smiled atAidan. ‘Thank youso much, dear, for stoppingthat awful whine. You haveno idea, it was driving memad. Is there any chance Icould have a glass of waternow?’

‘Ofcourse,Catherine.’Hesmiled. ‘Yes, what is it,Sextus?YouknowI’mwithaclient.’‘Of course, Aidan

Hirenses, I apologise forinterrupting you, but there isan urgent call from yourafternoon appointment. Heinsists on speaking to younow.’‘Well, I’m not finished

with my client. I’ll have to

call him back.’ Aidan waschildishlydefiant.SowasthisSextusoneoftheminders?Ifso, Aidan couldn’t afford torilethem.‘Don’tworry,dear,’Isaid.

‘I’ll wait outside while youtake your call; then we canfinish afterwards. You mustlook after your importantclients. Your Uncle Brianalways said so. And he wasforty-five years in business!

YouryoungmancanfindmeadrinkwhileI’mwaiting.’Sextus looked more than

annoyed, but he was in acornerwithnoescape. In thereception area, he stompedovertothewatermachine.Five minutes later, Aidan

emerged, paler and shaken.Hegavemeaquick,nervoussmile. ‘Catherine, I’m sosorry,butwe’llhavetofinishfortoday.Letmebookyouin

fortomorrow.’Withhisbackto Sextus, he gave me apleadinglook.‘We’re rather busy

tomorrow, sir,’ said MrHelpful.Aidan pulled the screen

round so he could see forhimself.‘Doeseleveno’clocktomorrow morning suit you,Catherine?’‘Well, that would be

wonderful, if you’re sure

that’sconvenient.’‘Itis.Letmeseeyoutothe

door. That’s the least I cando.’Sextus rose and tried to

intervene, but Aidan wasalready walking medownstairs.He paused in thetiny lobby before the streetdoor, breathed ‘Thanks’ andpressedmyhand.Heglancedat thedoor, thenbackup theflight of stairs. Sextus was

standing at the top, armscrossed like a parent when achildcomesinpastmidnight.Aidan’s face closed, hisshoulders dropped, and hedragged himself back up thestairs.

ButTacita?Tacita– silent,orclever–

was her nickname. In truelife, shewasMajorMarcellaAburia.We’d recentlygotten

to know each other; I’dintroduced her to my battlepractice group at Mossia’sgym. Although not a naturalaction woman, she’dsurprised herself, andme, byenjoying it. At least, that’show I’d interpreted her hugegrin and bright eyes at theendofthesessiondespitehergaspstorecaptureherbreath.At the big meeting

yesterday, she’d looked

nervous, almost brittle asshe’d walked up to thelectern.Hernoteswaveredinherhands.Shewasn’t tall,orcommanding, but she’dspoken in a clear voice andkept her poise. She was abright cookie and, whendescribing her newIntelligence section in detail,she’d thrown out a fewchallenges. I’d seenthoughtful looks on several

faces.No,notTacita.

After leaving Aidan’s, Itrudged down to the stationandcaughtthenextsuburbanshuttle. I couldn’t see a tailbut, twostops later, I left thetrainandmadefor thepubliclibrarywhereIfussedaroundthe fiction shelves for aquarter-hour. Nobody wasfollowingmethatIcouldsee.

I glanced around and headedfor the connecting door intothe local curia office. In thebathroom,Ireleasedmyhair,changed into jeans and tee,stuffingeverythingelseintoanylon backpack. It was thelast layerofmydisguises fortoday. A scruffy-hairedteenager, rucksack on back,trotted down the steps of thecuria main public entrance,across to the shuttle andwas

sooninthecitycentre.Back at my desk in the

PGSF main office, I sortedthrough my messages andtriedtotuneoutothervoices:fourteen people insisting onbeing heard. Why did theyhave to shout across theroom? I could hardly waituntil the strategy room wasequippedwhenI’dbeabletosit quietly in front of myscreenandthink.

I searched the internal andallied security bases forMartinus Caeco. To behonest, I didn’t expectanything so I wasn’tdisappointed. I went to thesecure room to searchPopBase which containedevery piece of known dataabouteverycitizen.After thedouble door scanner and theoptical check, the sour-facedduty information officer

grunted as she entered anaccess code for me. Shepointedmetoacubiclewithakeyboard and terminal. Iknew PopBase was, andneeded to be, well-guardedwithsecureprotocols,butsheactedlikeitwasherpersonalproperty.Andshecouldhavetried turning the corners ofhermouthupintoasmilejusttoseeifshewasableto.I tappedawayforanhour,

entering differentpermutations, but the resultwasabigfatzero.Back in thegeneraloffice,

Idistractedmyselfbylookingthrough Fausta and Drusus’sshoppinglist.IsmiledwhenIfound a hard copy wedgedbetween thesecondand thirdrowsofmykeyboardwith“Inconfirmation” written acrossthe envelope. It wasambitious, but well-argued.

All it needed was anothercouple of arguments for theholographicsimulator,sothatthequaestorcouldn’tfindanyexcuse to refuse it. Imessaged back to Drusus tofinaliseitforFridaymorning.Writing up the morning’s

events, I puzzled about whohad sufficient resources tofield a professional heavyplus minders, one asreceptionist, the other at

Aidan’s home. With reliefs,theywould need at least six.Thatdidn’tcomecheap.And how was Tacita

involved?AsthenewheadofIntelligence,shecouldaccesseverything. I closedmy eyesand shuddered. Had Aidanasked Tacita for anyinformationyet?Andhadshepassed anything to him?Wecould have the biggestsecurity breach for years on

ourhands.

V

I arrived at Aidan’s office alittle before eleven. Sextuswas playing at receptionistagain. I hadn’t used the“CousinCatherine” characterfor several years, so it wasunlikely anybody wouldrecognise it. By anybody, Imeant somebody with theireyes tuned, alert forsomething odd. Most people

were preoccupied with theirdaily lives – children, job,taxes, sex, cat – and didn’tnotice anybody or anythingelse. Unlike television copshows would have youbelieve, trying to find usefulwitnesses was a nightmare:nobodysawanythingbecausenobodywaslooking.Sextus was looking now,

buttryinghardnotto.Hehadto be a player, but onwhose

side?I delivered my best

nervous smile. ‘Goodmorning, dear, and how areyoutoday?’‘Good morning, Mrs

Macarti,’ he said. He hadn’tusedmy name tome before.Hecouldn’tsaythe‘th’,sohehad to be Roma Novan. ‘Iwill tell Aidan Hirenses youarehere.’Aidangreetedmeasbefore

and, as we sat down, heblinkedtwice.Thepyramidonthetable,I

started. ‘What informationwas Tacita supposed toprovide?’‘Aboutthenewlegate.’My turn to blink. ‘What

precisely?’‘His family, his contacts

outside work, his currentconcerns, his vulnerability tocorruption, and anything else

shemightfindontheway.’‘Anddidshe?’Helookedaway.‘I guess that’s a yes.’ I

glancedatthelittlegoldclockin Aidan’s cabinet. We hadanother five minutes if wewere really lucky. ‘Howmuchdidsheobtain?’‘She gave me his contact

details,whathewasworkingon,butshedoesn’tknowhimwell enough to know the

other information, but shewasdigging.She’sdoingherbest.’Doingherbesttoreservea

long-term stay in the centralmilitaryprison.‘Haveyoupassediton?’‘What do you think?’ He

sighed. ‘It was that or havemy hands broken bone bybone.’Hepulledhisshirtoutofhispantswaistband.Purplebruising below his right ribs

was fading to a dull yellow.Hebowedhishead,theblondhairfallingoverhisforehead,his face flushed withembarrassment.‘I’msorry,soverysorry.’He was a normal person

caught in an abnormaldilemma. Despising peoplefor not standing up to thethreat of extreme violencewaseasyintheory,butwhenfaced with it, the average

personwas shit-scared. Theywanted it to go away. Ifpushed,theywouldrunawaytosurvive.Aidandidn’thavethatoption.I skipped lunch. Stowingmydisguisekitsinthefieldroomgave my hands some busywork. Thank the gods Aidandidn’t knowTacita’s andmyreal names to pass on to hispersecutors. A wave of cold

fellthroughme.Tacitasurelydidn’t disclose them? Well,whatever she’d said, it wastoo latenow.As Ipulledmyuniform back on, I grittedmyselfforanunpleasanthourreporting a colleague to theinternal security office. Itrudgedbackupstairs but, onmy way, bumped into theadjutant,LuciusPunellus.‘Got a minute, Captain?’

Thatwastooformal.

‘Ofcourse,sir.’Ifollowedhim back to his office. Hefavoured a traditional style,eagleand flags in thecorner,unit photos, comfortable butplain dark wood meetingtable and chairs, all placedwithmilitaryprecision.Yetinhis display cabinet, amongthe various awards andplaques, there were somechildish pottery pieces and atiny ivory finger ring –

mementos of his deaddaughter.‘Now, Carina,’ he said,

givingmeanavuncularsmile.Myheart sank. Iknew Iwasgoing to make a rude reply.‘Have you been up toanything you shouldn’thave?’‘Sorry, sir?’ I didn’t

remember being especiallyinsubordinate, I hadn’t“borrowed” anythingwithout

signing for it, or led recruitsastrayrecently.‘Don’t bullshit me!’ he

growled.‘No,really,Ican’tthinkof

anything.’‘Hmm. Well, I overheard

Petronaxinthesecurityofficetalking into his screen aboutan internal trouble. And hewasn’t moaning about hisbowels. He was sayingsomething along the lines of

“I’llhavetoreinherinbeforeshe causes any trouble”. Heclammed up instantly whenhe saw me but, somehow, Ithoughtofyou.’‘Huh.’Heshrugged.Nobody liked internal

affairsdepartments.Ourswasstaffed by regular militarycustodes who relishedpointingoutourfaults.Iputitdown to boredom and

jealousy. Unfair, I suppose;they had a job to do. Danielwanted to take them all outon a rigorous trainingexercise and give them whathe called a “beasting”. Ididn’twant toknowwhathehadinmind.Their chief, Petronax,

didn’t like me. It waspersonal.He sniped atme infrontofotherswhenhecould.He watched me all the time

whenever we were in thesame room, like he was apredator waiting to pounce.Lethimtry.I searched Lucius’s face

forfurtherclues.Hefrowned,the two lines above his noseploughed deep with worry.He played with an el-padstylus,scratchinglittlecirclesinto the polished surface ofhisdesk.‘Well, you’d better cut

along now. Thanks forconfirming.’ He lookedrelieved.IglancedbackasIleftand

saw he was staring down athis deskwith a sombre look.Somethingwasgoingon,butno way was Lucius going togivemeaclue.Temptingasitwas, Iwasn’t going to short-circuit him and ask Conrad.That was an invisible butimmovable line we’d set

when we started workingtogether.Iwasn’tpreparedtocrossit.Yet.

VI

DrususandFausta’sshoppinglist for the strategy kit-outwas now perfect. I signed itoff and sent it on its way,marked urgent. I would stopby the quaestor’s office in aday or two and sweet-talkhim.Withanyluck,wemighthave some of the network inat the beginning of nextweek.

Iduckedthesecurityofficevisit for anhour anddecidedto go for a run. The lockerroomwasdeserted.Ashowerwas running in the restroomarea. It cut out while I waschanging into jog pants andshoes. As I reached into thelocker for a water bottle, aprickly sensation crept alongmy shoulders into my neck.Somebody was hoveringnearby, watching me. I

stretched up to the top shelfin my locker like I wassearching for something. Isilently counted one, two,three, swung my arm downhardandgrabbedwarmflesh.‘Ow, gods, Mitela,’ came

ananguishedcry.Tacita.Shesquirmed in my grip. I hadcaught her upper arm andclampedherradialnervewithmyfingers.Mythumbpusheddown hard. Something fell

from her hand. I kicked hernearestlegoutfromunderherandforcedher totheground.She gulped air. I stood overher,myfootandlegjammingherupagainstthelockers.‘What in Hades do you

think you’re doing, creepinguponme like that?’ I glareddownather.Fear, embarrassment and

resentmentmixed together inher face, her eyes tight and

narrowed. A flash of angerthere. She tried to pull backfromme.‘Letme go,’ she shrieked.

She drewher free hand backinto a fist and aimed formyknee.Beforeshecouldstrike,I lunged and grabbed herwrist, jerking her arm up. IhopedIhadn’tdislocatedhershoulder, but shegasped likeIhad.Catching my breath, I

spotted something on thefloor: black skeletonisedmetal handle, part serratedblade–atacticalfolder,notatruecombatknife,butdeadly.She’d meant to injure or

maybekillme.Givenwhat I’ddiscovered

thismorning, I didn’twait. Ireached down for the knife,picking it up at the pivotbetween my thumb andforefinger. ‘Up. You’re

comingwithme.’I shiftedmyweight tomy

back leg while she struggledto unfold herself from herawkward position on thefloor, but gripped her armagainwhenshewasupright.‘Where are you taking

me?’Ididn’tbotherreplying.I dragged her along the

corridor and reached theadjutant’s door. I knocked

and entered, pulling her in.Luciuslookedupwithawaryexpression and flashed hiseyes to the side. I followedhis glance. The slight figureofPetronax, the sectionheadoftheinternalsecurityoffice,was leaning against the doorwall, arms crossed. His fine-bonedfacelookedlikehewassmellingrottingspinach.Hades.‘Sorry, sir, we’ll wait

outside,’Isaidandattemptedtowithdraw.‘No, no, Captain,’ said

Petronax, his mockingexpression travelling fromTacita tome. ‘Iwasabout toleave.We’re done, Adjutant,I think. Please don’t let meinterrupt a nice little catfight.’Hesmirkedatusashewentout.One of these days, I was

goingtokillhim.Iclosedmy

eyesforasecond.‘Nowwhat?’‘Adjutant, I am here to

makeacomplaint toyou, thesenior tribune, againstMarcella Aburia whoattacked me with a weapon,without cause. I ask you toinstigate a formalinvestigation, prior tosummary judgement by aseniorofficer.’Stunned silence. Tacita

lookedatthefloor.Ireleasedher arm and carefully placedher knife in the centre of hisdesk.‘Isthistrue?’heaskedher.

His lookwouldhavescouredthe coating off a non-stickpan.She said nothing, looked

away,thenbackdown.Hestaredatherforseveral

minutes. We were like threesilent statues. I could hear

nothingbutmyownheartbeatand a faint vehicle soundoutside. I saw specks of dustfalling in the sunlight by thewindow.Eventually, still lookingat

Tacita,Luciusleanedforwardand pushed a button.‘Sergius, get in here stat andtakeastatement.’Testisunis,testis nullus – Lucius wasverycarefulaboutprocedure.The adjutant’s exec slid into

the office, scarcely makinganynoise on thewood floor.He glanced at us, hesitatedfor a moment, then came torest at the side of Lucius’sdesk.Lucius waved me over to

the meeting table. ‘Sit overthere and you,’ he jabbed afinger in the direction ofSergius, ‘take CaptainMitela’sstatement.’When I’d finished, Lucius

beckoned me towards him.He flicked his fingers atTacitatotakemyplaceatthetable.Aswepassed,sheshotme a venomous look. Shegave Sergius her name andrefusedtosayanythingelse.Lucius wandered over to

the other side of the room,arms crossed, the first twofingers of his right handtapping on the shirtsleeve ofhis left upper arm.He stared

into the display cupboard.Theafternoonlightfellonthefolds of his face, castingshadows, highlighting thetensedmusclesinhisface.After another minute, he

turned abruptly and strodeover toAburia. ‘If you don’tdefend yourself now, in thefaceofyouraccuser,I’llhaveno other choice but to arrestyou.’Shelookedup,blinkedand

shookherhead.He came back to his desk

and growled into hiscommset. ‘Adjutant. Securitydetail to my office, stat.’ HedismissedSergius,instructinghim to message thestatements back the secondtheywerefinished.He looked at Aburia like

she was an insect to bestepped on. ‘Gold eagle andrankbadgeson thedesk,and

emptyallyourpockets.’Wewereallsilentuntilthe

detail arrived. I watched thehands on Lucius’s old-fashioned clock as it tickedawayalongfiveminutes.Hewas dedicated to the PGSF.He’ddefendyou to thepointofstupidityifhethoughtyouwere doing the right thing,but he wouldn’t tolerate anydeliberate act of disloyalty.Two guards arrived, and he

instructed them to takeAburia into close custodyuntil further notice. Theyshowed no reaction as theymarchedheraway.I couldn’t say anything. I

just stood there, feelingblank. Lucius had beentapping on his keyboard forseveral minutes when I tookhalfastepsideways.‘Staywhereyouare.’Ifroze.

‘Right,’hesaid,lookingupwhen he’d finished, ‘nowkindlyexplainwhatinHadesthisisabout.’‘I don’t have a clue,’ I

said. ‘One minute I waschangingintosweats,thenextfending off a crazy trying tostabmewithalethalblade.’‘I’ve requested themedics

to carryout a substances testimmediatelyshearrivesinthecustody suite.’ He paused.

‘They’llalsodobloodjust incase it’s a bad attack ofPMS.’Gods, what a patronising

comment!‘Take that look off your

face–ithappens.’Hetappeda few more keys then fixedmewithhiseyes.‘Surethereisn’t any troublebetween thetwoofyou?’I was tempted for a few

secondstodisclosetheAidan

situation.Theonlyreasonshecouldwant to attackmewasto stop me reporting her toPetronax for a securitybreach. But I’d told nobody.Sure, I’dmade general noteson the central registry aboutvisiting Aidan undercover,but details would be heldsecurely inmycase lockboxon the system until formalcharges were framed. Shecouldn’t have known what

was said, unless she’doverridden the privacycontrol. Damn. As head ofIntelligence, could she havedonethat?Whatever, Aburia was

neutralised now so therecould be no further leaks. Iwanted to investigate further.I needed to find out exactlywhy these people wantedsuch personal informationaboutConrad.

I shook my head, andLucius let me go. Mycomplaint would grindthrough the internal securityofficebureaucracy. Igroanedat the pleasure it would givePetronax.I absolutely had to go see

Mossia now. Not only did Ineedtorebuildmyfriendshipwithherbutshewasmyonlyopen lead to Aidan. Shewouldn’thavegottenoverthe

otherdayyet. I’dbe in for aworkout that she’d ensurewaspunishing.Scanning my gym pass at

the door, I nodded at thereceptionistwhogavemethefalse smile he gaveeverybody unless you wereyoung, male and beautiful. Ihesitated in front of thearchway leading to thechanging rooms. Today, itremindedmeofalobsterpot.

I went back to the receptioncounter and booked a fullhour massage for afterMossiahaddestroyedme.Thegymformedonlypart

of the complex.A superb setofhot, coldandwarmroomson the traditional Romanpatternwascomplementedbya Japanesemassagepoolandan Olympic-standardswimming pool. The gymitselfconsistedofalargehall

withvarioussetsofmachinesfortorturingflabbyandnotsoflabbybodies, a small indoorarenaandaseriesofpracticerooms. The fun part was thelaser tag battle zone, the oneI’d introduced Tacita to. Forthe sheer adrenalin-pumpingexhilaration of stalkingopponents and unleashing avolleyof laserfire inabattleof wits and fitness, it wasunequalled. Well, for the

thirtyorsominutesitlasted.Around a dozen other

womenwere pulling on gymwear in the changing roomand chatting.My foot on thebench, I was bending overtying my sneaker when thebabble cut. Mossia. Istraightenedupandsmiledather.‘Come with me,’ she said

withgritted teeth and turned,stalking off. At her office

door, I studied the wornindents on the old-fashionedkeypad lock. Anything todistract my mind from whatwas coming. Inside, it hadeverythingyou’dexpect,plusa wall of around twentyphotosofMossiainherarenacompetitiondays.Onewithagilt frame predominated andshowed her triumphant,magnificent sword in herhand, her long, black hair

loosened, curling down herback. She was receiving herprize in the CircusMaximusona sunnyday several yearsago. She stood now, armscrossed, with her back tothem so that I faced a hordeof dangerous and armedMossias.‘I hope you have a good

explanation for how youtreatedme.’Hermouthwasatight, puckered line. I saw

anger in her eyes, but alsoembarrassment in the redpatchesonhercheekbones.‘Iwasupsetandyoucared lessthan if I was a dirty arenafly.’She turnedherback tome

andtookhertimerunningherfingers over the pommel anddown the creamy wire-inlaidgrip of a ceremonial pugiodagger in the open glassdisplaycabinet.Thegrooved,

waisted blade was flat andwidewithrazor-thinedges.Itwas twenty centimetres ofmeanness.Iwalkedover toherdesk,

away from the knife, willinghertofollow.‘I want to show you

something.’ I pulled out thecrystalline pyramid from itsvelvet cover and placed it inthe centre of the desk. ‘Nowwecan’tbeoverheard.’

‘What’sthat?’‘It scrambles soundwaves

within a fairly tight areaaround itself. It sounds likegibberish on surveillancebugsorrecorders.’‘You think my office is

bugged?Areyouparanoid?’‘It’s unlikely, but

something strange is goingon, and I’m not taking theleastchance.’‘What do you mean:

“somethingstrange”?’‘That’s the problem – I

haven’t worked it out yet.’ Iwaited for a few momentsthen took a deep breath.‘Mossia, I’m sorry if I upsetyou the other day. I had somuch else on my mind. Ididn’t mean to put youdown.’Iletmywordssettleinand

waited for her reaction. Shefrownedatme,herdarkeyes

mobile, unreadable. After afew moments, the red fadedfromhercheeks.The tensionswelling her face lessenedandherjawrelaxed.‘Oh, for Hercules’ sake,

get on with it,’ she said andplunked herself down on herredleatherchair.‘Just how close were you

toAidan?’She shrugged. ‘We got

together about three months

ago,’shesaid,‘butit’saveryopen relationship.’ Shesounded defensive. ‘We’reboth professionals withpersonal clients we can’tneglect.’So, the bottom line was

still important. A lot moreliketheMossiaIknew.‘We agreed that if we

needed to give a clientpersonal attention, then thatwas how it had to be.’ She

grimaced.‘It goes back to that night

you brought your new grouphere. Aidan was helping outas part of the massage teamfor your lot after your game.Oneof thegirlshadgoneoffsick, sohestepped in. Itwasawhilesincehe’dworkedasa masseur, but heremembered all the moves.’She rolled her eyes. ‘He andyour friend Tacita seemed to

hititoff.Ithinkhesawherafew times after that. Onenight, she was leaving in ahurry and looked upset. Shelooked as guilty as Hades. Iwondered if she’d leftwithoutpaying.Thenextday,I got that letter from Aidan.Heputitinanenvelopewithanother note saying I was totakehisluckygamingchiptothe scarabs and ask forBruna.’

I raised my eyebrows atthat. Tokens were personal,nottransferable.‘I threw it in the binwith

theletter.ButwhenIcalmeddown,alittle,Ithoughtabouthowhewouldalwayskeepitwithin reach. It was the lastthing out of his pocket atnight.He’dputitcarefullyonthebedside table.TellingmeIhadtotakeit tothescarabswas weird so I rescued it

from the bin. I hadn’t seenyoufordayssoItookittothecentral custodes station. Iknew they’d make sure itreachedyou.’She paused, looking over

my shoulder, plainly notwantingtomeetmyeyes.‘Then you were so cold-

blooded.’ A hard edge creptinto her voice. ‘Perhaps itwas good. It made me stopfeeling sorry for myself. I

wantedtokillyou,butIknewI couldn’t do it there,surrounded by scarabs.’ Shegavemeacalculatinglook.‘Iknew you’d come hereeventually and I’d get mychance.’Juno! I tamped down a

staboffear.Iwasconsideredan efficient fighter. I’d evenbeaten Mossia occasionally,but she had been aprofessional gladiator.

Although they never foughtto the death these days, shewas perfectly capable ofterminating me without amoment’ssecondthought.‘Don’tworry,Bruna.’ She

grimaced at me. ‘I’m notgoing to kill you today.You’retoovaluableaclient!’

VII

I arrived home after anexhausting round in theindoor arena with Mossia.Themassageandarestorativesessioninthebathshadeasedthe muscles, but not thetiredness. But now I knewwhy the token had beencashedin:Aidanhadnootherwayofcallingforhelp.I hungaround in themain

house making conversationwith my grandmother abouttheupcomingfamilyday, thefall holiday at the farm withthechildren,hertravelplans.‘Stalling,darling?’‘Whateverdoyoumean?’She snorted. ‘I know a

delaying tactic when I seeone. You’ll have to have itoutwithhimsometime,butifit’s about work, try not toquarrelbeforesleeping.’

Itippedmyheadsideways,gave her a half-smile andconceded. ‘Something trivialis becoming more of aproblem than I thought. It’slike chasing spaghetti arounda plate with a knife. Then,today, I was attacked byanotherguard.’‘You’re unhurt, I

presume?’ she asked in acalm voice, knowing how Ihatedafuss.

‘I’m fine. But let’s say Iwasmorethansurprised.’‘DidyoutellConradus?’‘Not directly.’ I looked

away. ‘I reported it throughtheproperchannels,’Isaidtothefloor.‘Ha!’ She looked at me

with a sardonic gleam in hereye.Shefoldedherhands,thethumbs interlocking. ‘Haveyou considered thatrestructuring the land forces,

including the PGSF, mayhave upset people at apoliticallevel?’Istaredatherinsurprise.ThenIrealisedIwasbeing

naïve.Apart fromdiscomfortfelt by individualswithin theunit, the changes could haveupset the delicateclient/patron system thatdinosaur families like theVaraestillpractised.After retiring from active

serviceinthePGSFwhenhermotherdied,mygrandmotherhad served abroad as adiplomatand,later,assenatorandforeignministerathome.She knew how to swimaround the oily political sea,andwhichfishwouldbite.I kept forgetting this sort

of thing was instinctive tohome-bred Romans like mygrandmother andConrad. I’dstudied hard and read

everything I could grab holdof to catch up since thatwaitingtimeinthelegationinWashington, but the delicatestuff of the political systemstill flowed way over myhead.Drained mentally and

physically,allIwantedtodowas fall into bed. My limbswere aching with tirednesswhen I arrivedat thedoor toourapartment.

Inside,Conradwaswaitingforme.AssoonasIcamethrough

thehallwayandmadeforourbedroom, he followedme in.He leaned his shouldersagainst the wall and crossedhis arms. Only his eyesmoved, tracking me as Ithrewmygymclothes in thewashbasket,cleanedmyfaceand brushed my teeth. Hedidn’t say anything, just

stared. This was stupid. Iwouldn’tallowmyselftofeellike a deer caught inheadlights. I hadn’t doneanything wrong. He couldstandtherelookingdangerousandenigmaticallnightforallIcared.Iwasgoingtobed.‘Something you might

possibly think you shouldmentiontome?’‘In what connection?’ I

replied,equallycoldly.

‘Like nearly gettingyourself killed thisafternoon.’‘Oh,that.’‘Yes, that.Inearlychoked

when Lucius sent the reportthrough. Didn’t you realisethat Ineeded tohear itdirectfrom you? Yet I learnedsecond-hand you’d swannedoff to the gym. What inHadeswereyouplayingat?’‘Sorry,’Isaidsullenly.

‘Notgoodenough.’‘I followed the correct

procedure and the reportcame through to you. I onlydid what any other guardwouldhavedone–Ifiledmyaccusation through the seniortribune.’‘SoI’msupposedtoignore

the fact that you might belying in the mortuary with aknifestickingoutofyou?’I took a deep breath. ‘We

agreed a long time ago youcan’t give me specialtreatment. It works bothways.’Theexpressiononhisface

hardened. He launchedhimself from the wall,reachedme inone stride andgrabbed my wrist. The outeredges of his eyes seemed totilt upwards. Copper brownfloodedoutthegreen.andhiseyesblazedastheyboredinto

mine. I shivered inside. Hewasscaryashellwhenhelosthis temper.Andhisgripwashard, pinching my skin upintofolds.After a minute, he

swallowed and dropped mywrist. He turned sideways tome, poured himself somewater from a bottle. Thesurface of the water in hisglasstrembledwithhishand.‘There’s also the

inconvenience,’hesaidasheturnedbacktoglareatme,‘ofhaving no head of myIntelligencesection.’‘Oh, good, now we have

our priorities sorted out. I’mgladthat’sclear.’Neither of us moved a

muscle. We both raged: hefrom deep concern, me fromhis over-protectiveness. Idespaired.Wouldweeverhittherightbalance?

‘All I’m saying is that I’dhave preferred you to comeandseeme,’hesaidsullenly.‘I couldn’t come running

to you like teacher’s pet.’ Iglancedathim. ‘If it helps, Iwas blindsided. One minute,AburiaandIwerecolleagues;the next, she’s trying to splitmeopenwithaknife.’‘I hate seeing you

threatened in this way.’ Hecameoverandtookmyhand,

cupping it in his. ‘You wereright togo toLucius.’He letadeepbreathout thenkissedmyforehead.‘Iknowit’snoteasy for you,’ he said. ‘Orme.’Iwrappedmyarmsaround

himandpressedmyfaceintohisneck.‘Drink?’ he offered, a littlelater.Wesatonthebalcony,not

quite warm enough in ourrobes, but friends again aswellaslovers,hisarmrestingalong the back of the teakbench, his fingers playingwith my hair. We sippedwine, letting our eyes restinto thedistanceoutover thebackyardas the sungaveoutits last light.Apretty gardenwith walkways, nowilluminated, it gave way tolawnswhichslopedgradually

downtotheriver.Tallcedarsand oaks provided welcomeshadeinsummeroverpartoftheparkland;theresultofmygreat-great-grandmother’stime in England as adiplomat. She’d obviouslyvisited too many big pilesover there and fallen in lovewith the Capability Brownlook. Luckily, another morecapricious ancestor with asense of humour had planted

a maze as well as secludedintimategardensonthesouthside.‘Sohowfarareyoualong

with your investigation?’Conradasked.I was relieved to tell him

everythingI’ddiscovered.Helistened carefully; his facetensed when I recounted mysecond heart-to-heart withMossiaearlierthatafternoon.‘Well, in light ofAburia’s

attack, this is looking farmore serious,’ he concluded.‘Let’sextractAidanandhaveachatwithhim.’Heglancedat me. ‘You’ll lose youranonymityoverthisone.’I shrugged. ‘It’ll be all

right with Mossia – shedoesn’t give a damn aboutstatus. As for Aidan, he’sbeen a useful source – I’vehadmymoney’sworthoutofhim.I’llseehowthingswork

outoncewe’vefinished.’‘Your op. I’ll advise

LuciusandDaniel.Ipresumeyou’ll want to use your ownteamascore?’‘We’ll start rehearsing

tomorrow.’ I was alreadyplaying different tacticalscenariosthroughmymind.He nodded. How illogical

he was. He was perfectlyhappy for me to lead adangerous operation, but had

gotten more than uptightaboutAburia’sattack.We sat for a few more

minutes in silence, before Iasked the question at thecentre.‘Sowhydoyouthinkthe thugs holding Aidanwanted this particular infoaboutyou?Notyourmilitaryrole but the stuff about yourattitudes,corruptionandyourwider family.’ Which ofcourse, meant his former

partner, the Imperatrix Silviaand their three children. Butthatwaspublicknowledge;itwas recorded in the imperialfamilyrecords.‘Sounds like standard

intelligencegathering tome,’saidConrad. ‘Butgo throughthe threat board tomorrow.Nothingcameuponthejointwatchreporttoday,butworthchecking if Justice and thecustodes have anybody on

theirradaratthemoment.It’sstarting to sound political,and that could meanterrorists.’ His voicehardened. ‘I won’t tolerateanybody’sactiveserviceunitsoperating here. Any we findwillbeterminated.’Nextmorning, I took off forthe office straight after I’dshowered and dressed. As Irode through the streets on

my new toy – a Ducati – Iwas fuelled by the blood-adrenalin mix poundingthroughme. I took that extrarisk sliding into gaps in thetraffic, stopping a little tooquickly, edgy to storm awaythe second the red lightflashed to green. I loved thestrong surge of energy whenfacedwithanewchallenge,a“call to action high”, Danielcalled it. It would powerme

through until the operationwasfinished.I messaged my Active

Response Team to assemblein my unfinished strategyroom for 13.00. Fausta andDrusus had rescued twofolding tables and a dozenstacking chairs that didn’tfrom the recycling pile. Idarted between the hardplasticchairwhereIsatwhenattackingmyel-padkeyboard

and the easel where Iscribbled diagrams on myflipcharts. Where in Hadeswere my network and largeelectronictouchdisplays?I shook off my irritation

and started. After an hour, Ihad fingers stained with red,blueandgreen ink,but Ihadthe whole thing pulledtogether. I sat back and shutmyeyesforafewminutes.The heavenly aromas of

freshbrewedcoffeeand just-bakedrolls.Iopenedoneeye.Faustasmileddownatme.‘Ithoughtyoumight like toeatsomething, ma’am, as it’snearlyteno’clock.’‘Fausta, you are

wonderful, thank you.’Especially as I’d discoveredthat she regarded coffee as arecreational drug of dubiouschoice. ‘Can you fix me anappointment ASAP with the

legate,please?AndaskMajorSterntoattend.’

I ran my plan past Conradwho grilled me for a fulltwenty minutes. Daniellistened quietly and added afew tactical and equipmentsuggestions. He was theoperational expert andtransformed into a cool,analytic commander whensomething serious was going

forward. He thought myActiveResponseTeamwouldbemorethanenoughtocarryit through.When I suggestedusingsomeoftheIntelligencesection for the first stage, Iglanced speculatively atConrad.‘Yes, of course, you’ll

need them,’heanswered,hisvoice downbeat. He lookedpreoccupied for a fewmoments,andthencameback

to us. ‘I’ll put Aburia’snumber two, Sepunia, inchargeforthemoment.Liaisewith her.’ He handed me asignedoperationsorder,gaveme a quick nod and wentbacktohisdesk.As Daniel and I walked

backtothestrategyroom,hesaid, ‘Do youwantme to sitintheteambriefingsession?’‘If you like,’ I answered

automatically, momentarily

distracted by Conrad’ssombre mood. I could seehow stricken he was byAburia’sbetrayal,particularlyas he was trying to rebuildmoraleintheunit.Dishonourof core Roma Novan valueswas offensive, particularly ina military officer sworn tostateservice.DespitethelackofthemaroundtheminRomein the late fourth century,Apulius and the founders

knew upholding values wascritical to survival in theirnew colony and hadhammered them into everypartoflifeinRomaNova.‘Sorry,Daniel, thatwasn’t

very gracious ofme.Yes, ofcourse.’‘Toughtimes,’hesaid.

‘Really?’Liviussaid.‘Thisisasimpleextraction,surely?’A fast-tracker because of

hismilitary skills and ability

to think, Livius was alreadyan optio waiting for hispromotion to centurion. Butsometimeshewasa little tooconfident.I lookedathimandtipped

mychinup.‘Ifitwas,doyouthinkI’dbewastingmytimetrying to herd you bunch ofprimadonnasintoline?No,itisn’tthatsimple,’Icontinued.‘We not only need to rescuethe hostage, but take all the

hostage-takers alive anduninjured, and immobilisebooby traps withouttriggering any remotesystems.Anybodywith theseresources has to have aremote warning orsurveillancesystem.’Ijabbedmy index finger at theprobable enemy capabilitiesandthreatlistontheflipchart.‘The extraction must not

be seen as such, or as an

arrest from the street, eitherbefore, during or after. Theopposition will be watching.We also have to assess bothworkandhomelocations,andplanforboth.’Something in my

expression kept them quietfor a few moments, evenTrebatia, who could havewon prizes for wholesalechattering. Of all the team,Flavius looked the most

serious, eyes creased butunfocused.Irememberedthatexpression from my firstundercover mission sevenyears ago when I met him.Novius chewed his lip,already sketching someoverlapping line diagram forthetechnicalframework.‘Isthereaparticularreason

for this level of stealth?’askedPaulaServla.‘There’s always a good

reason–justtakeitasread,’Isaid,drawingbreath tomoveontothenextsubject.‘Yes, obviously,’ retorted

Paula. I could see from hersceptical expression that shedidn’t buy it. She saw toomuch. When I’d transferredintothePGSF,she’dbeenthefirsttoworkmeout.‘What I meant was,’ she

continued, ‘is there a widersecurity or even political

aspecthere?’The others gaped at her

exceptFlaviuswhosmiledtohimself. He knew me toowell. As always, Pauladetected the underlyingdimension. Was it simplyexperience, intuition, or wassheborderlinetelepathic?I glanced sideways to

Daniel,whonodded. Ipulledout the pyramid jammer andplaced it on the table. Seven

other pairs of eyes lookeddown at it, some divertingglancestome.‘This might sound a tad

melodramatic or evenparanoid…’Ibegan.‘Oh, surely not?’ came a

sarcasticfemalevoice.Atria.‘…but I cannot stress

enough, the secrecy of thisoperation. We don’t knowwho our opponents are,whether they’re friendly or

hostile.’‘Surely, hostile?’ Flavius

looked up. He soundedsurprisedathavingtoask.‘Well,notnecessarily.The

thing that bugs me is thatAidanisn’tdead.’‘True,’ Flavius said.

‘That’s quite strange, evenbenevolent.’‘Precisely.Given the level

ofthreatenedviolenceandtheopponents’ professionalism,

it’sillogical.’‘We’re not crossing

somebody else’s operation,arewe?’Flaviusasked.‘Not that we can see,’

confirmed Daniel from theside. ‘We’ve checked thewhole spectrum, otheragencies, everything.Absolutely nothing on thejoint watch net. Intel arerunningaboxatthemoment,tracking everything at home

and office. Maybe they’llcomeupwithsomething.’Somebodysnorted.‘Wedon’t know if they’re

foreign or home-grown,’ Iadded. ‘But fromwhat I sawand heard in Aidan’s office,my money’s on home-grown.’ I caught some angrylooksat that. If thebadguyswere so competent, theycould only have come fromwithintheintelligenceorlaw

enforcementcommunities.‘Gods,thisisablindone,’

saidAtria.‘Totally.’ Just that word

unsettledmy audience.Noneof us was used to this. Wepractised scenariosconcentrating on thefundamentals, banking theexperience so that when thetacticalsituationfellapart,asit did on occasion, and youdidn’t have time to think

aboutwhattodo,thetrainingclicked in automatically. Wetrained hard to make drillsmirror operations to theextentthatliveoperationsranlike drills, but with addedintensity, sometimesregrettably with blood. Weknewhoweachotherthought,so could adapt fluentlywhenthe situation was differentfrom the intel tohandbeforethe start of an operation.

Here, the problem was thatwehadnothingtohandapartfrom the plan of HirensesAssociates’offices.‘Right,’ I said, ‘let’s pull

this together. Firstly, nobreath of this operation toanybody outside this room.Weactasifwearerunningatrainingsession.Althoughwehaveagofromthelegate,thisoperationdoesnot exist.’Noreaction.

‘Next, I’ve drawn up aplan with allotted tasks.’ Imessaged their el-pads. Thepuzzlement in their eyeschanged to concentration asthey read and absorbed theirinstructions.‘So, Phase I must be

completed by tomorrowafternoon; reports by 16.00,please. Those not already inthe field meet outside thebackpracticeroomtomorrow

at17.00whenwewillappearto go for a run in thewoodswith suitably filledbackpacks. If there are noother questions, we’ll breakuntil tomorrow.’ I turned toNovius.‘Nov,I’dlikeyoutostay,please.’They pulled themselves

out of their seats and left. Ismiled my thanks at Daniel,andhewentofftofindoutifIntelhaduncoveredanything.

‘Right, Nov, how do yousee this working? Tell mewhatyouneed.’‘Well, you know this

instant cut-off you want, wecan—’A knock at the door. I

grabbed the pyramid andshoveditinmypocket.‘...so that’s how I see the

newequipmentfortheteam,’he concluded in a slightlytense voice as the quaestor

strodein.‘Sorry to interrupt,

Captain,youseemtohaveanoutage. I’ve been trying tocontactyouforthepastthirtyminutes.’Hedidn’tlookatallsorry and glared when Ididn’t react. ‘I need to testyour comms unit,’ hegrowled.‘Now.’‘Quaestor, we are in the

middleofameetinghere.’‘The quicker I test it then

the quicker you can resumeyourmeeting.’‘Of course, I would be

delighted to cooperate andsupport your efficientapproach,’ I said. ‘Will myequipment requisition betreatedwithequaldispatch?’‘Humph!’He scanned my ear and

mouth units. He grunted andleft with the same grace aswhen he’d arrived, not quite

closingthedoor.Ijusthopedhe didn’t need to scananybody else who’d been atourmeetingandseethesameoutage: using a pyramidwithinthePraetorianbuildingwas forbidden. I pushed thedoor closed and jammed afolded wedge of flipchartpaperundertheloweredge.‘Right, Nov, let’s have a

look at your ideas,’ Iresumed,pyramidbackonthe

table.

VIII

Everything was in place. IhopedAidancouldholdout.Ithought about calling by asAmaelia the jogger, but shewasn’tdueforanothercoupleof days (and with theinfamousDecima).Icouldgoback to the old stand-bys:pizza delivery, neighbourseeking help, courier drop-off. But Intel were watching

and I didn’t want to crosstheiroperation.Back home, I went for a

swim. We had a beautifulpool in the basement.Irrationally, I regarded it asmy personal property and,morerationally,triedtouseitevery day. The hypnoticrhythmoflengthafterlength,back and forth, in the warm,moist atmosphere settled mythoughts as well as calming

my body. Water flowingintimately over my skinalways gave me physicalpleasure. Dappled lightdancing on the mosaic wallsenhanced the seductivedream-like ambiance in thepool area. I felt myselfblending with the water anddrifting…My semi-stupor was

brokenbyadiscreetcough.‘Sorry to interrupt you,

lady,but theCountesswouldlike us to meet in half anhour’s time to discuss thefamilyday.’Crap. I swam over to the

edge where Junia stood likesome implacable messengerfromthegods.‘We’ve postponed it

twice.’Hoursof talkingnicely to,

let’s be honest, fairly boringpeople who all they shared

with you was a name and afewgenes. I shouldhave feltashamed at feeling like that,butdidn’t. I triedtostareherout,butsherefusedtobudge.‘Very well, Junia, you

win.’Sitting in my

grandmother’soffice,makingfaces at Helena who’d alsobeen dragged in to help, Itriedtobeconstructive,butitwasboring.NonnaandJunia

haditzippedupsoallwedidwas drink wine and makerude comments about familymembers.‘Where on earth shall we

seat Lucius MitelusSuperbus?’ Junia frownedoverhertableplan.‘Not next to me!’ No

danger, really. I was on thetop table and he was anobody.HiswifeValeriawasnearerasasecondcousin.

‘Nor me,’ squeakedHelena, realising she wasmuch more vulnerable.‘Gods, if anybody had anappropriate cognomen, it’shim!’ She was right: hethought his branch shouldbeseniorwithhimasheadofthefamily.Hewasapretentious,arrogant jerkwithbadbreathandacreepysmile.AlthoughI knew this social stuff wasimportant to the family’s

powerbase, I didn’t need itwhen I was trying toconcentrate on the operation.Iyawned.My grandmother looked

downherlongnoseatmeandsaid briskly, ‘Well, I thinkwe’llfinishfornow–CarinaMitela looks as if she isfalling asleep. We’d betternotdisturbher.’Junia andHelena sat there

immobileandsilent.

‘I apologise, Nonna, I didnotintendtobeimpolite.’‘We sometimes have to

turn our efforts to lesswelcome areas and carry outduties towards others whichwewouldratheravoid.’ShefrownedatmelikeMr

Olsen, my high schoolprincipal, used to when I’dfailed an easy exam. I feltfifteen years old and just asembarrassed.

Iwas still smarting frommygrandmother’sreprimandasIgulped down my coffee. Ihated being in the wrong. Itovershadowed all the rightthings you’d done andcrippled your judgement ofthingsyoustillhadtodo.Butshe was right. I had aprivileged position andneeded topaysomeattentionto the balancing obligations

and responsibilities. But Ididn’thavetolikeit.WhenIdecidedI’dbeaten

myself up for a sufficienttime, I went along to thenurserytoseethechildrenastheywenttobed.Conradwasalreadythere,ticklingTonia’stoes while she giggledhysterically. Around thecorner,Allegrawas combingherhairinfrontofhermirror.She stared intently at her

reflection;hermouthwas setin a straight line. Such asolemn face for a six-year-old.She’dinheritedmybrightblue eyes, but the red brownhaircame frommymother. IpickedGilup,kissedhim.Hesmiled. My heart fluttered.Hegiggledandburrowedhisheadintothefoldofmyarm.Allegra broke her gaze andstill carrying Gil, I wentthroughintoherroom.

‘Hello, darling,’ I said.‘You look as if you havesome serious thoughts inthere.’Istrokedherforehead.‘Great Nonna says I’ll

have a long tunic and pallafor the family day and mustbehavemyselfwithgraceanddecorum.What’sdecorum?’Wheretostart?Iwasinno

wayqualifiedtoanswer,butItried. ‘I see it as doing theright thing, in a polite way,

but not allowing yourself tobepushedaroundbyanybodyelse.But,hey,Allegra,ifyoudo it wrong, just smile.They’llforgiveyou.’Helena looked over at me

andfrowned.‘Oh,’ Allegra said, ‘I

thought it meant standingtherebeingbored,not sayinganythingwhilethegrown-upscommented on how muchyou’dgrown.’

Iburstoutlaughing,whichset Gil off giggling into mychest. I stroked his soft hair.‘Well,’ I replied, ‘I’m notverygoodatit,either.Nonnatold me off earlier for notbehavingproperly.’Allegra’seyescameouton

stalks.‘You?’‘Yes.’ I chuckled. ‘Here’s

the thing, Allegra, let’s youandIwatchoutforeachotheronthedayandmakeasecret

signal to each other if wethink the other one is losingit.’‘Deal,’ she said, using the

Englishword.‘Deal,’Iconfirmed.Whentheywerealltucked

up, passing throughdrowsiness on thewaydownto sleep, Helena waved offthe light and usheredConradandmeout.‘Honestly, you two are a

piece. I settle them for bedandyoucomealongandhypethem up.’ She waggled herred-lacquered fingermelodramatically.Helena had given up, she

said escaped from, teachingotherbratsandnoweducatedmy brats. She said she couldshoutatthemwithoutcensureastheywerefamily.Thiswasan act she put on. Mychildren were wonderfully

looked after. Allegradelighted everybody shecame into contact with. Shewas quick, and charmed herway intoandoutofanythingshewanted;maybesomethingtowatchasshegotolder.Thetwins were just hitting theterrible twos,butHelenawasa past mistress of the art ofdistraction.Shepaused,turningtolook

atme.‘Areyouallright?You

seemed only half there thisafternoon.Aureliawas reallypissedwithyou.’I made a face. ‘No,

everything’s fine. I just havea difficult training exercisecoming up and I have toimpress the new legate,’ Isaid,glancingatConradwhogave me a little smile. ‘Iheard he’s a real horror, soI’mshakingwithnerves.’‘Yeah,right.’

IX

“Catherine MacCarthy” rangHirenses Associates nextmorning about her missingumbrella.‘I’m sorry, Mrs Macarti,’

said Sextus after a briefpause, ‘I can’t see oneanywhere.Perhapsyou left itontheshuttle?’‘No,dear,I’msureIhadit

when I came to seeyou, and

I’velosttrackofitafterthat.’Hesighed.Silence.‘Oh,well,I’lldropinlater

or tomorrowmorning.PleasegivemylovetoAidan.’I was in the field roomcheckingkitfortheoperationwhenaprioritymessagewitha caution tag came throughfrom Sepunia. I didn’t knowherthatwell:she’dsatquietlyin meetings offering careful

supplementaryremarks likeagood number two whenAburia was giving herreports. For her to use acaution tag was reallysomething, which is why Isauntered down the corridortoSepunia’sopendoorintheIntel room like I was on acasualSundayouting.‘Salve, Sepunia.’ I

knocked on the door frameandsmiled.‘Anythingforme

tobrightenupadullday?’‘Hello,Carina,niceofyou

to drop in. Come in and sitdown,’shechirpedatme.Wewere like a couple of girlssorting out our socialcalendars. I closed the doorandsheflickedthesmartplexwindows to frosted.Her facedropped from bright andbreezy to one hundred percentserious.‘The surveillance team

reports that Aidan istravelling in his normalpattern between home andoffice,’ she began, ‘but he’seither in the company of, orin direct sight of, a minder.We’ve identified four otherdefinites, plus another twopossibles. I can’t confirm thelast two, but they appearmore frequently than theyshould if they were thegeneral public.’ Sepunia

handed me printouts withphotos.‘I’veruntheseimagesfrom the public surveillancefeed and the box against ourdatabaseandthecustodesoneandfoundnomatches.’‘Sowhoaretheseguys?’I

studied the images. ‘Wait aminute, they’re all guys –therearenowomen.’‘Exactly. How do you

thinkthat’srelevant?’‘Notaclue,but it’sweird,

and weird almost alwaysmeans something. Okay,that’s really helpful. Thanks,Sepunia,’She lookedatme,obvious

curiosity in her eyes, butdidn’tpushit.Reports came in from

about three onwards: Liviuswasinsituandwouldremainthereuntil thestart;Novius’sframework was ready; Atriawas serving coffee with a

smileacrosstheroad;Flaviushad already mended a pipe,takeninmailandcleanedthehallway in Aidan’s officebuilding – the perfectconcierge.Wewereready.

By 11.00 the next morning,Aidan was sitting in thePGSFbarracks, lookingpale,drinking tea and recoveringhisbreath.Bothhisapartment

and office were secure andguarded, a new receptionistinstalled in his office, and anote on the website aboutfamilybereavement.My report would detail

how a middle-aged womanwalking awkwardly (thoseinserts nearly crippling me),accompaniedbyherattractiveniece (Maelia wearing herbestspoiledpout),hadcalledatHirensesAssociatesearlier

thatmorning, looking for theaunt’s umbrella. The minuteafter the twowomen enteredthereceptionarea,Sextus,thereceptionist, was suddenlyovercome by a coughing fit.The niece, wearing a figure-hugging, electric blue dressthat barely included a skirt,made straight for Aidan’sconsulting room. Theoccupants–AidanandCaeco–were stunned,momentarily

by her smile and body, thenbygas.Thebuilding securityand comms lines hadinexplicably blipped, buteverything was back on linewithinthreeseconds.The only exciting thing

was outside. Two cars hadcollided. The drivers cursedand threatened each other; itprogressedtoafull-blownfistfight. One passenger hadhysterics,andthecoffeeshop

server ran out to help. Auniformed concierge tried toseparate the two fightingdrivers. The custodes arrivedand arrested everybody theycould lay their hands on. Anumber of people exitingHirenses Associates werecaught up in the custodes’sweep along with severalinterested bystanders. Soonafter the custody vansdisappeared,acar transporter

and city cleaning detailcleared up themess, and thedistrictwentbacktosleep.Daniel was waiting for uswith a security detail at theCustodes XI Station. Caeco,Sextus and the threebystanderswerebundled intoa secure vehicle and drivenbacktothePGSF.Wewereatthe back garage door, aboutto clamber into an unmarked

truck to follow them,when Iheardanechofromthepast.‘Ha! I heard a rabble had

been brought in, but I didn’texpectittobethisscruffy.’Atall, bulky figure with a grinbreaking up his harsh-featuredfacestoppedinfrontofme.‘Hello,Bruna.’‘Hello, Lurio,’ I replied,

grinningback.‘Love the outfit,’ he

snorted. ‘But you’d be somuchbetteroutofit.’Everybody snickered.

Daniel looked offended. Hedidn’t know that Lurio and Ihad briefly been loversseveralyearsago.‘Aren’t you going to

introducemetoyourteam?’‘Everybody, this is

Commander Cornelius Lurio,DJ inner city commander.’ButIsignalledthemtomove

out.Shieldingtheirdeparture,I turned to Lurio. ‘Youremember Major Stern fromthe Pulcheria operation.’ Ishot a warning glance atLurio.Danieldidn’tknowtheinside secrets from thatoperation.‘Yes, of course.’ He

scanned Daniel’s face,noddedathim.Danielgaveataut smile. ‘And your otherfriends…?’

‘Oh,they’reabitshy.’‘Well, you’d better get

going.We’llneedtogivethisgarage a good sweeping outnow.’ His face suddenlydropped into solemn, and heran his finger down mycheek. ‘Give me a callsometime if you’re ever fedupplayingsecretsoldiersandwant to rejoin a properservice.’‘Andupyours,too,Lurio.’

Heburstoutlaughing.‘What the hell was thatabout?’‘Just a bit of inter-service

banter,’Isaid.‘Youknowweworked together at theDepartmentofJusticewhenIwasacustosinhissection.’‘Yes,well.Buthe—’‘Justkeepyoureyesonthe

road,Daniel!’

Surprisingly, we reached thePGSFbarracksinonepiece.Iwent down to the custodyareatobrieftheInterrogationService team who were todeal with Caeco, Sextus andthe three bystanders. IS hadalready run the three againstSepunia’s images. So we’dmissed one, possibly twoother bad guys. I batted thewave of irritation away.They’d have gone to ground

bynow.MaybetheISwouldsweatthenamesoutfromthethreewe’dbagged.I heard Paula’s low voice

atmyside,askingifIwantedto start Aidan’s interviewnow.‘Yes, let’s do it. You and

me in the room; Atria andFlavtoobserve.’Aquickglancethroughthe

observation panel before wewent in. This was the

“friendly” interview room,furnished with two couchesset at right angles to eachother, a low table, two easychairsand thestandardwatercooler. Bland chocolate-boxpictures hung on threewalls,a plain mirror on the fourth.The remains of a sandwichlay on a plate, and Aidanclutched a mug in his hand.Shoulders slumped, he wasstaringintothefardistanceas

ifhiseyeshadlosttheabilitytofocus.Hejumpedwhenwecame

through the door, spillingsome of his drink on hispants. His Adam’s applebounced as he swallowedhardandheswitchedhisgazebetween Paula and me. Andthen the apprehension in hiseyes changed to somethingelse–surprise.‘Bruna?’

‘Hello, Aidan. How areyou feeling?’ Probablywanting to throw up, IthoughtasIlookedcloselyathim. ‘This is Staff SergeantPaulaServlawho isgoing tositwithus.’He stared atme.His gaze

flickered over to my goldeaglepocketbadge,theblacktee showing atmy neck, andthenmyface.‘You’re a Praetorian!

Jupitersaveme.’‘Thatmuchofashock?’‘I thought you were a

scarab.’‘I’m called “Bruna”

sometimes, but my correctname is Captain CarinaMitela and I belong to thespecial forces section.’ I letthatsinkin.‘Does Mossia know?’ he

asked, processing thisinformation.

‘No. She knows I’msomething in lawenforcement, but not whichunit,normyrankandname.Ineed you to keep that toyourself.Canyoudothat?’He nodded, but continued

tostareatme.‘Now, we only had a few

minutes to talk before. Ireallyneedyou toexpandonwhatyoutoldmethen.’‘Bruna – no, sorry,

Captain,’ he stumbled. ‘I’mvery sorry, but I haven’tthanked anybody yet forrescuingme.I’vebeentryingtogetmyheadaroundit.’Helooked at me. ‘I must befeeling better. I’m starting toanalyse myself now. Gods!I’llbeintherapyforyears!’‘Don’t worry, Aidan,’ I

said, touching his arm.‘Everybody feels a bit weirdafter this kind of experience.

CallmeBrunaifit’seasierormorenaturaltoyou.’Ismiledathim.‘Tellmeeverythinginas much detail as you can.Everything, however trivialyouthinkitis.’Paula made notes while I

listened, watching Aidan’sfaceandpromptinghim.‘…so I asked Tacita to

give me information aboutyour legate. Mossia hadmentionedthatTacitaworked

inthemilitary,possiblyinthePGSF.’Juno. Aburia’s security

wascraplettingthatout.Whydidn’t she pretend to be ascarabliketherestofusdid?‘Caeco said I must have

somebodyamongmyclientsIcould use.’ He looked downathishands.‘IthoughtTacitawasmybestbet.She’dtakenalikingtome.’Not very glorious

behaviour,but Icouldfollowhislogic.‘Butwhydid shedo it?’ I

asked.I’dseethereportfromPetronax later. His internalsecurity team had startedinterrogating Aburiayesterday. But I wanted tohearitfirstfromAidan.He looked directly at me.

‘Shediditforme.Ithinkshefeltsorryforme.Iusedhertoprotect myself from Caeco.’

He dropped his head in hishands. He looked racked. ‘ItwasonlyafterwardsIrealisedhowdeeplyIlovedher.’In the meantime, he’d

dumpedMossia.Bastard.Istoodupandwalkedover

to the water cooler, almostwrenched the tap off, andfilled a cup with water. Istood with my back to himuntil I’d finished. From theside,Paulashotmeawarning

look. I crossed back to him,stopping barely centimetresaway, forcing him to crookhisneckup.‘Sowhatdidyoupasson?Aboutthelegate?’Aidan looked at me. My

name badge was in his face.Hestaredfora fewmomentsthen shrank back. ‘You’rerelated to him, aren’t you?’hewhispered.Hecoveredhisfacewithhishands.‘What did you pass on,

Aidan?’Irepeated.‘HowdoIknowyouwon’t

lock me up and melt downthekey?’‘Youdon’t.Butyou’llfind

out if you don’t give memore.’Hewascaughtwhateverhe

did.Hewipedhishandacrosshisface,lookedatme,thenatPaula. His gaze came to restonthetable.‘Tacita told me about the

reorganisation, the new staffappointments, hisassessments of people, histoughattitudetocorruption.’All standard intelligence

gathering.‘Then I had to askher for

otherstuff–hiswife,’Aidanglanced inmydirection, ‘herfamily, her children, hischildren and imperialconnections.’Notsostandard.

‘So how did Caeco reactwhenyoudelivered?’‘Hewantedmore–attitude

to the throne, loyalty, anyresentmentorbitternessabouthis first family’spunishment.’ He looked atme, but I didn’t move. ‘ButTacita didn’t know. Then Ididn’t see her again.’ Hisvoice dwindled to awhisper.The deep hurt and bleaknessin his expression kept me

frombeingtoohardonhim.‘Okay, Aidan. Let’s leave

it there. I want you to thinkabout the whole time fromwhen you joined that pokergame to now. Divide it intoseparate days and writeeverything down thathappenedeachday.’‘SoamIaprisoner?’‘Let’sjustsayit’ssaferfor

you to be in here at themoment.’IsignalledtoPaula

topackup.‘AndTacita?’Aidansaid.‘She’s not your concern

anymore.’He jumped up, eyes

blazing, and took a steptoward me. ‘What have youdonewithher?’‘She’s alive and well –

that’sallIcansay.’He opened his mouth to

saysomething.Ilookedbackathimwitha

steadygaze.He dropped his eyes, and

PaulaandIleft.

‘That was a fun interview!’We walked into theobservation room and sawFlavius looking sombre andAtria apprehensive. Bothwere silent. I frowned, notunderstanding; then I turnedaround and saw Conrad,shoulders leaning against the

wall,nothappy.‘You three, go write your

notes up.’ I glanced at myteamandnoddedtowardsthedoor. They were out in aninstant.‘What in Hades is going

on?’Conradasked,almost tohimself. ‘Those were somedamned intrusive things theywanted.Howdid theyexpectAburiatoknow?’I was momentarily

distracted by the obs screenblanking. I took a fewmoments to log off thesession.‘Wouldyoumindifweleft

ituntil later?’ I said. ‘This ismore than just puttingpressure on a soft target. It’sbecoming a personal andfamilymatterforus.’One eyebrowwent up and

a question in his eyes, but Iwas relievedwhenhegave a

shortnod.

X

Beyond the maze lay asecluded part of DomusMitelarum’s grounds. Athree-metre high wallenclosedaprivategardenfullof lavender, sage androsemary, edged withmulberry and fig treesbetween walkways festoonedwith trailing vines. Acrossone corner lay a triangular

wooden summer house, withhoneysuckle chasing all overit. The rich scents of theplants released by the warmevening drifted and swirledaround inside theconfinesofthegoldenstonewall.Alargemyrtletreestoodatthecentrewith a teak bench circling it.Myrtle forMitela. Istretchedup my hand and crushed itsleaves between my fingers.You could get high on the

richscentreleased.There was only one gated

entrance, so it was totallyprivate. Nonna had handedme the heavy, spiral-headedkey when I’d first arrived inRoma Nova like she washanding on an heirloom.After the break-up withConradyearsago,ithadbeenmy haven. Now I shared itwithhim.‘Thisafternoon,’Isaid,not

looking at Conrad, ‘afterAidan’s interview, I know Istepped across the line. Iapologise.’‘We’re still waiting for

various reports so it wasn’tcrucial.Iappreciatedthatyoudidn’tpull the familycard infrontofothers.’I stared at him. Well,

obviously not. I sometimeswondered if I was moreaware of keeping a

professional distance atworkthanhewas.Butnow,despitebeing in our intimate retreatathome,hewasstill inworkmode.‘Sowhat did you think of

what Aidan gave you?What’s your generalanalysis?’‘My instinctive reaction is

thatyou,andbyextensionallofus,arebeingchallengedinsome way, personally, as a

family.’Conrad raised his brows.

‘Reachingabit,aren’tyou?’I made a moue but said

nothing.‘Things like the

reorganisation, new staffappointmentsandmyattitudetocorruptionareprettymuchopenbook,’ he said. ‘It’s thesort of standard informationany intelligence agencywould have on record. Fair

game–wehaveitonothers.’He smiled. ‘I suppose thatbothourimperialconnectionsare interesting,’ he admitted.‘But what the Hades is this“attitude to the throne,loyalty, any resentment orbitterness about his firstfamily’s punishment” to dowith anybody? I thought thatwasallbehindme.’I saw the shade of Caius

Tellus flit across the garden

and shivered. Nearly thirtyyears after his death,Conrad’s traitor stepfatherwasstill reachingout to taintus. I remembered Conrad’shaggard face the day he’drevealed what had happenedto him.We’d been at CastraLucilla,our summerhome inthe country, lying on a rugdrying in the sun after avigorous swim. He wouldn’tdetail the personal abuse

Caius had imposed on him.He stayed silent for a fewminutes at that part, hisbreath light and eyesunfocused.After the city had been

retaken by imperial forcesand Caius’s brutal rebelliondefeated, Quintus haddiscovered the nine-year-oldConrad cowering, filthy andterrified, ina lockedcellar inCaius’s suburban villa.

