The End of a Dynasty

by David Adkins

  Chapter 13

  I looked up at her and gasped with passion as she rode me in all her glory. Her hands were on my chest, her finger nails digging into my skin. She teased me and then drove me into ecstasy and we were both left gasping with pleasure and fulfilment. She slipped off my manhood and kissed my chest while she gasped for breath. I kissed her lips and we lay still for a long time, neither of us speaking.

  At last she broke the silence. “You realize, Parthenian, that you are mine.”

  “Of course I do,” I smiled.

  “No really,” she said. “I control your pleasure and your life.”

  “You are a sorceress so I would expect nothing less.”

  “You had an unwise confrontation with Tero today.”

  “How do you know? Sorry, a sorceress knows all things,” I laughed.

  “Casperius and Tero are your deadly enemies and it is difficult enough for me to keep you alive without you provoking Tero even more.” She rebuked me.

  “I cannot help myself for goading him is one of life’s pleasures but there is a question that I keep asking myself.”

  “What is that?” she smiled.

  “Who are you, Marcella?”

  “I told you I am your protector and you need one.”

  “Do you like to wear disguises?” I asked.

  “Of course, I am wearing one now,” she grinned.

  “You are naked,” I responded.

  “I can change my form to suit the situation. Now I am disguised as a temptress.”

  “It is a very good disguise,” I said in appreciation.

  “I need you to do something for me,” she purred.

  “Then answer my question first. Who are you, Marcella?”

  “I am a sorceress, a temptress, the woman you would do anything for, Parthenian. The woman you will obey if you wish to survive.”

  “Is that a threat?” I asked apprehensively.

  “No because I do not need to threaten you.”

  “Are you a young woman or an old woman?”

  “An old wise woman in a young woman’s enticing body,” she laughed.

  “You were an old woman last night.”

  “I wander the streets of our great city a sorceress, a woman in disguise, seeing how ordinary people live.”

  “Did you leave the palace at sunset last night dressed as an old woman?” I tried to pin her down.

  “As an old woman in old rags I am not suspected.”

  “You are not suspected of what?” I asked.

  “I will answer this one question, Parthenian. Of being a spy, I can roam the Subura in disguise searching for Christian enclaves.”

  “And report back to Casperius?” I mused.

  “I am getting tired of your questions, Parthenian.”

  “I have one more but if you answer yes or no I will not ask you anymore.”

  “Go on then,” she sighed.

  “Are you Glyca?”

  For a brief moment I had broken through her outer calm and she hesitated; then composure regained the ascendancy. “You have been talking to Hylas.”

  “I have,” I confirmed.

  “Would it make a difference if I were this Glyca?”

  “I would still adore you.” I kissed her beautiful neck.

  “But would you obey me?” she asked. “Casperius and Tero want you dead but fortunately for you Casperius listens to me. When I told you he was very superstitious that was the truth and it allows a woman of my talents to exploit this weakness. I am also working on a project with him to serve the Emperor and he needs my help if he is to be successful and therefore please the Emperor. My influence is great and I can keep you alive, but in return you must help me.”

  “Must I? Marcus Gracchus arranged for two people to die if he happened to meet an untimely death and he paid you and Casperius to assassinate them. He knew who his murderers would be and even in death he sought revenge. One of them I assume is Hylas.”

  “You are getting very clever, Parthenian.”

  I continued. “For once Casperius is right. Forget about a dead man’s revenge. Keep the Gracchi money and leave Hylas alone.”

  “The difference between me and Casperius is that I am honourable and I gave my word. An assassin’s word must be kept. I also have pride in my work and Hylas represents unfinished business.”

  “So you are Glyca.”

  “I am many things and many people and two of them are Glyca and an old woman.”

  At last I had final confirmation. “Please, Marcella, forget about Hylas.”

  “I wish I could but I cannot, Parthenian.”

  “I will not help you,” I warned.

  “We have had great times together and can continue to have great times together. You owe me your life although you cannot seem to realize it. You will help me.”

  “Hylas is my friend, I will not help you,” I emphasized.

  She ignored my refusal. “When the Emperor returns from the senate he intends to go to Tibur again and he has told this to Casperius who has in turn informed me. You will make sure that you go with him. I need Hylas to leave the safety of his villa at Tibur so that I can get to him. All you have to do is to make sure that the two of you go to the taverna one evening. Get word to Casperius what evening it is to be and I will arrange the rest.”

  “Even if what you say is true and that you do protect me I still cannot hand Hylas over to you to be butchered on his way to or from the taverna.”

  She sighed. “I do not like to be refused, Parthenian.”

  “Three times we have made love and for me it has been truly wonderful but for you was it simply a means to achieve your end? Did you seduce me just for that purpose and I mean nothing to you.”

  “I have enjoyed our times together almost as much as you, Parthenian. I want them to continue and I wish to continue to keep you safe. I want nothing from you but to guide Hylas to the right place at the right time. That is all you have to do.”

  I shook my head. “Do you think that Corelia and Aria would leave it at that? They will seek revenge.”

