that theJin’Sai won’t somehow find his way into our side of the world. He is amazingly resourceful, as are his mystics. If that happens you will be far safer afield with me and the legions than here in Ellistium, protected only by the Home Guard.”
“What leads you to worry that he can cross over?” Persephone asked. “If it is impossible for us to do so, then surely theJin’Sai and his mystics cannot. After all, their powers in the craft pale when compared to ours.”
“That’s true,” Vespasian answered. “But Tristan has surprised us before. And remember, we still cannot know the full extent of what he might have learned from the traitorous Crysenium Envoys. But there is something more…something tugging at my heart since experiencing my first night terror. It is almost as if he and I are connected somehow, despite the mountain range that separates us. I can almost see him trying to reach us.” Shaking his head, he gave Persephone a reassuring smile.
“But do not worry, my love,” he said. “If he should come we will deal with him and his flying monstrosities.”
“And your other reasons?” she asked.
“I no longer trust Gracchus as I once did,” Vespasian answered. “I haven’t done so for some time. I do not brand him a traitor, but I sense that he has some personal mission that does not entirely match mine. Like my suspicions about theJin’Sai, these are feelings that I cannot justify. But my instincts are strong enough to tell me that should I be killed on this campaign, Gracchus might not continue it in the way that I have planned-and our victory is vital. Four days ago, his scheme to sacrifice so many skeens in the arena without my consent only added weight to my convictions. While it’s true that Lucius might protest a change in the battle plan that Gracchus engineered, even the First Tribune is outranked by the leadPon Q’tar cleric. But you outrank them both. With you in attendance, my wishes would be carried out. To override you, Gracchus would first have to kill you while deep among Lucius and the combined legions. Lucius would immediately become suspicious. Even thePon Q’tar ’s powers in the craft could not overcome their combined strength, and Gracchus knows it. He would have no choice but to honor your commands.”
“I understand,” Persephone said. “But there is more to all this, isn’t there? I suspect that your need to have me near also has something to do with your recent night terror.”
A grim look came over Vespasian’s face. “Yes, my love,” he answered. “I must admit that it does. You are the only person that I dare trust with my secret. I have considered confiding in Lucius, but even he needs to remain convinced that his emperor is totally fit and able to conduct this campaign. And I am fit, aside from these strange and terrifying episodes. But there remains something else about them that worries me even more.”
Reaching out, she lifted his chin and turned his eyes toward hers. “And what is that?” she asked.
“That someday one of these awful visions will overtake me while I am awake, for everyone to see,” he answered. “I have no proof that such a thing will occur. Again, it’s only a feeling. But should it happen I will need you by my side. You might be able to spirit me away before anyone realizes that I am in such terrible distress. Should I suffer such a daytime attack in public, Gracchus might well have me declared mad. According to Rustannican law, that is his right, but only if he has reliable witnesses of my supposed incompetence. A day terror would provide him with more evidence than he would ever need. With you by my side, should I fall ill, you can make the needed excuses. Such explanations will be far more commanding coming from the empress than from the First Tribune.”
As she listened to Vespasian’s words, Persephone realized that her husband was right. She would gladly accompany him to the ends of the earth if it meant helping him win this new campaign-to say nothing of keeping him in power.
“How will you explain this to thePon Q’tar?” she asked.
Vespasian gave her a wry smile. “You need to stop thinking in those terms,” he said. “If something happens to me, you will become the new ruler of Rustannica. You must quickly put your personal grief aside, no matter how overwhelming it might be, and immediately take charge. Gracchus and the others will start appraising your performance from the first moment. Stop worrying about howyou will explain things tothem. Rather, it istheir task to worry about whatever ordersyou might give. To answer your question, I am the emperor. I will simply command that you come, and I will do so without giving my reasons. To be forced into explaining myself would be seen as a sign of weakness. That is something that we cannot afford-especially now.”
“And what of Rustannica?” Persephone asked. “If the campaign fails and we die, who will oversee our beloved country?”
“After I announce that you are joining the campaign, I will ask Lucius to recommend a tribune who commands his full trust,” Vespasian answered. “He will remain here and oversee the nation. It is the most that we can do.” Vespasian sighed and took another sip of wine.
“But if the campaign fails, given the state of the treasury there will surely be a citywide riot,” he added. “It might not be immediate, but it would surely come eventually. As the news of the defeat and the treasury collapse spread, anarchy will devour the nation. With most of our forces destroyed, we will be wide open for attack. The Borderlands will become useless, and the Shashidans will be able to walk into our country unimpeded. The Vagaries will be destroyed and the Vigors will rule forever.”
Persephone gave him a somber look, then lowered her face. “If I had been able to give you an heir, some of our troubles would be solved for us,” she said softly. “The child would be young, but at least someone of our bloodline would rule after we were gone. I’m so sorry, Vespasian. I wanted a child more than anything in the world. But it was not to be…”
Vespasian put his hands on her cheeks and looked into the eyes that he so loved. “We haven’t failed,” he said with a smile. “We simply have yet to succeed. We are far from the day when there will be no more reason to try.” As he looked at her, his gaze suddenly became hungrier.
“I suggest that we waste no more time talking,” he said. “Actions speak far louder than mere words.”
Standing, he removed his robe. As he did, Persephone looked up to see his muscular body still wet and glistening with bathwater. She parted her robe, readying herself for him.
As Vespasian took her, the empress trembled and cried out as never before…
As another terrible scream reached his ears, Vespasian’s thoughts returned to the present. A Rustannican Heart Wolf freshly conjured from the arena walls was rooting about in the innards of a fallen skeen. For a moment the dreadful creature paused its feasting to look around the huge crowd. Fresh blood dripped from teeth and muzzle. As expected, the mob cheered and stamped, begging for more.
Vespasian took a quick count to find that only five skeens remained standing. For the sake of moving on toward the next act, the last skeens would be dispatched quickly. Then would come a brief intermission while the fabricated mountain was dismantled and taken away. Another act of today’s games would soon follow, then more after that until nightfall. When Vespasian reached over to take Persephone’s hand, she turned and gave him a short smile.
This morning the emperor had publicly issued his order regarding Persephone’s attendance on the impending campaign. As a precaution he had also handwritten the proclamation, then commanded that the heralds shout it from every tower in the city even before the news was made available to the Tribunes and thePon Q’tar.
Vespasian had little doubt that the public would receive the news favorably. They loved their empress, and he rightly guessed that seeing her go to war alongside her beloved husband would only endear her to them more. He was quickly proved right when Persephone’s name was soon being joyfully shouted aloud both in the city streets and amid the mayhem that was the coliseum. But it had not been only for Persephone’s benefit that Vespasian had done this. Rather, if the public widely approved, thePon Q’tar would be harder pressed to accept his terms.
So far Vespasian’s gambit was working. He had heard rumors of some minor grumbling among thePon Q’tar and of surprise among some of the Tribunes. Even so, no formal protest had been lodged. Vespasian knew that the longer the public rejoicing in this matter reigned, the better his council would come to accept his edict.
Even so, despite the overwhelming agreement among the populace, Vespasian remained somewhat worried that thePon Q’tar had accepted his new order so gracefully. The surprising lack of discourse usually accompanying so unexpected an order had unnerved him, forcing him to again question the clerics’ motives.
Turning around, he looked at Gracchus. The lead cleric was on his feet, waving his fists in the air as he cheered the deaths of the remaining Shashidan skeens. When at last he found Vespasian’s gaze upon him, he bowed and smiled broadly. It was a wry smile, forcing Vespasian to guess at what might lie behind it. Nodding in return, Vespasian again faced the arena, wondering.