During the journey to thederelict farm in the east thatthe ruined and disgracedTella family had beenallowed to keep, Conradremembered pulling theblanket over the back of hisheadandhuddlingontheseatof an old utility truck,refusing to let go of Quintusas they drove through thenight. He remembered theheadlights shining through

the rear window panel fromthe escort vehicle andblinding him whenever heglancedback.I’d heldConrad quietly in

myarmsthatdaybythelakewhileheweptat thememoryofhisruinedchildhood.‘I don’t think it’s to do

with that,’ I said. ‘UncleQuintus is surely morevulnerable than us if thatwerethecase.’

Conrad looked thoughtful,hisgazefixedonthefarwall.Without turning, he asked,‘What do you think aboutconsulting Aurelia? She hasexcellentinstincts.’My grandmother operated

these days as a consultant tothe Imperatrix Silvia. Butthey were even closer;Silvia’s father had beenAurelia’s youngest cousin.More importantly, Aurelia

Mitelaheadedthemostseniorof the Twelve Families, soknew everybody, andeverythingabouteverybody.‘I don’t think I want to

involve her – I feel it wouldendangerher.’‘Why on earth do you

thinkthat?She’snotasstrongphysically,granted,butinsideshe’sastoughasoldboots.’I took a few moments to

watchthelightplayingonthe

stonewallthroughoneofthefig trees. Strange how thepatternchoppedandchanged,yetthelightstayedessentiallythesame.Toobadlifewasn’tlikethat.‘Do we need to take any

special precautions here, atthe house, do you think?’ heasked.‘The building itself is

pretty secure with thescanlocks. And they have

regular security staff andCCTV.Whatmore couldwedo? The onlyway in iswiththe access codes.’ I glancedup at him. ‘Maybe this isn’tthemomenttomentionit,butI had Flav and Livius try tobreakinlastmonth.’‘What?’‘Ibetthemacrateofbeer,

but they couldn’t crack thescanlock codes.’ I wasn’tgoing to say that Fausta had

programmed the codes forJunia.‘Theyfailed,butIgavethemthebeeranyway.’He tugged my hair, but

gently, and shook his head.Butitmadehimsmile.‘The children are well-

protected.Helenawill ensuretheydon’tgoanywhereatthemomentwithouther,plusoneofthehouseservants.ButI’lltalk to Nonna anyway aboutincreasingsecurity.’

‘We should havepreliminary results from theinterrogations tomorrow andthe intel reports, so shouldhave a clearer idea then,’Conradsaid.‘You know something?’ I

tookadeepbreath. ‘I’vehadit with not seeing it. I’mgoing to try a deep stateanalysis.’

XI

I’d always been able toswitch off – daydreaming,Uncle Brown had called itand snorted when I’dmisplaced a whole afternoononce. I’d never connected ittohowsolutionstomygirlishproblems appeared soonafterwards.One warm day, seven

years ago at my training

camp,Iwasslumpedoveronthe grass, recovering after astrenuous trail run. I’d beentrying to puzzle through aproblem and thought a hardrun would help. I closedmyeyes to relax and woke onlywhen a small bird chirrupednear my ear. In a clear,almost overbright moment, Ihad my solution. Moreimportantly, I knew how I’ddoneit.I’dbeenslowmaking

theconnection,butnowIhadit.With practice, I could

accessthisdreamstateatwillto analyse any problem. Butforcing it wasn’t alwaysgood. Sometimes my headstunglikeithadbeenscouredout with coarse-gradetungsten carbide sandpaper.And my hearing and visionbecamesuper-sensitive.Butitwas a great gift. And gave

greatresults.Nextmorning,asthemeetingbrokeupandthefirstdebriefstarted, Conrad came over,gave me an appraising look.‘Anygood?’‘Oh,yes,andthensome.’‘My office, then,

lunchtime.’

My debrief with Petronax inthe internal security office

was as wonderful as I’danticipated. During herinterview, Aburia had beencomposed and had said verylittle.‘She just sat there and

wouldn’t give a reasonbeyond that it was personal.Didyougirlies falloutabouta new frock or someone youfancied?’ Petronax smiled,nastily. Iknewhewas tryingtobaitme,but I ignored it. I

couldn’t tell whether or notAburiahadaccessedmylockboxforinformationaboutmymeetings with Aidan, but Iwasn’t going tomention thattoPetronax.Besides,thatwaspurespeculation.Hewasperfectlyawarehe

hadanunpopularjobandthatmost people instinctivelyavoided him. Lucius said hewas meticulous anddisciplined in everything he

did, but regretted thatPetronax couldn’t resist thetemptation to take hisobnoxious attitude out for anairing whenever possible. Ifhe were more professional,more people would forgivehimforexisting.Looking disappointed I

wasn’t going to provide himwith any fun, he pulled hislipstogetherasifattackedbylemon juice. ‘She strikes me

as being completelydistracted. We pushed herhard,butshewouldn’tbudge.That’s the problem trying todealwithyoulot–you’realltoo well trained in resistinginterrogation.’ He snorted.‘Her initial profile was of asteady, hard-working andreasonably keen youngofficer.’Helookedatherfileonhisdesk.‘She’sneverhadanydisciplinaries,evenwhen

training,unlikesomepeople,’hesaidsnidely.Hehalf-threwa stapled bunch of paper atme, ‘Here’s the transcript.Makewhatyouwillofit.’‘Whathappensnow?’‘We’ll commission psych

reportsonherandshe’llhavea judgement hearing in duecourse. If proven, she’llprobably get between fiveand eight years.’ He lookedstraight at me. ‘I don’t like

you,Mitela.You’resaidtobea popular officer, and sharpas all hell. I think you’redisruptive. I won’t have thiskind of incident on mywatch.’I waited to see if he had

any more golden nuggets tooffer.Apparentlynot.‘I’ve got nothing more to

saytoyou–dismissed.’

Back at my desk, an urgent

message was flashing onmyscreen ordering me toColonel Somna’s office inattendanceonthelegate.Juno.Somna, the Head of the

Interrogation Service. WhatinHades did shewant?As IrushedthroughtheISgeneraloffice, I almost collidedwithDaniel.Before I asked, he shook

hishead.‘Notaclue.’

Irolledmyeyesathimandtrooped in after him to findConrad already there alongwithSepunia.Somna’s office looked

fairly standard, withbookshelves the dominantfeature. She seemed to havemore on philosophy andhistory than appliedharassment. Around forty-five,Somnalookedlikeataxinspector, complete with

glasses, thin lips andorderedhair.Althoughtherestofherface didn’t show anyhostility, her pale grey eyeswere cold. I knew howformidable in action shewasfrom the receiving end.Maybe she could have gotmore out of Tacita. ButPetronax protected hisinternal security jurisdictionlike a vampire defending hissource of blood. Sharing did

notoccurtohim.Somna was handing out

sheets of hardcopy andgestured at us to take chairsfromhermeetingtable.‘Iwant to showyou some

interesting footage from thepublicfeed,butfirstI’llbringyou up to date on theinterviews.Wehaven’thadagreatdealofluckwithCaeco.Ourlanguagepsychsayshe’sa native speaker, from the

westernprovinces–hethinksperhapsAquaeCaesaris–buthe’sspentalotoftimeinthecity. He’s a self-confidentindividual, convinced of hisabilities. Although he lookslikeastandardmuscleman,hehasaverysolidinternalcore.He may well turn out to beideologicallymotivated.’‘Inwhatwayideological?’

Conradasked.‘We don’t know,’ Somna

replied. She looked at us all.‘I understand that’sfrustrating for all of you.We’re trying some otherthingsinthemeantime,butitwould be helpful to know,Legate,howquicklyweneedtocrackhim.’‘It’s becoming more

important. There are noindividual DNA matches,which I find astounding.WemustfindoutwhoCaecoand

his people are, andwhy theyheld the therapist hostage.He’s a nobody, but they putconsiderable resources intotheir operation.At a guess, Idon’t think they realised wewould discover them soquickly.’‘I see,’ said Somna.

‘You’ll be pleased to knowwe’ve done better withSextus. He’s a local boy.Sepunia’sintelligencesection

has been invaluable inliaising with my team. Theirstafferhasbeenabletocross-check instantly and advanceour interrogationconsiderably.Ihopethisnewinterdeployment willcontinue.’ She flicked aglance toward Conrad whonodded back. ‘Anyway,Sextus.He’s had a couple ofwarnings, nothing serious.Living with his father, who

took him away from hisfamilywhentheboywasfouryears old. Sextus is his realpraenomen, but his mother’sfamily is a branch of theCorneliae.’One of the Twelve! I

wonder what snooty LiviaCorneliawould thinkof theirwanderingboy?‘The father is a middle-

ranker, with his own smallbusiness, and has supported

thembothsincethesplitwiththefamily.DNAtestingdoneyears ago proved the father-son relationship. Thecertificatehasbeenlodgedasapublicrecord.Theboyusesthe father’s surname only.’Conrad and Sepunia lookedshocked. As foreign-born,Daniel and I were less analaboutthesethings.Somna continued, ‘The

Corneliaehadofficialcustody

–we found the court papers.The mother married someyears ago and made afinancial settlement onSextus,buthehasn’t toucheda solidus of it. He refuses tosee his mother. He has anoriginal view on the role ofwomen and men.’ Somnapaused and looked up fromher report. She didn’t meetConrad’s eyes, but glancedawayfora fewmomentsand

scratched the back of herneck with her index finger.I’d never seen her betray amoment of unease like that.She rubbed the top sheet ofpaperbetweenherfingers.‘In what respect?’ Conrad

prompted.‘Heisapatriarchalist.’Sepunia gasped. I heard a

sharp crack. Conrad’s handwasholdingtheremnantsofastylus. He stared at Somna

with an intensity that shouldhave incinerated a block ofAquae Caesaris granite, atense, frozen expression onhis face despite the angryflush. Somna’s grey gazeflickeredbackathim,butsherefused to give way. Danielstared at Conrad but saidnothing.Mutedvehiclenoisesfrom outside and a footfalloutsideSomna’sdoorgaveussome kind of anchor in the

realworld.Conrad cleared his throat.

‘Is this apersonalopinionordo you think Caeco sharesit?’‘At this stage, we don’t

know. Do you want me topush this line ofinvestigation?’‘Given that you think

Caeco must be ideologicallydriven, I think it’s highlyrelevant.’

After a full minute’sawkward silence, Somnasignalled to her aide whostarted playing the footagefrom the public surveillancefeed.‘Watch the figure in the

pale jacket,’ Somnainstructed. I recognisedCaeco entering a bar on theDecMax:hewalkedwiththatsame smooth, purposefulmovement he’d used in

Aidan’s office. The imagesspeeded up to ten minuteslater, and three more menarrived at three- to four-minute intervals. The datewas a month ago. Fastforwardtoaweekagoandwesaw Caeco enter the mainMacellum colonnade and sitin one of the outdoor cafés.Samemen, butmuch clearerpictures.‘This one,’ Somna

highlighted a tall, brown-haired man, ‘is a provincialcuria employee calledCyriacus from Brancadorum;next to him is one Pisentiusoriginating from CastraLucilla.’Conrad and I glanced at

eachother.Oursummervillawas at Castra Lucilla. Acoincidence,surely?Somna looked directly at

mewith her unnerving stare.

‘Is he known to you,Captain?’‘No,’ I replied, feeling

pinneddowninmychairlikeadeadbutterflyinamuseumcase. ‘No, I don’t know thename at all. I’ll...I’ll ask oursteward,justtobesure.’Hergazeswivelledbackto

thescreenandIrelaxed.‘Wehaven’tID’dthelastoneyet,but I feel we’ve made goodprogress.’

Nobody moved for a fewseconds.Sepunia coughed and

broke the tension. ‘We’ll digoutabitmoreonSextusandrun a full check on thesetwo,’ she said. ‘It’ll beinterestingtoseeiftheyhaveanyideologicalstance.’Conrad moved at last,

reaching over to pick up hisel-padfromSomna’sdesk. ‘Isuggest we meet the same

time tomorrow to checkprogress,’ he said in a lowvoice.‘Myoffice,unlessyouhave any further screeningsof the local low life for us,Colonel?’‘Thoughts?’ It took me aminutetoregisterConradwasaddressingme,notSepuniaorDaniel,aswewalkedbacktohisoffice.His facewaspale,but otherwise he appeared to

have recovered from hisearlier shock.Apart from therevulsion any Roma Novanwould have, itmust have hitConrad deep inside andunleashed the horrors of hischildhood; his rebelstepfather had been the arch-patriarchalist.‘Well,’ I glanced at

Sepunia, ‘if the IS comes upwith information suggestingthey share ideology then

we’re playing in a differentball game altogether.Ideologicals are historicallyboth ruthless and blind.They’re convinced of theircause and don’t minddestroying anybody else ontheirwaytoachievingit.’As soon as Conrad had

disappeared along thecorridor, and Sepunia trottedback downstairs, Danielgrabbed my arm and half-

draggedmealong tohisnewoffice.‘What?’ I asked, once he

hadclosedthedoor.Irubbedmyarm,exaggeratingalittle.‘Why did they all go into

retreat-into-the-cave modebackthere?AndwhatthehellhappenedtoConrad?’‘Ah.’ I could see the

curiosity raging in his eyes.‘Tellme,Daniel,whatdoyouunderstand by the word

patriarchalist?’‘Something about the role

of men and them taking theleadinthefamily,Isuppose.’Like me, Daniel had been

raisedwith standardWesternvalues, but more so as hisfirst family was verytraditional.HisUncleBaruchwas the head of the familyand Daniel’s widowedmother, even though she’dbeentheelderbrother’swife,

deferred to him when thechips were down. Being asophisticate fromNewYork,I’d thought it was old-fashionedandrepressiveuntilI thought about Aunt andUncle Brown with theirMidwesternfamilyculture.Icaughtmyselfstaringout

ofthewindow.Likethatwasgoing to help. How could Iframethissoit’dmakesensetoDaniel?WhenApuliushad

left Rome in the fourthcentury with his daughtersandfollowersandheadedoutfromItalyintothemountains,they needed to make radicalchanges to survive. Sowomen took over social,economic and political life,andthemenfought toensurethe colony survived. In theend, both sons anddaughtersputonarmourandpickedupblades in the struggle to

defendtheirnewhomeland.Inevitably, reversing

valueswasastruggle.Ittookseveralgenerationstobecomeentrenched, but Apulius thefounder, his daughters andgranddaughters enforced it.He’d married a Celt fromNoricum, where womenparticipated in decision-making, fought inbattlesanddirected families’ property.Her four daughters had

inherited her qualities inspades.I sighed. None of that

wouldhelpexplain toDanielhow threatening thepatriarchalists were. I wentfor the summarised version.‘You know Roma Novanshave lived almost since thefounding with womenrunning the families. It’s notjust their history; it’s in theirheads, their blood. Apart

from that, they’ve seen howpoorly other cultures havetreated women and childrenover thecenturies.Patriarchyis abhorrent to them, as asystem and a personal value.That’swhy theywouldn’t letChristiansorMuslimsin.Forthem,patriarchy is close to aperversion. They’ve foughthard to defend their way oflife, and rejected anythingthatthreatenedit.’

‘Icanfollowthat,butwhydid Conrad have that weirdturn? I know he’s big ondoing the proper thing, but Ithoughthewasgoing topassout.’‘So did I.’ I chewed my

lip. ‘Keep this confidential,okay? Some of it’s commonknowledge,somenot.’Henodded.‘About thirty years ago,

when Conrad’s stepfather

Caius launched the coup andmade himself the so-calledFirstConsul for ayear andahalf, he introduced a prettybrutal male-dominatedregime. Quite a number ofwomen didn’t survive it.Threefemaleheadsoffamilywereexecutedontrumped-upcharges within the first fewmonths. My grandmothernearly died and was inhospital in Vienna for six

weeks. Eventually, resistancegroupsunitedwithexilesandretook the country piece bypiece.Idon’tknowhowtheyfoundthecouragetodoit.’I paused and lookeddown

atDaniel’suntidydesk.‘Conrad was only nine at

the time and had been livingunder Caius’s roof six yearsbeforethat.HewasbeatenbyCaiuseverydayto“manhimup”. That was his personal

patternofmenincontrol.Thegods know what other abusehe suffered. That’s why hisreactionwassostrong.’Daniel leaned against the

edge of the desk, lookingpuzzled. ‘I never thoughtabout it. I don’t feelparticularly disadvantaged asaman.’I just laughed at him,

lightening the mood. ‘Youhavetoomuchfuntonotice!’

He looked relieved to bedistracted and drop thesubject. When Conrad andNonna started discussingpoliticsorsomephilosophicaltheoriesonwintereveningsathome, Daniel usually closedthedoorandleftthemtoit.Finished with my history

lecture, I went to check onFausta and Drusus in thestrategy office and foundchaos. Surrounded by boxes,

some half-opened, piles ofracking struts, shrink-wrapped cupboards, chairs,cabinets and a cabling crew,they were beaming. Drusus,el-pad in hand,wasdirectinganother arrival – two ofManlius’speoplewithahugesituation screen. This wasmore than good. I told themtocarryonwithit;theywereperfectlycompetent.‘Justmessagemewhenit’s

safetocomebackin.’

XII

Promptlyat13.00, IknockedonConrad’sdoor.‘Come!’Hewas frowning

at the screen, tapping on hiskeyboard as I entered. Hefinishedandlookedupatme.The fine lines fanning outfrom where the upper andlower lids of his eyes metseemed deeper in the strongwhite sunlight. A sign of

gettingolder?Hehadagoodeight years on me. Todaywouldn’thavehelped.‘Are you okay now?’ I

asked.‘Stop fussing, or I’ll pull

rank on you.’ He wouldn’t,andIwouldn’tcareifhedid.Andheknewit.Buthissemi-jokereassuredme.Alittle.‘Sowhatcanyougiveme

from your analysis?’ Hisvoicedroppedahalf-tone.

‘Istronglysuggestthatyouvisitthepalaceandcheckoutthe security for the children,thatyoumeetwithSilviaandadvise her of a possiblethreat.’I draggedout drinkingmy

water.‘Next,’Isaid,studyingthe

arm of my chair, ‘whateveryou do,make sure there’s atleast one, preferably twoindependent people who can

seeyouatalltimeswhenyouare in the same place withher. Write everything up indetail, not just your personaldigital diary, but hard copy.Storeacopyofeverythinginyourlockbox.’‘Areyouserious?’Nobody had a higher

security clearance than hedid. He was responsible forthe personal and politicalsafety of the head of state.

More binding still, SilviaApulia was not just theimperatrixtohim;hewasthefatherofherthreechildren.‘Completely.’‘Oh,comeon!Youcando

betterthanthat.’‘No,Ican’t,’Iblurtedout.

‘Juno helpme, I don’t knowhowtodescribeit. Isawyouthreatened, in danger, but Ican’ttellhow.Youwerealsoseenasapossiblethreat.’My

voicefelltoawhisper.Hesaidnothing.Hepicked

up a pen from his desk tidyand tapped the end on thedark leather top. Therepetitive staccato becameunbearable.Thenheturneditand started on the other end.His face was hard like aconcrete mask. I cleared mythroat.‘Anymore?’Hisvoicewas

clipped; he was back to

professional and analyticalmodeagain,buthis facewasflushed.‘You know DSAs don’t

always give results ondemand.’ I started to feelresentful. Sometimes theywere a little obscure, but sofarinmylifetheyhadprovedone hundred per cent true.Some appreciation wouldhavebeengood.Looking for an outlet for

his fury, something in myexpression must have kepthim from making me thepreferred target. He flungback into his chair andmurderedtheroller-ball.I knew everything was

wrong, all wrong, and I hadanalmostuncontrollableurgetorun.‘Very well,’ he said. ‘I’ll

go up to the palace now andcheck the security

thoroughly. I’ll take theprimipiluswithmeandPaulaServla.’ He gave me asardonic look. ‘Do you thinkthey’re sufficiently crediblebabysitters?’‘Well, having all three of

you descend on them all atoncewillfrightentheshitoutoftheguardsthere.’Itriedtokeep my voice light, butwasn’t too sure I’dsucceeded.

‘You know something?’He fixed his gaze on me.‘You’re a real Cassandrasometimes.’

Itchingtomove,Iwenttothegym downstairs for somehardcircuittraining,followedbyakilometreontheoutdoortrack. Despite pushing mypace so my breath searedthroughmylungs,makingmyeyes water, it didn’t distract

what was pounding throughmymind.Mygutinstinctwastokeeprunning.Now.As I sweated back inside,

one of Sepunia’s staffersfound me. ‘Captain Mitela?Captain Sepunia would begrateful if you could call byher office this afternoon,’ hesaid.‘Shesaidit’snoturgent,justinteresting.’What had Sepunia dug up

that she couldn’t leave until

tomorrow’s meeting? Andwhatexactlydidshemeanbyinteresting?Half an hour later, I

knockedonthedoorframeofheroffice,afriendlysmileonmyface.‘Hi, Carina. Come in and

sit down,’ she said, ascheerfulas I appeared. I shutthedoorandwaitedforhertospeak.Shedroppedthehappylook, glanced at me almost

furtively, thengluedhereyesbackonthepaperinherhand.She wasn’t very tall, andfidgeted around like a littlebrown mouse in front of astalkingcat.‘When we were searching

thesafeinSextus’shouse,wefound an envelope marked“Sympathisers”. One of mypeople was logging thecontents –mostly letters andmessage printouts – and

putting a list together. Shewassomewhattakenabacktofind these. Any comments?’She shot me a speculativelook.Two photos showed a

groupofpeopleinfullformaldress filling a magnificenthall. Domus Corneliarum. Irecognised it from the lastgathering of the TwelveFamilies. In the foregroundwere my grandmother, Livia

Cornelia, Laetia Volusenia,her daughter Marcella andClaudia Sella, Julia Sella’saunt, andme.A rough circlehad been drawn around myheadinredmarker.Inthetopphoto, I was slightly turnedaway,acceptingadrinkfromthewaiterwhowas…Sextus.No. The second photo wassimilar, but includedImperatrix SilviaApulia.Myface was turned at a more

direct angle as if I was inserious conversation withSextus.Hades.‘I don’t knowwhat to say

–Idon’tpayattentiontoeachand every servant that handsme a drink,’ I said coldly.That probably soundedsnooty, but that was how itwas. Maybe Sextus hadwormed his way onto thestaff list for the big bash at

Livia Cornelia’s. Maybe hewas curious about hismother’s family after all. Ihadn’t had the slightestmurmur of recall about himwhen I first went to Aidan’soffice.Andmymemorywasprettygood.‘The photos look like part

of the batch taken forpublication. Anybody couldhave accessed them via thepublic pages of the Twelve

Families’ site,’ I said.‘C’mon, Sepunia, this is thekid fantasising with somefancygraphicspackage.’‘Andtheletter?’Shestretchedout,butheld

on to a single sheet,handwritten in blue ink. Thesloping, hurried scribblelooked exactly like mine. Iread it through twice. A biglump of lead landed in mymiddle.Itwassupposedtobe

from me saying that Conradand I had been impressed bySextus and wanted to hearmore about his ideas.Wouldhe please like to contact meandarrangeatimetomeet?Istaredattheletter,caught

somewhere between dismayand shock. Why in Hadeswould Conrad be remotelyinterested,withhishistory?‘Thishastobeaforgery,’I

said when I’d recovered my

voice. ‘I always use black,when Iwrite something.Notsomething I do often.’ Ishrugged. ‘And we have ourown hand-milled paper, notthiseverydaystuff.’‘Perhaps so, but you

understandIhavetosubmitittofullforensicexamination.’Ashiverranthroughme.I

felt a noose tightening, notonly around my neck butConrad’stoo.

‘Ofcourse,’Iagreed.Whatelse could I say? Somebodywas mounting an attack onthe Mitelae. Nonna and Ithought itwould be financialor digital, and she’d had yetanother layer of BI securityprograms installed. I hadn’tanticipatedanythingfromtheinside, or so personallydirected. My heart started tothump as the adrenalinrespondedtothethreat.

‘I need you to write thisout in front of witnesses sowe have a comparison,’ sheadded. She gave me a typedversion to copy from so Icouldn’t make a deliberateefforttomiscopy.ForallthatMiss Innocent look in hergreen eyes, she’d preparedthis well. She couldn’t, orwouldn’t,lookdirectlyatme.Whoeverwas running this

operation had done an

excellentjob.Ihadtoassumethe letter would be a goodforgery,too.Butwhowrotealetter by hand these days? Iheard the door open, and asenior staffer set paper andinkpenonthedeskinfrontofSepunia then stood to theside, watching me. Sheheaded it “Agreed witnesscopy–comparisononly”andpushedittowardsme.‘Now what?’ I asked as I

putthependowntenminuteslater.Shebaggedthecopyletter

and handed it to the stafferwhowentofftoprocessit.‘I’msorry. I can’t sayany

moreuntilIseetheresultsinabout an hour. Please returntoyourofficeandwaituntilIcontactyou.’She couldn’t have spoken

more coldly. If itwereme, Iwould have had me

suspended from duty andconfinedtobarracks.Hermistake.

I hurried up the corridor toConrad’s office. I needed towarnhim.Empty.Ofcourse,he’d gone to the palace. Istood there, chewing my lip.Conrad’s exec, Rusonia, wasimpassive, as usual. I didn’tknow her well enough toleaveamessage–she’dthink

Iwascrazy.Igaveheratightsmile, slipped back out intothe corridor. I texted him inencrypt:‘Code5.Emergency.Meetmestatfavresto.’I prayed he’d pick it up

immediately. If I was beingparanoid, the worst resultwould be embarrassment andpossibly a verbal reprimand.Ifnot, Iwasn’tgoing towaitforatraptocloseonus.Iwent to the locker room,

gathered some things into asmall backpack. I walked uptomyolddeskinthegeneraloffice which, miraculously,had not been reassigned. Ileaned up against the insidecurveandspent twopreciousminutes talking and laughingwith the guys there and, stillbantering, felt behind thevinyledgingstrip.Itwasstillthere. I broke a fingernaileasing the tiny chip out. No

reaction from any of theothers.Isatdownonthechairandloggedontomyaccount.It hadn’t been barred, but Ihad to assume theIntelligence section wasalreadymonitoringit.I slipped the chip into a

card carrier and initiated atimed destruct sequence onthe whole account. It was acute program Fausta hadmade up for me when I

worked undercover withApollodorus. The bonus wasthat it would eat itself uponce it had finished.Normally, nobody wouldnotice, but what was normalnow? I reckoned I had asafety margin of eightminutesleft.Back in the locker room,I

abandoned my uniform. Istowed my gold eagle badgeinmypantspocket. I needed

ittoclearsecurityattheexit.I sauntered down thecorridors as casually as Icould manage, my heart inmy stomach. Normally threeand a half minutes fromlocker room to exit, eachsecond seemed ten timeslonger. I was sweating as Iapproached the security gate– the last barrier. My heartthumping,Iputmyhandandeye up to the readers and

waitedforthetake-down.Nothing. The reader

pingedandIwasout.‘Holdamoment,Captain,’

thesecurityguardcalled.Shewas porting a bullpup andstoodtwometresaway.I tookabreath,andforced

myselftoturnback.‘Yes?’‘You forgot your side

arm.’ She stretched out herhandwithmyGlock.‘Thanks.’Istuffeditinmy

leather jacket pocket ascasually as I could manage,hopingshecouldn’thearhowloudmy heart was pumping.‘Sorry, it’s my daughter’sbirthday today, andmymindwasoffonatrip.’‘No problem,ma’am,’ she

said. ‘Got my own.’ Shesmiled.‘Hopeitgoeswell.’I faked an answering

smile,collectedmybikefromthe garage and, piling on the

revsthroughthesecuritygate,fledthebarracks.

PartII:PulcheriaRedux

XIII

I found the nearest parkinggarage, slipped into its blindspotandchanged.Idugoutalong curly wig from mybackpack. It wasn’twonderful, but enough todeceive the passing eye and,more importantly, the publicCCTV. I unclipped thesurface panels off my bikeand threw them under the

trader’s van in the next bay.Levering the false toothcontaining my mic took aminuteortwo.Icouldhardlysee in the bike mirror in thepoor light, but I felt the stabof pain as it came away. Iwiped away the blooddribblingdownmychin.Theearpiecewaseasiertoextract.I stuffed them, my cell andmy gold eagle badge – alltrackable – into a digital

franked mailer addressed tothePGSFoffice and threw itintothefirstmailboxIfound.I’d buy a day or two as itwent through the automatedmailsystem.I barrelled along the inner

ring road to a suburban postoffice. In their private boxroom,Icollectedthecontentsofmysafebox:fourthousandsolidi in cash, a specialcellphone made by Brown

Industries in EasternAmerica, and a thin metallicmesh cloth which I carefullypinned inplaceundermy teetoshieldmyleftshoulderandupperarm.Iracedbacktothecity centre to a second postoffice and deposited theunwanted items in anotherlock box. By now, my bikewas too exposed and,regretfully, I dumped it in aparking lot in the middle of

theDecMax.Itrembledwiththetension

rippling through me as Icompleted each step of myescape route, but enjoyed aguiltyfrissonofexcitementatplaying hooky. Maybe Luriowas right that I’d been borntobeeitheragreatcounterspyor agreat criminal.Bothhadtheirattractions.Filled with numbers the

scarabs would love to have,

myBI supermobilewas nowrechargedfromthebike.BI–Brown Industries – was thespecialist defence electronicsfirm I’d inherited from myfather, something that hadtriggered me running forcover in Roma Nova sevenyears ago. As majorityshareholder, Ihad full accessto the candy store, and I’dtakenmypick.Afterthedeepcover operation a few years

ago finished, I’d packed myhandsetinashieldedbagandhidden it in the safe depositdrawer. I’d deactivated thenetwork but, being paranoid,I’d kept the ultimate controlkey.ThiswasnotsomethingIhadsharedwitheithertheDJor PGSF when I transferredin. I had to hope theencryption level was stillgood. I breathed out as thescreen showed “Activated”

when I entered thekeycode.It had been seven years. Idialled.‘Salve, Pollius. How’s

yourknife?’Silence.Acough.‘Pulcheria?’ A voice

croaked.Was he having a heart

attack?‘Liveandkicking.’‘Gods!What can I do for

you?’

‘Can I come over now? Ineedasmallproceduredone,urgently.’‘Now?Areyoualone?’‘Yesandyes.Problem?’‘No.Justsurprised.’Athisdoor,Irepressedthe

instinct to turn my head andscan for watchers. I justtrusted my peripheral visionwhich was pretty near 180degrees. Besides, I hadchanged my appearance yet

again and now wore a redleather jacket, taupe chinosandascarfbandeauedaroundmyhead.Pollius came to greet me

himself.‘Delightedtoseeyouagain,’ he gushed, faking it.He instructed the boredreceptionist to hold all callsandusheredmeintohisultra-chicconsultingroom.‘Pulcheria,’ he stated

simply. The smile dropped

offhisface.‘I hope I didn’t startle

you.’‘Iwas told they’dputyou

awayforgood.’‘Hmph, it sometimes felt

likeit!’His deep-set eyes didn’t

hidehiscuriosity,butIknewhewastoocautioustopushit.‘I’m not going to disrupt

yournewlife,’Isaid,carefulto reassurehim. ‘I’mpleased

to see you’re prospering,though.’ I panned around hisroom.‘Your severance payment

was very generous.’ Heshowed me his office withmini-operating roomattached. ‘Idosmallsurgery,fine cosmetic work mostly –it’s very lucrative.’ Hesmiled, gradually relaxing.HowmanypatientshadsatattheItaliangrainedoakdeskin

his elegant office,wonderinghow much their consultationwould cost? Did they knowPolliuswasexpert atdiggingbullets out of bleedingbodies?‘Ineedasmallfavour.Can

youextractatracker?’He tensed. ‘Not a penal

one?’‘No,personalsecurity.’‘Let me see the site.’ He

slid into medical mode as I

stripped off my jacket andwhite tee. He raised aneyebrow when he saw themesh.Iquicklysliditintomyjacketpocket.‘In the fold under the

shoulderjoint.’Hehadmeliedownonthe

operatingtable,foundthetinytrackerwith his scanner, anddaubed the area with anincredibly cold liquid. I feltthescalpelslicemyflesh,but

with no pain, followed by asucking sound.Hegel-sealedthe wound, padded the areaand we were done. Tenminutesflat.‘I’ve never seen one of

these,’ he commented as hecleaned and bagged the tinythingbeforehandingitover.‘Yes,well,forgetyouever

did,’ I replied. ‘Doyou havea protective mailer I couldhave and a plain envelope to

putitin?’I thanked him and left. I

had been under twentyminutes. I walked threeblocksandposted the trackerback to Domus Mitelarum.Howeasy it hadbeen to slipback into that efficientcamaraderiewithPollius.AllhesaidwhenIwentwas‘Gocarefully’, our oldvalediction.I made my way to the

Onyx, Conrad’s and myfavourite restaurant, whereI’dtoldhimtomeet.Iwalkedpast on the opposite side ofthe street, then dove down aside alleyway but stayed inline of sight of therestaurant’s large plate glasswindow. Using the scopefrommy pack at nearlymaxfocus, I could see into therestaurant. Nobody apartfromtheserver.Ileanedback

against the plasterwork. Nomessage on my cell fromConradeven to tellmeIwaswrong. Had he received mytext?Ifhehad,hewouldhavebeenhereoratleastcalledormessaged. Although I’d sentthe text from my other cell,the one I’d mailed back, thesystem was cloud-based. Iwould have received hisreply. Just to be sure, Idouble-checked I’d

reconfigured the supermobilecorrectly,butIknewIhad.I didn’t dare phone the

PGSFbuilding,evenwiththereactivatedsupermobile.Whoknew if the encryption wasstill unbreakable after sevenyears?Unlikely.They’dtrackmewithinminutes. Iglancedat my watch. It wasn’t twohours since I’d left. It couldhardly be classed asdesertion.Yet.

Thiswasatrap,Iwassure;a really clever one wheresomebodyhadgonetoaheapoftroubletomakesureitwaswell-sprung.I had to find somewhere

safe and contact Nonna. Shewould protect the children.She would let Olympuscollapse before letting themcomeinharm’sway.IfoundDania,inherbarjust

offtheViaNova.Iraisedmybrowsatitsnewlook:stylishindigo and silver decor,withbeautiful glass and ceramicmosaics.Shemusthavegivenin and taken professionaladvice. The bar area wasstartingtofillupnowthesunhadset. Iwanderedupto themarblecounter,perchedonastoolandorderedadrywhitewine. I heard a few foreignaccents: tourists soaking up

the Roman atmosphere. Nosignofsecurityorscarabs.After a few sips, I made

my way to the back,pretending to look for thebathroom but I snuckupstairs. I passed the rooms,looking for the office. RedLEDs on old-fashionedswipelocks showed somewere occupied. Ah, acodelocked door. I knockedandsmiledatthespyhole.

The door opened twocentimetrestoshowpartofanelaborately dressed blondehead.‘Salve,Dania.’‘Venus’s tits! Pulcheria!’

Dania’s jawdroppedopensofarIthoughtI’dhavetoapplyfirstaid.‘CanIcomein?’She flung open the door,

grabbed my arm and pulledme into a welcoming hug.

Unlike the cautious Pollius,she beamed with genuinepleasure to see me. ThankJuno. But then, Dania knewexactlywhoIwas.‘Ineedaplace tohideout

forabit.Doyouthink—’‘Well, obviously,’ she

replied,cuttingmeoff.‘Whathaveyoudonenow?’

Mynarrowroomattheendofthe corridorwas painted in a

nauseous shade of pink withpictures that would havemadeanoldImperialRomanblush, but it had a uniqueadvantage – it gave onto thefireescapeattheback.After Dania closed the

door,Ithrewmypackonthechairanddroppeddownontothebed.Ididn’tstopshakingfor some time.The adrenalinhadwornoffandIwascold,tired and hungry. But I

couldn’tfacetheriskofgoingdown to the kitchens toforage for something. I layback on the bed and closedmyeyes.In the pitch-black of the

night, I woke in a sweatexactlytwelvehoursafterI’dleft Conrad’s office. Ireplayed every detail in mymind. The frown on his facehad been so deep, almoststamped into his skin when

he’d heard my DSA results.Surelyhe’dhadmymessage.Why hadn’t he joined me atthe Onyx? We could haveworked this thing out andclearedituptogether.Halfofmewanted to slink back andtake the harsh consequences,buttheotherhalfhopedtothedepth of all Hades that I’dbeenrighttorun.The next morning, I’d

patchedmysplitselftogether.

Iwentdowntobreakfastandcaught an odd look or two.Noneof thegirls andneitherof the two live-in male staffsaid anything beyond salve.They carried on reaching forfood, drinking coffee andswapping dubious remarks. Itook only coffee – mystomach was still sore fromworryacid.Dania had found me a

plain tunic and skirt; my

newly-dyedhairfell looseonmyshoulders.Sheannouncedwith a casual wave of herhand that I was her cousinfrom the country whowouldbe staying a while, but notjoining the team. Iendeavoured to soundinnocent and unworldly. Ihelped clear breakfast away,trying to blend in as gratefulpoorcountrymousehappytodo domestic work for richer,

moreglamorouscousin.Istayedhiddenupstairsfor

therestoftheday,loggingonvia Dania’s system, scouringthe newscasts, blogs andpublicportalsforthecustodesand PGSF. I sent oneinnocuous-seeming emailfixing to have coffee with afriend. As I hit send, I satback, hoping it would stillwork. In desperation, I thensent an email to Conrad’s

personalaccountfromaweb-based encrypted account. Ididn’t dare risk it beingtracked back to Dania, but Ihad no reply. I hardly sleptthatnight.The next morning, I

murmured I was going tolookatthemarketanddidshewant anything? Dania raisedan eyebrow, but said, ‘Gocarefully.’At the Macellum, I

browsed one or two stalls inthe outside market, bought acheap scarf, a linen bag andanother pair of sandals. Ascruffy market porter leeredat me from between twobooths. I responded with anervous smile – he was justperfect. He beckoned, and Islipped in to join him. Hesqueezedmywaistandpulledme into a room at the back,looking for all the world

intentonaquickie.‘Really,Flavius,youdon’t

have to look as if you’reenjoyingitsomuch.’‘Oh, comeoff it,’ he said.

‘Ithastolookauthentic.’‘Just behave,’ I warned

andpulledmyselfaway.‘Youhave no idea how relieved Iam that the fallback systemstillworks.’‘Isn’t that the point of the

coffee messages?’ He raised

hiseyebrows.‘Sure, but still... Okay,

report.’‘When you hopped it two

days ago, the legate saidyoumusthavegonehome.Whenyou didn’t turn up the nextmorning, you were postedAWOL.’‘That was quick,’ I said.

‘Too quick.’ I frowned athim.‘Well, they’ve ramped the

alert level up to red plus.They all came out theemergency senior staffmeeting with thunderousfaces yesterday. Petronax iscrowinglikethearse-acheheis.HetookoverbecauseyourgoingAWOLwas classed asa massive internal securitybreach. The legate has apersonal guard tagging alongwith him everywhere atPetronax’s insistence.Oneof

the internal security lot I’venever seen before. Sepunia’speopleareworkingunderthedirection of Petronax’s tribeandnobody’shappy.’Gods! Was Conrad under

suspicion? I swallowed thesour taste in my mouth.‘What’s happening on theinvestigation?’‘Nothing that I can find

out. There are no leaks, nogossip. Nobody from the

legate’s or Major Stern’sresponse teams is on theinvestigation and your ARThas been dispersed andreallocated. Paula’s beenposted to the palace guard,andI’vebeenputonstandardguarddetail.’Again,thatwasfast,likeit

was planned. Twenty-plus ofthe most effective guardswere excluded. Tainted byassociation?

‘Isn’t there anybody wecouldpressure?’‘No, I’ve been through

themall inmymind.C’mon,be serious, you know theywon’t leak. You wouldn’t,wouldyou?’‘Okay.’ I sighed. ‘We’ll

have to do it the traditionalway.’I rubbed my face to

heighten the colour, mussedup my hair a little and

stumbled into the street andbacktoDania’s.Back in my horrible littleroom,Iworkedatcorrelatingthe past twenty-four hourswithmydeepscananalysis.Factnumberone: I’dbeen

ambushed by the photos andletter obviously planted atSextus’s house – a trapdesigned to throwmeoff theinvestigation, discredit and

immobiliseme, preferably inanuncomfortablejailliketheTransulium.Fact number two: it had

worked to a certain extent. Iwasontheoutsidebut,ontheplusside,Iwasfree.Factnumberthree:I’dhad

to reactivate some of the oldPulcheria network. Thesuspicion entered my mindthat maybe this was theobjective so it could be

exposed.Notvery likely,butIkeptitonthetable.Factnumber four: threeof

thebestteamshadbeentakenoutoftheloop,includingmyown ART which hadsuccessfully caught Sextusand Martinus Caeco. Thatwasbeyondbizarre.Fact number five: my

analysis had projected athreat to the imperatrix, notjust personally but in her

function. And Conrad wouldsoonbeintheframe.Washeunderguardorprotection?AlthoughIshould,Ididn’t

follow the political trendsclosely. Voting in theRepresentatives and Senateelections was the extent ofmypoliticalactivity.ButonethingIdidknowwasthatthemilitary was subordinate tothe civilian administration –that went back centuries.

Sure, there are alwayswhiners andmoaners, peoplewith unrealistic aims or non-orthodox views – that wasnormaland,Iguess,healthy–butnothinghadshownuponthesecurityscreenbefore I’dlefttopointtoanymovementto overthrow our politicalstructure.Gods, I could use talking

toNonna,butnotjustforherpolitical input. Desperate to

reassure her and worried formychildren,I’ddashedoffatext to her from thesupermobile. All she’dreplied was “Mitela protectsitsown”.WasIstillincludedinthat?I chewed another nail

down to the quick. I wasconsciousof hoveringon theedge of a dark void.Normally, I relished thebuzzof going undercover on an

operation. But no adrenalinraced throughmy body now.IhadnodoubtI’dbeenonthebrink of being arrested as aconspirator; I’d been trappedinto deserting my post sowould be pursued; I was cutoff from my family, mychildrenandmylove.Acoldwave washed through me.Deep down, I had never feltsoalone.

XIV

But I had no time for theluxury of feeling sorry formyself. I had to clear myhead and think logically.Aside from finding out whoand what were after me, Ineeded to know why.MartinusCaecowas theonlyleadIhad.ToobadIcouldn’taccessSomna’sfileonhim.My last sighting of him

was at Hirenses Associatesoffice,sonextmorningItookuppositiononabenchacrossthe way to see if anybodycame snooping around. Idrew a magazine out of mybag and pretended to read it.Mycompanionswereablackcatsniffingaroundtheflowerbed and a couple of olderguys on another bench,talkinginadesultorymanner.Before I’d left, Caeco

hadn’t figured on anydatabase we had; and themodel citizen hadn’t jumpedup on the DJ system either,norhisel-fitgivenanyimageresult. I imagined Sepuniahadsomeunluckystafferpullan all-nighter and slog herwaythroughPopBase.Maybeshe’dfindmorethanIdid.After half an hour’s

reading, looking as if I waswaiting for somebody, I

couldn’t drag it out anylonger. Maybe I was morethan usually sensitive, but Iwas sure there were morecustodes on the street. Twopairs had passed in the lasttwenty minutes; one custoswithhisnightstickinhishandinsteadofbuckledonhisbelt.Ifoneof themgotboredandstarted ID checks, I’d be introuble.I trudged off around the

corner, quickly darted into adoorway. Fortuna wassmilingonme–itwasathriftshop. My eye was drawnimmediately to colourful teesandshortsforkids,justaboutthe twins’ size. I swallowedhard and forced myself tosearch the adult rails. Igrabbed a dark hoodie topwith aworn overprint designand a pair of frayed jeansfrom the rail, and picked a

pair of plastic sneakers fromthe rack. The startled salesassistant took my tunic andsomesolidiinexchange.Slouching like a teenager,

myhairdownandtiedback,IwanderedbackalongAidan’sstreet, browsing the shopwindows. I went in a mom-and-pop electrics store andboughtabudgetmusicplayer,dropping the packaging onthe grass. The two seniors

chewedmeout,butIignoredthem. I sat on the bench,bouncing my head back andforward, pretending to listento music and talked into mycellphone once. After nearlyan hour, I shambled off,mumblingabout“theaged”.Another visit to the thrift

shop for a bulky coat, shoes,and a scarf for my hair. Ioffered to substitute for thewoman running the kiosk at

the intersection. I’d seen hershuffling from foot to footlikeshehadcollapsedarches;shewasmorethanpleasedtotake a break when she sawthesizeofthetipIgaveher.Selling papers, nicotine,

toys and condoms was notthat entertaining. Businesswasslow,thecustomersrude,and nobody wanted to chat.Boredom was starting tocreep in and drag me into

brain-fade when I spotted ahomely guy, dark hair,medium height, regularclothes and walking tooslowly past Aidan’s office,trying not to look at it. Hereturned fiveminutes later. Icaughthimonmycellcamerathesecondtime.Hestartedtocomeovertome.Istuffedmycellphone in my pocket andsmiled.‘Gazette,dear?’

‘Er,yes.’Ashehandedmethecoins,hehesitated.‘Whatisit,dear?Youlook

abitlost.Firsttimeinthebigcity?’Iaskedinapatronisingvoice.‘Oh, no. I’m just

wondering what happened tothetherapist.IthoughtI’dgottheaddresswrongwhenIsawitwas closed.’He pointed tohis street map. ‘This is therightplace,isn’tit?’

I took his map, opened acouple of folds and sawAidan’s office was marked.‘Yes,that’stherightplace,’Isaid. ‘There was a bit of acrash here a few days ago,andthedriverswentatitlikea couple of gladiators. Youshould have seen them! Thecaretaker tried to stop thefight,butoneofthembashedhim in the face. Serve himright,pompousgit!Somegirl

wasscreamingherheadoff.Isaw Mr Hirenses come outwith his lovely youngreceptionist.’ I half-leered.‘An ambulance turned up,thenthecustodes.Therewerepeoplerushingeverywhere.’‘But why is the therapist

stillclosed?’hepersisted.‘Oh,’ I sounded bored, ‘I

don’t really know, dear. Ithink somebody said there’dbeenadeathin thefamily.’I

sighed,tryingtosoundbitter.‘Nobody tells me anything,youknow.’He thanked me, and I

watchedhimgooffdowntheroad. He looked sonondescript,hejustfadedintothestreetscene.Iwaitedhalfanhourincasehecamebackor somebody else waswatching. I dug the oldwoman out of the café andgaveherbackthekioskkeys.

IremindedhertoforgetIwashere,hintingshewasplayinganimportantroleinanationalsecurity matter. She lookedbothexcitedandflattered.

Rightontime,Flaviusturnedupatournewmeetingpoint.‘Anything?’heasked.‘Yes. A completely beige

man turned up at the kioskopposite Hirenses, trying notto appear interested in

Aidan.’ I transferred thephoto to his phone. ‘Helooked depressed,melancholic,somehow.’‘Gods! Don’t start feeling

sorryforthem.’‘Oh, please!’ I threw a

scornful look at him. ‘Helooked so atypical for a badguy, that’s all. Maybe he’sone of the bystanders wemissed during theextraction?’

Fivehourslater,wemetinthepalacepark.Crouchingina tiny clearing full ofcigarette butts, Flavius gavemenotonlyaname–Trosius– but an address, fixednumber and place of work.Wehurriedovertothecentralcivicbuildingsjustintimetospot this Trosius leaving theBiblioteca Publica where heworked. A librarian?Librarians involved in

fomenting revolution? Mybrain seized up. Now I wasonanotherplanet.‘Actually, he’s their IT

specialist, which isinteresting,’ Flavius said.Glassesperchedonournoses,wereadthenoticeboardlikeapair of avid culture-vultures,only turning away to followTrosius when we saw himexit the libraryanddisappeararoundthecorner.

Weweretrackinghimintothe old part of the town,narrow lanes withoverhanging timber-framedhouses from medieval times,whenhedisappeared.Flaviuswas on point ten metresforward of me on the sameside asTrosius. I crossed theroad and closed the gap inseconds.Flaviusstoodbackahalf-metre short of theentrance to a narrow

passageway between twohouses.Unfortunately, itwasnearly straight: no juttingcorners on the houses, nowood uprights to block theview. You could see and sobeseenallthewayalong.Webunchedtogetherlikea

sightseeing couple. Flaviusfishedoutagaudymap fromhis back pocket and startedfolding the pleats back onthemselves.I’doftenlaughed

at his lost tourist technique,buthadtoadmititmadeforagreat cover. Lucky for us,Trosius wasn’t the leastawarehewasbeingfollowed.Thepassagewayopenedupatthe end into a plaza beyondwhichwastheViaNova.Weambledon likegood tourists,exchanging admiring andinane remarks in semi-loudEnglish. I looked at FlaviuslikeIwasfollowinghisevery

word, but kept our target inviewoverhisshoulder.Trosius headed for the

clusterof tables in thecentreoftheplaza,joiningtwomenat one of the middle ones.The maroon umbrellas notonly kept the sun’s heat offtheeatersanddrinkers,butinthe bright light they shadedfacesfromview.Althoughtherewereafew

other people browsing shop

windows or walking acrossthe plaza, there weren’tenough. We couldn’t getnearer to the three menwithout drawing attention toourselves. Trosius and theotherswereabsorbed in theirconversation,butwewatchedthem the whole time as wemoved along into the shadedside of the square. WhileFlavius gazed into a shopwindow,Ishiftedaroundand

madeafaceathimlikeIwascajoling him to buy mesomething, and fired off afew quick-shot photos ofthemoverFlavius’sshoulder.Then I crouched down andgesturedasifIwantedtotakea shot of Flavius from aworm’seyeviewwiththeoldbuildingsasbackdrop.Ifiredoff a few of Trosius’s table.Thank Juno the lens had apolarising lens and auto

balance.Huddling together,

Flavius’s arm around myshoulders, we stared at theimagesonthescreen.Neitherofuscouldsayanything.ButI’d seen the faces with myown eyes. I could hardlybelieve it then.Therewasnodoubting the thickset figureof Caeco nor his short, wirycompanion:Petronax.‘Bloody hell!’ hissed

Flavius. His eyes bulged ashe flicked through thepicturesforasecondtime.‘Move along to the next

window,’Iwhisperedback.Igrabbed his arm and weshuffled along to a high-endceramics shop. The glossyfaïence and replica samianware in thewindow failed tomakeanyimpactonustoday.‘Where’s Petronax’s

securityteam?’Imurmured.

As head of InternalSecurity,hetookaminderortwowith him everywhere hewent. Flavius recoveredenough to scan theplaza.Heunfolded and refolded hismap, frowning like he waslost, but he checked everymetre on the ground. Icoveredtheupperstoreysandroof. Internal security peoplewere drawn from regularforces, so they were usually

prettyeasyforustodetect.‘Nothing,’ Flavius

muttered.‘Meneither.’Either Petronax was

supremely confident andwasalone or he was usingunknown civilians. Not onlycouldn’t we see them here,we didn’t have a clue whattheylookedlikeorwhattheircapacitieswere.‘Alargebrandy,please.’

I gulped it down andordered another. I drank thesecond one more slowly.We’dretreatedtothecoveredareaofabarontheViaNova,the green awning darkeningthe bright sunlight. Sportsphotoswere scattered aroundthewallsinside,famousfacesshowing full-teeth grins. Thebartender was intent on ascreen at the end of thecounter, and sneaking a

cigarette. Flavius pretendedtoread thepaper,but Iknewhe’dbeenequallyshocked.In the seven years I’d

served in thePGSF, I’d seeninstances of greed, powerhunger and bitterness. Evenelite force personnel werehuman.Butbetrayal?Rarely.The last time I knew aboutwasRobbia seven years ago.She’d been on the take fromdrug dealers and tried to kill

me when I’d found her out.Tacita’s attack was acurveball, I thought,butnowPetronax of all people wasmeeting clandestinely withTrosius and Caeco, twoknown conspirators. AndCaecowassupposed tobe incustody under interrogation.How inHades had he gottenout? Petronax, the scornfulsideofmybrainreplied.It all slotted into place –

Petronaxmust have been theone who planted that letterand the photos of me. Butwhy? I knew he didn’t likeme–anunderstatement–butthiswasbeyondthepersonal.‘I have to get back.’

Flavius’sexpressionwasflat,hiseyesdrained.‘Sure.’ I nodded. ‘Go

carefully. And watch thatbastardPetronax.’

Itookacircuitousroutebackto Dania’s, exercisingextremecaution.Iwassneakingintheback

when she caught me on thestairs. ‘Gods! I’ve been soworried! Where in Hadeshaveyoubeen?’‘Whatdoyoumean?’‘Wanderingaroundthebig

citybyyourselflikeanidiot,’she said in a raised voice,making a face at me.

‘Whatever will I tell myaunt?’ Her fingers twistedand flicked, signallingsilently: Scarabs. Unknownplainclothes.PlutoinHades.‘Oh,Dania,I’msosorry,I

didn’t mean to be a bother,’and I started some sobbingnoises. Find anything? Isignalledback.She shook her head in

response tomymime. ‘Well,

go up to your room and getsome rest. We’ll talk in themorning.’I stumbled along the

corridor like I’d been in thearena all day, unlocked thedoor, slammed it shut, but Iremainedoutside.Icreptbackalong the corridor. Daniapulledme intoherofficeandswitched on the newschannel. I fished out mypyramid and placed it on the

table.We stared at each other. I

took a few long breaths tosteadymyself.‘Thank you,’ I began. ‘I

really, really did notwant tobring down any trouble onyour head.’ I hesitated,watching Dania, carefullyevaluatingherreaction.She replied with a very

rude word, which roughlytranslatedas“Don’tbesucha

fricking idiot”. ‘Just tell mewhatyouwantmetodo,’sheaddedaloud.‘Look, Dania, a small

affair has completely run outofcontrol.Theworstthingisthat I don’t know who thegood guys or bad guys areanymore.Howdidtheythinkaboutlookinghere?’‘They’researchingforyou

under your real name.’ Hervoicewas stone-cold sober. I

saw an uncharacteristicallynervous look on her face assheshowedmea leafletwithmyfacestaringout.Igrabbedit and read through. I startedshivering. She guided me tohercouchbeforeIfelldown.My hand clamped over mymouth, I shook my head ather. I thought Iwasgoing tothrowup.I’dbeenproscribed.Shit.

I was stripped of mycitizenshipandexcludedfromall protection under the law.It was open season on me.With attitude. Anybodyinforming on me could bepaid a reward plus a portionofmyassets; the statewouldtake the rest. Nothing wouldgo to Allegra, Gil or Tonia;they, Nonna and all theMitelae would be blighted.Conrad. He had to divorce

me,andimmediately,orhe’dbedraggedin.Ishouldcountmyself lucky they didn’tdecapitate proscriptees andstick theirheadona spear intheForumanymore.‘They’vesaidall theusual

crapaboutdesperatecriminal,threattonationalsecurityandso on,’ Dania said. Shesnorted, snatched the leafletfrom my nerveless hand andthrew it in the corner. She

tipped her chin at me,encouragingme to finish theglassofwater she’d thrust atme.‘You’re not on the news,

theInternetorthevidchannel,which is odd,’ she said.‘Taking these leaflets round,it’llgetoutanyway.’‘Yes,butthis’llbeslower.

Why are they doing it thatway?’ I said, mostly tomyself. I couldn’tmove.My

brain was still numb. I tooksome deep breaths andconcentrated for a fewmoments, runningmytongueinsidealongmyteeth.‘Ihavetoleavehereimmediately.’‘Veryclever.That’llbeso

easy!’ Dania replied withawfulsarcasm.‘I will not stay here. You

know the penalties forhelpingproscriptees.’‘Don’tbesilly.’Shesaidit

forcefullyenough,butIsawaflicker of fear. She’d takensix years of solid hard workand little sleep to build herlifeupfromnothing.‘Endofdiscussion,’Isaid.

‘I’moutofhere.’Early evening, shouting,raucous laughter andbumping of bodies onfurniture from loudmouth,borderlinedrunkyoungprofis

swamped the restaurant.Dania had put a sign outside‘Happy hour for the underthirties’ andcaughta loadofofficeworkers.She’ddraftedin extra staff, and they werehandling it with goodhumour. Then in camedefinitely drunk students anditallwenttohell.She called the custodes,

butsheandthebarstafftriedto throw the rowdies out in

themeantime.The twenty orso drunks started to fight inthe street, testosteroneflowing freely. The girlsstood there egging them on;some joined in. When thescarabsarrived,theybrokeupthe fight, gave Dania amouthful aboutirresponsibility, and shovedthe happy crowd into bluevans to spend a night in thecells. In the confusion, I

slithered off down a sidealley. Around the corner, Islid into the passenger’s seatof the battered pickup truckwaitingthere.I sat in silence, breathing

slowly to reduce my heartrate. The truck enginerumbled and coughed. I wasbone weary. I glanced atFlaviusasheconcentratedoninnocent-seeming evasionmanoeuvres as he drove out

of the centre. He wore acoarse-weave shirt and jeansand looked exhausted. Ididn’t ask where he’d foundthe students. I was justgrateful.Hepausedbytheriverand

threw his cellphone andcomms set over the parapet.We drove into a block oflock-up units between an oldapartment block and ajunkyard. Flavius killed the

lights. A metallic clash andthudmademejump.Anotherfromnearby.Ileaptout,knifeready. Flavius rolled out andcrouched, his back to mine.We hardly breathed as wecircledandscanned.Nobody.Nothing.‘Somebloodycat,’hesaid

under his breath after a fewminutes.The thinmetal doorofoneof thegaragesswayedashejerkeditopen.Hedrove

the truck in. I ran in anddragged the door closedbehind us. We stood in thesafedarkforafewseconds.‘The shit’shit the fan,’ he

started.‘I’moutnow,too.’I stared at him, but only

saw the reflection from thedashboardlightsinhiseyes.‘Whathappened?’‘Paula received a text

warningfromanex that theywere coming for your ART

team.Shetoldustorun.’

We slept in the back of thetruck,wrapped inpricklyfeltblankets, but grateful for therespite.Iwokeearly,coldandstartled by the Stygianblackness and smell ofmetaland sweat. I turned over onthe ridged truck floor. Mybody ached, but not asmuchas my mind. I was beinghunted with maximum effort

and one of my most loyalcolleagues was a fugitivewithme.Where the hellwasConrad in all this? I’d calledhim repeatedly on theencrypted supermobile. Noreply. But I wasn’t entirelysurehewouldtalktomeifhedidpickup.Flaviuswoke,eyeswaryin

a tense face, and draggedhimself up.We gathered ourthings and walked down to

the river to find coffee andsomething to eat. After anight in a dirty truck, weblended perfectly into thedockside canteen. I tried nottogagontheheavysmokeasI swallowed scalding coffeeand attacked a wonderfulbacon roll dripping withgrease. The exquisite saltflavour burst in my mouthand I tastedheaven.Maybe Iwasjusthungry.

‘We have to find a securebase,’ Flavius whispered. Hepretended he was reading acurled-edged tabloid. Iglanced at him, stifling mysurprise. Why had he saidsomethingthatobvious?‘Wecan’tgotoDania’s,’I

said. ‘She’s already had thescarabs in. I won’t endangerheranymore.’‘There’s one place,’ he

suggested and stared at me,

hiseyessearchingmyface.I caught my breath. I

realisedwherehewasgoing.Ihadn’tbeenhappywhenI’dcontacted the other two “oldfriends”butIfigureditwouldbebrief and temporary.Nowhewas suggesting somethingmuchmoredangerous.‘No,’ I hissed at him. ‘No

way.Iamnotinvolvinghim.’‘Do you ever listen to

yourself?’ he retorted. ‘You

talk the biggest load of ballssometimes!’Iheardhisvoiceharden and saw the cords inhis neck stand out. ‘Heprobably knows all about itanyway. You left him withone of the best informationnetworks around. Being hisefficient self, he’s bound tohave refined it. Pollius andDaniahaveprobablyreportedyour contact.Moreover, he’sgot the resources we need,’

he added, brutally frank. Hesat there watching me chewthisover.I was tired and, to be

honest,discouraged.Noteasyto make balanced decisionswhen your thoughts andfeelings are floundering likebeached eels. Flavius madeperfectsense,butcouldIfacedisrupting a life I’d carefullyleftprotected?Apartfromthedubious legality of it all, I

would be treading on someextremely sensitive personalground. I drank another cupofcoffeetothinkaboutit.I tried Conrad again.

Nothing. I risked a secondcall, this time home. All Iheard was a voice recordingwith a strange voice, sayingnobody was available andplease to leave a message.Whoinhellwasthat?Iknewevery member of our

household, and that voicedidn’tbelongtoanyofthem.Icutthecallandstaredattheblank mini-screen. My handstarted trembling. Hades.They’d already interceptedand diverted comms at thehouse.By now, the custodes

would be on full alert, mypicture on every patrolperson’s el-pad. Theycouldn’t track me, now I’d

ditchedthetrackerandbadge.I hoped the supermobileshielding still worked, butthey’d slog at it in thetraditional way. The PGSFwere more dangerous. Itwouldonlyneedonescannerto pick us up from an imagecapturedfromthepublicfeedandasquadwouldberoustedto grab us. And only JupiterknewwhoPetronaxhadinhisprivatearmy.