  “You would not be implicated. It would seem that Hylas had been murdered by robbers and that you escaped.”

  “Who would these robbers really be?” I asked.

  “Tero and one of his most trusted guardsman.”

  “How do I know that these robbers would not kill me too, Marcella? Tero might take the opportunity.”

  “You have an assassin’s word on that.”

  “I cannot come to terms with the fact that you are an assassin and I cannot do what you ask of me. Hylas is a good man and he saved me from a severe beating.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “I was set upon at Corelia’s villa by Tero and some of his guards. I was kicked and punched and Hylas interceded and saved me from further injury.”

  “I did not know that and I am angry about it. I will make sure that it does not happen again.” She seemed genuinely angry.

  “I still cannot do what you ask,” I said.

  She rolled over on top of me and kissed my lips. I kissed her back and fondled her body. Despite all her threats and knowing that she was this infamous Glyca she was still easily able to arouse my passion. “This is your last chance, Parthenian.”

  “Will you kill me then or will you simply put more spells upon me?” I asked.

  “No, I will not kill you because you will do as I ask, and if you further resist then you will have further things to do that you will not wish to do.”

  “I will not do them either. I adore you Marcella but not enough to help you murder a friend.”

  “Then I no longer ask you but I order you to do as I say, and from now on my requests will no longer be requests but commands.”

  I was puzzled. “Requests or orders, what difference does it make how you dress them up?”

  “Requests are much more pleasant than commands,” she informed me.

  “Please, Marcella, just forget about Hylas and do as C
asperius has advised you.”

  For a moment I thought she wavered but then she hit me with a hammer blow. “I hear you are frequenting the Fuscus taverna near the forum with a certain young woman from the royal household. Casperius believes that you have formed an attachment to this woman. You have betrayed me though it does not bother me. I would have been happy for our little sessions to continue even if you continued your liaison with Drucilla.”

  At the mention of Drucilla’s name I felt panic rising within me. “Leave Drucilla out of this.”

  “You have left me no choice. I give you my word, and you know I will keep it, that if you do not obey my order with regard to Hylas then Drucilla is as good as dead.”

  “You would not do it,” I gasped.

  “I would order it to happen or even do it myself. You have my commands and so now obey them and arrange to travel with the Emperor to Tibur. There will be further orders after that and you will obey them too, for it is the only way that both you and Drucilla will stay alive.”

  She stood up and began to dress. “If you disobey then Drucilla will be the first to die.”

  It crossed my mind that at this moment she was vulnerable and I could strangle her but I knew there would be hell to pay, and I could not do it anyway. “Marcella, please do not do this.”

  She finished dressing. “Make sure you do as I command,” she smiled. “You will be watched. When you are at Tibur with the Emperor you will have to persuade Hylas to accompany you to the taverna. You will then inform Casperius or Tero which night you will visit the taverna with Hylas and they will do the rest.”

  I stared at her open-mouthed and she was well aware that I could not let Drucilla die.

  “We can still continue our meetings of pleasure if you wish,” she said in a matter of fact tone.

  “You are quite unbelievable,” I muttered.

  We both knew that the offer was still tempting to me despite everything that had been said. “I know,” she said and left.

  *

  The conversation with Marcella, or Glyca as I now knew she was called, left me feeling cold and fearful. She could be so passionate and such immense fun but on the other hand I knew that she was heartless and cruel. Drucilla was kind and thoughtful and I could not let her become Glyca’s next victim. My mind spent much of the next day seeking for a way out of my predicament in which neither Hylas nor Drucilla died but I could find no solution. I had time to think because none of the absentees had returned to the palace. I decided that I had no option but to obey Glyca.

  It was late afternoon when I had a surprise visitor. “Welcome Cyprian,” I said with almost a forced smile.

  “Our conversation yesterday left me confused,” he admitted. “Do you really believe that Marcella is Glyca?” I could detect the anger in his words. “Surely she cannot be.”

  “I am not sure,” I said. I thought that it was perhaps better not to mention that I was now certain. “Tell me everything you know about Glyca.”

  He paused to think. “I know that she tried to poison Hylas when they were in Singidunum. I know that she slit the throat of my friend, Felix. I know that she tried to poison me and two other guards in order to get to a sleeping Solanus and slit his throat too, and that one of those guards died.”

  “Who was Felix?” I asked.

  “He was a guard here in the palace and my best friend. She met him in the local taverna and seduced him to gain entry to the palace. She murdered him in the love room and then went after Solanus.”

  “What is the love room?” I asked.

  “It is a room in the barracks where guardsmen used to take their women, usually prostitutes, for a bit of fun but Paulinus put a stop to that after the Solanus incident.”

  “So you hate Glyca,” I stated.

  “I do and that is why I wanted to know if Marcella was Glyca. I only saw Glyca once but you intimated that she was in disguise. I have to know the truth.”

