Part 40 (1/2)

Very slowly, I turned and looked in a corner of theThere, on the far side of the roo heated love The wo and straining I could see all the cords of hishis back He had thin arliasped aloud It was Octavian!

Crule of clothes, then, oddly, a pair of man's sandals were put tidily aside I stared at thee about them They were--the soles were unusually thick They were artificially built up to give extra height

I turned away, clapping my hand over my mouth in shock Octavian! The quiet, sanctiht in the Pontifex Maxiht! I did not knohich surprised ain Who was his partner? For a nized her as--the wife of soyptian party I did not remember his name

So he was an adulterer as well People certainly were surprising

I quickly retreated into one of the roo off the courtyard

He had better hurry, I thought, or Caesar will catch hihed I knew, so such a thing in the vicinity of the sacred artifacts of Roman history--or, rather, he would be shocked that Octavian did not care There was a difference

Octavianodd hours, and put it to good use on a regular basis After all, he as a e of Pontiffs there! a e of Pontiffs there!

Spread out on the table were several pouches of papers Perhaps they were Caesar's plans for the Ros I unrolled one of the scrolls, but quickly saw that they were private letters and reports My Latin was just good enough for me to decipher that they concerned the movements of Labienus and Gnaeus Pompey They must be dispatches fro here?

As I was putting them back, there was a a perfectly draped, staring at me I was astounded to see that there were so ferinkles in it How had he ed that? His sandals were not noticeably different fro the here?” he asked He was as surprised to see me as I had been to see hi Caesar,” I said, enjoying watching the expression on his face

”Now?” Heas though they were his

”Actually, he is late,” I said ”But he should arrive at any moment”

Octavian looked atI had been there

”I found it hard to wait inside,” I said innocently, ”so I have enjoyed the fine autumn day out in the small courtyard”

He wrestled with hiamble ”Don't tell my uncle,” he said unhappily ”Please don't tell hie you,” I said ”He will probably applaud you for ie you, for obvious reasons”

”I--I--” He sed hard ”It is better that he not know I--I aize to me me I am not the lady's husband” I aroaned ”You know him You know she is--Don't tell my uncle! Please! Swear it!”

”I hardly think that is necessary I have promised you I won't tell him”

He snatched up the papers and tucked theo,” hethem He turned back and looked at one

What was I to think? Had he availed himself of Caesar's private papers as well as thebehind his wide blue eyes Did Caesar realize this? Surely hein briskly ”Solate” He looked around ”I hope you have not been bored This room is quite bare” He indicated the empty table

”Oh, I have had an opportunity to think,” I assured hiivenroo me into it, ”is the Sanctuary of Mars Here is the sacred shi+eld that Nu of Rome, received from heaven It foretells Roht light outside An oversized bronze statue of Mars stood on its pedestal, and all around the walls of the roo stolen, Numa had eleven copies made No one knohich is the true one And here are the spears, which foretell our doo”

”Do you feel them shi+ver? What do they tell you about Spain?”

He reached out and grasped one ”Nothing It is quiet”

”So you have these things in your safekeeping?” I asked

”They are to be guarded by the Pontifex Maxiia was the seat of the kings Rex--Regia The Pontifex Maxis It did not die with theshi+p I have never heard so s until I cas, and exercise a kingly guardianshi+p You have little way to go until you are forced to accept the title itself”

He chose not to answer Instead he said, ”It may amuse you to know that I ains In their shrine is the Palladium, the wooden statue of Pallas that fell froht here by Aeneas Would you like to see it?”

”If you would like to show me,” I said I could tell from his tone that he would not take kindly to Octavian's antics in the shadow of Aeneas, as it were Perhaps there was a gli sacred that he honored, after all Octavian had known that, and I had not

The new calendar was announced, and immediately the extra days were introduced People ”lived” the saave rise to so exactly the same way, but do it better; others decided one of the days did not count Then, the people who had to gru--like Cicero--made snide remarks When someone mentioned that the constellation Lyra was due to rise, Cicero sneered, ”Yes, by edict”

The near in Spain was likewise announced, and caused alarm and wonder Were the civil wars never to end? A mood of despair seemed to seize people,chill The blue-skied Triumphs and all they had promised seemed to wilt, killed by this early frost

Rains fell, dreary days bringing shi+vering ht braziers in the villa, and close the shutters I was surprised to find what a doard pull the dullness and drizzle had on my spirits; and at the say derived fro cliht it natural-born, rather than influenced by the light and air around rossed in his hurried war preparations, and in pushi+ng his reforh the Senate; he had so little tilis At a distance, I could always recognize him by his posture I could also tell when he saw me, by the way he hesitated for just a moment But he never ca; the only good thing would be that once he went, he must soon return--must return--must return-- I wished that I could send him off with news that I was to bear another child But it was not like Egypt, where we lived together day and night Here ere so seldo of Roypt I did not conceive, as if the Gods of Rome had shut up my womb They did not care for me--I could feel it

The hard, stony Gods of Rome were not like Isis, Queen of Heaven, she who had both passion and and compassioncompassion

Caesar would embark at the end of the third November--a speedy preparation, even for hiions with hiions to join him, him, and raise the others later He had unfortunately disbanded soions after the last wars, and they were now busy far on the land they had been awarded at their retirement and raise the others later He had unfortunately disbanded soions after the last wars, and they were now busy far on the land they had been awarded at their retirereat-nephew Octavian to give hi in warfare Well, perhaps it would fill out his spindly little ar of the war correspondence should stand Octavian in good stead; he would then appear to Caesar to be miraculously well informed on the subject But such had doubtless been his ai of Octavian, because Ptolereeing with hi, sunken eyes upon o back to Egypt,” he said plaintively ”I want the sunshi+ne I want Olyh

”Ptoleently, ”it is too late to sail now We must wait until the winter storms are past”

”I'll be dead by then,” hehis head restlessly

”There are doctors in Rome,” I said ”Froet one for you--the best to be had” I rubbed his sweating broith a scented cloth ”There is also Isis, our own Goddess I will seek out her sanctuary and ask her help She has never failed me”

Charmian and I set out to find the Isis Temple, which I had heard stood in the Field of Mars It was a cold and , when there seeray The streets, wreathed in fog, wereto unseen squares and alleys I had taught h by this point that I knehich turns to take, and found the place where I believed the temple to be with little difficulty

But it was a heap of stones Only the flat marble floor, littered with fallen columns and mounds of scattered rubble, shohere the temple had once stood Then I saw it--the desecration A statue of Isis lay forlornly beside a block of stone--her pedestal?--and she was faceless Someone had chiseled away all her features

”Oh, Charht of the defaced Goddess was chilling