“You would let us rule the Wasteland?” I asked.
Augustus shrugged. “Why not? Nothing is impossible. But this is merely speculative. I just want you to be aware of the benefits of working with me — benefits many cities already in Mexico have accepted.”
Augustus rose from his chair, and we stood with him. “My Praetorians will accompany you to Ashton. I hope we can have an arrangement before the day is over.”
Augustus was not taking any chances, and I didn’t blame him. I wondered what Ashton’s reaction would be when he saw us coming down the road, surrounded by Augustus’s most elite guards. Seeing us hostage, would he have no choice but to land
“I think you will find that the past can be forgiven if we can all agree now to work together,” Augustus said. “However, I am a terrible enemy.” Augustus smiled bitterly. “Perhaps it was fate that I was left on the surface when Ragnarok fell. Fate often has a funny sense of justice.”
“We will not bring Ashton here if you are only going to hurt him,” Samuel said.
“No,” Augustus said. “I would never do that. I need him to stop the xenovirus, and besides, I am not wantonly cruel — even if Ashton was to me, thirty years ago.”
Augustus gestured toward Maxillo, who had entered the room while we were speaking with Augustus. “Have you found the Wastelanders’ weapons?”
“My men are waiting outside the gates with the weapons,” Maxillo said. “Shall I return them?”
Augustus nodded. “Hand them over there.” He looked at us. “As a sign of my trust, I will let you walk with weapons within Nova Roma, a privilege that is only granted to my legionaries. I hope you will not squander this trust, and that it may be a good sign of our future partnership.”
Trust. Augustus was only giving us those weapons because he knew we couldn’t do anything…not with Makara still in the hospital, and not surrounded by twenty five of his best guards.
“May I see my sister before we leave?” Samuel asked.
Augustus shook his head. “I would like to conclude this arrangement as soon as possible. I am hoping that Ashton can be here, within the hour. Granted that everything proceeds smoothly, then yes, you may visit your sister.”
“Very well.” Samuel looked toward us. “Let’s go.”
The grim-faced guards led us out of the reception room, and back into the glittering entry hall. The bright chandeliers illuminated the pastel colors of the walls, giving sparkling life to the paintings, giving the rich oriental rugs beneath our feet a vibrant hue. I couldn’t help but feel that we were on a death march, and that Augustus had us where he wanted us. How could this have ended any other way? We were stupid for coming here. With Makara hostage, and our lives at stake, we couldn’t just leave. We had to play this out, until the end.
But there still might be a chance to get the better of Augustus. There had to be, or this mission could fail.
The same two attendants from earlier swung the front doors open, letting us out into the cool night. Our footsteps clicked on the marble steps, then crunched on the gravel drive. Anna impulsively reached for her back, where her katana would usually be sheathed. Of course, there was nothing there.
As Augustus had assured us, a group of Praetorians waited on the other side of the gates. I saw that one carried Anna’s katana. Its black sheath glimmered under the light of faded lamps.
The guard by the gate opened it, and we strode outside. I received my Beretta. Feeling it in my hand was good, and made me feel immediately safer. I checked the clip, finding it loaded with nine bullets. It would have to do. I stashed it on my belt. Anna took her katana, strapping it to her black, along with her handgun sidearm. She didn’t look right without that katana, and now that it was back, I could see more confidence in her step. Samuel received his handgun, and strapped it to his belt without a word. Julian also holstered his own handgun.
“I don’t know how,” I said to him. “But we’ll get you home.”
Julian nodded. “I appreciate it. But right now, I’m worried about bigger things.”
Maxillo turned to Samuel. “Lead, and we will follow. But first, tell us where we are going.”
Samuel turned to look at us, his eyes surprisingly calm. It was as if he were saying, “play along.”
“It is a long walk,” Samuel said.
“Where?” Maxillo asked, impatient.
“Outside the north gate. Up a mountain road.”
Maxillo frowned. He was suspicious. “That doesn’t lead anywhere. There aren’t even any farms up there.”
“It might be a trap,” another Praetorian said.
“If it is a trap,” Samuel said, “then it wouldn’t be a very good one. There are only the four of us, and there are twenty five of you. That is simply where Ashton is staying. We thought it was safer if he remained outside the city.”
Maxillo nodded. From his expression, he still didn’t like it. But there wasn’t much he could do about that.
“Onward, then.”
Samuel started walking, and the rest of us followed.
Chapter 20
We walked across Central Square as night finally settled over the land. With the night came a thin mist that overhung the entire city in a wispy blanket. The
The city was a different place at night. Central Square was mostly empty, and ill-lit. Most windows were dark — lighting must have been an expensive commodity, though behind us, the Imperial Palace’s many windows glowed in the night. As we exited Central Square, the tall, shadowy buildings and twisting streets imbued a sense of claustrophobia. Raucous laughter emanated from taverns leading under buildings.
At long last, we reached the northern gate. We passed through them, the nighttime guards giving us questioning stares. The mist thickened as we walked up the wide, dirt road. One by one, the Praetorians clicked on flashlights, but they did little to illuminate our surroundings. The mist was cool, creeping onto my skin, chilling me. On either side of the road was thick forest, from which the sounds of insects came. A high screech emanated from the woods — the yowling of a jaguar, perhaps?
The Praetorians did not seem afraid, however. They marched on, their demeanor stony and determined. We kept up with their pace.
“About how far is it?” Maxillo asked.
“A few miles,” Samuel said. “He is staying where the road goes through a pass. It’s just a little bit beyond that.”
“Sepulcher’s Pass,” Maxillo said. “It is a haunted place. Many dead kings are buried there from an age long past.”
“Kings?” I asked. “What kings?”
“The land is forbidden to normal citizens,” Maxillo said. “There, many of the Aztec Kings buried their dead. There are pyramids, covered in forest and jungle. They were discovered by the Empire’s armies, years ago, during the First War.”
“The First War?” Anna asked.
“The war the Empire fought with Old Mexico.”
“I thought Mexico fell after Ragnarok,” I said.
“It did,” Maxillo said, growing tired of our questions. “Because of us.”
Nothing more was said as the road began its steep incline. We went back and forth as the road snaked up the mountainside. The mist thickened, making it very difficult to see. Behind, I could see the lights of Nova Roma dimly lit in the darkness. Even the thick fog could not mask a city of that size.
Again, the screech sounded from the forest, closer.