  I considered the situation. If I told him the truth then perhaps he would kill Marcella and solve my problem. On reflection it probably would not solve my problem with Casperius still around, and it might even make things more dangerous. What of Cyprian himself? He would surely be executed and though I could well understand his desire for revenge I thought it better to shield him from the truth.

  “Why are you not answering me?” he asked, perplexed by my silence.

  “Because I do not know the answer to your question,” I sighed. “I only suspected that Marcella might be Glyca but I really do not know. Keep this between the two of us and if I find out more I will let you know. Is that agreed?” I did not want him telling his friend Hylas of this conversation.

  He calmed down a little. “It is agreed. Even if this Marcella were to be Glyca what could I do? She is protected by both Casperius and Tero who seem to treat her as an equal and confidante. If I harmed her they would not hesitate in killing me.”

  “I am sure you are right and so it is better you do nothing for now,” I advised.

  He nodded. “She was evil.” He was distressed, for our conversation had brought back memories of his friend.

  “Do not mention this to anyone and I will discreetly try to find out more about this woman of mystery and I will let you know what I find.”

  “I will not, Parthenian,” he assured me. “Be careful for if she did happen to be Glyca then she is a very dangerous woman.”

  I smiled and nodded and Cyprian left me to my thoughts. He did not know just how dangerous Glyca was.

  For the rest of the day I set about doing palace chores with Maximus and this helped to take my mind off the troubles that I was now immersed in. However, when I retired to my room and bed at the end of the day they all came flooding back to me. Worst of all I could not get out of my mind the image of Glyca slitting the guardsman’s throat, after seducing him.

  *

  “The Marcomanni are nothing but trouble,” Domitian sighed and stared blankly across the room at the far wall.

  He had returned to the palace the next day and agreed to give me an audience. “Can we not send a legion or two against them?” I asked. His eyes continued to stay sadly fixed on the wall opposite and did not flutter. He made me nervous when he was in such a mood. “They could not withstand the might of Rome,” I ventured.

  He brought his attention back to me. “You are just a chamberlain. You cannot be expected to understand affairs of state but the senate is a different matter. Why am I plagued by such nonentities?”

  I did not know what to say and so I just nodded as if I understood his words.

  “If I sent an army against them they would not fight. They are thieves and bandits who raid across the Danube and then disappear into their dark forests. It would need a major campaign with many legions to flush them out. The senators talk about Roman honour but they have little understanding of what is involved. I will deal with the Marcomanni only if the problems escalate, otherwise it is down to the Governor of Pannonia to inflict reprisals for their encroachments.”

  “I see,” I said but did not say more, not wishing to have political burdens and opinions added to the troubles that already weighed heavily upon me.

  He shrugged. “Why did you wish to see me, Parthenian?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about the Jupiter games.” I was happy to change the subject to one that usually pleased the Emperor.

  “Good, have you made progress?”

  “It will be as you wish and Medusa the champion of Capua will battle with the champion of Rome in the major gladiatrix contest. Your vision of new Rome against old Rome will be realised.”

  “Who will represent old Rome?” he asked.

  “It will probably be Geta, the German from the Roman school. It should be a great contest,” I assured him.

  “The games will last four days. The first day will be a great sea battle to open the games, and I will speak with Corelia about this when I am in Tibur, for I have a role for her and Aria to play in this which she may agree t
o. I have given the matter much thought. On the second day we will make an example of these enemies of state who call themselves Christians. It will be a day of Christians and wild animals. The third day will be gladiatorial contests with the great gladiatrix battle as a finale. The final day will be animal contests with a great gladiator battle as a finale. How does that all sound to you, Parthenian?”

  “It sounds wonderful,” I enthused. “Does this mean you will shortly be leaving for Tibur?”

  “I will leave in four days, so please arrange for a messenger to let Corelia know of my arrival.”

  “Who will go with you?” I asked.

  “Both Casperius and Tero will go this time, plus two of their guards. I have already spoken with Casperius on the matter. Corelia’s servants look after me very well and so there is no need for you to go this time. The Empress was upset that you came with me last time for she seems to have taken a shine to you.”

  “Really,” I acted surprised for I did not want him to think that his consort had any feelings for a servant. “That is a disappointment for it is always such an honour to serve your majesty.”

  He shrugged. “You are a good man, Parthenian.”

  “Thank you, but it is a shame because it would have been an ideal opportunity to discuss with Corelia whether Geta was a suitable opponent for Medusa who is very highly rated. I realize that I need to make the gladiatrix contest a huge success for the entertainment of our great Emperor and his people. I consider it now to be my responsibility.”

  “I could speak to Corelia about this but no way should the Empress dictate who goes to Tibur with me.” He winked at me. “Sometimes these women need to be put in their place even when they are an Empress.” His eyes seemed to go blank and he once again stared at the wall opposite as he mouthed some more softly spoken words. “Particularly when she may not be Empress much longer,” he whispered while his wide, staring eyes seemed to look into the future.

  I heard these softly spoken words and they staggered me for here was confirmation that the fears of Domitia Longina were justified. I quickly recovered my composure. “Does that mean I will be going to Tibur?”