More urgently, I had tofindoutwhatwasgoingonathome; if the children weresafe.AndNonnaandHelena.Ishutmyeyesforsomereliefbutopenedthemagainalmostinstantly to block outterrifying images of myfamily in danger forming inmyhead.‘Enough.’ I wiped the

greasefrommyfingers,threwthe rest of my coffee down

my throat and stood up. ‘Wehave no other workableoption.Let’sdoit.’The docks were compact.Swinging cranes and forlornindustrialwarehousespeteredout, givingway first to openfields, copses and, twokilometres or so upstream,individual houses dottedalong the bank, all withprivate landings. Ideal if you

needed an alternative escaperoute.Wemarchedinsilence,staying under cover of thetreesanddiving for theditchwheneverweheardavehicle.The familiar stone housecame into sight. The highgate, metal but clad ininnocentwood,wasclosed.Behind that graceful stone

arch with the coded entrysystem lay a gravel area andanother gateway with metal

barredgates curved to fit thearchway, finials a breathaway from the stone. TheVenetian scrollworkdisguised how solid theywere.Ishiveredattheflowofmemoriesinthehouseontheotherside.Flavius and I hid behind

shrubsacrossfromthehouse,alittletoonesideandsettleddown to watch the entrancegate.Twothingsworriedme.

Easyonefirst:Dania’s.Therehad to be a leak. Although Imailed and wrote her aboutbusiness stuff, I only wentthere occasionally; with myjobandfamily,therewastoomuchelse todo.HadPolliusspilled? Unlikely, butpossible.Was the rest of thenetwork penetrated? If wemade it inside, I guessedwe’d find out. I was turningtothedifficultquestionwhen

Flavius shifting his weightcaughtmyattention.His fingers signalled he

couldn’t see anybodywatching. I confirmed thesame. Ironic, in light ofevents. The only excuse wasthat we were tired anddesperate, but a pretty poorone.A delivery truck drew up,

and thegatesopened to let itin. We leapt up, coming

sideways at the gate. Flaviusscrambled onto the rearfender and stretched his armout. My hand was an inchfrom his, fingers flexing tograspitwhenashotrangoutfrom behind. Flavius fell offintoacrumpled,inertheapatmyfeet.Iseizedhim,heavedwith all my strength, anddragged him over the gravelthrough the gate while thetruck driver stared, literally

with an open mouth. Theporter, much more alert,started to block me and myburden when another shotburstout.Akicktomyhead,searingheat,andIwentout.

XV

The first thing I noticedwasthe smell – fresh linen,slightly antiseptic, vanillaeven. Next, I heard tinyregularbleeps.Iwentbacktosleep.‘She’sprogressingwell.’A

quietvoiceandwarmbreath,somebody bending over meand resting a hand on myforehead.Juno!Myhead.No

waywas I going to openmyeyes with a headache likethis. I heard his low, richlaugh. Absolutely no way, IthoughtasIdriftedoff.I must have known

subconsciouslyIwassafe,soI attempted eye-opening nexttimeIwoke.I lookedaroundwarily. Although it waspainful, my head stayed onmy shoulders. I was lyinghalf-propped up in bed in a

pale blue room, flowers on atable in the corner, bedroomfurniture, window, bluedrapes. So not a prison. No,ofcoursenot–I’dheardthatlaugh.We’dmadeit.‘Ah! You’ve decided to

wakeup,’camethefirstvoiceagain. I turnedmyheadverycarefully and saw gold-rimmed glasses, greying hairanda sardonic smileaboveawhite lab coat shining too

brightly.Hegavemeasipofsomelemonydrink,andIlaybackexhausted.‘I’mnotgoing toaskhow

theheadfeels–thatwouldbefatuous,’ he said. ‘But likeHades,Isuspect?’‘Yes.’ I swallowed. ‘Tell

me,’ Iwhispered, ‘how’smycomrade?’Ifearedtheworst.He had been so still, lyingthereshot.‘I operated on him

personally and sewed himtogether. He’s up andpesteringtoseeyou.’Thank the gods. I tried to

focus on the man’s faceaboveme.‘Something to eat?’ he

said. ‘You’ve been out fornearlytwodays.’My stomach replied

forcefully.He chuckled and

disappeared.

Iclosedmyeyesandwentbacktosleep.‘Comeon, lazy,youcan’t lietherepretendingtobeasleep.Besides,yoursandwichesaregettingwarm!’I smiled at him. ‘Hello,

Flav.’Flavius found me some

extra pillows and I easedmyself up gingerly. Imunched my sandwiches

slowly,myjawtight,andthemuscles pulling the skin onmy skull. Each bite hurt, butmyhungeroverrodetheheadpain. Flavius told me howhe’dbeenbadlywindedwhenhe fell and couldn’t move.Theshotdugatrenchthroughthe flesh in his left shoulderbut, apart from that, he onlysuffered some bruising. Theporter had slammed the biggatesshutandrungthealarm.

Guardshadrunoutthehouse,pushed through the servicegate and scoured theapproach road, firing off afewrounds.Butthey’dfoundnosignofourattackers.Thesecondroundfromthe

unknown shooter had grazedmyhead, barely scrapingmyskull. I shudderedat thenearmiss. I had a hell of aheadache but nothing moreserious.Ahangingbaskethad

suffered an untimely deathfrom the onward travellingbullet,Flaviussaiddrily.I looked at him, my loyal

comrade in arms. He wassmart, aware and physicallytough.Hewasn’taprettyboylike Livius: his light brownhair and mid-brown eyestogether with the otherstandardfeaturesyougotinafacemadeapleasant,butnotoutstanding combination.

This was a great asset for aspookasnobodyrememberedthe average. But, when hesmiled, his soul shone outthrough his eyes. I’d knownhimsevenyears;hegavemebalance, sometimes quitestarkly, other timeshumorously, alwaysasa truefriend. I would’ve beendevastatedifI’dlosthim.

I was dozing again when I

heardthequietlaugh.‘Hello, Pulcheria,’ he

began.‘Apollodorus.’Hesatonmybed,holding

myhandandcompletelystill.Itwasanold trickofhis.Hecould move as fast as adeadly panther if he wanted.His tall, slim figure was, asalways, dressed in black; hisblack hair, brows and eyes acontrasttohislightlybronzed

skin. His smile didn’tdiminish any of his powerfulanddynamicpresence.‘Why didn’t you come to

me straightaway?’ he gentlychided me. His black eyeswerewarmandinviting.‘You know why,’ I said.

‘We split and went inopposite directions. Flav andI only came to you becausewe were in a desperatesituation.’

‘SoIgather,’herepliedinavoicestraightofftheArcticDesert. He pressedmy hand.‘My dear, you know verywell it would give meenormous pleasure to helpyou in anyway I can.Tobehonest,I’malittlebored.’Even the half-smile I

pulled was not a good ideaformyhead.I owed this man a great

deal – he’d beenmymentor,

my faithful servant and mymore-than-friend. He’d runmyorganisationwithabsoluteefficiency, knowing it hadbeen built on deceit. He’dorganised the exit strategy,severance payments, retainedthe network, and built up anewroleforhimselfaftermydeparture. The PulcheriaFoundation was a businessorganisation these days,generally dealing in property

and entertainment. That itwas mostly legal, but notalways,wasirrelevant.He looked at me with

polite curiosity, one eyebrowraised in hismock old-worldway.‘Sotell,’hecommanded.I smiled wryly. Our

positionswere reversed, as ifhewere the patron and I thesupplicant client. He caughtmy expression and smiled

back in reassurance. Helistened intently until I’dfinished.‘I will not have anybody

indulginginashootingmatchoutside my front door,particularly when it istargeted at my colleagues,whether former or current.’He spoke so gently that itmade the words much morethreatening. I rememberedhow effective that polite, but

deadlyvoicecouldbe.‘So are you happy now,

runningaroundcatchingwhatyoucharminglycall “thebadguys”?’I’d known, of course, that

he would be following myactivities, from personal aswellasprofessionalinterest.‘Ecstatically,’ I replied.

‘No, really. I can’t think ofanything I’mbetter suited to.But this current crisis is

bizarre. I’m being caught onthe wrong foot most of thetime.’‘Unusual,’heremarked.‘An understatement!’ I

said. ‘I figure I’m usually atleast one step ahead of theopposition, but here,everything keeps shifting. Inever imagined I’d see thehead of PGSF InternalSecurity letting a dangerousextremist like Caeco out.’ I

studiedthefarwall.‘WhatinHades has happened to therestofthem?Whydidn’ttheystopPetronax?’Flavius knocked on the

open door. His eyes wereshrunken;deeplinesranfromthe side of his nose to amouth pulled down. Was hesick? He came over to theothersideofmybed.‘What?’‘Thelegate.’

My heart contracted andfloodedwithpain.‘No.’ His hand shot out

and grasped mine. ‘He’salive.AsfarasIknow.’I closed my eyes for a

secondortwo.‘I used the secure comms

room here. They’ve strippedConradus Mitelus of hiscommand, arrested him fortreasonandthrownhimintheTransulium. My contact

doesn’t know anything else.’Heshookhisheadandturnedaway.I felt sick to think of

Conradlabelledasatraitor.Ithad to be because of myproscription. Tainted byassociation. What a bloodymess. He had to disownme,divorceme.Thatwouldclearhim.Who was I kidding? I’d

known somebody was

targeting him when they’dforcedAidan topushfor thatinformation from Tacita, butI’d never dreamed it wouldgotothislevel.Theonlytinycomforting thought was thathe would have givenPetronax’speople a seriouslyhard time when they tookhim.‘Mydear?’Apollo’s voice pulled me

out of my paralysis. I took

some deep breaths to clearmyhead.‘Okay,’Isaid.‘This is the

situation. The chief bad guyis a rat-faced traitorwhohasaccess to everything. Theexpert personal teams havebeen disbanded andreassigned. The centralcommand structure ispenetrated and effectivelyparalysed.Andthisistheunitsupposed to be responsible

for the safety of theimperatrix and the country.’My voice rose despite mybestefforts.‘Atotalfuck-up.’‘Not, I think, a very

glorious state of affairs,’Apollodorus conceded. Hewaskindtoleaveitatthat.‘Theworst is that none of

ussawitcoming.’‘Ah! Vanity. You really

mustovercomethattendency,Pulcheria. It’s so limiting,

youknow.’Igloweredathim.Hisironicglancelandedon

me.Iknewhewasprovokingmetobreaktheblisterofmyemotion. But I turned awayandrefusedtolookathim.‘The doctor says you can

get up tomorrow if you feellike it. Then we can assesseverything and planaccordingly.’ In such blandwords, he dismissed a world

ofchaos,terroranddespair.A steaming drink

materialised, brought in byone of Apollo’s silent houseservants.‘You are to drink this

before going to sleep,’Apollodorus said. I lookedathim, thinking of refusing onprinciple,butmynerveswereshredded, my head throbbed.Ihadnostrength left to fighthim.

I woke the next day feelinggroggy,butwithnoheadache–ablessed relief. I stumbledintotheshoweroffmyroom.Drying my hair, I lookedaround for my clothes. Nosign of my jeans, butPulcheria’strademarkredandblack clothes were laid outforme,andtheblackboots.Ittook me several minutes todecide to put them on. They

fittedperfectly.Nothing had changed in

thehouse,absolutelynothing.I walked to the dining roomas if it were only sevenminutes ago I had left it, notseven years. Sitting eatingbreakfast,ApolloandFlaviuswere talking quietly. Bothlooked up as I entered theroom. Flavius gasped at myappearance, Apollo showedno reaction. I didn’t look

eitherintheeye.Ihadhardlytaken my place when fruit,yoghurtandeggswereput infront of me with a cup ofcoffee, white, one sugar. Iglancedup, searching for theclock, and there it was,exactly where it should be.Even the cutlery was thesame fluted design. I ate insilence. I was slippingstraight back into a shellwaitingformetoinhabitit.

‘Shallwego through afteryou’ve finished?’Apollodorus suggested, orwas it a command? Ameeting table was set out inthe atrium. Nothing hadchanged: the largeopenarea,not as big as at DomusMitelarum, butmore elegant,minimalist even, with whiteupholstered benches runningaround three sides andalcoves placed along their

length to provide moreintimate seating areas. Ilooked up at the bull’s eyeglazed centre in the roof.Sunlight poured downmaking artificial lightingsuperfluous.Apollo insisted I take the

head of the table. Othersjoined us, some familiar, butolder, some I didn’t know.From under my eyelashes, Icaught some speculative

looksandoneortwoguardedones.‘If I may?’ Apollo looked

atme.Inodded.‘I am delighted to advise

you that Pulcheria is onceagainpartofour lives.Someof you will, of course, havefond memories of theprevious work we achievedtogether. Others of you havethatpleasureaheadofthem.’I’d bet any money they

were wondering what theHades Apollo was springingonthem.‘Hermina, you know, she

remains our administrationmanager.’She nodded at me, half-

smiling. I did the same. I’dalways liked Hermina,although she was a bit of acontrolfreak.‘Albinus is our technical

genius – he was trained by

Dolcius,nowsadlyequippingthenextlife.’I took in Albinus’s jet-

black head, dark eyebrows,dark eyes. Somebody clearlyhad a sense of humour, ormaybe irony, givenhis namemeant white. He nodded, hisface impassive, but eyesappraising.‘Justus, our informer, you

know. His network tends tocover, ah, economic

opportunities rather thanpoliticalones,ifyourecall.’What I remembered was

how incredibly tough Justuswas. Likeable no, efficientyes.Inoddedinhisdirection.A smooth, knowing half-smile glided across his lipsleavingabsolutelynotraceonthe rest of his unremarkableface.‘Cassia runs the financial

aspectsofthefoundation.She

worked previously asCensor’s investigator in thetaxservice.’Her symmetrical features

were spoiled by a sullenexpression dulling her lightbrowneyes.Theinvestigatorswere renowned for theirtenacity, resourcefulness andutter ruthlessness. I think theexpression “killerRottweilers” came intoJunia’s vocabulary if a visit

from them was threatened atDomus Mitelarum. She andour legal team burnt themidnight oil to prepare.Cassialookedatmewithoutatrace of emotion; she didn’tevenmusterasmile.‘Hello, Pulcheria,’ came a

cheeryvoiceasarelieftotheserious faces. I’d knownPhilippus as assistant to theold master at arms. ‘Just letme know if you want

anything that goes bang,’ hesaid. I’d always loved hislively, almost boisterousmanner, like an overgrownhigh schooler, but I saw henow had a few grey hairspeeking through at histemples.‘Hiyourself,Phil,’Ithrew

back.‘Well,youknowwhatIlike,justtheusualservice.’Hegrinned.‘And of course, Flavius,

ourtacticalexpert,whomyouknowsowell.’Flavius stareddownat the

table and rubbed the fingersof one hand across the backof the other. The irony waspainful. I tapped my nailtwice on the table surface,forcinghimtomeetmyeyes.‘Thankyou,Apollodorus.’

I looked at each face,appraisingtheminturn.Mosthad settled into awary look,

JustusandPhilippusneutral.I turned to Apollo. ‘Now,

could you please update meonwhatyouhave?’‘I’llletJustusleadonthis,’

hesaid.‘We have confirmed

Flavius’s information aboutthe PGSF legate. He’s beingheldinmaximumsecurity, insolitary, in the Transuliummilitaryprison.’Myheartthumped.

‘Command devolvedtemporarily upon theadjutant.’He checked his el-pad. ‘No, for a day only. Areplacement has beenappointed: one LuciusMitelusSuperbus.’‘What?’Ishrieked.‘Please

tellmethat’snottrue.’They all stared at me,

startledbymyoutburst.‘What?’ Justus said. He

raisedhiseyebrows.

I exchanged glances withFlavius. I swallowed hard.‘I’msorry,pleasecontinue.’‘Superbus doesn’t seem to

befondofhisfamily.Hehadthem all arrested and cartedoff,eventheoldlady,AureliaMitela, and hergrandchildren. No,’ Justuslooked at his notes, ‘they’reher great-grandchildren – thegranddaughter, also PGSF,has disappeared. She’s been

proscribed. Maybe she’s inthe Transulium as well – wedon’tknow.’The first I knew I had

bitten through my lip waswhen blood dripped onto thetable.Through the red fogofmy anger, I tried toreassemble my scatteredbrains.WhatdidJustusmeanby “carted off”? Not to aprison. No, not the children.Gods, no! Even Superbus

wouldn’tdothat,wouldhe?‘Where are they now?’ I

managedtoask.Justus looked unhappy,

almost apologetic. ‘I don’tknow. I haven’t been able toget at anybody inside theMitelae.They’reastightasaduck’s arse, so I can’tconfirmanything.’My hands trembled, not

only with fear, but rage thatsuch a horrifying thing had

been done to my family. Iknew Nonna could tough itout. But the children, andHelena? I pictured theconcrete cell walls, the solidmetal door clanking shut,enclosing them, the terror ofbeing wrenched out of theirhome by shouting, unknownanduncaringstrangers.Ifanyof them was hurt – in anyway – Superbus was deadmeat;andthebutcherywould

beslow.‘Petronax is really running

everything. He’s quitestrange,’ Justusmused. ‘He’snotmarried, has nomistress,girlfriend, boyfriend,companion. He visits ahetaera twice a month andthat’sit.’‘Same one?’ I asked,

thinkingofpossibilities.‘No, he rotates around

three, but in a random

pattern.’‘We need to get a hold

over each one and bleedthem.’‘Of course.’ He looked

surprised at my callousness.‘I’llarrangeitasapriority.’‘Anythingelse?’‘Well, these

“patriarchialists”…SextusDecius aka Cornelius has acouple ofwarnings: pilferingwhen twelve and public

disorderatseventeen.Hewasat a demo for parental rightswhich turned violent.’ Hesmirked. ‘The scarabs weretheir usual understandingselves. Martinus Caeco –there’sachallenge.Wecan’tfind him anywhere, but yousay he’s definitely native-born.’Helookedatme,doubtalloverhisface.‘He’s a heavy,’ I said.

‘Probably a bodyguard,

enforcer, numbers runner,possibly procurer, somethinglikethat.’Justus gave me another

scepticallook.‘I know one when I see

one, Justus.’ Why was Iexplaining this to him? Hewasthatunderminingsort–Ididn’tneedtorisetohisbait.‘He’s going to be hard to

findagain,butI’llseewhatIcan do. He and Sextus were

releasedwithoutchargealongwith three others arrested atthe same time. Itwould helpif we had some images, buteven Albinus can’t penetratethePGSFnet.’‘Icanhelpyou there.’Six

pairsofeyesfocussedonme.‘With the pictures,’ Iemphasised.Cassiawentnext,herhard

features showing littleanimation. ‘I’ve started

enquiries about this group’sfinancing. You say they’reideologicallydriven,but theymust have considerableundeclared resources to havefundedtheiractionstodate.’She even talked like a tax

form.‘Creativity always costs,’

shecontinued. ‘Therewillbean audit trail somewhere.Once we have some morenames verified, we can go

throughtheirtaxfiles.Ifthereisanythinghidden,Iwillfindit.’I twitchedatherhardtone

andempathisedwithJunia.‘Now, the two names we

do have…Trosius, yourlibrarian, I’ve found hisreturn.Allappears inorder–he’s paid the proper tax dueonwhat he’s declared. But Iconclude he must engage insome undeclared self-

employed work as hisexpenditure is high for hisreported income. The otherknown name, Sextus, has notax history, but his bankaccount shows quarterlycredits from PFPP, whateverthatis.I’llletyouknowwhenIhaveidentifiedthesource.’‘Well, that’s a reasonable

start.’ High praise, fromApollo. ‘Report back at fivethisafternoon.’Heconcluded

the meeting and dismissedthem all. He usheredme outtotheveranda.‘How did you feel that

went?’ he asked. He smiledpleasantly, but not warmly.His voice was at its mosturbane.‘Well, I thought.’ I

wonderedwhatwascoming.‘Justus is looking into the

two disconcerting incidentswe discussed earlier,’ he

continued.‘IamunhappythatDania had a visit from thecustodes specifically lookingfor you. I have had a littletalkwithPollius.’Ishivered.‘He assures me he said

nothing–Ibelievehim.Now,we’veidentifiedthetwoplainclothes – Department ofJustice Organised CrimeUnit.’He lookedme right inthe eye and asked, ‘So how

are they involved, do youthink?’I tookacoupleofbreaths.

Did he think I had instigatedasting?Hades,Ihopednot.Iwascoffin-fodderifhedid.‘Not a clue – really,’ I

assured him. ‘The only DJcustos who I know has beenanywhere near this case isCommander Cornelius Lurio,attheXI.Hewastherewhenwe mopped up after the

Hirenses extraction. I’veknownhimforyears.’‘Slightly better than in a

comradelyway,Ithink?’‘Correct.’ I knew my

colour rose as the heatflushedthroughmyface.‘Hmm. Well, we found

two cases from the shootinghere, and they turned out tobe standard custodes serviceissue.’I digested this slowly. ‘So

youthinktheDJisinvolved?Maybe it’s a small group orjustoneortwowithaccesstosituation reports and/orsensitive information,’ Ispeculated. ‘Yes, and theymust be able to direct morejunior officers to do thelegwork.’Ipushedfurtherupthe path. ‘Which means wecannarrowitdowntoasmallnumber.Sowehavetosearchthrough the organisational

charts. Do you still haveaccess to the DJ database?’Seven years ago, I’d beenappalled to discover he had.NowIjustneededit.He handed me an el-pad.

‘Your account has beenreactivated, full access.You’llfindwhatyouwantonthere.’Juno only knewwhat else

I’dfind.‘Philippus will arm you –

he’s probably working on itnow,andAlbinuswillupdateyour mobile. I suggest youdiscussyourpersonalsecurityrequirements with Herminathismorning.’I closed my eyes, took a

deep breath and then lookedhim straight in the eye.‘Apollo, I am not slippingstraight back into my oldrole.’ I indicatedmy clothes.‘I think I should like

somethingelsetowear.’‘My dear Pulcheria, how

canyoubesodistrusting?’‘Oh, come on. I know a

trapwhenIseeone.’‘Doyoureally?’

XVI

Apollodorus’s organisationstartedtodeliver.Despitethename – The PulcheriaFoundation – it was his. I’dmade everybody a lot ofmoney through it, but I’drelinquishedcontrolwhentheold structure had beendissolved. Despite his hardexterior, Apollodorus was aromantic.Hefeltheowedme

for “saving” him from asqualid existence at the edgeof the criminal world.Personally, I was sure that amanofhistalentswouldhavethrived anyway, but maybeI’dgivenhimhisbreak.How easy it would be to

slip back into this life, thisparallel existence. I wouldhave the power of totalcommand,acompletelackoflegal restraint, the ability to

haveanuntrammelled,instanteffect on people’s lives.Seductive. I consoled myselfthat I was only “borrowing”the organisation until thecrisis was over. But Iwonderedifthiswaswhatanaddict says to herself whenconfrontedwithtemptationtoindulgeinanoldhabit?Onlyalittle?Justonelasttime?These unhealthy thoughts

wereinterruptedbyPhilippus

bringing me a personalarmoury. I selected onefirearm, a couple of knivesandsomegaspellets.‘That’sabitbare,isn’tit?’‘Notallofuslikeclanking

along setting off everymetaldetector.’Hegrinnedandshrugged.‘These are nice,’ I

commented on the military-issuepellets.‘Wheredidtheycome from?’ I looked up at

him,allinnocence.‘Don’t ask questions like

that, and you won’t getdisappointingreplies.’I saidavery rudewordas

he collected up the surplusweapons and strode offlaughing.

I escaped to the veranda forsome fresh air. Bordered bytall, waving trees castingflickering shadows, the back

garden stretched down to theriver edgewhere Scots pinesand cypresses obscured thehouse from any prying eyesfrom the other bank. A cooldrink appeared on the tabletheinstantIsatdown.Really,Apollo’sstaffwasevenmoreefficientthanJunia’steam.Crap.I had told myself not to

think about home.My palmshurt from my fingernails

pressingintothem.Icoulddonothing. Nonna would holdthem together, but thechildren would be sofrightened. And my strange,sensitive Allegra – howwouldshegetthroughit?

After lunch, Albinus tookforever personalising mysupermobilewithsomemind-alteringupdate.‘If it doesn’t detect your

biosignature after a set time,it’ll shut down and melt theinsides into a lump ofmetallic plastic.’ He showedme how to vary the triggertime. Hermina fidgetednearbywaitinghim to finish.She had her schedule andhated it being disrupted. Shenever actually said anything;she just kept looking at herwatch. As Albinus left, sheunclipped a punched sheet

fromherdiaryfolderwiththeschedule of my personalsecuritydetail.‘It’sawasteofresources.I

canlookaftermyself.’‘Sorry, no. These are

strange times. The last thingwe need is you to be pickedup by some over-eager DJscarabor,worse,PGSF.’‘Why do you think PGSF

isworse?’‘They always seem to be

one step ahead. You knowyourself how single-mindedthey are. Look how theydragged you off last time.’ThathadbeenDaniel,leadingthe raid on the GoldlightsClub and arresting me as amajor drug dealer, notknowingIwasanundercoverDJcustosatthetime.‘Thescarabsgiveusplenty

of hassle, but the PGSF aremoredangerous.Idon’twant

to meet trouble halfway upthe street. At the moment,they’vebeenhijackedbythisPetronax and have that idiotMitelus Superbus as nominalhead. The otherMitelus wastough but professional. Thisone is a total prat. They’reunpredictable at present, sowe’ll keep you well clear ofthem.’‘Got anybody inside

them?’

‘Be serious. Nobody hasenough of a suicide wish tovolunteer for that job.’ Shethrustthesheetintomyhand.She wasn’t going to giveway.‘Thank you, Hermina,’ I

saidformally.‘My pleasure.’ She gave

meafull-onsmileandpattedmyupperarm. ‘It’s lovely toseeyouback.Imissthebuzzoftheolddays.’

As I watched her bustleoff,mymindstartedtosketchout a few objectives. Firstly,itwascrucialthatItakesomepositive action instead ofsitting here waiting for thenext bad thing to happen.Secondly, the imperatrix andher family had to be securedandguarded.Thirdly,wehadto stop the rot spreading intocivilorganisations.Howdeepdid these patriarchalists’

influence go in, say, theSenate, Curia, the media?Where did the people’stribunes stand?Fourthly, thathaving restored the situation,my colleagues – wherevertheycamefrom–andIwouldhunt down the traitors withextremeprejudice.‘Report.’ I looked at Justusfirst.‘The palace is quiet, no

outward sign of anydisruption. I understand alarge detachment of PGSFhas replaced the regularPraetorian guards. Theymarched in, completelyunexpectedly and sealed it.They’re headed by a MajorStern from their Operationsbranch. We rate him asdangerous, gives no quarter.Ishethatgood?’hequeried.‘Yes.’

Justus waited for me toelaborate. He wasdisappointed.‘Well, to continue…Your

pictures were very helpful –wethinkwe’vefoundCaeco.’He sounded smug. I groundmyteeth.How?‘It’s only a sixty-five per

cent match, mind you, and Ihave to admit it was purefluke.’Ifeltalotbetter.

‘Ifthisisthesameman,heoriginatesfromFolentia,nearAquae Caesaris and hisfamily name is Apnia. Hisfather was a self-made manwho married into a middle-class family. Lovelydysfunctional family, this.The mother’s brother did astretch for embezzling hissister’s investments. Thefather felt unaccepted by themother’s snooty family so

startedblackmailingthemfor,let’s call it, personalmisdemeanours.’I hated to think what that

meant.‘Caeco, or Apnio,

whatever you want to callhim, has form for running anumbers game as a kid andlater for two counts ofaggravated assault. Hedisappeared from the radarafter his release. Possibly

radicalised in prison?’ heventured. ‘Hemet up with aPisentiusinCastraLucillatheotherday.Oneofouroutlierswas visiting this Pisentiusbecause he’s been a naughtyboy,notpayinghisgamblingdebts. Our man got warnedoff by a heavy, possiblyCaeco.’‘Has this outlier been

shown the images Pulcheriaprovided?’Apollodorussaid.

‘Yes, and he reckons itcouldbethesameman.’‘Good. Try and increase

beyond sixty-five per cent.Now, what about Petronaxandhismonthlyvisits?’‘We can squeeze two of

thethree,andI’mworkingonthethird.’‘Soonasyoucan,Justus.’Cassia looked smug, so I

invitedhertogonext.‘Interestingly, PFPP turns

out to be a short form forPaterfamiliasPatriaPotestas.’Sheletthathangintheair.Albinus broke first and

murmured, ‘Each to theirown.’Philippus snorted

derisively.Flaviuslookedgrim.‘WhoinHadesarethey?’I

asked.Iknewitwasn’tgoingtobegood.Justus chipped in like the

know-it-all he was. ‘They’rea fundamentalist group,believing literally in theoriginalRoman tribal values.They’re only two and a halfthousand years out of date,stupidbastards.’‘Sotheylivelikeretards–

is that a problem?’ Cassiaasked.‘There’ve been rumours,’

Justus said, ‘but there’s beenno court case recorded for

killing or selling children.One or two battered womenhave turned up in refuges,and slightly more than theaverage number of younggirls between twelve andnineteen have committedsuicide, but nothing too farabovetheradar.It’sallinthecountryside. The scarabsreport they’ve looked intothese cases, but they don’tpush it. According to their

records,thesepeoplearelaw-abiding and behaveimpeccably – nodrunkenness, no thieving, sonoproblem.’Cassiaseized the limelight

back.‘ThePFPPisregisteredas a charitable group to helpchildren, particularly male,abandoned by their mothers’families. Their funds areconsiderable, but the numbershown as given financial

support is low. Myconclusion is that it’s a frontorganisation, albeit anunsavouryone.’‘What’sthesourceoftheir

income?’Iasked.‘Creditsareshownasalot

of monthly amounts, sosubscriptions I would say.There are just under twohundred and fifty. There areone or two larger donations,whichIamtracing.’

‘Anythingelse?’Headsshook.‘Thanks for the progress

report. Same time tomorrow,please.’ As they filed out, IglancedoveratFlavius.He nodded and kept his

seat.I turned toApollodorus. ‘I

have an idea I want to runpast Flavius – he knows thepersonalities involved.’Apollodorus’s black stare

fixedonme.Ihelditwithmyown.After aminute, he roseandleft.

‘That took balls, biting thehandthatjusttookusin.’‘Yes, Iknow,’ Isaid. ‘But

you’llseewhyinamoment.’I fished out the crystal

pyramidandplunkeditonthetable.Flavius couldn’t stop his

mouth falling open. ‘How in

Hades did you smuggle thatout?’‘Wrapped it in aluminium

foil.’‘That simple?’He grinned

inappreciation.‘Have you anything for

me?’‘Yes, some good. Major

Stern has indeed sealed thepalace. They’ll have arms,food and water for a fewweeks plus their own power

supply.Nocomms thoughasPetronaxhascutthelot.’I fished my supermobile

outofmywaist bag,grinnedatFlaviusanddialled.A pause. ‘What do you

mean, who is this? Who inHades do you think it is,Daniel?’ I growled into themic.Another pause. ‘Taped

underyourtopdeskdrawer.’Danielhadno imagination

aboutwheretohidestuff.Pause. ‘Your cousin

Hannah on the orange farmwhenyouweresixteen.UncleBaruchbeatyouintoapulp–punintended.’Flaviussmirkedatthat.‘Because I am fabulously

clever andwell-connected,’ Icontinued. ‘Need to know,but I’m safe and active. Areyoualone?’I heard footsteps and a

doorslam.‘Yes, that’s what we

heard.’ Pause. ‘Flavius.’Pause.‘No.Yes,probably.’I let him carry on for a

shortwhile.‘Right, Daniel, here’s the

thing. We’re working on itand Ihave resources.’Pause.‘Don’t ask. Tell no oneyou’ve been in contact withanybody outside or even thatyoucan.Junoknowswhowe

can trust at the moment.’ Igave him my number – thephone’s internal programwouldn’t let it registeronhiscellphone. ‘I’ll call again insevenhours.’Pause.‘BecauseI am not an idiot who getstheir ideas from JamesfrickingBond!Out.’

XVII

Iwassittinginaslattedchairon the veranda, mymind onidle, watching the surface ofthe river rippling andreflecting the early eveninglight. I closedmy eyes for afew moments and imaginedmyselfimmersedinit.‘Probablybe smashed into

and sunkbyawaterskiernotlookingwherehewasgoing,’

saidthecoolvoice.I jumped at the sound.

Apollodorus was a powerfulman, heading a powerfulorganisation,andI’dsnubbedand excluded him. Time topay. But for all he was anexpert manipulator,Apollodorus was fatallyweakened where I wasconcerned. Our relationshipwashardtodefine,butatthecrucial point he’d always

deferred tome. I thought I’dnowregainedmytouch,butIdidn’t want to hurt hisfeelings. Laughable, if youlookedatitlogically.ButIsmiledasIlookedup

athimandacceptedtheglassof wine he held out. Hesmiled back, humourreflectedinhisblackeyes.Alittle older now, the creasesaroundtheeyeshaddeepenedand multiplied. I’d never

known his age or, for thatmatter,histruename.‘I’m sorry I couldn’t

includeyou in that little chatwith Flavius. I have to takeaccount of othercommitmentsandI—’His finger pressedmy lips

closed. ‘Don’t act like theidiotIknowyounottobe.’How could he just accept

it? I could deflect mostharshness, but this constant

understandingwasunsettling.‘Apollo, if wewin, I may

not be in a position toreciprocateinawayyouhopeor maybe expect.’ Hiseyebrows rose. ‘If that’s afactor in helping us, thenFlaviusandIshouldgo.’He sighed. ‘My dear, I

reallyshouldhavetakenmorecare not to leave thepomposity pills out whereyoucanfindthemsoeasily.I

supposeIshouldfeelinsultedthatyouthinkIexpectaquidproquo,butIcan’tmaketheefforttoworkmyselfuptoit.Themostridiculousthingyouhavejustsaidis“if”.’From his reaction, I must

havelookedpuzzled.‘Haveyousochangedthat

youthinkyouwon’twin?’For once, I couldn’t think

ofathingtosay.‘I like having you here. I

like having somethingdifferent and absorbing toworkon.Don’t start spoilingmyfun.’Fun?Yes,inaweirdway,ithad

been fun seven years ago,apart from the grim businessof stopping organisedcriminals from the Westpushing drugs on anindustrial scale. We’d beencomrades who worked hard

and achieved somethingpurposeful together. We’dshared danger, some laughs,andwe’d survived.We evenmadegoodprofits.Igaveuponlookingatthe

river and brought my focusback to the cones on thepines, then down to the redpetals on the geraniums inpots on the veranda. I keptmy voice low. ‘It’s not funnow,Apollo.Thisattackison

everything, not just myfamily, my cousin and ourchildren,butontheImperiumand its survival. You knowthe last rebellion like thiskilled thousands and nearlydestroyed the country.’ Islammedtheglassdown,justmissing the table edge. Itshattered on the stone slab.‘AllthetimeI’malive,Iwillnot let it happen again.Period.’

Next morning, I was up atfourandthinking.ItwascoldandIsathuddledinaheapofblankets on the grass riverbank. The river movedhypnoticallyinthesemi-dark.In thehalf-light, I sawSilviaandhersecondchild,Darius,almost too good, unlike theatrocious Stella, the eldest,who I could cheerfullystrangle.Dariuswasonly ten

but already serious, withlarge, enquiring eyes. AndHallie, only eighteen monthsolder than my Allegra. Andtheir father, Conrad, flowedintomymind.No,helivedinmymind,myheart,mysoul.Something in my core knewhe was still alive. A bloodand bone Roman, he wastoughasHades.Whathorrorshad Petronax prepared forhim? I jammed my lips

together but the tears felldownmycheeks.Back in my room, I calledDaniel and told him to beespeciallycarefulofDarius.‘You have to go through

allDarius’sstaffandcontactsagain, especially the men.Anddoitnow.’‘God! You’ve become so

bossy!’‘Oh, well, sorry. Hey,

Daniel, who’s the one outheretryingtosortthingsout?Like you’re in a position todosomething?’‘Don’t get used to it,’ he

grumped. ‘I still outrankyou.’‘Oh, right. Yes, sir, no,

sir!’Iretorted.Ipickedattheembroidered edge of theduvet cover. ‘Have you…have you heard anythingaboutConrad?’

‘Withourlackofcomms?’I could almost hear him

thinking my brain had fallenapart.‘Don’t worry,’ he said

muchmore kindly, ‘he‘ll getoutofthis.He’stoughashelland he’s survived onerebellion.’

ApollodorusandItalkedoverbreakfasttwohourslater.‘Do you still have that

secure facility over by theindustrialpark?’‘Of course,’ he replied,

lookingsurprised.‘Good,Iwantthelibrarian,

Trosius, plus Pisentius,Cyriacus and Sextus pickedup, held separately andprepared for a little talkwithme and Justus. We’ll letCaeco run for the moment.Tell the troops ditto forPetronax. If they see him,

they must exercise extremecaution – he’s a mean littleshit.’Ismashedthetopofmyegg. ‘It’s only a remotepossibility, though. I’m surehe’s holed up inside thePGSFbarracks.’‘You’re very focused this

morning.’‘Yes, well, we’ve spent

enough time ditheringaround.’I looked at the table with

its impeccable silver cutleryand white porcelain, and myfingers twitched on thedamask cloth. I swallowedsome coffee and lookeddirectly at Apollodorus. ‘Doyou have any contacts at theTransulium?’‘Ah! Iwonderedwhenwe

mightcometothat.’‘I’m not going to pretend

an attitude or play any littlegames.Iwillbegandpleadif

you want, but I must breakhim out of there, Apollo.’ Ilookedacrosstheroomatthebuffetwithitsarrangementofwhiteandyellowroses,glassjugs, bowls, and preserves,and eventually back toApollodorus. I rubbed thebackofmyleftwristwiththefingers ofmy right hand andstared back down at thetablecloth.‘Yes, I think so, too, or

you won’t be able toconcentrate.’Howstrangethismanwas.

He always managed tosurprisemewithhiscurveballcomments. What on earthcouldhis realmotivationbe?Suchanoperationwouldtakeresources and time. It couldleadtoinjuryordeathofoneormoreofhispeople.‘Leaveitwithme,’hesaid.

‘One thing: I will not have

him running roundafterwards, playing soldiersin an operation where mypeopleareinvolved.ThebestI can offer is to put himsomewhere neutral. I hopeyouunderstandthat.’Neither Justus nor I was toobotheredby the summerheatreflecting inward from thesheet metal walls of the oldwarehouse on the industrialpark: we’d both opted for

light tunics, but our guestsweren’t so comfortablewaiting in their locked,windowless cubicles. Iinsisted on giving them awater bottle each, despiteJustus’sprotestations.We started with Sextus,

who was young and lessexperienced.Twoof Justus’sheavies plunked him on achair in the middle of theempty cavern. Sextus’s eyes

werecoveredbyablackclothandhishandsstrapped to theedgesofthechair.JustusandI played Nisius and Nisia, adelightful pair of siblings.Standing just within earshot,we discussed ways ofbreaking bones, specificallykneecapping. We rangedthroughwhethertouseagun,knife, a crowbar orsledgehammer, and whetherfrom back or frontwasmost

effectiveandpainful.‘I don’t know, Nisius,’ I

moaned, my tone nasal andwhining. ‘Whywe don’t justpump him full of thechemical stuff and wait fortheverbaldiarrhoeatostart?’‘Or the real thing!’

Nisius/Justus laughednastily.‘Youknowitmakestheveinsin their dick rupture and goseptic. Remember the messlasttime?’

‘Oh,all right,we’llgo forthephysicalthen.’Sextus was trembling by

now.Ourbootsresoundedonthe concrete floor as weapproached the seated figure.The metal tools we carriedclankedloudly.Theywere,infact, assorted lengths ofdomesticpipe.Sextus had a deepening

bruise on his cheek and adried blood dribble at one

corner of his mouth. Sweatsoakedhis fronthairline, andhisforeheadglistened.Maybeitwas the heat, but probablynot.‘Oh dear, dear...What

happened toyou?Youdidn’ttry to pick a fight, did you?’Myfakesympathywasalongway from the nervous tonesof old Catherine MacCarthy.‘Now,weneedtohavealittletalk and you’re going to do

mostof it.’ I tappedhiskneefirmlywith one of the pipes.Heshivered.Sweatbrokeoutabovehisupperlip.‘Mybossisabitcrosswith

youandyourfriends–you’veinterfered with an operationhewasrunning.’I paused, waiting for the

feartosoakin.‘You just tell me

everything like a good boyand we’ll part friends. You

screw around andwhat’s leftofyouwon’tbeable to limpbackintoyourlittlehole.’Hegulpedandthenstarted.Caeco had recruited him

after the demonstration hehadbeeninvolvedwith.He’dbeen barely seventeen andwas only nineteen now.Jupiter! Corrupting a cross,frightened kid was classicfundamentalist tactics, butpurposefully damaging an

alreadyfragilesoullookingtostrike out at something wasworse.Sextus had been assigned

to Aidan Hirenses’ office asreceptionist as he waspresentable and well-spokenenough to divert clients’enquirieswhilestillwatchingAidan.AsNovius had foundwhenwe’draided,they’dhada remote alarm installed thatSextus could easily trigger

fromhisdesk.Aidanhadbeentargetedby

the conspirators becauseseveral PGSF used hispractice or his services atMossia’s gym. Sitting insidethe PGSF building, surelyPetronaxcouldhaveaccessedany information theyneeded,includingpersonalstuffaboutConrad? Then my brainstarted up. Of course,Petronax wouldn’t have

clearedaccesstothepersonalrecords for somebody ashigh-ranking as the legate.None of the PGSF woulddream of saying anything toPetronax unless absolutelynecessary professionally, andthen only if he threatened topullteeth.Hewasabarerockstranded in a sea ofinformation,andnoboateverlandedthere.‘Now, Sextus, I have this

badfeelingyou’renot tellingme everything. Maybe I’llhaveNisiusthinkupawaytoremindyou.’Justus rubbed two of the

pipes together as if he weresharpeningsometool.‘No!’ Sextus all but

screamed.‘Fine then, you tell me

right now what informationthey wanted and why, and Imight be able to persuade

Nisius to fetch you a cup ofwater.’Growls of “spoilsport!”

came fromJustus. Iglaredathim.‘Theysaidtheyhadtotake

the PGSF legate out.Eliminatehim.’Myturntotremble.‘Now, why was that?’

askedJustus.‘Because he is the child’s

father.’

I froze. I glared at Sextusthrough a red haze that hadwelledupinfrontofmyeyes,tensed my muscles ready tospring, and brought bothhands up ready to tear himapart. Justus grabbed me intime.‘The child’s name?’

Nisius’swhinyvoiceasked,alittle short of breath.Hewasstrugglingtoholdontome.‘Darius, the so-called

Imperatrix Silvia’s son. Thewholelineistaintedbut,withamalechildatleast,wecouldrestore the normal order ofthings,’heshoutedwithsomedefiance.I gave him his due. That

wasacourageousthingtosayinthecircumstances.Justus took over while I

tried to pour water into aplascard cup with shakinghands.

‘Howisthattohappen?’Silence.Incredibly, Sextus

appeared to be sulking. Hadhe found some grit deep inhis being? Was he revertingto thestubbornCornelia typeatlast?Justus slapped his face. ‘I

asked you a question, sonny.Nowanswerme.’‘The woman and two

female children will be

disposed of in the traditionalway and the boy put in herplace. We have enoughsupporters in the Senate tomake a Council of Regencyuntilhematures.’‘Nice,’hissedNisius.‘Kill

a popular ruler along withtwo of her children. Whatwere you going to do,strangle the six-year-old andrapetheteenagertodeathlikein ancient times you love so

much?’ He spat in Sextus’sface, shoved the chair to theground and gave Sextus aviciouskick.I was astounded. I didn’t

knowJustushaditinhim.We left him there. I ran

outsideandthrewup.‘Do you need a few

moments before we do theothers?’ Justus asked andmade me finish the cup ofwaterI’dfetchedforSextus.

‘I need to make a phonecall.Backinfive.’‘Nice delicate fingers,Trosius. Shame if they gotbroken and healedcrookedly.’Nisiusputa littlebackward pressure on hisright-hand forefinger. By thetime we’d acted out thepreliminary pantomime,Trosius had turned white, acontrast with the black cloth

covering his eyes.He startedto tremble once Justus bentdown to whisper thethreateningwordsinhisear.‘Now,now,Nisius,you’re

going tomakehim scared,’ Icooed from the other side.‘Trosius, be a good boy andtell me about what you’vebeen doing for MartinusCaeco. And don’t say“Martinus who?” or I willhave to let my brother loose

onyou.’‘Please,’ he moaned.

‘Don’t break my fingers,please!’Justusbentonemoreback,

a little more than wasnecessary,butdidn’tsnapit.Ifrownedathim.He shrugged, but relaxed

hisgripalittle.‘Well, let’sstartwithyour

messaginglistsandprotocols,andseehowwedo.’

He spilled the lot: names,e-addresses, protocols,system passwords, schedulesandmore.Cyriacus proved a little

morestubborn.Hiswasquiteasadstory:his sonhadbeentakenawaybyhisdeadwife’smother who’d somehowrescinded the settlement herdaughter had made onCyriacus. He was leftdestitute and childless,

virtuallyabeggaruntilhehadsomeluckgambling.Then,ofcourse, he’d run up debts.Caeco spotted theopportunity, stepped in, paidthem off and recruited himinto the patriarchalists. Fromthat moment, Cyriacus felthe’d found a purpose in life,strongly motivated by hisearliermisery.Ifeltsorryforhim until he started sayinghe’dbeproud tobeamartyr

attempting to kill thewomenheading the Twelve Familiesstarting with the old Mitelabitch. I kicked him. Hard.After that unprofessionalspurt of temper, I settleddownwithJustustointerviewPisentius.Another one with

gambling debts.Was there atype emerging, I wondered?What we really wanted washis dealings with Caeco. He

looked pale, but determined.This was not going to beeasy,orpleasant.‘Now, Pisentius, your

friends have been verycooperative.You’renotgoingtospoilthepattern,areyou?’I asked reasonably. He toldme to go and do somethingvery rude, and anatomicallyimpossible,soIstampedhardon his upper instep with theheelofmyboot.

Heshrieked.‘That was the wrong

answer, Pisentius. You loseten points.’ Tears streamedfromhiseyes.HeflinchedasIplacedmyheelonhisotherinstep.‘Now, let’s start with an

easyone– tellmewhenyoulastsawCaeco.’‘Lastweek,’hemumbled.‘Andyoutalkedabout…?’‘Things.’

‘Ohdear,youaretryingtogive yourself a hard time,Pisentius.’Isighed.I walked away as Justus

brought his right arm up tostart the lesson in behaviour.Although I heard, I couldn’twatch.A little while later, I

intervened. Justus wasenjoyinghimselftoomuch.‘Now,Pisentius,let’sseeif

you’re in amood to be a bit

morechatty.Caecocameandsaw you. Tell me whathappened.’‘He saw off that bastard

trying to put pressure on mefor somemoney I owed.Weshould’ve finished him off.’He took a deep breath andspat out a tooth and gob ofblood. ‘Martinussaidwehadbetterthingstodo.Shame.’‘Then?’‘He had a list of senators

who supported our cause –he’dpickedthemouthimself.He knew they were rightthinking.’‘So where is this little

boys’ fan club meeting?’ Isneered.Justus shot me a warning

glanceandsteppedin.‘Nevermindher,shegetsabitover-excited.Justtellme,betweenus men.’ Justus smirked atme.

He was irritating,especiallywhenhewasright.Justus tapped Pisentius on

thekneeasareminder.‘They’re meeting in three

days’ time at the Senate,beforetheformalquarterday.He’s going to do it as acharitypetition.’‘Sowhich senators arewe

talkingabout?’‘I don’t know – Caeco

neversaid.’

‘Oh,please!Doyoureallywant that injection? Nobother to us which way wego,’ I said in my coldestvoice.‘No!Really, I really don’t

know. Please.’ His voicethinnedandhegulped.‘You do know that Caeco

is only after power, don’tyou?Hedoesn’tcareaminimaboutyourcause.’‘That’s not true. He

embodiesthecause.’‘Oh really? None of you

meansanythingtohim.’‘You’re just saying that,

youlyingbitch.’Justusslappedhimhard.‘If you talk to my sister

likethatagain,Iwillputyoureye out.’ He pressed lightlythrough the blindfold onPisentius’s eyelid and spokein an over-gentle voice.Pisentiusshrankback.

‘Sorry to disappoint you,Pisentius, but why do youthink Caeco and his boy,Trosius,metwiththeHeadofSecurity at the PGSF. Notexchanging flower arrangingtips,Ithink.’Silence.Justus handed me the

photos and we stood behindPisentius’schair. I curled theloweredgeofhisblindfoldupsohecouldsee.

‘Manipulated,’ hemumbled.‘Gods, you are ignorant.

Look again. See the pixels,how the pattern’s notdisturbed? Didn’t you learnanythingatschool?’‘No.Notpossible.’Icould

hearthedesperatehopeinhisvoicethatitwasn’ttrue.Justus’stroopstookhimbackto his cell. All four would

stay locked up for theduration. For operationalsecurity, I calculatedPetronax would haveforbidden Caeco to contactanyofthembeforetheSenatemeeting.Ariskforus,butanacceptableone.Back at the house, Justus

poured me a large brandy.‘Here, get this down yourneck.’‘Thanks,’Imuttered.

‘Youdon’tlikethissideofit, do you?’ Behind thecuriosity in his eyes, I sawunexpected sympathy. ‘Iremember from before, youpreferredtotrickthem.’‘I’m realistic enough to

know we don’t have timenow,’ I conceded. ‘But no, Idon’t.’I’dgivenupcountinghow

manylawsI’dviolated.

XVIII

Nextmorning,Iwokefeelingoptimistic.We had identifiedthe conspiracy’s principaltargets, neutralised severalkey plotters, and accessedtheircomms.Wewouldmoveon Caeco at the pre-Senatemeeting and Petronax wasentering into my sights. Butwe had one seriousvulnerability,orratherIdid.

I was peering overAlbinus’s shoulder at thescreendisplayingtherichnessof the comms info we’dgainedfromTrosius.‘You know, this guy was

very meticulous,’ he said.‘His organisation and filingare immaculate. It’s also hisweakness.’‘He’s a librarian!’ I

snorted.‘Somebodyhastobe–my

fatherwasone.’The heat spread up my

neck. ‘I apologise. I didn’tknow. I shouldn’t have beensojudgemental.’Heswivelledaroundonhis

chair. ‘Gods! Don’t go allformal on me, Pulcheria –you shouldn’t be sosensitive.’‘Now who’s being

judgemental?’ButIgavehimasmile.

He turned to the screensagain. ‘I’ll send you a list ofthe main correspondentswhen I’ve teased them out.You’ll want them before theSenate meeting, I suppose?’He moved his head up anddownbyafewmillimetresata time as his eyes followedthe scrolling data down thescreens.‘Please,’ and gave him an

encouraging pat on the

shoulder.Apollomaterialisedbehind

me and scanned the screensfor a few minutes. He bentdown,hismouthbrushingmyear andwhispered, ‘He’s notquite the sorcerer that oneofmy former employees was.HowisthedelightfulFausta?Stillusinghernimblefingersto delve around in forbiddenplaces?’I kept my eyes on the

screens.‘She’ssettledinverywell.’‘I was more than a little

annoyed when you poachedher.But,onreflection,Ihaveto acknowledge she hadfinished her most importantproject for me, so it wasn’tsuchaloss.’Technically, I hadn’t

poached her. The custodeshadpulledherinonsuspicionof hacking a bank, a private

projectofherown.Whenhername came up on the watchreport as a PulcheriaFoundation employee, itgeneratedanalertinmymail.Iknewhowtalentedshewas,so I gave her the choice: acrushing length ofimprisonment as a cybercriminaloracareerasacybercop with access to the mostpowerful security systems inthecountry.

She gasped once thenalmost immediatelyreassumedanonchalantpose.But I’d seen the fire in hereyes in response tomyoffer.She flipped from a truculentteenager into a keen recruitfaster than Icouldhavespunasolidus coin. She’dworkedhard to prove that the bestdefenders were formerpirates. And to my surprise,and I think hers, she was an

excellentsoldier.I shrugged and followed

himintohisstudy.‘These are the schedules

for the maximum securitywing at the Transulium,’ hesaid, handing me severalsheets. I glanced up, but hisfacewas impassive. Istudiedthe pattern of shiftchangeovers and personnel,and found one or twopossibilities where the

coveragewasalittleweaker.‘The main problem is the

confirmation call from thegovernor,’ Apollodoruscommented. ‘I understand itdoesn’t go to the new legatebut to his deputy, theunlovelyPetronax.’Shit.‘I don’t know Governor

Sentoria,’ I said, ‘but she’ssupposed to be a carefulindividual,abitofacoldfish,

Shekeepsoutofinter-servicebickering by not cultivatinganybodyinanybranch.Fencesitter.’‘Well, we can’t all be

action heroes with attitudeproblems,’heteased.‘So, we’re not going to

have any leeway there, arewe?’‘No, even though she’s

likely to lose her job underthe Petronax regime,’ he

speculated. ‘I think she’ll goby the book, especially withsuch a high-profile prisoner.Even Justus has nothing onher.’‘So,we need to divert the

call she’ll make to Petronaxto somebody willing toimpersonatehimwithout thatsomebody being killed.’ Ifetched myself a glass ofwater and waited until I’ddrunkitallbeforecontinuing.

‘There’s one obviouscandidate in place: he’s oneof Conradus’s oldest friendsand comrades.We’ll have tobring Albinus in on this.’ Ilooked straight at Apollo.‘You’ll have to forgive thequestion,butcanyoureassureme that Albinus can betrusted one hundred percent?’IwincedinternallyasIaskedthis.Isawaflareoflightinhis

black eyes as they narrowed.His index finger touched hisforehead creased inconcentration as his mouthtightened in a straight line.He paused for a second ortwo.‘How can I put this?,’ he

said. ‘People in myorganisationwouldthinklongand deep beforecontemplating a foolish stepsuch as talking to

inappropriate outsiders. Theconsequences would beunpleasant.Andpermanent.’‘I knew you’d be

annoyed.’

I glanced at the luminousdisplayonatmywatch.Eightthirty.Ourtargettrudgedintoview. That was weird. Astrong,self-confidentman,heusuallystrodealong,clearingeverything and everybody

before him. He reached thedoor of a tasteful, but fairlymodest,apartmentblock,slidhis card into the reader andslipped inside.Hemust havesome kind of additionalsecurity clearance under thecurrent curfew. Justusreported earlier that eveningthat the authorities had“reluctantly ordered thatcitizens should actresponsibly and stay off the

streets at night”. The officialline was that criminalelementswererampant.Well,that was right, but fromwhose angle? I’d noticedtherewere farmore custodesaround–we’ddodgedseveralpatrolsonourwayhere.By now, our mark should

have gotten to the apartmentonthetopfloor.I’dgivehimanother fiveminutes to settledown in a comfortable

armchairwithaglassofbeerand start chatting to hishostess. They’d known eachother for several years andwereestablishedlovers.Oh,well, I thought, aswe

hacked the entry code andfollowed his route up thestairs, time to interrupt theirfriendly pre-sex banter andruin their evening. I knockedonthedoor.‘Evening, Adjutant,’ I

whinedinmynasalPulcheriavoice.‘Mindifwecomein?’I pushed in past him beforehe could object, followed byAlbinusandtwobodyguards.Shock and anger passed

across Lucius’s face. For asecond, he stood there,speechless, immobile. Thenhe recovered and took half astep towards me, but one ofmybodyguardshadamuzzlein his chest before he could

reach me. The other onegrabbed Lucius’s belt andside arm from the hall tableand slung it over his ownshoulder in case the adjutantfelttempted.‘What in Hades do you

want?Whothefuckareyou?’He moved instinctively toscreen his companion fromview.‘Tsk, tsk, language!’ I

pulled my side arm out,

motioned him through thehall, away from the othersinto another room. I closedthe door. It looked liked thebedroom. Lovely cut-worksheets, I thought. I kept myweapon trained on him andwaited.‘Whoareyou?’‘Look more closely,

Lucius,’ I said inmy normalvoice.Severalsecondspassed.He

frowned but, as suspiciongave way to disbelief, hiseyesopenedwide.‘Gods!Mitela? Is it really

you?’ I gave him a cheekysmilelikeInormallywould.Iwas incrediblypleased toseehim. He was a directconnectiontoConrad.‘Jupiter’sballs!Where the

hellhaveyoubeensinceyoudeserted? Giveme a fuckinggoodreasonnot toarrestyou

hereandnow!’I movedmy weapon up a

centimetre. ‘Look, Lucius,I’ll explain, but it’s crucialyou don’t mention my nameinfrontof theothers.Or thatI have any involvement withthePGSF.’‘Thatwon’t be hard, once

internal security has finishedwith you.’ He stared at me,still looking like a sullenvolcano,butpastthepointof

erupting. ‘Gods, Carina,you’ve had us frightenedstupid. Conradus hid it well,but I know he was worriedshitless. Mind you, he’s gotmore problems right nowthan a renegade juniorofficer.’‘Stop bitching, Lucius.

That’s why we’re here – togethimout.’He looked me up and

down. ‘Well, you and your

monkeys out there don’texactly look like a rescueteam;morelikethemob.’‘Nice,’ I retorted, but

appreciated how near Luciushadguessed.‘IhadnooptiononceIwasproscribed.’Hesaidnothing.‘And how have you been

doinginyoureffortstospringhim?’Hecouldn’tfailtohearthehardedgeinmyvoice.He flinched. ‘Point taken,’

he said. ‘But I’ve beendesperately trying to stopPetronaxdestroyingus.’I looked closer. The

shadows around his eyeswere deep, an unhealthybrown.Althoughhethrusthischin forward, his skin wastaut, showing the strain hewasunder.‘Whathappened?Whatdid

hedo?’‘When Conradus was

taken away, Petronax pulledthe national security card tosummon the entire unit onparade in the courtyard. Toupdateus,hesaid.Ofcourse,all our personal weaponswere in the safe boxes.’ Helookedaway.‘His private army was

waiting outside. Hesegregatedthemenandmadethem stand separately fromthewomen.Hegavethemen

the option to join him in his“glorious enterprise”, as hecalledit.’Luciussnorted.‘Ofcourse, nobody steppedforward. Petronax sneered atus, calling us ball-less. Heordered all the women to belocked up in the cells or thesecure interview rooms, andthe men back to their desks.His associates would beguarding us. They hadenough weapons to start an

arms fair.Alloutsidecommshad been cut. He told me Iwas answerable for anydisobedience.Foranybreach,he’d decimate the unit,starting with the femaleofficersandNCOs.Andthen,as an example, he said, hewalked up to Galla, put hispistoltoherheadandshotherpoint-blank.’His voice had almost

vanished.Hecroakedthelast

bit out, sat down heavily onthebed,anddroppedhisheadinhishands.‘ThankMars,DanielStern

had taken off with his grouptothepalace.’Heletabreathout slowly. ‘Galla shouldhave gone with them. She’dstill be alive if she had. ButfuckingPetronaxwouldhavechosensomebodyelse.’I turned away, grasping

hold of a chair back. Sour

fumesroseupmythroatandIranforthebathroom.I rinsed my mouth and

wipedmy face. I gripped theedges of the fluted porcelainbasin and stared into themirror. Blood oozed fromwhere I’d bitten my lip. Iswore into the glass I wouldkill Petronax, if nobody elsegottherebeforeme.Back in thebedroom,Lucius

handed me back the pistol Ihaddropped.‘Fineterroristyoumake.’MyhandshookasItookit

fromhimandstoweditintheholster. I dabbed at my lip.‘Lucius, I have to ask yousomethingpersonal.’With all his problems and

thesickeningbrutalityhewastryingtocontain,itmightnothavetouchedhisradar.‘Do you know where my

grandmotherand thechildrenare?’ After Galla, I bracedmyselffortheworst.‘Yes, I do. They’re at

home,underhousearrest,butthey’resafe.’My legs gave way. I

droppeddownontothebed.He laid his hand on my

shoulder and smiled.‘Nothing to dowithme, I’mafraid.Paulinaknowsafriendof Helena Mitela’s through

the teacher mafia. She andHelena were supposed tomeet, but the curfewtorpedoed it. This friendcouldn’t get anything but avoice message, so she wentround to your house, but itwas bristling with custodes.They said no contact waspermitted with any of theMitela women and childreninside.’Backinthehallway,Lucius’s

friend, Paulina, was frozenout of her wits at theimmobile, but obviouslymenacing, Albinus andguards. The two bodyguards,now porting arms, watchedeverything without emotionor reaction. Not manyteachers come across suchdisturbing figures in theirprofessional lives. A fewrambunctious teenagersannoyingtherestof theclass

didn’tcountincomparison.I went forward, holding

out my hand in greeting andsmiling.‘PaulinaCarca,Iamso very sorry to burst intoyourhomeandinterruptyourevening.Ifitwerenotfortheextremely seriouscircumstances, I would nothavedreamedofdoingso.’She was taken aback by

my top-drawer manners,completely at variance with

my raffish appearance. Hermiddle-rank socialconditioningledhertodenyitwas any trouble, and sheasked us whether we wouldlike any refreshment. Luciuspulled her into the bedroom,shut thedoor, curtly noddinghisheadtotherestofustogotothemainroom.Heemergedafter acouple

of minutes, a scowl on hisface. A faint sound of quiet

sobbing in the backgroundstoppedtheinstantheshutthedoor.‘I should flog you, Ca—

What the hell am I to callyou?’heasked,glaringatme.‘Nothing.’‘Sit down somewhere, but

don’tmakeamess.’The two bodyguards

stationed themselves behindme, weapons ready, butAlbinussatwithme.

