The Divining (53 page)

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

     One personage, however, caught her eye.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     "Jade—"

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

     "My master is innocent, great Caesar!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     "There was no treasure, Caesar."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     More soft laughter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

     She was too shocked to speak.

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

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

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

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

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

     "Sebastianus, no—" Ulrika began.

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

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

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

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

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

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

     "And what would that be?"

     "This woman's freedom."

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

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

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

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