A Flame in Byzantium

of the ruin of this greatest of cities, but there can be little doubt that no matter how vigilant we are, there are many here who will suffer, and the city will not be spared entirely.

I do not wish to make it appear that I am entirely without hope, for that would be a greater sin than the one the pagans intend to commit here. Yet I would be lax in my duty to you as a priest if I did not say it would be prudent to prepare for the worst, so that such things as sacred relics and objects of veneration may be hidden or otherwise protected from the possible ravages of the Ostrogothic warriors who are bent on destroying the city before the height of summer.

Your Holiness would do well to fortify Monte Casino against the barbarians, and to make an official request of Belisarius to give you and your company the protection that was assured you by the Emperor Justinian more than three years ago. If the Church is to survive, it must have the aid and assistance of all who are devoted to Our Lord and His Church. Whether they are of Byzantium or of Roma, surely there can be no argument that the fate of Christianity is in the hands of those willing to take up the cause of Our Lord in the face of those who are determined to bring the Church and her city to their knees.

What draws the pagans are the earthly treasures which have been stored up out of piety and devotion. But these are not the true riches of the Church, and while the pagans seek only silver and gold, they assault far more than walls to obtain it. If we fail to defend the outward gifts of the Church, it is only too likely that we will also fail to defend the spiritual ramparts as well. I pray every hour that none of this will come to pass, but while I pray, I seek out men of experience to aid in the earthly battle, and I admonish all I see to offer up their orisons to God and the Mother Maria for the salvation of our city and our souls.

In all humility and faith, and with unswerving dedication to Your Holiness and our Church, I sign myself your most lowly Brother in Christ,

Formosus

Priest from Ostia

currently with the Curia in Roma

2

By late afternoon the first contingent of soldiers arrived, making camp around the old villa in fields and orchards that were just coming into blossom. For novelty the old baths were fired up and many of the men boisterously used them, marveling at the depravity of the old Romans with their passion for bathing.

'What do you think?' Niklos Aulirios asked his owner as he stared out the windows at the camp that had grown up around them.

From her writing desk, Olivia Clemens did not answer at first; she was putting the last touches on a writ of manumission for two more slaves. Only when she had affixed both her signature and her seal did she answer. 'What do I think about what?'

'These Byzantines,' her Greek majordomo replied. 'I'm not sure they're better than the Ostrogoths.'

'They are better because they don't intend to raze the city,' she pointed out, rising and coming to join him at the window.

'But look at them. And you know what they have done to half the countryside. I realize that an army must eat, and that soldiers might not have the manners of saints, but that doesn't excuse the raiding and looting they've done.' He had folded his arms and was looking more stubborn than usual.

'I'm not going to argue with you,' said Olivia, faintly amused by his conduct. 'But this is not the first trouble we've seen, is it?'

'No,' he admitted grudgingly.

'And with a little good fortune, it will not be the last.' She continued to stare into the pallid afternoon. The light, softened by a faint haze rising from the Tibros, was kind to her face, making her appear younger than her years. Her soft, fawn-brown hair was braided and wrapped in the current fashion for widows, and she wore a paenula of wool embroidered with silk and gold thread that showed her wealth more than her manner.

'You have a strange way of thinking, my mistress,' Niklos said, beginning to smile in spite of his own foreboding.

'It comes with the years, my friend,' she said, and shook off her slight melancholy. 'I want you to make sure that copies of these writs are in the hands of the monks by morning. That way, no matter what happens here, the slaves will be free and they can make lives for themselves. You'd better take the grants with you to the monks as well.'

Niklos laughed cynically. 'You're not seriously asking me to put money in the hands of a servant of God and expect it to go anywhere but into Church coffers, are you?'

'You may be right in that, Niklos,' she sighed. 'All right; I'll find a way to make sure each gets the money they've been promised, and the copies of the writs will be safe. Take one or two of the gold cups with you to make sure the good monks continue to care for the records we entrust to them. I'm not quite as trusting as you often fear I am.'

'And what else?' Niklos ventured. 'You have most of your belongings crated and packed and ready to be moved. Does that trouble you?'

'Of course it troubles me. Roma is my home. I drew my first breath here, within sight of the Tibros. It is part of me and I am part of it.' Her expression was slightly distant as she delved her memory for the events of her long life.

'We can still arrange for you to stay in Italy,' suggested Niklos. 'You don't have to go as far away as Constantinople.'

'Almost all those who can afford to leave have done so already and if I remain much longer, I will be exposed to more risks than the mere clash of Byzantines and Ostrogoths. So long as I must live with lions, I might as well find myself a good place in their dens.' She laughed suddenly. 'How unendurable! I sound worse than one of those Epicureans who ape the manner of their teacher without the least understanding of what he said.'

'You don't want to go, do you?' Niklos persisted.

'No, if it were possible to remain in safety. But since it is not, then I'm… resigned. I will go to Constantinople, to the house that Belisarius has arranged for me, and when the army is at home, I will entertain this Drosos and do my best to be as inconspicuous as possible.' She held out the parchment sheets to Niklos once again. 'Please, Niklos, take these to the monks and bring me the sigil of the abbot, or whatever superior they have now, so that I can give proof of the transaction. We can squabble later, when we're safe.'

'As you wish, my mistress,' Niklos said, making a reverence to her that just missed being insulting. He took the parchments and strode to the door. 'I'll send Kosmos to guard you while I'm gone. I don't trust those soldiers to be respectful.'

Olivia chuckled. 'No more do I, but they're likely to look for female slaves rather than the owner of the villa who is also known to be the hostess of their General.'

'You put more store in that than I do,' Niklos warned as he started across the smaller of the two atria of the villa.

It was not long before Kosmos appeared in the door, his manner as humble as his body was formidable. He lowered his head and kept his eyes averted. 'Niklos sent me, great lady,' he said softly.

'He said he would,' Olivia agreed.

'And the General Belisarius has returned. His horse has just been taken to the stables.' For Kosmos this was a long speech, and as he concluded it, he appeared to be slightly out of breath.

Olivia gave Kosmos her full attention at this. 'General Belisarius. Only he?'

'There are officers with him,' said Kosmos.

'I will see them shortly, in the main reception chamber. Have flowers brought there, and send Hogni and… oh, I guess it had better be Hogni and Beltzin, to wait on them. They will want to have wine and meat as well as washing basins.' To Olivia, this seemed woefully inadequate, for when she was young, nothing less than a full bath—calidarium, tepidarium, frigidarium—and a massage with costly oils followed by a nine-course banquet would be considered a proper welcome for so august a man as Belisarius.

'Very good, great lady. But you will be left alone, and that is what Niklos required I not allow to happen.' Again he was sounding breathless.

'I give you my word that I will manage, and that I will be able to fend for myself. Besides, I must do something about my clothes or I will be more improper than they are.' She went briskly toward the side door. 'I am going now to my private quarters, and if you will see that Fisera joins me there, that will ensure I am not alone and