‘Well?’I’d forgotten how

formidable he could be. Itookabreathandstarted.‘Wehaveaplantoextract

the legate from theTransulium, but we need alittlehelpfromyou.’‘Howareyou—?’‘Youdon’twanttoknow.’‘Verywell.’‘What do you know about

whatPetronaxandhisfriends

areupto?’Luciuslookedaroundatus

all.‘Ican’ttellyouthat.’‘Idon’twant tobeabore,

Adjutant, but we probablyknow a great dealmore thanyoudo,’Isaid.‘IjustwanttoknowhowmuchIneedtofillyouinaboutthesituation.’‘Yougofirst.’I waded straight in. ‘You

knowthere’saconspiracybypatriarchalists to overthrow

theimperatrix,killherfemalechildren, and put Darius onthe throne with a Council ofRegency made up of traitorsenators?’Hiseyesgoggled.‘No,’he

croaked. His face had gonewhite.Ithoughtforamomenthe’dstoppedbreathing.Iwasfascinated. I’d never seenLucius so obviously upset. Itmade his reaction to Aburialooklikealover’skiss.

‘Once they have theimperatrix, their intention istoexecuteher.Thelegate,asthe boy’s father, wouldnaturally protect him if hismother were dead as well asbe a focus for opposition, sohe’s high on their hit list.They need to remove himearly to pre-empt any actionhemighttake.We’refightingtimehere.’Itookadeepbreath.Iwas

nearly reverting to Carina.Timetoswapback.‘That bastard Petronax

finessed all your lot,’Pulcheria’s voice gloated. ‘Imean, you have to admirehimforhistactics.’Lucius was coming to the

boil again, but he containedit.‘Have you any proof?’ I

could see him pleadingsilentlywithmenottohave.

‘Shedloads. Confessions,electronic, witnesses,documentary – the lot. Butbefore we can start drawingthelooptight,yourlegatehastobeoutofthere.’‘I’min,obviously.’Lucius

startedtobreatheagain.‘We don’t want to expose

you yet – you’re too usefulwhereyouare,containingthefallout from Superbus.Petronaxisnotstupid,soour

timing has to be ultra-precise.’‘Tell me what I need to

do.’Albinus ran through theprocedure with Lucius. Theyrehearsed it several timesuntil they were second-perfect. Lucius would haveno problem imitatingPetronax’s voice: he’dentertained us several times

with his impression of thelatter’srattylittlesqueak.I took Lucius aside for a

few minutes to outline thenext phase to him privately.Hefounditdifficulttoacceptat first and grumbled that itwouldtakehoursafterwardtoreset everything, but ofcourse he would be ready assoon as he received theoperationalorder.‘I trust you, Carina. You

scare me shitless with someof the risks you take, but Iadmit you’ve never had anoperationfailyet.’‘I’mtouched,Lucius.’‘Yes,Iknow.’

Later that night, weassembled in the basementgarageatApollo’shouse.Thetroops were all ready, to beled by Flavius dressed as aseniorcenturion.Weirdtosee

him back in his uniform.Well,itwasn’this,ofcourse.Philippus had an excellentsource of military matériel.Flavius and I exchangedlooks as we inspected thesecurity vehicle. It wasabsolutely genuine.Somebody had a nice littleoperation selling off militaryproperty.Thiswasstartingtobug me; something to lookintoafterwards.

I could hardly bearwatchingthemgooffwithoutme, but I knew Flavius andhis team would do it. Iwalked all around the house,up and down both sets ofstairs, into every room. Iwalked around the gardentwice. Apollo came andfetchedme,pressedmedownontothewhitecushionseatinthe atrium.Without saying aword, he handedme a small

glass of brandy and stoodovermewhile I drank it.Hemademe eat a plate of tiny,exquisite bites prepared byhis chef. In the end, he satwithmeandwaited.Eighty-sevenminutesafter

they’d left, the interphonerang. I jumped up and randown to the undergroundgarage. The long wheelbasecame toahaltby the servicedoor into the house. Flavius

leapt out. He nodded andgrinned.Irantothebackandtore at the door. I couldn’topen it. My fingers werenumb. A strong hand gentlyremovedmineandtuggedthedoor open. Somebodybrought a flashlight. A stillfigure lay slumped on thefloor of the vehicle, lightcatchingon thechainsonhiswrists and ankles. I held mybreath.

‘No, he’s alive.’ Flav’svoicecutthroughthefogthathad invaded my brain.Somebodybroughtastretcherand Conrad’s body wasgentlyliftedout.The medic hovered over

himdoingchecks. ‘Takehimupstairs to the sick bay,’ hesaid, ignoring everybody. Ifollowed, determined to seeandknoweverything.The medic did a more

detailed examination,gruntingashereadthescreenon the scanner he ran overConrad’s unconscious body.Hegavehimashotandfixedupadrip.Hepulledablanketup over Conrad, turned thelightoutandshooedusout.‘Well?’ asked

Apollodorus.‘He’s dehydrated,

undernourished andexhausted,’ the medic

answered dispassionately.‘They’ve worked him oversystematically and I wouldsay over several days.General bruising,concentrated to kidney,stomachandgroinareas.Twocracked ribs, though. I can’tfind any major internalinjuries.I’ll leavehimtoresttonight and examine himagain in the morning. Heshould sleep at least twelve

hours. Leaving the chains ontonight won’t hurt him.You’ll disturb him moretryingtoremovethemnow.’Imovedfromfoot tofoot;

I fidgeted with everythingnearmyhands; Ibit the skineither side of my nails. Iwanted to touch Conrad, tofeel he was alive. I was sowiredIcouldhavesprungonanybody. I caught amovement out of the corner

of my eye as Apollodorusnodded to the medic, but itwas too late to do anythingaboutit.Ifelttheneedleprickthenfellunconscious.I woke up early the nextmorning inmyownbed.Myeyesstruggledopeninaheadfullofcottonballs.Ishookitto clear it and reached overfor a drink of water. Theblackwritingstaredoutofthe

white paper; one word:“Sorry”.Sorry? I’d kill him! How

daredhe?I leapt up, threw on my

clothes and rushed along tothe sickbay. The clockshowed just gone seven.Thenurse looked startled as Ipushed in. Conrad was stilloutcold.Hisskincolourhadimproved fromgrey towhiteemphasising the bruises. The

cut and burn marks werelivid,butstartingtopucker.Istroked his forehead gentlyandkissedit.Hedidn’tstir.Isat by his bed, right by hisheadandwaited.Somebodybroughtmea traywithcoffee,pastriesandfruit.I devoured them – I hadn’teaten since yesterdaylunchtime. Flavius looked inafter nine, but there was no

change.I felt Apollo first rather

than heard him. ‘Don’t sayit,’Isaidbetweenmyteeth.Silence.‘What were you playing

at?’Igrowled,notlookingathim.Silence.‘Well?’‘You commanded me not

tosayit,soIdidn’t.’‘Gah!’

‘I’m sorry to have trickedyou, but I knew you wouldhave stayed at his bedsideawake all night to nobody’sbenefit. If you weren’t socross, youmust admit itwasthelogicalthing.’I rolled my shoulders

further inwardsanddrewmyfacein,mylipstightened.‘Don’t,’ he said, running

his finger across my cheek.‘It spoils your face, and it

wouldn’tbethebestthingforhimtoseewhenhewakes.’I came near to hating

Apollo when he was soreasonableandsoright.A little while later, Conradstirred.Ileaptup,buthewasstill fast asleep. Around halften, the medic came in. Iturned my shoulder to him,trying to look offended. Hejustignoredmeanddidsome

checks. I must have lookeddesperate.Hetookpityonme.‘Don’t

worry, he’ll be fine.’ Hesmiled at me. ‘I mean it.Sleep is the very best thingfor him right now. If hewakes, just buzz me.’ Hehandedmetheremote.IwasdozingwhenIheard

a noise of stirring plusclinking of chains. Conradopened his eyes, blinked at

the light, his eyes chasedaround, scanning for danger.He found me and settledthere.Hispupilsweretinyinthehazelirises.‘Carina?’hewhispered.I leaned over and touched

an unmarked patch on hisfacewithmy fingers.Adarkred-purple bruise with anopen diagonal slash coveredmost of the right cheek. Icouldn’t say anything. He

gave a ghost of a smile andwinced. Involuntary tears fellout of the outside corners ofeachofhiseyesandstreakeddownthesidesofhisface.‘Drink,’herasped.Juno, I was a fool. I

grabbed the closed plascardmugofwaterandraised it tohis lips.Hismouthwas torn.He sipped carefully throughthe straw. What had theydone to him? I felt the soft

roll of a tear escapemyowneye and quickly wiped itaway.Conradwouldneedmestrong.He closed his eyes and

took a deep breath. Hestopped abruptly halfway,gruntedandletitgoslowly.Itookasquarefromthepileofgauze on the bedside table,pouredwateronit,andgentlypattedhiseyelidsandlips.‘Ithoughttheyweregoing

tokillme,’herasped.‘They were, and soon,’ I

said and turned my faceaway. I didn’t want him toseemyagonyatthatthought.I cursed Governor Sentoriafor letting this happen. Shewassuchacoward,sittingonthe fence.Well, she’dbeoutofajobsoon,Ivowed.He stared at the ceiling.

‘We’ve been well and trulyhad,haven’twe?’

‘Yes. They were cleverand determined. They musthave been planning it formonths,evenayear.’He tried to move and

foundthechains.I laid my hands on his

arms to stop him pullingagainsttheshackles.‘You needed the sleep

first,’ I said. ‘I’ll ring andhavethemremoved,ifyou’reuptoit.’

‘Who?Wherearewe?’‘Don’thaveahissyfit,will

you?’‘Tellme.’‘AtApollodorus’shouse.’Heclosedhiseyesandsaid

averyrudeword.

I buzzed and peopledescended.Themedic,whosename I eventually learnedwasBalius, came todomoreinterminable checks. He

asked all kinds of questions.Justus took notes of everyanswerConrad gave. Flaviushovered at the bedhead, agrim expression on his face,like he was Conrad’sbodyguard. Conrad managedto sit up but even thoughBalius and the nurse werecareful, he couldn’t help butwince. The pink that hadstartedtoreappearinhisfacevanished back to white, and

sweat broke out on hisforehead. Somebody broughtsandwiches which I brokeinto tiny pieces and hedevoured despite his ruinedmouth followed by anotherfull cup of water. Bloodoozedfromthedeepcrackinhis lip. After that, he lookedtired but better. Baliusrefusedtotakethedripout.Apollodorus arrived

shortly afterwards with

Philippus, who carried a bagof tools and piece of solidwoodcladwithmetalononeside.‘Welcome to my house,

Legate Mitelus,’ drawledApollo at his most urbane. Inearly threw up at hissmugness.Hedidn’tsparemealook,butfocusedonConradlike a prize he’d won. Hewaved to shoo superfluousbodies out. Flavius and I

stayedput.‘Nodoubtyouwillbealot

more comfortable sansmanacles.Philippuswill dealwiththisnow,ifyouareuptoit.’ He raised his eyebrowsquestioningly.‘Please proceed,’ Conrad

answered, barely concealinghischagrin.Heradiatedangerand awkwardness in equalproportions.Balius wiped some

coloured liquid around theflesh under Conrad’smanacles which I laterlearned was a localanaesthetic. Philippusinsertedpadsunderthemetalrings. Using giant boltcutters,hecutthesteelchainswhich made a loud crackingsound, and then approachedthefirstwrist.‘I apologise if this is

painful.IwillbeasquickasI

can.’Conradnoddedcurtly.He didn’t show any

reaction during the grimprocedure, but I saw theblood weeping from theinevitablecutsandabrasions.Balius came back and boundup the wrists and ankles andgave Conrad another shot.Thankfully,hedriftedbacktosleep.‘Well, I’ll give it to him,

he was courageous duringwhat must have been a verypainfulexperience,’Philippusadmitted to me shortly after.‘Most would have screamedor fainted. Those bastards atthe Transulium are using anew armoured steel.’ Herubbed the metal almostadmiringly. ‘I wonder howtheycastthatforrestraints?’‘Nothing like practical

research on a half-comatose

beaten-upvictimisthere?’‘Aw, give over, Pulcheria.

Bitter doesn’t suit you.’ Hegrinnedatme,tryingtocheerme up, I thought. ‘We gothim out. What more do youwant?’Itriedtoignoretheheatof

theflushinvadingmyface.‘Ah,isthathowitis?’Heburstoutlaughingashe

walkedaway.

XIX

Conrad woke later in theafternoon. I buzzed, andFlavius appeared with a trayof minced up food. Driedbloodstains showed throughConrad’s wrist bandages. Hemoved his arms and handsstifflylikesomebodymiminga robot. His jaw workedslowlyasheate.Itmusthavebeen agony. Some of the

purple bruises were startingtoturndullyellow.Helookedless haggard, but wore atense,waryexpressiononhisface.When we’d finished,

nobody spoke. I fished thepyramidoutofmywaistbagandsettledbackforthestormtoblow.‘HowinHadesdidyouget

thatout?’Conradgrowled.He narrowed his eyes

when I described how I’dusedsimplealuminiumfoil.‘I extracted the tracker

chip,obviously.’‘Gods,youareapiece.’He

looked away, studying thecreamwall. I didn’t know ifhe approvedmy ingenuity orcondemnedthetheft.‘So,report.’I gave him a rundown,

includingmyproscriptionandFlavius’s escape.He shut his

eyesmomentarilyandwincedwhen I’d told him hownarrowlywe’descapedbeingshot right outsideApollodorus’s gate. ‘So,’Conrad said, ‘How deep areyoutwoinhere?His expression was grim.

Flavius and I exchanged aglance.‘It was my decision to

reactivate the Pulcheriacontacts,’Isaid,‘andIaccept

thatImaybynowbebeyond—’Flavius interrupted, ‘No,

you’re not taking the blame.It was my idea to askApollodorustohelpus.’‘Maybe, but I accepted it

onourbehalf.’‘Very entertaining, but

what payback have youcommitted to?’Conradaskeddryly,nowbackinfulllegatemode.

‘There is none,’ I saidsoftly.‘Don’t be so naïve,

Carina.’‘Whydon’tyoujustaccept

it?’Iflared.‘Sir,’Iadded.‘Oh,please!’He lookedat

measifIwerefiveyearsold.I took a breath to launch

another volley, but Flaviusinterruptedme.‘IfImay?’My turn to shrug. I stood

up and walked over to the

corner of the room, plunkedmyself on the upright chair,crossed my arms, andgloweredatbothofthem.‘Apollodorus is a complex

individual,’ Flavius began.‘His motives are not alwaysasyouwouldexpect.’‘He’s a criminal, heading

an illegal organisation,’ shotbackthelegate.‘Undoubtedly yes, and

certainlyno.’

‘Explain.’ Conrad lookedsuspiciouslyathim.‘You know, Legate, that

the Pulcheria organisationwas a construct to flush outthe drug pushers from theWestsevenyearsago.’‘A fact I was not made

aware of until the end,’Conradremarked.‘Nevertheless,’ Flavius

continued,‘thatwasitsraisond’être. However, it proved

very profitable on its ownaccount, especially the fullylegalsideofthehouse.’Isawhim pause, smile, and shakehishead inmemory. ‘In fact,the, er, more dubiousactivities,whilegivingustheessential street cred, were infact cross-subsidised by thelegalones.Iadmitthereweresome short cuts andinfringements, but the corebusinesswasnotcriminal.’

‘So I am to infer thatinstead of it being dissolved,as ordered,’ Conrad said,looking across at me, ‘itcontinued?’Silenceexpandedtofillthe

room.I cleared my throat. ‘I

couldn’t abandon my peoplelike that, on some freakywhim.Theyworked hard formeandtrustedme.’‘A bunch of criminals?

Howverytouching!’‘Well,screwyou.’Flavius looked horrified

and took a step towards me,butIwavedhimaway.‘This bunch of criminals

justsavedyourass.Andnotananosecond too soon. Whycan’t you accept that otherpeople and organisations cando some good when they’renot official or military?You’ve been in uniform too

long.’‘Andyou’veforgottenhow

towearyours.’Flavius busied himself

with finding a drink andtaking frequent sips from theglass. He must have thoughthe’d entered a war zone.Wisely, he carried on as ifnothinghadhappened.‘Theexitplanhadbeen in

place for some weeks, andApollodorus carried it out

impeccably. All our peoplereceived severance paymentsfor a new life, but a numberstayed to help build the newFoundation. It is a powerfulorganisation, but it pays itstaxes, settles its disputesbehind closed doors anddoesn’t cause any politicalripples.’‘You defend it so well,

Flavius. I presume you’rethinking of resuming your

career here?’ came thesarcasticquestion.‘No,Legate,notatall.We

partedwaysat theendof theoperation when I joined thePGSF. But it doesn’t makeme blind to either theorganisation’s capacities ormy good memories of thattime.’‘Andyou,Carina?’‘Areyoucrazy?’He raised an eyebrow and

lookeddownhisnoseatme.‘Sorry,’Imuttered.Trying

to fight down the flushcreeping upmy neck, I said,‘If I still have a place thennaturally I want to stay withthe PGSF. Like Flavius, Ican’t deny I found certainattraction in the values andwaysofdoingthingshere.I’dbelyingifIdidn’tadmitit.’He looked at me as if I

wereapoisonoussnake.

‘But it’snotmywaynow.Everything changed after theoriginal operation. I’vefollowed due process for toolong.’‘So you damn well

should,’ he answered in aterse, but not hostile tone. Icouldn’treadhisexpression.Ididn’t say anything, but Isensed the storm had blownout.‘Verywell.Sowhatdowe

knowandwherearewe?’Iglancedoverathim,met

his eyes briefly, but hemerely nodded to me as asenior toa junior.Nosignofanythingmore.Iguessitwassaferforusbothatpresent.We slipped back into

PGSF formal operatingprocedure: I gave him aSITREP but, as I progressedthrough status, intelligence,transport,effective,personnel

and so on, it sounded moreand more bizarre. Heabsorbed the threat againstthe imperatrix and the statealmost without reaction: itwaswhat hewas trained for,what he would die for. Hestruggled to tap notes into asmall el-pad Flavius hadhanded him. I could almostsee his mind working toanalyse and proposecounteraction.

‘As for their plans afterdeposing Silvia…it defies alllogic,’hesaid.Helookedintothe distance, and I saw fromthewayhenarrowedhiseyeshe was processing theimplications and strugglingwiththem.‘Setting Darius up as a

puppet with a Council ofRegency would be unstablepolitically aswell as cruel tohim personally,’ I said. ‘Can

you imagine how frightenedandlonelyhe’dfeelwithbothyouandSilviagone?’‘Bastards.’Ashebroughthishandup

to his face, I saw it wasshaking.Iwonderedifhewasthinking back to his ownbrutalpoliticalbaptismatthatage.‘Conrad,I…’‘What?’‘I’mnotsureIcanfindthe

right words for this nextthing,soforgiveme.’‘There’s more? Well, spit

itout.’‘The girls, Stella and

Hallie…’ I reached for hishand.‘Yes?’‘They were going to kill

them in the ancient Romanwayofdisposingofdaughtersof political enemies.’ Icouldn’t say theword rape. I

looked away, tears runningdown my face. I’d seenConrad furious on manyoccasions, but this time hisfacehardened intosomethingelse.Forasecond,he lookedlike a savage beast. Itvanished and a cold, smoothshellspreadoverhim.‘Petronax is mine,’ he

statedflatly.I waited for a few

moments. ‘Whathappened to

dueprocess?’‘Operational accidents

happen,’ he replied curtly.Nobody would reproach himfor that, whatever Petronax’sbodylookedlikeafterwards.

I glanced at my watch, avanityofsilveranddiamondsset in a black leatherwristband. ‘Hades, I’m threeminutes late for ourschedule.’ I walked over to

the far side of the room anddialledDaniel. Itwasa relieftomoveon.‘Hi.’ Long pause. ‘Good.

Look, Imayhave a solution,but I have to run through itwith some people.’ Pause.‘Yesterday.’ I could feel earsintheroomstrainingtolisten.‘Much as usual, onlygrouchier.’ I couldn’t keepfromglancingatConrad,hardasItried.‘Fine,Daniel.Keep

the four-hour rota going andletmehaveanynames.I’llbeissuing operational orderswithin the next twenty-fourhours.’Pause.‘Yes.Out.’Conrad opened his mouth

but, before he could sayanything, the doctor strodeintotheroom.‘We need to change the

dressings, so if you’re readywe’llstart.Yourfanclubcantake a hike.’ I grabbed the

crystal, praying that Baliushadn’tseenit.Aswetrudgedtowardsthe

atrium, Flavius said, ‘Haveyou thought through theconsequences of puttingApollodorus’s orders beforethelegate’s?’‘Yes, but Apollodorus is

adamant on this.He suspectsthe legate’s motives,understandably so. He won’tlet his people be exposed or

end up on some PGSF alertlist.’Flavius shrugged as if

conceding the point. Howdifficult it was to walk thistightrope.‘I understand your

concern, Flav. But the legateisunfitforduty.Luciuscan’tmake any kind of move, weknowSomnaandSepuniaarelockedup,andDaniel’sholedupinthepalace.’Wereached

theatriumdoorway.Istoppedandlookedathim.‘Youhaveanybetterideas?’I wanted to updateApollodorus on the nextphase. I couldn’t find anatural opening in ourconversation – Iwas sure hewasavoidingit–soIplungedstraightin.‘I plan to move straight

after the Senate meeting

tomorrow,soI’llissueordersthis evening. I need to havethelegateprimedandintothepalace after the ordersmeeting.Canwebeready?’‘Mydear, all you need do

isaskanditwillhappen.’Igiggled.‘What?’‘I’msorry,Apollo,butyou

sounded like thegenieof thelamp.’Hiseyesglinted.‘Oneday,

ma chère, you will push metoofar.’So Apollodorus knew

Frenchanduseditnaturally.‘Sorry – that was

impertinent. Forgive me,please?’Ipeekedupathiminthe most appealing waypossible.He sighed. ‘You know I

alwaysdo.’‘WherewouldIbewithout

you?’

‘Floating in the publicsewer,probably,ortuckedupin a nice little prisonsomewhere. Not that youdon’tdeserveit.’Apollodorus swept intoConrad’sroomwithmeinhiswake. Flavius was alreadythere, sitting by the bed,notepad in hand, discussingsomething with Conrad. Iregretted wearing my

trademark black leather andlong boots. Despite the airconditioning, I feltwarmanduncomfortable. Apollodoruswas in black, in an over-elaborate stitched businesssuit. Organ grinder andmonkey, but which waswhich?Conradlookedcoollyatus

bothaswesatdown.‘Balius tells me you have

made excellent progress,

Conradus Mitelus,’ Apollosaid. ‘This is naturally to becelebrated. However, he isconcernedaboutyourgeneraldebility and recommendscontinuingrestandrecovery.’Conrad drew breath to

speak, but his words didn’tgetoutofthestartingblocks.‘Naturallyenough,’Apollo

continued, ‘you will wish tobe involved in events goingforward,and Iwonder ifyou

could help us out with adelicatematter?’Patronised, but curious,

Conrad bit. He completelyignored me and looked onlyat Apollo. ‘What are youproposing?’‘No doubt Pulcheria has

explained the difficultsituationatthepalace.Itisanunpleasant thought, but noone,noteven the inestimableMajor Stern, can be

completely sure of DariusApulius’s safety in these,shall we say, treacheroustimes.’All three PGSF in the

roomwinced.‘The child needs a

competentadulthetrustsandwhoistiedtohim,preferablyby blood, to be with himtwenty-four hours a day,particularly as the operationstepsup.Somebodyprepared

to die or kill for him.Pulcheriatellsmeyouaretheonly person whom she truststodothis.’Conrad wouldn’t look at

me.StubbornTellapride.Apollospreadhishandsin

a self-deprecating manner.‘Areyoupreparedtodothis?’‘AndifI’mnot?’‘Thenwewill continue to

care for you here until youare completely well and

beyond, if required.’ IshiveredatApollo’sslowanddeliberate delivery, radiatingquietmenace.Hecouldbesounpleasantsopolitely.Watching them staring

each other out reminded meofwhentheymetforthefirsttime on the floor ofGoldlights, the club I’d builtfor the undercover operationseven years ago. Even then,they’d been instantly

mutuallyhostile.‘Apollodorus, would you

and Flavius please leave thelegate and me to talk for afewminutes?’‘Butofcourse.’Heclosed

the door silently as he andFlaviusleft.‘You’ve served me up

nicely on toast, haven’t you?Proud of yourself, are you?’Conrad said bitterly. ‘Eitherway, you’ve pushed me out

ofit.’Heslumpedbackinthebed, exhausted after battlingApollodorus.I had to get him out of

here, to safety if there wassuch a thing now. Againsteverything I knew, some gutinstinct made me distrustApollodorusasfarasConradwasconcerned.Itwouldonlytake one more spark ofantagonismbetweenthemen,andApollodoruswouldsnap.

I sat on the bed and tookConrad’s hand in mine.‘Conrad, listen to me.’ Iwaited until he opened hiseyes. ‘You’re unfit for duty.I’m no medic, but you looklikeshit.Youcanhardlywalkto the bathroom, and yourhead is full of sedatives andpainkillers. Would youconsider yourself capable ofexercisingproper judgement?We’re up against a crucial

time window and you’re notready for it. If you know ofany other availableoperational officer or unit,maybeyoucouldletmehavetheirdetails?’Silence.‘No, I thought not. I’m

running this operationwith averycompetentteam,butthathasadifferentapproachfromPGSF. Apollodorus is undernoobligationtohelpme,you

oranybodyelse.However,hehasbeenmy friend formanyyears. I’m sorry if you don’tlikeit,butthereitis.’‘Idon’ttrusthim.’Ilaidmyhandonhisarm.

Hedidn’tshrugitoff.‘Look,Dariusneedsyounowandsodo the girls. The next forty-eight hours are going to behugely disruptive.Theymusthave somebody with themthey trust,who isexclusively

dedicatedtothem.Silviamayhavetoactandnotbeabletolookout for them.You can’tleave them to their staff,howeverloyal.’Hestaredatme, thegreen

washingout thebrowninhiseyes. He searched my facethensighed.‘Oh,allright,I’lldance to your tune. Tell mewhat to do.’Hewas a proudmanandhadconcededalot.Ikissedhis forehead–his

lipwastoosore–andopenedthedoortolettheothersbackin.

XX

Minutes before the curfewstarted,Conrad,FlaviusandIwere dropped off at a stone-builtrowhouseablockawayfrom Imperatrix Silvia’shome, the Golden Palace.More of a substantial housethan a palace, the imperialhomehadbeenrebuiltseveraltimes on the same site sincethey’d abandoned the old

fortressontheclifftop.Earlier that evening,

Conrad had let us into thesecret of some interestingadditions to the GoldenPalace introduced severalcenturies ago during one ofthe rebuilds. ‘There’s asystem of undergroundservice tunnels that runsunder the city, connectingstrategic locations. Very fewknow the extent of the

network,orhow to access it.Let’s keep it thatway or I’llhavebothyourhides.’Although Conrad was

using a cane, Flavius helpedhimup thesteepstairsof therow house to the portico. Ientered the keycode Conradgavemeandweslippedin.FlaviusandIeasedConrad

down on an unpadded woodsettle – he looked white asdeath and was breathing

heavilyfromtheeffortof theshortcarjourney.Adimlightshone through a faded pinkplascard shade onto a bluefloral woven rug that hadbeen new a hundred yearsago.Conradnoddedatme.‘Hello, the house?’ I

shoutedout.After a minute, a figure

emerged bearing an antique,totally illegal, double-barrelled shotgun. Jupiter!

Shewas slight, very old andgrey, but she lookedincredibly fierce, and therewas, of course, the gun. If itstill worked, I’d bet it couldstillblowagood-sizedholeinanybodyoranything.‘Good evening, Marcella

Volusenia,’Conradsaid.‘I’msorry to disturb you, but weneedtousethetunnel.’‘Tellus? Conradus Tellus?

What’swrongwithyou?You

lookterrible!’‘Thank you,’ he said,

making the tiniest bow. Hesmiled.She cast an eye over

Flavius and me, decided weweren’t worth the favour ofan introduction, and orderedus to follow her. Wedescended into a stone-linedcellarwhich lookedcenturiesold. Although stale, the airwasn’t musty. Volusenia

glided past wine racks andstorage shelves, and betweenboxes, old furniture, bootsand general detritus.We hadto push stuff to one side asConrad couldn’t manoeuvreeasily. In the last alcove,almosthiddenattheside,shepointed to a lightweight,empty,metal-backedshelvingrack.‘Move that aside, if you

please,’ she barked. We

abandoned Conrad andhurried to obey, revealing awooden door, plain andclearly old. She unlocked itandpulleditopen.‘I’lllockitbehind you.’ She nodded toConrad. ‘You know wherethereturnkeyis?’Henodded.She gave him her

flashlight,turnedonherheel,clangedthedoorshutandleftus in the corridor.We heard

the lock mechanism turnbehindus.‘Who was that scary

woman?’Walking slowly along the

tunnel, Conrad explained.‘She’s Volusenia theYounger, MarcellaVolusenia, if you will, andwastheseconddeputyLegateafterCaiusTellus’srebellion.She was my mentor withinthe PGSF – I owe her so

much. There was nofavouritism.’ He half-smiledathismemories. ‘In fact, shewasquitehard,butshestoodupformewhenIwastreatedunfairlybecauseofmyname.Most of all, she taught mehowtoendure.’‘Then you can understand

alittlehowApollodorusandIstand.’Hedidn’treply.Wereachedalongflightof

steps hacked out of the rock.The stone walls were rough,but dry. Lights were strungalong regularly and triggeredbymovement,sowecouldn’tsee much ahead. I thoughtthey’d never end. Conradleaned on me heavily, thecane taking the rest of hisweight. We needed to stopseveral times to let him rest,but he kept waving us on. Iwas more than glad when I

saw a fixed light glowing inthe distance: even in thelimited light, I could seeConradwasexhausted.‘JustrememberthatDaniel

doesn’tknow I’mPulcheria,’I said. ‘I told him you’d bedelivered by an unexpectedperson.’ I glanced back atFlav.‘Flaviuswillstandbackintheshadows.’‘Doyouthinkhe’llfallfor

it?’

I heard the scepticism inhis voice. ‘Yes.People, eventrained ones, only see whatthey expect to see. Look atme.’He saw long, dark brown

curls, tight black leatherclothes, black leather boots,black eyes, all stitchedtogetherwithabadattitude.‘When I alter my voice,

he’ll see what his brain andhisangerwanthimto.’

At the wooden doordecorated with tapered ironfittingsandametalsignXIV,Conrad fished out two heavykeys from a wall box. Hestretched his hand out toFlavius with one of them.‘This will open the door atVolusenia’send.’JustasFlaviusreachedout

to take it, it fell fromConrad’s fingers andclangedon the ground. Flavius bent

down and grabbed it. We’dbetrappedwithoutit.Conradfumbledatthelock

andInearlytookover,buthemanaged to turn the key andthetumblersgrated,releasingthe door. Flavius swung itopen,carefullysteppingbackinto the shadow. Daniel,flankedbythreePGSFinfullbattledress carrying heavyweapons, stood there, legsbraced, one hand resting on

hispistolholster.‘Good evening, Daniel,’

Conrad said casually, like hewasatasmarteveningparty.Thenhewilted. I caughthimandcameinfullview.‘Don’t go and die on me,

Commander,’ camePulcheria’s irritating voice.Within seconds, metalclashed. Three sub-machineguns were trained on me,Daniel’s pistol centimetres

frommyhead.‘Diana’s tits, it’s the boy

Daniel!Irememberyouwhenyoucamesneakingroundmyclub.You always have to gooff too early, don’t you,sunshine?’Isaid.‘Oneofmygirls would have sorted yououtinnotime.’Daniel’s eyes boiled. I

thoughthewasgoingtohaveastroke.‘You little cow! I thought

they’d put you awaypermanently and walled youup. Fuckme if I don’t shootyouhereandnow!’‘Enough!’ Conrad’s voice

cracked but it reachedthrough the fog that seemedto have invaded the spacebetween Daniel’s brain andmouth. ‘Strange times bringstrangeallies,Daniel.’He stared at Conrad as if

hewerecrazy.‘Sir,canwebe

in such trouble that we needthe help of this sort ofparasite?’ He spat on myboots.‘You misjudge the

situation,’ Conrad saidtersely.‘Ifyousayso,sir.’‘Well, we’ll be getting

along before your boy heredoessomethingsilly.’‘Thank you, Pulcheria, for

your help. Our ways part

here.’He looked solemn andheldouthishand.Isqueezeditthencheekilykissedhimonthe lips. I flasheda rudearmgesture at Daniel andslammed the door, relievedthat Conrad was out ofharm’sway.Quarter days were a strangemixofWesternEuropeanandRomancustoms,solsticesandequinoxes really, but in theWest the Christians hijacked

them and made themreligious and legal days. ForRomans, theymeant rupturesand new beginnings throughtheyear.Traditionally, charities

could petition the Senate inthe morning before thelatter’sformalmeeting.SilviaApulia usually attended onthese days, not as imperatrixbut taking her place like anyother senator. She also

attended theRepresentatives’sessions regularly, as anobserver. Apart from itmaking good political sense,shewasgenuinely interested.Iwonderedifthiswaspartofthe reason she was popular.My grandmother wouldnormallyhavetakenherplaceinthefrontrowattheSenate,too,onquarterday,butwhatwasnormalnow?The open public forecourt

of the Senate building wascovered and wide steps rosetowards the formal entrance.Inside, the vestibule wasdominated by the ancients’Altar of Victory on which astatue of a winged womanstood, holding a palm andleaning down to present alaurel wreath to some victororother.FounderApuliushadsmuggled it out of Rome asthe old Empire was falling

apart. The superstitiousinsistedthatwhileitsatintheSenate, Roma Nova wouldnever fall. I made myoffering: a quick pinch ofincenseandamutteredprayerfor success. I’d take helpfromanywhere.I sidled in, dressed in my

usualblack,butcoveredwitha long white palla drawn upovermyheadinasemblanceof modesty. It was also a

pretty good disguise.Inevitably, Hermina’s droneswere not far away from me,but she herself was standingright by my side, also inpalla, posing as mycompanion.‘How long do we wait?’

shewhispered.‘Untilhispetitionisdrawn

from the ballot, which weknow it will be. He’ll havefixed that simple a detail.’ I

scanned around and saw anumber of familiar faces gointothemainchamber.Itwassurreal:everythingseemedsonormal despite the frisson ofexcitement caused by thecurfew. I always said lifeexisted on different layerslike a pile of pancakes, onesittingontopofanother.Thetoppancakewascertainlynotclued into the gooey messbubbling up at the bottomof

thepile.‘Oh, here we go!’ I

whisperedtoHermina.The Senate officer drew

thepaperoutandannounced,‘Martinus Apnius fromFolentia begs leave topresent…’‘Gods, he’s using his real

name!’hissedHermina.‘Yeah, Caeco would have

beentooobvious.’We moved forward

through the crowd and slidinto Committee Room 3where his petition would beheard. Around twentysenators were seated on oneside. Opposite them,separated by the waist-highpublicbarrier,wemanagedtostandjustbehindthepeople’stribune.Justusandtwootherswerealreadythere,dressedasSenateorderlies.Justus had placed his

troops strategically to catchas many of the delinquentsenatorsaspossibleoncovertvideo and stills so that thecustodes could arrest themwith due process. Justusthought we were being toonice.I’dgivenupexplaining.Igavehimhisordersandtoldhim to just do it. StoppingandcapturingCaecowasourmain objective. Justus coulddowhat he likedwithCaeco

asfarasIwasconcerned.AllI wanted left was somethingtointerrogate.A bored Senate officer

signalledCaeco to begin.Hestood and faced the Senaterows. He looked much thesame as before, but wasimpeccably dressed in fulltoga.Hedrewhissquatfigureup to its full height, his armthrustout.‘GentlemenoftheSenate.’

He paused and scanned hisaudience. ‘And Lady,’ headded as an afterthought,inclining his head to thesingle female senator almostas a concession. Who onearthwasthewomansenator?I didn’t recognise her. Withher fancynecklaceandwhiteface, she looked like a ritualsacrificial offering, ormaybeitwasjustanxiety.‘Icomeheretoenlistyour

help,’ Caeco declared. ‘Ispeak as head of thePaterfamilias charity. Forcenturies, there has beenunequal treatment of half thepopulation.Mygroupaimstorectify this. We petition youtodaytorestorethetraditionalRoman way that led to athousandyearsofgreatness.’Oh, for Jupiter’s sake!

Caecohadwatchedtoomanyswordsandsandalsepicsasa

kid.Shouts of ‘Well said!’

came from the Senate rows.Justus had better be pickingthis up – nobody wouldbelieveusifnot.Caecowenton todescribe

various injustices, proposedthe reintroduction of theLeges Juliae and asked forthe group’s endorsement. Hefinishedwith an impassionedplea, which was straight out

ofabadmovie.Leges Juliae. Not merely

the Augustan ones, but theharsh anti-female updatebroughtinbythatGreekidiotJustinianintheEast.Noneofthem had ever applied inRoma Nova. I could hardlybelieve it. In the twenty-firstcentury,forfuck’ssake.In a boring and bored

voice, the official asked thepeople’s tribune if anybody

wished to address the Senategrouponthissubject.Usuallythese thingswent throughonthe nod, but he was legallyrequired to ask. He’d pickedup the agenda to pass to thevote,when I raisedonehandand tapped the tribune’sshoulder with the other. Theclerk stared at me, notbelieving what he saw. Thetribune’smouthdroppedopeninsurprise.

‘I’d like to speak,’ Iwhispereddirectlyinherear.‘You’renotserious?’‘Yes.Isthereaproblem?’She ran her eyes up and

down me as if she wassearching for signs ofcraziness or wondering if Iwas going to be a bunch oftrouble. Deciding I wasn’teither,shenoddedatme,andadvised the official that thepeoplewished to address the

group.Stunned is how I’d

describe thegeneral reaction.The senators looked wary,some shocked. Heads benttogether in urgent whispersand questions. Caeco’s facewas a dream: surprised,thunderous,murderous.‘What’s thename?’hissed

thetribuneatme.‘Pulcheria.’‘That’sit?’

‘It’senough.’‘The people present

Pulcheria to speak on itsbehalf,’sheannounced.I let the fold of my palla

falltomyshoulder,revealingsomeoftheblackunderneathandsteppedforward.‘Lady and Gentlemen,’ I

began, bowing to her. I, atleast, knew the precedencerules. ‘Martinus Apnius hasmadeaneloquentcasetoyou.

Indeed, he has broughtforward many intriguingarguments. His oratory isclear and convincing.’ Igraciously inclined my headin his direction.He glared atme. ‘However, before youmake your decision tosupport his cause, I wouldliketomakeafewcomments.We must, of course, becertain of our grounds forconsidering these arguments.

We must peel away anyemotion coating rationalarguments for and against.Lastly,wemustweighuptheconsequences of our actionsforfuturegenerations.’The audience listened

politely. They must havethoughtitwasamateurnight.‘Let me ask you to

consider some concepts:absolute power in the handsof one individual with no

popular, historic ordemocratic support;economic and socialbreakdownwithcollapseofaprosperous, stable andadvanced scientificcivilisation; and lastly, themurderoffemalechildren.’Uproar. Two men started

in my direction, obviouslyintent on shutting me up.Hermina’sdronessurroundedmeinseconds.Tall,muscular

and radiating attitude, theywouldbeatanybodyoff.‘Next,’ I continued, once

the babble had eased up,‘allowmetointroduceoneortwo facts. Firstly, the manaddressing you, MartinusApnius,knownasCaeco,isaconvictedcriminal.Secondly,he is joint partner in aconspiracy to overthrow theimperatrix,disposeofherandher female children, and set

up her son with a puppetCouncil of Regency to bedrawn from your honourableranks.’ I paused and pannedaround the twenty senatorswhowere starting to squirm.Cries of ‘No!’ and‘Murderers!’ came frombehind the public rail besideme.‘Thirdly, he has corrupted

youth and embezzled overtwo hundred naïve

supporters. And finally,’ Iheard my voice hardening,‘he and his partners in theconspiracyhaveblackmailed,subverted and imprisonedmembers of the securityforces responsible for theimperatrix’s and the state’ssafety. All these facts aresupported by documentary,image and witness evidence,now in the hands of loyalmembers of the security

forces.’My voice became bleak.

‘Youmay, therefore,wish toreconsideryoursupportofhiscause.’The room erupted. People

jumped over the publicbarrier, hurling abuse at thesenators, some intent onattacking them physically.Others watched, mouthsopen. The Senate orderliesstruggledtoholdthemback.

I stood there and enjoyedtheensuingpandemoniumfora few moments beforeHerminadraggedmeout,twodrones guarding my back. IhadseenJustus’s troopsgrabCaeco amid the flurry offleeingsenators.Ilaughedallthe way back to Apollo’shouse.

XXI

IcalledDanieltoreportwhathadhappenedattheSenate.‘Hades! But good result.

Howdidyoumake that littlecow,Pulcheria,dothat?’‘Don’t try and outthink

yourself. Just accept that Ihave my ways,’ I answeredhimsmugly.He snorted, but didn’t say

anything.

I broke the silence. ‘Howishe?’‘Getting on well. He’s

stopped using the stick nowandonlylimpingabit.Ithinkeating, drinking and sleepingare all he needs. Thosebastards really worked himover.’ His voice was grim.‘He hasn’t said much, but Isaw him in the pool thismorningwithDariusandhe’scovered.’

Well, I’d seen that duringBalius’schecks.‘He’s strong,’Daniel said.

‘Justgivehimaweek.’‘We don’t have a week.

Wehave tomovenow.He’llhavetositthisoneout.’Hegrunted.‘Attheexpenseofteaching

mygrandmothertosuckeggs,can you be extra alert forsome kind of retaliatory orasymmetric strike against the

family?’Hemadea rudebut funny

comment about over-protectivenannies.My last words to him

were:‘PhaseThree:execute.’Now we had to move onPetronax himself, and fast.He was a tricky bastard. Itwas the one part of theoperation Iwasn’t a hundredpercentsureabout,butIkept

thatopiniontomyself.Imadethe call to Lucius: ‘PhaseFour:execute.’ThePGSFheadquartershadabland exterior; the frontpedestrian entrance lookedlike any government officewitha smallpublic receptionarea.MostPGSFguardsusedthe side service door next tothe tall vehicle gates. Youhad to pass through a short

tunnel which opened onto acourtyard parade ground.Both vehicle and pedestrianaccess was controlled by abioscan, voice and videosystem so, unless you rippedout an authorised person’seyes,cutofftheirhandforthefingers and could simulatetheirvoice,youstayedout.Ifthe system registered anykind of anomaly, shutterscrashed down either end of

the tunnel trapping theoffending vehicles andreleasing paralysing gas.When you recoveredconsciousness, you wouldwake in the cells with athumpinghead, ifyouhadn’tbeen shot by an annoyedsecurity detail. Flavius and Iwere barred out the systemwith a shoot-on-sight alertwhich could only berescindedbythelegate.

Now kitted out in PGSFfatigues, with standard-issueside arms, we were toowound up to talk as ourvehiclesapproachedthegatedentrance.Westoppedinfrontof the tall gates. I glanced atmy watch. I counted downthesecondsinmyhead.‘Come on, Lucius,’ I

muttered. Ten secondsstretchedlikeaneternity.Thesweat ran down between my

breastsandmythroatdriedtobone. Miraculously, the gateswungopen.I couldn’t speak as we

drove in, but remembered tobreathe. Flavius parked ourvehicle, the other twojudderedtoahalteitherside.We peeled out and groupedinto four squads of twelvewithin ten seconds.Countingslowly to fifteen,we crossedto the building entrance and

thedoorslidopen.Hewouldhave kicked himself if he’dknown, but Petronax helpedus by having his armedsupporters stationed insidethe building. The surroundsensorswereswitchedoffanddidn’treacttoourweapons.We crept along the wood

floors. Justus and Flaviusbrokeoff,Flaviusleadinghisgroup downstairs, Justus hisupstairs. I nodded at

Philippus to go further downthecorridortothebackroomsandannexes.Igavethemtwominutes.‘In position?’ I whispered

throughmymouthmic.Threeaffirmatives.‘On my mark. One…

two…three…mark.’The surprise was total.

Petronax supporters, heavilyarmed, stationed in everyroom to control the building

and people, were quicklyneutralised. I marched to thecommand centre, ignoringstares from stunned PGSF.Just as they started to react,my bodyguards trained theirweapons on them,discouragingfurtherreaction.At the legate’s office, I

grabbed the handle, burst inwithmytwobodyguardsandstuck my assault rifle inSuperbus’s face. His jowls

wobbled almost comically asI snarled, ‘On the floor, youbastard!Now!’His face contorted with

hatred. His eyes darted allover, desperate to find someway out. I readied myweapon. I longed for him tomake the tiniest sign ofresistance. Even if he onlymoved his fingertip to pushanalarmdevice.‘IsaidNOW!’

To my intensedisappointment,hecomplied.Ashelayfacedownbeing

handcuffed, he rasped, ‘Youbitch!You’redead!’I couldn’t be bothered to

answerhim.As I finished detailing

somebody to guard him, Ikicked him with my steel-cappedboot.Fullstrength.The click of a weapon

being cocked. I turned and

found Drusus, of all people,standing in the doorway,pointing a pistol at me, hiseyes intense. His handstrembled.Poorkid.Althoughfully trained, he was in nowayanoperationssoldier.Hewasmuchhappierdrivinghiskeyboard. The last time he’dused a live weapon was onthe fitness-for-task fieldexercise several months ago.Behindhim,Isawoneofmy

bodyguards cock his weaponin turn, ready to takeDrususout.Ishookmyhead.‘Hello, sweetheart,’ I said

in a nasal voice and smirkedat him. ‘You’re not reallygoing to shoot me with thatgreatbiggun,areyou?’Drusus stared at me,

hesitated and so lost hisadvantage.Ahandcameoverhis shoulder, grabbed theweaponand spunhim toone

side.‘Of course he’s not,

although some might notblamehim.’‘Adjutant to the rescue,’ I

murmured.‘It’s okay, Drusus, stand

down.’ Lucius gave theyoungermanaquicksmiletoreassure him. Lucius quicklyemptied the weapon andhanded it back, and stowedthelittlemagazineinhisown

back pocket. Drusus lookedbewildered then steppedback.‘Gnaeus,Adjutant,’Lucius

snapped into his commset.‘Get the damned securitysystem back up, stat,including the surroundsensors, for Mars’ sake.’ Helifted his head. ‘Somebodytake this piece of filth outfromundermy feet and lockit up.’ Two guards came

forward and dragged theunfortunate Superbus out oftheoffice.Destination:cells.Hepressedabuttononthe

legate’sdesk. ‘This isLuciusPunellus, Adjutant. Allpersonnel to secure theirworkareastoprotocolsixandreport immediately to thestrategy room. Dutycenturion, down to the cells,stat, and ensure the femalepersonnel are released. All

there within ten minutes,please.’Heturnedtome.‘Youand

your lot not included. Groupthem in the courtyard andstay there.’ He looked at hiswatch. ‘You have threeminutes before the surroundsensors reset.’ He turned hisbackonusandmarchedoff.I relayed the order to my

four commanders andsignalled our group to make

their way outside. Flaviuslooked glum and not a littlechagrined.‘Did you expect to be

greeted as a conqueringhero?’Iasked.‘I didn’t think we’d be

excluded like that. Theadjutantlookedatusasifweweredirt.We’restuckhereinthe courtyard like a herd ofanimals.’True.Nowthefullsecurity

was reactivated, we couldn’tgetbackinthebuildingoroutofthegate.Ilaidmyhandonhisforearm.‘Let the adjutant sort the

troops out first, Flav.’ I toldSergius to let the groupsrelax, have a drink, smoke iftheywanted.Wesatdowninacornerunderthecanopybythegaragesandwaited.A little over twenty

minutes later, four fully

armed PGSF approached us.My group of twelveimmediately stood to andformed a protective circlearoundme.‘Yourcommanderplusone

tocomewithus.Weaponstobe left here,’ ordered thecenturion.Shelookedstraightthroughme.Beingrescuedbyabunchofdubiouscharacterslike us had to have beenhumiliating. I stepped out of

the circle, beckoning Flaviustocomewithme.Lucius sat in Conrad’s

chair and was talking to anorderly with a max el-pad,whom he dismissedwhen hesawusatthedoor.‘Comeinandshutthedoor

behind you,’ he commanded,his voice flat and neutral. Iwas surprised to see apyramid appear from hispocket.He set it on the desk

and looked up at us, hiseyebrows raised. I wasn’tsure what was supposed tohappennexteither.‘Oh, sit down, for the

gods’ sake!’ He waved hishand impatiently. ‘Right,anythingelsebeforeyouclearyourlotout?’Iknewwehadtobeabad

smellundertheirnoses,butIresented being thrown out soabruptly.

‘Afewwordsof thanks tothe people who rescued youwould be nice,’ I saidsarcastically.‘Foodanddrinksarebeing

taken out to them now. A“thank you”, we don’t havetimefor.’‘Notgoodenough,’ Isaid.

‘They put themselves on thelineforyou.They’repartofaprivate business team, not aformal military force of the

state.’ My breath shortenedandangerpushedup throughme. I looked him straight inthe eye. ‘I won’t have mypeopleneglectedlikethis.’‘Oh,really?’Luciusleaned

back in the chair, hiseyebrows raised. ‘Perhaps afew nights in the cells willdeflateyourlittletantrum.’‘Tantrumisn’tinit,’Isaid,

trying to calm down. ‘Can’tyou see how positive an

effectitwouldhavejusttobegracious? Conradus wouldhavedoneitautomatically.’Hesaidnothing.‘Look,we’rewastingtime,

bickering like this,’ I said,moving on. ‘We saved theday – dealwith it.You haveSuperbus in custody. It’smyright to prosecute him in theFamilies’ Court, as adelinquent member of myfamily, but it’ll be too

civilised and follow formalprocess.Iwantasessionwithhimherefirst.’‘We’ll be holding him in

closecustodyforthestatutorytwenty-eight days,’ Luciusconceded. ‘But after that,who knows...’ He shruggedlikehewasunsureofhisnextstep in a fluid situation. Hewiped his fingers across hischinandstaredintospacefora few seconds. He blinked,

stood up, seeming to gatherhimself together. He thrustthe pyramid into his pocketand opened the door. ‘Right.Let’s go and see yourmonkeys.’Ihadatartanswerforhim,

butsuddenlyrememberedonevitalthing.‘YouhavesecuredPetronax, haven’t you? Wedidn’tfindhim.’Lucius pressed the guard

alarm and shouted down the

corridor‘DutyNCO.Stat.’A centurion appeared

within seconds. Luciusbarkedquestionsathim.‘Iwas onmyway to you,

sir. No trace of him,’ hereported.‘We’vesearchedthewhole building.Nothing.Hisvehicle’s gone from thebasementgarages.’Shit.I stabbed the numbers in

onmy supermobile. ‘Daniel?

Petronaxisontheloose.’‘Yes, I know,’ he replied.

His voice was bleak. ‘He’shere.’

XXII

‘Details,please.’Myfingersplayedwiththe

zipper on my fatigues jacketas Iwalked aroundConrad’soffice. I stopped and toldDanieltorepeatthelastthinghesaid.‘No,’Isaidandsatdown.Lucius frowned at me,

mouthing,‘What?’I waved the back of my

hand at him and bent over,pressing the cell to my ear,hoping I could hearsomethingdifferent.‘Howinthedepthofblack

Tartarus did that happen?’ Iasked. ‘I thought thatwasallin hand.’ I listened somemore.‘Howbadly?’I batted my reactions out

of the way and startedassessingall thepossibilities.There was only one. ‘Okay,

we’lluseStrategy8.Givemetwenty.’ Pause. ‘Too bad.Execute.’I closed the phone and

faced Lucius and Flavius.‘Petronax has Hallie.’ Theyboth looked at me, appalled.Hallienia Apulia was theyoungestimperialchild.‘He’s killed one of the

nursery staff – a kid ofsixteen, for fuck’s sake! Theguardheknifed is in surgery

and is touch and go.Conradus was downstairswithDariusanddidn’thearathing. I’ve initiated Strat8.We have to kit up and go.Now.’Strategy 8 was an

emergencyplandevelopedasa result of Caius Tellus’srebellion. Selected officerswere authorised and trainedto take decisive action underEmergency Order. Mars

knew why they’d includedme.Ifigureditwentwiththestrategist job. It was anuncomfortablehonour.Ifyoufouled up, who wanted tospend the next ten years inthecentralmilitaryprison?Lucius,tohiscredit,didn’t

blink.‘Thepackwillbeinthegarage within ten minutes,’heassuredme.Hewenttothesafe, opened it, and handedmemy insignia and personal

tracker. ‘You’ll need these.’He also handed me a sealedenvelope.‘Andthis.’Written on the front were

the words: Additionalprotocol in the event ofStrategy 8 implementation. Ilookedatitinsurprise.We’dpractised Strat8 until we’dcovered every scenario wecouldimagine.‘Open it and read it. Do

nottellmethecontents.’

I read it through severaltimes, committing it tomemory. Then I shredded itandpressedtheburnbutton.Idrew my hand across myforehead, closingmy eyes asI did. Juno! The fallbackinstructions were beyondgrim. I wasn’t sure I couldcarrythemout.IleftLuciustalkingrapidly

intothedeskcomm.FlaviusandIhurrieddown

to the locker rooms tochange, ignoring curiousstares. My head was stillprocessing the additionalprotocol,soIwasn’tmuchofaconversationalist.Thankthegods my locker hadn’t beencleared.Iflickedoutthedarkcontacts, cleaned offPulcheria’s heavy make-upandbathedmyface.Myblueeyes stared back out of themirror above the basin like

old friends seeing each otherafter a long time away. Ibound my hair tightly andshoveditunderacombatcap.At the quaestor’s office,Gnaeuswaswaitingwithoursuits and equipment. Hehanded Flavius his ID,mouthing, ‘Good to see youback.’‘Here, Captain, youmight

likethese.’Gnaeusheldoutapack of knives.My carbons!

I’d taken only one with me.Moreoldfriends.‘The net is fully

operationalagain,soyoucanuse commsets in the palace.We’ve digitally barredPetronaxandalarmedhisset.Let me update yours.’ Hesnapped it into the dock,clickedhisslimfingersacrossthe keyboard, waited a fewseconds. Nothing happened.He ejected the set, repeated

the procedure. He turned tome,embarrassed.‘I don’t know what’s

happened, ma’am, but youseem to have been deletedfromthesystem.’Of course, my little

program had eateneverything,includingitself.He looked at me,

expectant.‘Well, there was a

malfunction last time I used

it. Can you reinstate me?’ IgavehimwhatIhopedwasawinsomesmile.‘Hmm, I can give you

temporary access, if theadjutantwillcountersignit.’‘Oh, for fuck’s sake, just

doit–we’reinthemiddleofaStrat8.’Helookedshocked.Buthe

did set it up and update mycommset. His manner waschillyashehandedittome.

Another ego to massage.Toobad.Hurrying down to the

basement,Imadeacall.‘Apollo, Petronax has my

cousin–thelittlegirl. Ihavetogo toher.Your troopsaresafe. No casualties. They’llbe on their way back to youshortly.I’llcomeassoonasIcan.’In the garages, we picked

upourthreelongwheelbases,

already loadedasLuciushadpromised. Six other guardsfollowed us in a fourthvehicle. More would go asback-up with DJ to pre-planned points.But themainstrikeforcewasalreadyinthepalace – my own ActiveResponseTeam.When we arrived, Daniellookedstressedout, tiredandguilty all at once. His eyes

were preternaturally round,red-rimmed, his skin dull.When had he slept last? Atemporary command centrehad been set up next door tothe palace security room.Uniforms moved in andthrough it, but Daniel wasbonestill.He found his voice.

‘Bloody Petronax is on theroofterracewithHallie.He’smade her sit up on the

parapet. He’s threatening topushheroff.’The grass area below was

four floors down. I gulpedthen gathered my brainstogether.‘Camerafeed?’He showedme the images

fromthe terrace itselfandupfrom the garden border at anangle of forty-five degrees.There she was, in a lightcotton tunic, feet in herfavourite sparkly sneakers,

short legs dangling over thestone edge, waiting to bekilledbyamadman.Istaredatthescreen.How

had Petronax become sodisconnected from thenormal? Why wouldsomebodywanttokillasmallchild despite all the taboosassociatedwithsuchanact?NowaywouldIallowthat

tohappentoHallie.‘Right, get my ART in

hereand let’sworkoutsomekindofplantodealwiththis.’How clichéd that sounded,butIhadtosaysomethingtobreaktheimmobilitywe’dallfrozeninto.As I looked back at the

screen,somethingoccurredtome.‘Where’sConradus?’‘With the other two

children.’‘Areyouabsolutelysure?’‘Guardian, Command.’

Daniel spoke into hiscommset.‘Command, Guardian

here.’‘Identify your location,’

Danielordered.‘In the children’s suite,’

Conrad answered. Nothingmore. His voice rasped,barelyformingthewords.‘Verywell,out.’Daniel turned to me.

‘Satisfied?’

Asignalsclerkhandedhima note. ‘Major, the DJcustodesarehere,butthey’restayingontheeastside.’‘Thanks.Tellthemtosend

theircommanderuphere.’My ART arrived. Paula,

Treb, Maelia, Nov, Livius,Atria joinedFlaviusand theystood there like a phalanx –kitted,bootedandready.We’d trained, exercised

and handled live operations

togetherforoversixyears.Ifthe tactical situation went toHades, and you didn’t havetimetothinkthroughwhattodo, the team adapted as ifconnectedby telepathy.EvenTreb, the youngest, hadmeldedwell in a remarkablyshorttime.Wewalkedquietly intoan

adjoining room, groupedaround a table set up thereand started working. Maybe

myeyeswere reacting tonothavingtoweardarkcontacts,butthelightingwaspainfullystrong.‘We have full authority

under Strat8 rules,’ I began.‘Given theparapet,we’ll useScenarioThree.Atria,yougotry initiating a dialogue withPetronax.Whentherestofuscome up, I want yourassessment of his mentalstate. He’s ideologically

driven,’ I said, ‘sonoethicalbasetoplaywith,nomoralityin the usual sense. I don’tthink we can use hisconscience against him.’ Igrimaced.She nodded and made for

thestairsuptotheroof.Whatwashisbackground?

Whathadmadehimsoharshand single-minded? He musthave some redeemingqualities – did he like

animals? No, he’d probablytormented them as a child.NoviusbroughtupPetronax’spersonalfileonthescreen.Itshowed a steady progressionof a dedicated but efficientsecurity man. His reportswere good, but neutral. Theyshowed a self-contained butotherwise tediously ordinarypersonality.‘Yeah, but we do have to

remember Petronax is a very

savvyoperator.’Liviuswasasmart cookie and probablythe best soldier in my unit.For him to say that wasworrying. Petronaxwould beincredibly difficult to reasonwith; he’d know the bookwe’d be working from. Butwhat did he hope to gain?Being brutal, if he pushedHallie off, he had no otherleverage. Maybe he gambledthatwe’dneverallowhim to

doit.Maybethiswaswhythefallbackinstructionshadbeendrafted.Three minutes later, a

knockatthedoor.Danielputhisheadround.‘Have you got something

togowithyet?’Seven pairs of eyes bored

intohis.‘I know, but the child has

been up there for overtwenty-fiveminutes.’

Ipannedaround– theyallnodded. Watches synch’d,Nov, Livius and Flavius randownstairstounpackkitfromthe vehicles. Paula grabbedherpackandheadedoffalongthe corridor to the windowimmediately under the roofgardenlevel.Treb,MaliaandI stripped down to our blackT-shirts and shorts. Noweapons showing, I packedtwoofmycarbonfibreknives

in sheaths at my back waist,another inmyrightboot.Wegavetheguysfiveminutestogetinplace.IwalkedbackwithDaniel

tothecommandcentre.‘Canyouhavethecustodes

plus about a dozen of ourpeople to step up activity onthe outer cordon to givePetronax something to lookat? Otherwise he’ll thinkwe’reuptosomethingelse.’

‘Come in and brief theircommander yourself,’ hesuggested.‘Goodidea.’Notsuchagoodidea,asit

turned out. I nearly had myheadblownoffforthesecondtimethatday.

ThefigureinDJbluesturnedround, took one look at meand snatched his pistol out.He shoved the barrel of his

pistoltowithinmillimetresofmyhead.Lurio.Hades.A dozen guards

immediately trained assaultrifles,safetyoff,onhim.‘Whoa!’ said Daniel.

‘Let’s not do anything rashhere.’ Fingers on keyboardsstopped, motion stopped,muscles tensed. The onlysound came from equipment

humming. The onlymovementcamefromimagesonscreens.‘Now, Commander,

whatever the problem, Isuggest you lower yourweapon and we talk about itcalmly.’Daniel sucked at hostage

stuff.‘Don’t you know a traitor

when you see one, Stern?’Lurio snarled.Hewas as hot

asabridgewiredetonatorandasreadytoexplode.‘One or two, but I’m not

looking at one now,’ Danielsaid.Luriokepthiseyestrained

on me, his forehead creasedinconcentration.Iopenedmymouth to deny it, but Luriogripped his pistol harder andraisedthetipnearermyhead.‘Weweretrackingherand

one of her associates. They

disappeared into a knowncriminal’s lair and we lostthem.’‘Why?’Daniel said. ‘Why

wereyoutrackingher?’Oh, shit. Lurio was about

to blow my Pulcheria cover,andDanielwould be somadhe’d letLurio blowmyheadoff.Luriolookedastounded.‘It

was your lot that issued the“shoot on sight”. One ofmy

undercover people spottedthem in a café down by thedocks.Nowshe’shere in themiddleofaStrat8.’I desperately wanted to

takeadeepbreathbutdaren’tmake even that movement.Any distraction would causeLurio to fire almost as anautomaticresponse.Gods,mystomach was twisting likeHydra’s heads waiting forDanieltodiffuseLurio.

Daniel rubbed his fingersacrosshisforehead.‘Look,Lurio, I don’t have

time for this. We’re at acrucial point of a sensitiveoperation. If she isn’ton thatroof within the next minute,an imperial child will die atthehandsofamadmanandarealtraitor.Yourchoice.’Histonewasgrim.‘Seriously?’ Lurio still

lookedsuspicious.

‘Oh, for the gods’ sake,man, stop fucking about likesomearse-ache and let usdoourjob!’

We entered the roof gardenfrom the top floor door. Itwas a charming retreat,decorated by living greenarches, a grassed area, potsbrimming over with flowers,ateakslattedtableandchairs,loungers and barbecue area.

At the far end, part of thehightrellis,normallydrippingwith white clematis flowers,had been broken away, andtheledgewasvisible.Asmallhunched figure sat with herback to us, the tips of herfingers visible each side ofher ribcage from crossedarms. We froze. Atria wassittingafewmetresaway,onthegreen,herfingersplayingwith the blades of grass.Her

hand signalled she was fine,butthesituationwasnot.‘Well,well,’cametheratty

voice. ‘Look what the wolfsicked up!’ Petronax steppedout of the shadow at thecorner of the garden andstood in front of the gap,blockingHallie.He carried astandard-issue light machinegun in the crook of his arm.Two pistols sat on his hips,one each side; his pockets

were bulging with sparemagazines.He stood legs braced,

relaxedandassured,hisslim,medium-height figureprojecting an imposingpresence. Many people werenervous around him, maybebecause of the nature of hisjob, but more instinctivelybecause of some kind ofinnatenastinessheradiated.Igraspedmylowerlipbetween

my teeth for a second butquickly plastered on afriendly smile and strodeforward like I was greetingmy best friend on a Sundayafternoonstroll.‘That’s far enough,’ he

barked.Istoppedimmediately,two

metres further forward thanAtria.‘I’mnot falling for anyof

yourlittletricks.’

‘C’mon, Petronax, I don’thave anything upmy sleeve.Look, I don’t have anysleeves.’Iheldmyhandsouteach side of my body androtated my arms slowly,managing a few morecentimetresforward.Treb andMaelia had each

managed to slide a few stepssidewaysinanarcduringmyperformance. Atria had alsoshiftedforward.

‘The next little girlie thattakesonestepnearerwillgeta bullet in her head,’ hewarnedus.Westoodstockstill.‘CanI

stay here?’ I asked. Petronaxneeded to think he couldcontrolme. Iwas only abouthalfwaybetweenthedoorandhim. I didn’t think I couldmake it to where he stoodbefore he fired or, worse,pushedHallieoff.

Henodded.‘What do you want,

Petronax?’’‘Oh, I think you know

that.’Hespokeinaflattone,butintense,concentrated.Hisfacewassmooth,buthishardlittle eyes burned. ‘It’s quitestraightforward – the end ofyouandyourkind.’‘What do youmean –my

kind?’‘You women, always

dominating everything.You’renotcontent,areyou?’Hiseyesstartedtobulge.‘Whatwouldyoulikeusto

be?’Iaskedgently,liftingmyhands to accompany myquestion, easing my footforwardbyafewcentimetres.Hesnorted.‘Wheredecent

women should be: out ofsight.’‘Well, that might be quite

difficultnow.’Ilookedtosee

how that went down. Nochange. ‘We’d find it quitehardtogoback,youknow,’Icontinued. ‘Apulius knewthat. His way has kept ussafe.’Iwaited.Noreaction.‘I know it’s not easy,

seeing things differently,’ Isympathised,edgingforward.‘I’ve been an outsider.Sometimes I’ve felt I neverbelonged, but I’ve gotten

usedtoit.’Iwassodisconnectedfrom

that girl in theNewYork adagency, I could be on theothersideoftheuniverse.ButI had to find some link tohim. And I needed to buytimesoIcouldmovenearer.I looked at him

beseechingly. ‘Come on,Petronax, put it all behindyouandtryagain,’Ipleaded.I managed another two steps

forward.‘Youkeepaway,youslut!’

he shouted, his eyes spewinghatred. ‘You’re all filth,egginguson,betrayingus.’Ah, now we were there –

hewasafraidofwomen.No,hehatedus.Viscerally.These“hating men” worked inmany cultures to hurt ordestroy women, sometimesdisguised as professionalrivalry, more directly as

bullying, rape or plaindomesticviolence.In Roma Nova, we were

hisworstnightmare.Andtherewasnohope.His cold ideological shell

was breaking down. ‘Caecoand I agreed. Your preciouscousin, her family, and thenyouandyoursarenext.’Calm.Ihadtostaycalm.I

took some deep breaths. Iinchedalittlefurtherforward.

I was around three metresaway from him. I could takehim.‘Well, it’s over,’ I said.

‘We’vepickedupCaecoandyour other friends. The DJandourpeopleareallaround.Bestgiveitup.’‘I might as well kill you

nowandpush the littlecreepofftheparapet.’He raised his assault rifle.

Inthesecondbeforehecould

steady it to aim, I whippedout one ofmy carbon knivesand sprang at him, slamminghim down. The rifle crashedto the ground and rolledaway. I shoved the blade upthrough his chest, aiming forthe heart but his breast bonedeflected it, jarringmywrist.I threw my knife down,crookedmyelbowtodrive itintohisneck.AsIshiftedmyweight to make the jab, he

freedhisarmenough tograbhispistol.AsIheardtheshotringin

myear,heatracedupmyarmlike a hot poker had beenrammed through my flesh.The pain echoed up to myteeth. I gasped, dredgingbreathbackintomylungs.He kickedme to one side

and sprayed the garden withhis light machine gun. Hewas clutching his chest.

Hopefully, the pain wouldmake him collapse. But hewasoneof thosewiry, toughbastards. He staggeredtowards thewall.Hebroughthis hand back to shoulderlevel, elbow bent at an acuteangle. Then he gave onequick shove and Hallie wasgone.

XXIII

Aroarof‘Nooo!’burstoutofmy mouth as a flood of redclouded my vision. I sprangupstraightfromthegroundathim, not caring this time. Iknocked him down by sheerforce against the innerparapet. Splinters of woodand flower petals showereddown on us. I hoped I’dsmashed his head open and

spilledhisdementedbrains.Unbelievably,hestruggled

up, pushing me to one side.Hemanaged to stand uprightagain, but swayed. Cradlingmy right arm against mychest, I staggered tomy feet.I couldn’t feel the arm, justwarm liquid dribbling overthe skin. I brought the outeredge of my left hand up tosmash down on his throat. Ihearda shot.Ahighvelocity

shot, a sniper. Petronaxdropped on me like a ton ofAquae Caesaris granite,spattering warm brains andblood over me. I lost mybalance and collapsed on theground,cursing.The brief high from thepallalgesicworking itsmagicdidn’t last. I was trying toholdittogetheraboutHallie’sdeath, but black depression

setinandIwantedtorunandhidesomewheresafe.‘Hold still, lady.’ I heard

the voice of Caecilius,Silvia’s physician, like hewasmetresaway.Buthewasright there, dressing mywound after removing thebullet. The lump of lead andthe extraction tube laydiscardedon thegrass, alongwithpadssoakedwithblood.Mine and Petronax’s. As he

finallyclickedthefasteneronthe sling strap, somebodythrust a hot drink into mygood hand: ginger and malt.It smelled wonderful as Ilifted it to my lips. I hadn’trealisedIwassothirsty.No way could they have

gottenthereintime.Idreadedseeing Hallie’s thin brokenbody, smashed after fallingfour floors, limbs turnedwrongways,apoolofblood.

I bent over and threw up.Caeciliusmusthaveheardmeretching.Herushedbackoverand wiped my mouth andface. I drew the back of myhand over my eye sockets,pushing the last tears out. Istruggledupright,gavehimaquicknod,andwalked in thedirection of the roof door.More like a waddle than awalk, my legs were cottonwool.IsawAtriasittingup,a

medic treating her arm andshoulder. Maelia was lyingunconscious on a stretcher,legsplinted,headbandaged.‘Report,’ I said to the

seniormedic.She looked at me. ‘Both

non-fatal, one leg wound,concussion, possible fracture,the other flesh wounds,shoulderandarm.’Shespokewith that dispassionate voicetheyallused.

I looked Atria. ‘You lookprettybloody!’She made a face. ‘Yeah,

thestains’lltakeagestowashout.’ Her face tightened.‘What happened to the littlegirl?’‘I don’t know. I’m…I’m

on my way to find out, butwhat’s the point? The boysdidn’t have time to save herbefore Petronax pushed herover. At least they shot the

bastard.’She quietly absorbed this

andturnedherheadaway,butnot before I saw a tear rolldownherface.I picked my way through

the smashed flower pots andwreckedloungerstothedoor.A figure nearly bumped intome as he burst through thedoorway:Flavius.‘WhereinHadeshaveyou

been?’Igrowledathim.

‘Hey, settle down. I wascoming to fetch you to thelower garden where theothersare.’‘Isitverybad?’‘Well,it’sabitofamess.’Amess? Were they all as

devastatedandoff-balanceasIwas?We emerged through the

side of the atrium into themain back garden. The softlightingfromoverheadlamps

and ground lights placedalong the lawn edges andscattered through the bedswasdesigned tocreateanairof tranquillity and quietdignity. Not a sign of thatnow. The lawn was churnedup by large-grip wheeledmini-trailers with a widehammock-style net stretchedhigh between them.One endwas ripped away. PGSFguardsmilledaround,several

others kneeling or squattingin a group, shouting andlaughing.What in Hades did they

think they were doing? Hotangerexplodedthroughme.Ibulled my way through, notcaring about my arm. Thetalkingdied.Istareddownatthe figure lying on theground.Livius? His beautiful face

was criss-crossed with cuts

andscratches,theblondcurlyhair muddy and his footflopped over at an awkwardangle, but it was him. Thecircle around him startedjoshinghimagain,buthewasgiving it back as good as hegot. Where was Hallie’sbody?I took some deep breaths

preparing to throw questionsatanybodyinmysightswhenmy commset pulsed in my

ear.Damn,Ihadforgottentoreactivatevoicemode.‘Mitela.’I listened and a heavy

stonesettledonmystomach.‘Of course. I’ll be right

there.’Flavius’s eyebrow rose in

question.‘The steward. I’m

requested to attend theimperatrix “at my earliestconvenience”.’

Right at that moment, I’drather have gone to my ownfuneral.Iwascompletelyata loss.

Silvia was safe now, but herchild was dead. I would beexonerated under the Strat8rules.Screw the rules. For a

second, I thought aboutrunning. I shiftedmyweightonto the balls ofmy feet butthen relaxed it back ontomy

heels, No, that would be theeasywayout.Notthistime.I stared at Flavius. He

knew me so well he musthaveknownhowuselessandanxiousIfelt.Andhowguilt-ridden. The old hackneyedfarewell fell into my mind:‘Nosmorituritesalutamus’.Itook a deep breath and wentoff to confront my ownversionofdeathinthearena.

Iwasdressedperfectlyforanaudiencewith the imperatrix:hair sweaty and falling inwild strands, black tee andshortsmuddyandtorn,bloodand other dribbles down myneckandarm,andtherestofmy flesh scratched andbruised. The only clean partof me wasmy sling. One ofSilvia’s staff handed me atowel to wipe my face, thenlet me through into her

privatedrawingroom.Silvialookedunfazed.Her

browneyeswereclear,noredrims, no dried tears. Herneutralcasualswereneat,herred-brown hair carefullydressed, all in place. I knewshe could hide her emotionswell,butthiswasweird.I bowed, my stomach

hurting and stiff fromPetronax’s kick. Before Icould stand up fully, she

came over, hugged me andmurmured,‘Thankyou.’What?I expected to be arrested

for laesamaiestas.At best, Ifailedtostopthemurderofamember of the imperialfamily; at worst, I was anaccessorytochildkilling.‘For Diana’s sake, come

and sit down, Carina. Youlookexhausted.’I hesitated. I studied her

face for any sign of hysteria,denial or other imbalance.Shecontinuedsmilingatme,gesturingmetosit.Iperchedon the couch next to her. Itwas blue, soft andcomforting. I prayed Iwouldn’t leave any stains onit.Ishookmyheadtoclearitand steadied myself. Whywasshesocalm?Wherewereher attendants? Conrad?Anybody?

She paused, looked atme,hereyesfullofconcern.‘Youdon’tknow,doyou?’‘What?’‘Hallie’ssafe.She’salive.’‘She can’t be,’ I croaked.

‘Isawhimpushheroff.’‘He went to push her off,

butConradusgrabbedheroffthe ledge at that exactmoment.’Conrad?‘Tell me everything!’ I

said.While Livius, Flavius and

Noviushadbeeninsertingthesafety net and Paula settingup ropes from the upperwindows, Conrad – thesupposed invalid – had beenbusy.OncethetwoadditionalPGSF guards had arrived inthe children’s quarters, he’dslippedoutandmadehiswayto the top floor corridorbelowtheroofgarden.

‘There’sasub-parapetthatruns around the top of thebuilding,’ Silvia said. ‘Themaintenance people use itoccasionally. It’s less than ametre wide, so they don’t iftheycanhelpit.’I’d never heard of it. Or

seen it. It must be hiddenfrom normal view by someclever recessing. Even withsafety harnesses, it wouldn’tbe a popular job going up

there: nothing would breakyour fall for four storeys.Ofcourse,Conrad had known itwas there. He would haveexplored the palacethoroughly fromhis first daythere with Silvia, let alonewhenhewasonmoreformalguardduty.Whenhe’dfoundit, he’d probably sat on theedge, admiring the view. Iclosedmy eyes for a secondortwo.

‘He brought her backdown. She was gripping hisneckasifstranglinghim.Hereyeswerebulgingandfulloftears, and she was shivering.Conradus handed her to mewithoutaword.Hegrabbedathrowandenvelopedherandme in it and pulled us downonto this very sofa. After afew minutes, he stood up,bentovertokissherheadandleft.’

I turned to one side. Thetears fell down my face. Itwas sheer reaction. I feltSilvia’s arm fold around myshoulders.‘Ithoughtwe’dlosther.’I

took the handkerchief sheoffered. It was exquisite –fine lawn edged with lace.The fragile curls and whorlshardly touched each otherexcept by a singe thread – aworld away from the blood

and brutality of the last fewminutes. I couldn’t blowmynoseonthispieceofdelicacy.Isniffedinstead.‘No, she’s fine.Abit cold

and dazed. Caecilius hasgivenheramildsedativeandshe’ssleepingnow.’‘I’dliketoseeher.’SheheldherhandoutandI

took it in my left. We wentdown the hallway, armslinked, closer thanwe’d ever

been. We passed the twoarmed guards stationedoutside the children’s suite.They immediately came toattention,butSilviawavedatthem to stand easy. I smiledat her casual attitude. Whileshe could be dignified onformal occasions, she wasvery relaxed in her ownhome.The dimmed light was

soothing,asoftpleasureafter

all the action. Silvia gentlypulled me through Hallie’sbedroom door and we snuckin through long drapes thatseparated dressing from bedarea. A guard was sitting inthe far corner, but she didn’thave any weapon showing.Shestoodupasweentered.Anurse by the bed looked up.She half-rose, but Silviawavedthembothbackdown.I crept over to the bed.

Hallie was fast asleep, armcurledaroundayellowrabbitsporting a vapid grin. Herface was a good colour andrelaxed, no tension lines.Well, we’d see in themorning. I bent and kissedher forehead, wondering attheresilienceofchildren.Silvia touched my arm.

She smiled and mimed thatweshouldgo.Outsideinthecorridor,she

turned tome. ‘Comeback inthemorning.Shewantstoseeyou.Conraduscaughther,butshe knows it was you whofacedPetronaxsobravelyandledtherescue.’‘I thought I’d killed her. I

tried so hard to reason withthat madman. Butideologicals are rigid, almostimpossibletomanipulate—’‘Shush! Stop being so

angst-ridden!Iknow.’

Igapedather.Shewasthemother who’d seen her childon the brink of death, theruler who’d nearly lost hersecond heir, but her eyeswerefullofsympathyforme.She looked straight atme,

herbrowneyeshardenedintoagate, and lips set straight asamailboxslit.‘Iamasboundby the covert protocol ofStrategy 8 as the operationalleader is. If you’d been

compelledtoletHalliego,I’dhave been compelled toacceptit.’I swallowed hard. I

couldn’t come close toimagining how difficult herlife must be on theseoccasions.As if a switch had been

thrown, she shifted personas.She smiled warmly and tookmy good arm. ‘Come on,drink. I certainly need one

and you look as if you do,too.’She brought over two

crystal glasseswith generousmeasuresofdarkgold liquid.Before I swallowed the firstdrop, I had to ask, ‘Silvia,where’sConradus?Imustgofindhim.Climbingalongthatparapet inhisconditionmusthaveexhaustedhim.’Isettheglassdownandstoodup.‘Sit down, Carina. He’s

resting,probablyasleepnow.I told thedoctor that as soonas he’d finished with yourpeople, he was to checkConradus.’ She sipped herbrandy.‘IhopeCaecilusgavehim a strong sedative.Conradus was an idiot to goupthere,but…’Shelookedatmegravely.‘Itfinishedyearsagobetweenus,andheisstillagood father to thechildren,butI’llneverbeabletoforget

that he gave me back Hallietonight.’We swallowed the rest of

ourbrandiesinsilence.An attendant came in and

whisperedinSilvia’sear.‘Ah! Of course.’ She

turnedtome.‘You’rewantedin the Operations Room?’Sheraisedaneyebrow.‘TheRedDiningRoom,’I

smiled.‘Well, Ihope theyhaven’t

troddenmuddybootsalloverthe Aubussons. The FrenchAmbassador will have myhide if they have! Whenyou’vefinished,goandsleepin theAntonia Suite. They’llwakeyouup ingood time tosee Hallie.’ She smiled indismissal, lent over andkissed me on both cheeks. Istood up, bowed and set offbackintothechaos.

XXIV

‘Glad you could join us.’Daniel greeted me at thedoorway. I saw lines ofexhaustion and stress aroundhis eyes, but a certainpeevishnessinhisexpression.He leaned in to me. ‘Haveyoubeendrinking?’‘Yes. And?’ I cocked my

headandthrewsomeattitudeathim.

He didn’t bite. ‘How isshe?’‘Fast asleep, sucking a

plushrabbit.’WesataroundthetableintheRed Dining Room. I’dglancedat the floor and seenthat somebody had taken theAubussons up. In real life,setting up a temporarycommand centre doesn’thappen like in Hollywood

films where they all dash inshouting and stompingaround.It’smorelikeaquickand efficient office fit-out.Furniture and rolled-up rugshad been stacked against thewalls, utility tables andworkstations set up in therequired pattern, commsnetinstalled within minutes bythe electronics group.Nobody shouted, rushed orcluckedaboutnervously.The

whole machine glided intoplace,operatorsslidintotheirseats and it was all up andrunning in under thirtyminutes.Now the Strat8 operation

was terminated,naturalorderwas back so, as senior rank,Major Daniel Stern took theheadof the table. I sat at hisright,ignoringLuriooppositeme, the fit members of myARTclusteredaroundtherest

of the table. The guardcommander sat on a chair atthe side with one of hersergeants,alongwithamedicof some sorts and a supportservice staffer. They alllooked dishevelled in oneway or another, exceptFlavius who, irritatingly,never seemed to look untidyor dirty, evenwhen crawlingaround in mud. How did hedo that? He’d just shrugged

when I’d once asked. He satthere,drawingaimlesslyonaclean pad of paper as if hewasataPTAmeeting.‘Report,’ Daniel pounced

onme.‘The objective is achieved

–HallieniaApuliaissafeandunderprotectiveguard.SheisrestingandIwillspeaktoherin the morning. Petronax isdead. No fatal casualties onour side: four injured, three

with gunshot wounds, allgoodprognoses.’‘Very well. Full written

report on my desk withinforty-eighthours,please.’‘Sir.’Igroanedinwardly.‘Commander?’‘Perimeterheld,diversions

successful, no casualties.’Luriokepthisvoiceneutral.Ididn’t know how he had theballs to look me in the eyeafter trying to blowmyhead

off.‘I would value a copy of

your report, please,’ Danielrequested, a distinct frost inhisvoice.‘Of course, Major, my

pleasure.’Luriosmirked.‘Guardcommander?’‘Nothingtoadd,sir.We’ve

stood down to orange level.We’re doubling, but with noknownthreat.’‘Thankyou.Medics?’

‘All evacuated and teamstood down,’ came a neutralanswer.‘Support service, let me

knowwhen you finally clearthesite,please.’Anod.Daniellookedround.‘Any

comments,observations?’Nobodycared tomake the

obviousone.‘Very well. Find some

food and get cleaned up and

rested.Backondutyat18.00tomorrow. Thank you,everybody – a good night’swork. Dismissed.’ And thatwasthat.I nodded to Paula, Treb,

NovandFlaviustocomewithme.Out of the corner ofmyeye, I saw Daniel watchingus. I thought he might comeover but I badly wanted tospeak to the others alone.Luckily, the support service

guyambushedhim.‘Through here,’ I

whispered, and led themalong a couple of corridorsandintoasmallserviceroomofftheatrium.I perched on the edge of

the table.The others took upposition around the walls ofthetinyroomandwaited.‘Sowhatreallyhappened?’

Idemanded.Paula and Flavius did the

obvious thing and exchangedglances. The others lookeddown.Nobodyspoke.‘Somebody draw the short

strawanddish,please,’Isaid.I saw Paula shrug as she

volunteered. ‘The boys werepositioningthesafetynetandlifting the platform to snatchthechildandbringherdown.I was readying the lines andharness at the fourth-floorwindowforLiviustocomein

thatwayifhehadto.Buttheplatformheld,hereached theparapet and shot Petronax.’She looked at me, carefullyevaluating my reaction.‘Couldn’t really miss at thatrange,’shesnorted.‘Petronaxlooked stunned already.’ Sheturned tome. ‘Was that you,Bruna?’‘Yes,Iwasshowinghima

new way to breathe directlyintothelungs.’

Good diversion attempt,Paula,Ithought.But Nov chimed in,

spoiling Paula’s hard work.‘The next thing we knew,he’d lost his balance, landedin the nets at an angle, andflippedoffintothegarden.’‘Lost his balance? Sorry?’

Livius was one of the mostagilesoldiersIknew.‘I rather think he was

surprised by what he found

on the sub-parapet,’ addedFlavius.‘Inwhatwaysurprised?’I was momentarily

distracted by Paula andFlavius doing that eye thingagain.‘Itwas the legate,’Novius

blurtedout.Flavius’s mouth turned

down in disapproving lines,and Paula frowned at Nov.Silvia told me Conrad had

caughtHallie before the shotthatkilledPetronax.‘Whatwasthelegate?’‘Bruna,you’renotgoingto

likethis,’Flaviusstarted.‘Yes, I have that feeling.

Just say it. I’m tired andhungry and don’t have thewholenight.’‘Very well. The platform

lift had taken Livius almostup to visual level, when hesuddenly saw the legate on

thesub-parapet.He’dcrawledout from a service access.Livius signalled him to staystillandsilent.Butthelegatestood up and mouthed“Jump” at the child, whichshedid.’I closed my eyes and

nearlystoppedbreathing.‘He caught her and clung

to the building edge. We’ddismissed it as far toodangerous for thechild– it’s

notevenametrewide.Liviusstood, made the shot andcrouched down. He wasspitting anger like Vesuvius.Hemouthedsomethingtothelegate,shookhisfistandarm.The legate’s arm shot outand, the next minute, Liviuswas crashing down into thenet thenbouncedoff into theroses.’Iflickedaspeckofdustoff

my arm sling. A mistake.

Caecilius’s shotwaswearingoff. The whole arm wasacutely sensitive, and painwashedthroughit.‘That’sit?’Iaskedcalmly.The four of them looked

surprised and relieved.Really, Idoubted Icouldsayanything printable at thispoint,soIdidn’t.Operatingonautomatic,Isawthe others off on their wayback to barracks in the long

wheelbase and checked withthe medics about Atria,MaeliaandLivius.Ialsohadthemgivemeanothershotformy arm. Noble suffering issuch a crap idea when youcan have it relieved. Theproblemwas it made puttingonefootaheadoftheotherina forward motion a lottougher.At theAntoniaSuite, near

to Silvia’s own apartments, I

fumbled with the silverhandle and opened the door.I’d despised the pastelinsipidity when I’d stayedbefore, but tonight it wassoothing. Emerging from theshort hallway, I heard abackgroundhumbut saw themain roomwas empty.Withhardly a moment to processanything,ortodecidewhattodonext,Iwasinterrupted.‘Good evening, lady. My

name is Petra. I haveprepared a bath for you andsomethingtoeat.’Shelookedlike somebody’s mother –efficient, caring, anticipating.She led me into theenormous, warm bathroom,peeled all the dirty and tornclothing off, not blinking attheknifeholsters at thebackof my waist or the sharpblades in them. She gentlyremovedtheslingandhelped

meintothebath.Shewashedme as if I were a five-year-old. The water was sosoothing I didn’t want toleave the warm cocoon, butsomehow I was sitting on achair, wrapped in towelledluxury, having my feetrubbed.Isaggedwithtiredness,but

I couldn’t give in before I’dseenConrad.Shufflingalongto the thirdbedroom, I eased

the door open, but it scuffedover the thickcarpet.Conraddidn’t wake. Lying on hisside,onearm,stillbruisedbutnowwithafewmoresurfacescratches, lay outside thecomforter. He was snoringlightly,fromtheeffectof themedication, I guessed. Theskinwassunkenoverhisfacebones, and brown shadowssurroundedhis eye sockets. Ipulledthecoveroverhisarm,

and bent over and kissed hisforehead.Hedidn’tstir.Back in the living room,

Petramademeswallowsomesoup but I couldn’t hold upmuch longer. Half asleep, Iwas led into anotherbedroom, fell into bed anddropped into blissfulnothingness.Thenextmorning,Iwokeupgroggyandheavy-eyed.Itfelt

like emerging from a pit ofliquid lead. Iwipedmy eyesand blinked at the morningsunshine suffusing the room.Who had opened the drapes?Igruntedandturnedoverintothe soft, thick comforter.Rightontomyshotarm.Thatwokemefully.Istretchedmylegs. Bigmistake.Mywholemiddle section felt like asoggy, sore lump of wood.Hades.

‘Cupoftea?’Petrastoodatthe side of the bed, steamingmuginhand. Isawhermoreclearlythismorning.Shewasall brown– eyes, hair, dress.But the concerned look wasthesameaslastnight.‘What’sthetime?’Ididn’t

havetheleastnotion.‘It’s still early, just before

seven.Caeciliuswillbealonginfifteenminutestoseeaboutyour arm. I’ll make some

breakfastforyouin,say,halfanhour?’I nodded, my head still

heavywithtiredness.The doctor dressed my

arm, gave me a shot andfussed around. He made medrinkanothercupof themaltand ginger restorative,whichI had to admit tasted good.Petra eventually booted himout, gently bullied me intoeating a mountain of food,

andextractedtheinfernaldyefrommy hair. I watched thebrown-stained water andsolvent foamdisappeardownthe plughole. The final traceof Pulcheria vanished alongwithit.I pulled on a robe, flicked

my damp hair behind myears,andshuffledalongtothefar bedroom. Conrad’s hairwas damp from the shower.He was in his robe eating

breakfast at a small table,watching the morningnewscastlikeitwasanormalday. How could he sit theresocalmly?Helookedaroundslowly, deliberately. Histhumb on the remote cut thetelevision.‘Hello,’ he said and stood

up.I couldn’t reply – I just

walked into his arms whichclosed around me. As I

hugged him, he winced. Ipulled back and searched hisface. He looked a lot betterthanIfelt.The bruises had dulled to

faint yellow patches; inbetween, a healthy pink wasshowing. The puffiness hadreceded around the eyes – Icould now see their normaltilted shape – and his mouthhad healed leaving a verticalscar.

Hekissedmyforeheadandgavemealopsidedsmile.I couldn’twork outwhere

to start, what to say. I knewhe’driskanythingtosaveanyof his children. He lovedthemall,unconditionally.Buthe’d risked himself andHallie unnecessarily, and itwas a miracle Livius wasn’tdead. Whatever his feelingsas a father, he knew as acommander he’d made the

wrong decision to go up onthatparapet.I didn’t say anything, just

looked at him. His smilefaded and a dull red spreadacross his face under mysteady gaze. Maybe myexpression showed mythoughts.Eventually,Isaidit.‘Youwerewrong.’His face closed up and all

softness disappeared. Heraisedhishead to lookdown

his nose at me. He lookedawkward, caught in animpossible situation. ‘Theoperation was successful.That’sallthatcounts,’hesaidtersely. ‘How we did it isirrelevant.’Crap.Hewasgoingtopull

rank. I pressed my lipstogether. I was too angry tospeak. He was beingincrediblyunfair,butI’dhaveto swallow it. But it didn’t

stopmeglaringathim.The sun was climbing the

sky, throwing its bright lightinto the room, but none intothespacebetweenus.‘I’mgoingtoseeHallie,’I

said.Ipausedbythedoor.‘What really bugs me is

that you didn’t trust us torescue her. You’ve alwayssaid to keep the personal outofoperations. It’s theRoman

way,yousaid.This timeyoufailed spectacularly. Greatexample.’

XXV

Hallie was sitting up in bed,eating porridge. Eew! SilviahadbeenraisedbyaScottishnurse, then an English tutor,so was happy to indulge inthiskindofstomach-churningpractice.Iwouldoptforeggsandbaconanyday.Hallie’sfacebrokeoutina

smile when I came in. Howglorious to give somebody

such pleasure. ‘AuntieCarina!’sheshrieked.I was humbled by the

intensity of her feeling. Ihugged her fiercely. I lovedhersomuch.Shewassuchanopen and friendly child, areflection of her mother’snature.ThatsheoozedcharmcamefromConrad.She looked me over,

disappointment plain on herface.‘Whyaren’tyouinyour

uniform?’‘Well, princess,’ I began.

Her eyes rolled at that. Igrinned back. ‘I got a littlemessy, running around theroof garden chasing the badguys, so I had a bath and achangeofclothes.’‘Yes,butyou’rewearinga

dress!’‘It’s a very nice dress,’ I

protested. Dark green silk,shot with gold and a gold

belt, gold earrings and fineleather gold sandals. Petrahadalsopart-braidedmyhairand drawn up it into achignon.She’dpassedmake-upbrushesandpadsovermyface in a few rapid strokesand fitted me with a cleanwhitemeshsling.‘Ithinkit’sone of your mother’s, so itmustbeallright.’Igrinned.‘Oh, Isee,’shesaid.Then

she went quiet and looked

down.I looked her full in the

face. There was never anypoint dodging the issue withchildren. They could alwaysspotaphoney.Her brown eyesmetmine

after a fewmoments. ‘Thankyou for savingme,’ she saidinathin,strickenvoice.Juno!If Petronax weren’t alreadydead, I’d beat him to deathfor the hurt his vile actions

hadputonthischild.‘Darling,I’ddoitagainten

times. He was a very nastyman.’Shelookedglum.‘Do you know, Hallie, I

was really scaredofhim,butI kept thinking of you beingbrave on that ledge. So, yousee,Icouldn’tletyoudown.’‘Were you really scared?’

She stared at me with wideeyes.

‘Oh, yes.’ I paused. ‘I’msorry if that’s spoiled anyillusionsyouhadaboutme!’Itriedtokeepitlight.And

then the surprise in her eyeschanged to something elsemore lively. She winked atme.‘Okay,’ she said, ‘I won’t

tellPapa,ifyouwon’t.’‘Phew! That’s a relief – I

don’t want to lose my job.Okay,deal.’

We clasped forearms toseal our bargain, hers barelyreachinghalfwayalongmine,but she had a firm grip. Shelooked at me with amischievous grin, and webothburstoutlaughing.I registeredmy exit with theguard commander who gavemeaspeculativelook.Iwasalittle too polished, I guessed.Conrad had gone straight to

the barracks, so Silviaarranged my ride back. Iwould have happily caught alift with the next vehiclegoing down the hill into thetown, but her newMulsannewas pretty neat so I sat backand enjoyed its luxury.Whatwouldhappenifanybodyputa muddy shoe on the creamleather seat? Probably havetheirfootchoppedoff.Driving through the home

park and out through thepalacegate,Iworkedoutmyimmediate plan: sneak intothebarracks,divedowntothelockerroomandchange,visitthe guys in the infirmary,grabaquickmealinthemessroom, and start the infernalreport. I might even findsometimetochewoversomeof the other problems I hadliningup.Good plan. Too bad it

didn’t reach the startingblock.AtthePGSFbarracksgate,

I turned my face to thescreen, spoke my name andstretchedmy hand out to thebioscan reader. A tiny beepreplied and the gate swungopen.To my surprise, a full

guard complement was onduty. I thoughtwe’drevertedtoorange level.Whyweren’t

they training? They hadplentytodoonthatfront.Tomy surprise, Lucius theadjutantcamedownthestepsto meet the Mulsanne as itglidedtoahaltwithmydoorprecisely at the midpoint oftheloweststep.Aguardleaptforward and whipped mydooropen.As I stepped out, Lucius

threw me an enormous grinand clasped my shoulders.

‘Welcomeback.’Afloodofbeigeandblack

poured down the steps.Flavius, Paula, Treb, littleNov in the front.Theremusthave been a couple of dozenmore. Then I heard a well-known pattern of bootsclatteringdownthestepsanda distinctive voice reachedme.‘Oh, for Jupiter’s sake,

clear out the way,’ Daniel

shoutedashebargedthrough.Hestoppedinfrontofmeandlooked me up and down.‘Gods, you look tarted upready for an orgy, or haveyoujustcomefromone?’Hegrinned,glancingatmysling.Asthemessdoorsopened,

the noise slammed into me.Theacousticswerelousy.ButI heard a cheer go up as Ientered. A glass ofchampagne was thrust into

my good hand. I felthumbled. These toughsoldiers rarely showed suchopen approval.Peoplemilledaround, gossiping, talkingshop,alittletoofrenetically,Ithought. JuliaSella smiled atme like shewas a proud bigsister.I spottedPaula andwaved

her over. She hesitated, herfaceblankassheassessedmypolished appearance. I knew

what she was seeing:patrician, cousin to theimperatrix, heir tooneof thegreathousesoftheImperium,not her comrade in arms. I’dseenitinotherpeople’seyes.I cursed under my breath asshe stopped a little distancefromme.‘Hey, Paula, it’s me.

Bruna.’She blinked and shook it

off,hershouldersrelaxing.

‘Howarethey?’Iasked.Her normal expression

reappeared.‘Allonthemend.Atria and Livius will bedischarged tomorrow.Maeliacameroundquitequickly,butneeded a procedure on herleg, so she’s stuck in theinfirmaryforawhile.’Igrimaced.‘She’ll be all right. Just

weeks of physio.’ Paulaadopted a pragmatic

approach,socopedwithmostthings that came her way.Maeliawould sufferormakethose around her sufferduring her convalescence. Ilookedaround. ‘Let’sgetoutof here. I feel awkward intheseclothes.’Paula nodded towards the

far end of the bar area.‘Kitchenservicedoor?’‘Perfect.’We smiled ourway to the

backedgeofthedrinkersandmade for the far end of thebarcounter,blankedoffbyashort wall. In the corner, aservice door opened onto theback kitchen corridor. Wepausedforasecondortwobythedoor.Icouldonlyhearthebuzz of talking, somelaughter, a shout or two,clinking of glasses. Until IpickedupConrad’svoice.Hemust have stopped at the far

endofthebar,awayfromtheothers, justaround thecornerfromus.Crap.Ireallydidnotwanttotalktohiminfrontofthe others. I touched Paula’sshoulderandshookmyhead.If wemoved, he would hearus.Wewerestuck.‘Well, Lucius?’ I heard

Conradaskcrisply.‘Legate. I missed you

whenyouarrived.’Thetwomenhadbeennot

merely friends, but comradesfor ten years, saving eachother’s backs literally andfiguratively many times.While Conrad was the nervyrisk taker, Lucius heldeverything together. LuciushadbeenthefirstofConrad’sfellow officers he’dintroduced me to when Iarrivedoversevenyearsago,and I was reasonably welltunedintohim.

‘You’ve recovered well,’Lucius said. His tone wasawkwardandtense.‘Yes.Thebodyhealswhen

it’s not being continuouslyabusedfordaysonend.’‘Look, Conradus, I’m

sorry we didn’t do anythingmore quickly than we did.After Galla, well, youknow…’‘I’m visiting her mother

tomorrow.’

I heard a glass placed onthebar.‘After a while, your only

existence is pain,’ Conradsaid. His voice was low,mechanical almost. ‘Whentheystartagain,allyoufeelispressure and points ofexquisite agony.’A pause. ‘Istopped caring after a while.If Carina’s gangsters hadn’textracted me, I would havediedwithinadayortwo.’

I edged up to the cornerand risked a peek. Only ametre away from us, theywere looking back to thenoisycrowd.Lucius looked agonised.

Conrad met his gaze. Theunsaid message that passedbetween them was blurred,both men breaking contactafter an uncomfortableexchange.After a few minutes’

silence, Lucius coughed.‘You’llletmeknowhowyouwant to set up post-actionmeetings tomorrow? I’vecancelled today’s eveningreport.’‘Whatever you think best,

Adjutant,’ came the coldreply.Next morning, back inuniform,myhaircontainedina serious plait, I felt more

collected, more structured. Ilooked inmymirrorandsawa soldier, ready for at leastlight duty (despite the sling).But the eyes were full ofstrain and red around therims.There were only a few in

themess hall, the night shiftmostly, eating before theyslept. I nodded to them as Ipassed between the tables onmywaytothehatch.

‘Eggsandbacon,ma’am?’Bless him! ‘Yes, thanks,

Glavus.’‘Yougoandsitdown–I’ll

do some fresh. Here, takethis,’ and he thrust a platewith a warm roll andpreservesatmeandbalanceda cup of steaming coffee ontheplate.Itsmelleddelicious.I munched the roll and

drank my coffee, trying toorganisemy thoughts. Imust

visitMaelia in the infirmary,andfindAtriaandLivius.Butthe main part of my daywould be my report forDaniel.Then Iwouldbe freeto go home. When I called,Helenahadsaidtheywereallrecovered, but her voicewasmuted. I desperately neededto see them. Especially mychildren.Justasmyeggsandbacon

were delivered, bacon sliced

up,Conradslidintothechairopposite.‘Well, youareprivileged.’

He mocked gently, watchingthe cook retreat back behindhishatch.I sawhe’dhad tograbhis

ownbreakfast.I shrugged. ‘Dependswho

youknow.’Weconcentratedoneating.

Afteraroundfiveminutes,hedrained his coffee mug,

carefully set it down andstudiedthetable.‘You know you’ll have to

undergoalongdebrief.’‘Yes,Isuppose.’‘Then there’ll be a

disciplinary hearing,’ headded.‘Great. Something to look

forwardto.’‘You know it’s not

personal,justprocedure.’‘Presumably I’ll still have

ajobafterwards?’‘Fifty-fiftyodds,Ireckon,’

hesaidand lookedupatme.Atlast.I dropped my knife and

fork on the plate, the clatterdrawingafewcuriouslooks.‘Fifty-fifty!’ I shrieked. A

fewmoreheadsturned.Hefrownedatme.‘Is that it? After I saved

everybody’sskin?’‘Well,they’lltakethatinto

account.’Helookedupatme.‘Fishingforacommendation,areyou?’‘No. Just some

recognition.’I knew I reacted badly

when I thought I was beingtreated unfairly. Not verymature,butthat’showitwas.Hewas joshingme – orwashe?His facewasunreadable.Sometimeshewasacompletemystery.

But what he said hit atenderspot.IhadactedlikeacowboywhenI’drunoff.Butif I’d done the proper thingand stayed, we’d have bothbeen dead along with Silviaand her family. Now, I wasfacingthepossibilityofbeingthrown out. Daniel wouldhave toldme to stop being adrama queen andwait, but astreakof fear ran thoughme.IwouldlosethelifeIloved.

It took me less than aminute to strike back. ‘If it’salltoomuchforyou,andyouthrow me out, I’ll go backandworkwithApollodorus,’I said. ‘We didn’t have allthis ass-busting procedurethere. We knew whensomebodyhaddonewell.’‘No.’ His face was

stretchedwithfury.‘What“no”?’Igloweredat

him,butinsideIwasnervous

ofhismood.‘I will not permit it. I’d

rather see you in prison thanyougobackthere.’‘Really?’‘Watchyourself.Youmay

thinkyou’vesavedtheworld,butyouarenotimmunetotheconsequencesofyouractions.Insubordinate doesn’t begintodescribeit.’Istoodup,turnedmyback

onhimandstompedout.

XXVI

Wheredidmyknackforself-destruction come from? Ijumpedintotheelevatoruptothe infirmary before theyfoundmeandlockedmeup.‘Morning, Captain,’ the

dutynursegreetedme.‘WhatcanIdoforyou?’‘I’vecometoseeMaelia–

shewasbroughtinyesterday.No,nightbefore–sorry.’I’d

losttrackoftime.Shescannedmybadgeand

looked at her screen. ‘Ah!You’re due anotherrestorative.Pleasewaithereamoment.’Didn’t they have anything

bettertodo?She came back in a few

moments with a cup of thefamiliar ginger and maltdrink. The gods knew whatelse was in it, vitamins or

something, I suppose, but itaccelerated the healingprocess. The swelling onmyarm had almost gone,although the wounds werestill seeping. Of course, itached.Like a true officious

medic, she watchedme untilI’d finished. I put the emptycup down, leaving a ring-mark to make her over-tidycountermessy.

‘Follow me, please,’ shesaid.She sweptme through the

swing doors. The hospitalsmell hit me. Even in thissmall facility, it ruled. Itbouncedofftheinhabitantsaswell as the cream walls.Therewereonlyhalfadozenrooms,andIwasusheredintothe second one along theshortcorridor.Maelia grinned weakly.

She was plugged into amonitor, and her leg wasencased in a plastic brace.She looked trapped in thewhitebed.Ipulledupachair.‘Well?’Ienquired.‘Well,what?’‘When are they

dischargingyou?’‘When my hair grows

back.’Sheturnedandshowedmethebaldpatchwithadeepbut healing graze. Poor

Maelia; she loved herbeautiful hair. It wasnormally a shiny, plentifulwaterfall of glossy darkbrown.Atthemoment,itwaslike a bunch of dark straw,too embarrassing for ascarecrow.‘Yeah, bummer,’ I

sympathized. ‘Is it very hardfor you now, with the leg, Imean?’She gazed at the vase of

flowers on the bedside tablefora fewmomentsandputalotofenergyinscrunchingupthe edge of her sheet. Sheeventually drew her gazeback to me. ‘They see noreasonforitnottohealfully,but I won’t be back to fullstrength for a few months. Ihave to lie still for twoweeks.’ She looked sodespondent. Maelia was oneof those active fidgets who

couldn’t bear to sit still, letalone lie still.Maybe I couldbring her into the strategyofficewhenshecamebacktolightduties.‘Too bad. You’ll have to

knuckle down and do whattheysayforonce,’Isaid.‘Justlikeyoudo,Bruna.’I

couldn’t mistake themaliciousgleaminhereye.‘Yeah, well, the least said

aboutthat,thebetter.’

‘Ah, ha! Do I detect thegolden girl is in troubleagain?’‘You mind your business,

Maelia.’‘Howbad?’Itoldherabouttherow.‘Hewon’t let you go, you

know. You might have arough time for a shortwhile,though.’‘You know what, Maelia,

youarestartingtosoundlike

Paula. She thinks she’s mymother.’‘Well, perhaps you need

one.’I saidnothing.Mymother

haddiedwhenIwasthree.We moved on, our

conversationrisingbackuptothesuperficial.‘I’ll come back tomorrow

ifI’mnotuponacharge.’‘Nah,youwon’tbe.’I tracked Livius and Atria

down to thegames room.Hewas half-lying on a couch,beer in hand, cushionssupportinghisback,thegoodfoot on the ground. She wassittingonadiningchair.Bothheld controllers and wereintent on the screen, alivewith movement. The screenflashed bright yellow thenclearedcompletely.Liviusthrewhisremoteon

the floor. ‘For fuck’s sake,

howdidyoudothat?Youaresuchacheat.’‘Don’t be a bad loser,’

came her soft voice. ‘I justusedtheadvantagesIhad.’‘Yeah,right.’Shejustlaughed.‘Rematch?’ he challenged.

I saw him watching her,carefully evaluating herreaction–orwasitmorethanthat?‘Glad to see you’re

practising your theoreticalcombat skills,’ I interruptedthem.Atria rose to her feet,

movingawkwardly,her slingmatching mine. I waved herbackdownanddraggedupachair.‘Hello, ma’am, how are

you?’ asked Livius. Helookedcompletelyatease,asif he were hosting anexclusiveliterarysalon.

‘Good,thanks.Arm’sabitstiff.Youtwo?’‘Well, I’ve felt better,’

replied Atria. ‘It’s so itchy!’She moved her elbow out alittleway fromherbody inacircularmovement.‘Thegodsalone know what drugsthey’ve givenme to take thepain away, but I expect I’llpayforit.’‘Well, take your mind off

it by choosing the next

game,’ Livius instructed her.As she stood up and did so,hisgazefollowedher.‘So what’s the prognosis

onyourankle,Livius?’‘Ihavetohavephysiofora

couple of weeks, then lightduties to the end of themonth.IfIpassthemedical,Icangobacktonon-strenuoustraining.’ His mouth turneddown at the thought. Hewatched Atria coming back.

She said, too smoothly, shewasgoingtofetchsomemoredrinks.Livius turned to me. ‘I

wanted to say somethingprivate to you.’ His usualcheeky grin disappeared.Hisscratched and cut face wasserious. ‘Up on theparapet…’Iwenttointerrupthim.‘No, let me finish,’ he

insisted. ‘Iwas furiousat the

time when I saw the legateand swore at him. I almostknockedhimoff.’He lookedaway.ButitwasConradwhohad

reacted and Livius who hadfallen.I felt uneasy at what was

coming. What was Liviusthinking? As a member ofone of the Twelve Families,he was perfectly entitled tochallenge Conrad on equal

terms, according to theFamilies’ Codes. He wasyounger, fitter and quitedeadly. Conrad was noslouch, but Livius was inpeakcombatcondition–well,apart from the ankle, ofcourse. But he was mycomrade in arms, part ofmypersonalteam,sohecouldn’tchallenge a member of myfamily. Gods, whatcomplicated connections we

madeforourselves!‘You could have been

killed,’ I said. ‘Andwewereon a Strat8, which wouldhave been successfulanyway.’Heshushedme,takingmy

hand. ‘We did succeed.That’s all that’s important.Don’t give him a hard time.He was only trying to savehischild,’hesaidsoftly.This was from the man

who’d been pushed off fourfloorsupbyConrad.‘Iknow,but—’‘No, finish it here or it’ll

sour everything. For both ofyouandfortheunit.’Helookedatmesteadily.I

was disconcerted by thisserious Livius, but he wasright. In the end, I lookedaway and hunched in thechair, not knowing what tosaybacktohim.

‘CaptainMitela?’Welookedaroundandsaw

one of the custody guards.Hadhecomeforme?‘Yes?’‘We’ve had a, well, you

could call it a specialdelivery,foryou.’‘Whatkindofdelivery?’‘The driver said it had to

be handed to “Bruna” or“Flav”. He said he needed areceiptfromeitherofyou.’

Few, very few, outsideknew my nom de guerre. Iflicked on my mouth mic.‘Flavius,Mitela.Meetme inthe custody suite in five.’Pause. ‘Some delivery orother.EitheryouorIhavetosign for it.’ Pause. ‘Not aclue.Out.’Atria came back at that

point, with a steward in herwake carrying a tray withdrinks and sandwiches. She

wasoneof thosepeoplewhoalways had immediate,sparkling service from anassistant, a waiter or asteward when the rest of uscouldn’tevenseeone.‘Hope it’s not a bomb,’

Livius commented andgrinned.‘You’llknowwhenitgoes

bang,’Isaid.

I hadn’t been entirely honest

withLivius.IfonlyFlaviusorI could sign for this deliverythen there was only onepossiblesender.WhenImetFlaviusonthe

stairs leading down to thecustody area, he didn’t sayanything,justlookedatme.‘Well, I don’t know

either,’ I said. ‘But let’s notmakeabigproductionoutofit.’We emerged into a wide,

cream-painted hall. Afternegotiating the security gatewhichslidshutbehindus,wepassed through the bodyscanner which hummed butdidnotbeep.As we approached the

desk, the duty sergeantdeigned to look up andnodded. ‘Ah,CaptainMitela,Sergeant Flavius, pleasecome this way.’ He handedover tohisdeputyand ledus

through another secure gateinto the garage area. Astandard long wheelbaseoccupied the far end wherethe sloping drivewayflattened out to enter thegarage,buttherewasnosignof any driver, just a doorgaping. Not good. We alltensed – maybe Livius wasright.‘Back. Now!’ shouted the

sergeant.Wefledtotheother

side of the security gate, andthe impact shutters crasheddown.An EOD bomb squad

appeared within minutes ofthe alarm call. They woreNomexbombsuits,withonlytheirfacesvisiblethroughthepolycarbonate masks. Theywaited for five long minuteswhile their commanderassessed the vehicle, thenopenedthesmallshutterdoor

and gingerly entered thegarage, keeping to the back.A small robot deployed,circling the vehicle withextendedcamera,sensorsandbioscanner. The EODcommander frowned into hisel-pad. No reading forexplosives, gases,mechanisms, plastic –nothing, his disembodiedvoice reported, only five lifesignsonthebioscanreadout.

I grabbed a spare helmetand mask. I left the bodyarmour – it didn’t fit aroundslings – and stepped throughtheshutterdoor.Sureenough, fiveglowing

bio signatures showedonhisscreen. He sent the robotaround again. Same result.Breathing more regularly, hesignalled a couple of histroopsintolookcloseratthevehicle. Kevlar shields held

in front, they scanned forelectronic traps as theyadvanced centimetre bycentimetre.All itneededwasa perimeter sensor to triggerand they would be scatteredin shreds of flesh across thegarage.Therobot’sarmliftedthe canvas cargo cover andslowly pulled it back. Therobot camera arm snaked inover the metal tailgate andswungslowlyaround.

Therewerefivemenintheback, manacled and securedto the floor. Their mouthswere taped and they wereblindfoldedwithsleepmasks.Igaspedas I saw themon

thescreen.‘Jupiter’sballs!’‘Friends of yours,

Captain?’ the EODcommander’s voice buzzedthroughhisheadset.‘Definitely not!’ I replied.

‘But a friend may have sent

them.’Ismiledtomyself.The commander looked at

measifIwerederanged.‘I leave you to do your

bodychecks,’ I reassured theEOD leader. ‘But I thinkyou’ll find they’reclean–sowill the long wheelbase be.’Philippus would not haveserved me a dirty trick onthis.Niceofhimtoreturnourvehicle.Half an hour later, the

custody guards were let inand tookournewguests intotheir tender care. Stripped,searched, examined by themedics,theywerefoundtobein reasonable condition, buttruculent. I formally arrestedthem and read them theirrights before they werelocked in individual cells.They’d keep until themorning,Ithought.‘Idon’tsupposeyou’dlike

to tell me who exactly theyare,wouldyou,Captain?’‘It would give me the

greatestpleasureintheworld,Sergeant. Just find me adecent cup of coffee and asandwichandI’mallyours!’

I finished all the paperworkby just after 14.00 and felt alittle smug as I walked backupstairs. Apollodorus hadbehaved impeccably,

whatever Conradmight havethought.Rightnow,Ineededto find my desk and startDaniel’sdamnedreport.I opened the door to my

office and walked into apalace. The piles of boxes,racking struts, cupboards,chairs, cabinets, screens andcabling reels had beentransformed into a sleek,hummingstrategycentrewitha large transparent

polycarbonate situationscreen at the end.A bank ofdesks and screens lined thetwo walls with a commandstation at the end of the run,facing into the room. Evenmy sandboxwas there in thecorner with bright lightingover it, illuminating everygrain. The dividers betweentheofficeandlecturehallhadalso been renewed with palebirch panelling. On the

command station top, theresat my old scratched deskorganizer and cube-padblock.I saw Fausta and Drusus,

chirruping into headsets,playing some deep strategygame. Drusus turned aroundonly to see who hadinterruptedthem.‘Captain!’ The impatient

look on his face dissolvedinstantly, replaced by

goggling eyes and an openmouth, but he quicklyrecovered. Fausta’s headsnapped round. She wasequallyamazed.‘What? Didn’t you expect

me back?’ I tried to lookcrestfallen, but couldn’tmanage it. I grinned instead.Theybubbledaroundme,likeacoupleofplaygroundrivals,each intent on showing mesomething new and

wonderful. At last, I arrivedat the command station, avery streamlined affair,unlike my old, stained,wooden utility desk. Still, akeyboardwas a keyboard, soI logged on and startedtyping.After an hour, I stopped

and stretched my legs. Myarm was also protesting bythen. I needed to take somemedication. ‘Okay, where’s

thecoffeemachine?’They glanced at each

other.‘Um,wehaven’tunpacked

it,ma’am,’confessedFausta.‘Because?’‘Well, we both drink

mineralwater.’I shut my eyes for a

moment.‘Very commendable,

Fausta, but please get thecoffee machine on, stat,’ I

instructed.I found the fridge in the

tiny side kitchen. Assuspected,nomilkorcream.Isighed.‘On it, Captain,’ Drusus

almostputhis finger throughthedesksetinhishaste.‘Andsugar,’Iadded.They

lookedappalled.Ifinishedmyreportandhit

print. I likedtoreadthefinalversion on paper with a red

pen in my hand. I couldn’thearathing.‘Okay, where’s the

printer?’Iwasobviouslystillthinking in old office mode.Perhapsitwassomethingelsetheyhadn’tunpacked.Faustaleaptupandslidout

a unit from the row of wallstorage. ‘We keep it in here,to prevent any cross-signalswith the game system.’ Thewholecompartmentwaslined

with grey pyramid-patternedradio absorbent material.Impressive. I collected mysheets and skulked back tomy seat like a dinosaur.Amendments done, I mailedthe report to Daniel. I alsomessaged Colonel Somnaabout our new guests,copying in the legate, theadjutant and the operationsofficer.Isatbackandwaited.Inevitably, my terminal

beeped with an alert for anurgent meeting: legate’soffice.

Although 19.00, the sun’swarmth hadn’t diminishedmuch. It was only lateAugust, after all. But a fewred streaks in the sky hadslashed across the yellowingsky. In an hour, it would bedark,thetimewhenbadguyscameouttoplay.Iwassitting

in the corridor outsideConrad’s office lookingthrough the sliding glassdoors to the little internalgarden. Long limbs of twobirch trees stretched up,chased by a photinia in hotpursuit. Lavenders androsemary added scent and,somehow, bees made theirwayinthere.Andoutagain.Somna arrived with

Lucius, who looked sour. I

stood and waited quietlybehind them. Sella appearednext andwe exchanged briefsmiles. There were a fewminutes to go. Daniel wouldcut it fine as usual and hedidn’tdisappoint.Summonedby the legate’s EO, wetraipsed in. He invitedSomna, Sella and Lucius tositonthecouchesandwavedDaniel andme to find a seatsomewhere.

‘We appear to haveacquired the core plotters,’the legate said in a neutraltone. ‘Naturally enough, youwill wish to interview them,Colonel.’ He nodded atSomna. ‘Please liaise withMajor Stern and CaptainMitela for operationalinformation. They will bedetailedtoyouforas longasyouwish.’Wonderful.

He scanned around. ‘Irequire detailed diaries andreportsofallactionsyoueachtook part in over the pastthreeweeks.Iincludemyself,of course,’ he said. ‘Thesewill be examined by aninternal security board, andappropriate disciplinary orcommendation action takenasnecessary.’Nobody said a word. He

rubbedthefirsttwofingersof

his righthandon thehairlineathistemple–thestresssign.‘I will have to think exactlywhowillmake up this board–noneofusherearefittositon it, except perhaps Sella.Forthetimebeing,everybodywill continue as usual.Daniel,couldyoustepupthetraining schedules – pleasehandovertoColonelSellaonthiswhileyouaredetachedtotheInterrogationService.’

He looked down at thecoffee table. To me, helooked pinched and pale.‘You realise the legal teamwill be all over us as theyprepare the trials. It istherefore imperative that youcomplete your accounts assoonaspossible.’The dejection in his voice

permeated the room. Hewasn’t only thinking of thepast weeks, but trying to

prepare us and protect usfromtheinevitablefallout.After the meeting broke

up,Ihungaround.‘Do you really want

everything?’Iaskedhim.‘Yes.’‘You’ll kill my legend.

I’ve kept it alive for sevenyears.’‘Iknow.’‘I could use it again. If I

could come up with an

alternative—’‘Don’t try. I want it

finished.’‘Is this todowithpushing

me out? Should I govoluntarily?’‘Ithinkyouhavetomakea

decisionwhereyoubelong.’I couldn’t believe he was

puttingmeinthisplace.Iwastrying to stand on both sidesof a crevasse that wasopening up under me. The

two sides were parting at anincreasing pace. I looked atmywristband.‘I’mdueatthepalace very soon. After that,I’ll have to take a couple ofdays,maybeless.’His face was neutral, but

the voice was clipped andcold. ‘Very well. But this isthelasttime.’‘I— I don’t—’ I couldn’t

say any more. I swallowedhard. I resented being forced

toabandonapartofmylifeIfelt strongly about.Apollodorus had helped megrowup.Hewasmymentor,mycolleague,myfriend.Conrad stood up, came

overtome,laidhisrighthandon my good shoulder, andgentlystrokedmycheekwiththeother.‘Goanddowhatyouhave

to do,’ he said quietly, ‘andthen come back to me.’ He

kissed me lightly on myforehead and gave me a sadlittlesmile.

XXVII

Flavius picked me up at thepalace and we drove toApollodorus’s house. In thecoolerevening,Iwasgratefulfor the black fleece uniformjacketovermyshoulders.Weapproached the gate with itsgraceful stone arch. Thegatekeeper would be tuckedup in a warm holesomewhere, so I tried the

coded entry system. I wassurprised and, in a strangeway, wary when it worked.The vidcamera swung in ourdirection as the gate opened.Flavius drove in and parkedin the visitors’ area at thefront. By now, they wouldhave ID’d us and be ready.To say I was apprehensivewasanunderstatement.Iwastremblinginsideandout.Flavius gave me a

sympathetic look.He jumpedout,camearoundandopenedthepassengerdoorforme.Heheld out his hand. ‘C’mon,Bruna.Let’sgetonwithit.’Ourboots crunchedacross

the gravel. The inner metalbarred gatewith itsVenetianscrollwork opened almostsilently for us.Wecontinuedupthepath,alltwentymetresof it. The sound would havealerted the house even if we

weren’talreadybeingtrackedon the cameras. As wereached the house door, itwasswungopenbyaservantI didn’t recognise. Hisoutstretched arm invited usintothecoveredcourtyard.Waiting for us with grim

expressions were Justus andPhilippus, plus twobodyguardscarryingcompactassaultrifles,angledreadyforuse.We were the opposition

– that was obvious. Ouruniforms reinforced it. Bothmenmadeashowof lookingatusindifferently,butIcouldsee wariness in Philippus’seyes.Ilookedacrossatthem,avastchasmbetweenusnow.These were comrades, loyalfriendsasclosetomeinsomewaysasmyART.MaybenotJustus.‘Against the wall,’

Philippus said, pointing at

me.Histenseface,hiswholemanner silently begging menot to do anything stupid sohe’d have to shoot me.‘Please.’I placed my left hand at

shoulder height on the coldstone.Myrightarmstiff,butno longer painful, lay in itssling.Onebodyguardstoodametre away to my side andglued her weapon to a pointfifteencentimetresawayfrom

my head; the other coveredFlavius.Philippus lifted my jacket

off, handed it to Justus whosearchedit.Nextmybeltandside arm. Philippus gave methemostthoroughfriskingI’dever had. I’d never beforeappreciated how inquisitivehis strong hands were. Heunclippedtheslingandeasedmy arm out, lifting thedressing to inspect the entry

wound. I gasped as the skinpulled. The wound was stillweeping a little liquid andblood.‘Sorry,’ he muttered.

‘Wherearetheknives?’‘Ileftthembehind.’Justus snorted. Fair

enough. Pulcheria alwayscarried her knives. ‘Take offyour boots. Slowly andcarefully.’Notsoeasyone-handed.It

tookforever.Thesilencewasoppressive.Ididn’tevenhearthe birds that normally flewaround here. I went to handthe boots to Justus, but hepointed to a spot on theground a metre away. Hepicked them up, searchedthem,gruntedandthrewthembackatme.As Ibroughtmygood arm up to catch them,and missed, the twobodyguards brought their

weaponsup.Gods,theyweretense. What had theyexpectedmetodo?‘She’s clean. You next.’

Justus gestured at Flavius.Philippus couldn’t meet hiseyes ashemoved forward tosearch Flavius. He tookFlavius’s side arm, belt andnightstick.Icouldn’tretiemyboots–

the fingers onmy right handwerenerveless and throbbing

bynow.Despitetheweaponstrainedonhim,Flaviusthrewa lookofconcentratedhatredatthemboth,kneltdownandfastened them for me.Philippus couldn’t look backathim.‘Follow me,’ Justus said,

asifwedidn’tknowwheretofind anything in this sofamiliar house. He soundedresentful–no,bitter.This was going to be ten

timesworsethanIthought.Philippus peeled off

somewhere with ourweapons,andJustusledustothe meeting table in theatriumwhereApollodorussatwithhisseniorstaffinexactlythe same formation as ouroperationsmeetings.Herminaand Albinus scrutinised uscoldly. Cassia smiled. It wasthemostanimatedIhadeverseenherface.Ifwecameout

ofthisalive,Iwouldfindoutexactly why she had left theCensor’s office and if therewas anything prejudicial wecould bust her on. JustuscametoroostbyHermina.Helooked satisfied for somereason.Weweren’tinvitedtosit.ApolloandIstaredateach

other. I looked into theblackpits and thought I saw hurt,fury,cynicismallmixedup.I

could never work him out.Who knew what he saw?Perhaps my profoundsadness. He’d known I wasPGSF and had been DJbefore; he’d kept it hiddenfromtheothersuntilnow,buthe’d known from the verybeginning. Hewas angry fordifferentreasons.‘Always a pleasure to see

you, Captain,’ he began.Gods,ifthechillinhisvoice

couldgolower,Ididn’tknowhow. I waited. He wasobviously deriving someunhappy pleasure from ouruncomfortablesituation.‘I do hope this is not an

officialvisit–Ifearyoumayhave come a little light-handed if you wished tosucceedonthatpath.’Coldwashedoverme.We

couldn’t have been morevulnerable.

‘No, this is not an officialvisit,asI’msureyourealise.’Hermina started at the

soundofmynormalvoice.Ofcourse, she’d only heard meas Pulcheria who had anincredibly irritating nasalwhine. Albinus looked moreinterestedthanbefore.FlaviusandIwerewalking

onaveryfragilesurface.Oneclick ofApollo’s fingers andwe’d be gone. Philippuswas

standing less than a metreaway. Justus wouldn’t eventake the space of a breath tothink about pulling thetrigger. It would bring downrepercussions of fifteen on ascale of one to ten, but Ididn’t have a doubtApollodorus had some exitstrategy already in place incasehechosetoterminateus.I scared myself thinking soclinicallywhenIwasseconds

away from a bullet throughmyhead. I should have beenshittingbricks.Mybloodwaspumping chemicals aroundmy body, but it wouldn’thelp. Even together, Flaviusand I couldn’t take them all,but neither could we tryrunning. We’d be dead inseconds.IfeltatremoroffeartryingtocrackmyshellbutIpushed it back.Maybe Iwasgoing to die, but I wouldn’t

give them the satisfaction ofseeingmeafraid.Iclearedmythroat.‘Imust

thank you for the specialdelivery we received thisafternoon.’Justus and Hermina

exchanged glances, andJustus flicked his gazetowards Apollo who didn’trespond or even make anykind of movement. He juststared at me like he was

tryingtobore intomysoul.Ifelt powerless and trapped.What did he want? After afull twominutes, I caughton– he was going to make mebeg. At that thought, I feltboth relievedandhumiliated.Apilotlightofangerlitupinthebackofmymind.Thenitflareduptofullstrength.Thehell with that and to Hadeswithhim.Nobody said a thing.

Waiting for time to pass, Ilistened to the faint soundofa vehicle moving a shortdistanceawayandthehumofsomekindofmachinenearby.Iwouldstandstillforaslongas it took. After a quarter ofan hour, Justus and Cassiastarted to fidget and I heardPhilippus’sbootsasheflexedhis feet. Hermina lookeduncomfortableandmovedherhead from side to side.

FlaviusandIjuststoodthere.We’d endured hours’ longparades–a favourite trickofthe tribunes when theybecameboredwithnothingtodo in the barracks. It wasmostlyacaseofmakingyourmind adapt to the inaction. Ilooked straight down atApollo, daring him to dosomething.BecausetherewasnowayIwould.Istartedcountingthepores

on his skin, on his nose andunderhiseyes.Imovedontothebrows.ThenIcountedtheeyelashesoneachedge,upperand lower of each eye. Thattook up a good twentyminutes. Then the grains inthefloortilesIcouldseejustoff the edge of his head.When I’d finished half anhour later, Philippus wassitting at the side, defeated;onebodyguardwassittingon

the floor, the other gone;Justus was walking up anddown; Hermina and Cassiahaddisappeared.‘Enough!’ Apollodorus

shouted, banging the flat ofhis hand on the table. Hestood up abruptly and strodeover to stand in front ofme.Verylittlespaceseparatedus.HeglaredrightatmewithanangryintensityI’dneverseenbefore. ‘Sacra flamma! I’d

forgotten just how stubbornyoucanbe,’hegrowled.Withmyperipheralvision,

IsawJustus,mouthopen,feetfrozen to the flagstone. Hecouldn’t believe his eyes –he’d obviously never seenApollolosecontrol.Apollo still stared at me.

Hedidn’tblinkonce;hisfacehadreturnedtoimpassive.‘Philippus, take Flavius

with you and get lost

somewhere. You,’ he said tome,‘comewithme.’Flavius looked towards

me. I nodded. The crisis hadpassed, thank Juno. But wecouldn’t relax yet. I signedFlavius to use a significantamountofcare.Evensigningwithhisfingers,hisreplywasunrepeatable.Apollo abandoned his

usuallanguidstrollandstrodeaheadofme.AsIcoaxedmy

stiffened legs into action tocatch up with him, I noticedhow set his shoulders were,howrigidhisneckwas.We were on the way

straight tohis tablinum – notvery private, but I had nochoice. To my surprise, wewent past the open-endedroom.Totheleft,heopenedaplain door outward. It hadalways been locked, and I’dthoughtitwasacupboard,or

steps to a cellar. It was darkinside,andIhesitated.‘In,’ he commanded,

holdingthedooropen.I sighed. I was sure he

wasn’tgoingtokillmenow.IjusthopedConradwouldpaytheransom.Itookthreestepsand encountered a clothcurtain, soft and thick likevelvet. He pulled the doorshutbehindhimandall lightvanished. Itdidn’tsmellcold

or damp like a cellar. Thefloor under my feet wasspringy like wood. I sensedhim right behind me andjumpedwhenheputhishandon my upper arm. A tingleranacrossmyshoulders.‘Have you lost all your

wits?Pullthecurtainback.’I did and stepped out into

anothercentury.ThefirstthingIsawwasa

walnut fireplace carved with

leaves curling around eachother along the top edge.Below, flames flickeredbehind a decorated wrought-irongrillsendingwarmthintothe room. Over the fireplacehung an enormous mirrorwithlotusleavesandirisesingold-paintedwoodaroundtherim. Apart frommy shockedface, the mirror reflectedsinuous ivory and jet femalestatuesstandingontopofthe

mantel. Dull gold andcrimsonbrocadedrapeshungdown the walls. Two carvedwood couches, padded withred velvet mounds, and goldglass-shaded lamps sheddingsoft light reinforced thevoluptuous style. This was aroomforseduction.The intimacy and

unrestrained sensualityunnerved me. Not for itself,but because it conflicted in

every way with the austere,controlled man standingbehindme.‘Sit,’hecommanded.I did, both entranced and

stunned.My eyes adapted tothe dim light. On the lefthung a print of an unclothedriver nymph with flowers inher long, wavy tresses. Suchwomenalwayshad“tresses”,never just hair. On theopposite wall was a painting

ofatall,slenderwomanwithlong black hair, and wearinga pseudo-medieval robe. Theartist hadmade her beautifulin the style of the age, butthere was nomistaking fromher black eyes who she wasrelatedto.‘Whoisshe?’‘Mygrandmother.’In all the years I’d known

him, I’d never thought ofApollo in the context of a

family.Thatwasridiculous,Iknew;evenhemusthavehadamotherandfather.I’dneverknown his real name nor hisage – they weren’t questionsyou asked serious criminals.Despite his studied old-fashioned ways which Ithought he used to distancepeople,hecouldn’thavebeenmorethanlatefortiesorearlyfifties.He handed me a glass of

wine.I’drecoveredenoughtobe able to hold it withoutspilling. I took one sip thenset it down on a side tablethat had swan neck curvedlegs.‘This ismygrandmother’s

boudoir–well, acopyof it,’he explained. ‘She wasFrench, you know, a well-known salonnière after theGreatWar.Mymother, whowas from Castra Lucilla,

insisted that her mother-in-lawcameand livewith themwhen shemarriedmy father.Although my grandmotherwas a parisienne, born andbred, she moved perfectlywillingly. She feared for herson who had fatalweaknesses.’ His facehardened.‘Shewasright,butas a smallboy Ididn’tknowthatuntiloneverybadday.’He looked at the painting

with longing. ‘She gave meunconditional love. She wasmy anchor during thenightmarethatfollowed.‘Iwon’tboreyouwiththe

rest of the sordid details,machère. Nobody likes to hearabout an addicted fatherpimping a child, a motherreduced to thieving.He evenbeat and terrorised his ownmother when she no longerhadanymoneylefttoservice

his addiction. Not exactlyedifying examples, are they,asparents?’So that was why he’d so

hated thedrugs tradewhen ithadthreatenedusthoseyearsago.‘I clawedmyway through

my adolescence andeventually rid my family ofmyparasiticfather.’Iwasn’tgoingtoaskwhat

he meant by “rid”, but the

hate must have boiled longand hard. It washeartbreaking. Inearly forgottobreathe.‘I became a mildly

successful criminal andmaintained my mother andgrandmother a few rungsabove poverty. My mother Ihonoured and was sorry for,butIhavelovednowomanasI have my grandmother…untilsevenyearsago.’

We sat silently, the onlynoise a clock somewhere ontheside.Afterafewminutes,I pulled myself up and wentto sit at his feet. I stretchedmyhanduptolieonhis.Hisother hand touched my hair,and I restedmyhead againsthisknee.Wehadneverbeensophysicallyintimate.Norsoemotionallyintune.Ifeltmyselfslippingaway

in the warmth of the room.

Almost before I realised it,Apollohadscoopedmeupinhis arms and was carryingme. I was so tired andoverwhelmed I didn’t carewhat he did. I felt my bootsbeing removed, my uniformfollowing, my hair released,the soft sheets, the slenderhands,thennomore.When I woke, I was bymyself. A thin line of light

outlinedthewindowframe.Itwasearly,aroundhalfseven,I guessed. I switched on alight and found a green silkkimonolyingonthebed.AsItied it on, I caught myreflection in the chevalmirror. I looked likeMadamButterfly.Ididn’tknowifthepast twelvehourshadbeenaseriesofscenesfromacomicopera or the deepest tragedy.Tearswelled inmyeyesas I

realised what I’d found andlost all at once. I closed myeyes and shook my head totry reset my mind, but wasinterruptedby aknockat thedoor.Flavius’s faceappearedaroundtheedge.‘MayIcomein?’I burst into laughter,

maybealittlehysterically.Hewas dressed as a houseservant and carried a tray. Ismelled the ginger and malt

andgroaned.‘Don’toverreact.Youlove

thestuff.’‘Buthow?’‘Philippus blabbed about

your shot arm, and the cookmadeitupforyou.’‘So Philippus is talking to

youagain?’‘Well, he thawedout abit

whenApollodorus lost it.Hewanted to know what you’ddone to him to make him

reactlikethat.’Isaidnothing.‘Fine,’hesaid,andpaused

forafewmoments.‘Well,wehad a couple of beers andtalked about this and that.Even Justus came and sat in.We packed up after an houror so, and they found me aroom but confiscated all mykit. So, I pinched this tunicfrom the laundry room thismorning, then went and saw

thecook.’He sat on the edge of the

bedandlookeddown.‘I don’t know what

happensnext.Ifwecomeoutof this alive, it’s the finalbreak,isn’tit?’He’d grown up with

Philippus. They’d workedtogetherforApollosincetheywere teenagers, before I’dnudged Flavius into thePGSF. I knew he’d seen

Philippus from time to time,but I’d never dreamed ofreportinghim.Ilaidmyhandonhis.‘Yes,’ I said, ‘total

rupture.’A knock at the

interconnecting door brokethe silence. Then Apollocamethrough,alsodressedina kimono and smiling.Flavius’s eyes didn’t quitecome out on stalks. He

looked at me briefly,murmuredanexcuseandleft.Asthedoorshutbehindhim,IturnedtoApollo.‘Thanks,Apollo.Thatwas

reallyhelpful.’‘You didn’t think you’d

escapewithoutpayingapriceofsomekind,didyou?’Ithrewhimacoldlook.‘Actually, I came to see if

you would join me forbreakfast.’ He held his hand

out.We sat alone in the small

triclinium by the garden.Open in the summer, largeglazedpanelswereinsertedinthecoolerseasons.Wetalkedof old times, peoplewe bothknew, his roses. The barrierhaddissolvedbetweenus;weno longer needed to beguardedwitheachother.Ourlinkwasabouttobreak,andIrealised I’d never see him

again.He leaned forward and

wipedatearoffmycheek.‘Iwon’tseeyouleave.Iwanttoremember you as you arenow,here, sittingwithme inthegarden.’‘Apollo,I—’‘Shh.’He laid a finger on

mylips.Eventually, he turned to

me and said almost casually,‘I’vealwayslovedyou.From

thefirstmomentIsawyou.’I searched his face. His

eyes were warm and liquid,buthisfacewascomposed.‘I’ve always known,

Apollo,’Ireplied.He smiled, tookmy hand,

kisseditandleft.Our uniforms were returnedto our rooms, clean andpressed, boots shining.Flavius and I kitted up and

made our way down to theatrium in silence. Thereception committee waswaiting for us. No Cassia –thatwasarelief.Hermina spoke first. ‘I

don’t know what to say toyou.Pulcheriawasmyfriend.I see her in you, but you arenother.’Hereyeswerefullofresentmentanddoubt.‘I’msorry,Hermi,I—’‘Don’tcallmethat!That’s

hernameforme.’Shelookedaway.‘I apologise, Hermina. I

would notwish to cause youdistress,’ I said formally. ‘Ivaluedyour friendship, and Ithankyouforthegoodthingswedidtogether.Butwehavetopartnow.’ Iheldmygoodhandout.Thewayshelookedatit,Ithoughtshe’drefusetotake it, but she did, and thenembracedmebriefly.Albinus

nodded to both of us, andwalkedawaywithHermina.Justus. He just looked

pissed with himself andresentful of us. ‘I’ll say this,Mitela, you’re one hell of anoperator. I never imaginedyou were the law. Far toomaverick.Ibettheyloveyou–you’reprobablyonachargemostofthetime.’Hesneeredat me. Flavius took a steptowards him, but I signalled

himback.‘I’ll take that as a

compliment,Justus.Actually,I’m considered very good atwhat Ido,very imaginative.’Igrinnedandadded,‘Onlyinthecoolerfromtimetotime!’‘Ha!’Herelentedandhalf-

smiled. ‘So I suppose we’llnowallhavemassivefilesonyoursystem?’‘Well, you might have a

mention here and there…’

None of them knew it, and Icertainlywasn’t going to tellthem, but I’d set up apersonalalertsevenyearsagothat,iftheyeverregisteredonany lawenforcement radar, areportwouldautomaticallybesent tome as their contact. Iwouldn’t necessarily be abletogetthemoff,butI’densurethey had good representationandafairhearing.Iwouldn’tbeaddingCassiatothatlist.

Philippushadbeen talkingquietly toFlavius but, seeingJustus had done, heapproachedme.‘I feel privileged to have

known you, Captain. Youalways were an exemplaryleaderandgoodsoldier.Icanseewhyyou’resuchanassettothem.Ishallmissyou.’Heheld his arm out and wegrasped forearms in the oldRoman way. To my utter

surprise,Justusfollowedsuit.I wasn’t going to do

anything lame, but I wasmoved by their words andactions. One of the guardsbrought our weapons andbelts to us. After strappingthem on in silence, FlaviusandInoddedtoPhilippusandJustus, turned about andmarchedtothedoor.Flavius, bless him, drove

up to the heights over the

townandstoppedbytheruinsof the old fortress. I sobbedmy heart out. He just staredinto the distance. Then wecleaned ourselves up anddroveback to thebarracks insilence.

PartIII:Endgame

XXVIII

I walked through my officeon automatic. There was aday-old terse message fromDaniel about theinterrogations and where inHades was I? I sent anequally terse holding replyand then mailed the legate’sEO for an appointment. Fiveminuteslater,Iwasinstructedtoreportimmediately.

As I walked along thecorridor,Ifocusedonkeepingmy head in professionalmode. I doubted I could gonear the personal for sometime. I had my hand on thedoorplatetogointotheouteroffice leading to Conrad’swhenDaniel cameoutofhisowndoor.‘Where the hell have you

been?’ he asked. ‘I’ve beenstuck in with Somna for the

past day and a bit. Nowthey’rehasslingmeaboutyoubeingAWOL.’I couldn’t deal with this

now.‘I was tying up a loose

end.’He snorted. ‘What loose

end?’‘Need to know. And you

don’t.’Iglancedupanddownthe corridor. Thankfully, itwasempty.

‘Bullshit! Tell me.’ Hegrabbedmygoodarm.Hisnormallysmootholive

face was contorted by harshlines. He radiated anger andresentment.Likeakidwho’dbeenleftoutofthegang.ButIwas late. Ididn’thave timetomassagehisego.‘Getoffmycase,okay?’ I

heard my voice growingshriller.‘Don’tyou talk tome like

that – I outrank you,’ hebellowedatme.‘You’reconfusingmewith

somebodywhogivesashit!’Ishouted back at him andpulledmyarmoutofhisgripjust as Conrad’s outer officedooropened.‘Enough!’ Conrad’s voice

cut through the bedlam. ‘Isthis a military office or thefishmarket?Heglaredatme.‘Stop shrieking this instant!

You’re not some sixteen-year-oldtartwhosepunterranoff without paying. Findsome dignity.’ He swungaround to Daniel. ‘Go awayand calm down, Daniel. Ifyoucan’t,goforalongrun.Iwill not have you shoutinglikesomebarbarian.’He held his inner office

dooropenforme.‘Sitthere,’he said, pointing to the chairthe other side of his desk,

‘and take somedeepbreaths.Don’tspeakforfiveminutes.’Hescribbledsomethingon

a paper report and tappedrapidly on his keyboard. Themuted staccato rhythm onplasticwasstrangelycalming.‘Iapologiseforthatscene,’

I said after two minutes. ‘IlostitwhenDanielkeptgoingon at me. I should knowbetter.’‘Yes, you should, but I

understand the strain you areunder.’ He shot a quickglanceatme.‘Doyouwanttotellmeaboutityet?’‘No,butit’sallover.’‘Verywell.Now,youmust

go back to work. But first, Ithink you should go homeand see Aurelia and thechildren for a few hours.They’re recovering well, butshe’s worried about you. I’llschedule you for the night

watchsoyoudon’tneedtobebackuntil20.00.’

I waved my thanks to thedriver as shedroppedmeoffatthegate,passedthebioscanandtrudgedupthesteps.Junia’s son, Macro,

greeted me. ‘Are you ill,lady?Letmefetchsomebodyfor you. Would you like toleanonmyarm?’I shook my head and

started through the vestibuletowards the hallway. Unlikehis mother, he didn’t knowhow I hated a fuss. Wherewas Junia? The imagineslooked particularlydisapproving tonight, but Iignored them. Two weremissing; coloured ceramicandmarbleshardslayinneatpilestotheside,underneathatorn wall tapestry. A lobbydoor hung off its hinges. I

was diverted from thevandalism by a familiarfigure trip-tripping down thehallway.‘Juno! You look like

Proserpina after her threemonths in the underworld!’announcedHelena.Hervoicewashighandtight,andalittletoo cheery. One of herelegant eyebrows, each hairnormally plucked and archedinto submission, now soared

aboveablackeye.Below,hercheek was swollen with redandbluebruisingwhichmadeherlittlesmilelopsided.I swallowed hard. ‘How

badisit?’‘Everybody’sfinenow,but

Aunt Aurelia’s taking us allintothecountrynextweek,tothefarm.Shesaysweneedtobe away from the city. It’llgive the staff a chance tocleanandrefurbishthewhole

house.’Her voicewas brittlewith

false reassurance. Sheglanced around nervously,unable to let her eyes settleonmyface.‘Helena,tellme.’Shelookedaway.‘Well?’Sheshuddered. ‘Itwas the

most frightening thing I’veknown.Aureliawasdignifiedand tough. Iwas scaredstiff,

butpetrifiedforthechildren.’Shegulped.I pulled her onto a couch

and gently drew her to me.‘Tellmefromthebeginning.’‘They came first thing,

before breakfast. A load ofmilitary police, they ran intothehouseanddraggedusoutintothebackofadirtytruck.Conradus hadn’t come backthenightbefore;Iassumedhewasstillonduty.Icalledand

calledhim.Itriedyourofficephone in case anybody wasmonitoring it, but wasdiverted to voicemail. I kepttrying to reach somebody,anybody, until they grabbedmy phone. It had to be ahorrible mistake.’ Sheglancedup.‘Iknownowthatwas when they’d taken himofftotheTransulium.Oneofthemsmackedmy facewhenI tried to help Aurelia.’ She

made a moue and brieflytouched her damaged face.Her hand was shaking. ‘Thetwins cried, butwemanagedtocalmthem,butAllegrajuststared at everything anddidn’tmakeasound.’I felt a chill, and itwasn’t

anythingtodowiththestonewalls. My fists balled up. IwouldmakesureItracedthatMPdetail.Theirregretwouldbe long and painful.

‘Anythingelse?’‘Well,yousawMacrowas

on duty? Junia’s in hospitalwith a broken arm andconcussion; Galienus has adislocated jaw, cracked ribsand a fractured foot. Theytried so hard to defend us.The rest of the householdstaff were held at gunpointand then locked in a cellar.Macro came back from theearly market and found his

mother unconscious on thefloor.’ Her voice rose, shakyand tighter. She grabbed myarm. ‘Carina, they had theaccesscodes.’‘Thatbastard,Superbus.’‘Juno!Ofcourse,we’djust

sent the codes out for theFamily Day,’ she said. Shegulped, trying hard not to lettearsescape.I said nothing, but pulled

her to me and let her shake

hersobsout.After a minute or so,

Helena drew her head backfrommy shoulder, looked atme and blew her nose.‘You’dbetterseeAureliafirst–Allegraishavinganap.’‘Allegra.She’snot–she’s

wasn’t…hurt?’‘No, apart from rough

handling, they didn’t reallyinjureus.’I shut my eyes and

breathedout.‘Was it likely?’sheasked,

doubtgrowingonherfaceasshe realised what I wassaying.‘Unfortunately, yes.

You’re a teacher, Helena.Think back to yourRepublican and earlyImperial history,’ I said,roughly. ‘Remember exactlyhow they killed femalechildren and relatives of

political enemies? How theycouldn’t kill virgins? Whattheydidfirst?’Shestaredatme,horrified.

I reached the atrium andfound my grandmother on acouch by the glass wallgiving onto the garden. Thefall sunshine painted thewalkwaycolumnsandgravelsa delicate gold. UnlikeApollo’s cosseted roses, the

flowers were lookingoverblown and turningbrown, on their way tobecoming corpses. Thegrasses waved around, theirears full of seeds, but lookedstalwart among the failingsummerplants.Speaking of stalwart,

AureliaMitela satuprightonthe couch reading anewspaper,newgold-rimmedglasses perched halfway up

her nose. She looked like anold-fashioned Englishheadmistress, especially asher expression so evidentlydisapproved ofwhat shewasreading.‘Tchah!’ She half threw

the paper down on the oaktable in front of her and,sensing me, looked up. Sheopened her arms and I fellintothem.We sat there, talking

quietly together. She insistedI tell her everything,interruptingnowandagaintoask a pointed question orwhen my brain overran mymouth.‘What about you, Nonna?

Pretty terrifying for you.’ Iscrutinised her face, but shelookedexactlyasusual.‘Don’tbesoppy.I’vebeen

through a great deal worse.I’mnotalittleoldladyoutof

somegenteelnovel.’No,shetrulywasn’t.She’d

beenPGSF inher time, evenled the attack to retake thecity during the civil war.Although now in her mid-seventies, she definitelybelonged to the “tough gals”league.She gave me a close

description of the arrestingparty. What a difference itmadewhen the victimwas a

trainedprofessionalandcouldgive you precise, detailedinformation.She’dprintedoffher statement and signed italready. They hadn’t beendetainedlong–justlockedinan interview room for a fewhours.UnlikeHelena,Aureliahadkepthercellphoneinherinsidepocketwhentheywerearrestedand,once lockedup,she’d simply texted Silvia.Fromadetachedprofessional

viewpoint, that custodysergeant needed shooting –sloppy not to have searchedthem.Silviahadbeentoldbytwo

of the renegade senators thatthe Mitelae were behind acoup. She couldn’t consultwithherchancellor,Conrad’suncle, Quintus Tellus, as hewas away in Geneva and“therewasacommunicationsproblem”, the PGSF signals

officehadclaimed.Superbus,nowlordingoverthePGSF–the treacherousbastard–hadordered the arrest ofConrad,Aureliaandthechildren.Silvia hadn’t believed a

word, and ordered thewomen’s and children’simmediate release. She’dreluctantly agreed toConrad’s detention, notdreaming what they’d do tohim, but insisted on nomore

than house arrest for Aureliaand the children until thesituation clarified. I guessedSuperbus obeyed, thinking itdidn’tmatteras,withinafewhours, Petronax would havelaunched the real coup andSilvia would be permanentlyoutofplaysoonafterwards.‘Iwasmoreworriedabout

Helena,’ my grandmothersaid. ‘Oh, I think she’s beento some slightly risky parties

and there was that kidnapbusinesswithRenschman sixyearsago…’Jeffrey Renschman – my

father’s first-born childwho’d grown into apsychopath and hunted medown in retribution for themisery he thought my fatherhad caused him. I shudderedat the memory of how he’dthreatened to kill Helena. Iremembered the sense of

betrayal and, to be honest,anger at my father for neverhaving mentioned I had ahalf-brother. That came laterafter I was recovering inhospital from my near-fatalfight with Jeffrey. He’dcracked his head as he’ddropped to the ground andwentintoadeepcoma,dyingnotlongafter.‘… but she’s never been

touchedbythiskindofbrutal

political conflict,’ Nonnacontinued. ‘Like a lot ofprofessional people, shehasn’taclueaboutwhatIdidand you do.’ She smiled atme, one soldier to another.‘Shame they don’t still docompulsoryservice.’Iletthatonego.Icouldn’t

really see Helena in auniform.Ihadn’tanalysedwhyIdid

what I did. It seemed so

naturalforme.Servicetothestate was a complex idea.Somecleverpoliticalscientistcould say it a lot better thanan ex-advertising accounthandler. It wasn’t alwaysdesperately comfortable; wehad to make some harshdecisionsandslogonthroughimpossiblesituations.Servingyour team, buildingrelationships that literallysavedyourlife,submittingto

discipline, going intosituations no sane personwould–thiswasallpartofit.Anyway, the uniform wascool, and you were given afreedrinknowandthen.‘Do you feel better now

you’vetoldme?’shesaid.‘To be honest, I’m not

sure. We still have all theclearingup todo– just thinkof the paperwork!’ I glancedaway. ‘And I’mdreading the

fallout amongst mycolleagues when the wholestorycomesout.’‘AndSuperbus?’‘Oh, gods! What an

embarrassmentforthefamily.He’llhavesomefancylawyerwho’ll spin it out and ournamewillbedraggedthroughthecourts.I’msosorryaboutthat,Nonna.’‘It’snotyourfault,darling.

Unfortunatehewasn’tcaught

in crossfire, but never mind.However, I think the familymay be able to help if heproves intractable. Do youknow Dalina Mitela’sdaughter?’Nonna smiled like an

Egyptian sphinxandoutlinedapossibleidea…

Back in ourwing, I changedinto jeans and tee and wentuptothechildren’sdayroom.

Helena was clearing up themorning’s activities. Shegave me a tight smile andnodded.Allegrawassittingatthe table finishing somewriting. She looked up andsaw my face, smiled andwalked over to me, far toocalmly.‘Hello, Mama,’ she said,

herfaceserious.‘Hello, darling.’ I gently

folded my good arm around

her.‘What happened to your

arm?Didthosemenhurtyouaswell?’‘I’mfine.I’lltellyouover

lunch.’She just hugged me. As I

pulled back, I saw two tinytearsrolldownherface.We ate our macaroni and

cheese, Gil and Tonia beingmessy and showing off,Allegra giving them

disapproving looks. Isympathisedwithher.‘They are pretty

disgusting, aren’t they?’ Iwhisperedtoher.‘Butthey’llgetbetter,youknow.’She looked at me

doubtfully.Helenacartedthetwinsoff

toclean themupbefore theirnap andAllegra and I talkedsomemore.‘Have you killed all the

badguys?’I swallowed hard. ‘One,

but the rest are in jail, andwillstaythereforalongtime.As well as punishing them,we have to teach them tochangetheirmindsandnotgoaround being nasty to otherpeoplejustforwhattheyare.’Sheabsorbedthat.‘Sothey

werethinkingbadthings?’‘Well, everybody’s

allowed to think anything

theywant.Most people havea lot of different thoughts,and that’s fine. But it’s notallowed to act on badthoughts if it’s going to hurtother people. Sometimes,soldiers like Daddy and Ihave to stop and catch thesepeople.’‘Oh, I see.’ She glanced

down and sideways as shetwisted her fingers aroundeach other. She brought her

eyes back up and searchedmy face. ‘But they wereunkind to hurt you. Is yourarmverypoorly?’‘It’salotbetterthanitwas

–bettereveryday.’Igrinnedather.‘Theyallkeepmakingmetakemymedicine.’She made a face in

sympathy.Right on cue, a knock at

the door and a beaker of thedamn restorative appeared. I

couldn’tbelieveit.Morethanthat,itwasMarcella,Nonna’sassistant,carryingit.‘The Countess’s

compliments and you’re totakethisafteryou’vefinishedyourlunch,whichIbelieveisnow.’Shelookedpointedlyattheemptyplates.‘Thank you, Marcella.’ I

tried to sound sarcastic, butshe was being kind, thatstifling kindness that people

who’ve known you forseveral years feel they canexertonyou.Allegra was watching me,

as wasMarcella, so I had toswallowitalldown.Marcella started to go but

as she reached the doubledoors, turned. ‘Welcomehome, lady. We’re alldelighted to see you backsafely.’ItookAllegradowntothe

swings in the garden. Weperched on the seats, idlypushing at the worn patchesin the grass with our feet,Allegra’s legs at the perfectangle,minebentbackalmoston themselves. Helena’sassistant brought out somemilk and biscuits which weate sitting sideby side at thepicnictablewiththeblueandwhite segmented umbrellashading us from the strong

sun.I sought my daughter’s

hand and held it in mine.‘Allegra, do youwant to tellmeaboutwhen themen tookyou all away?’ I cringedinside, not knowing what toexpect.‘They were cruel and

noisy. The twins cry atanything, so they don’tcount.’ How hard childrenweretoeachother.

‘WhydidtheypushNonnaand slapHelena?’ she asked.‘We hadn’t done anythingwrong – I always try to begood. So why did they hurtus?’ Her face didn’t showdistress or upset, justbewilderment. ‘Helena saidthey were bad men obeyingbad orders from that smellySuperbus. But they lookedlike soldiers, like you andDaddy.’

‘Oh, darling, they were adifferent type of soldier.Notverygoodones.I’llshowyousome pictures of differentsorts, if you’d like, so youcanseethedifference.’‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘So I

knowfornexttime.’Ihuggedhertightlytome.

After a few minutes, Ireleased her and said,‘Allegra,I’mgoingtodomyvery best to make sure there

won’tbeanexttime.’‘I know you will, Mama,

but,asGreatNonnasays,younever know.’ She lookedstraight at me. ‘Will youpunish the ones that werecrueltous?’‘Yes.’‘Oh, well. That’s all right

then.’We walked back, hand in

hand. In the dayroom, wekissed and I left her with

Helena.

Iwasfartooincensedtostartmy report. I had to calmdown first, so I went andtalkedtoAureliaagain.Itoldher about my conversationwithAllegra.OneofHelena’sfriends, a cognitivecounsellor specialising withchildren, had started sessionswith Allegra, but Nonnathought Allegra would get

over it reasonably quicklynow that I’d started thehealing process with her. Iwasn’ttoosurethatwaswhatI’d done, but Nonna seemedconfident.I tried for an hour and a

half todraft thebonesofmyreport for Conrad andmanagedtofleshoutpartofitaswell,butitwasastruggle.I had an ergonomic desk intheoffice in the apartment, a

comfortable, personally-contoured chair, perfectlighting – everything of thebest. Normally, I could sitthere forever.Thisevening, IfoundIhadtostretch,rubmyneck,stareoutofthewindow,andflexmylegs.Iletmyarmout of its sling and made itattempt a few picking upexercises around the rest oftheoffice. I drew thedrapes,filed some papers, played

with the paperclip pile.Eventually,Igroundtoahalt,saved my draft, password-protected it and messaged itto my secure storage box atthe barracks. After a quicksandwich, I put my uniformbackonandwentonduty.

XXIX

Before reporting to theInterrogation Service, Ichecked in at my strategyoffice formail and requesteda couple of slots with JuliaSella for the next day. Anemailfromoutsidepingedin.Jus@pf.improm.com.Justus!Crapsquared.Iwas

toast.Knowing I should know

better,Iopenedit.Itwasveryformally worded and hadnumerous attachments. Asecond one pinged in. Moreattachments. He’d senteverythingwe’d uncovered –statements, recordings,reports, photos – all of it. Istaredatthescreen,unabletomove. It had penetrated thesecurity check system.Albinus was a real smartHarry. The internal security

section had been disbanded.What was I supposed to dowith this bunch of stuff?Myfinger hovered over theDelete button. How easy totap and erase the two emailsandsavemyselfashovel-loadof trouble.Except,of course,there’d have been copiessaved automatically on thecentralregistry.I closed down, locked up

and reported to the

interrogation centre, asrequested.Unfortunately, Somnawas

on duty. She was aprofessional soldier of manyyears’ standing, extremelyeffective at her job as seniorinterrogator. Conrad hadenormous respect and likingfor her. Iwas biased, havingbeen on the receiving endseveral years ago. I’d alwaysfeltnervousaroundher.

Despite the name, theInterrogation Service mostlyused psychologicaltechniques, persistentquestioning, hours of it,sometimes the odd chemical,butthatwasstrictlyregulated.They just sat there, going onand on at you. They didn’tinteract or show a flicker ofemotion. One favourite oftheirswaswhenthreeofthemsatinacirclearoundyouand

just stared. Didn’t sound toobad but, after an hour, mostpeoplestartgibbering.Somna had been a captain

working with Conrad on thePulcheria case when I’d firstencountered her seven yearsago. I’d been brought in asthe chief suspect. Theinterrogation had taken adangerousturn,andI’dendedup holding Somna in athreatening death grip.When

the DJ had identified me astheir agent and had mereleased fromPGSFcustody,she’d simply nodded at meand said, ‘My respects,’ andwalkedaway.Shewasoneofthe few who knew the fullstory.HeronlyreactionwhenI joined thePGSFwasa tinyjolt of recognition in hernormallyexpressionlesseyes.Nothingsince.Theduty sergeantdirected

me to her door. I swallowedhard,whichwasdifficultwithadrymouth,andknocked.‘Enter.’‘Goodevening,ma’am.’‘Ah, Captain Mitela, glad

toseeyou.’Shesmiledatme.‘How’s the report comingalong?’‘Um, quite well, ma’am.

I’d hoped Imight be able toworkon it tonight.However,something’scomeup.’

Her grey eyes showed aflickerofinterest.‘I’ve had a couple of

emails with some sensitiveattachments. I would havereported it to the internalsecurityoffice,butthereisn’tonenow.’‘No,’ she said dryly and

glancedatmysling.‘SowhowouldIinform?’‘Sepunia and I are

combining forces for the

present. Our teams areworking their way steadilythrough their whole set-upandworkhistory.Whydon’tyourunitpastme?’‘May I log on to my

accounthereandshowyou?’‘Please.’ Shemoved aside

fromherkeyboardandwavedme to it. Wired as I was,sittingcloselytohermademeeven more hot anduncomfortable. I forced

myself to breathe evenly andslowly while downloadingeverything from Justus.Somna stared at the screen,hereyesdartinginsynchasiftheywere interactingdirectlywith the information andimagesonit.Asmilegrewonher face like some alienconstruct. She looked likeshe’d been taken on a worldtour of interrogationconferences, all expenses

paid.After she’d seen

everything once, her handdarted out and she jabbed abutton on her commset.‘Longina, get in here. Stat.’She didn’t shout, but it wasonitswaythere.A tall brunette, slender

beyond skinny, came in;another one with a smooth,expressionless face. Wasthereaspecialfactoryturning

themout?But, as she leanedover to the screen andabsorbed the contents, shewas moved to say, ‘Fuckme!’ which I thought wasappropriate, but entirelyunexpectedfromarobot.‘Right,Mitela,start telling

usaboutthislot.’Itwent on for hours.True

to type, they were relentless.Notinahostileway,butlikethirsty vampires, natural to

them.Ifeltsuckedoutbythetime we’d finished. Almosteverything was acceptable.Somna regretted that I’dstamped on Pisentius’s footand kicked Cyriacus, but itdidn’tinvalidateit.‘Although a little crude

from a professional point ofview, for an untrainedinterrogator I think you didvery well,’ Somnacommented. I ignored the

patronising tone and almostpassed out with surprise atherpraise.‘Ididn’trealiseJus—they

were making recordings,’ Isaid.Sneakybastard.Longina tookme to finda

drink.Thank the gods. Iwasgasping.‘That’s a goldmine,

Captain.’ She held her handout. Her handshake was dryandunbelievablyfirm.

I reciprocated and smiledback at her, relieved that itwas mostly legal as well asuseful.‘The Colonel will want

your report even moreurgentlynow.’‘Well, there’s quite a bit

more to go in. Itmay take afewdays.’Iwas trying to put off the

inevitable confrontations.Now,notonlyConradwason

mycasebutSomnaaswell.‘Letmeknowifyou’dlike

to observe any of thesessions,’Longinasaid.Shesmiled,andIthinkshe

meant it kindly, like shewasconferring a favour, but Ipassed for that shift. Mynerves were still janglingfrom talking toSomna,and Ineededtogivethemabreak.Instead, she gave me a

quick tour of the service’s

work andorganisation. Iwasfascinatedbytheanalysisandcompilation facilities. I sawnow there was much morework in this function than inthe physical interaction withthe prisoners – the icebergsyndrome,Iguessed.‘So how are the

interrogations goinggenerally?’Iasked.‘We’vewrappedupAburia

now. Her hearing before a

military tribunal is scheduledfor next week. Obviously,you’ll be called, so I’ll get alegal staffer in to brief youtomorroworthenextday.’She consulted her screen.

‘SextusCorneliusiswrapped.He’s being transferred to theremand centre forpsychological reports. Ah!There’s a new note – theCornelia Family legal officeristosupporthim.Luckyboy!

They’ll bring a top-ratelawyer in for him. Not thatit’llmakeanydifference.’Ididn’twanttoshatterher

illusions. Sextus wouldprobably tell the legalofficertogostickherself.‘Caeco, Pisentius, Trosius

and Cyriacus were work inprogress but, with yourmaterialtoday,’sheraisedherhead from the screen andsmiled, ‘we’ve made a

quantumjump.’I seemed to have made

somebody’sday,atleast.I finished just after two in

themorning,pleasedwiththeprogress I’d made on myreport.Asshewasalsogoingforsleep,Longinaintroducedme to the early shiftsupervisor, Porteus. Somnawas still welded to her deskbutwouldprobablynapforafewhourslater,Longinasaid.

It was quiet in the ISgeneraloffice:justthehumofcomputers, a vidscreen onlowvolume,andafewpeopleworkingatdesks.Deskswerearranged open-plan incontinuous worktops with agenerous space for eachworkstation. I thought itresembledmission control inHouston.Ameetingtableandchairs occupied the corneropposite the entrance to

Somna’soffice.Itlookedlikeanyboringworkplace,but,ofcourse,itwasn’t.ItappedonthedoorframeofColonel Sella’s office at08.30 next morning. ‘I’msorry to have made such ashort-notice appointment,ma’am, but I wonder if youcoulddomeasmallfavour.’‘Well, you can certainly

ask,’shesaid.

That jarred. Her usualfriendly tone was gone, herexpression neutral with nosmile. Nevertheless, I had togetthisdone.‘Ihaveayoungcousin, Lucilla Mitela. She’sa student at the CentralUniversity, and she’s beenworking at the library overthe vacation, down in thearchives.She’s finished therenowbutstillhas threeweeksto fill. I wondered if I could

useherforsomeroutineinputworkhere?’‘Fillinanapplicationform

online and I’ll approve itthen.’‘She’s filled it out. I have

her CV and characteraffidavit right here,’ I said.‘Andhersecurityform.’She looked at me with a

sucked-in face. ‘Do I get theimpression you’re trying tosteamrollerme?’

‘Notatall,ma’am,butsheonly has three weeks, and itcan take a week to processthese things, at best. Ipromised her.’ I smiled withwhat I hoped was anappealingexpression.‘You’re not going away

untilIapproveit,areyou?’I judged it better to say

nothing.She tapped on her

keyboard, accessed the

application and signed it off.‘Dropthepaperworkoffwithmy clerk. She can starttomorrow.’She looked down at her

folderandslid thenext sheetover.Iclosedthedoorquietlyas I left. What was thatabout?Was she put outwithmeorwasitsomethingelse?The IS office was buzzinglikeabeehivethatmorning.I

foundmyworkstation,sippedmycoffeeandlookedaround.I was about to work on myreport when Somna came uptomewithasmileonherfacelike she was Fortuna with asackfulofgifts.‘Ah, Carina, come with

me.’Sowewere on first name

termsnow?We made our way

downstairs and entered a

controlroomwiththreesidescovered with large screens.PairsofISweresittingatfiveof them, headphones on,scribblingonpadsor tappingonkeyboards.FrightCentral.Well, maybe that was tooharsh. I must have beenwatched on these screens forthe two days I was down inoneofthosecells.Ishivered.Somna gave me a ruefulsmile. It was scary how

sympathetic she was. If Iwasn’ttoocareful,she’dsoonbecomemybestbuddy.I stood silently while she

listened to the supervisor’sreport. Trosius was nowwrapped up, and he thoughtPisentiuswouldbebytheendof the day. The supervisorlookedatmewithaquestioninhiseyes,butSomnadidn’tintroduceme.‘Shallwelistenin?’

Pisentius was on a chair,handscuffedbehindhim.Theinterrogator was standingvery near, one boot nudgingPisentius’sbarefoot.Hebentdown and said softly, ‘Nowyou don’t want me to breakthetopofyourotherfoot,doyou?’ Pisentius flinched, hisshouldersrollinginwards.Helethismouthdropopenafewmillmetres and I heard himcatchhisbreath.

The other interrogatorrepeated her question in aboredvoice.Andagain.Thenthefirstonepulledupachairright by Pisentius, crowdinghim, and repeated thequestion. And so it went on,unrelenting. Pisentius startedsweating.Two minutes later, he

shouted, ‘Screw you! Ofcoursewe did!’ and he hunghishead.

I almost found myselfsympathising with Pisentius,thefundamentalisttraitorwhowanted tokillmycousinanddestroy her country. I tookthe headphones off andwalked away from thescreens.Iwaitedbythetable.When Justus and I hadquestionedtheconspirators,itwas in anger and withurgency.IrespectedwhattheIS did, probablymore than I

had before, but I was tooemotional to do their job inthis depersonalised,methodicalway.Back upstairs, I grabbed

another coffee and settleddown to my report. I heardsnatches of conversationsaroundme,butkeptmyheaddown.Sobersloggingcalmedmy nerves. By lunchtime, Iwas finished, but I didn’tshare that piece of

information. I had somethingtodofirst.Longina was back at her

desk.‘What’s the situation with

Superbus?’Iasked.Herfacefell.‘Well,we’ve

only done preliminaries withhim,buteventhenhewantedhis mummy, sorry, hislawyer.She’sa toughnut,soIthinkit’sgoingtodragout.’‘Willyouletmeknowifit

reachesdeadlock?’She lookedatme,puzzled

butinterested.Ileftitatthat.I knocked on Somna’s

doorandputmyheadaroundittoaskhertoexcusemeformy meeting scheduled laterwith Julia Sella. Although itwas in the diary, I thought itpolitetocheckin.Danielwasinwith her and, as I tried towithdraw, Somna called meback.

‘Carina, Major Stern waswondering if he was neededanylongernowyou’rehere.Iratherthoughtnot,unlessyoufeelotherwise?’Daniel looked incredulous

andthrewaloadofquestionsatmewithhiseyes.‘No, I don’t think so,

ma’am,’ I replied with asmile.‘Very well, you’re

released,Major,’saidSomna.

‘Thankyouforyourhelp.’

Daniel and I walked backtogether to thegeneralPGSFoffice. He’d completelyforgottenourfightyesterday.‘So now you’re best

buddies with Somna? Ithoughtyouhatedher.’‘I think “hate” is a little

overstated but, sure, I wasnervousofher.But Ihave tosay I’m finding it easy to

work with her now, and herteamareverynice.’‘“Nice”!’ he exploded.

‘Are you listening toyourself?’‘Yes, you should try it

sometime.’‘So what more can you

help her with? All the arrestreportsarein.’‘Oh,thisandthat.’‘Hmm. Now you’ve

crossedovertothedarkside,

Isupposeyou’renotgoingtotell me where youdisappeared to before youshowedupatthepalace.’‘No.’Eating lunch, we

speculated about the generalfallout; who would head thesecurity unit; whetherSepunia would be confirmedasIntelligence.Danielwasn’tfooledand,betweenpokingathis food, he continued to

needle me about my downtime.After a while, we ran out

ofwords.Daniel was one of my

staunchest friends. We wereboth risk-takers, strong-headed, ready to act. We’ddone some insane thingstogether in the past. Afterhand-climbing the innercourtyard wall – five storeyshigh–forabet,eventhough

it was strictly against orders,we were thrown in the cellsfor a week. But we boththought it had been a goodlaugh.Itsealedourfriendshipand we got totally smashedthe day we were released.We’d penetrated anddestroyed a dangerousnetwork together; trainedallied personnel; been lent toother governments; brokenactive service units; trained

hard,livedhard.Our bond was strong, but

would it survive the nextforty-eight hours? I’ddeceived him aboutPulcheria. Sure, it had beenfor operational reasons, butDaniel had been humiliatedanddefeatedbyPulcheriaandher people several times.He’d taken it reallypersonally.Theonetimehe’dhad complete advantage over

her, at the end of the tunnel,and could have terminatedher,Conradhadstoppedhim.I dodged it – I couldn’t

bringmyselftotellhim.SoItriedadifferenttactic.

‘Daniel, suppose,hypothetically,somebodyhadmaintained a long-termlegend very successfully butforvariousreasonshadtokillitoff.’‘Withyousofar.’

‘No, listen! I’m serious.Someofhiscolleagueswouldneed to know now forrecording, intelligence andtraining reasons. They’d besurprised. Some would beoutraged as they’d come upagainstthispersoninthelineof duty. How would youreact?’He looked at me, his

brown eyes curious now.‘Why are alarm bells going

offinmyhead?Whoisit?’‘No,really,justtossingthe

idea around,’ I said.‘Spending too much timewith Somna, I think.’ Ilaughed.‘Sooner you’re out of

there,thebetter.’But I could see from his

face,I’dsetsomethingoff.

XXX

Colonel Julia Sella’s officewas likeallotherseniorstafflairs:creamwalls,bookcases,desk, workstation, a couchand easy chairs, but muchtidier. It was femininewithout being pink: herpictureswere landscapes;shehad a cluster of personalphotographsattheside;andatray of clean crockery and

silverware by her kettle. Itwas serene and civilised –prettymuchlikeI thought itsoccupantwas.‘Come in.’ She glanced

brieflyatmeasIappearedatherdoor;thenlookedbackather screen. I saw her eyesflicker over to the printedsheets I had inmy hand andher face tighten as if sheknewwhatwaswrittenthere.She pointed a remote at the

window to the general officeand the smartglass cloudedinstantly. We were entirelyprivate from the outsideworld.‘So,whatdoyouhave for

me?’I gave her the stapled

sheets. ‘I’d like you to readthesefirst,please,JuliaSella.ThenIneedyouradvice.’Shelookedsurprisedatmy

use of her civil style, but

didn’t say anything. She satand read the six typed sheetsthatcouldchangemylife.I fidgeted. I stood up and

wandered over to the outsidewindow. I looked down andsaw a centurion drillingtroops on the parade ground.In the far corner by thegarages, mechanics in blackcoveralls were climbing allover a couple of longwheelbases. People walked

acrossthecourtyard,stoppingtotalkbrieflytocolleaguesorjust waving to them in theirhaste. I sighed at thenormalityofitall.Sella took her reading

glasses off, sat back andlooked at me. ‘You’re neverboring,areyou?’I didn’t know how to

answerthat,soIsaidnothing.‘The legate gave me a

summary yesterday of your

activities, but this is worsethanIexpected.’Damn.Butitexplainedher

frostyattitudethismorning.‘As a friend,’ she

continued, ‘my first reactionwas to hope you’d consulteda lawyer. Then I saw you’dhadanadvanceindemnityforthe legend.As a soldier, I’mlost in admiration. As yourcolleague, I’mnot at all surehowIregardyounow.’

She let the stapled sheetsslidefromherhandsontoherdesk.‘Forameremortallikeme

you seem to be an exoticcreature.You’re undoubtedlya successful, no, a brilliantfield officer, but I sense alack of stability. Perhaps acalmer period with theregular Praetoriansmight notbeabadidea.’I felt the bottom drop out

ofmyworld.‘Is it really that bad?’ I

said.‘Let’s look at it piece by

piece.Veryfewpeopleknowthe full story, so we have toconsider who needs thisupdate. But the updatewithout the reason for theoriginaluseofthelegendwilllook quite strange. Whoknowswhataboutwhat?’‘I haven’t submitted it to

thelegate.Heknowsthefirstpart and a lot of the second,but not the intelligence thatcameoutofit.Somnaknowsthefirstpartandallabouttheintelligence, but not the rest.MajorSternknowsnothing.’‘Isee,’shesaid.‘Flaviusknowseverything,

fromthebeginningofthefirstoperationtonow.’‘SergeantFlavius? Inyour

ART?’

‘Yes, he came with mefrom the Foundation into thePGSF.’‘Gods!’Her eyes reflected

deep shock and her jawslackened.Sherecoveredandlooked furious. ‘Would youcare to enlighten me howmany other criminals we areharbouring?’I flushed and feltmy own

angerrising.‘Flaviusisnotacriminal. He’s served the

PGSF loyally all theseyears.As it says in my report, hesevered all links when I did.In this recent crisis, he actedresolutely under dangerouscircumstances. Both thelegate and Hallienia Apuliawere saved as a directconsequence. He wasmaterial in preventing arebellion and death of theimperatrix.’ I paused forbreath.‘Atleasthegotoffhis

assanddidsomething,unlikeothers who just kept theirheads down and were rolledoverbyPetronax.’She flinched. Her soft

features tensed, pulling herface into angles.Not lookingatme, shepickedupherpenand pecked at her desk withit.‘I think you’d better

consider your future options,Captain,’shesaid.

Was this reaction aprecursorfortherest?IfJuliaSella, normally a gentleperson, was resentful andoffended, what were the restofthemgoingtobelike?Sheinstructed me to submit myreport under secret cover assoonaspossibletothelegate,adjutant, Colonel Somna,Captain Sepunia and MajorStern. She locked my reportinhersafe;didn’tsayanother

word to me apart from‘Dismissed’.ImessagedFlaviustostart

buildingbackprotection.Thenext onewasConrad.

Atleastheknewmostthings;he’dbeeninvolvedinagooddeal of it. The problem wasthe intelligence.Toobad.Bynow,Somnahadintegrateditand was on a good way towrapping everything up, nosmall thanks to it. No doubt

she’dadvisedConradatsomestage, so I felt a glimmer ofhope that she’d paved thewayforme.ConsultingSellahad been a big mistake.Somna, on the other hand,was a long way inside theloop.Maybe I could use herasmyTrojanhorse.Back in the IS office,

Porteus gave me an update.‘I’ve talked to our legalstaffer, and we consider that

your and Sergeant Flavius’spersonal contributions willmake an unassailable caseagainst all the conspirators.And, of course, there’s allthat additional intelligencethat was sent to you.’ Hesmiled.Well, somebody

appreciated me. Perhaps I’dbetter transfer here. Or not,onsecondthought.‘When do you think the

hearingswillstart?’‘We’re pushing for them

within the next week or so,’Porteus said, ‘unless thePublic Defender’s Office orany of the lawyers arehanging out for the statutorytwenty-eightdays.Unlikely,Ithink.’‘Sowhathappensthen?’‘We’ll request Flavius to

beassignedtoIS,andbothofyou will be given additional

personal security. All thehearings will be in cameraand your identities will beconcealed from everybodyexcept the accused and thejudges.’I thanked him and made

myway to his chief’s office.Luckily, Somna was in heroffice and alone. She readthrough my report withoutmakingacomment.Itoldherabout my interview with

ColonelSella.‘Hmm, unfortunate. Your

remarks were perhapsintemperate, but quite true.Of course, I have enormousrespectforJuliaSellaandherteam,butIwonderiftheyarea little divorced from theharsher realities of ourworld.’ She regarded megravely. ‘Galla’s murderimpacted on our desk-basedsupport colleaguesmore than

the front-line operators.Petronaxwasabletoterrorisethem with less effort than,say,myteam.’Somna hadn’t mentioned

one word of herimprisonment by Petronax,but the Interrogation Servicewas right at theopposite endof the toughness scale fromHRandtraining.‘Let’s take this to the

legate together before you

distributeitformally.’I was never going to let

anybodysayanythingagainstSomnaeveragain.

Conrad didn’t seeme at firstasweenteredhisoffice.‘Ah! Decima,’ he looked

upfromhisscreen,obviouslypleasedtoseeSomna.I stepped out from the

shelterofSomna’sback.‘Carina?’

‘Sir.’ He looked surprisedtoseeustogether.‘Well, sit down, both of

you. How’re theinterrogationsgoing?Areyougettinganywhere?’‘I am delighted to report,

Legate, that, apart fromCaecoandSuperbus,wehavethem all wrapped up. And Idon’tthinkwe’llbelongwiththem either, althoughSuperbus is proving a little

awkward.’Conrad looked stunned.

‘That’s excellent news, theverybest!Howdidithappen?You were nowhere near thispointyesterdaymorning.’‘No,’ replied Somna

smoothly and smiled at me.‘But we had an unexpectedand rich gift of first-classintelligencefall intoourlaps.It unlocked virtually all thedoors.’

‘Andthesource…?’Mymusclestensed.‘One of Carina Mitela’s

contacts sent recordings,photographs, reams offinancial records, and a greatdeal besides. Ninety-six percentof it isadmissible.Eventhe group of senatorssupporting Caeco is all onvideo and stills. We’redrawing up a list forsubmission to the Senate

president,’sheaddeddrily.Conrad looked at me,

stone-faced.Somnacametotherescue.

‘I think you would find itvery helpful to read CaptainMitela’s report which willprovide context for thisinformation.’SheplaceditonConrad’s desk, and sat backcompletely unruffled. Thatmadeoneofus.Tick-tock, tick-tock. Why

weren’tthereanyquietclocksin this building? What waswrong with a silent digitalclock? I practised deepbreathing, concentrating onrelaxing my muscles whiletryingtosituprightonachairwith a slippery leather seat.Conradhadpickedupmysixsheets almost reluctantly.Why?He’d been chasingmefor thedamned report almostnon-stop. He made no

remark,nordidhisfaceshowanyreactionashereaddownthepages.‘Isee,’hesaidandlaidthe

sheetsbackonhisdesk.Somna tilted her head

towards me. ‘Perhaps youwould excuse us for a fewminutes,Carina?’I was out almost as she’d

finishedspeaking.I sat on the bench outside

and looked at the little

garden.Lateafternoonsunlitup the bark of the two birchtrees. The lavenders androsemary waved in a breezethat made it in theresomehow. How easy to be aplant.‘Hey,Bruna!’ItwasPaula.I was so pleased to see a

friendlyface.‘Notonthecarpetagain?’‘Smart-ass.’‘Sorry,ma’am,I’msure.’

But I smiled back at myfriend.She nodded towards the

sling. ‘How are you, really?How’sthearm?’‘Progressing. I have to go

see the medics tomorrowabout it and to have mytrackerrefitted.Fabulous!’‘Well, if you will run

away…’shesaid,grinning.‘Maybe thatwasn’t sucha

goodidea.’

‘What? How did you getthere?’ She sat down besideme.‘You’vebecomemoreofa legend than you werebefore. Where’s theproblem?’ She searched myface.‘I’ve ruffled a few

feathers, and I’m going tocausemoremayhem soon.’ Ibowed my head so shecouldn’tseemyface.‘You mean with being

Pulcheria?’Astounded didn’t begin to

describe my feeling. How inHades had she figured thatout? Had I screwed upsomewherewithmysecurity?Iattemptedablanklook.‘Iworkeditout,’shesaid.‘Not sure what you

mean…’She rolled her eyes atme.

‘Back when I was yourminder,youknow,whenyou

were seconded from the DJafter the first operation, Ioverhead a snatch ofconversation you had withCommanderLurio. Itwas anextremelycovertoperationsoIheldmytongue.’Ever the pragmatist, I

thought.‘When Pulcheria came

through the tunnel with thelegate a few days ago, Iwasone of the three PSGF with

Daniel.’Ihadn’trecognisedher.She read my mind, as

usual. ‘Not surprising youdidn’tseeme– the lightwasvery bad down there. Whenthe legate stumbled, and youcaughthim,Irecognisedyourbodysignature.’‘Crap,wasIthatcareless?’‘C’mon, Bruna, I’ve

knownyouforsevenyears.Iknoweverymoveyoumake.

You were very good. If Ihadn’tgotthatmemoryintheback ofmy head, I probablywouldn’t have made theconnection.’ She laid herhandonmyarm.‘Hemustbedesperatelyproudofyou.’‘There are a few

complications,’Iventured.‘Oh?’ Then she leapt to a

conclusion. ‘You weren’tscrewing somebody there,wereyou?’

‘Juno!Whataquestion!’‘Your choice.’ She

shruggedhershoulders.Itwasmychoice, as ever,

andIrememberedtheintenseemotionofthatlastnight.‘Idon’t thinkDanielStern

willeverspeaktomeagain.’‘Andtheproblemis?’I laughed, but only for a

second or two. We talked abit more. She’d taken NovandTreboutona simulation

exercise in the backwoodsandthey’dcampedovernight.Tensionwasthemainflavourin the general office at themoment. All ranks had beenrequested to evaluate theirbehaviour and performanceduring the recent crisis. Thatwouldbeaninterestingsetofreports.Somna came out and

signalled I was to go in.Conradwas standing looking

out of the window, armsfolded across his chest. Hishead was flexed downwards,butfractionallymorethantheangle of view required; thecordsonhisneckstoodoutasthey disappeared up into hisblondhair;hisshoulderswerehunched.I took up position in the

centre of the room andwaited. I looked around,taking in nothing in

particular, but I noticed hisbookswerealloutoforderasifstuffedbackontheshelvesinahurry.Afewthingsweremissing, including a smallgoldeagleI’dboughtforhimat Christie’s in London andthe silver-framed photo ofAllegra with a tiny butterflyof diamonds. That bastardSuperbus! I’d bet he hadthem. Something else tosweat out of him. I looked

forwardtoit.‘Doyoulovehim?’Iwasstartledbackintothe

present.Iwent up to him, laidmy

hand on his left hand halfhidden in the crook of hisright elbow. I rested myfingers on the gold betrothalring I’d given him sevenyears ago.His facewas still,he looked indifferent even,but I could see muscles

trembling lightly under hisskin. The tilted eyes werehalf-shutnow, squeezedwithpain.‘I’mnotaskingifyouslept

with him. Your choice,’ hisvoice rasped. I could see hehated saying that. Like hewas eating funeral ashstraight from the pyre. In asociety that put theprocreation of the tribe firstand sexual fidelity low, we

wereanunusualpairing–wehadcontractedforlife.Buthewas Roma Novan enough toconcede my freedom ofchoice.‘I have only truly loved

one man, body, soul, heartandmind, inmy life,’ I said.‘And you know you are thatman.’He opened his eyes a

fraction and swung themdowntostareatme.

‘But ifyouask ifhehasaplace in my heart, then, yes.It’s a small place, locked upnow,butIcan’tsayitdoesn’texist.’

XXXI

Afterhe’d letmego,Conradhadmyreportcirculatedlaterthatafternoon. I’descaped tomy room for the rest of theevening, not wanting to faceanybody.Cowardly,Iknew.With the pre-trial security

hung onme, it was easier tosleepatthebarracks.Besides,at home, they were makingready for a week in the

country. It would have beentheoppositeofrestfulwithallthe packing and fussing thatentailed. Or so I convincedmyself.I’d stared myself dizzy at

the wall of my lonely roomlastnighttryingtoforgethowthe green in Conrad’s eyeshad been flushed out by ahard agate brown. His facehad closed down and he’dwithdrawn into neutral

professional. I’d winced ashe’d said, ‘Very well,’ in acold, clipped tone andeffectively dismissed mefrom our meeting. I hoped,with all my heart and being,notfromhislife.So, after a night empty of

sleep, Iwas first to arrive inthe morning for the seniorstaff meeting. I sat on thebenchoutside,forcingmyselfto read my el-pad, glancing

occasionally at mybodyguard.Somna was next. As I

stood up, she greeted me,smiling. Perhaps Daniel wasrightandIhadcrossedtothedark side. I nodded curtly inreply to Julia Sella’s half-smile, when she appeared.Very rude of me, but I wasstill smarting from thedisappointment of ourmeeting. She looked taken

aback but went to talk toSepunia. Lucius merelynodded to Somna and saidnothing. Daniel stood as farawayaspossibleandignoredme.Rusonia, the legate’s EO,

ushered us in, and sat at theback to record the meeting;the electronic and vidrecorders had been switchedoff. I hoped she’d put onprotective clothing. And

could duck quickly.Unusually, the chairs werearranged in a circle. Whatwasthis:aséance?‘Thankyouforattendingat

short notice,’ Conrad began.‘There’sonlyoneitemonthismorning’s agenda – CaptainMitela’sreport.’Except for Somna and

Lucius, they all avoidedlookinginmydirection.‘You’veallreadit.Firstly,

does any participant in theaction wish to comment onthefactualcontentrelatingtotheirownpart?’Notapeep.‘Or relating to any other

participant?’Some coughing and

shifting.‘Well?’Nothing. My reports were

normally accepted asaccurate. This one had been

painful to write in places,though.Butwewere only inthe opening skirmishes stageofthismeeting,soIwaited.‘Very well, open forum,’

hesaid.Tomysurprise,JuliaSella

started. ‘How do we standfrom a legal point of view,Legate? Weren’t the vastmajority of these actionsillegal or, at the least,entrapment?’

‘You’llberelievedtohear,Julia, that the first operationwas fully sanctioned by theMinister of Justice herself,acting on Imperial Order.’Quite a fewgasps and raisedeyebrowsatthisstage.Luciushalf-smiled to himself. ‘Thesecond falls under theEmergency Order umbrella,although there are someminor infractions which willbe dealt with under military

disciplinarycodes.’Somna went next, telling

them about her earlySaturnalia presents. Sepuniasupported her on theintelligence, but wasmeticulous innotmentioningmebyname.You’dthinkit’ddropped out of the air like amiracle instead ofApollodorus’s organisationpullingoutallthestops.Daniel crouched, tight-

lipped, and volunteerednothing, so Conrad forcedhim.‘Operations? I’m sure you

havesomecomments.’‘Sir, I have several points

to make, but I would like toformally record mydisappointment thatOperations was keptcompletely in the dark bothtimes.How anybody thoughtthisdeceitwouldhelp,Ican’t

imagine.Ishuddertothinkofthe resources wasted whenthe agent in place wassupposed to be one of ours.It’s a mercy there were nofatalcasualtiesonourside.’Everybody stared at me

now,notallinafriendlyway.‘Iunderstandyourpointof

view,’Conradreplied,‘but,ifit helps, neither was I awareofthefirstoperationuntiltheend.’He smiledwryly at the

memory. ‘Two factors here:firstly, youwereverynewatthetime,onlyfiveweeksintoyourperiodofdetachment,sowhile you took part in thestandard surveillance andarrest operations, you wereheld out of the intelligenceloop.’‘Yes,Iunderstandthat,sir,

goodsecurityandsoon.ButIfail to understand why thethen Head of Operations

wasn’t informed and whythere’s no report included inthefile.’‘Need to know, and

Operations didn’t qualify.’Conrad’s voice becameclipped. ‘It was a sensitivetime with considerableinternal security problems.AndtheoperationwasledbyourcolleaguesintheDJ.’Daniel didn’t look at all

mollified, but he couldn’t

disputeConrad’sauthority.‘Secondly,’Conradsaid,‘I

agreed that we should savethe Pulcheria legend, so thedecisionwasmine.’Hedidn’tlookatmeashe

spoke the deliberate lie.Washetryingtoprotectme?‘I’m sorry if that was

uncomfortable for you,Daniel,’ he continued, ‘but Iam sure you understandoperational necessity.

Unfortunately, it turns outthatwewon’tbeabletokeepthe legend this time as wemustprioritiseprosecutionofthesetraitorsoveroperationalassets.’‘Legate, if Imay?’Lucius

spokeup.‘Ithinksomeofusin this room have missed acrucialpoint.Bothoperationswere spectacular successes.The first prevented the drugtrade penetrating the

Imperium. And, of course, itbrought us the charmingcompany ofCarinaMitela toswell our ranks.’ He noddedinmydirection.Juno!Shutup,Lucius.‘The second, not to put it

toofinely,savedallourskins,stopped a rebellion, andsecuredtheimperialfamily.Imay be a traditionalist, but Icount these as positiveoutcomes. At least, Colonel

Somna appreciates the valueoftheinformationMitelahasbrought in. Perhaps Sepuniawill think the same whenshe’shad time to reflect, andactinamorecollegiateway.’Sepunia squirmed in her

seat.He gave Julia Sella an

almost brutal look. ‘I’mconvinced there are enoughtraining lessons to learn tokeep your department busy

until the next millennium,Colonel. I suggest youconcentrate on them ratherthan on matters outside yourcompetence.’She blenched, flushed and

looked down at the floor.Despite her lack of supportformeearlier,Ifeltsorryforher.‘As for Operations, that’s

whatyou’re there for,Major:to operate – to carry out the

ordersgiventoyou.Period.’Daniel didn’t have a

cardiacarrest,butIfiguredhewasprettyclose.‘Thank you, Adjutant,’

Conrad said, poker-faced.‘Anybodyelse?’Heturnedtome.‘Carina?’Ishookmyheadviolently.‘Very well. I’m sure I

don’tneedtoremindyou,butI’m going to anyway.Absolutelynotawordoutside

this room. You’ll wish towork together on mattersrelatingtothetwooperations,but select your additionalpersonnel judiciously andworkdiscreetly.Dismissed.’They all filed out, except

Rusonia,butConradgrabbedmy arm, holding me back.‘Have you had anybreakfast?’Ishookmyhead.‘Can you bring us a

selection, please, Rusonia?Andsomecoffee.’She was the perfect EO,

quiet and efficient. Peoplewere often deceived by herslight frame and pretty goodlooks,butshewasatigressatprotecting her principal. Shemust have known moresecrets than anybody else,probablyincludingConrad.She slid out and we were

alone. I didn’t knowwhat to

say. After yesterday, I wastoo scared to touch on thepersonal. Iwas going to stayinmyuniform,inmyheadaswellasmybody.‘DidyouputLuciusup to

that?’Iaskedsuspiciously.‘Absolutely not! He said

he had some strong opinionson what people thought ofyou, but that’s all. AndSomnahastakenquiteashinetoyou.You seema lotmore

relaxedwithher.’‘Oh, didn’t you know?

DanielsaysI’vegoneovertothe dark side. That is, whenhewasspeakingtome.’Iwasmore thandismayed

by the loss of Daniel’sfriendship. I not only feltgrief at having killed ourbond, but also guilt.SometimesIhatedmyjob.‘I think Lucius was too

severeonDaniel,’Isaid.

‘Perhaps, but Daniel wasbeing self-indulgent. I lovehim like a brother. He’s afirst-class operations officer,but I can’t quite work outwhy hewas so…so petulant.Any idea why he took it sopersonally?’‘Ididgivehimabad time

whenever he encounteredmeas Pulcheria. Not verycomradely,Iknow,butIwasindeepcover.Ithoughtwe’d

be able to laugh about ittogether, but was I everwrong!’‘Time to arrange a major

training exercise, I think,’Conrad said. ‘A winterwarmer, up in the easternhills.’A week of numb fingers

andwakingupinthemorningwith frozen eyelashes.Sometimes I forgot what atoughnutConradwas.

‘But let’s headline yourstrategy training first. Wehave to give them somethingmentally intensive to distractmindsfromrecentevents.’Atrayofbreakfastarrived

which we attacked withenthusiasm. I was starving.We ate in silence. It wasalmost a relief when mycommset bleeped with amessage from the securityguard announcing Lucilla

Mitela had arrived – pleaseattend.‘What’sthatabout?’‘Oh, I fixed three weeks’

clericalworkhereforher.’‘Dalina’s daughter?’ He

smiled, an appreciative lookin his eyes. Few of theMitelae were homely, somenot bad-looking and manyhandsome, but Dalina wasmagnificent. The malemembersoftheMitelatribe–

andIusedthattermadvisedly–were one hundred per centstruck. Dalina was very tall,with long, wavy chestnuthair, the usual Mitela blueeyes,flawlessskinandfigure,but the stunner was herplentifulsexualcharm.She’djustpassedforty,buthadmenof all generations droolingoverher. Ironically,onlyoneof her children had inheritedthe same beauty and

attractiveness, but he wasonly twelve. Lucilla, hereldest at eighteen, was aclever cookie, currently onthe advanced list at theCentral University, but shewas pretty normal in thelooksdepartment.‘Well, I think Lucy will

learn a lot and she’s brightenough to be discreet aboutanything she does or seeshere.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Isthis another of your cleverschemes?’Thatstung.Isaidnothing.‘Well?Thetruth,please.’I explained exactly why

shewasthere.He shrugged. ‘It could

work,Isuppose.’‘The only tricky part is

havingarecorderhereontheday,’ I said, hurrying on. Inprevious ages, recording

familyeventswasafull-time,prestigious post. Now it wassymbolic. ‘I know we havethreeinthefamily,plussomeassistants but, besides oldPublius Mitelus, I can’tremember who any of themare.And they’reallbound tofind some excuse sayingthey’re too busy. I’ll have toask Nonna for their namesandpressureoneofthem.’Hesmiledatme.Atlast.

‘What?’‘Haveyouforgotten?’‘Forgottenwhat?’‘You have,’ he said. ‘I’m

oneoftheassistants.’

I hurried down to thevestibule, trailing mybodyguard, and found myyoungcousinstandingbythereception counter with ascruffybackpack.‘Salve, Countess Carina,’

she said formally, soundingapprehensive.‘Hello, Lucy, how are

you?’ LucillaMitela hadmyred-goldhair,butfrizzier,andthe blue eyes. She also hadthathalf-starvedstudentlook,but I’dputmymoneyonherhaving a good appetite. Allteenagersdid.Isignedherinandtookher

tothequaestor’sofficerforacivilian uniform, pass, and

commset. As we walkedalong the polished woodfloors, she stared at theyellowy-creamwalls,relievedonlybyafewactionpictures,flags and insignia displaycupboards.‘I’ve never been in an

army barracks – it’s verybusinesslike, isn’t it,CountessCarina?’‘Lucy, you should callme

“Captain”or“CarinaMitela”,

whichever is easier for you,but not Countess Carina,unlessIaskyouto.’‘Okay,’ she replied

laconically.Gnaeus put her on the

system and tried out hischarm on her. ‘I expect yougetuptoallsortsofwildstuffat the university.’ He half-leered at her. He thought hewas the young maiden’sdream.

She looked him up anddown, fished the gum out ofhermouth,threwitinthebinand said, ‘Well, I guess it’stoo long ago for you toremember.’Gnaeuswassotakenaback

he didn’t attempt anythingelse.Whenshewastryingonheruniform,heremarkedshewas a true Mitela and he’dknownext time.Wedroppedherbag in the roomshe’dbe

sharing with three otheryoung clerks, and I took herup to the strategy room tointroduce her to Drusus andFausta.Theygaveheradrink– another water drinker, Inoticed. Drusus had her setup at a terminal withinminutes.Ileftthemtoit.Back at the IS, I saw

Flavius in the general office,looking a bit lost.Of course,he had to report here for the

duration.‘Hi, Flav, welcome to the

darkside.’Longinalookedatmeasif

I’d stepped on her cat, butFlavius grinned back. Hisshadow looked as bored asmine.‘SergeantFlavius?’Heturnedround.‘Yes?’A petite brunette wearing

silver-rimmed spectacles hadappeared at his side, holding

afileunderherarm.‘I’m Staff Zenia from the

legal branch. You’ve beenassigned tome. I’mgoing tobrief you for thearraignments. Come withme.’ As they walked off, Iheardhersay,‘Haveyoueverbeen to a court hearingbefore?’I smiled to myself. Yeah,

juvenile court, but he’dalwaysgotoff…

Longina reported that theywerenearlytherewithCaeco.Somna had moved him onconsiderably:Caecowasnowconfessing in sporadicchunks.ButSuperbusrefusedto say anything without hislawyer. Even then, he wasmostly saying no, orremaining silent. When IoutlinedmyplantoSomna,itputasmileonherface.That afternoon at the

infirmary, I had my trackerreinserted. Thewoundwas alittle sore but the plus pointwas that, unless I wentoutside the building, I couldlosemybodyguard.Theslingwent, at last, but the medicsscheduled me for half anhour’s physical therapy eachday for the next week. Thedentist reinserted my toothmic which gave me a soregum. I awarded myself the

afternoonoff.Back in my little room in

the officers’ mess wing, Ipulled the drapes halfwayacross to reduce the sunlight,thenstretchedouton thebedand closed my eyes. Icouldn’t stop the thoughtsrushing in.SinceConradhadasked me about my feelingsfor Apollo, he’d closed meout and retreated intoprofessional, treatingme like

a colleague andnothing else.Wasthisthefuture?Letting Pulcheria go and

partingfromApollodorushadtorn a hole out of me. I’ddeliberatelykeptmyselfbusysince then. I hated the quietmomentsnow.Worse, although the

operation was finished andthe mop-up going well,something was stillunresolved. It gnawed away

atme,but I couldn’t identifyit. It was like that naggingbuzz that had haunted myhead after interviewingMossia all those weeks ago.Was I overtired orwas theresomethingelseI’dmissed?

XXXII

I spent two days trying tofigureoutwhatwasbotheringme but gave up in the end.There was too much otherstuff to deal with. Thefollowing night, at home, Iasked if Daniel had beenback, but Macro said hehadn’t seen him. Daniel hadslipped out of both myprofessionalandprivatelives.

Back at the IS office,FlaviusandIhadanawkwardsession with the legal team.They thought operationsguardswerestrong-armthief-takers;we thought theywerelegalistic bureaucrats. NewRoman law was complexdespite the clean outs andreforms over the centuries;eventhebigoneinthe1700s.Like members of most lawenforcement and intelligence

organisations around theworld,Iwonderedwhosesidethe lawyerswere on.Butwepromised to behave duringthearraignmenthearings.The following morning,

Superbus was due for aninterview,with his lawyer inattendance.Anhourbefore itstarted,IaskedFaustatofindLucy some regular smartclothesandhaveherreporttothe IS office. I grabbed my

garment bag, changed intomy civilian suit in therestroom.I’ddonemyhairina formal chignon thatmorninginanattempttolookauthoritative.I liftedthegoldmyrtle leaf and flower badgewith its gold-embroideredpurple ribbon out of thevelvet case and looped itaroundmyneck.Theoriginaljunior badge had gonemissing in the fourteenth

century so this was a seven-hundred-year-oldcatch-up.Longinaandothersnearby

stared at me when I cameback in,wonderingwhatwasgoing on. I smiled, saidnothing,andsatatthetableinthe corner. When Conradappeared shortly afterwards,in a business suit, carrying along thin velvet bag and padand paper, most workstopped. Somna came out of

heroffice.‘Welcome,Legate.’‘Better to call me plain

Conradus Mitelus for this.’Hegaveahalf-smile.‘What do you need us to

do?’‘Nothing for themoment,’

Conrad replied. ‘We’rewaitingforoursecondfamilywitness to arrive, but there’splentyoftime.’Somna glanced at her

watch. ‘The lawyer isn’t duefor ten minutes. Would youliketowaitinmyoffice?’‘Thankyou, but it’s better

if we’re seen by as manywitnessesaspossible.’I spotted some movement

at theother endof theofficewhich turned out to be Lucyarriving. In a dark suit andwith her hair contained in aponytail, she looked olderthan her nineteen years. I

noddedmythankstoFausta.Lucy glanced up shyly at

Conrad. She patted her hairnervously. ‘What are wedoing here? I mean, what’sthisabout?’‘Well,CarinaandIhaveto

interviewSuperbusunder theFamilies’Code, andweneeda third Mitela.’ He paused.‘It’s a bit archaic, but don’tworry.You don’t have to doanything; just watch and

listen.Attheend,I’llaskyouto sign the record to confirmyouwerepresent.Canyoudothatforme?’‘Yeah, sure,’ she said. ‘I

remember doing it in historyat school.Um, there’sno feeforthis,isthere?’I frowned at her, but

Conrad just laughed. ‘No,you do it for your family.Andnogiggling.’‘Okay,cool.’

LeavingConradtohisroleas cool friend, I turned toSomna.‘We’rereadytostart.Would you please havesomebody takeahandwrittenrecord of the next fewminutes?’To everybody else’s

amazement,shebowedtome.Had she seen a Families’Codeinterviewbefore?Well,thatwasfinebyme.I’dneverdoneonebefore.

‘Paulina Longina willmakearecord.’Longinaclosedhermouth,

grabbedapen, and scrabbledaround in a drawer trying tofindapadofpaper.Conrad took a gold-tipped

ivory staff out of the velvetbag.Aroundfortycentimetreslong, it had a rounded pointone end and a flattenedsemicircle at the other: asymbolic stylus.He tucked it

under his arm, turned to meand bowed. I nodded inacknowledgement andwavedmy hand in Somna’sdirection.‘ColonelDecimaSomna,I

am Conradus Mitelus,Assistant Recorder of theFamily Mitela. I presentCountess Carina Mitela,junior head of FamilyMitela.’‘I am here to exercisemy

rightassetoutintheTwelveFamilies’ Code,’ I said, ‘toquestionadelinquentmemberofmyfamily,GnaeusMitelusSuperbus. I demand that youhand him over to me forprivate interview withstrangers excluded. TheRecorderwillmakeawrittenaccount of the proceedings.ThesecondwitnessisLucillaMitela,herepresent.’‘CountessCarinaMitela, I

recogniseyourrightundertheCode and cede to you. Willyou allow me to provide asuitableroom?’Inodded.‘Please follow me.’ We

traipsed down to theinterrogation suite andFrightCentral. Longina checkedeverything was ready. ThelawyerhadarrivedandtheISstaffers were setting up thesession.

I laid my hand on Lucy’sshoulder. ‘Totally off therecord, Lucy, if this gets toorough,youjusthavetosuckitup.Ithinkwe’llonlyhavetoscare him a little, but theremay be a bit of shouting.Okay?’Hereyesbulgedliketennis

balls, but she accepted it.‘Thisisthebigs,isn’tit?’‘Yep,nothingbigger.’We reached Interview 4.

Somna released the bioscanlock, I grasped the handle,pulledmyselfuptobeas tallas possible, opened the doorandsweptin.I focused all my attention

on Superbus, signallingConrad and Lucy to the sidewith a wave of my hand.‘Strangersout,’Iordered.The two IS staff goggled

and looked at Somna. Shejerkedherhead.Theypicked

up their paraphernalia andfled. Superbus sat there,transfixed.‘What the hell is this?’ a

voicesqueaked.Somna spoke from the

doorway, addressing thelawyer. ‘You are required toleave the room immediately.Pleasecomply.’‘OvertheStyx!’I switchedmy eyes to the

hopping little irritant. ‘And

youare?’‘ClaudiaVara.’ItalwayshadtobeaVara.‘Iamhererepresentingmy

client,’ she said. She lookedat us, panning round andglaring as if looking forpotentialthreats.Her instincts were, of

course,quitecorrect.‘You can’t order me out.

I’m this defendant’s legalrepresentative. Now, if you

don’t get the Hades out, I’llsueyouintheHighCourt,theSenate Court and anywherefurthernorth.’‘Lookatme,Vara,’ I said

in my coldest voice. ‘I amMitela,hereundertheTwelveFamilies’ Code to question adelinquent member of myfamily. Strangers areexcluded. If you do notcomply, the head of yourfamily and you personally

will be subject to penalties.I’m sureLivillaVarawill bethrilled to pay. Currently, Iunderstand it tobeup to twoyears’ exclusion from theFamilies’ Council and tenthousand solidi fine. In anyevent, you are going to bereported for insolence to afamilyhead.’I looked at Conrad.

‘Recorder, ensure that isnoted.’Conraddulyscribbled

away.I saw it dawning on

Claudia Vara that she wasplayinginfasttrafficandhadcrossedabigfatlaneline.‘Ididn’tknow.I—’‘Out.’Thedoorshutandonlythe

four Mitelae remained. I satdown and studied theunlovelySuperbus.The fleshin his face rolled in greasyfolds over one another. His

blue eyes were shrunk interror. Sweat beaded on hisforehead.We waited a full five

minutes. Lucy wisely stayednear the back wall. Standingbehind Superbus, Conradturned around to give her anencouragingsmile.Predictably, Superbus

broke first. ‘You can’t treatme like this! This is illegal.Mylawyerwillnailyourhide

tothesideofthecourthouse,’heblustered.‘Yes, shecan.No, it isn’t.

No, she can’t,’ cameConrad’s voice a centimetrefrom Superbus’s ear.Superbus’s whole bodyspasmed.Hiseyespuffedup.I thought he was going tohaveaseizure.‘Superbus, look atme and

concentrate.’Gods,hehadfoulbreath.It

oozedlikeamiasmafromhisthin lips, poisoning the air infront of me. I took theshallowest breath I couldsurvive on and continued.‘Firstly, as junior head ofyour family, my duty is toprovide you with legalsupport.I’llappointateamtorepresent you at all hearingsand at any other meetings.They’llcarryoutanylegaloradministrative measures

relating to your case. Allcosts will be paid by thefamily.’ His eyes lit up atthat.Then he looked wary.

‘You’ll only appoint one ofyour ownwho’ll report backtoyouandsabotagemycase.You’llfixittogoyourway.’Likeaprofessional lawyer

would do that, unless shewanted to lose her licence. Isighed. ‘So that you’remore

comfortable with it, I’llcontact the Legal Guild andtheycanchooseoneandsendthem directly to you.Or youcan even have Vara back, ifyou want. Is thatsatisfactory?’ I hated havingto be polite to this viciouslittle turd, but rememberedNonna’s words aboutobligations andresponsibilities. Just about.He nodded his head and I

asked him to agree out loudtothissoitcouldberecorded.Helookedsullen,likeachild,butcomplied.‘Now we’ve agreed the

support for you, it’s paybacktime, Superbus. We can dothis theeasywayor thehardway. You know from a fewdays ago that I’m veryefficient at dealing withtiresome sludge I find undermy feet.’ I hoped he

remembered how hard Ikicked him with my steel-cappedboot.‘Our little cousin here

looksinnocent,butsheadorescutting limbs off smallanimals. She’s good with ablade, and a bigger animalwillbemuchmorefun.’PoorLucy,thatwasn’tveryniceofme.‘S’right. Where can I

start?’

IcouldhardlybelievewhatI was seeing. Naïve littleLucyhaddarted forwardandwas pressing her nail fileslowly up the side ofSuperbus’s neck. Suddenly,she jabbed the end in justbelow the skull line. Shedidn’t even break his skin,but he screeched like abanshee.‘That’s for sticking your

handupmy skirt lastFamily

Day.’ She stamped hard onthe floor right next to hischair. He flinched and threwhis hands up in front of histerrified face.She smirked athim andwalked calmly backtothecorneroftheroom.Outof Superbus’s view, Conradgrabbed her and shook her,nodding his head violently.Then spoilt it all bygrinningather.‘Now, Superbus, are you

readytotalk?’‘Keep that little fiend off

me!’‘Depends how talkative

youare.’Once Superbus started, he

wouldn’t shut up. Conradwrote as fast as he could.SuperbushadmetCaecoinamen’s baths, and they’dtalked about how horrendouswomen were and progressedfrom there. Superbus

complained how he wouldhave headed the Mitelae ifthere’d been any justice. Ihated to disillusion him butthere were fourteen otherheirs, including males, withbetterclaims.Heburbbledhewould have served in themilitary, except he had amedicalcondition.He’dbeenthwarted from displaying hisobvious leadership abilities.Besides,womenwerealways

given priority. He’d beencheated in business, heclaimed. His own daughterwas disruptive; he put thisdown to marrying his firstcousin.Herbrotherswerejustjealous and ignored him, etcetera,etcetera.Gods!Itwasboring.CaecohadseenaGradeA

bully and coward inSuperbus, vain and easy tomanipulate. The jewel in the

treasure box had been that,althoughonthefringesofthefamily, he was a Mitelus.Gold strike for Caeco andPetronax.Aftertherenewedthreatof

Lucy being let loose,Superbus admitted he’d hadAurelia and the childrenarrested by a military riotsquad; a bunch of toughprimates trained to facehostilecrowdsattackingthem

with razor balls, Molotovsandbaseball bats.Perfect fora senior, a bunch of smallchildrenandtheirtutor.Eventually Superbus shut

up. Silence dropped like awinterdusk.Conradstoodup,I thought to release some ofhis physical tension. Hewalked over to Lucy leaningagainst the farwall andgaveheravaguesmile.Sheplacedherhandoverhermouthand

mimedanexaggeratedyawn,then pinched her nose andmadeaface.Iwatchedher.Iwas fascinated by her anticsandherconfidence.I dragged my eyes away

and resumed my questions.‘Now, Superbus, she’s stillthere and beginning to get alittle restless. I want you tothink very carefully aboutthesenexttwoquestions.Yousee, Conrad might join in.

He’smightypissedwithyou,and it’s only me stoppinghim.’To reinforce the point,

ConradcamebacktostandbySuperbus’s right side andleaned into his face. If Iwason the receiving end of thatlook, I’d be shaking in mysandals. I signalled him tobackoff.‘Didyouorderthebeatings

bytheTransuliumguards?’

Heshookhishead.‘Ineedyoutosaythatout

loud.’‘No.’‘Whodidit?’‘Specials, ordered in by

Petronax.’I saw Conrad’s eyes glint

and take a stepback towardsSuperbus.‘Theirnames?’‘I don’t know – I really

don’t.’

‘Butyousignedtheaccessauthorisation,didn’tyou?’Conrad hovered behind

Superbus like a starvedvulture, claws and beakready. For a long moment,Conrad stared at me. Iunderstood how he felt. Hewanted to pound Superbusinto the ground, to smashevery bone and snap everytendoninhisbodyforall thehurt the conspirators had

done him and his – bothfamily and unit.Keepingmystare fixed on him, I shookmy head. I couldn’t allowConrad to challenge myauthority as head of thefamily, especially in front ofaheapofcraplikeSuperbus.His stare intensified as ifpulling in every bit ofwillpower to override me.Afterseveraltensesecondsoflocking eyes, he backed off.

He sat down, hunched overthetable,glancedatmeonceand wrote. I released mybreathslowly.‘Answer me, Superbus.

Did you sign the accessauthorisation?’‘Yes,’ he mumbled,

lookingdownatthetable.Conrad stopping writing,

the pen immobile on thepaper inmidword.Superbusglanced sideways and met

Conrad’s eyes, and lookedback down immediately. If alook could incinerate,Superbus would have been aresidual pile of funeral ash.He slumped forward andcovered his eyes with hispudgyfingers.But I hadn’t finished.

‘Lastly, where are the goldeagle and the silver framefromConradus’soffice?’‘Sorry?’

‘Lookatme,Superbus.’Hepeeledhisfingersaway

from his face. I nodded as iftoLucy.‘No!’ he gulped. ‘They’re

inmysafeathome.’‘Combination,please.’That was all I needed. I

leaned back in my chair andtook a deep breath from theside. ‘Now, Superbus, itwasn’tsobad,wasit?’‘You’re not going to kill

me?’‘Don’t be ridiculous –

you’re not worth thepaperwork.’He grabbed my hand,

bleating gratitude. Tears, dirtandsweat randownhis face.Just to complete a perfectsession, the smell of faecesspread from him through theroom.Afterhe’dfinishedwriting,

Conrad read the statement

aloud toSuperbus as the lawdemanded. Conrad’s voicewaseven,butterseandfullofrepressed energy. He thrustthedocumentacrossthetableat Superbus and told him tosign.Superbusflinched.AfterglancingatConrad’s face,hesigned it with a hand thattrembled like a Parkinson’scase.I countersigned, Lucy

witnessed, and Conrad

completed the document,adding the wax seal. Hepicked up the ivory staff,writingkit, tookLucyby thearmandstalkedout.Superbus was pitiful – a

petty thief aswell as a bullyandacoward.Hedidn’thavea scrap of dignity. It wasembarrassing to think hesharedbloodwithme.‘Youwereatotaldumbass,

Superbus, getting mixed up

withthosepeople.’‘You don’t understand a

thing, you and the old lady.Even that Cassia woman—’He sucked his lips in andshrankback.Juno!Cassia?‘What about her?’ I asked

in the most casual tone Icouldmuster.Hebenthisheaddownand

muttered,‘Nothing,nothing.’‘C’mon, Superbus, you

can’tteasemelikethat.WhataboutthisCassia?Howissheinvolved?’He shook his head. He

wouldn’tlookatme.Iwaitedforsomeminutes,

but he stayed slumped in hischair,terrifiedandsilent.

Somna and her team stoodbackasIexited.Ithankedherformally and apologised forthemessmyfamilyhadleft.I

asked if she would kindlyhave Superbus cleaned upandcheckedoverbyadoctor.The Mitela Family Recorderwould appreciate a copy ofthe medical report andphotographs.Shebowedoncemoreandweweredone.I leaned against the grey

plaster wall for a fewmoments breathing in theclean air. Upstairs in the ISoffice, Longina said nothing

as we appeared, just thrust acupofcoffeeintomyhand.‘That went well,’ Conrad

said,andperchedontheedgeof desk. He looked calmer,but not completely relaxed.‘Your first legal act as headof family. How do you feelaboutit?’‘AlotbetterthanIthought

I would. Superbus is amiserablepiece.Itwasalmosttooeasy.’

‘I’dbeindangerouswatersif I said you were so likeAureliathatitwasuncanny.’Iglaredathimtomakethe

point, but secretly I wasflattered.Aureliahadexecuted legal

acts, made Families’ Codesjudgements and been a truefamilyhead since shewas inher late twenties when hermother had been unwell. Tomeshewasanatural:shehad

presence, decisiveness,authority.Iwasdefinitelythejunior partner, always afraidI’d be found out and bedismissed as a light-heartedinsignificance. But maybe,today,I’dconvincedmyselfIcoulddoit.‘No, I’m wrong,’ he said,

and smiled. ‘You’ve foundyourownauthority.Irealisedit when you forbade me toattackhim.Itfeltlikeastrong

waveabouttoflattenme.’‘It would have ruined it

all.’‘Iknow.’He’dhadsuchalousytime

in the Transulium that I feltbad about cheating him ofretribution. Itwas a shock torealise that I’d put theinterests of family and statebefore those of my love. Heunderstood why, he’d beenraised here in Roma Nova,

but tome itwas a revelationone of those moments whenyouscaredyourself.Conrad kept his gaze on

me,oblivioustotheinterestedstaresofothers.Itriedasmileand received one back. Ahuge weight seemed to falloffmyback.Helefttheedgeofthetableandcametositinachairbesideme,hislegnotquite touchingmine.He saidnothing.

‘Where’sLucy?’Iaskedtobreakthesilence.‘Shesaysshehastofixher

mascara. It ran down herface,’ Longina said fromacrosstheroom.Oh gods, had she had

hysterics and was nowtraumatised? I rememberedI’d heard a strange noise inthe background. I’d never beabletolookDalinainthefaceif I handed her back a

shocked and damageddaughter.‘She’s fine – really,’

Conrad added. ‘She saysshe’s never laughed somuchas watching Superbus. Sheheld it in, as promised, untilwe finished, then couldn’tstop.’I frowned at him. I’d

involved her because Ithought she was matureenough to keep a level head,

but young enough to keepclear of the serious part.Instead,I’dreleasedLucreziaBorgia on the world. ‘Youdidn’thelp,eggingheron.’He attempted an innocent

face,butIwasn’tfooled.‘My respects, Countess,’

interruptedSomna. I jumped,almostspillingthelastofmycoffee.Her lizard eyes had astrange shine, almostanimated. Crap, I realised

she’dseenitall.‘I hope, Colonel, you

haven’tmadearecording.’‘No,butwewatched.’She

musthaveseentheblacklookon my face. ‘For trainingpurposes.’Yeah, and I’m a dancing

monkey.

Lucy reappeared, facerepaired. Longina took herout of my reach and handed

her a bottle of water and afrown. Lucy threw a babyface back at her. I’d talk toLucy later.She’dcrossed theline, but helped ussignificantly in producing anexcellentoutcome.But who was the woman

CassiawhosenameSuperbuslet slip? It was a commonenough name, but I didn’tbelieveincoincidences.

XXXIII

Released frommy temporaryposting to Colonel Somna’sIS team, I was back in mystrategy office. Conrad hadprioritised the trainingprogrammes. I delegated thestrategy one to Drusus andFausta. They were perfectlycapableofproducingthefirstdraft and we’d refine ittogether.

First, I needed to findDaniel. Herding cats wouldhavebeensomucheasierbutI eventually tracked himdown in the field equipmentroom.‘Daniel.’‘Major Stern to you,

Captain.’‘Don’tbelikethis,please.’

I could see the hurt in hiseyes.‘I don’t know what game

you’replayingnow,’hesaid,‘butthenIdon’tseemtohaveknownanything,doI?’‘Itwasalong-termlegend,

built up layer upon layer.’ Isounded like I was makingexcuses. ‘Your antipathy toPulcheria was essential andcouldn’tbesimulated.’‘Oh, great, now I’m a

patsy!’‘Youknowhowitworks.’‘How can I believe

anythingyousaytomenow?I’ve always told youeverything. Now I find outthe little tart I’dmost like totakedownistheotherhalfofmybestfriend.’Rage spiralled off him,

hitting anything it touched,mostlyme.‘Letitgo.Please.’He said nothing, shoved

pastmeandstompedout.

Iwasdueatthecourthouseat11.00 the next day. Dressedinmynumberoneuniform–grey skirt, black jacket withsilverbuttonsandinsignia–Igrabbed my side cap andmade for the mess hall andsome breakfast.As I chewedand swallowed, I couldn’tstop the bitterness of losingDaniel’s friendship rising todefeat my appetite. I pushedthe rest away and drank my

equallybittercoffee.

Flavius and I gave ourtestimonies before theexaminingmagistrate. It tookall day. She warned us thatthe defence would no doubtsubmit a long list ofquestions, so we should beprepared to come back tomake further depositions. Ifthey were being especiallypicky then we’d have to be

prepared for a live cross-examination in closedchambers. That wassomethingtolookforwardto.We collected our

bodyguards afterwards anddrove back through theevening gloom and rain. Iwas mentally exhausted andnot a little depressed, andwent for an early night.Propped up in bed, notwatching the newscast, my

mind returned to Superbusand how he’d clammed upwhenhementionedawomancalled Cassia. How could awoman have been part oftheir patriarchalistconspiracy?Aknockat thedoor jolted

me.Conrad.He smiled his crinkly

smile. ‘I didn’t know if youwere asleep yet. How did itgo?’

Iwavedhiminandclosedthedoor.‘Longandboring,’Isaid. ‘And it’s going to beanother one tomorrow.’ Igrimaced.FamilyDay.Juno!He helped himself to a

beer from the tiny fridgeandsat opposite me. ‘You don’tneed to worry. Aurelia andJunia had it all organisedbefore they went to thecountry.Allwehavetodoisturn up and smile.Youwere

scary yesterday withSuperbus.’ He raised hisbottle to salute me. ‘I can’tthink you’ll have a problemwithanybodyelse.’Iwasn’tsosure.Helookeddownandspent

a few moments studying thebottle. The laugh had fledfromhisface.‘Carina, I—’ He

swallowed,butnot thedrink.‘Don’t stay away from me.’

He set thebottle on thedeskand stretched out his hand.Mine was already there tomeet it. He pulled me up tohim and his mouth crushedhardonmine.Alittlelaterthanplanned,weset off next morning to gohome, complete with mybodyguard. I asked Conradwhyhecouldn’tcountasmyguardovertheweekend.

‘IknowwehaveSuperbusin custody, but can weguaranteehehasn’tcorruptedanyoftheotherMitelae?’Iguessedhedidn’twantto

trustanybodyatthemoment.‘Surely not?’ I said.

‘Superbus was an anomaly,wasn’the?’‘Youtellme.’SoTrebatia,thechatterbox

in open country fatigues,trottedalongbehindus.

In the car, I activated thenew smartplex privacyscreen.Conradtiltedhisheadtooneside,smiledandraisedaneyebrow.I shook my head. ‘It’s

Superbus,’ I said. ‘I’m notsure it’s anything, but afteryou and Lucy left he saidsomethingweird.WhenItoldhim he was stupid to havegotten involved withPetronax, he said none of us

understood,“eventhatCassiawoman”. Then he justdummied up. He was tooscaredtosayanotherword.’‘Ah.’‘Oh,please,’ I said, ‘it’s a

common name. It can’tpossiblybehisCassia.Wrongside,remember?’He didn’t reply. We rode

the rest of the way home inuncomfortablesilence.

Thehairdressercameintodoartisticthingsandtuttedatthecondition ofmy abused hair.But when he’d finished, acompletely different personstared out of the mirror:formal, elegant and unreal.He’d inserted a gold filigreeband across my head withdiamonds and sapphirescaught in gold webs. Itmatched my blue gown andgoldpalla.Mynailsandface

were next. I usually resentedallthispawing,butthistimeIsubmittedpassively.Helena, looking like some

modeloutofVogue,broughtAllegratoseeme.Shewassolovely in her first formaloutfit, I almost burst intotears.‘Hello, Mama,’ she said

looking up atme. ‘You lookbeautiful.’‘Hey, you’re pretty

wonderfulyourself!’‘Some are arriving

already,’ Helena informedme,‘butyoudon’thavetogodownquiteyet. It’s only justeleven.’‘Where’sAurelia?’‘In her sitting room,

fortifyingherselfwithFrenchbrandy.’I tookAllegra’s hand, and

wewentupthebackstairstothe levelaboveourwingand

along a narrow servicecorridor. I knocked on thedoorat theendandsurprisedAurelia’sassistant.‘Sorry to startle you,

Marcella,’andwebargedin.My grandmother, dressed

in her finery,was downing agenerous glass of RemyMartin.‘Hey, Nonna, going to

share?’She chuckled and poured

me a glass. Allegra took upposition on one of Aurelia’sgiltchairsandwatchedussetabadexample.I swallowed mine quickly

andputmyglass forwardforanother.Aurelialookedatmesharply,butsaidnothing.Thethreeofussatthere,sharingaquietmoment.Nothingcouldstartwithoutus.After making appropriatespeeches of welcome, i.e.

short, Aurelia and I mixed,smiled and talked with theswarmofrelationsassembledinthehall.Trebatia,nowinacalf-length gown Marcellahad foundher, trailedaroundin my wake.With her slightfigure and fresh complexion,she looked more likesomebody’s kid sister than abodyguard, but she scannedeverybody and everything,her hand fixed on the gold-

embroideredpursecontaininghersemi-automatic.Around four hundred

Mitelae packed the atrium, alittle under two-thirds of therecorded number of cousinstotheseconddegree.Itwasatribal meeting, supposed toremember the links of bloodand loyalty across nearlysixteen centuries. Thatwas aromantic idea. In reality,those here today were

because of careful, oftenconniving and sometimesbloody manoeuvring toprotect and promote thefamily so it survived overthose years. Like mostorganisations, it was thepedantic, boring people whokept the records and sat onthe family council, but youhad to give them their due:they’d held it all together.Over centuries and against

theodds.We spilled out from the

atriumintothebackgardentoeat–ahugereliefasthenoisewas way above reasonable.Junia had mobilised thehousehold to produce somuch food that Abundantiacould have refilled hercornucopia from it.Once thedrink started flowing, thenoise and testosterone levelshad ramped up. Despite the

mobile crowd, I managed tofindSuperbus’swife.I’dsenta car for her earlier thatmorning. She and her twochildren were sitting alone,largelyignoredbytherest.‘Hello, Valeria. Fabia,

Caius.’ I waved over one oftheolderhouseservants,whoI knewhad grandchildren, totake Fabia and Caius to findAllegra.‘Please tell Allegra that

Mama has asked her to keepspecialcareofthesetwo.’Watching them go off,

Valeria turned to me.‘Countess Carina, how can Ithankyou?’‘Oh, Valeria, none of this

is your fault.’ She lookedpretty miserable, though.‘What do you want to do?CanIhelpwithanything?’‘Oh,I’lldivorcehim.He’s

awasteofspace.’

Excellentplan.‘Hewassostupid.Ididn’t

know he was up to anythingspecial until two weeks agowhenthatmanappeared.’Shelookeddownthegardenatthechatteringcrowd.Petronax, I’d bet, come to

finalisehisplans.‘Iwas crossing the atrium

after seeing the children tobedandsawSuperbusonthefar side with a visitor. They

looked like cartooncharacters: Superbus fat andfussing,andthedarkmantalland calm. Then the man’shead swivelled round – hemust have heard me. I’llnever forget those blackeyes.’ She caught her breath.‘They bored intome. I don’tthink I’ve ever been sofrightenedinthewholeofmylife.’ She gave me a tightsmile.‘Perhapsit’snothing.I

haven’tseenhimsince.’The noise buzzed around

me like a swarm of angrywaspsonadrenalin.No.Nearly onemillion people

lived in the city. Amongst apeople descended fromRomans,theremustbeahighproportion with dark eyes.Therewasnowayitcouldbehim. I batted it out of mymind. I had other stuff to

concentrateontoday.Valeriaglancedatme,then

stareddownatherhands.Sheseemed uncertain what to donext. I jumpedup,pulledherarm through mine, and tookher with me. As wecirculated,Imadesurepeoplesaw us together. I left hertalkingtosomecousinsofherown age, including themagneticDalina.I saw Allegra queening it

over a children’s party area,watched over by Junia’sdeputy, Galienus, recoveringfrom his injuries. They hadmagicians, games and raceslaidon,sotheyprobablyhadthe best time. The weatherwas outstanding, warm forearly October. Most of theteenagers disappeared,probably to the maze.Whetherthey’demergeintactin the strict sense was

anybody’sguess.The band left off easy

listening and started playingsome classical dance music,and the middle-agersstampeded onto thetemporary wooden dancefloor. The trellis over it wasdecorated with swathes ofsilk, white flowers, ribbonsand fairy lights, and lookedprettyinakitschway.But, almost surprising

myself,I’ddiscoveredforthefirst timehowmuchpleasurethere was in reinforcing andnourishingthesefamilylinks.I wanted to hear aboutproblems,perhapseventhrowin an idea or two to help. Ilaughed and smiled at thegossip; I rejoiced about thetriumphs, whether a child’sschool success, a businessdeal or a published novel. Irelished making connections

between two cousins,introducing unknown ones,finding a useful contact forsomebody.Around six o’clock,

parentsstartedgatheringtheirchildren up, who by nowwere sick, crying or sullen,and their elders who weremaudlin about “the oldendays”, and carted them offhome. The professionalmiddle-agers started

“networking” over generousamountsofchampagne.IsawConrad, having gotten rid ofhis heavy toga, escort morethanone to a hedgeor shrubwhere they could quietlythrow up. I sighed.Weweredowntothehardcore.Mygrandmotherhadtaken

up position on the terracewith a group of cronies,Allegra had gone, andHelena.IevadedTrebatiaand

made my way down to thewalled garden for somepeace. I letmyself inandsatunderthemyrtletree.Icouldhearfaintshoutsandgigglingfrom the maze. The oddsagainst Lucy not being inthere leading the mayhemwereprettyslim.I shut my eyes and

breathed in the last myrtlescent.But,whenIdid,Ionlysaw black eyes set deep in a

fine-boned face andprojecting an ironicexpression. As I brought myhands up to my face, I sawtheywereshaking.

XXXIV

The temperaturehaddroppedalong with the light. It washalfpast nine. I hurriedbackand found my grandmotherindoors, saying goodbye tohalf a dozen of hercontemporaries.‘Thankthegods,that’sthe

last of the oldies. Fancy anightcap?’ She picked up abottle of champagne from a

bucket and two glasses andpulledme along to the smallback office. Therewas somekind of dubious card gamegoing on in the main sittingareaofftheatriumandrathertoomuchfleshwasemergingfor her liking, she said. Besttoleavethemtoit.‘A successful day, don’t

you think?’ She shucked offher sandals. They weregorgeous: silver with large

pearls and semi-preciousstones.I emptiedmyglass in two

gulps and was watching thedrops clinging to the insidesurfacestrugglingtojoinandsplitfromtheothers.Nothingstayedthesameformorethanafewmoments.‘Carina?’‘Sorry, Nonna. Of course,

a really good day.’ I set myglassdown.‘IthinkI’llgoup

now.I’mtired.’Ileanedoverandkissedhercheek.‘Everything all right,

darling? You look upset, notjusttired.’Shescrutinisedmyface, looking for the leastthing. I flushed, but didn’treply.‘Well,goandhaveagood

night’s sleep. When they’veallgonetomorrow,we’llhaveapropertalk.’

When I reached ourapartment, I was so wired Imade busy work by takingtime to clean off my make-up, moisturise, brush myteeth, unbraidmy hair, brushitout,hangupmygown,putaway my shoes. This waspuredisplacementtostopmyfurious brain and janglingnervesmakingconnections. Imade a hot milk drink, Irubbed my feet, I found a

cooling eyemask whicheventually irritated me somuch I threw it on the floor.When I did fall asleep, all Isawwereapairofblackeyes.

The hands were warm,stroking my neck, then mybreasts, one across mystomach, the other over myhip,alongthetopofmythighandgentlyintomygroin.Hiswarm masculine scent,

slightlyearthy,envelopedme.Warmth flowed through me,slowly building to heat. Iwasn’t going to open myeyes.Heheldmywristsinhishand, pulled them over myhead and entered me. I gavemyself up to the gloriouspleasureofsex.Conradknewevery inch of me intimately.He was as purposeful inensuring we reached anexplosive and mutual peak

completion as he was ineverythinghedid.Welaytogetherafterward,

he nuzzling my ear, mehiding in the curve of hisbody. I could feel the tearstrickling slowly across mycheeks.‘Hey,what’sup?’Isniffed.‘You’ve been a little busy

recently. You’ve led asuccessful operation, saved

theworldgenerally,andevensurvived Family Day. Ourchildren are safe, Allegramade us so proud yesterday,and we’ve discovered apossible new recruit in thefearsome Lucy. Did I misssomething?’Hesmiledatme,buthada rallying tone inhisvoice.I shook my head. I

couldn’tspeak.He got out of the bed and

came back a few minuteslaterwith two steaming cupsof tea.What a gift this drinkwas. No wonder the Britishhadconqueredhalftheworld.I’d heard they’d given it upfor soda and coffee thesedays.Badmove.Hesettledbackinthebed,

plumped up the pillows, andencircled me with his arm.We sipped companionably insilenceforafewminutes.

‘You have somethingfairlyweighty to say – I cansee that.’He lookeddown atmeandbrieflytouchedthetipof my nose with his finger.‘You’re worried aboutdiscussing it with me, so itdoesn’t take a logicsprofessortoseethatyouthinkI’ll react badly.’ He smiledgentlyandkissedthebackofmyhand.‘IpromiseI’lltrytobehavemyself.’

I lay my head in thatperfect place at the base ofhisneckandclosedmyeyes.Itfeltsowarmandsafethere.‘After I came back from

Apollodorus,’ I began, ‘youwere very upset when youthought I loved him. Evenafter the rupture with him, Idon’t thinkyoulikedit thatIkeptgoodmemoriesof thosetimes.’‘Doingwellsofar,’camea

tersereply.‘I’vehadtogoundercover

at other times, sometimesmaking new friendships,establishing myself in otherenvironments.You’ve had todo the same. So why was itdifferent with the Pulcheriaoperation?’Hedidn’t sayanything for

afewmoments.Ididn’tknowwhether he was composinghisthoughtsorhimself.

‘Ihatedtheideayoumighthave been permanentlyattracted by the values, theway of life, as well as theman.IthoughtI’dlostyou.’Iswallowedhard.‘You’re not going to tell

me he’s a DJ long-termsleeper,’he said, ‘andoneofthe good guys, are you?Pleasenot!’‘No,no…ofcoursenot.’‘Well, I never know with

you.’‘No,it’salotworse,ifI’m

right.’

XXXV

A sweet-sour smell of stalehumanity and alcohol wasmixed with citrus astringentcleaning product battling itsway through the atrium.Picking my way throughpeople wandering aimlessly,nursing heads or sprawledstillinthearmsofMorpheus,I went to find Trebatia.Macro,hurryingalongarmed

with a brush and bucket,pointed me down to thebasement.Mylovelypoolwasfullof

bodies, jumping in from thesides, sprayingwater at eachother, throwing inflatablesabout like hooligans.Scattered around the edgeslay sodden towels, clothes,shoesandthingsIdreadedtoidentify. In the middle of itwasTrebatia, supposedlymy

bodyguard. The noise wasdeafening.‘Enough!’Ishoutedinmy

bestparadegroundvoice.Theylookedupinsurprise

at the spoilsport. Trebatiamade for the edgeimmediately, pulled herselfout and stood at my side,dripping.‘Sorry,ma’am.’‘No problem, Trebatia.

You have fifteen minutes to

gogetdressedandgrabsomefood.Wehaveasituation.’Iturnedmyangryattention

tomyrampantfamily.‘Right,clean this pool up. I want itempty of bodies in oneminute, trash removed, theinflatables down and drying,and all this crap on thepoolsidegoneinten.’They looked at me open-

mouthed.‘Startingnow.’

One or two smiles ofbravado,butmostmade theirwaytostepsoredges.Exceptfortwo.‘If I have to come in and

throw you and your brotherout myself, Crispus Mitelus,you’ll be spending anuncomfortable few hours inthecityemergencyroom.’Therewasafeebleattempt

ateye-staringfromthetwoofthem, but they surrendered

after the minute was up.Maybe seeing me in myuniform they rememberedwhatIdidforaliving.Istoodthere for five minutes, armscrossed,foottappingnowandagain. I caught a few pulledfaces as they walked past.When I pretended to lookover imaginary glasses atthem like Nonna did, it wasremarkablyeffective:someofthem actually scuttled out

instead of walking.With thepumprunningatfull,itwouldbe clean and crystal clearagain by the evening.Unliketherestofmylife.Upstairs, Junia andMacro

wererunningabuffetserviceforthemassedhordes–theremust have been nearly ahundred of them. Gods!Where had they all slept? Idove between two cousins,startling them,andgrabbeda

bacon roll – I was starving.Gulping down a mug ofcoffee, I scanned the roomand spottedTrebatia, back inher uniform, and beckonedherover.‘Have you had something

toeatinthismadhouse?’‘Yes, thank you, ma’am.

I’msorryifIwasnegligent–they’re such a fun crowd. Ididn’tknowfamiliescouldbelike that.’ She sounded

wistful. ‘Well, a bit wild, Isuppose.’Sheglancedatme.‘Apology accepted. I’m

sorry to have curtailed yourfun, but we have to go backin.’

‘Youhavethefloor.’Conrad’s voice was

neutral,buthiseyeswerestillfullofanger.Ishuffledtomyfeet and described myfindings to the others around

the table. The banks ofcomputers in the strategyroom hummed, but the onlyscreenalivewasthesituationboard.‘This is disappointing, of

course,’ Somna said. ‘To befair to Captain Mitela, therewasn’tahintofthisduringallthe interrogations. I have toconclude that none of theconspirators apart fromPetronax and Superbus knew

about this connection.’ Shefixed her gaze on Conrad.‘Obviously, Petronax is deadbut, if you authorise it,Legate, we can use achemical stimulant onSuperbustoencouragehim.’Conrad tapped his fingers

on the table, all four fingersmoving together like a leaf-catcher.‘What’s wrong with

raiding the house and

terminating this criminal?’saidDaniel.He lookeddownhis nose out of half-closedeyesandsmirkedatme.I folded my arms across

my chest to stop myselfmarchingoverandslappingitoffhisface.‘Legalities,’ said the

adjutant. ‘Wedon’thaveanyproof. Look at it: we havefour words from Superbusafter a stressful interview

carried out without a lawyerpresent.’‘It was a perfectly legal

procedure,’Iobjected.Lucius gave me such a

cynical look. ‘Sure, theFamilies’ Code interview isfine as an admission of guiltfortheconspiracy.Idon’tseeanyargumentwiththat,butinrespect of this newdevelopment, Superbusmadehis remark after the formal

interview was concluded, soit doesn’t count. Valeria’sconversation with you iscircumstantial. Ifwecannailthatdown,it’senoughtosendthescarabsin.’‘ForMars’sake,isthatthe

bestwecando?Thescarabs!’Daniel thumped the tablewiththeflatofhishand.Luciusshrugged.‘Sepunia?’‘I’ve started a search on

this Cassia.’ She looked ather watch. ‘I’ll have someresultsforyouwithinanhourortwo.’‘Very well,’ Conrad said.

‘CaptainMitela will go withyou and put el-fits together.Adjutant, send somebody tofetch Valeria Mitela in andanotherguardtostaywithherchildren.Iwanteverybodytohave reread the operationalreportswhenwereconvenein

threehours.Dismissed.’‘Here,drinkthis.’I saw Sepunia’s hand

through the crook of myelbow. I lifted my head offmy hands and gave her aweak smile as the arabicasmellwaftedtowardsme.‘Lifesaver.Thanks.’‘Youmustbefeelingquite

depressed at the moment.Hellish, probably.’ She laid

her hand on my upper armand pressed lightly. ‘It’llworkout–don’tworry.’I’d spent two hours

compiling el-fits of Cassiaand Apollodorus. Sepuniahad dredged all her sourcesandwas onlywaiting for theCensor’sofficetocomeback.They worked at their ownpace. Their investigators’branchwasnotoriouslyclose.One of Sepunia’s staffers

came in, glanced atme, thenspoketohischief.‘Message from Lieutenant

Longina in IS, ma’am.Valeria Mitela is here andrequests support from thehead of her family.’ Hecoughedandglancedagainatme.‘We’re finished here until

thetaxpeopledeigntoreply,so Captain Mitela isreleased.’

Longinagreetedmeandtookme along to Interview 1, the“friendly” interview roomwhere I’d questioned Aidanseveralweeksago. It seemedlike several years ago now.Valeria was perched on theedge of a plain green couch,opposite Porteus and Somna.Shelookedverynervous,onehandplayingwiththefingersoftheother.Amugofbrown

liquidandplateofuntouchedcookies were on the coffeetable in front of her. Shelookedupasweentered,andjumped up as she recognisedme. She clung to me as weexchangedkisses.‘Carina—’ Her hand

fluttered.‘Iknow.I’mherenow.It’s

okay.’InoddedatSomnaandPorteus and pulled Valeriaback onto the couch. ‘Have

they explained what’shappening? Do youunderstandwhyyou’rehere?’She nodded. ‘I want to

help, of course, but I don’tknow how.’ Poor woman.Shewas a food technologist.She probably didn’t evenhave a parking fine on herrecord.‘Well, I can’t ask you

anything during theinterview, but I can explain

things and protect yourinterests and rights. Whenthey ask you a question, justanswer it straightforwardly.Take your time. If you thinkof anything afterward, don’tworry.Justsayit,evenifit’strivial.’ I smiled at her. ‘Orevensoundsstupid.’I lookedat Somna. ‘Have you begunyet,Colonel?’‘OnlytotakeIDdetails.’‘Playitback,please.’

Shewasright,butIwantedtobesure.Valeria repeated what

she’d told me, pretty muchword for word. She was ascientist and precise. By theend, shewascalmer,andhervoice had steadied. Somnathanked her formally andasked me to take Valeriaupstairs todo theel-fit. I leftherworkingat itwithoneofSepunia’sexperts.

Sepunia looked up as Ireturned to her office. Shedidn’t say anything buthanded me three printoutswiththeCensor’sseal.Ireadthem through in silence andhanded them back. I tookseveral deep breaths before Ispoke.‘Ididn’tlikeherthenandI

stilldon’t.Have thesepeopleneverheardofthejointwatchprotocols?’

Sepunia’s desktop peeped.Report meeting in tenminutes. I took amoment togo see how Valeria wasdoing.Idroppedmyhandonhershoulder.‘I’ve done my best,

Carina,’ she said. Her eyeslooked strained, the result ofstaring intently at a screenwithoutabreak.Itwasgood.Toogood.

Iarrivedat thestrategyrooma few minutes early. Faustawas tapping on thetransparentboardsettingitupto enter data as the meetingprogressed. I went over toher, but didn’t have time tosay anything before the dooropened. For once in his life,Danielarrivedearly.‘Huh! Trust the girl

blunder to be first here.Trying to make up for your

massiveerrorofjudgement?’‘This isnotanappropriate

time for personal remarks,’ Isaid, fixing him with a solidstare.‘Well, your mistake was

personalaswellasgross.’Warmth flushed up my

neck intomy facedespite allmy efforts to calm it bybreathing deeply and slowly.I tookmy place at the table.He sat opposite and grinned

atmydiscomfort.Howcouldhehaveturnedlikethis?Lifewas full of disappointments,and he was one of them.Sepunia was next and sat byme,pushingsomeprintoutsatme. We stood as Conrad,Lucius and Somna appeared.Conrad looked grim andbeganwithoutpreliminaries.‘There is no doubt

Apollodorus was Superbus’svisitorthatnight.’Heglanced

at me. ‘I can personallyconfirm both el-fits areaccurate.’ He held his handupat themurmuring.‘Beforewejumpinheavy-booted,weneedtodevelopourprocess.’HenoddedtoFaustawhowashoveringready,herfingersatthestartingpoint.‘Sepunia,please.’‘As the legate says, we

have confirmed IDs onApollodorus and Cassia. I

wasconsiderablytakenabackby the Censor’s officeadmission that Cassia was along-term undercoverinvestigator.Wehadnoidea.They should, of course, haveadvisedusviathejointwatchprotocols.’ She looked downat her el-pad. ‘I stronglyrecommenda liaisonmeetingwithoutdelay.’‘Stupid bastards,’ said

Lucius. ‘What did youmake

ofher,Carina?’I glanced at him. He

smiled likehe stillwanted toknowme.‘Cold and heartless. And

snotty. I would hate to be asubjectofher investigation. Ihadverylittletodowithher,tobehonest.’‘Sounds like a normal

investigator,then.’But I hadn’t seen past her

outwardmanner.Istudiedthe

table.HowcouldIhavebeensoblind?‘Well, according to their

report,’ Sepunia added,‘Cassia is one of their topinvestigators. She didn’t findany trace of evasion ormisconduct. Everything hadbeen filed, submitted orrecorded right up to lastmonthbytheiradministrator.’I smiled to myself.

Hermina was too efficient,

and too proud, to make anymistakethere.‘What’s so funny?’Daniel

asked, frowning at me.‘You’reabit toopleasedshefoundnothing.Didn’twanttoerode your share of theprofits,eh?’‘Daniel,’saidLucius.‘Sir?’‘Shutup.’Sepunia coughed. ‘I can’t

find any match for

Apollodorus.Hisimageisnoton the PopBase, there is norecord of his presence underhis name. No DNA, nofingerprints, no optical scan,voiceprint, health record.Nothing. So I assumed hewasoperatingunderanalias.Using the el-fits and theinformation from Carina’sreport about the Frenchimmigrant side of his familyand themother coming from

Castra Lucilla, I ran aprobability analysis and gotnowhere.’ She grimaced.‘Well, 27.2% which isstatisticallyequivalenttonil.’‘But that’swell below the

minimum of 40%,’ Conradsaid.‘Indeed. My conclusion is

that PopBase has been, er,amended by a highly skilledhacker.’‘Areyousure?’

ShelookedbackatConradwith her steady green gaze.‘Yes.’Nobodycouldspeak.Apart

from our own system,PopBase was the mostprotected digital asset in theImperium. The only soundwas Fausta’s long lacqueredfingernails scratching as sheupdated thesituationboard. Iglanced over at her, more toreassure her than anything.

She stared back, pinkblotchesonhercheeks,andIknew.Crap.‘Very well,’ Conrad said,

his tone clipped. ‘We sendthe DJ scarabs in to arrestApollodorus. Light back-upon standby, please, Daniel.We can hold him forquestioning, take somebiological data and find outwho he really is.’ A red

border surroundedApollodorus’s image in thecentre of the board. Theinterconnecting lines spranginto life, connecting to meandFlavius.Onceyou’dsaidor thought something, itseemed obvious afterwards.Thetruthglaredoutatme.‘Evenifitprovesinnocent,

whichIdoubt,wecan’thavepeople like him unrecorded.Sepunia, liaise with Interior

about their leak in PopBase.Somna,leaveSuperbuswherehe is. I’ll speak to himmyself.Dismissed.’I stoodupwith theothers,

pushed my chair up to thetable. I felt remote from thewhole surreal meeting.Strange, nobody hadworriedaboutApollodorusbefore–apragmatic acceptance thatthere were people in RomaNova who weren’t pure and

innocent. We owed a hugedebt to Apollodorus. MaybeConrad had forgotten heowedhislifetohim.‘Carina.Amoment.’Conrad’s voice was as

remoteasIfelt.Wewatchedtheothersfile

out. Fausta switched thebacklightsoff,loggedoutandwenttofollow.Asshepassedbyme,Istoppedherwithmyhandonherarm.Sheglanced

up at my face then droppedhergazeasquickly.‘Well done. We’ll talk in

themorning.’Herfacewastight,butshe

nodded. When she’d closedthe door, Conrad waved hishandtowardsthetable.‘Sitdown.’Hesatbesideme,buttilted

hischairatanangle.‘Ididn’twanttodothisin

frontof theothers,especially

bloody Daniel. Jupiter, ifLucius hadn’t got therebeforeme,I’dhavetakenhimout and thumped him.’ Helooked over at the blankstrategyboard.‘I’msorry,butyou’re off the case. It’sstandard procedure. I don’thaveachoice.’‘Don’tyou?’‘No,andyouknowit.’Thewayhelookedatme–

through me – I knew the

delicate personal links we’dbeen rebuilding had beensevered inonecut. I supposeI was lucky I wasn’t beingthrownout.He shot a look atme then

studied the table. His mouthwas drawn in a tight grimline.Crap,therewasmore.‘On a personal level,

you’regoing tohave to fighta full disciplinaryinvestigation, so it’s not in

your interest to stayinvolved.’More damned standard

procedure.He stretched his hand out,

but withdrew it before hetouchedmine.Heloweredhisvoice.‘Itriedtodeflectit,butIcouldn’targueheroutofit–the senior legate has insistedyou and Flavius aresuspended with immediateeffect and confined to

barracks.’

XXXVI

Stripped of the right to wearmy uniform, I pulled on myoldest jeans and plainest teethe next morning. I reportedto Lucius’s office in theadmin block and surrenderedmy badge. He handed me awhite plastic card with anembeddedopticalchip.‘You’ll be able to access

most of the building, but not

the working areas, includingtheguardzone.Don’t loseit,orasecuritydetailwillbeonyou within minutes it splitsfromyourbiosignature.Dittoif you talk to Flavius. NoInternet,nophonecallsout.’The early morning

headache started throbbingharder. I’dneverbeenwhite-carded. Now my colleagueswould drift away, little bylittle, conversations about

work – the thing that boundus together – would stopwhen I was near. Pity,embarrassment, even fear ofcontamination.‘WhatamIsupposedtodo

withmyself?’‘Keep out of everybody’s

way, mainly.’ He leanedback. ‘Start preparing yourhearing. You can access thelibrary.’Heglancedupatme.His eyes narrowed as if

giving me a message. ‘It’sneutralground.’

Word hadn’t got around inthe mess hall, so it was nodifferent from a normal day,except that when Flaviuscame in, he spotted me andinstantly went back out. Theproximity alarm was fivemetressoIhopeditwasonlyhim being careful. In thelibrary, I logged on to my

internalaccountandtriednotto include “error ofjudgement” too many timesin my draft defencestatement.Buthaditbeenanerror?If

the circumstantial evidencedid lead to nailing the caseagainst Apollodorus, theworst was that I’d beenblindsided by him. AndCassia. I hadno control overtheir movements. Obviously,

I’dtriedtohackintoCassia’saccount, but she’d locked itdown. I’d managed tophysically search her officeonce.Noteasywhenshewasgluedtoherdeskmostofthetime. But I couldn’t findanything out of place, letaloneincriminating.AlthoughApollo sometimes worked inhis study, the tablinum, hemost often sat in a recess inthe atrium. I hadn’t known

about his private retreat untilafter the operation. I didn’tdeservetobeunderthissemi-ostracism. I wasn’t in a cell,butImightaswellhavebeen.Justalargerone,withpeopleinit.In the ancients section in

the library, I searched forexamples of generals who’dbeendupedormadean errorof judgement yet were stillconsidered“great”.NotthatI

consideredmyselfinanywaygreat,butI’dbeabletoshowthat even the best mademistakes. I was searchingthroughCaesar’sGallicWarsand pulled out a heavy,purple, leather-backedvolume, frayedandscratchedon the spine and corners. Inearlyjumpedoutofmyskinwhen I saw Fausta’s anxiouseyesinthespace.‘Juno!’ I hissed at her.

‘Don’t do that.What do youwant?’She glanced to her right,

butweweredeepinarecess,practicallyinvisible.‘Areyougoingtoreportit,

ma’am?’shewhispered.‘Idon’tknow.’Iscratched

thebackofmyneck.‘Doyouremember any of the, er,originaldata?’‘No, he told me to access

Po—, the program I mean,

askedmetoshowhimhowtochangeitandsealthesystem.Then told me to leave theroom.Itriedtogobackinoutof curiosity, but the programhad locked that entry. Icouldn’t bust it.’ Sheshrugged. ‘I guessed I wassafernotknowing.’‘Undoubtedly.’She stared atme, her face

miserable. She grabbed abook off the shelf, pretended

tolookatit.EvenfromwhereI was, I could see she washolding it upside down. Sheclosed it and went to put itback, but her hands weretremblingsomuch they let itslip off the shelf. The loudsmack on the wood floorbrought the librarian aroundto investigate. I darted alongtherowandhidatthefarend.Fausta was apologising likeshe’dbeencaughtstealingthe

book instead of dropping it.Eventually,thelibrarianwentbacktohisdesk.‘Fausta!Here.’She glanced back; then

sidled up to the endwhere Istood.‘Look, thanks for telling

me. I’ll protect you if I can,but you have to go back toyourdeskandactlikenothinghappened.And don’t, for theloveofJuno,sayanything to

Drusus.’

I had no appetite for lunch,but couldn’t sit still. I wentfor a run on the indoor trackandbacktomyroom.Ilayonthebed,staringattheceiling.Andthiswasonlydayone.I wokewith a start asmy

commsetpeeped. Ithadbeensilent since last night whichforafewhourswasanovelty,then spooky. Apart from

alerts throughout the day, Imust have gotten upward often operational or commandmessages on a normal day. Igrabbed my el-pad whichsynched with my commsetand wiped the screen toaccessthealert.Istaredattheimages. Philippus andHerminahadbeenenteredonthewatchnet.I almost ran down the

corridorofthesleepingareas,

through the admin anddomestic zones, and reachedthe guard area where I wasstopped by a flashing redlightandanalarm.Crap. I couldn’t pass

through. I slammed the wallwith my palm. I had walkedthrough the automatic barriereach day for seven yearswithoutthinking.Iwastakingdeep breaths to calmmyself,trying to convert the anger

into energy, when Luciusappeared.‘What the hell are you

doing? Trying to wreck theplace?’‘Sorry. Sorry, I can’t do

this.’Ifoldedmyarmsacrossmy chest, bent forwardslightly, and jammed mymouthshut.‘Iknewyou’dfindithard,

but I didn’t expect you tocrack so soon.’ He snorted.

‘Comewithme.’He stalked back along the

corridor, studded sandalsclacking and echoing. Ideeplyenviedhimthesound:Iwantedmyownbackon.Heopened thedoor tohisofficeandgesturedmetoachair.‘One, don’t fight it. Two,

don’t destroy my building.Three, stop bleating sorry.Now,what’stheproblemthathas you behaving like a

barbarian?’I swallowed. ‘Two

personalalertshavecomeupforme.’Ishowedhimmyel-pad.‘Hmph.’He tapped on his

keyboard,andIsawtheedgeofthejointwatchscreenload.I jumped off my chair andwent to stand behind him ashescrolleddown.‘There!’ I jabbed the

screen. When he opened the

first, Philippus’s face andprofile stared out atme. ThenextshowedHermina.‘Arrested this morning

afterraidonariversidehouseoutontheBrancadorumroad.Detainedunder conspiracy totreason for standard twenty-eight days,’ he read out.‘Friendsofyours?’‘Yes,’ I said sullenly. I

walkedover to his bookcase,then back again and once

again. ‘I have to help them.It’s a question of obligation.Normally, I’d pick up thephone and have some smart-ass lawyer in here for thembeforeSomnacouldopenherdossier.’ I sat down. ‘Now Ican’t even make that simplecall,canI?’‘No.’‘They gave me loyal

service; they helped saveConradus’s life. They were

crucial to throwing Petronaxout of this building and youwon’t even help them havethe legal representationthey’reentitledto?’Hewassilent.‘One call home. My

grandmother or the stewardcandoitfromthere.’He looked out atme from

underafrown.‘You’redoingitagain.’‘What?’

‘Nevermind. This is youronecall.Ifyousquanderitonthesecriminals,youwon’tgetanother.’ He flung himselfoutofhischairandwavedmetohisdesk.Tensecondslater,I had Junia on screen. Andfiveafterthat,Aurelia.‘Salve,Nonna.Ionlyhave

timeforashortcall,butcouldyoudosomethingforme?’

I went early for my food so

people wouldn’t feel obligedto sit with me or beembarrassed about avoidingme. My spoon overflowedwith a large scoop of myfavourite dessert, honeyisland,whentwoguardswithsecurity badges entered themesshallandfoundme.‘You’ll have towait.’The

honeycombfoamdissolvedinmymouth.‘Thelegatesaysyouareto

comeimmediately.’‘I’m sure he does,’ and I

stuffedanothermouthfulin.Igot tomy feet, onehand

holdingthedishandtheotherthe spoon with the lastmouthful. I gulped it down,smiledsweetlyandwentwiththem.‘WhatinHadesdidyouthinkyou were doing? I shouldthrow you in the cells!’ His

facewas livid, the skin tight.Hiseyeswerelikeagates.‘Ididn’tknowarranginga

lawyer was a disciplinaryoffence,’Isaid,‘oracriminalone.’‘Don’t split hairs. You’ve

just made our job twice asdifficult.’‘Well,toobad.’‘Oh, come on, you were

the one who suggested theFamilies’ Code interview to

work round Superbus’slawyer. Now you’ve put thesameblockupforthesetwo.’‘One big difference –

Superbuswasguiltyashell,amain actor in the conspiracyintent on destroying us, butPhilippus and Hermina areinnocent.’‘Innocent,’ he snorted.

‘Hardly.’‘Yes,ofthis,I’msure.’‘And since when did you

becomeajudge?’‘Fair point,’ I said, ‘but

theydeserveachance.’‘Your sense of right and

wrongistooflexibleforme.’Ishrugged.Hepickedupa sheetwith

aDJlogo.‘Thescarabswantyou to go to Apollodorus’shouse to see ifyoucanpointout anything missing ordifferent. You’ll be escortedthe whole time, but I want

your word youwon’t violatetheCBorderagain.’‘I didn’t see it as a

violation...’‘Youwouldn’t.’‘…but if it makes you

happier,youhavemyword.’

XXXVII

We approached the entranceof Apollodorus’s house withitsgracefulstonearch,thetallgates now wide open withcustodes porting machinegunseachside.Weparkedonthe gravel area alongside atruck and two patrol cars. Ijumped out the rear door ofourwheelbase.Thewindwasrising this evening. I stopped

for a moment to zip up myfleece.Theinnermetalbarredgates with their Venetianscrollwork and gracefulfinials hung off their hinges,their lockwork smashed anddistorted.Another armed custos

checkedourIDaswestoppedundertheportico.Hegruntedand signalled us to proceed.Theatriumwasclutteredwithfiguresinwhitesuitsrunning

hand-held scannerseverywhere, cartons beingpacked with papers, bluefigures speaking their reportsinto el-pads. Two custodeswerecarryingcomputersout,cablestrailing.Ilookedupatthe largeglazedbull’seye inthe roof but saw only darksky.Acustos pointedus to the

large recess whereApollodorususedtosit.Now

itwasoccupiedbyLurio.Hemademewaitbythetablehewasworkingat.‘Captain.’‘Commander.’‘Yourmonkeyscanleave.’

He waved my two guardsaway.‘Nodisrespect, sir, butwe

are under the legate’sinstructions to stay in closecontact,’saidtheoptio.‘Two choices: with or

withoutforce.’Hefixedthemwith a genial smile. ‘Youchoose.’Thecustoswhohadbeen sittingwithLurio stoodup and approached myguards. Another two joinedher.Shetiltedherchinat thetwoPGSFandtheyconceded.Wewatchedastheyretreatedtotheothersideoftheatriumand sat opposite, but kepttheireyesfixedonme.‘What happened to you?

Youlooklikeapieceofstreettrash.’‘Don’t be a smart-ass,

Lurio. You know I’ve beenCB’d.’‘Mitelusthrowhispensoff

hisdesk?’Isaidnothing.‘Comeonthen,let’sgofor

aviewingtour.’For some reason, the

disorderleftineveryroombythecustodes’searchsaddened

me.Eveninmybedroom,thecloset had been emptied andclothes thrown in a heap onthefloor.I knelt down and picked

through a few things. ‘I’lltake these back, if that’sokay.’‘Nothing doing.

Everything’s going to beexamined.Youcanbuythemback in the public auctionwhenit’sallfinished.’

‘You’reallheart.’‘C’mon, you know the

rulesofevidenceaswellasIdo, or has your braindissolved?’Onthetable,thelittleblue

vase still had the half-dozenblooms I’d picked in thegarden, but they were allbrown,desiccatedandweary.Idroppedtheclothesbackonthefloorandreachedintothetop of the closet. On the

inside of the door frame,betweenthemouldingandtheframe,wasacellchipwithabluelogoandminisculepartsnumber.‘Yours, I think.’ I handed

itovertoLurio.‘Mars! That’s from seven

yearsago.’Heturneditover,squintingat thenumber.‘Butyouneverusedit.’‘Ididn’tneedto.’Apollo was a powerful,

dangerousman.No question.But I’d rarely felt in dangerfromhim.Notenough tousetheemergencychipLuriohadgiven me. Maybe I shouldhavebeenmorefrightened.Aheavy lump settled in myheart. My legs turned torubber and I sank down onthebed.Ibracedmyselfwithmyarmstostayupright.ButIbowed my head as tearstrickleddownovermyface.

Apollodorus, why did youdothis?Whydidyoudouble-crossus?

I couldn’t see anything elseremarkable or different. Iwandered through, touchingthe furniture, fingering thecushions, stroking the velvetand linen drapes. A bowl ofrotting fruit on theimmaculatediningroomtablewas drawing flies; the

veranda was desecrated withrecent cigarette butts. I wasangryonApollo’sbehalf.Hewould have been coldlyfurious and snapped hisfingers to have it remedied.But it would never havegottentothatstateinthefirstplace.IledLuriototheolderpart

of the house behind theatriumwherethefloorturnedto flagstones. Two custodes

werepackingup thecontentsof Apollo’s tablinum. Thedoor to its left was ajar,outwards.Mypulse rate roseas I remembered that lastemotionaleveningwithhim.Iopened the door wide,bracing myself to see thelovely room dissected anddismantled. All I saw wasshelving, piled with dustydomestic plates and bowls,thekindyouonlyuseifextra

peoplecometostay.Thedustwas undisturbed. I knockedon the back wall of thecupboard. A dull thunk. Itapped in several places butthe same solid, reassuringnoisecameback.‘Whatisit?’saidLurio.‘Help me take this stuff

out.’We worked methodically,

setting the crockery to oneside.Iranmyfingersoverthe

edges of the door frame, theback wall, everywhere.Nothing. I stood back andsearched the surroundingstonework, scrutinising eachripple and curve, eachmortaredjointbetween.‘Tellmewhatwe’redoing

here,’ he said. ‘I do haveotherthingstogetonwith.’‘Wait. I’m looking for the

wayin.’‘What to? It’s a cupboard.

Come on,we’ve got upstairstolookthroughyet.’‘No,wait. There’s a room

here.’He lifted his arm and

spokeintohiscommset.Iwasstill feeling the stoneworkwhen another custos arrivedwithawoodsman’saxe.‘Standback,’Luriosaidto

meandnoddedtotheaxemanwho hefted his axe back inbothhands,readytostrike.

‘No, I’m sure the catch ishere somewhere.’Then I feltit–atoo-smoothstonetotherightofthedoorjamb.Itsliddowntorevealanumberpad.Luriohadoneofthewhite-

suitedforensicdronesrunhisscanner over to reveal thecode. The shelves swungopen noiselessly to the leftand then backward into arecess. A velvet curtain slidacross in front tocamouflage

theshelving.Luriodismissedthe others and followed mein. He aimed his flashlightinto every corner, throwingthe strong beam around theroom. I bent down andswitched on one of theexquisite Lalique lamps. Thesoft gold and crimson roomglowedintolife.Iswallowed.‘Jupiter’s balls!’ He

whistled. He moved aroundthe room, examining

everything, captivated for aminute or so by thegrandmother’sportrait.‘Iwant this roomsealed. I

don’t want some soullessforensic cutting it all up. I’llhelp pack it up and box itmyself,’Ipleaded.‘He really got to you,

didn’the?’‘I…I owed him so much.

Hehelpedmegrowup.’‘Butnow?’

‘Nowwehavetofindhim.If he did backstab us, Ipromise you I’ll personallyhunthimdown.’Lurio worked with me. Wetookdown, boxed and cratedeverythingwithinthreehours.Hehelpedmeenclosethetallportrait between two largesheetsofheavydutyplascard.I wasn’t sure why I felt thisresponsibility for keeping

thesethingssafe.Maybetheymeant more to me than Iwould admit. I worked myhurt out pulling and tapingthe bubbled plastic andwrappingfleece.I ran my hands over the

inlaid top of the small tablewith curvaceous swan-necklegs. I saw the crystal glasshalf-full of pale yellowwinethat Apollo had poured tosteady my nerves after the

shockofenteringthisroom.Ibatted that memory away,grasped the table by theshallow carved skirt to lift itinto a box, when my indexfingerfoundatinyhalf-circledepressionontheunderside.IglancedoveratLurio.Hewasbusy packing some lamps. Iknew I’d found a concealedcompartment.MydadhadanoldtablewithoneinourNewHampshire house. When I

was a kid, I’d loved makingup stories about imaginarysecret documents hiddenthere. I let my breath out. Ipushed and it slid open. Myfingers touched paper. Luriohad his back to me, so Icarefully extracted a smallbunch of sheets. I glanced ateach one of around a dozen,but themost interestingwerefour stapled together andfolded lengthways. As Lurio

turned,Istuffedthemintomyfleecepocket.It was gone two in the

morning when we finishedthe rest of the house, but I’dlost my concentration. Ididn’t tell Lurio I’ddiscovered whereApollodorus might be. If I’dguessed right, it had nowbecomepersonal.OnceIwasfree,Iwasgoingtobringhimdownmyself.

XXXVIII

Afterapoorfivehours’sleep,I woke to a summons toreport to the guard zonesecurity gate at eight. Thecode was from Somna’s ISteam. I guessed they weregoing to grill me further ontheextentofmyinvolvementwith Apollodorus. I chosedark casuals and appliedsubduedmake-up.Goinginto

battle appropriately dressedand warpainted worked forme.Longina greeted me

formally and buzzed methrough. Maybe I wasparanoid, but nobody lookedme in the eye as we walkedalong the corridors. AtSomna’s office, Longinaknocked,openedthedoorforme and left without sayinganotherword.

Somnalookedupfromthefile she was studying on herdesk.‘Good morning, Carina.

Thankyouforcoming.’Like I had a choice. Still,

Somna had supported me allalong, so I shouldn’t grump.Maybeall Iwas in forwasalittlechat.‘Ithinkyoumaybeableto

helpus.’SheaddressedmeasifIwasacivilianwitness,not

amemberof thesameunit. Ifelt uncomfortable, no,apprehensive.‘Of course,ma’am, if you

think I can,’ I said, far toocheerfully.She stood up, picked a

bookoff the shelf,but laid iton the desk without openingit. ‘On the facts, I thinkyou’ve been misjudged. Thedifficulties and pressures ofoperating undercover are not

always remembered by thosewho have attained higherrank.’IhopedIwasn’tstaringat

herwithmymouthopen.Didshe mean Conrad or theseniorlegate?‘Well, let’sgeton.Iknow

you formed friendships withthe Pulcheria Foundationassociates.Ipresumethiswaswhy you are funding legalrepresentationforthetwowe

haveincustody.’‘I…’Sheheldherhandup.‘It’s

more demanding for us, butyouwereperfectlywithintherules, and I applaud yoursenseofresponsibility.’Was she softening me up

forsomethingbitter?Shewasapsychologist, sohadall thetechniques.‘I know from your report

youfounditawkwardtodeal

with them when you wentback there with Flavius. Ithink meeting the twodetaineesnowwouldbeevenmore trying.’ She fixed mewith her more familiar greylizard stare. ‘But I need youtodoit.’‘Why?’‘They refuse to say

anything. Even when theirlawyers suggest they mightcompromiseoranswersimple

things. It reminds me ofsomebody else just asstubborn.’ She smiled as sheperched on the corner of herdesk. ‘Wecouldundoubtedlycrackthemwithinthetwenty-eightdays,butthelegatesaysweneedtheanswersurgently,preferablyyesterday.’‘I don’t think either of

themwilltalktome.’‘You realise the

seriousness of your own

position,Ipresume?’‘Whatdoyoumean?’‘Failure to cooperate

could, of course, lead toformal arrest and detention.’Andshesmiled.I sent Somna a hate-filledlook as the security detailpulled my hands behind myback and cuffed me. I wasmarched down to the cells,protesting all the way, but

powerless to do anything. Irefused to cooperate as theystrip-searched me, proddingandpulling, and piled on thecomplaintslouderandlouder.The door to the open-barredcell block was ajar and thenoise must have carriedthrough. When the custodysergeant told me to can it, Ispat at him. He slapped myface. I laid every curse Icould think of on him. Two

guards pushed me none toogentlythroughthedoortothecell block and shoved me inthe end one. I cursed theHades out of them. Oneturned around and gave methefinger.I kicked the base plate on

thefrontwallofthebars,butforgot my feet were bare.This time the swearing wasgenuine.Irattledthebarsandshoutedtheycouldn’tdothis.

Idemandedrelease. Iwantedalawyer.Aftertenminutes,Igave up shouting, sat on thebench, my back to the othercells, andmuttered about theinjusticeofit.Half an hour later, I had

my first visitors: Paula andLivius.‘Are you trying to earn

bonus stupid points?’ Liviusshouted at me. He projectedanger and concern in equal

amounts.‘You forget yourself,

Optio.’‘Don’t pull rank on me.

Besides,youhavenonenow.Mars helpme, if youwere agrunt in my squad, I’d runyouaround sohardyou’dbetooknackeredtomisbehave.’‘Well, thanks for your

visit.Youcanpissoffnow.’Iturnedmyshoulderonhim.‘Bruna, calm down,’ said

Paula. She laid her hand onLivius’s arm and shook herhead. ‘Tell me whathappened.’I glanced up and down as

if checking that nobody wasoverhearing. Two cells up,Hermina was standing,obviously listening.Philippus, in the further cell,sat looking unconcerned, butthesideofhisheadturnedinmydirection.

‘Somna threatened meagain, pushing me aboutApollodorus. I don’t know. Ireally don’t. Then Conradus,I mean, the legate, clambersontomycase, insinuatingmyloyaltiesweresplit.’‘Aren’t they?’ Livius

asked.‘Imean,we’rechasinga known criminal who’s atraitor.Caseproven.’‘No, it’snot.But Iwasas

shocked as anybody at the

accusation. I can’t believehe’s crossed us like this.’ Ihung my head down. ‘It’sbecome personal withConradus.’‘Hasheanyreasontothink

it’sjustified?’askedPaula.‘Noneofyourbusiness,or

his!’‘I see,’ said Paula. She

looked like a mother whosekid had a term report withstraightDs.

‘If I could findApollodorus and talk to him—’‘Fat chance,’ said Livius.

‘But I’m sure they’ll arrangeto put you side by side cellswhentheycatchhim.’‘Go away, Paula. I can’t

think.Andtakethisidiotwithyou.’

‘Pulcheria?’Hermina.

‘I know that’s not yourname,butIcan’tthinkofyouasanythingelse.’‘What?’‘Thank you for arranging

thelawyers.’I twisted around, grasped

the bars and knelt up on thecell bench. ‘It’s the least Icoulddo.Youdidn’tdeservethis.’‘I don’t understand why

we’re here. I thought we’d

helped.Nowtheythinkwe’repartoftheconspiracy.’‘Don’tIknowit!’‘So what happens next?’

Philippus.‘Me, I catch a court

martial. If they prove I’mmore involved than I said orthat I’m protectingApollodorus,probablytwentyyears in the central militaryprison.IfIwereyoutwo,andyou truly don’t have a clue

where he is, I’d make a fullstatement. The lawyers willget you off.’ I paused. ‘Youdon’thaveanidea,doyou?’Philippus looked up at the

CCTV camera, shrugged.‘No, not a clue, but Iwasn’tgivingthemthesatisfaction.’I gave a short laugh. He

grinnedback.‘Hermi, is there anything

you can think of that mighthelp?’

‘Nothing. I find itimpossible to think ofApollodorusbetrayinguslikethis.Hehadsomuch togainwithyou,Imean,thembeingin his debt.’ She shook herhead.I believed them both.

WouldSomna?Around half an hour later,Hermina and Philippus weretaken away, hopefully on

their way out of here. Ireckonedthreehourspassed–they’d confiscated my watchin the custody suite – whenthe guards shoved a bowl ofsoup through the door slot,slopping half of it on thefloor. I didn’t touch it. Junoknew what they’d put in it.Traitors, even suspectedtraitors, had a rough ride. IrememberRobbiasevenyearsagowhensheappearedather

hearing: pale, subdued andnervous. And she’d been aconfident and sassy officerbefore her arrest for treason.I’dwaitfortheofficialrescueparty.But it wasn’t until early

next morning after a tensenight that Longina came andfetched me. She lookedembarrassed and twitchedwhile my cell door wasunlocked.

‘I’msosorryyouwerelefthere. Please believe it was amistake. The colonel will befurious.Iwouldn’tcaretobethe overnight shift leaderwhenshegetsholdofhim.’‘Amistake?Howcanitbe

a mistake? Do you realiseI’ve eaten nothing sincebreakfastyesterday?’‘Why didn’t you ask for

something?’‘Ever been a prisoner

wheretheguardsthinkyou’reatraitor?’She stared at me, not

understanding.‘Ididn’tthinkso.’Shesignedmyreleaseand

stayed with me while Ichanged. The same custodysergeantwas back on duty. Iapologisedformybehaviour,explaining I had to make itrealistic so thebaitwouldbetaken. He didn’t change his

dourexpression.I insisted on getting fresh

clothes,showeringandeatinga full breakfast. Longina satwithmeinthemesshall,andI saw she was shocked bysomeofthehostilelooks.Somna had gone to a

round-upmeetingsoLonginashowed me Hermina’s andPhilippus’s statements. Aspredicted, they’d beenreleased conditionally,

pendingformaldischarge.I’d done some hard

thinking last night about myown future. No formalcharges had been brought,and the disciplinary hearingmightyetclearme.I’dhelpedSomna unblock the logjamwith Hermina and Philippus,so I guessed that counted inmyfavour.Despite his concern,

Conrad had retreated into

formal and official, Sellaregarded me as an unstablemaverick, and I’d lostDaniel’s friendship. Luciusand Somna would supportme,but theywerepartof thesystem. Iwasn’t sure I couldseeawaybackfromwhereIwas. Maybe I’d talk itthrough with Conrad. Hecouldn’t refuse me as mycommanding officer. But Icame to theconclusionIwas

onmywayout.

Lucius buzzed me later thatmorning,butwhenIreportedto his office the only personsitting at the desk wasConrad.‘Well done for

encouragingthosetwototalk.You’re quite remarkablewhenyouoperate.’‘I’d prefer a less hostile

environmentanothertime.’

Somna had messaged mewithherthanks,regrettingthe“unfortunatemisunderstanding” about notextractingmeearlier.‘I’ve just sent a circular

out so you shouldn’t get anyfurther trouble.I thinkI’llbeable to persuade the seniorlegate to relax her attitudenow after what you did atApollodorus’s house as wellasunjamming the interviews.

It’s obvious where youstand.’Although he wasn’t to

blame for my CB order, helookedcontrite.‘Ihadalotoftimetothink

lastnightinmycell,’Isaid.Icouldn’t lookdirectlyathim.I didn’t know if it wasembarrassment or apathyunderneath, but I’d lost myability to be bothered aboutanything. ‘I don’t think I’m

following the same road aseverybody else. I know Iproduce results, but it’s notenough. Iwantyou toacceptmyresignation.’Helookedappalled.‘No.’Isighed.‘Youcan’trefuse.

I feel so wrong here, as ifsomething’sbroken.’Ilookedat him. ‘You have to let mego.’

After I wrote and delivered

myresignationletterbyhand,copied toLucius theadjutantI cleared my locker,messaged my comrades,posted a drinks date twoweeks later for my ART, iftheywantedtocome,andleft.I felt depressed, alienated. Iwasn’t glad or sorry aboutleaving–justnumb.

XXXIX

I went home and slept for afulltenhours.Thenextday,Imoped around the house,grumping at everybody. Bymid-afternoon, I’d made thechildren cry, quarrelled withHelena, and infuriated mygrandmother. I retreated totheatriumtosulktomyself.‘I want a word with you,

mygirl.’

I looked up at mygrandmother but didn’t sayanything.‘Idon’tknowwhat’sgoing

on, but I won’t have youflouncing around here like abrathavingatantrum.’I shrugged and looked

downatmymagazine.Iknewitwasrude,butIcouldn’tbebothered to apologise. Thenext minute, the magazinewas across the other side of

the room and my face wasstinging.‘Nonna.’ I gasped and

struggledup.‘Sitdown.’She looked like the Furies

on a bad day. Withhangovers.Ishrankbackintomyseat.‘Nowtellme.’‘I’ve resigned. I don’t

belong there.’ I gave her theshortversion.

‘So you made a mistakeand ran away. I thought youhadmorebackbone.’I looked down at the

marblefloor.She snorted. ‘What about

your promise to Lurio? TobringApollodorusdown?’‘Hewon’texpectmetogo

hunting now. I’ll tell himwhat I suspect. He’ll take itfromthere.’‘So you’re going to

completeyour self-miserybyletting down your oldestcolleague and turning yourback on a challenge you’reperfectly capable of dealingwith because you can’t facethe fact that you made amistake?’Sheraisedhereyestotheceiling.‘Junograntmestrength!’Shetookbothmyhandsin

hers. ‘If you don’t do this,youwillneverbeabletolook

inside yourself and likewhatyousee.Youmadeamistake.You think it’s the end of theworld. Believe me, it’shappened before. I’ve madesome horrendous foul-ups inmytime,soIknow.’Shegavemyhandsa little

shakeandmealittlesmile.‘Theway towork through

itistorecogniseyourmistakeand swallow theembarrassment. Be honest,

catch your breath, and pickyourselfup.Thenyouhavetoget on and do somethingaboutit.’She fixed me with a

steady, uncompromisinglook. After a few moments,she let my hands fall, wentover to the drinks table andpouredoutonesmallandonestandard measure of herFrenchbrandy.‘Here.’Shehandedmethe

small one. ‘You may bedriving later and you don’twant to be picked up fordrunk-driving.’

IcalledLurioandaskedifhecould let me have a smallitem.‘I’llcallbywithitinabout

anhour.’As I sprayed the mouse-

brown dye into my hair, Iwondered what in Hades I

was doing. Inserting thecontacts to dull my eyes togrey, I blinked back excessliquid,notsureitwastearsorsaline solution.By the time Iwas pulling on old jeans anda threadbare top, I wasresigned to it. Closing myapartment door and walkinginto the atrium in wornsneakers and carrying a thincotton jacket and canvasbackpack,IwasasreadyasI

couldhopetobe.Lurio’sbulkyfiguresitting

on the couch was bent inconversation with mygrandmother.Heroseassoonas he saw me and strappedthe ID I’dasked forontomyoutstretchedwrist.‘Gotyourknives?’Inodded.‘Gotyourheadtogether?’Thenodwasbriefer.‘Comeon,then.’

I had him drop me at ashuttlestoponthecitysouth-eastperiphery.‘Sureyoudon’twanttogo

to the car rental or theinterrailterminus?’‘No, this is fine. And no,

I’mnottellingyouwhereI’mgoing.ButthanksfortheID.’I leaned over and kissed hischeek,thenpulledmyselfoutofthecarasifIcarriedtwicemy own weight and trudged

down the steps into the darktunnel.I spent a few moments in

therestroompickingthebackoff the ID and removing thetracker chip. I smiled as Iflushed it down the pan, ajourney which would giveLurio a few minutes’ grief.The train south left in tenminutes, and I hung aroundbehindtheluggagecartsuntilthe door warning sounded. I

jumped on, catching a frownfrom the guard. She checkedmy ticket there and then. Ishruggedandplunkedmyselfdownonaspareseatnexttoasuit. I stepped off at each ofthenexttwostops,walkingafew cars further up or downthe platform each time,turning my coat inside outand putting my hair up orloosening it. I couldn’t seeanybody following. Nobody

paid any attention: they justwanted to get home afterwork.I finally quit the train at

Castra Lucilla. Although wecamehereeverysummerandinbetween,I’dneverbeentothe train station: we alwaystravelled in Aurelia’sMercedes.Icheckedthetownmap for the nearest mansio.Onlythreestreetsaway.Aftergrey soup and roll in the

dining room, I found myplaceinafour-bedroom,tiedmy shoes together to one ofthe legs at the head of thebed,pulledthecoverovermyfully-clothed body and wenttosleep.I was first in line at the

door of the employmentcentre at eight nextmorning.Iregisteredforcasualoutdoorwork,specialismhorticulture,knowing that at this time of

year estate labour would bepressured by olive and grapeharvesting. And the Mitelahome farm was the largestone around. The steward ranitefficientlywithaleanteam,calling on casuals twice ayear during harvest andpruning to take over theroutine stuff and free up themoreskilledpermanentstaff.Sure enough, I was called

forwardand told toassemble

foratransportthatwouldtakeus up there. We passed theshaded plane-treed drive Iknewwellandbumpeduptheservice entrance. As soon asthe truck stopped, we weretold to hurry up and climbout.A farmassistant I didn’tknow allocated us each adormitory bed. After a plainlunch in the farm hall, wecollected coveralls, gloves,toolsandtasksheets.

Nextday,IaskedifIcouldwork in the gardens as I hadexperience. The assistantlookedoverherglasses for amoment,butagreedandgaveme the herb garden whichlookedstragglyatthistimeoftheyear,allsixmetresofit.Iforgot just how boringweeding was, but the upsidewas that Iwasgettingnearertomygoal. Ididn’twantmyquarry tohear thewhisperof

a hint I was anywhere nearhim. I wanted him to feeltotallysecure.

I graduated to the maindriveway the next day,strimming the edges andweeding the bases of thetrees. Near the main gate, Istopped and leaned back toease my shoulder. I glancedacross the fieldson theotherside of the road to give my

eyesabreak.Then I saw theskinnyfigurelopingfromoneof the privately let farmcottages towardsautility.Hepulled himself into the caband drove off. It trundledalong parallel to the mainroad,raisinglittledustwhorlsbehind each wheel. As itmade a right turn, it cametowards me, and I was surethen.After the evening meal, I

checked I’d left the showerblockfarwindowcatchopen.I glanced at the group ofsmokers outside theaccommodation and made awalking sign to them. Iblinked at one off-colourreply, but carried on towardsthe back of the farm. Duskcamedownfastandwith itanew moon. I double-backedto themain road perimeter. Iknew exactly where the

thinnestpartofthehedgewasand pushed out withminimum tearing to myjacket. I dartedover the roadandcrouched in theditch fora few minutes checkingnobodywasfollowing.The fieldswere openwith

a few shrubs scattered alongthe boundaries. I crouchedbehindthecoverprovidedbyhedges, resorting to crawlingalong the open ground

between them by pullingmyself along by my elbows.AsIedgedupthesideofthetrack, I saw lights shiningthrough the window of onecottage. Built nearly twohundred years ago for older,oftenpoorer,cousinswhohadlost the ability to makeenough to supportthemselves, only two wereoccupiednowbyMitelae;theotherswererentedouttocity

people.Ireachedthehedgetwenty

metres from the cottage,fished out my pocket fieldglassesandscannedtoseeifIcould see anyone. I zoomedin on the windows, pushingthedigitalfocustomaximum.At thatmoment, thewindowwasflungopen.Istabbedtheautobuttonwhich firedoff aseriesofshotsfromthebuilt-in camera and threw myself

backontheearth.Iheardthesqueak of the woodenshutters as they were swungshut and the metal hasprammed home into theinternalcatch.Thesoundwasrepeated several times beforeit became quiet again. But Ihad glimpsed the ratty littleface as it turned in profile totalk to another person in theroom.Justus.

XL

Iwas trimming shrubs at thefar side of the villa nextafternoonwhen Iheard a carstereo blasting away in thedistance. It gained in levelrelentlessly. I heard, butcouldn’t see, a car racing upthedrive,passengersbawlingtheir heads off to the music.The brakes screeched, nodoubt depositing rubber on

the driveway that one of uswouldhave to cleanoff.Themusic cut with the engine,followed by laughing andshouting. Sounded like three,no four voices. I heard cardoors slam, the steward’scalmvoice,thensilence.I wheeled the barrow full

ofgreenclippingsbacktothecomposting bin in the yard,hopingthat thearrivalof thisnoisy weekend party,

undoubtedly some of theyounger Mitelae, wouldn’tinterfere with what I hadplanned. Thinking about it,they could be a greatdiversion, keeping thesteward’s team too busy tofollowwhatacasualoutdoorworkerwasupto.

My backpack had beenupended, my patheticcollectionofteesonthefloor

with boot marks, mynotebook torn, the plasticbaggiewithmywashkitsplitopen, the contents scatteredoverthebed.Thespongewasmaking an increasing wetpatch in the centre. Twowomen at the far end of thedormitorystoppedtalkingasIstarted gathering things backtogether. I sensed morepeople circling around. Iglanced up, but said nothing

asIrepackedmythings.‘Oh, dear. Had an

accident? That’s whathappens when you keep toyourself.’ A coarse face,framed by long black andgrey hair tied back with anelastic tie, topped a broadunforgiving figure. ‘We toogoodforyou,ay?’‘She goes off on little

walks by herself in theevening,spyingontherestof

ushavingagoodtime.’Another, younger version

said,‘LookwhatIfound.’Myfieldglasses.Iheldmy

hand out. ‘Give them back,please.’‘Oooh! “Please”. Little

Miss Suck-Arse who bagsgardendutywhile the rest ofus are scrubbing in thefields.’ She smirked at me,revealing gapped, stainedteeth under mean little eyes.

‘Comeandgetthem.’I reached her in two

strides, kicked her fatstomach, winding her,grabbed the field glasses asshefell,andwhirledroundtofacetheolderone.Shehadaknifeinherhand.Ithrewmyglasses on my bed, prayingnobody else would feeltempted.Mykniveswere toosafely hidden inside themattress. I shucked off my

jacket,helditinmylefthand,ready touse it likearetariusnet. We circled. Myopponent’s breathingshortened. She tried a fewjabsandslashes,butIdodgedthem easily: she moved tooslowly.Timeforalesson.Iflicked

my left wrist and my coatshot out, slapping across herface.Shelungedtowardsme,I shot my leg out, and she

went over, landing hard. Theknife skittered away. Heryounger friendhadrecoveredenough to rush me from theother side. I jabbedmy rightelbow into her face with thewhole force of my upperbody.Thecrunchofbreakingbonewas easy to hear in thesilence surrounding us. Shecollapsed on the floor,clutchingableedingnose.Theolderonegrabbedmy

ankle, pulled me over, but IrolledasIfell,tearingmylegoutofherreach.Iwasonmyfeet in seconds. Crouching.Waiting. She pushed herselfup, put her hand out towardthe audience, fingerscommanding somebody givea fresh weapon, but theyshrank back. Breathingheavily, she lunged at me, agood eighty-five kilos ofsolid flesh,mouthwideopen

and roaring. As she bent herhead to bite, I jumpedsideways, thrust my coveredarmintoherjawsandbroughtthe edge of my right handdown in a hard jab on theback of her bent neck. Shestoppeddead,hereyes rolledup,andshefell,unconscious,slumpedinaheap.‘Anybody else?’ I

unwrapped the coat frommyarm,butnobodylookedmein

the eye. ‘Okay, thensomebody take out the trashonthefloor.’Iwas in the laundry room

an hour later pulling mywashed tees out of themachine when a young boycamewithamessagethatthefarm assistant wanted to seemeinthedormitorynow.Mythingswerespreadoutonthebed again, but tidily. Anumber of other workers

loiteredinthebackground.‘PleaseexplainwhyIhave

two previously able-bodiedworkersintheinfirmary.’‘They’d stolen something

that belonged to me. Theywouldn’t give it back. Irecoveredit.’‘Howdidyouacquiresuch

an expensive pair of fieldglasses?’‘I didn’t steal them, if

that’swhatyou’resaying.’

‘I’mnot.Pleaseanswermyquestion.’‘Isavedup.’‘And why do you have

them?’‘Whynot?’Ishrugged.‘I seen her writing things

in her book,’ said one of theaudience.‘Show me,’ said the

assistant.I handed her the torn

notebook.

She took it and leafedthrough. ‘I see. These notesgobacktwoyears.Howlonghaveyoubeenwatching?’‘Severalyears.’‘Well, you might try the

far shore of the lake. It’s agood spot for grebe, greylaggeese,black-headedgullsandsometimes kingfishers. Therisetheothersideoftheroadnear the cottages is wheremigrating populations

gather.’ She stopped smiling.‘You’re a good worker, so Idon’twant to loseyou.But Iwon’t have brawling.You’rededucted three days’ pay tocover medical costs for thetwo injured, and you’rereassignedtofieldworkforaweek.Doyouunderstand?’‘Yes,ma’am.‘Ex-military?’Inodded.‘Trytorememberthe“ex”

part.’Ilookedaway.

Thatevening,withmyknivesundermytee,Isetoffassoonas I could after the eveningmeal towards thecottage. I’dpulled a muscle thatafternoon, but nothingimportant. Ihad thestrangestfeeling of not being alone. Istopped and waited for tenminutes, extending every

sense to its furthest stretch,butIheardandsawnothing.Icouldn’t smell much beyondgrass, sheep dung andhedgerowplants.I found a better vantage

point to observe from, onewhich had sight of the frontdoor. I glimpsed Justustalkingtosomebodyelsebut,irritatingly, couldn’t see theother person. But I knew inmyheartwhoitwas.Twenty-

fiveminutesafterI’darrived,a car pulled upwith a rentalplate. My throat constrictedas I saw the driver step out,lock the door and approachthecottage.Philippus.No.Justus answered the door

and, within seconds, the twomen were waving handsaround and shouting at eachother.Ihadtohearthis.Ihad

no distancemic so, scanningleftandright,Icreptacrosstothe wall and pressed myselfagainstit.I tookaquietdeepbreathandedgedalongtojustbeforethecorner.‘…besochildlike.Hewas

protecting our interests.’Justus’s voice was terse,impatienteven.‘You knew!You knew all

along!’‘As a matter of fact, I

didn’t.ButI’msorelievedhedumpedthatlittletartandhernationalinterestcrap.’‘But he backed the wrong

side.’‘No, he played both.’ A

pause.‘Goodtactics.’‘Yeah, but they know,’

retorted Philippus, ‘andthey’rehuntinghim.’Justus’s laugh. ‘They’ll

never guess where he is andnow Mitela’s contained in

jail,evenshewon’tbeabletodoanythingaboutit.’‘Sowhydidhewanttosee

me?’‘He’ll tell you himself.

Turnroundagainstthewall.’I heard the movement of

Justus’s hands overPhilippus’s clothes as hesearchedhim.The door opened and

closed.Ishutmyeyes.ThankJuno, Philippus wasn’t

involved.I edged back to the

window. I always thought itwas too obvious in spymovieswhenthewindowwasleftopen,soInearlylaughedwhen I saw the gap. But thevoices overrode my bizarrethought. Apollo’s rich, coldvoice and Philippus’s hurtandangryone.‘My dear Philippus, this

really is unlike you to be so

overwrought. Itwas amatterofpragmatics.’‘I thought we were doing

the right thing when wehelped Pulcheria, and Ithought you did. I don’tunderstand.’‘It’s alwayswise tomake,

er, arrangements with otherplayers, you know. Do tellme, just how did you findout?’I shiveredwith fear.What

would Philippus say? Idreaded he would go too farandgiveApollonooptionbuttoterminatehim.‘Hermina and I were

dragged in by those PGSFbastards and given the fulltreatment.’‘I trust Hermina has

recovered?’‘Doyou?Ialwaysthought

you cared for your people,Apollodorus.NowI’mnotso

sure.’Shut up, Phil. Don’t get

himriled,Ibeggedsilently.‘But you still haven’t told

me how they found out,’Apollo said in his softesttone.Ishutmyeyes.Thejabofabarrelrammed

under my jawline woke meup.Shit.‘Nothing smart. Hands on

the wall above your head.’Justus kicked my feet apart.He punched me in the smallof my back, so I collapsedagainst the stone wall. Icouldn’t stop a gruntescaping. Iwashelplesswithpain as he wrenched mywristsdownandcircledthemwith a cable tie, pulling theplasticbandtight.Isaggedtomy knees and fought formybreath. He hauled me to my

feetanddraggedmeroundtothefrontentrance,eachstepajab of pain. He shoved methroughthedoorintoarusticlivingroomwithanopenfireblazingandpulsingoutheat.My head swam but I

planted my feet on the tiledfloor. Iwilledmyself to stayupright.Sittingathiseaseona high back couch wasApollodorus.ButIknewhimtoowell.Theskinaroundhis

mouth was tight, a sure signof tension. Was it anger orguilt shining in his eyes? Orsome other emotion?Philippus stood back facinghim,furyalloverhisface.Both men stared at my

dramatic entrance. Apollowasfirsttorecover.‘MydearCarinaMitela,so

kind todrop in.’HegesturedtoPhilippus.‘Achair.’I dropped down onto it,

catching another jab of pain,but a relief from standing.Philippussentmeadesperatelook, but I closed my eyesandshookmyhead.‘I think, Philippus, you

should sit down oppositemewhere Justus can see you. Iwouldbedisappointed ifyoudid anything rash.’Apollodorus’s face hadregained its usualpraeternatural calm. ‘Now, I

wouldlikeverymuchtohearwhat our other guest has tosayforherself.’‘First,Ineedsomewater.’Apollo lifted a jug and

tumbler.‘Fromanunopenedbottle.’‘Dear me, you don’t trust

anything,doyou?’‘No,asI’vefoundout.’He stood up, disappeared

into the kitchen, came backwith a small blue bottle, and

with an ironicbowhanded itto Philippus to serve me. Itwasliquidheaven.And,apartfrom the occasional crackfromthefire,mygulpingwastheonlysoundintheroom.‘How did you know?’

Apollodorusaskedatlast.‘Oh, you were very

careful.Iknewinthebackofmy mind something didn’tmesh together but couldn’tputmyfingeronit.Superbus

let slip something after Iinterviewed him. HementionedCassia.’‘Cassia?’ His brows drew

together.‘Common enough name,

butitworriedme.’‘I thought a descendant of

the Twelve Families wouldknowhowtoholdhistongue,howtobehave.’‘Then you’re kidding

yourself.He’sanamorallittle

shit.’‘Very well, I admit I was

not overly impressed.’ Heshrugged. ‘I did warnPetronax to keep a close eyeon him, but I was too far inbythatstage.’My back was aching like

seven levels of Hades, thebreath was circulating mylungs on minimum running,but I couldn’t help myself. Ismirkedathim.

‘Cassia,’Isaid,‘turnedoutto be a Censor’s Officeinvestigator. An undercoverone. She went through yourorganisationlikeaferretonahigh.’ApollodorusandJustusexchangednervouslooks.I gave a quick laugh.

‘Don’tworry on that score –Hermina had everything inwonderful order. Cassiafound nothing. You don’tdeserve Hermina. She was

fantastically loyal to you.She’s devastated by yourtreachery.’Apollodorus rose off the

couch, his hands balled. Itiltedmyfaceup,daringhim.‘Butthekeywasawitness

at Superbus’s house,’ Icarried on. ‘She saw you theevening before the coup andhasidentifiedyou.’Hesatdownagain,hisface

sombre.

‘Why did you do it,Apollodorus? Why did youdealwithPetronax?’‘Pragmatism,mydear.My

father was weak – it washumiliating.AlthoughIlovedmygrandmother,Isometimeshatedherforsneeringathim,herson.’‘That’s sentiment, not

pragmatism. He was adruggiepimpwhoprostitutedhisownchild.’

‘Petronax winning wouldhave settled that for me. Iwould have become one ofthe richest men in the neworder.’‘Youknewitwaswrong.’‘IneversaidIdidn’t.’‘We worked so well

together against the drugdealersallthoseyearsago.’‘Yes. You were so useful

tome thenand itneverhurtsto have the establishment

owingoneafavour.’‘Isthatallitwas?’‘Youknowitwasn’t.’I was trying to puzzle out

this complex and damagedman. The hard ruthlessnesswas genuine, but so was thesensitivity. A crack from alog breaking up on the firemademejump.‘WhydidyouhelpFlavius

andmewhenwewereshotinfrontofyourgate?’

‘Petronax hadn’tmade hisbigmove then. It could havegoneeitherway.’I shivered when I thought

aboutwhen he’d hadConradat his house. Out ofTransulium into the traitor’strap.‘HowdidyouknowIwas

here?’Apollodorusasked.‘Youtoldme.’Hisbrowcreased.‘You always said you’d

finishwhere you began, so Iguessed you’d return toCastra Lucilla. I found therental contract you took outfive years ago in theconcealedcompartmentintheswan’snecktable.’‘And what precisely were

you doing in my privateroom?’‘Didn’t Justus tell you?’ I

smirkedathim.‘Iwouldhavethought he would have the

answer off pat. Or is hehidingsomethingfromyou?’Justus swung his hand up

in an arc to smash his semi-automatic down on my face.Pleasure and anticipationshoneoutofhiseyes.‘Justus,’ Apollodorus’s

soft voice chilled the air.Justus’s arm came downslowly. He was onlycentimetres away from me.He waved the Glock in my

face,butsteppedback.Apollodorus turned his

black gaze onme. I couldn’tread it, but I tried very hardnottoshiver.‘Ifyouattempt toprovoke

him again, Iwon’t stop him.Nowanswermyquestion.’‘You know the custodes

raided the house. Theybrought me in to help withtheirsearch.Ifoundthepanelinto the room.’ I shrugged.

‘It’s been stripped out, andthe contents will be sold offatpublicauctionwhenyou’reconvicted.’His lips turned almost

whiteinamouthpulledintoatight line. Pink blotchesgathered in his cheeks. I’dnever seen him so angry. Iwas pleased to hurt him: iteasedmyownhurt. IknewIwasgoingtodienow.Andhewouldkillmehimself.

‘Whydidn’tyou terminateus when Flavius and I camebackaftertheoperation?’‘Idon’tknow.Ihadyouin

my hand.’ He sighed. ‘Ishould have known youwouldworkitouteventually.Youaresopersistent.’‘Did none of the good

work we did mean anythingtoyou?’‘Yes. My bitterest regret

was betraying your

friendship.’ His eyes drilledinto mine. The lines at thecorners of his mouth pulleddown. ‘You’re so single-minded, Carina, so sure ofyourself,aren’tyou?’‘Never believe that. I’ve

hadmystruggles,butIknowthe difference between rightandwrong.’Justus broke the silence.

‘What happens next?’ Hespoke directly to

Apollodorus. ‘You can’t letthemgo.’Apollodorus put his hand

in his inner pocket, drewouta mother of pearl box. Heflickedopenthelid,extractedatabletandswallowedbeforeanybodyhadtimetoreact.Hedrainedhisglassandreplaceditonthetable.I stared at him, not

believingwhathehaddone.Ipulled at the plastic binding

round my wrists, to get tohim, but I couldn’t move.‘Apollo,you—No!’‘I will not face the public

humiliation of a trial. I amsatisfied I have chosen thetimeandcircumstancesofmyown death.’ He closed hiseyes. ‘I’m sorry. Truly.’ Aspasm rode throughhis bodyandhewasgone.‘No!’ Justus moved

forward, bent over Apollo.

He swung around, his facecontorted. He brought hissemi-automaticpoint-blanktomy head. As his finger wenttosqueezethetrigger,acracksounded, his eyes bulged, ared jet exploded from hisforehead.Hislegsfoldedandhefell.I rocked my chair off

balance and threw myself tothe ground in the same splitsecond Philippus dived for

thefloor.

XLI

Liviushadmadetheshotthatkilled Justus. It seemedobviousnowbut,at thetime,all I took in was Justus’sbloodandbrainseverywhere;warmonmyface,aspreadingpoolofbloodonthetilefloor.Philippus was crawling

towards me when somethingthumpedheavilyonthedoor.Thelockexplodedawayfrom

thewood.Iscrewedmyeyesclosed and turned my headaway from the flying debris.The door was smashed backon its hinges. I opened myeyestoseePaulaandFlaviusburst in, semi-automatics intheir hands. Conrad on theirheels.Fromthefloor,Iheardmore than saw Paula andFlavius run toward thekitchen and hallway doors.Half a second later, they

shouted,‘Secure.’Conrad pushed Philippus

outofthewayanddroppedtohis knees by my side. Westaredateachother.Myheartwas still thudding hard fromthe fall but seemed to speedup. He closed his eyes for asecond, then shook his headlike he was rebooting hisbrain. He leaned over mybody and slashed the plastictiearoundmywrists.

Thepulserocketedthroughmy wrists, swiftly followedbypainasbloodstartedfreelycirculatingthroughmyflesh.‘Ah,ah,Juno.’Ibitmylip.

Pain shot through my armthat had gone numb fromtaking my weight when Icrashedtotheground.Conradshoved thefallenchairaway.Although he carried out thestandard vitals check swiftlyand surely, I felt his fingers

tremble as he touched mywrist for my pulse. He wassilent as he focused on myarm.‘Nothing’s broken, thank

the gods,’ he rasped after afew moments, then wrappedhis armsaroundme.Hebenthisheaddownontomychest,and I broughtmy good handuptotouchhishair.‘Conrad,I’mso—’‘Shush, relax. It’s over.’

HeglancedupatFlaviuswhowas standing overApollodorus’sbody.‘And?’‘Dead.’Conrad grunted. ‘Get the

first-aidkit.’Ever practical, Flavius

raisedmyheadandwedgedacushionunderit.Hestrappeda cold pack ontomy bruisedarmandgavemeashot.Thecoldliquidcurledthroughtheflesh of my arm. Conrad

gentlywipedmyfaceclearofJustus’sbloodand fleshwitha stericloth. His smile fadedas he packed it in a plasticwaste baggie. When he’dfinished, he tookmyhand inhis,stroked it, thencupped itinbothofhis.‘There are so many

charges I could bring thatyou’d be immobilised inprison for years, safe whereyou couldn’t get up to

anything remotelydangerous.’Istudiedhisface.Itwasn’t

angerbutanxiety.‘No,tootemptingtostarta

riot,’Iwhisperedback.His grip on my hand

becamemore intense. ‘Gods,woman, don’t ever do thisagaintome.’I gave him a little smile.

‘Noguaranteeofthat.’But he smiled back, bent

overandkissedmylips.Ididn’tremembermuchof

the ride tohospital,but I felthis hand onmy face and thewarm pressure of the otheroneholdingmine.They’d been the noisy grouparrivingthatmorning.Conradhad asked Aurelia forpermission to track me, butthey took a little while torealiseexactlywhereIwason

the estate. Livius hadfollowedmeuptothecottagewith Conrad, Paula andFlaviusbehind.They’dgotteneverywordonadistancemic.Conrad hadn’t processed

my resignation further thanhis in-tray. He knew I’d beback.Apollowas identified at last:his mother had been amoderately successful

businesswoman’s daughterfrom Castra Lucilla. Hisfamily history tied up witheverythinghe’dtoldme.He’dleasedthecottageforyears.Ileft hospital in time for hisfuneral at the Castra Lucillapublic burning ground.Philippus, Flavius, the publicrecorderanddutypriest,andIweretheonlyattendees.Philippus threw his

libation on last – a woven

leather belt. ‘It was the firstthing he gaveme the day hescrapedmeoff the street.Hesaid none of his household,his family, would ever wearrope around their waist. I’dnever owned anything sogood. It doesn’t fit anylonger,butIkeptittoremindme of that moment.’ Hetipped his head toward theburning body. ‘It’s right itshould go back to him.’And

he threw it in an arc into themiddleoftheflames.After a surprisingly shorttrial, the conspirators weregivenlongsentences,allhardlabour,exceptSuperbus,whowassenttoastatefarmwherehe flourished. Leaner andfitter, he ended upmanagingitandmakingaprofitfor thestate.Hestillhadbadbreath.Aidan was tried for

complicitybutescapedwithapublic censure after we’dentered a plea citing his co-operation. But Aburia’shearingwasawkwardandthetone terse. The senior legategiving judgement spoke likeshe was eating gravel. AsAburiawasbeingtakenawayto the central military prisonfor the next five years, sheshot a venomous look atme,the only sign of animation

from her during the wholeninetyminutes.On the day she was

released, Aidan was waitingfor her outside the prison. Ihad no contact with themafterthat,butMossiareporteda year later that they werehappyandhadayoungson.I had the accommodationblocks for the casuals on theMitela farm refurbished to

include partitions andlockable cupboards in thedormitories, a games roomand quiet common room. Icaught some strange looksfrom the farmmanager,whoasked me why I was soconcerned, but I turned herquestionsaside.After I was passed fit forduty, I took a two-monthsecondment to the regular

Praetorians. The disciplinedroutine was tough butpredictable. I enjoyed myshifts on the palace guard. IsawHallierecoverher joyaswell as her grit. The rest ofmy life had calmed with theregularhours. JuliaSellahadbeen one hundred per centcorrect about that. A goodlessontolearn.I went to Apollo’s house for

the last time aweekbefore Iwent back to the PGSF aftermysecondment.Thedozenorso rows of chairs set out inthemiddleoftheatriumwerehalf-filled; scattered withneutral-faced professionaldealers, excited privatecollectors and the curious.The public auctioneer rappedhis gavel to stop themurmuringfilling theatrium.A latecomer slid in the back

row as it began. I boughtseveral lamps and furniture,including the swan-leggedtable,butwaiteduntilthelastlot. After a tussle, includingwith a phone bidder, Iacquired the tall portrait. Foritsblackeyes.I leftmy under-steward to

handle the paperwork andwalked over to the glassdoors leading to theveranda.Thewinterfrosthadpersisted

until this afternoon, makingthe grass look like plasticwhite turf, but pale sunshinestruggled through. The riverlooked like skeins of whiteandgreysilks.A movement to one side.

Nonna’s chauffeur put hisarm out to block a figureapproachingme.‘It’sokay,Nic.’Igavethe

blonde-haired woman a tightsmile. ‘Hello, Hermina. So

you couldn’t resist comingeither?’‘IthoughtI’dpickupsome

bits and pieces cheaply forthe new office.’ Her casualtonedidn’tfoolme.Thetenseeyes gave her away.‘Philippus told me whathappened out at CastraLucilla. Have yourecovered?’‘Ohyes.Aboringweekin

hospital until I discharged

myself.’Igrinnedather.She gave me a slightly

morerelaxedsmile.‘Well, I’d better go,’ she

said and nodded at me. ‘IhaveaFoundationtorun.’AndIhadajobtogoback

to. Whether I wanted it asmuch as before, I didn’tknow.

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series

Roma Nova – the last remnantof the Roman Empire that hassurvivedintothe21stcentury–is at peace. But Carina Mitela,theheirofaleadingfamilyandan officer in the PraetorianGuardSpecialForces, is not sosure.

She senses danger crawlingtowards her when sheencounters a strangely self-possessed member of the unithosting their exchange exerciseinBritain.Whenablackmailingletter arrives from a womanclaiming to be her husbandConrad’s lost daughter, Carinaknows the threat is real.Tryingto resolve a young man’sindiscretion twenty-five yearsbefore turns into a nightmarethat threatens to destroy all theMitelae and attack the core of

theimperialfamilyitself.Carina faces a terrifying

opponent–onesheisuncertainshe can defeat. Her career andmarriage in ruins, andphysically broken after failingtocapturehernemesis,shemustnot only draw on her deepestreserves but also accept helpfrom the next generation.Withherenemyholdingagunat theheir to the imperial throne,Carina has tomake the hardestdecisionofherlife…

DramatisPersonae

FamilyCarina Mitela – Captain,Praetorian Guard SpecialForces (PGSF), nicknamed‘Bruna’Conradus Mitelus – Legate,headofthePGSF,‘Conrad’Aurelia Mitela – Carina’sgrandmother, head of theMitelaclanAllegra Mitela – Carina and

Conrad’seldestdaughterAntoniaandGillius–Twins,(Tonia and Gil) Carina andConrad’syoungerchildrenHelena Mitela – Carina’scousinSuperbus – An acquisitivemember of the Mitelae whohasdelusionsofgrandeurLucillaMitela–Student,withhiddentalentsHousehold

Junia – Steward of DomusMitelarumGalienus – Under-steward/housekeeperMacro–Junia’steenagesonMarcella–Aurelia’sassistantMilitaryLucius Punellus – Adjutant,PGSFDanielStern–Major,PGSFJulia Sella – Colonel, PGSF,Training&Personnel

Galla–APGSFguardDrusus – PGSF strategygroupFausta–PGSFstrategygroupAburia – Major, appointedhead of IntelligenceDirectorate, nicknamed‘Tacita’Sepunia – Senior captain,IntelligenceDirectoratePetronax – Head of InternalSecurityCarina’s Active Response

Team–PaulaServla,Flavius,Trebatia, Maelia, Novius,Livius,AtriaSomna – Head ofInterrogationService(IS)Volusenia the Younger –RetireddeputylegateRusonia–Legate’sexecutiveofficerSergius–Adjutant’sclerkPorteus–Lieutenant,ISLongina–Lieutenant,IS

BadguysCaeco–AheavySextus–AningénueTrosius,Pisentius,Cyriacus–ConspiratorsPalaceSilviaApulia–ImperatrixStellaApulia–Silvia’seldestchildDarius Apulius – Silvia’ssecondchildHallienia Apulia – Silvia’s

thirdchild,‘Hallie’Caecilius–Silvia’sphysicianPulcheriaFoundationApollodorus – A careercriminal, turned mostlylegitimatePollius –Doctor, ex-memberoftheFoundationHermina – Recruiter andorganiserofpeoplePhilippus – Master at armsandtransport

Albinus–TechnicalgeniusCassia – Financials/accounts,ex-Censor’sinvestigatorJustus – Informer andintelligencegathererOtherMossia Antonia – Owner ofprestigiousgymAdianus Hirenses – ‘Aidan’,psychotherapistandpart-timemasseurCornelius Lurio –

Commander, Department ofJusticeCustodesXIStationDania – Caupona (bar)owner,Carina’sprotégéePaulina Carca – Friend ofLuciusPunellusClaudiaVara–Alawyer

AbouttheAuthor

Alison Morton grew up inWest Kent, UK. Shecompleted a BA in French,German and Economics andthirty years later a MA inHistory. She now lives inFrancewithherhusband.A ‘Roman nut’ since age

11, she has visited sitesthroughout Europe including

thealmamater,Rome.But itwas walking on the mosaicsat Ampurias (Spain) thattriggeredherwonderingwhata modern Roman societywould be like if run bywomen…Find out more about

Alison’swritinglife,Romansand alternate history at herblog,onFacebookandchattoheronTwitter.If you want to join

Alison’s mailing list withinformation about upcomingevents, signings, and books,sign-uphere!If you enjoyed

PERFIDITAS andINCEPTIO,pleasedoleaveareview on the online storeyou bought this book fromsuchasAmazon,oronreadersiteGoodreads. It needsonlybe a line or two, but will beverymuchappreciated!

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Thisnovelisaworkoffiction.Namesandcharactersaretheproductofthe

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ISBN978-1-78132-124-9(paperback)ISBN978-1-78132-125-6(ebook)